Day 12 - Sogeri > Port Moresby > Brisbane

A late start today - breakfast was at 7:00AM, but I was awake at 6:00, so got up and had a shower. Just being able to have a shower, flush a toilet, and drink water without having to put tablets in it and wait 30 minutes is fantastic.

Everyone was chatty at breakfast, and the plan was to be at the airport for check-in at 8:30AM. It seems that flights are often overbooked, so getting in early is advised. I was on an Air Niugini flight at 2:30. Alex and Catherine were going to a diving resort off Port Moresby, and Paul and Sam were on a 2:00PM Pacific Blue flight to Brisbane.

We arrived at the airport, after experiencing Port Moresby's version of peak hour traffic, and I was the first to book onto my flight - it went without a hitch. They even gave me an exit row seat! Paul and Sam had to wait till almost 10, so we had a coffee and sat around.

After that we went to a local arts shop, where I bought presents for the kids, and then back to the Foodland store for lunch. We had planned to go to a flash hotel, but time was against us, so Foodland for a sandwich it was.

We said our goodbyes to Peter, Alex and Catherine at the airport, and Paul, Sam and I went and waited. We chatted about the good times. It was all good times. They left, and I was there by myself, lost in my thoughts.

So what did I learn?

I learnt that in the jungle, there is no point whinging, bitching, complaining. The only option is to find a solution and get on with it. I learnt that a lot of things go buggaup in New Guinea. Live with it. I learnt that it doesn't matter how well you prepare your body for this trek - the thing that will ultimately let you down is your mind. I learnt that the New Guinea natives are the most caring, giving people I have ever come across. And I learnt a bit about myself. I've got some ideas for when I get home. I've changed. Things will change. It is a trip of a lifetime - that every Australian should make. It would change our country for the better.

With these thoughts, I boarded the plane. I had a screaming kid sitting next to me. I wasn't in the exit row. I couldn't see the TV. None of that mattered. Yes, I cared. But it didn't matter.

You see, that's because it's not what happens to you that matters. My big lesson was it's how you deal with it that counts. When things go bugaup, you've just got to -

"Get over it. Get on with it."

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my little adventure. If you are looking to trek the Kokoda Trail, I implore you, stick with a reputable company that will give you the best chance of survival if things go wrong. You may be able to save $1,000 with a cheapie - but how much is your life worth? I highly recommend Adventure Kokoda - give them a go.

Day 11 - Goldie River > Owers Corner > McDonald's Corner > Sogeri Lodge

Despite being exhausted when I went to bed last night, I woke at 12:30AM, and couldn't get back to sleep. I was still awake at 2:15, with thoughts of the trek racing through my mind. I must have drifted off, because the alarm woke me at 5:15, and the final morning pack was started.

We all had some tinned fruit, plus Salada's and vegimite for breakfast, along with a cup of "Readymix". It turns out that on the last morning, the boys mix all the milk, milo, coffee, sugar and tea that is left over into a pot of boiling water - and that is Readymix! Tasted ok, but really sweet. After brekky, with the knee again feeling good, I went down to the river and found my sweat rag. I was happy, for a while.

It was a really strange feeling as we walked away from our last camp. I didn't want it to be over. I hung around the back, talking to the boys. They advised me to not bother putting my boots on, as we had to cross a river that was about knee deep. I walked slowly down to the river, took off the boots, and waded across. The group was in front of me. No-one was talking. I guess we were all lost in our thoughts. On the other side, I slowly put my boots on, and talked a bit more with the boys. I wished I had have got to know them a bit better. Sure, I'd spoken quite a bit to Warren and Dominic, but not so much the others. They were all great guys, and we owed them all a lot. They were in high spirits. I guess for them (apart from the quick pace), this was a relatively easy trek. There was no-one getting in at 8:00PM. There were no injuries - just a couple of tummy bugs. Everyone was pretty easy to get on with. So, for them too, a good trip. But we could see that they were in a hurry!

So, the last uphill. I held back so Alex and Catherine could get in front of me. I spoke with Alex a bit up the hill. The time flew. He took some photos as we went up - he was in no hurry. Before we knew it, we were all approaching the archway at the top. The boys had formed a guard of honour. As we walked towards and through the archway, they sang a going home hymm. It was really emotional, with more than one tear shed. And so, on our 10th day of trekking, at 7:35AM, the adventure was over.

The bus had been organised for 8:30, so while we waited, we were all presented with the trekking poles that the boys had carved for us. They cost K50 each, and the boys had been working on them most nights since we started. They had done a great job. Dominic had made mine for me, in between his cooking duties - I really don't know how he found the time. I had lent him my new pocket knife to do the carving. When he gave me my trekking pole, he returned the knife. I gave it back to him, and told him that I wanted him to have it so he could make a lot more trekking poles in the future. Such a small gesture, but his gratitude was like a wave of emotion rushing over me.

After some photos, and goodbyes to the boys, the bus and a troop carrier arrived at about 8:05AM. The boys jumped on the bus, we jumped in the Troopie, and off we went to McDonald's Corner for a quick look and another photo.

Then back to Sogeri Lodge, where there were rolls with sausages and onions waiting for us, along with icy cold soft drinks! It was an awesome meal! Then we unpacked, and gave the boots, crocs and poles to the boys for cleaning, and the dirty clothes to the housekeeper for washing. Then, a HOT shower! Fantastic. It was heaven. In fact, on arriving at Sogeri Lodge, it all felt very plush - quite different to how it felt the first time we arrived here! It's funny how perceptions have changed in such a short time.

After that, we headed into Port Moresby with Peter. We took a couple of boys for security, and jumped into the Troopie with Peter driving. Some of the bridges were in shocking condition - and we had to move the planks on them in order to drive across - scary!

In Port Moresby, we went to the ANZ bank to change some money. It was brand new, with a 15 car car park. 3 guards were in the car park. Then another inside, who ran the metal dector over us before, one at a time, we were let into a sealed room. When the door behind had closed, the door in front could be opened to go into what looked like a normal branch. There was 1 teller working, with 2 others watching her. After a 20 minute wait, it was my turn. I swapped $50 into Kina - and was charged K25 for the priviledge! I wasn't happy. Then I realised I was just whinging again - a habit I thought I had lost on the track. Will have to work on that.

From the bank, we went to the "Boroko on Gordons Foodland" store for lunch. It was just like a Coles Supermarket from the early '70's, with a cafeteria at the back! While the others tucked into sandwhiches, I had "Chicken Stew with Rice" for K18 (about $9), with a can of Coke to wash it down, and an icecream at the end - I've never enjoyed such crap in my life!

Then off to the Botanical Gardens for a guided tour. It doubles as a bit of a zoo for local wildlife, and was pretty interesting. Back to Sogeri Lodge for a lie down, and we cracked the first South Pacific Larger at 5:20PM - a beer never tasted so good.

Dinner and bed by 9:00 - where I fell into a deep sleep, for the first time in weeks...

Day 2 - Sogeri > Port Moresby > Kokoda > Kovello

I was pleasantly surprised last night on going to bed that it wasn't too hot or humid. Sogeri, being up on a tableland escapes some of the Port Moresby heat, so I was expecting a good nights sleep.

Unfortunately, that was not to be. Not sure why, but it seemed that I was awake every hour or two. I also woke at 4:20, my usual get up time, and couldn't get back to sleep. The good part was that I was able to complete my packing and have a shower with plenty of time till breakfast.

The pack weight feels ok, even with 4 litres of water. After Peter's help last night to lighten the load, I'm feeling a bit more confident that the pack won't weigh too much, and I might actually be able to do this. I must admit, I did put the Gastrolite back into the first aid kit - with my history of gastro bugs, if it's not in there I'm sure to catch one while we are away.

At breakfast (bacon, eggs, cereal, toast, coffee), Peter mentioned that we looked like a strong group. "What type of people do you worry about at this point?" we asked him.

"Well, there are two types of people who really struggle." he answered.

"First, there are the young guys in their early 20's, who think that their youth and fitness will get them through without having to do any specific training before they arrive."

"And then there are the older guys in their 40's who have lost 20kg, employed a personal trainer and bought all the right gear who think they will be ok, but still have more to do."

"Sh1t" I thought! "That almost exactly describes me!" I suppose I will find out a little bit today, and a lot more tomorrow if I am the one who he has to worry about...

After breakfast, we headed down the road to the old 'Koitaki Parade Ground'. This is where the troops, on returning from the track, chuffed that they had delayed a very experienced, well drilled, well armed Japanese army, who outnumbered them 6:1, were addressed by their General. The General castigated them, and gave them a right dressing down for being such failures. Apparently, he was lucky to get off the parade ground without being lynched. Now, the ground has been returned to the cows, and you can still make out the cricket oval where the men once stood 67 years ago.

To get to Koitaki, we drove along a pretty average road. The further we went from Port Moresby, the worse the road got, but the friendlier the people were, and the less razor wire was to be seen. We had to walk across a bridge on the farm to get to the ground. The bridge was two metal planks, about 4 metres above a fast flowing creek. The planks were spaced wheel track apart, and were about 30cm wide. I have to admit I didn't do well crossing. My knees were shaking and my feet were slow and unsteady. How the hell was I going to do another 50 or so creek crossings in the coming weeks, on unsteady logs, when I could hardly do this!?! I wasn't filling myself with confidence...

After Koitaki we trundled back down to the heat and humidity of Port Moresby, going straight to the airport. We arrived at the Hevilift terminal (a carport against the side of a shed) after the gate was opened by 2 security guards. It was 9:30, and our charter flight was due to leave at 10:30. Packs and people were weighed, which gave us all some peace of mind in that at least they were taking that part of safety seriously. A load sheet was completed, and the packs were taken through a doorway into the shed, ready for loading onto the plane. We waited. And waited. And waited some more. The door that the packs had been taken through was locked, and there were no Hevilift employees to be seen. Usually we would have flown Airlines PNG, but after their Twin Otter crashed near Isurava exactly two weeks ago on it's way to Kokoda, killing all 13 on board, they stopped flying to Kokoda. So, Hevilift was the next choice, but I was a bit nervous because all my money, and my passport was in the top pocket of my backpack, locked away in a shed with the Hevilift employees.

Finally at 12 o'clock we boarded the plane. There was much trepidation amongst the porters, and the trekkers too. The pilot was an American - about 50 years old - and seemed very competent. Takeoff was uneventful, and we were on our way to the 6,500 feet high Kokoda Gap. We were lucky that there was no cloud around, but it was still pretty thrilling to be flying through the gap with only about 500 feet separating us from the ground below - and not much more between us and sheer mountains on either side. Peter pointed out Isurava and several other villages on the track, and we saw trekkers wading through the choko fields below. Things were getting exciting!

An uneventful landing, and we unloaded our packs. Straight away I saw that the top pocket of my pack had been opened. I quickly checked, and was relieved to see that all my money and my passport were still there. Lucky!

We then donned packs and headed off in the heat of the day to Kokoda village. The village is on a bit of a plateau, about 25 metres above the surrounding area. Peter ran up the near vertical track, and we tried to follow. We were all breathing hard when we got to the top - and that was only a 25m climb! Following a 30 minute briefing, we sat in the shade eating pre-prepared sandwiches for lunch, then visited the museum while we waited for the rest of the porters to be brought from Port Moresby. We then had a look at weapons pits and the monuments, and waited. And waited some more. And some more. Although only a 25 minute flight each way back to Port Moresby, it wasn't until 3:30 that we finally started our trek proper. Not bad for a flight that was supposed to leave Moresby at 9:30AM for a 25 minute flight! But, this is Papua New Guinea - the land of the unexpected. I have a feeling we might see more things go bugaup over the coming couple of weeks.

The start of the trek was along flat ground, through an old rubber plantation. We were heading to Hoi Village, about a 90 minute walk up the track. However, after about 45 minutes we reached the outskirts of Kovello Village. Here, we were told that due to our late arrival, all the campsites at Hoi were being used (despite us booking one on the cool, refreshing stream there). So, the boys had decided that we should stay at Kovello instead. Just by coincidence, the locals had all dressed up in traditional costumes, and welcomed us with a traditional dance/sing along. It was only the women dancing - quite primitive. We learnt another word today - Wantoc. That is a relative or mate who you look after. I have a funny feeling that there was a bit of Wantoc at work at Kovello - it all just seemed to convenient.

The campsite was nice enough. They even had a shower of sorts - just a stream of water coming out of a pipe behind some plastic tarps. I had sweated heaps on the walk (though wasn't tired at all), so was very happy to be able to wash off under water which wasn't too cold. I unpacked ready for bed, when I discovered that my headlight/torch was missing from the top pocket of my backpack! I was really dirty with the little bstards at Hevilift! Luckily, Peter had a spare one. Then we discovered that Sam's torch had also been stolen - so he borrowed one from one of the porters. Not happy Jan!

Dinner was watery soup, heaps of Deb mashed potatoe, tuna with spices and vegetables of some sort, and was pretty tasty. My hips are sore from where the strap on the pack goes - hope they get used to that in a hurry.

We are now 45 minutes behind schedule, so will have to start 30 minutes early tomorrow. It's 7:20PM, and I'm tired. Peter and Alex are playing chess - apparently Peter is just learning. It's quiet. I'm pretty relaxed. So, it's off to bed.

A quick pee stop reveals toilets that are a big green plastic drum placed over a hole in the ground. At least I'll have somewhere to sit in the morning - which sends me to bed a happy man.

Day 1 - Sydney > Port Moresby > Sogeri

You know that feeling when you are desperate to go to sleep - but sleep just won't come? That was me last night. So many thoughts going through my head. The trek. The plane trips. The people. What would it be like? Try as I might, I couldn't stop thinking, and it seemed that I was awake all night.

That is, until the alarm went off at 4:20AM. Then my eyes refused to open. I dragged myself out of bed, cursing the fact that I had still been packing last night at 10:00PM. Showered, said my goodbyes, and off to the airport.

I was lucky enough to be first in line at check-in. It concerned me that my bag weighed in at 27kg - but didn't seem to bother the lady behind the Air Niugini counter. Sure, I had clothes for Brisbane when I got back. And some books and gifts to give to a village along the way. But still - my pack was only supposed to weigh 12kg before water - I wonder how much it will really weigh...

I then tried to exchange some $AU for Kina. Unfortunately, they only had K50 notes - which would do me no good on the track when the locals charge K5 for a bunch of bannanas, so I decided to wait till I got to Moresby.

The plane trip saw me seated next to a couple of nurses from Tamworth, travelling with a couple of doctors to Rabaul. They were on their way to organise for a trip later in the year when they would do volunteer surgical work for the locals. The usual questions - "How long will it take?" (10 days trekking) - "How far is it?" (I'm doing the original wartime track which is 155km rather than the tourist route of 96km) - "What training have you done?" (5 months of intense work; 4 walks per week with 18kg backpack, 2 weights sessions (legs and core), 2 HIIT sessions) - "Are you catching the same type of plane as that which crashed?" (yes).

Unfortunately, the headwinds meant our flight was late landing, which meant that 2 planes arrived just before us. The immigration queue started on the top landing, went down 3 ramps, then snaked its way through the immigration section. The queue for locals dissapeared quickly - at which point the person manning that station went to lunch. Meanwhile, 1 person handled everyone who wasn't a local. It took an hour to get through.

Into baggage collection without a problem, then to the money exchange. I was pleasantly suprised to find that the exchange rate was about $1 > K2, whereas in Sydney it was $1 > K1.77 plus a $15 commission!

I was the last into the arrivals hall, where I met up with our group. Peter Davis, the trek leader, is a farmer from Orange, with a passion for all things PNG. He is also attending ADFA studying military history - specialising in PNG. Then there is the gym junkie couple from Perth. Alex (26) a mining engineer and Catherine (25), an admin person at a finance company. They met at the gym, and both play sport a couple of times a week. Very fit looking. Catherine is bubbly, and Alex a bit reserved. Perhaps his upbringing in Zimbabwe? Who knows. Will be interesting to see how they warm up during the trek. Then there is the father / son team of farmers from 6 hours south of Perth - Paul and Sam. Paul (50), the farther has a warm persona and a ready laugh. Sam (20), who is currently going to uni (studying farming of course) is friendly but perhaps a bit shy, with a ready smile. Paul trained on a rowing machine - but only for 10 minutes a day. Sam did some walks and gym work, and is carrying a few extra kilos. He would be my bet for the person who might struggle (after he listed the sport he plays as drinking...).

Then a bus tour of Port Moresby. Scary place. 5th highest murder rate in the world. Us "whities" should only travel with a couple of local security personnel in the vehicle. Nothing like what I remember as a kid growing up here. Razor wire everywhere. People on the streets looking lost/mean/disinterested. We're told that the unemployment rate is 87% in Moresby - and there is no such thing as the dole. Security guards everywhere. The whole place has a tense atmosphere. Not a nice place to be.

That contrasts with Bomana War Cemetery. A beautiful, well maintained, solemn place. Marble headstones of the diggers who died fighting to keep the Japs away from Oz. Thousands of stories buried with the boys. A few of them told by Peter. We'll hear more as the trip progresses, but the ages surprise - many of them in their late 20's and into their 30's. I guess that reflects the fact that many of these guys were the home guard - couldn't get into the regular army for age / physical / work reasons. Emotions swelled, but tears were kept in check.

From there we travelled up the hill to Sogeri. With at least 20 wrecks seen over the edge of the sheer sided road, the trip gave a feel for what was ahead.

Our "hotel" (the term used loosely) for the night was the Sogeri Lodge. Rooms were very basic, with a hard bed, harder pillow, bars on the windows, razor wire around the perimeter, and 2 bathrooms down the hall. A pretty good dinner of steak and vegies, with icecream for desert was followed by a trek briefing and allocation of backpacks. Alex and I are the only ones carrying our own packs. I hope I can keep up with him - I don't really care if I can't keep up with the others who are just carrying their water.

Peter reviewed what I was about to pack, and I was able to ditch half the first aid kit - which saved at least a kilo. My guess is that the pack will weigh in at 16kg when I add the 4 litres of water. More weight than I wanted, but nothing I can do about it at this late stage.

Missing Kerrie and the kids already. Luckily I was able to call her. In bed by 10, and pretty tired.

Tomorrow will see a 6AM wake-up call, with breakfast at 7. I hope I can sleep tonight...

Hit the sack thinking of the phrase for the day - "Gone bugaup". Which means it's broken/stuffed. Apparently it applies to lots of things in PNG.