Hi everyone, we trust that you all enjoyed the festive season and that 2006 is a successful year for each and everyone of you.

As our trekking family has now grown to over 1000 clients during 2004 & 2005 we would like to do some housekeeping to improve our services even further. Our motto is 'we want to provide the best service possible for the best price'.

As we are presently in the planning stages for the 2006 trekking season, who better than our ex trekkers to ask how we can improve our services and offer our trekkers more 'value for money'.

War History: I know some of you are going to come back and state that you would like someone with more war history experience. We have addressed this in 2006 and have on offer expatriate led treks with Pam Christie and Nikki's treks. Trekkers will have to pay extra but we cant offer this service without increasing the costs.

Books: I know many of you have read everything you can get your hands on with regards to the Kokoda Trail. If you could only afford one book, please tell me which one would you buy! There has to be one book that is better than the rest. Once I know which book gets the most votes, I will purchase this book and hand it out to all our Kokoda Trekking Guides. So come on, which is the best book?

Training: Throughout 2006 I am going to try and come up with incentive schemes for our national staff to read as many books as they can. However most nationals (PNG citizens) are lucky if they are selected to attend High School in the first instance and an even smaller number end up finishing Year 10 or Year 12.

For the ones that achieve this, most go on to University and it would be considered a backward move for them to be walking as tour guides or porters so we have to find a balance somewhere in between.

Food: One 2005 Anzac trekker this week sent me an email keeping in touch and he mentioned he went trekking in New Zealand during the Christmas season. He went on to say he was planning to come back and walk again and that he had come across a one-meal bar which he thought would be great as an inclusion in our ration packs. This was a great initiative from him and we have taken it on board and written away asking for a sample of the product so we can taste and decide whether to include it in our ration packs.

Whilst still maintaining the weight of less than 1kg, some trekkers say there is too much food in our ration packs. I think you would all have to agree, that its hard to judge even in your own homes how hungry relatives or friends will be when they pop around for a meal. A lot of us worry that we wont have enough….that we will run out of certain things and so on. However, here in Australia we have the luxury of having a corner shop around close by that we can rush out and stock up on whatever is in short supply, ie ice for our esky or whatever.

Unfortunately on the Kokoda Trial there is no corner shop so we have to prepare for the hungry footy players who can eat three to four times an ordinary person to someone who picks at their food and eats very little.

As a result we have taken it upon ourselves to make sure no-one starves – hence there maybe be more inside the packs then can be consumed each day.

Ration Packs: Food4treks have tried really hard to create an A, B & C pack based on trekkers feedback. We would however like to continually improve so would appreciate your feedback. Keep in mind however, that no matter what you eat even at home it gets a little boring if you eat pretty much the same thing day in day out but with no butcher shops on the trail we try our best to keep you all fed. To the best of my knowledge no-one went hungry in 2005!

Airlines of PNG: We have had discussions with Airlines of PNG as to how they can improve their services this year re pick up and drop offs to Kokoda. One suggestion has been that trekkers book the international flight through them direct all the way to Kokoda. Of course trekkers have to clear their cargo in Port Moresby but could then place them in the transit area having been booked through from Cairns. The flight will be booked and ticketed in Cairns who will control reservations and make this area more efficient. Unless trekkers really want to overnight in a hotel, they can now travel through from Cairns to Kokoda in the one day without fear of not making the flight.

Tents: Some trekkers have remarked that they purchased a tent and have never used it since. If you want to sell your tent, please let me know. As a relative new company, we have grown so quickly and we felt other needs had to come first. In the past two years we have purchased a fleet of motor vehicles both ends of the trail so that we may serve you better; two way radios; backpacks; uniforms and much much more. This year we intend to purchase tents as times goes by and other items still on our wish list.

Suggestions Box: if you have anything to contribute, we would love to hear from you:

Please keep in mind however that PNG is a developing country and whilst here in Australia we go to work and continue to turn a wheel that has been set up generations before us. In PNG one usually has to create the wheel and then continually train staff and follow up. Luckily for expatriates living and working in PNG this is the case otherwise PNG would not need to hire any Australians or overseas employees or rely on Australia for ausaid. Having said that, honest feedback will be welcomed and Kokoda Trekking will try to improve based on your feedback.

gail@pngbd.com

I assure you that both Russell and I will welcome your comments and suggestions and will try to continually improve our services. We hope that you our ex trekkers had a great time when you trekked with us welcome your feedback so we can offer future trekkers a fantastic experience and one they will never forget.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Happy New Year, and may you still have Kokoda in your blood as we remember each and everyone of you.

Gail Thomas
Kokoda Trekking

Walk with your very own fuzzy wuzzy angel
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