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Trek 213 was up bright and early this morning to head off to Jackson's airport at 6am to book in for the flight to Kokoda. All trekkres are now in Kokoda as guests of Russell Eroro's family where they will spend the day and night.
Photograph: Vicky Coleman, Robert Andison, Michael Bavea, Christine Perry, John Bavea, Adrian West, Joshua West, Terry Lewis, Regis Mangel-Lewis, Paul Mooney, Graham Rose and Michael Korff seen here as a group shortly before they moved into the boarding lounge to wait for their flight to Kokoda. Please note names are listed per booking not in the order they are shown here in the photograph:
Airport_2.jpgAround about now as I type this, I can hear by two way radio that they have moved from the Kokoda Station Monument area and have headed down to the family block where the Eroro Family are waiting to welcome them.
There they will be welcomed in true Oro Province style complete with mean beating their kundu drums, traditional dancers performing and the words ORO ORO ORO which means WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME in their language.
A recent group was welcomed in much the same as seen here in this photograph:
Sing_Sing_Group.jpgTraditional dancers will lead them into the family block and will then form a guard of honour for the trekkers to walk through.
Photograph: a previous group of trekkers walking into Rusty's Eroro's family block in Kokoda:
Picture_078.jpgTrekkers will then be invited to share some food prepared by the women who live on the block.
On offer will be beautiful fruit grown in Kokoda such as paw paw, water melon, bananas, suga fruit (passionfruit) and much much more. A hot cuppa or a cold drink will accompany the meal.
After their mid morning snack they will be asked what they would like to go such as go for a swim in a creek nearby, play a game of touch footy, sleep/relax, go for a drive around Kokoda, play a game of table tennis whatever.
Trekkers should be in bed early tonight so they can get up bright and early and head off to Isurava Village where they will spend the night.
Their guide is Rod Ori and they will also have 17 other KTL porters and guides to accompany them as they make their way back to Port Moresby.
Photograph: Kokoda Blue trekkers from Melbourne enjoying a meal at Rusty's Eroro family block earlier this month.
Block.jpgThomas Grimpe the 13th member of this group arrived at Jackson's Airport this afternoon, was picked up by us and tomorrow will be dropped at Kokoda by Airlines of PNG. He is our very first GERMAN and seems very fit having not long ago run a marathon. He has an early start in the morning as he has to be at the airport at 5:15am for a 6am takeoff.
Photograph: Thomas Grimpe outside our residence earlier this afternoon:
IMGP1385.jpgUpdate 22nd May:Have been advised by two way radio today that trekkers got away around 5:30am this morning and are presently heading towards Isurava Village where they will spend the night.
Photograph: our KTL porters walking on the same road that trekkers will be walking on this morning heading up to Hoi Village:
100_0001.jpgThomas Grimpe also caught his flight this morning to Kokoda and weather permitting should touch down at 7am. If luck is not on his side he will get to fly into Tufi and be dropped off on the way back around 8:30am. We have staff waiting on the ground in Kokoda to walk with Thomas until he catches up with his fellow trekkers who left earlier this morning.
Today trekkers will experience their first river crossing.
Photograph: a former trekker crossing over a creek with a KTL porter who is also on this trek today. This is one of the small creeks that Trek 213 will walk over today:
100_0002.jpgAll trekkers have made it to Isurava Village where they will spend the night. According to our guide they all did extremely well today. Thomas caught up with the group along with the porter we hired to wait for him in Kokoda. Rod added, Thomas is thinking of keeping him the whole way which was not the plan when I last saw him this morning so must have found it tougher than he had expected.
Tomorrow trekkers will be up bright and early to commence their walk into Isurava Battlesite Monument area. If they are anything like me, they will be blown away by the beautiful view and the truly magnificent monument built there to remember our brave diggers.
Isurava Monument:
courage__mateship__endurance__sacrifice.jpgAccording to trekkers when they walked into Efogi, they classified it as the equivalent of a 5 star hotel.
Trekkers managed to get some pig for dinner one night as it turned out.
After spending the night at Efogi trekkers wet onto Menari.
On Friday night trekkers overnighted at Ofi Creek and last night Saturday they spent the night at Uberi and were up bright and early this morning Monday to walk up to Ower's Corner arriving at the Archway around 9am.
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