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The Papuans have a saying if you don't make it or fall over badly. It's "Bugger-up Finish". I loved the sound of that one and constantly thought it to myself many times. They don't swear so we were told at the briefing in Port Moresby, not to swear in front of the porters, or to say it under our breath. I love the bridges of logs and ropes and so far no Bugger-up finishes to report. We had to wade through this one though. Off with the boots and walk through the water with my sore bare feet. I welcomed the lovely cool water but not the sharp rocks I encountered on the riverbed. It was up the other side and now only 30 minutes to camp. We managed to get our boots back on and were climbing up the hill when another porter from another company asked Moses if he could take our picture.
I don't know why (maybe he knew Moses and wanted to tease him with the picture of the old woman he had to look after). Anyway all of a sudden Moses puts his arm around my shoulders for the photo. I thought he has finally accepted me as they don't normally take advantage and put their arms around you. Even when they have to push or pull you up a hill they are very respectful, so I was very glad of the arm around my shoulder. It was a sweet gesture on his part I thought. He tells me more about his family and says he has 3 sisters and 2 brothers. His two brothers Thomas and Joseph are porters as well and he said we would meet one coming the other way today maybe. His sister's names are Keti, Mary and Theresa. His father died in 2000, so I suppose the family had to get together and look after each other, as there is no welfare office in the jungle.
Photograph: me and my fellow trekkers at Brigade Hill:
Trek_272_149__Medium_.jpgIt seems it is definitely going to be more than 30 minutes to camp and my blister was playing up a bit inside my sock as the plaster had gone somewhere in the river crossing probably. It was a sight for sore eyes I can tell you when we finally arrived in camp. It was 2.45pm so I was hoping for the sun to stay up a little longer to dry our clothes and warm our bones. It is quite cool under the canopy of the jungle and I haven't found the humidity a problem as yet. I felt almost human again after a shower in the freezing water in yet another wooden shelter and a hot chocolate inside me. We are having chicken curry for dinner tonight and I'm quite hungry. It is in this village of Menari that we meet the boss boy of the supply company that carried the gear to the diggers during the war.
When we first arrived I walked past him sitting there on a log and actually gave him a lolly from my pocket. A little while later he must have gone inside his hut to change into his best coat for the occasion because he was having his photograph taken with us for the princely sum of 10 kina a person. He must have been well into his eighties and was very wizened up but still could tell stories and horrors of the war that took place over 60 years before. He was still very much alert and very happy with life. Who wouldn't be, as he must have just collected about 130 kina from us? He could live pretty well for many weeks on that.
Barry, Ken, Barbie and Dan have gone for a walk around the village to no doubt give out some medications, or to see to the needs of anyone hurt. They came back with a horror story of a woman who has been bleeding in her urine for about two months now and is obviously in much pain. Dan was quite beside himself with worry for this woman as the husband had run after them to tell of her plight. Dan figured this man must have offended the rest of the village in some way as they usually help each other where possible and no one had helped on this occasion. All Dan could do was offer some anti-biotic tablets and collect some food for her, so she could get out to the highway, which we were informed was about a half a days walk away.
Then maybe she could get a lift to a major town for hospital treatment. Having tended this woman Dan did not hold out much hope and it bothered him that there is just not any health facilities in the villages along the track. He knows it is the way of life here, but it doesn't make you feel any happier that these people can die for lack of treatment. It just wouldn't happen in our country. It really brings home to you that these villages are really in the third world as far as basic essentials go.
We are in for another treat tonight as the village has offered to put on a concert for us (for a price of course). The villagers are mostly Seventh Day Adventist along the track, so that accounts for the lack of meat they consume. Because they do not eat meat products the children have all got a bulging tummy, which is a result of not enough protein in their diet. They are still happy though and live with the knowledge that this is how it is with them because of their belief. I feel very sorry for some I see, as they just do not have any hope in life, but their faith in religion holds them strong. It really is amazing to watch these people. We do not mind in the least to part with some money to have a concert in our honour. This is the only way they have of surviving every day.
They will sell you cans of soft drink and fruit and share anything else they have, so we are only too happy give them a few kina along the way. It doesn't look like charity that way, but I would have given them much more if I had it. But on the other hand you can't be seen to give them too much as they will rely on it with future trekkers and it will introduce the begging attitude. We all gather around in the darkening night while the villagers arrange themselves in a group to present their concert. It is really just religious hymns they are singing from their church services, but they have such clear and sweet voices and such innocence about them we enjoy the songs with the children joining in. After their concert we decided to sing them a few songs of our own that we had been singing along the track.
The guides had butchered the song about Old MacDonald's farm and it brought laughter from the villagers and us as we sung it to them. They giggled at the words and noises of the animals from Old Macca Donnell had a farm. They all love to sing and have good voices, so we have a very enjoyable evening. After the sing a long Dan starts to tease the children with lollies and has them running in all directions trying to catch them as they grab them from the bench behind his back. He is very good with the kids and they all had a wonderful time, so all the worries of the trek and village life are forgotten for a few hours of fun. All too soon it was time for the mothers to drag the children kicking and screaming home to their beds and reality once again.
Photograph: Menari Village:
Trek_272_162__Medium_.jpgWe are up early this morning as we're leaving at 6am as soon as its light enough for us to see the track. The four of us left earlier than the others but it doesn't take long for them to catch us up. Poor Moses, Ernest and I are the stranglers again and brought up the rear after letting Barry, David and the others go ahead. The track was just as every other day with steep inclines and even steeper declines just for me, but we are in for a surprise today. We get to swim across the river this time as it is quite wide and has a very strong current. By the time we reached the Brown River we were looking forward to a "swim" to cool down.
What an adventure this was for us all. It was a raging torrent as usual and we had to hang on to the porters who were hanging onto to the ropes that were strung across in case we were washed away. It took 2 people in most cases to get us across because of the current but on my trip there were three of us holding onto poor Ernest who was bravely clinging to the ropes. What a lot of fun it was though and of course the adrenalin was running high by this time as well. It made for a great photo shoot by the others who had reached the other side by then. We set off once again with the three of us bring up the rear. It was amazing just watching the porters literally running down the hill with no fear of falling over and breaking legs or arms. Slipping and sliding is the order of the day today as everyone has mud on their bottoms as they pass in either direction.
Photograph: Nauro River Crossing:
Trek_272_168___Nauro_River__Medium_.jpgMany times we have to stop to let other trekkers go on ahead or let them pass, and our little group of Moses, Ernest, Nelson and I (yes I have picked up another guide as well) are getting further behind the rest of our group. When we finally made the lunch stop we only really had time to have a cup of tea and a quick feed. As luck would have it I had 5 packs of beef jerky in my pack, so I handed out a packet to each of the boys, as they weren't getting any lunch either. About 11.30 this morning Moses tummy was protesting at the lack of food then, and this was about 1.30 now. I felt bad about holding them up, but they didn't complain and I was able to give out lollies as well along the track. I got to meet a few of the other trekkers along the way, so we always had a chat after that whenever we met up again. I didn't stop much unless it was to let other pass, so I got my little breaks that way without holding everybody up all the time.
Ernest told me as we set off that it would only be one hour walking to the camp site now, but I asked if that was my walking pace or his. He assures me it was my pace, so off we went down another steep decline. The knee was really bothering me by this stage and every movement was extremely painful then all of a sudden it wouldn't hurt at all and I would try to move a bit faster till the next burst of pain. Sometimes it was that bad that Moses and Ernest had to lift me down the steep sections. I knew it can't be anything really serious or it would be painful all the time, so that gave me a bit of encouragement anyway. There is only tomorrow to get through somehow and that was it. I can't believe it has gone so quickly really. An hour came and went and thought it can't be too far now. If Ernest had said 3 hours it wouldn't have bothered me, but saying only an hour and after each hour passed I was getting annoyed with him and myself for saying it.
We've passed by a section where a trekker from one year ago passed away on the track. He collapsed further down the hill but as a helicopter had to come a retrieve the body he was carried back up the hill to flat ground then the porters set about clearing enough trees for the helicopter to land. The boys then erected the man's tent and sat up with him all night till the morning when he was picked up and taken back to Moresby. The Papuans then made a little garden where he actually died and another at the top of the hill in his memory. His porter was on our trek and I wondered if it effected him much coming this way again. Apparently they had a ceremony for the man earlier on today as the rest of them stopped to honour him and place flowers on the site. Ernest was telling me about it while we were walking and I can imagine it would have been difficult for the boys at the time. They are very caring and sensitive boys even though they try to act macho for us at times.
Photograph: Ruth and Ernst pause to pay their respects, it was one year in May since Ian lost his life:
Trek_272_181__Medium_.jpgNine creek river crossings later and we finally made it into camp at 3.45pm very tired and very relieved to see everybody. Moses said not to bother taking off my boots and he would make sure that they would be dry for tomorrow. When I walked into camp they had a lovely fire going with everybody's boots around it drying out so I added mine to the circle as well. Barry had waited two hours for me to get in and wouldn't go and wash till I arrived safe and sound. We headed off down the steep embankment to the river and sat in the water, which was flowing around me like a spa. A bit chilly but certainly revitalised the body again. With clean clothes and a drink inside me I felt almost normal again except the knee was giving me a bit of pain. I asked Alissa later if she would tell me the best way to massage it, but she asked me to wait till she had finished her tea and she would do it for me. I felt bad about this as she had just finished doing the boys and hadn't had a chance to relax herself yet, but she assured me she was happy to do it for me, for which I was really grateful.
Photograph: our boots drying out around a campfire:
Trek_272_182___shoes__Medium_.jpgIt helped it no end and I felt as though I was going to finish this trek in one piece after all. Dinner tonight was honey soy chicken, which tasted pretty good considering we didn't have any lunch. I felt very sorry for the boys as they didn't have any lunch either and didn't get to eat their dinner till about 6pm. Poor Moses' tummy by this stage would have thought his throat had been cut. We are treated again to the sounds of the boys singing and playing the ukulele and so often along the track as well. Nelson had his today and it was so uplifting to hear him singing along the way today. Next morning I couldn't find my boots and looked everywhere for them, only to discover that Moses had come over during the night to put them by their fire to dry them out for me. What a guy. Up early and standing around waiting to head off for the day and I heard Wallace telling one of the boys to tell Moses that Mum was ready to go. That's not exactly how he said it, but that was the gist of what he said. I laughed out loud and Wallace realised that I had understood what he had said and that brought peals of laughter from all around the camp by then.
Photograph: sitting around the campfire with our KTL boys singing and playing their uke'ule's:
Trek_272_176__Medium_.jpgBefore I could get to the log Moses had dashed off and came back with a pile of leaves so I wouldn't get a wet bottom. What a little treasure he is. Between them they taped and strapped my knee up beautifully. I certainly wouldn't have got through the day without it. It felt really good after the treatment and now I knew that all would be well for the rest of the day. What wonderful people we have on our trek with us. They really make the memories so great thinking back on it. Everyone was very helpful and we all wanted everyone to finish the trek. We were taking a short break while we were climbing a hill we turned around to see the most wonderful sight before us. The clouds were down so low it was just a black and white setting below us as the hills were surrounded by the white clouds. Barry quickly took a picture but even though the picture looks surreal it was even more majestic in the real time as it looked like something from a moonscape with just little bits of the hill poking through the clouds.
Photograph: preparing for our last climb:
Trek_272_194__Medium_.jpgAfter climbing up the inevitable hill we still had the Golden Staircase to come down to Goldie River before lunch so it was very much appreciated having the knee strapped. It was another swim across the fast flowing water and just enough time to have a quick wash and clean the boots up on the other side. All morning the porters and guides had been gathering greens and flowers again to make up headdresses for the victors of the trek and now it is only 45 minutes away from those wonderful arches that will signify that we have completed the famous Kokoda Track. Moses, Barry, David and I left quickly after everyone had been presented and adorned with the greenery to our hats and packs to climb the last part. We all wanted to arrive at the same time and go through the arches together, and I wasn't sure if the knee was going to hold up till then. So far so good and we all arrived at a small plateau to gather in the hot sun (the first time I had noticed the heat) to make the last steep climb to Owers' corner and the wonderful arches. I actually got to go through first with Moses holding my hand.
Photograph: Alissa and me cleaning our boots at Goldie River:
Trek_272_195__Medium_.jpg
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