K*I*M – You're welcome. I like asking questions. I am fortunate that everyone on here has been extremely patient with my endless questioning lol!As for the blisters you know what? I must have the most shocking feet on the planet! For 18 months I did blister preparation. Packs, Vaseline, Vitamin E, filing, blister packs, corn packs, orthodics,…[Read more]

QUOTE(peterh13 @ 28 Dec 2009, 04:02 PM) [snapback]11193[/snapback]Fluppy,,,,you definately need help.Everybody else is stuffing their faces with ham and pork and your scanning the forum, you poor sick girl.I ought to seek counselling

How sad is this – I am logged on to this forum to talk about my addiction on Christmas day lol! Anyway, hope everyone has had a brilliant Christmas this year in 2009. May 2010 bring many more adventures at Kokoda and much joy & happiness to all those in PNG as well as trekkers worldwide Do the villagers celebrate Christmas?Have a good one…[Read more]

Mike – this was great. It's refreshing (although of course as usual, it nearly made me cry), but it was refreshing because it was from a child's point of view. Also, I like how you are able to write short poetry as well as lengthy ones – straight and to the point. Well done. And a Merry Christmas back to you and yours too.fluppy

QUOTE(Lorna @ 17 Dec 2009, 09:35 AM) [snapback]11169[/snapback]It's a shangai Gail… Our porters were constantly trying to fool us with animal sounds too, and yes, even young children carried machettes on the track. My boys at that age carried Tonka toys, though they are certainly into hunting now.Also known as 'real' slingshots. We have them…[Read more]

QUOTE(Boss Meri @ 11 Dec 2009, 09:11 AM) [snapback]11141[/snapback]If the bridges hold out, the vehicle will be used to ferry our trekkers back and forth from Kokoda to PopondettaSee, now this is when the use of a 'proper' bridge would be useful and beneficial – although not a 'footbridge' as such, I am sure many people would use their feet upon…[Read more]

Brian – I must have no life outside of Facebook now-a-days Where is Kokoda? Oh how I want to go back…Some days were briliant, others not-so-brilliant, some days it was like a camp I never wanted to end and other days I was homesick, missed my pets and wanted to go home. But now that I'm home, I want to go back. Now I miss the trekking.…[Read more]

QUOTE(Boss Meri @ 10 Dec 2009, 11:07 AM) [snapback]11128[/snapback]KTA Works Program Advisory Committee4. Designs and probable locations for footbridges should be explored (following management outcomes and principles).They are considering footbridges? Oh no! Where? If they do that it will become a 'walk in the park'…How can they do this…[Read more]

QUOTE(peterh13 @ 6 Dec 2009, 09:48 AM) [snapback]11106[/snapback]I think a lot of the bad press about the track is unwarranted. Sure it's a dangerous place, but thats why people go there.If all the bleeding hearts had there way there'd be handrails and concrete steps up all the hills and proper bridges across all the rivers….where's the fun in…[Read more]

Thanks Craig I think I might wait until the New Year though for now fluppy

QUOTE(crowie @ 2 Dec 2009, 06:00 AM) [snapback]11094[/snapback]…a good book that was written shortly after the war is also another book written by soldiers giving a detailed story of their experiences….it is called "The Knights of Kokoda"Crowie – I don't suppose you can recall the author of this book? I am trying to find it at my local…[Read more]

Agreed. Congratulations to Kurt who did an absolute superb effort and finished the track. Shame on channel 7 for not covering more of his trek – I guess they couldn't keep up or hadn't done any prior training fluppy

I have been following Kurt's story and his ambitions for quite some time now. He truly is an inspiration and as Crowie said, Cpl John Metson did indeed crawl the Kokoda track as well. In fact, it was he who at the time was my inspiration to keep going. Kurt shows us all, that if you can dream it, you can make it happen. Good on you…[Read more]

Yes – their basic package was sufficient, but we went for the adventure package anyway – just in case. Also in their basic package – my (exercised-induced) asthma was also covered. Columbus Direct are awesome.

We used Columbus Direct (Australia): http://www.columbusdirect.com.au/?sourcecode=GOOAD1And found (through a lot of extensive reading and phone calls) that they were in-expensive and even covered a lot of pre-existing medical conditons in their basic package. Of course we opted for the adventure package for Kokoda just-in-case, but after…[Read more]

Day 3 photos now up on Facebook – Ioribaiwa Ridge – New Nauro Villagefluppy

Wokabaut Meri – re; WhizBizI bought one of these from the Travel Docs about 6 weeks before we trekked. I trialed it on camping trips during my training and whilst good for not sitting on a toilet seat/public toilets, I found it was quite a nuicance for a quick dash into the bush. I took it on my trip to Kokoda and only used it once as it was just…[Read more]

QUOTE(Brian @ 8 Nov 2009, 05:49 PM) [snapback]10936[/snapback]Do not think anyone was hanging around at all, in and out in a flash and I bet some world records were made doing so.BrianI did. Only once though – as my body just would not relax and I got cramps in the back of my knees from squatting – so up down, up down, up down I went. It was…[Read more]

QUOTE(Lorna @ 8 Nov 2009, 04:12 PM) [snapback]10935[/snapback]For those of you who've trekked Kokoda recently… remember the hole in the ground covers? A piece of wood roughly shaped the same as said hole in the ground with a wooden pole coming out of the middle of it? … Then my porter informs me it's actually a cover to put over the hole when…[Read more]

Toilets: The first photo is of the 2nd set of toilets I came across. Doors fell off. Oh well, at least these ones had doors…The toilet in here was much like a camping one – a green bucket with a proper toilet seat (but of course, don't actually sit on the seat unless you have wipes laid down…[Read more]