Memorable Qoutes of the day:?There was no where in the world that I went to and received such a welcome. This is truly special for me and my friends and I thank you for such a wonderful effort? ? A mesmerized Steve said after some speechless seconds trying to find the right words to thank the cultural group at Kokoda who put on a show for…[Read more]

At 6:20 I came to the camping area and was surprised to see the guys holding a bottle of SP beer each and sipping very slowly as if they had all the time in the world to finish those bottles. At night, the sound of crickets and water toads are audible! Just as the guys heading out of their tent with their flash lights on?. we see fireflies! The…[Read more]

3:05 ? The guys head straight for the water minutes after we arrive and set up our tents outside on the grassy area. All four of them are now having a refreshing bath in the cool water, sitting on rocks talking and laughing. One of the porters just informed me that the owner of the house on the other side of the creek was selling beer ? warm beer…[Read more]

3:05 ? We arrived a little earlier than expected and to the welcoming sound of smooth flowing creek of Hoi village. Man, I can?t wait to jump into the water! I take off my pack and unzip it and what do I find? Six 355 ml bottles of cheese spread. I was doing a porter?s work today! I actually feel like breaking all the bottles of cheese spread on…[Read more]

2.15 ? We reach Kovello the first village along the track and of the Orokaiva tribe in Kokoda. Not many people live here, it appears very quiet. We slowed our paces as the guys try to take pictures of the Kunai thatched houses built on posts (you probably seen them in the pictures). I am starting to feel tiredness on my shoulder. Somehow my…[Read more]

12.00 ? 1.00 pm ? We reach a Rubber plantation. You can just imagine what it?s like for the guys in this humid day??. They are perspiring, Rich! As I am turning around Steve?s wiping his face so as John before sipping water from his water bag. The others are catching up while we stop for a rest under the shades of rubber trees. There are no shades…[Read more]

11.30 ? 12.00 ? We begin the walk of our life ? The sun is a bit unfriendly today. I am already hot and sweating – I took off my T-shirt and put on a sleeveless shirt ? I brought three and they proved very useful during our trek. So here we are on a 3-hour walk to Hoi village where we would camp for the night before heading on to Isurava. The…[Read more]

10.30 ? 11.00 ? While here we visit a small war Museum and the monuments. Pictures of World War II and the informative history of events during the war are written down in English, Pidgin and Motu. After some minutes reading we head out for the monuments to the war. It seems a lot of activity happened here during the war. We are on top of a small…[Read more]

10:00 ? Whew! After almost a half an-hours? entertainment a series of speeches are made and more surprises. Kokoda Station mayor Ori Keni who eventually surprised Steve by announcing that he was a long distance runner who represented PNG on the Commonwealth Games and that he knew Steve from one of the commonwealth games; It is indeed a day of…[Read more]

In fact that was probably one of their main highlights while in Kokoda. (The guys will have to tell you themselves!) Word about Steve and his group had reached the village long before their arrival. So the dancers and everyone, even his mural was put up to officially welcome him!_LWF0028.jpg

(It looked like the small community put such an effort in organising this small reception and I tell you Rich, Steve?s one hell of a lucky guy! Why? Because here in PNG only the Prime Minister and his ministers gets to be treated this way, not to mention that it was the first time ever in Kokoda such a show was put on for trekkers coming in from…[Read more]

There are four chairs ready for the gentlemen, a table of locally baked cake with lemon juice plus trays of fresh fruits; bananas, water melon, cucumbers, pineapple and passion fruits which proved very tasty and delicious after almost an hour?s walk in the sweltering sun from the airport._LWF0024.jpg

As we are approaching, shouts of welcome filled the air: ?ORO, ORO, ORO.? The shouts came from a crowd of women, men and children. All the time the dancers or the ?singsing? group as it commonly known in PNG are dancing, the men beating the ?kundu? drums and accompanied by the ladies in their high-pitched voice are singing in their language:…[Read more]

Steve was wide-eyed and speechless, so as John and Ross who like Steve, are probably captivated by the dancers. Geoff is putting on a smile of approval and nods appreciatively towards the crowd mimicking what Steve did some minutes ago. Finally, in two straight lines the dancers makes way for the guys to walk in the middle. With Steve leading the…[Read more]

9:30 ? A surprise welcome??For anyone who hasn?t experienced a traditional welcome before, Steve, Ross, John and Geoff were definitely in for a surprise. The village dancers beautifully dressed in their traditional finery, with swaying headdresses and grass-skirts jumped out of hiding as soon as they spotted Steve and his team and starts beating…[Read more]

7:45 ? A safe landing at Kokoda Airport. I took out my notepad and starts to jot down the time of our arrival??Steve sees me and pipes in?.?so far so good.? Yeah well I have to agree with him. From here we walk for almost 45 minutes before we reach the Kokoda Station._LWF0062.jpg

7:35 ? Flying High?..We passed the Central province border and are venturing into Oro territory. In ten minutes we will reach Kokoda Station. Geoff is trying to get a picture of Ross, Steve and John on the plane. The guys are laughing as he positioned himself in the cockpit almost between the two pilots. One of the pilot turns to see what?s…[Read more]

7.05 Finally the long awaited call??we are kindly reminded to board the flight to Kokoda. One after the other, our names are called and we start to board the plane._LWF0057.jpg

6.30 – We proceed into the Departure lounge where we wait for the boarding call. While waiting Steve, Ross and Jeff opt for a cup of coffee. John is busy writing. I ask him and he?s telling me that he is writing a post card to you. Steve followed by Geoff and Ross starts signing it as well._LWF0051.jpg

6.15 – Gail is wishing all of us luck. She starts to hug me and tells me I could curse her later while out in the wilderness. (We?ll see about that?.looks like I will have to include you in my curses too)Justus__Eric___Alison.jpg