FINAL POST: DAY 51-54 (30 May – 2 June 2023): PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Port Moresby

Welcome to my 116^th Visit and 111^th Run UN Country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) !!!

 

In this post I move the focus from The Kokoda Track to the city and capital of Port Moresby that I visited alone after my Kokoda trek. My brother Nick was unable to stay and returned to Australia on the 31 May with our nephew Sam Golfin.

 

PNG (Pop 10,240,000) is a country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia (a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia). Surprisingly, PNG is the world's third largest island country, with an area of 462,840 km2 or 6.77 times the size of Tasmania.

 

There is some evidence that humans first arrived in PNG around 42,000 to 45,000 years ago. They were descendants of migrants out of Africa. About 50,000 years ago these peoples reached Sahul (the supercontinent consisting of present-day Australia and New Guinea). The sea levels rose and isolated New Guinea about 10,000 years ago, but Aboriginal Australians and Papuans diverged from each other genetically earlier, about 37,000 years ago.

 

Portuguese Dom Jorge de Menezes and Spanish Yñigo Ortiz de Retez, were the first Europeans here in 1545 but never claimed it. Yñigo named it New Guinea because it reminded him of African Guinea which he also discovered.

 

After being ruled by Germany, England and Australia (1915-1975) since 1884, PNG established its sovereignty in 1975 and joined the British Commonwealth.

 

There are 839 known languages in PNG, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. As of 2019, it is also the most rural, as only 13.25% of its people live in urban centres.

 

The country is believed to be the home of many undocumented species of plants and animals due to its rugged inaccessibility including the discovery of 3 new mammals in 2010.

 

PNG is richly endowed with natural resources, including mineral and a large portion of the world's major tuna stocks. Agriculture, for subsistence and cash crops, provides a livelihood for 85% of the population and continues to provide some 30% of GDP. Mineral deposits, including gold, oil, and copper, account for 72% of export earnings. Oil palm production has grown steadily over recent years with palm oil now the main agricultural export just ahead of Coffee.

 

 PNG also had the infamous reputation of cannibal tribes in the highlands not so much for food but for war between tribes. This was outlawed in 1978 but the Korowai tribe (or Kolufu) in south-eastern Papua is known to still practice this ritual.

 

In the evening of 30 May we all celebrated our Kokoda Track completion with a big dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant in the Vision City Mall next to our Stanley Hotel. All we wanted and needed was meat !!! And wine. It was a great moment in time and a complete contrast to what we ate and drank on the track. What a sleep that night !!! Out like a light. The following morning Jacob, Sam, Nick and I partook in a sumptuous breakfast – the best breakfast I have ever had. At 11am I said goodbye to Jacob, Sam and Nick and made my signature salute as they sped off in a big black Secret Police style van to the airport.

 

I was alone again. I booked a hire car for today and tomorrow but they never showed up. I tried ringing them but they would not answer their phone so it was time to enact PLAN B, which involved negotiating with a local taxi driver to take me from the 5-Star Stanley to the 2-Star Hideaway !!! My driver WILLY was a very polite older guy who struggled with English. Willy was also the name of Nick’s porter. After arriving at the Hideaway I spent the rest of the day resting in bed and getting the Kokoda Post ready for you – 1591 photos and clips down to 290 photos and 130 clips – not bad !!! My knees had swollen from a build up of fluid given all that extra movement to avoid mud – my advice to all trekkers is “embrace the mud” !!! Do not worry about getting your shoes and socks wet – just do it – they will end up wet anyway and you will save your knees !!! Willy picked me up at 5pm so I could visit the Vision City Mall and stock up on wine, olives, cheese and food for the next two nights.

 

Willy picked me up at 9am the next day (Thu 1 June) to drive me to several sites in Port Moresby that I had researched from home and marked in my maps.me app that would guide us to them. Willy loved the app and at one stage said “that women knows Port Moresby good” – the maps.me voice was female as it guided up to each destination !!!

 

Port Moresby (Pop 401,000) is not a good looker. Geographically it comprises many hills, some of them mined for cement and left open. There are two main centres – the Government Buildings back from the shore and the CBD on the shore. Both are reasonable modern with much of the construction by Ozzie companies. In between these centres and in the suburbs is another world. Street-side stalls, people loitering and just sitting around, garbage everywhere and roads that look like they had been hit by a million meteorites !!! Port Moresby actually reminded me of cities and towns in Africa – the stalls are the main reason.

 

From 9am to 3pm, I visited the following places: Supreme Court, Parliament House, National Museum & Art Gallery, St Mary's Catholic Church, Port Moresby Nature Park, Waterfront Mall, Paga Hill, St Mary's Cathedral, Ela Beach.

 

My favourite was the Port Moresby Nature Park. It is a very large park complete with its own river and jungle with multiple aviaries and pits showcasing all the native animals and plants of PNG. It is not a zoo but more like a piece of PNG transplanted to the edge of a city – amazing because when inside you cannot see a single building outside. It is here that I got close up to the national emblem – The Bird of Paradise !!! A beautiful and elegant and colourful creature that we could not see but only hear when on the Kokoda Track. I also got up close to the following creatures: Hornbill, White Cockatoo, Swamp Crocodile, Cassowary, Rainbow Parrot, Cuscus, Boelen Python, Green Python, Rock Python and the Tree Kangaroo. I also invited Willy to walk the park with me and I am glad I did because he could spot all the birds in the trees above us and make me aware of them so I could film and photograph them.

 

The National Museum & Art Gallery is also a must-visit place. It was first built in 1975 to celebrate the independence of PNG and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1979. It was refurbished completely in 2018 and is a work of art – the building and exhibits are immaculate and cover the culture of the PNG from prehistory to modern times. Exhibits include shields, pottery, jewellery, clothing, artwork and even a long-boat.

 

Ela Beach was a disappointment. Lots of garbage and at low tide it is impossible to swim. Port Moresby is like Kolonia in Pohnpei in Micronesia – no beaches and no places to swim. I was hoping to swim at Ela and even checked up and down the coast but that low tide made it impossible.

 

As we drove the streets of Port Moresby there were times that Willy pulled my arm into the car and closed the window saying “no good here – they grab your phone” – so the rumours I had heard of Port Moresby seemed true. You cannot walk around in the poorer areas and definitely no walking after dark. Most shops and all government buildings have huge fences around them and most have armed guards. The nicer homes and units are in gated communities much like South Africa and surrounded by guards. Both days in Port Moresby were nice and sunny with plenty of heat and humidity to match. Port Moresby footpaths and roads are covered in red markings – the result of beetlenut chewing !!!

 

I spent the last afternoon in PNG continuing my blog before enjoying a nice roast chicken with canned veggies in my room to my favourite film CAST AWAY !!! I always watch this at the end of a major trip since for me it is the epitome of adventure travel…

 

Willy drove me to the airport at 8am on 2 June and it was a very smooth and civilised flight home via Brizzie. I just made my two-hour connection in Brizzie from Air Niugini to Jetstar to take me to Sydney.

 

This is it. The end of Kokoline and another HUGE adventure. I hope you enjoyed following it as much as I did filming and photographing it. Look out for the film next year… I shall email you with an invite to watch it live.

Until then, this is John “Kokoda” Golfin signing off from KOKOLINE !!!

 

END OF KOKOLINE

DAY 45-51 (24-30 May 2023): PAPUA NEW GUINEA – THE KOKODA TRACK – A ONCE IN A LIFETIME TREK

 VILLAGES VISITED: Kokoda, Kovelo, Hoi, Deniki, Isurava, Aloli, Abuari (View Only), Naduru (Nadunumu), Kagi (View Only), Efogi 1 (Launumu), Efogi 2, Manari, Agulogo, Naoro, Offi, Ioribaiwa.

 

MONUMENTS & MEMORIALS VISITED: Kokoda Memorial Museum, Isurava Battle Field, Callis (Surgeons) Rock, Aloli War Museum, Eora Creek Crossings 3, 2 and 1 (Templeton's Crossing), Efogi War Museum, Mission Hill, Brigade Hill, Ioribaiwa Ridge, Japanese Ladder (Maguli Ridge), Imita Ridge, Ower's Corner.

 

Welcome to the trek of treks and the pinnacle experience of this trip – THE KOKODA TRACK – covering 93km on foot in the rugged jungle wilderness and mountains of the Owen Stanley Range across the south-eastern peninsula of Papua New Guinea in 7 days and 6 nights. The Kokoda Track is also known as The Kokoda Trail and both are accepted nomenclatures. To me a TRAIL is made by nature but a TRACK is made by humans !!! There is nothing natural about finding gold or waging war !!!

 

In short, The Kokoda Track was the scene of many battles between Japanese and Australian WWII troops from July 1942 to January 1943 during which time the Australians managed to push back the Japanese under immense numerical odds and extreme weather and geographical conditions against them and keep the Japanese from taking Port Moresby and using it to bomb or even land troops in northern Australia.

 

Given that The Kokoda Track was the pinnacle of this trip and very important historically, I have created a dedicated blog for this once in a lifetime trek and invite you to go there now to see each day as a separate post preceded by a summary of the geography and history of the Kokoda Track.

 

GO TO: www.kokoline-kokoda.blogspot.com

 

See you there…

DAY 39-44 (18-23 May 2023): THE JOURNEY TO PNG back via Pohnpei MICRONESIA, Tamuning GUAM and Manilla PHILIPPINES

Welcome to the “reverse journey” that takes me 9,753km all the way from Majuro Atoll MARSHALLS to Port Moresby PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG) to trek the mighty 96km KOKODA TRACK with my brother Nick and nephew Sam !!!

 

This reverse journey was necessary because UNITED AIRLINES has a monopoly on travelling between Marshalls, Micronesia and Guam and there is only one way in and out and not every day. This means 2 nights in Micronesia, 1 night in Guam and 1 night on the aircraft from Manilla to Port Moresby. Someone please break this monopoly. Not only is it expensive but it robs Marshalls and Micronesia of much needed tourists since the UNITED airfare alone could pay for two weeks of accommodation in each of these places !!!

 

In this post I present to you NEW stuff visited in Micronesia, Guam and the Philippines.

 

We begin this reverse journey with a direct 150min 1,442km flight from Majuro MARSHALLS back to Pohnpei MICRONESIA. Enjoy the window seat calculated shots I took of the Majuro Atoll as I took off !!! I always work out which side of the aircraft I need sit on by studying the airport runways and typical wind directions so I can determine in which direction the aircraft will take off – this gives me the best chance of great photos of the places I am landing into or taking off from… what a GOOBA !!!

 

My time on the way back in Pohnpei was a double-edged sword. On one side I suffered one of the most difficult runs so far and on the other side I experienced the best island hospitality so far… My run was not on good ground since I had no choice but to start it at 0930 since it was pouring rain at 6am, 7am and 8am during three separate alarm settings – when it rains her it absolutely buckets down – no chance of running… The upside is I got extra sleep under the mesmerising sounds of rain against metallic rooves. Once I got running the heat and humidity “rained” upon me in sweat and not water and wore me down like soap on a runway. Then there were the dogs. I was chased by a record number of dogs – I estimate 50-60 of them trying to bite at my ankles – why – because every house has 3-5 of the creatures. This was part of my running demise since I had to run faster each time I was chased to ensure they could not clip my heels. I had previously learned that if I was chased I would shout SHAO, which in the local language means “SHOO” or “GO AWAY” and it worked for some but not all !!! I was very pleased to get back with my heels in tact since there was 96km of Kokoda waiting in earnest for those heals !!!

 

The rest of the day was a delight. I walked to town, had a haircut and a coffee and stopped by the Tourist Bureau to ask about where I could buy a National Costume for the Kokoline Film Launch !!! We got talking about my expedition in the island after showing the blog and prising all the photos the two lovely local women running the show actually GIFTED ME a local costume even though I offered money – photos for costume – now that kind of island economy works well for all of us.

 

That evening at the hotel whilst writing this very blog a small rodent bit my toe !!! Why? The lady in attendance blamed my wine and cheese and olives for attracting the creature.

 

The very next day was drama day. United decided to cancel my 1530 flight to Guam leaving me stuck here and did not even send me an email – the lady at reception told me when I was checking out. What a low blow. United are the only airline that come here and they up and cancel flights without telling anyone – poor show indeed. I managed to get onto a United 0045 flight after midnight that would land me in Guam at 0335 with my connecting flight from Guam to Manilla leaving at 0555 – only 2hrs 20min to go through immigration, collect my bag, check-in and back through immigration. I just has to make the 0555 to Manilla since I had a tour booked for Noon the next day and my flight from Manilla to Port Moresby at 2125. Lucky for me Philippine Airways decides to delay its 0555 to 0635 and I am safe again – what a nail-biting day. I managed to research Kokoda with the rest of the day and even get some sleep before heading out to Pohnpei Airport in the darkness of night to catch the 0045 to Guam.

 

Lucky for me I had downed a bottle of Chardonnay and got to sleep as soon as my head hit the seat. United arrived in Guam on time but I have a bad taste in my mouth on how they treated us with the cancellation. To make matters worse, United service is crap and there is no food and you have to pay for drinks – even though each flight averages 2hrs and $700AUD a pop !!! These islands seriously need a second carrier. Contrast this to Philippine Airways who were late leaving Guam at 0730 but fed us and got me into Manilla at 0900 with plenty of time to take my final tour outside Manilla from Noon to 1700.

 

The driver Pedro and guide Einstein did their best to reassure me that the heavy hot humid Manila haze would lift but I knew I was stuffed. Runners know the weather. Especially runners who have run all over the world in 110 countries in all sorts of weather. The drive out to Tagaytay City and The People’s Park in the Sky is typical Manila chaos – especially on a Sunday !!! The freeway was packed solid and the trip took close to 90min to travel a mere 60km. Not only was the place crowded but we could not see the volcano – pity – the only drawback of my trip so far but I am thankful I because I only got two half rainy days in forty and they did not involve major sites – just travel. We made the best of the haze by visiting the local markets and sampling the famous BUCO PIE and locally grown pineapple and jackfruit. BUCO is made with custard and coconut and if it were not covers in whipped cream  you’d think it was baked by Marianne on Gilligan’s Island !!! On our way back there was a huge electrical thunderstorm with lightning and thunder that you could feel in your rib cage !!! Amazing !!! Given we skipped the scenic boat ride to the volcano we made a stop at a huge supermarket to pick up food and wine so I could drown out that volcano !!!

 

After a quick evening dinner and wine bottle, I walked to the airport to catch my overnight flight from Manila to Port Moresby – no problems – on time and slept the whole 5hrs getting there. Arrived in Port Moresby at 430am and headed to hotel to catch up on sleep. Woke at 1030am the news of drama drama drama – this time not mine but Nick and Sam Golfins !!! Their flight to Port Moresby had been cancelled at the last minute and this also affected James and Cristan since Jacob was on the alternate flight via Brizzie, which was not cancelled. What a ker-fa-fel !!! After many texts the last four of our Kokoda Team would arrive at 1750 tomorrow resulting in a one day pushback of the start of our Kokoda Trek from early 23MAY to early 24MAY. I made the best of the rest of the day by packing my Kokoda Pack and visiting the huge VISION CITY MEGA MALL completely overrun by locals with not another “whitey” in sight !!! The supermarket in their was terrific complete with hot food but then to my horror the adjoining liquor shop was CLOSED !!! When I asked why I was told that the PNG PM had mandated EVERY liquor outlet in the city to close out of respect of the Indian PM Modi who does not drink and was in town for the India - Pacific Cooperation Forum which would last today only !!!

 

I had to resort to my hotel bar where I sank a few local beers since the wine (ozzie Jacob’s Creek and Yellow Tail) was a ridiculous $65AUD a bottle !!! No way ho-zay !!!

 

Tuesday 23 May was another easy day. I confirmed my accommodation and hire car post Kokoda and marked out all the places I would visit on maps.me. Visited Vision City and watched some movies until Nick, Sam, James & Cristan arrived around 1830. Finally after much saga it was good to see them. All six of us met with our porters and a senior representative Saii from the trekking company Southern Seas Horizons for a complete briefing of what would happen tomorrow and over the next 7 days and 6 nights. This was followed by a Team Ozzie dinner and a few local beers. We all hit the sack early for an early rise for what was to be a HUGE day tomorrow – the start of THE KOKODA TRACK !!!

Enjoy the journey to PNG…