Kanage bought a new mobile.
He sent a message to everyone from his phone book & said, 'My mobile no. has changed.
Earlier it was Nokia 3310. Now it is 6610'
====================================
Kanage: I am Proud, coz my son is in Medical College.
Friend: Really, what is he studying?
Kanage: No, he is not studying, they are studying him.
==========================================
Kanage: Doctor, in my dreams, I play football every night.
Dr: Take this tablet, you will be ok.
Kanage: Can I take tomorrow, tonight is final game.
===========================================
Kanage: If I die, will u remarry?
Wife: No! I'll stay with my sister. But if I die will u remarry?
Kanage: No, I'll also stay with your sister.
=========================================
Kanage complained to the police: 'Sir, all items are missing, except the TV in my house.'
Police: 'How the thief did not take TV?'
Kanage: 'I was watching TV news...'
=========================================
Kanage comes back 2 his car & find a note saying 'Parking Fine'
He Writes a note and sticks it to a pole 'Thanks for complement.'
=============================================
How do you recognize Kanage in School?
He is the one who erases the notes from the book when the teacher erases the board.
===============================================
Once Kanage was walking he had a glove on one hand and not on other.
So the man asked him why he did so. He replied that the weather forecaster announced that on one hand it would be cold and on the other hand it would be hot.
==================================================
Kanage was at a bar and his cellular phone rings. He picks it up and says 'Hello, how did you know I was here?'
===================================================
Kanage: Why are all these people running?
Man - This is a race, the winner will get the cup.
Kanage - If only the winner will get the cup, why others running?
===================================================
Teacher: ‘I killed a person' convert this sentence into future tense
Kanage: The future tense is 'u will go to jail'
=====================================================
Kanage told his servant: 'Go and water the plants!'
Servant: 'It's already raining.'
Kanage: 'So what? Take an umbrella and go.'
=====================================================
A man asked Kanage why Sir Michael Somare goes walking in the evening and not in the morning.
Kanage replied, 'Sir Michael is PM not AM'.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Iruupi, like every place you’ve never been
Papua New Guinea today remains one of the most culturally-diverse and unexplored nations on the planet.
Scattered inland are many small villages, each group practicing their own native tongue and traditions, eking out a living from the surrounding land.
Travel to the remote village of Iruupi, Western province, and you will have to be prepared to do lots of walking.
To travel to Iruupi, you have to fly in to Daru Island, and then be prepared to make a crossing back to the mainland on a fiberglass dinghy.
Despite the short crossing, with a heavily-laden boat, it can be quite treacherous at times when winds make for heavy seas.
Once across the strait, the dinghy sets a course adjacent to the mainland shore along the beach and an extensive coastal coconut grove comes into view, the subject of a fierce land dispute between Badu-suki tribe and others for centuries.
The dinghy gives the mouth of the Fly River a wide berth, paying respect to its strong currents before again trekking close to the shore, and to the mouth of the Kura River about 30 minutes later.
From here the 5 to 8km journey along the Kura is much slower, low tides necessitating care is exercised in negotiating fallen trees, sand banks, the occasional goanna and keeping an ever-present watch for a disgruntled crocodile.
Finally, it reaches the landing point Lani, the mangroves and palms along the muddy riverbanks giving way to grassland and a few of the ubiquitous gardens that would later become evident.
From Lani is a narrow marsh road to Iruupi village.
A short walk by village standards, some 5-6km, weaves through overgrown grasses, bamboo forests, swamps, marshes, and surprisingly, many eucalypts.
For the people of the village, every tree, every scratch in the dirt and ever tract of water is inextricably linked to some significant story or event.
Traversing a waist-deep small swamp reveals the first sighting of traditional Iruupi houses – bamboo constructions on the outskirts of the village, supported by poles with an under storey platform where inhabitants can gather away from the heat of the day, each distinctively different in those erected in other provinces through Papua New Guinea.
Upstairs are verandahs, bedrooms and a traditional kitchen – the timber strutted floors covered with woven mats to maximise comfort (in Daru, many of the more ‘westernised’ pre-fabricated houses still have a traditional bamboo kitchen erected at the rear).
In the main village, houses are erected around the periphery, enabling the central areas to be used as common meeting, play and performance areas.
Villagers do all the hunting, cooking, washing and other chores, leaving visitors idle to simply enjoy the surroundings.
Villagers tend to their gardens each day, rich with taro, bananas, greens, melons, pineapple and other fruits planted for harvesting in the dry season.
Skilled hunters meant there is a ready supply of deer, wild pig, wallaby and cassowaries.
These will be brought back to the village strung over bamboo poles, while hunting implements are carried in a free hand.
Kupilute is a large lagoon, believed to be sourced by a well of unknown depth in the middle, and linked to creation stories of the Bewani people.
It is believed the well forms the basis of a tunnel that goes all the way to the Australian mainland.
When diving for fish, prawns or lobster in the lagoon, locals skirt the edges, fearful of an encounter with Sapi-dade, a dreaming spirit.
Paying homage to the spirits in the appropriate way ensures there is a plentiful supply of seafood.
Yet another walk to a place called Imbade reveals a broad and pristine river that must be crossed in a dugout canoe or outrigger to reach the village of Masingara, home of warring tribes and family of the Badu-suki tribe of Iruupi village, some 2-3 hours away.
Most nights are filled with exotic and traditional dance in preparation for an upcoming event.
Pointing the torch to the lagoon beyond the washhouse reveals the red eyes of a crocodile, each night keeping watch.
For the people of the village, a simple taro or coconut is treated as a prize, yet readily shared among others, to ensure no one goes without.
Each and every person is proud of and well-schooled in their culture and identity, benefiting from an almost unspoiled existence with limited contact with the white people, in contrast to some of the major centres where the negative effects of colonisation and decolonisation, subsequent to Independence, can be observed.
In leaving the village for the long walk to Lani, through a procession of well-wishers and tearful souls, one can enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
At Lani, it is last goodbyes, the sun poking through and the promise of a return in the future to renew special bonds, as the dinghy heads for the open sea.
Minji, Mamne, Ato!
Scattered inland are many small villages, each group practicing their own native tongue and traditions, eking out a living from the surrounding land.
Travel to the remote village of Iruupi, Western province, and you will have to be prepared to do lots of walking.
To travel to Iruupi, you have to fly in to Daru Island, and then be prepared to make a crossing back to the mainland on a fiberglass dinghy.
Despite the short crossing, with a heavily-laden boat, it can be quite treacherous at times when winds make for heavy seas.
Once across the strait, the dinghy sets a course adjacent to the mainland shore along the beach and an extensive coastal coconut grove comes into view, the subject of a fierce land dispute between Badu-suki tribe and others for centuries.
The dinghy gives the mouth of the Fly River a wide berth, paying respect to its strong currents before again trekking close to the shore, and to the mouth of the Kura River about 30 minutes later.
From here the 5 to 8km journey along the Kura is much slower, low tides necessitating care is exercised in negotiating fallen trees, sand banks, the occasional goanna and keeping an ever-present watch for a disgruntled crocodile.
Finally, it reaches the landing point Lani, the mangroves and palms along the muddy riverbanks giving way to grassland and a few of the ubiquitous gardens that would later become evident.
From Lani is a narrow marsh road to Iruupi village.
A short walk by village standards, some 5-6km, weaves through overgrown grasses, bamboo forests, swamps, marshes, and surprisingly, many eucalypts.
For the people of the village, every tree, every scratch in the dirt and ever tract of water is inextricably linked to some significant story or event.
Traversing a waist-deep small swamp reveals the first sighting of traditional Iruupi houses – bamboo constructions on the outskirts of the village, supported by poles with an under storey platform where inhabitants can gather away from the heat of the day, each distinctively different in those erected in other provinces through Papua New Guinea.
Upstairs are verandahs, bedrooms and a traditional kitchen – the timber strutted floors covered with woven mats to maximise comfort (in Daru, many of the more ‘westernised’ pre-fabricated houses still have a traditional bamboo kitchen erected at the rear).
In the main village, houses are erected around the periphery, enabling the central areas to be used as common meeting, play and performance areas.
Villagers do all the hunting, cooking, washing and other chores, leaving visitors idle to simply enjoy the surroundings.
Villagers tend to their gardens each day, rich with taro, bananas, greens, melons, pineapple and other fruits planted for harvesting in the dry season.
Skilled hunters meant there is a ready supply of deer, wild pig, wallaby and cassowaries.
These will be brought back to the village strung over bamboo poles, while hunting implements are carried in a free hand.
Kupilute is a large lagoon, believed to be sourced by a well of unknown depth in the middle, and linked to creation stories of the Bewani people.
It is believed the well forms the basis of a tunnel that goes all the way to the Australian mainland.
When diving for fish, prawns or lobster in the lagoon, locals skirt the edges, fearful of an encounter with Sapi-dade, a dreaming spirit.
Paying homage to the spirits in the appropriate way ensures there is a plentiful supply of seafood.
Yet another walk to a place called Imbade reveals a broad and pristine river that must be crossed in a dugout canoe or outrigger to reach the village of Masingara, home of warring tribes and family of the Badu-suki tribe of Iruupi village, some 2-3 hours away.
Most nights are filled with exotic and traditional dance in preparation for an upcoming event.
Pointing the torch to the lagoon beyond the washhouse reveals the red eyes of a crocodile, each night keeping watch.
For the people of the village, a simple taro or coconut is treated as a prize, yet readily shared among others, to ensure no one goes without.
Each and every person is proud of and well-schooled in their culture and identity, benefiting from an almost unspoiled existence with limited contact with the white people, in contrast to some of the major centres where the negative effects of colonisation and decolonisation, subsequent to Independence, can be observed.
In leaving the village for the long walk to Lani, through a procession of well-wishers and tearful souls, one can enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
At Lani, it is last goodbyes, the sun poking through and the promise of a return in the future to renew special bonds, as the dinghy heads for the open sea.
Minji, Mamne, Ato!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Memories of the Kokoda Trail
As I struggled up the grueling last climb from Goldie River to Ower's Corner, finally reaching the top at exactly 10.45am on Saturday, June 7, 2003, I staggered on to the memorial arch, punched the air, and tears started uncontrollably streaming down my eyes.
Exhilaration filled my heart as I felt what Sir Edmund Hillary must have felt 50 years ago when he was the first to climb Mount Everest.
And the words of that great man, which I had read time and again in my build - up towards walking the Kokoda Trail, reverberated through my whole being:" It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves."
The sense of achievement, of having overcome adversity after being through the most - excruciating physical pain in my life, overwhelmed me.
I had become ill with flu and malaria along the grueling WW11 trail, had inflamed both knees that I could hardly walk and was on the verge of being airlifted out, but had overcome these to complete the trek in seven days
Fears about the trek, hopes about reaching the end of the journey, at first seemed insurmountable; but they were met and conquered.
It brought out of me hidden physical and mental reserves that I never knew that I had!
Walking the Kokoda Trail made me envision the journey of life itself beginning with one small step, followed by another and another, until somehow, with time, you ultimately reach the pinnacle by taking it step after painful step.
And I now know that although there will be many more mountains to climb and rivers to cross in my life, I will be stronger because of "the spirit of Kokoda".
I was part of a group of 19 - nine trekkers (eight Australians and myself), nine porters and a guide - who walked the Kokoda Trail from June 1 to 7, 2003.
We left Port Moresby at 9.55am on Saturday, May 31, 2003, on an Airlines of PNG Twin Otter piloted by the experienced Captain Michael Butler, flying over the spectacular Owen Stanley Ranges starting from Sogeri on through the Kokoda Gap into rural Kokoda which we arrived in at 10.20am.Kokoda Airstrip
Kokoda is a sleepy little outback town whose serenity completely belies what happened there 66 years ago.
The Japanese captured Kokoda on July 28, 1942, and advanced over the Owen Stanley Ranges towards Port Moresby.
Australian soldiers delayed and finally halted the enemy at Ioribaiwa Ridge on September 26, 1942.
The 7th Australian Division began an offensive, which drew the enemy back through Kokoda to the coast, around Buna, where Australian and American troops combined to destroy the entire Japanese force.
We had a look around the Kokoda War Museum, memorials, and Australian - funded hospital before trekking off to Hoi village at 12pm.
Hoi, an hour's walk from Kokoda, is a clean, well - kept village besides a clean mountain stream.
We overnighted there amidst thousands of fireflies lighting up the night.
We left Hoi at 9am on Sunday, June 1, 2003, for the start of our exhaustive week - long trek.
From the onset, I realised that I had not done sufficient training, as the strain of mountain climbing and equally stressful descents started to take their toll.
We had a break from 10.30am till 12pm besides a cool mountain stream, before trudging on to Isurava, arriving there at 2pm.
Isurava, which Australian Prime Minister John Howard visited in August 2002 to open the magnificent war memorial, was the site of a significant WW11 battle and now one of the most - sacred sites along the trail.
The four-day Battle of Isurava along the Kokoda Trail in 1942 would not, in isolation, be regarded as a victory for Australian forces.
During the period from 27-30 August 1942, under almost constant attack, soldiers of the 39th Australian Militia Battalion and the 2/14th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, with the help of the 2/16th Battalion and the 53rd Battalions, held back the advancing Japanese at Isurava.
It was here that Private Bruce Kingsbury of the 2/14th Battalion was post-humously awarded the first Victoria Cross ever won on Australian territory, as Papua then was, for bravery.
On Monday, June 2, 2003, we left Isurava at 7am for the next village of Alola, which we arrived in at 8.30am.
After a brief stop for fruit and vegetables, it was more descending and ascending.
We had lunch at Eora Creek, by which time the beginnings of flu and malaria were beginning to make their presence felt.
The exhaustive climb and ensuring descent to Templeton's Crossing was an absolute nightmare as I struggled with flu and malaria, my knees and hips felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, and I was constantly out of breath.
I stopped on several occasions, and at one stage even slept on a mat of leaves for a good 30 minutes, so as to regain my strength and energy.
As I wandered, zombie - like in a delirious state through the forest, my thoughts went to the most precious things in my life: my wife and two sons.
The two boys had been down with flu the night before I left for Kokoda, and I would have cancelled the trip, had it not been for the insistence of the wife.
All I could think about was the ice cream and pizza I would have with my two sons once I completed this hellish journey.
I arrived at Templeton's Crossing at 4pm, the very last person, and immediately dived into my sleeping bag in a feverish state.
I awoke later in the evening covered in the sweat of fever, had dinner, and went back to the sack under the forest canopy and millions of twinkling stars in the night sky.
I got up early the next morning, Tuesday, June 3, 2003, feeling much better and stronger than the previous day.
We started at 8am and struggled up Mount Bellamy, which at 2190 metres is the highest point of the trail, reaching the summit at 10am.
I felt as if I had climbed Everest!
From then on it was down, up, down, up, down, up, ad infinitum - on a painful left knee - until we took a detour from the main track to the village of Naduri.
One of the best villages along the trail, Naduri is the home of Ovuru Ndiki, one of the last surviving 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels'.
We had plenty of fresh bananas, oranges, mandarins, sugar fruit, kaukau, taro, and - needless to say - good sleep at Naduri.
Both knees started giving me problems when I started off at 7am on Wednesday, June 4, 2003, with Kevau, my personal guide and porter, who stood alongside me all the way.
Unlike the other guides and porters, who are all Koiaris, 19 - year - old Kevau is from Rigo in the Central Province and his father is the United Church pastor at Sogeri.
We took an exhaustive two-hour climb to Efogi No. 2 village, arriving at 9am, and then the steep and painful one-hour descent descent to Efogi.
At Efogi, we picked up much- needed food supplies, which had been dropped off a week earlier by chartered aircraft.
Efogi, like the other villages along the trail, do not have regular airline flights like in the past and chartered flights and helicopters only use its airstrip.
We had a good rest and lunch before Kevau and I started on the climb up Brigade Hill, little knowing that I was going to go through the most - hellish, painful experience in my life.
Climbing up the hill overlooking Efogi was a walk in the park; however, the same cannot be said for what ensued.
Climbing up to the top of Brigade Hill - which together with Isurava is one of the most sacred sites of the track - pain started in both knees.
I was in the most - excruciating agony, every step I took I felt a sharp knife driving through my knees, and I can honestly say now that I do not know where I found the mental and physical reserves to carry on.
I had read about the 'pain barrier' of humans; now I was undergoing my own.
Brigade Hill down to the village of Menari is one of the steepest and most - tiresome descents of the trail, one, which I will always remember as the longest, and most - painful walk in my life.
The body was screaming for mercy while the mind countered: "Go on Malum!"
To ask for help from the guides and porters would have been throwing in the towel.
It took me five agonising hours to hobble down from the top of Brigade Hill to Menari.
The considerate guides and porters rubbed hot leaves on my knees and with some powerful painkillers from Andrew, a South African who works as an IT specialist in Brisbane, and his lawyer girlfriend Amelia, the pain was alleviated to some degree.
Thursday, June 5, 2003, was I day I'll remember for all the wrong reasons, as it was pain, pain, pain all the way up the steep saddle and swampy, stinky, and muddy descent to Naoro village.
It was then that the guides and porters - by consensus - told me that they would have to radio for a helicopter to carry me out.
Who was I to argue with them? In the state I was in?
Before coming, friends, colleagues, and workmates had jokingly told me that I wouldn't make it; that I wasn't fit enough.
And now, my worst fears were about to come true: I wouldn't be able to complete Kokoda Trail! I would be the butt of jokes around the office! I'd die of shame!
More leaves and traditional medicine from the guides and porters, coupled with powerful painkilling and anti-inflammatory drugs from the Australian trekkers, and sprinkled with physical and mental reserves I never knew I had seen me make an amazing about turn.
I started walking at 4am on Friday, June 6 - for 12 straight hours - up the heartbreaking nine false peaks of the Maguli Range and then took the long, steep, and muddy descent to Ofi Creek where we spent the night.
Same story next day as I was up early, and with the finish line in sight, easily tackled the remaining steep hills, Ioribaiwa, Imita Ridge, and then descended 'The Golden Stairs' to Goldie River.
A last refreshing dip and I climbed up to Ower's Corner like a man possessed, reaching the top in record time ahead of everyone else.
Kokoda has made me realise many things.
I now better appreciate the rugged and heartbreaking terrain the Australians, the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels', and the Japanese encountered during those dark days of WW11.
The hardships the forgotten Orokaiva and Koiari people who live on the mountains, ridges, and gullies of the Owen Stanley Ranges endure daily brings tears to your eyes.
The smiling, happy faces of children as they called out a "hello" to visitors - amidst these abject hardships - brings so much joy to your heart.
You find peace and beauty in nature, with answers to troubling questions being found on the wind, in the trees, in the song of birds, in the pure voice of an ever - flowing mountain stream splashing over the rocks, and in the stillness of the forest.
Being along the Kokoda Trail, one becomes aware of the infinite circle of life: there is evidence of decay, destruction and death; there are also examples of rejuvenation, restoration and renewal.
But most of all, it has shown me that the human spirit can triumph over adversity.
Do it again? Of course I will.
Exhilaration filled my heart as I felt what Sir Edmund Hillary must have felt 50 years ago when he was the first to climb Mount Everest.
And the words of that great man, which I had read time and again in my build - up towards walking the Kokoda Trail, reverberated through my whole being:" It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves."
The sense of achievement, of having overcome adversity after being through the most - excruciating physical pain in my life, overwhelmed me.
I had become ill with flu and malaria along the grueling WW11 trail, had inflamed both knees that I could hardly walk and was on the verge of being airlifted out, but had overcome these to complete the trek in seven days
Fears about the trek, hopes about reaching the end of the journey, at first seemed insurmountable; but they were met and conquered.
It brought out of me hidden physical and mental reserves that I never knew that I had!
Walking the Kokoda Trail made me envision the journey of life itself beginning with one small step, followed by another and another, until somehow, with time, you ultimately reach the pinnacle by taking it step after painful step.
And I now know that although there will be many more mountains to climb and rivers to cross in my life, I will be stronger because of "the spirit of Kokoda".
I was part of a group of 19 - nine trekkers (eight Australians and myself), nine porters and a guide - who walked the Kokoda Trail from June 1 to 7, 2003.
We left Port Moresby at 9.55am on Saturday, May 31, 2003, on an Airlines of PNG Twin Otter piloted by the experienced Captain Michael Butler, flying over the spectacular Owen Stanley Ranges starting from Sogeri on through the Kokoda Gap into rural Kokoda which we arrived in at 10.20am.Kokoda Airstrip
Kokoda is a sleepy little outback town whose serenity completely belies what happened there 66 years ago.
The Japanese captured Kokoda on July 28, 1942, and advanced over the Owen Stanley Ranges towards Port Moresby.
Australian soldiers delayed and finally halted the enemy at Ioribaiwa Ridge on September 26, 1942.
The 7th Australian Division began an offensive, which drew the enemy back through Kokoda to the coast, around Buna, where Australian and American troops combined to destroy the entire Japanese force.
We had a look around the Kokoda War Museum, memorials, and Australian - funded hospital before trekking off to Hoi village at 12pm.
Hoi, an hour's walk from Kokoda, is a clean, well - kept village besides a clean mountain stream.
We overnighted there amidst thousands of fireflies lighting up the night.
We left Hoi at 9am on Sunday, June 1, 2003, for the start of our exhaustive week - long trek.
From the onset, I realised that I had not done sufficient training, as the strain of mountain climbing and equally stressful descents started to take their toll.
We had a break from 10.30am till 12pm besides a cool mountain stream, before trudging on to Isurava, arriving there at 2pm.
Isurava, which Australian Prime Minister John Howard visited in August 2002 to open the magnificent war memorial, was the site of a significant WW11 battle and now one of the most - sacred sites along the trail.
The four-day Battle of Isurava along the Kokoda Trail in 1942 would not, in isolation, be regarded as a victory for Australian forces.
During the period from 27-30 August 1942, under almost constant attack, soldiers of the 39th Australian Militia Battalion and the 2/14th Battalion, Second Australian Imperial Force, with the help of the 2/16th Battalion and the 53rd Battalions, held back the advancing Japanese at Isurava.
It was here that Private Bruce Kingsbury of the 2/14th Battalion was post-humously awarded the first Victoria Cross ever won on Australian territory, as Papua then was, for bravery.
On Monday, June 2, 2003, we left Isurava at 7am for the next village of Alola, which we arrived in at 8.30am.
After a brief stop for fruit and vegetables, it was more descending and ascending.
We had lunch at Eora Creek, by which time the beginnings of flu and malaria were beginning to make their presence felt.
The exhaustive climb and ensuring descent to Templeton's Crossing was an absolute nightmare as I struggled with flu and malaria, my knees and hips felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets, and I was constantly out of breath.
I stopped on several occasions, and at one stage even slept on a mat of leaves for a good 30 minutes, so as to regain my strength and energy.
As I wandered, zombie - like in a delirious state through the forest, my thoughts went to the most precious things in my life: my wife and two sons.
The two boys had been down with flu the night before I left for Kokoda, and I would have cancelled the trip, had it not been for the insistence of the wife.
All I could think about was the ice cream and pizza I would have with my two sons once I completed this hellish journey.
I arrived at Templeton's Crossing at 4pm, the very last person, and immediately dived into my sleeping bag in a feverish state.
I awoke later in the evening covered in the sweat of fever, had dinner, and went back to the sack under the forest canopy and millions of twinkling stars in the night sky.
I got up early the next morning, Tuesday, June 3, 2003, feeling much better and stronger than the previous day.
We started at 8am and struggled up Mount Bellamy, which at 2190 metres is the highest point of the trail, reaching the summit at 10am.
I felt as if I had climbed Everest!
From then on it was down, up, down, up, down, up, ad infinitum - on a painful left knee - until we took a detour from the main track to the village of Naduri.
One of the best villages along the trail, Naduri is the home of Ovuru Ndiki, one of the last surviving 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels'.
We had plenty of fresh bananas, oranges, mandarins, sugar fruit, kaukau, taro, and - needless to say - good sleep at Naduri.
Both knees started giving me problems when I started off at 7am on Wednesday, June 4, 2003, with Kevau, my personal guide and porter, who stood alongside me all the way.
Unlike the other guides and porters, who are all Koiaris, 19 - year - old Kevau is from Rigo in the Central Province and his father is the United Church pastor at Sogeri.
We took an exhaustive two-hour climb to Efogi No. 2 village, arriving at 9am, and then the steep and painful one-hour descent descent to Efogi.
At Efogi, we picked up much- needed food supplies, which had been dropped off a week earlier by chartered aircraft.
Efogi, like the other villages along the trail, do not have regular airline flights like in the past and chartered flights and helicopters only use its airstrip.
We had a good rest and lunch before Kevau and I started on the climb up Brigade Hill, little knowing that I was going to go through the most - hellish, painful experience in my life.
Climbing up the hill overlooking Efogi was a walk in the park; however, the same cannot be said for what ensued.
Climbing up to the top of Brigade Hill - which together with Isurava is one of the most sacred sites of the track - pain started in both knees.
I was in the most - excruciating agony, every step I took I felt a sharp knife driving through my knees, and I can honestly say now that I do not know where I found the mental and physical reserves to carry on.
I had read about the 'pain barrier' of humans; now I was undergoing my own.
Brigade Hill down to the village of Menari is one of the steepest and most - tiresome descents of the trail, one, which I will always remember as the longest, and most - painful walk in my life.
The body was screaming for mercy while the mind countered: "Go on Malum!"
To ask for help from the guides and porters would have been throwing in the towel.
It took me five agonising hours to hobble down from the top of Brigade Hill to Menari.
The considerate guides and porters rubbed hot leaves on my knees and with some powerful painkillers from Andrew, a South African who works as an IT specialist in Brisbane, and his lawyer girlfriend Amelia, the pain was alleviated to some degree.
Thursday, June 5, 2003, was I day I'll remember for all the wrong reasons, as it was pain, pain, pain all the way up the steep saddle and swampy, stinky, and muddy descent to Naoro village.
It was then that the guides and porters - by consensus - told me that they would have to radio for a helicopter to carry me out.
Who was I to argue with them? In the state I was in?
Before coming, friends, colleagues, and workmates had jokingly told me that I wouldn't make it; that I wasn't fit enough.
And now, my worst fears were about to come true: I wouldn't be able to complete Kokoda Trail! I would be the butt of jokes around the office! I'd die of shame!
More leaves and traditional medicine from the guides and porters, coupled with powerful painkilling and anti-inflammatory drugs from the Australian trekkers, and sprinkled with physical and mental reserves I never knew I had seen me make an amazing about turn.
I started walking at 4am on Friday, June 6 - for 12 straight hours - up the heartbreaking nine false peaks of the Maguli Range and then took the long, steep, and muddy descent to Ofi Creek where we spent the night.
Same story next day as I was up early, and with the finish line in sight, easily tackled the remaining steep hills, Ioribaiwa, Imita Ridge, and then descended 'The Golden Stairs' to Goldie River.
A last refreshing dip and I climbed up to Ower's Corner like a man possessed, reaching the top in record time ahead of everyone else.
Kokoda has made me realise many things.
I now better appreciate the rugged and heartbreaking terrain the Australians, the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels', and the Japanese encountered during those dark days of WW11.
The hardships the forgotten Orokaiva and Koiari people who live on the mountains, ridges, and gullies of the Owen Stanley Ranges endure daily brings tears to your eyes.
The smiling, happy faces of children as they called out a "hello" to visitors - amidst these abject hardships - brings so much joy to your heart.
You find peace and beauty in nature, with answers to troubling questions being found on the wind, in the trees, in the song of birds, in the pure voice of an ever - flowing mountain stream splashing over the rocks, and in the stillness of the forest.
Being along the Kokoda Trail, one becomes aware of the infinite circle of life: there is evidence of decay, destruction and death; there are also examples of rejuvenation, restoration and renewal.
But most of all, it has shown me that the human spirit can triumph over adversity.
Do it again? Of course I will.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I celebrate my 41st birthday by trekking the Kokoda Trail
I celebrated my 41st birthday the hard way by walking part of the Kokoda Trail from Owers Corner to Ua Ule Creek last Saturday, and back on Sunday, together with senior management and staff of Telikom.
It all started on Tuesday last week when my good mate Defol Jabbar, who runs up-and-coming trekking company Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions, asked me to accompany Telikom management and staff on the two-day trek.
Last Saturday was to be my birthday, and after weighing all the pros and cons, such as the fact that I would be away from my four young children, I took the gamble to walk Kokoda.
I walked the full Kokoda Trail from Kokoda to Owers Corner in 2003 and in 2004 walked from Kokoda to Isurava and back, so this would be my third trek, although I have written countless articles and taken hundreds of pictures about this WW11 icon.
Last week was also not the perfect one for me, with so much stress, that I decided that Kokoda would provide the much-needed therapy that I needed.
The late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first to climb Mount Everest in 1953, once remarked:" It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves."
Fears about the trek, hopes about reaching the end of the journey, at first seemed insurmountable; but they were met and conquered by the hardy Telikom staff including a female.
It brought out of them hidden physical and mental reserves that they never knew that they had!
Walking the Kokoda Trail made them envision the journey of life itself beginning with one small step, followed by another and another, until somehow, with time, you ultimately reach the pinnacle by taking it step after painful step.
The 15 staff - from marketing, regional operations and supply andlogistics divisions - walked from Owers Corner to Imita Ridge and downto Ua'Ule Creek last Saturday, overnighted, and then returned alongthe same route the next day.
In a nutshell, the Japanese captured Kokoda on July 28, 1942, and advanced over the Owen Stanley Ranges towards Port Moresby.
Australian soldiers delayed and finally halted the enemy at Ioribaiwa Ridge on September 26, 1942.
The 7th Australian Division began an offensive, which drew the enemy back through Kokoda to the coast, around Buna, where Australian and American troops combined to destroy the entire Japanese force.
For some of the trekkers such as marketing manager Jerry Damoi -overweight, unfit and out of shape - it was a real eye opener.
"Initially, it's about team building, wellbeing and fitness," he said.
"The idea is to mix management, team leaders and top management andsend them in a team to the famous Kokoda Trail to really get to knoweach other better.
"The terrain is quite challenging and brings out teamwork andtogetherness beyond the office, general wellbeing, as well as fitnessand a healthier lifestyle.
""What better place than the Kokoda Trail to have such a particulartherapy take place?"
Kokoda has made the Telikom employees realise many things.
They now better appreciate the rugged and heartbreaking terrain the Australians, the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels', and the Japanese encountered during those dark days of WW11.
The hardships the forgotten Orokaiva and Koiari people who live on the mountains, ridges, and gullies of the Owen Stanley Ranges endure daily brings tears to your eyes.
The smiling, happy faces of children as they called out a "hello" to visitors - amidst these abject hardships - brings so much joy to your heart.
You find peace and beauty in nature, with answers to troubling questions being found on the wind, in the trees, in the song of birds, in the pure voice of an ever - flowing mountain stream splashing over the rocks, and in the stillness of the forest.
Being along the Kokoda Trail, one becomes aware of the infinite circle of life: there is evidence of decay, destruction and death; there are also examples of rejuvenation, restoration and renewal.
But most of all, it has shown them (and me) that the human spirit can triumph over adversity.
The trek was facilitated by 100% nationally-owned company Fuzzy WuzzyExpeditions, which also organises similar treks for major corporateentities such as SP Brewery and Ela Motors.
Senior staff and management of Telikom, including CEO Peter Loko, willhave a series of Kokoda treks over the next few weeks.
Port Moresby journalist Stan 'The Man' Ivahupa from the NationalBroadcasting Commission and yours truly accompanied Telikom managementand staff on the first trek last weekend.
Mr Ivahupa featured it on his morning show on Monday morning.
It all started on Tuesday last week when my good mate Defol Jabbar, who runs up-and-coming trekking company Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions, asked me to accompany Telikom management and staff on the two-day trek.
Last Saturday was to be my birthday, and after weighing all the pros and cons, such as the fact that I would be away from my four young children, I took the gamble to walk Kokoda.
I walked the full Kokoda Trail from Kokoda to Owers Corner in 2003 and in 2004 walked from Kokoda to Isurava and back, so this would be my third trek, although I have written countless articles and taken hundreds of pictures about this WW11 icon.
Last week was also not the perfect one for me, with so much stress, that I decided that Kokoda would provide the much-needed therapy that I needed.
The late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first to climb Mount Everest in 1953, once remarked:" It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves."
Fears about the trek, hopes about reaching the end of the journey, at first seemed insurmountable; but they were met and conquered by the hardy Telikom staff including a female.
It brought out of them hidden physical and mental reserves that they never knew that they had!
Walking the Kokoda Trail made them envision the journey of life itself beginning with one small step, followed by another and another, until somehow, with time, you ultimately reach the pinnacle by taking it step after painful step.
The 15 staff - from marketing, regional operations and supply andlogistics divisions - walked from Owers Corner to Imita Ridge and downto Ua'Ule Creek last Saturday, overnighted, and then returned alongthe same route the next day.
In a nutshell, the Japanese captured Kokoda on July 28, 1942, and advanced over the Owen Stanley Ranges towards Port Moresby.
Australian soldiers delayed and finally halted the enemy at Ioribaiwa Ridge on September 26, 1942.
The 7th Australian Division began an offensive, which drew the enemy back through Kokoda to the coast, around Buna, where Australian and American troops combined to destroy the entire Japanese force.
For some of the trekkers such as marketing manager Jerry Damoi -overweight, unfit and out of shape - it was a real eye opener.
"Initially, it's about team building, wellbeing and fitness," he said.
"The idea is to mix management, team leaders and top management andsend them in a team to the famous Kokoda Trail to really get to knoweach other better.
"The terrain is quite challenging and brings out teamwork andtogetherness beyond the office, general wellbeing, as well as fitnessand a healthier lifestyle.
""What better place than the Kokoda Trail to have such a particulartherapy take place?"
Kokoda has made the Telikom employees realise many things.
They now better appreciate the rugged and heartbreaking terrain the Australians, the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels', and the Japanese encountered during those dark days of WW11.
The hardships the forgotten Orokaiva and Koiari people who live on the mountains, ridges, and gullies of the Owen Stanley Ranges endure daily brings tears to your eyes.
The smiling, happy faces of children as they called out a "hello" to visitors - amidst these abject hardships - brings so much joy to your heart.
You find peace and beauty in nature, with answers to troubling questions being found on the wind, in the trees, in the song of birds, in the pure voice of an ever - flowing mountain stream splashing over the rocks, and in the stillness of the forest.
Being along the Kokoda Trail, one becomes aware of the infinite circle of life: there is evidence of decay, destruction and death; there are also examples of rejuvenation, restoration and renewal.
But most of all, it has shown them (and me) that the human spirit can triumph over adversity.
The trek was facilitated by 100% nationally-owned company Fuzzy WuzzyExpeditions, which also organises similar treks for major corporateentities such as SP Brewery and Ela Motors.
Senior staff and management of Telikom, including CEO Peter Loko, willhave a series of Kokoda treks over the next few weeks.
Port Moresby journalist Stan 'The Man' Ivahupa from the NationalBroadcasting Commission and yours truly accompanied Telikom managementand staff on the first trek last weekend.
Mr Ivahupa featured it on his morning show on Monday morning.
Telikom management and staff tackle Kokoda Trail
Telikom trekkers walking down the hill from Owers Corner to Goldie River
Telikom management and staff at Owers Corner before the start of the trek
Senior management and stafff of Telikom had a taste of the ruggedterrain of the Kokoda Trail last weekend.
The 15 staff - from marketing, regional operations and supply andlogistics divisions - walked from Owers Corner to Imita Ridge and downto Ua'Ule Creek last Saturday, overnighted, and then returned alongthe same route the next day.
For some of the trekkers such as marketing manager Jerry Damoi -overweight, unfit and out of shape - it was a real eyeopeningexercise.
"Initially, it's about team building, wellbeing and fitness," he said.
"The idea is to mix management, team leaders and top management andsend them in a team to the famous Kokoda Trail to really get to knoweach other better.
"The terrain is quite challenging and brings out teamwork andtogetherness beyond the office, general wellbeing, as well as fitnessand a healthier lifestyle."
"What better place than the Kokoda Trail to have such a particulartherapy take place?"
The trek was facilitated by 100% nationally-owned company Fuzzy WuzzyExpeditions, which also organises similar treks for major corporateentities such as SP Brewery and Ela Motors.
Senior staff and management of Telikom, including CEO Peter Loko, willhave a series of Kokoda treks over the next few weeks.
Port Moresby journalists Stan 'The Man' Ivahupa from the NationalBroadcasting Commission and Malum Nalu accompanied Telikom managementand staff on the first trek last weekend.
Mr Ivahupa featured it on his morning show on Monday morning.
Monday, August 11, 2008
I just walked part of the Kokoda Trail
I celebrated my 41st birthday by walking part of the Kokoda Trail from Owers Corner to Ua Ule Creek on Saturday, and back on Sunday, together with staff of Telikom.
I will post full pictures and stories later.
Malum
I will post full pictures and stories later.
Malum
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Goodwill messages from September 16th, 1975
Messages from many lands expressed goodwill towards, and recognition of, the new nation of Papua New Guinea. Selections and excerpts are presented below:
CANADA
"On behalf of all Canadians, I am pleased to extend to you and to the people of Papua New Guinea our congratulations and very best wishes on attaining independence……”......................
Gules Leger
Governor-General of Canada
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
"........... We are pleased to see Papua New Guinea taking her place in the community of independent Nations and we send all our good wishes of prosperity and happiness to the people of Papua New Guinea."
JAPAN
"I have the honour to inform your excellency that the Government of Japan recognises Papua New Guinea as of 16th September, 1975. The Government and people of Japan offer their heartfelt felicitations to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea on its independence ……”
Takeo Miki
Prime Minister of Japan
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
"We fully share the immense joy of the people of Papua New Guinea on that historic day, marking the birth of an independent and sovereign Nation and State of Papua New Guinea. Such joy is also shared by the 130 million Indonesian people. On this auspicious occasion therefore, I would like to convey the fraternal greetings of the people of Indonesia to the people of Papua New Guinea ……”
Soeharto,General
President
REPUBLIC OF NAURU
"……We peoples of the South Pacific especially look with pride and satisfaction on what has already been achieved in the establishment of your new nation. We are confident that, with God's help and with the leadership which your country has, that nation will grow in strength and unity amid peace……”
Hammer De Roburt
President
REPUBLIC OF PHILIPPINES
"……The people of the Philippines share with the people of Papua New Guinea their pride and joy on this historic occasion, which marks yet another milestone in the struggle for freedom of the peoples of the Western Pacific……”
F.R. Marcos
President of the Philippines
SOLOMON ISLANDS
“……We have admired the great scope of your celebrations and have been deeply impressed with the manner in which they conveyed the significance of the dawn of independence……”
Donald Luddington
Governor
CANADA
"On behalf of all Canadians, I am pleased to extend to you and to the people of Papua New Guinea our congratulations and very best wishes on attaining independence……”......................
Gules Leger
Governor-General of Canada
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
"........... We are pleased to see Papua New Guinea taking her place in the community of independent Nations and we send all our good wishes of prosperity and happiness to the people of Papua New Guinea."
JAPAN
"I have the honour to inform your excellency that the Government of Japan recognises Papua New Guinea as of 16th September, 1975. The Government and people of Japan offer their heartfelt felicitations to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea on its independence ……”
Takeo Miki
Prime Minister of Japan
REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
"We fully share the immense joy of the people of Papua New Guinea on that historic day, marking the birth of an independent and sovereign Nation and State of Papua New Guinea. Such joy is also shared by the 130 million Indonesian people. On this auspicious occasion therefore, I would like to convey the fraternal greetings of the people of Indonesia to the people of Papua New Guinea ……”
Soeharto,General
President
REPUBLIC OF NAURU
"……We peoples of the South Pacific especially look with pride and satisfaction on what has already been achieved in the establishment of your new nation. We are confident that, with God's help and with the leadership which your country has, that nation will grow in strength and unity amid peace……”
Hammer De Roburt
President
REPUBLIC OF PHILIPPINES
"……The people of the Philippines share with the people of Papua New Guinea their pride and joy on this historic occasion, which marks yet another milestone in the struggle for freedom of the peoples of the Western Pacific……”
F.R. Marcos
President of the Philippines
SOLOMON ISLANDS
“……We have admired the great scope of your celebrations and have been deeply impressed with the manner in which they conveyed the significance of the dawn of independence……”
Donald Luddington
Governor
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