Email sent home whilst we turned from Australian trekers in PNG to Aussie backpackers in QLD:
Michael and I have made it! We can now say we have completed the Kokoda Track. Feeling not so much as excited as content with what we have done.
Since Christmas we did a number of tours around Port Moresby, swam in Ela bay and walked around the shops and craft markets – bought a number of souvenirs and small gifts [Unfortunately many of these were taken from us at Quarantine]. This outing was cut short when a passer-by told Br Ben who we were walking with that we were being followed – so into a taxi and back to MSC.
We went back to the Bomana War Cemetery to find the graves of our relatives who are buried there. Going there after having done the track puts a whole new perspective on the shier number of graves – and what they went through before they died. Very humbling. The words we wrote in the visitors’ book could not adequately describe how we felt towards the men who not only lay there, but were prepared to but were lucky enough to survive.
We had one slight scare when I woke up one morning showing all the signs and symptoms of malaria, but tests have come back negative thankfully.
New Years Eve night we had mass, and stayed up outside looking over the settlements below. The power failed right across the town – but it only meant the flares people sent up looked brighter. And then we did our firsts – first taste of bettlenut with mustard and lime – not the best tasting this in the world, so we each had one SP [South Pacific] beer purely for the PNG taste – you haven’t truly experienced the lifestyle if you don't have a bettlenut and SP.
New Years day we went over to the Seminary – played a couple of games of volleyball with the nuns and brothers and fathers – extremely fun atmosphere. Nuns in habits playing an extremely competitive game of volleyball – the Blues vs the Maroons [everyone is in love with Rugby in PNG – I had to keep reminding them I was Victorian!]. Touch Rugby and then a light lunch before heading back to finish our packing.
Once we arrives in Brisbane on the 2nd Jan we immediately started deciding what we were going to do - only a few days to pack in as much as we could. We were staying in Surfers Paradise. We looked from the observation deck of Q1 – the 20th tallest building in the world, and tallest residential building on the world – 79 stories high! Stayed there for a few hours so we could see the 360 view of Surfers Paradise from day and night – everyone has a pool, everyone has a tennis court – lots of colourful lights at night.
Went on a speed boat ride in Marina Cove, had a go at jet skiing – I am thoroughly addicted to jet skis now – by the end Michael and I were able to do our turns at quite a nice speed. Both went up on the Paraglide – view of the city and water was as stunning as ever. At the ‘Adrenaline Park’ we both went Bungy jumping! Not as high as Louise did in Africa, but none the less Bungy Jumping. Very exciting – scary for a total of three seconds before you get up to jump out. 40 metres up doesn’t sound high until you start looking down and thinking about leaping off with some rope tied to your ankles. So I tried not to think! Dived off and glad I did! The ‘Vometron’ [how elegant!] was probably more terrifying – three sixty turns and rotations at 170 km per hour!
A more sedated day on our last day – short tour of the city and waterways before spending some hours at the beach bodysurfing and just laying on the sarong in the sand. We did a lot of just walking around the city – looking in all the shops and buildings.
And now we’re home. Reality has sunk in, and we wish we weren’t. We’d definitely do it again, but until then, goodbye!
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