After a rest and a bite to eat, I found out I had to eat my words about a casual stroll in the park! The track out of Naduri was a massive downhill. I was happy, sure beats going up again, and my spirits were hugely boosted by .... an Adventure Kokoda trekking party coming in the opposite direction. Included in this party is the Kokoda Trail famous trekker Charlie Lynn, the owner of Adventure Kokoda and probably the single biggest advocate for the Kokoda trail and the people connected with it, and with a host of treks under his belt! That group, including Charlie, looked absolutely stuffed and all I could think was "
Yea! I'm going downhill". (Sorry Charlie)
Of course my elation (not really the right choice of word there) was short lived and before we got to Efogi, we did have to tackle more uphills and the sight of Efogi Village was very welcome, I can tell you !
If you look at the pic above, this is very representative of so many parts of the track. You can see just a bit of sky and a ridge line and you think "great, it's just up there and we'll have a flat section". Sadly, more often than not, you finally get there, absolutely worn out, only to find it's a false peak and a few metre further and you start yet another uphill!
Efogi Village is perfectly presented and manicured and the villagers are no doubt justly proud. We even had a private shower here! The walk for today was a similar time as yesterday, about 6 hours, so we had time to charge our electronics, buy fruit and even had an impromptu game of rugby with the Buna Boys (for the first time, the dinner took second place ... rugby slotted in No.1). For those that asked before the trek, I can now confirm that charging stations are available on the track, however it is only USB charging, no power points, and the stations are only in villages, not campgrounds.
Efogi charging station, which is representative of all the village charging stations. The roof houses two solar panels and the USB chargers are 5V, 3.1A varieties x 10 and the charging stations also have a long range USB radio which are supposedly monitored 24/7 and on the reverse is a notice board and a track map with a red arrow to show where you are!
Efogi was a bit different as it also included tree houses, which were unusual (I hadn't seen them until Efogi). I know further east in PNG, tree houses are often used as it is believed the spirits of the dead come out at night and inhabit the ground levels. Here in Efogi, I'm not entirely sure if that is the same. I have the feeling these tree houses are the "bachelor pads" of the associated family. Once married, the new couple move into the "bikpela haus", but up until then, the boys bunk up together and I think this is more the case here.
Papua New Guineans love sport and league is right up there at the top (and of course, the vast majority, when not supporting the PNG Hunters, are Maroon fans ... yes! Scroll back and check out the flag on our Buna - Kokoda truck
). Any opportunity to have a game is eagerly taken up and this one sprung up right on dusk, right in the middle of the Owen Stanley Ranges! How good it that!