TIMELY WARNING RE QUALITY OF PNG TREKKING GROUPS

Jan 1, 2011 | CHARLIE LYNN, KOKODA INITIATIVE, KOKODA ISSUES, KOKODA TOURISM, KOKODA TRACK AUTHORITY, TREK OPERATORS | 0

The following article was published by Bruce Copeland, a former Australian Army officer now living in PNG – it is a timely reminder for Australian trekkers considering a local PNG trekking company to save money.

ALMOST TREKKED KOKODA

I would like to tell a story mainly for PNG villagers who may plan to set up a trekking group either for Kokoda or Black Cat Tracks. They are all a long way from Port Moresby and a group of Australian trekkers waiting to leave.

I already have explained to Malum Nalu why I would never trek with a village group. It is all about their not being reliable and professional enough. There are too many stuff-ups to stuff up.

Last week, I was approached by a PNG man and asked to be the team leader for his trek starting Sunday. He asked me my rates. I told him that I am paid good money by the expatriate trekking groups. It is fund raising for AIDS awareness.

But I would drop my price for a village trekking group. He had asked me once before but I could not trek. He is known to me on the Track. And he spends much time in the email shop.

He suggested K300 a day for 7 days. That sounded OK. I am doing him a favour. I said I have all the gear except a personal back pack. 

He had one. We agreed to meet two days later at the email shop.

We met and his first words were that he would drop the rate to K150 a day. Was it OK? Not really. He said that he would let me have a personal backpack for K50 a day. 

I was losing interest in the man. He said he would make an advance and come to give it to me at the e-mail shop that afternoon.

I came half an hour late but he had not arrived. We met next day by accident and he introduced me to three young village men who were to come to make sure that I did the right thing. 

I sent him a text later to say I was no longer available. I told him that I was probably the only white man who would ever trek for him.

There are a number of issues here. In PNG, there is the attitude among many PNG businessmen that the key to being successful is to lie, cheat and keep changing the goal posts. Not with this white man. 

After dropping the price from K300 to K150, I would not put it past him to refuse to pay at the end or drop the price to K50 a day. Take out the rent for the back pack which would be K200 for the week. Take it or leave it, white man.

Then there is another factor. I have experienced many men over the years who stop me in the street and tell me they want a meeting with me to discuss a business issue.They are probably after a free business lunch. 

My response is always positive. I say “My friend, I am very busy at the moment. Come to my house next Friday and talk to me”. 

The fact is they never know where I live and never come. We both smile. The first wanted me to be manager of his security firm. But he did not have an office, vehicle, contracts or guards. Haha.

That was my job. And no pay for me until I set it all up. Crazy. Next wanted me to be Director of his AIDS care group. He has land and is waiting for the funding. 

He has been stopping and telling me that for 2 years. I shake his hand and wish him well. He stopped last  week and advised someone was trying to steal his land. Progress at last !!

I think my Kokoda trekking man is number three. If not, the village trekking groups have much to learn.

I would not dare ask about hotel booking, arriving aircraft, purchase of rations, assembly of trekkers, casualty evacuation arrangements, aircraft ration drops, payment to villagers, arrival of aircraft, radio communications and disputes with villagers.

Another problem is that villagers know little or nothing of the detail of the Kokoda campaign. It is not their fault but Australian trekking groups need detail in English. What happened here ? bikpela pait.

Still, "what happened here?" can be a pain in the butt question from Australians too. Some trekkers think that the team leader has every metre of the track covered. What happened here? Aussies were retreating. What were the Japanese doing? They were advancing.

I was once sitting at the Isurava battlefield with a trekking group when a village group arrived. The trekkers wanted to know what happened here. The village trek leader had no idea of the significance of this central battle site. After 10 minutes he made the move to leave. He was retreating.

Our group stayed the night and held a remembrance service in the morning.  That is how Australians do it.

On another occasion, I listened to a so-called PNG village expert briefing a trekking group at a hotel. He was telling about the massive battle on the Eora plateau between Australian and Japanese troops. The Japanese swept down on the Australians from Mt Bellamy.

Thousands of Japanese died. What absolute rubbish !! He missed the point of the Australian withdrawal to Owers Corner. The strategy of Kokoda-Buna-Gona is quite basic. Perhaps he was confused with the battle on Brigade Hill.

There should be a village trekking school to prepare village groups for all the detail related to a safe and credible trek in English and Tok Pisin. But the village trekking groups still have to get all the administrative arrangements right.