After leaving our Naduri camp of two nights our destination was Brigade Hill.
This was of course via two villages- Efogi 1 and Efogi 2
Turned out my porter was chief of Efogi 2.
At Brigade Hill, we had a reading and a ceremony – set against, as always, the mighty Owen Stanley Ranges. Tears of pride bubbled to the surface as we sang both the Australian and Papua New Guinea National Anthems.
We purchased avocados the size of rockmelons and you have never seen how hungry 18 hikers can be for avocado. Lunch was an absolute frenzy of Saladas, tinned tuna and avocado. Ah, how far we had come and how important the simple things became.
Our camp for the night was Menari. It was also Daves’ Birthday so the crew made us pizza and the village made banana cake.
After dinner it was time for Sing Sing and “if you are happy and you know it clap your hands”. We did, to the night of ten thousand stars and the choir of the village of Menari.
About the author: Yvonne Shepherd is the Chief Adventure Officer at Women’s Fitness Adventures – designed for women who seek fitness, travel and adventure all in one place.