2 Night Homestay In A Remote Village In Papua New Guinea

After finishing the Kokoda Track Trek, I was going to a remote village near Popondetta all by myself for 2 nights. I had no idea what to expect. I was told some people had never seen a foreigner before. After a long rough truck ride, I got dropped off in the middle of nowhere.

Day 1

I met two local men and we walked down a grass track to their village. As I approached the village the children began to sing. The whole village was outside for the welcoming ceremony. The children put flowers around my neck and I was given fruit. The pineapple, sugar cane, bananas and coconuts were delicious. During my stay, everybody would stare at me especially when I was eating.

The three sons (Jackias, Romus, Neville) spoke the best English and were my translators. On the walk to the market, they seemed to know everyone they passed. On the way back we passed a village that I would spend my second night. I was given another welcoming ceremony by the father. He gave me a necklace of shells and banana seeds. The father also spoke some English and was happy to share his life story. He also was very interested to know about my life back in Australia. After many questions, we walked back to the village.

I gave the kids balloons and bouncy balls. I don’t think they had seen them before as they were so excited. I gave them a football and was immediately surrounded by kids wanting to play touch rugby.

At night I lay in a little hut unable to sleep. I was still buzzing from being in this amazing village.

Day 2

Everybody was awake very early before 6. Every time I left my room the children would be there waiting for me. I washed my clothes at the river about 50 metres away. All the kids followed me and watched me intently.

Neville gave me a tour of the village. He showed me the church, a large garden and a huge pile of food they gather for funerals. Vegetation around the village was so green. They had three pigs, piglets and a baby cassowary (a colourful flightless bird). They could live off the land and everyone was so happy. There was no technology and the kids were amazed when I showed them photos on my camera.

We went fishing on a larger river. On the walk there, the kids ran ahead of me, hid in the bushes/trees and tried to scare me. They caught fish and prawns with spears. A fire was lit and we had lunch next to the river. I didn’t realise there was different types of bananas until they cooked an unripe looking bananas over the fire, it tasted like sweet potato.

That night I stayed at the other village of Gorari. The two villages were within close proximity and part of the same family. The next morning I got the truck back to Kokoda. I wish I could have stayed longer. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. The homestay was the highlight of my trip and I’ll cherish these memories for the rest of my life.