Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# My West Papua, New Guinea (Irian Jaya) trek Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
mugi 06:22 UTC 24 Oct 2008 | I trekked in the highlands of West Papua, New Guinea (Irian Jaya) and it was the most amazing trip I have ever been on. What an adventure! I have many photos in the photo gallery on my website and also a full trip report in the Travel Reports section: http://www.bakubo.com</a> The trek started off innocuously enough. The porters, packs, food, and equipment all piled into the back of a big dumptruck and we got into a van for the 2 hour ride from Wamena to the western edge of the Baliem Valley. Upon arriving at the end of the dirt road we all climbed out and porters started picking up gear and packs. It turned out that one of the real characters and cut-ups of the group, Gupy (pronounced "Goopy"), grabbed my pack, so he was my personal porter for the whole trek. Since we got a late start that morning we only hiked for about 4 hours that first day. There were some very steep uphills, but the trail was dry and relatively easy to walk on -- a huge contrast to most of the rest of the trek. :-) We got into a village late in the afternoon and Rufus negotiated with the headman for us to stay there for the night. What followed were 12 days of: * horims (penis gourds -- penis sheath made from a specially cultivated gourd) * wonderful, smiling Lani faces * sweat * beautiful mountains * raging, rain-swollen mountain rivers and streams * rain * mud * perilous, steep, narrow, slippery trails * pigs * itching flea bites * Wa! (Lani greeting) * sore, exhausted muscles * fleas * grass skirts * aching knees, ankles, and feet * rats * jungle * slippery, narrow logs across wild, rocky streams * blazing sun * infected blisters/sores * wet boots and socks * singing, chanting porters * pig shit * Gupy and Amius * bathing in streams and rivers * true adventure! http://www.bakubo.com</a> |
watsoff 15:53 UTC 24 Oct 2008 | Terrific pictures and what a wonderful experience it must have been. How many were in your group? | 1
mugi 19:44 UTC 24 Oct 2008 | Watsoff, there were 8 of us plus 22 local people we hired (porters, guide, cook). Please read my trip report because it gives lots of info. | 2