The start of my Kokoda trip

‘This post is in honour of the Jewish Australian service men who gave their life defending their country.’

The first time I heard about the Kokoda Trail was from an Australian friend in Sydney. I think it was sometime in 2006. A friend of mine saw a program on television about the history of the Kokoda campaign and got excited about walking the Track.  We brainstormed together ideas how we were going to travel to Papua New Guinea and do the 97km trek through mud, rain, and ankle twisting terrain.

We never did end up going and I largely forgot about Kokoda as I travelled around the world doing other tracks and climbing mountains. In June 2012, something triggered off my memory of Kokoda and I decided to do the track. It is a challenging walk and when I took into account I’d need to keep kosher and Shabbat along the way, I ruled out going with any organized tour. My only solution was to get a company to take me alone, or I’d have to walk the Kokoda solo. I was quoted prices from various companies that organize Kokoda trips, ranging from $2,000-4,000. In addition to this cost, I would need flights, some personal gear, visa, additional food, and so on. It was going to cost over $4,000, which seemed too much money to pay to trek through rain and mud for a week.

I posted in forums looking for someone else who would be interested in joining me, to offset some of the cost. I found and met one guy in Sydney, who agreed to come but then pulled out a couple of weeks before. His doctor had suggested that he was not fit enough to do the walk.

I contemplated putting a kosher/Shabbat group together and found a few people interested. I realized through it could be a year or two until it would actually happen that everyone would be ready.

And so not wanting to wait I went alone.

I purchased plane tickets to PNG, bought most of the food I’d need and threw in a bit of exercise to get in shape. I read online from a number of people that one of the most important things on the Kokoda Track is to have a pair of boots with solid treads. My pair of hiking boots had seen better days, so I bought a new pair from Kathmandu that have some of the largest treads I’ve ever seen on a pair of boots. This was certainly the right decision. Having these boots on the Kokoda saved me from falling numerous times as I slipped my way down muddy slopes.

I broke in my new boots (very important to do before heading for a trek) and got a bit fitter by doing a few day walks carrying my pack with 25kg in it. I’ve done loads of trekking with a backpack so it was no big deal. I just wanted to push myself a bit more.

A guy who had a bunch of maps and track notes from his previous trip responded to one of my posts. We met and he gave me some pointers and let me photocopy all the material.

From the library I took out 5 books on the Kokoda campaign along with the documentary ‘Kokoda.’ I felt it was important to find out and educate myself as much as possible before getting to the track. The more I knew about the history, the more I could appreciate what the Australian soldiers had to endure.

To be continued.

Previous post on the Kokoda Track  http://travelingrabbi.com/adventure/walking-the-kokoda-track-solo-in-both-directions-in-honor-of-the-australian-diggers/index.html

This coming Thursday is Anzac Day. I am not an Australian though I have a deep sense of respect and gratitude for the sacrifices Australia has made in a number of wars over the years. In September 2012 I walked the Kokoda Track and it gave me a profound appreciation of what the ‘Diggers’ (Australian soldiers) endured. The battles along the Kokoda Track were brutal, and it would be hard to find a more inhospitable place on planet earth where a war was ever fought. The Diggers, with incredible bravery and determination, held back the Japanese who were bent on taking Port Moresby from where they could then attack Australia.

I hope over the next few days to post more about my Kokoda Track experience and how I walked it solo in both directions. For now here is an article about my Kokoda walk.

Celebrating the Hmong (Mong) New Year near Chiang Mai, Thailand

We were fortunate last week to be able to celebrate the Hmong New Year, which occurred on January 15, 2013.  As I have mentioned, we met some Hmong villagers in Chiang Mai’s famous Sunday Market, who offered to let us come with them to the village for the celebration.

During the Hmong New Year, each village joins in a giant parade.

We had to leave Chiang Mai by 5 AM to go to the village because preparations for the celebration began early. Unlike our Jewish new year celebrations, their new year does not begin at sundown. Nor does it begin at midnight like the secular new year does.  Instead, it begins at sunrise, and so do the festivities! By 7 AM, villagers from Hill Tribes for miles around were arriving in their finery for the parade and party.

First, the Hmong family all got together early in the morning – everyone was up before 6 AM, even the small children – for an early breakfast. (For more on how to keep kosher at mealtimes when visiting a tribal village, CLICK HERE.) Then, everyone got dressed in their fancy outfits (more on these in a subsequent post!).  After that, it was time to start celebrating the Hmong New Year!

The celebrations of the Hmong New Year started off with a gigantic parade.  Unfortunately, Rabbi Ben and I missed most of this, as Adventuring Akiva was sleeping and we didn’t wake him in time (what a party pooper).  Once we’d woken him up and dressed him in his Hmong outfit, the family we were visiting dressed us up in Hmong outfits, too! Then we headed out.

Women, both young and old, take part in a sewing and embroidery competition during the Hmong New Year celebration.

Walking through the village, we saw thousands of people from all the neighboring Hmong villages, buying food, toys, umbrellas, and clothing from the various stalls. At a main gathering area, there were hundreds more of the Hmong people.  Some were sitting in the shade, eating. Some were performing on stage – singing, dancing, etc.  Others were engaged in competitions, such as sewing competitions.  Some were playing courtship games.

Everyone was dressed in their finest and it seemed that everyone wanted a photo of or with Adventuring Akiva!  We thought we would go to the Hmong New Year celebration and take photos of all the Hmong people, but instead, the Hmong people took lots of photos of us.  What a role reversal!

All in all, it was a fantastic day.  It was a thrilling cultural experience and we learned a lot about the Hmong people and the Hmong culture.  Interestingly enough, I also feel I learned an important lesson as a Jew, which I will, please G-d, post about tomorrow.

Happy Hmong New Year!

Would You Travel the World for Five Years?

This is the true story of a young rabbi who quits the pulpit to travel the world. Rabbi Ben lays out a five year plan to climb the highest mountains, scuba dive with sharks, and see some of the world’s most impressive sites.

On his journey Ben hopes to discover and explore all the world has to offer. His beliefs as a person, as a spiritual leader, and as a religious Jew will be challenged as new situations constantly arise. Now it is time to see what he truly believes in.

‘God is in My Backpack’ follows the first year of Ben’s travels from Australia to Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and India. He shares his personal journey as he discovers a deeper connection with the world at large, and with G-d.

To see more about this book:

http://www.indiegogo.com/Godisinmybackpack

The Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road in Australia

During the winter school break when I was at the Yeshivah studying in Melbourne, many of the overseas boys went skiing. I decided that I had not traveled from Canada to Australia to go skiing. Australia is not known for its great skiing.

I decided instead to take some time bicycling along the Great Ocean Road and some of the surrounding National Parks. It was my first long bicycle trip.

Some of my memories:

1. I had with me a meimar (a Chassidic discourse) from the Rabbi Yossef Yitzchock Schneerson. I remember being cuddled in my sleeping bag at night, studying for a few hours by flashlight.

2. The tent fell off my bicycle halfway through the trip.  The tent poles were still attached to the bike. I noticed within 20 minutes of having left my campsite. I covered the route a few times searching for the tent but never found it. One car passed me during that time along the dirt road and my guess is that they picked it up.

3. Seeing whales along the shore.

4. Shocking Israeli travelers. I’d be at a lookout and someone would start a conversation with me. Halfway through I’d take off the bicycle helmet, revealing underneath a kippah. It always surprised them to see a religious guy traveling by bicycle with tefillin, a siddur, and keeping kosher.

5. I rode into one seaside town late in the afternoon. I was looking out at the ocean, and heard someone shout “Hey, you want a schnitzel?” I turned around and found a few of the older students standing over a BBQ. It was a random chance at meeting them, and I was delighted for the kosher hot BBQ’d schnitzel.

If you do visit Australia it’s worth a trip along the Great Ocean Road. There are many lookout spots along the way that make for a lovely place to have a kosher picnic.