The Path Less Travelled - Shaggy Ridge - Port Moresby to Lae

Day 2 - Port Moresby to Lae

After a fitful night's sleep and an early breakfast it's back to Port Moresby for the flight to Lae.

We depart on one of the first flights out, flying over the Owen Stanley Range just after sunrise.
With my nose pressed to the window glass, I spy thick jungle clad mountains with ridgelines to die for.....

Transfer from the airport to our hotel in Lae via the Highlands Highway, another potholed road with numerous sections in disrepair or under reconstruction

The morning is already hot and humid, just a taste of things to come.....

After checking into the hotel, we are then escorted the Lae War cemetery.

Today is the first history lesson of our trek which will supplemented by our outdoor education and geography classes over the next seven days

To see a war cemetery in such a foreign place was a sobering sight.

The cemetery gates open to a small lawned forecourt where steps lead up to a flat-topped colonnade. This houses a memorial which commemorates 300 men of the Australian forces who lost their lives and have no known grave. The colonnade frames a view of the Cross of Sacrifice which stands in the centre of an expansive manicured lawn where bronze plaques mark the grave sites. It contains a total of 2,818 burials

A parade ground of the fallen......

A flood of emotions rush over me. Knowing that these men made the ultimate sacrifice for their country makes this a very sombre experience.

Most of the dead were killed in the Salamaua-Lae campaign of 1943, particularly, in action in the Ramu Valley, Shaggy Ridge, and the Finisterre region.

The visit is more poignant for me as one of my distant relatives is buried here.

I search for the grave and eventually find his final resting place.

I stand in front of his headstone in solemn contemplation and place a flower on the plaque which is inscribed with the words "his duty nobly done".

To be able to pay my respects in person was a truly humbling experience.....

We have a leisurely lunch at the Lae Yacht club, and then drive to the market precinct.

Firstly we make a stop at a store in search of musical instruments. To our amazement, there in downtown Lae we find a couple of recorders that we purchase to add to the collection of wind instruments (read: quartet!)

Our next mission is to buy some traditional wares at the local market. We discover some beautifully woven hats and billums, barter with the locals until we are satisfied with the price and part with a few kina.

Retail therapy done, we return to the hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon completing a final pack, then indulge with several tall glasses of gin and tonic. Very refreshing!