The My Choice Awards

and the winners go to ...

Best overall week ...
Going to Manus for work and spending it tripping out to a remote island on a banana boat, heading into Manus island interior via the Manus highway (or goat track) and saving a cuscus from becoming kai kai.

Most scariest moment ...
Climbing two thirds up an active volcano and finally realising that the thing was erupting boulders the size of VW beetles ... a hasty retreat was made.

Most exhausting event ...
Trekking for 7 days over the Kokoda Track, which meant 96 kms overland but climbing up a combined height of two thirds of Mount Everest (and going down again).

Best moment of instant celebrity ...
Flying into a remote highlands village with my white haired mother and being swamped by the entire population.

Best PNG location visited ...
The remote Balaun island, part of the Manus trip. I had always wanted to visited a remote pacific island .. this felt very much like it.

Best non-PNG location visited ...
Biak in Indonesia. Cheap food, cheap accommodation, great scenery, great weather, great company .. all good.

Biggest culture shock moment ...
Eating a cuscus foreleg on the second Mt Wilhelm trip. Nice .. tastes like lamb .. not much of it though.

Biggest culturally awkward moment ...
Expected to cry at a Western Highlands funeral. The tears didn't well up.

Worst health moment ...
Urinating a dark red colour while having Malaria in a place without a doctor.

Lifetime changing award ...
Growing up quickly when driving a car full of computers and having guns pointed at you by rascal gangs on the side of the road.

Most thrilling individual moment ...
Making it to the top of Mount Wilhelm the first time ... I laughed and cried at the same time.

and finally ...

Best thing discovered ...
Meeting some of the best friends I have ever made .. including some fantastic locals with lion hearts and some brilliant ex-pats including some very special people. See you on the other side.