Discovery Channel

Following his stay with the Mek, we asked Olly for his thoughts and feelings about his time in West Papua.

Acquainting yourself:

• Why did you want to experience life with the Mek specifically?



• Once you were accepted into the village, did anyone make you feel unwelcome at all?



• We saw a lot of the Mek’s attitude and reactions to you, but how did they warm to the camera crew?

Worries:

• Initially you didn’t receive a very warm welcome from the Mek. Were you worried that the whole expedition might fail before it had really begun, and were you prepared for such a greeting?



• The Mek are locally well-known for witchcraft. After hearing the story of the blood sucking ‘flying woman’, and following your decision to turn down the offer of buying the pig in the first village, did you fear for your safety?

Acclimatising:

• After your stay with the Kombai you said that you acclimatised in around two weeks. How was it this time around?



• In the first episode we saw Mark and yourself trying to sleep in crowded huts surrounded by men, with you enduring an epic mouth harp song followed by an unusual whistle song. Did you find it any easier to sleep on subsequent nights?



• Clearly the language barrier was always going to be a problem. Did you learn any of the local language before you embarked on your journey and how much did you rely on translators?

Day to day:

• Did you have any embarrassing moments whilst living with the Mek?



• The Mek’s diet is very different to a western diet. What were your favourite and least favourite foods?



• The scenery looked amazing in the West Papua mountain range where the Mek live. What was the most magnificent sight you saw there?

Getting by:

• Mark in particular has a substantial amount of survival experience. Did you feel your skills were lacking at any time during your stay, and what useful new skills did you take away with you?



• What did you miss the most from home, and did you ever get bored, as the Mek assured you that you would?

Back home:

• What was the first thing you did when you got home?



• If you could do the expedition over again, would you change anything?
  

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