Waspak camping in Blue Mountains National Park, Australia

We have been planning for this Waspak* get away trip for quite sometime now. Since one of our Waspakian* Lee Juan is already in Sydney completing his medical degree, we figured out why not we go over there, bunking over his place and tour Sydney and its surrounding areas?

A date was set on the Christmas week we shall have our Waspak* annual trip there and to be able to celebrate both the Christmas and New years holidays over there. When everything was finalized, only Kin Hon and yours truly was going to meet our dear friend over there (our long haired Waspakian* had a last minute plan to go somewhere else instead)

So there we were, on our way to Bluemountain on the 26th Dec 04 (we arrived on the 25 Dec 04), was a chilly morning as we left our home base (ie Lee Juan’s house) went via the excellent public transport over there. As we arrived near the entrance of the park, can’t help myself but to take this cute little picture of “duck crossing”.

The trip down from the entrance to the bottom of the hill took about 6 hours hike down. Truthfully, this was one of the hardest hike down! Mind you that it was summer there in Sydney that time and we were constantly running out of water due to some hooligans that basically make short work of the water pipes along the hiking trail. The hike though was totally worth it, as you can see from the marvelous view itself, the spectacular drop off cliffs and wonderful scenery once we have reached our camp site.

A dip in the refreshing and almost freezing waters really did the trick for our tired muscles… :) Turning back our head from where we started from, we couldn’t believe it ourselves that we have hiked down to such a distance.
After our good nights sleep, we had one of the worst case scenarios when we woke up... it was raining!!! And I really mean drenching wet!! Fire wood are all wet and we have to somehow manage to lit a small fire to keep ourselves warm and to cook our hot “Milo” we brought along for our trip. A quick breakfast, we packed up and start our hike up and out of Blue mountain.
All I can say is this would be the hardest uphill hike that we have ever done. Running low on water, FLY infested (yes! Those small dots all over our bags are flies!!! Sydney is infested with these bugs in the summer), and for those that have been to a scorching summer heat in Sydney, you would know how fast your body would dehydrate in such condition. God!! It was one of the most excruciating 9 hours hike back up the hill!

Once we arrived on top of Blue mountain, I switched on my hand phone and got the worst news anyone could receive on a phone. Distress messages from people back home telling you that a major catastrophe just happened. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives a day earlier on Boxing Day… the day when East Asia was hit with the worst natural disaster in recorded history. The East Asian Tsunami has hit Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and even as far as Tanzania. Thank God that our families were safe from it all…

*waspak – group name of our close friends from my secondary period.

Nibble nibble,taut taut,STRIKE! Fish ON!!!