Monday, August 13, 2007
Hello! It's me again. The August month in Queensland is famous for its EKKA show. The EKKA, also called the Royal Queensland Show is a carnival which showcases the various farm livestock and also a lot of fun-filled rides. A group of three of us went to have a visit. And we had a time of our lives. But, we didn't stay for the fireworks at night as we had a "hunt" to prepare on that night....(hmmm...)
Well, anyway, someone asked me to mention on my blog that I LOST MY CAMERA in the EKKA. After 1 hour losing it, we managed to recover it from the Lost and Found Property station. Really thank the lady who so kindly reported that lost item there. THANK GOD I FOUND MY CAMERA!! Phew....
[Just an aside, I almost lost my handphone while sitting in the CityCat (the river ferry in Brisbane) about 4 days after the EKKA. THank God again that I managed to recover it]
Hi everyone!!!! Well, it's been only the 2nd week of second semester and I've already gone on another exploration again!! hehe...This time, I'm gonna conquer the mountains.
Well, on Saturday, 5th of August 2007, a group of us from college went on a mountain climbing trip in the Sunshine Coast. We were the chapel group and I really enjoyed mixing with these individuals as they share the joy and unity as one in Christ.
Anyway, we decided to climb Mount Tibrogargan, the 2nd highest mountain after Mount Beerwah. These and a few other mountains form a chain of beautifully sculptured chain of mountains in the Sunshine Coast called the Glasshouse Mountains. The shapes of these mountains are unique and the peaks of the mountains are REALLY SHARP. It's as if the mountains are big triangular blocks with the sharp peak at the top.
As usual, in my ignorance and "blur"ness, I agreed with all their plans, thinking that we'll hike up to the top. Little did I know that I was going to be forced to CLIMB UP THE MOUNTAIN WITH BARE HANDS AND FEET...(this is the best part)...WITHOUT ANY ROPES OR SAFETY HARNESSES!!
Well, I thought that after a short stint of rock climbing in Canberra, I'd be able to handle this...But, how was I wrong!!!!! Towards the middle of the climb, things got pretty rough. There were no crevices or holes for me to grab onto or hoist myself up. So, I have to rely on the advice of my friends and a little thinking to co-ordinate myself. One false move and a slip could mean an endless drop to the ground hundreds of metres below.....I was scared of going up [There are pictures below which accurately portrays my fear]...really scared. It came to a point where I wanted to call back home and tell my family the CRAZY thing which I was currently doing....but, i decided not to..(just to be cheeky! But, I called Louis from OCF though...)
After about an hour, we finally reached the top. The top!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS SO RELIEVED! All of the other group members were much more experienced climbers and I was thankful that they were there to help me.
The view from the top was simple breathtaking. I was awestruck by first, my achievement of climbing the treacherous way up successfully and secondly, the beauty of the world below...Amazing!!!
Coming down the mountain was not that horrifying. I could simply slide down by sitting. I guess it was simpler because descending was an act of obedience to the law of physics....(huh?..nvm)
It took me another hour to descend from the mountain. After that, we headed to King's Beach at the Sunshine Coast. We had our lunch there (thanks to Rex and others who packed food from college). Then, a few of us had a dip into the freezing cold ocean - an act we would soon regret as it was freeeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzing. (Imagine swimming in the middle of winter...it's fun but not for long).
It was a tiring day. But, we had a great time and I'm really grateful for the ones who organised this trip. Thanks to the drivers too (Rex and Booyeah).
NB : Thanks to these ppl who were on the trip : Joshua Brimblecombe (Rex), Ben Brimblecombe (Hunt), Jessica (Check), Sam (Booyeah), Hayley (Punjabi), Roger (Explosion), Jordan Herd (Finman), Tegan Slapes (Bonds) and Satoshi Kato from Japan. I really really enjoyed the company and I'll miss all of you dearly.
Cheers, mates!
[If you can't see me clearly in these pics, the guy in the yellow beach pants is me!]
Parents, teachers, friends. All of you have led me to this stage
God alone deserves all glory!!