To finish my Learning in Outdoor Education Blog I have uploaded this video for you. I think everybody can see how exhausting this hike was but as you can see I was feeling very happy and satisfied:
Thank you so much for all the support and the help on this lecture! I think we ALL had a great time and we are happy that we could join this Education lecture!
Next weekend my friend Timo and I will go to Tasmania for another weekend of hiking and bushwalking - Let's hope the wheather will be as god as in the Blue Mountains :)
It is always good to have family helping you! Because my internet is not working very fast here in Australia my little brother Louis helped me to upload the video on Youtube with! Thanks to the very fast internet in good old Germany ;)
I cannot believe it's almost May now. I've been in Australia now for two months and time in running really fast. Last weekend (20th-22nd of April) we went to the Blue Mountains in order to go hiking. In comparison to the Royal National Park this was way more challenging for us but in my opinion also may more fun! ;)
My friends and I met at 8 in the morning and catched the train to Katoomba and there we met Ian, Wayne and the rest of our team including Ian's doughter who joined the trip. The Blue Mountains are around 75 kilometres from Sydney by train and it is really worth doing it. So let's start at day one (Friday).
This map will give you an overview about the Blue Mountains:
Katoomba - The place where we started our journey
Megalong Valley - We stayed here over night
After arriving at Katoomba the bus brought us to the gondola ride where we started our tour. It was raining the whole week at the Blue Mountains but we were lucky because the sun came out and we had perfect wheather and 20 degree. At the beginning we crossed a huge valley with the Scenic Skyway - This was very spectacular because the bottom of the gondola was made out of glass so you can look though it and see over 270 metres down into the valley. After this we had to wait 20 minutes for driving the world's steepest railway (52 degrees) which was crazy.
Here are some important facts about Scenic World
You cannot believe how steep this railway was and you really had to be careful to do not hurt yourself in the railway because there wasn't much space! For me it was fun but to be honest my highlight was the following tour through the valley ending at the three sisters which are very spectacular. The boys did the first day tour with Wayne and Max. It's very impressive to compare the situations while waiting in line to get into the railway and climbing in the Blue Mountains. On the one hand all the tourist (most of them Asian with high class cameras, of course) in the railway and on the other hand this feeling of lonelyness and freedem 30 minutes later on the pathway in the middle of nowhere. We had so much fun and were joking about each other's stereotype. Wayne told us a lot about the trees and flowers in the National Park and the changing colours of the cliffs during sunset. My friend Timo and I were talking about life in Australia and reflected our experiences. We also asked the other international students how they feel here in Australia and what the like most and so on. It was a perfect chance for us to meet new people and we also became friends with the other guys. At the end of the trip we took the bus from Echo-Point (Three Sisters) to Megalong Valley where our sleeping cabins were. The Three Sisters (see picture below) is probably one of the main highlights in the Blue Mountains. These spectaculat rocks change the colours during sunset and you have a beautiful view over the whole valley. At the way home we stopped at a supermarket and my room-mates Jason (from Boston, USA) and Timo bought lot of good, healthy food for the weekend (e.g. Chicken Caesar Salad which was really sooooo good!).
Here one picture of the Three Sisters - I can just say one word to this: WONDERFUL!
Small river with fresh Blue Mountains water - The vegetation here is so unbelievable beautiful....
We finally arrived in the cabins at around 5:30 and hat two and a half hours to unpack all our staff and to cook dinner. Believe it or not but Jason; Timo and I had over one kilo of pasta, 0,8 kilo of beef and 0,75 kilo of bolognese sauce. But as Ian said we have to get new power for the second hike on Saturday (7 hours of walking!).
At the campfire we were kind of debriefing the first day and sharing our experiences. It's incredible how a fire makes you feel comfortable and safe. We played games at the campfire for around two hours and went to bed at 11pm because we were really tired and wanted to have full energy for the second day!
Here is one picture of the campfire - Hope you all feel warm now ;)
This was our home for the two nights - Megalong Valley
We really had so much fun at the campfire - I will play the campfire games with my friends at home for sure!
At this spot we had lunch on Sunday - Our cabin crew had fresh sandwiches and apples
Here we started our first day: Scenic World
Another picture of the spectacular waterfall...nothing more to say about this view!
This is me standing infront of this amazing waterfall on Sunday - I hope you are all jealous :)
On day two (Saturday) my mates Jason and Timo woke up really early because they had to do the breakfast this morning. I could sleep for 15 more minutes so this was really good for me. On the other hand I had to wash all the dishes and care about the fire in the cabin (collecting wood in the outside during the night is no fun at all!!). We had eggs, bacon and toasts which was really a perfect start of the day - so there was no excuse for us if the trip would be too exhausting for us ;)
We started at 9am and the bus ride took us again around 45 minutes to get to the starting point of our tour. At the beginning the walk was very easy because we just had to go down into the valley. All the others liked this very much but to be honest I prefer going up. Of course, it is harder and more exhausting but I feel more safe when climbing up and for me it is more fun.
Wayne brought us to a very nice waterfall where he grabbed a small crab. The crab bite him and one guy from Scotland and it was really so much fun for us in the group. So be careful with the crabs, they really have so much power you cannot believe it.
Our lunch was at around 1pm after three hours of walking and my cabin crew had delicious sandwiches, fruits and some chocolate for our motivation. The last 2,5 hours of walking was the hardest. But for me it was the best time of the whole EDUH4052 class. It is very hard on the one side but on the other side you know that the first step will be the hardest and every step brings you closer to the end of the trip. You can compare this situation with University life as well. When you start studying for a test, start writing your assignment, start doing your presentation and so on, it is always hard. But from time to time you get used to it and you know your effort will pay off because if you get a good mark you have a better chance to find a job and a better job will probably make you more happy. And on this saturday afternoon I kind of felt the same. One step after the other but every step brings you closer to your goals. My personal goal was to overcome this challenging walk (the Saturday walk was about 6 hours so this was really hard for everybody). When we finally reached our end of the tour I felt so happy and satisfied - we all still cannot believe we did this tour! Because my group was first on the Govetts Leap Lockout we had the chance to see all the very exhausted faces with a big smile.
This was our view after the six hours of climbing - Really worth the effort!
A picture of the waterfall on Saturday - We were walking right next to the waterfall which was very spectacular for all of us!
Everybody was so happy when reaching our goal and we were all satisfied and so happy. All the girls and boys were talking to each other and sharing their experiences....how they feel after this climb and what they liked most! This moment was just incredible cool for everybody and we had an amazing view over the valley and the waterfall again. We still cannot believe we all (including the small kids who were joining us on all three days) did this 10km walk/hike.
The last day was very easy going and the tour was not that challenging again. At 3pm we all took the train back home to Sydney with so many memories of this very cool trip!
Here is one video showing me after the last trip:
Thanks again so much for this amazing weekend in the outdoors!
Montag, 23. April 2012
Update: Video on Youtube now online!
Please watch it and like it! This video took me two hours so watch..... :)
I really suggest everybody to do a tour at the Royal National Park as well! If you´re interested just send me an Email or comment the blog. The walk takes about half a day is really so worth it! The pictures give you an overview - but in real life this is even better! Believe me...
Update: At the moment I am working on my secons video so hopefully I can show you the video about the Blue Mountain trip very soon!
Donnerstag, 19. April 2012
In the following weeks I tried to go more in the outdoors and it really worked pretty good! My friends and I did a really nice walk starting at Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. This trip took us about four and a half hours and we had enough time to talk to each other and to reflect our first weeks in Australia (15.000km away from all my German friends and my family) as well!
Here are some pictures of this walk:
As you can see the wheather was also really good so we could enjoy this walk very much :)
On this picture you can see Coogee Beach which I like most because it´s not that crowded and busy every day like Bondi is
Sorry Ian but I forgot about the "three body lengths" rule! ;)
We stopped on this rock for like an hour and just relaxed and didn´t do anything. It was so nice to see the powerful ocean combined with this silent surrounding. What a great place for a rest! Probably lots of artist and writers come here to get inspired by the landscape.
At the end we were scratching/sribing our names on the stones because the surface of the rocks is really weak. I am proud to say that my name will be forever on the way from Bondi beach to Coogee! :)
At the moment I am trying to create my own video about our trip to the Royal National Park.... be patient! Hopefully I can upload it in the next couple of days....
On March 25th about 45 of us went to the Royal National Park in order to go hiking. Founded in the 1879 it ist the second oldest national park in the world (after the Yellowstone National Park in the USA) and one of the most fascinating National Parks in Australia (for sure!!). After the around one hour bus ride Ian has split the group into four quarters so everybody in each group had the chance to talk to everybody. The small number of group members was a really good decision because, in my opinion, it is more relaxed and you get the chance to create a familiar atmosphere. In my group Chris was our instructor and she got supported by her two kids Max and Taylor (sorry Taylor I don´t have a picture of you, but you can be happy that you did NOT look like this on the trip!).
After we introduced ourselves, everybody should know the names of each group member and where he or she comes from. In my group there were just girls (almost everybody from the US or Canada) and my friend Timo from Munich as well.
We have been walking for about two hours and then we had lunch at a really nice beach where we also met the other groups. Some guys were just hanging out on the beach and having lunch, some students were joking and playing games and I went to the sand dunes with Max, Timo and some girls from the US. From this point we had a great view over the beach and some parts of the National Park. After that we continued walking with our instructor Chris and she told us interesting stories about life in Australia, the Royal National Park and about her experiences with student groups like we are. At a very nice cliff she asked the group to stop and everybody should just sit down on a different spot with closed eyes and think about his or her feelings and if we feel different after the walk. I was lucky because I found an amazing spot right next to a huge cliff with an breathtaking view over the ocean. The 15 minutes went by way too fast so we had to get up again and continue our walk along the alley. At the end of the trip we stopped at a very nice waterfall where all the students met again and some uf us had a shower there (including Max, of course). On the way home I felt tired on the one hand because of the long walk in the sun but on the other side I was really happy because this experience is not very often in 21st century life. People usually don´t take their time for moments like this...
Here is another picture of the spectacular cliffs. Isn´t that amazing?!?
At the beginning of the trip I was not sure what will happen – for the last half year I haven´t been “bushwalking“ in the nature so this was really new for me. But from time to time I felt more comfortable and I got used to this. Walking on the cliffs with this amazing view over the ocean makes you feel satisfied. On the one hand you do an workout for your body and on the other hand you also “cleans your inner feelings“ - you can think about your life and reflect the last four weeks here in Australia on a completely new way. To be honest this cliff-walk was my first debriefing of what I did in the past one and a half months and what I want to achieve in my life. I learned two things about myself: First of all I don´t take my time for resting anymore. My whole life is just about career seeking and always stressful. No relaxing moments, no reflection, almost no outdoor activities anymore. Secondly I realised the power of the nature and how important these moments in nature are for human beings. So why don´t take young people time for a brake to relax? Why don´t I go out to meet some friends or go for a walk on the beach? Why do I not sit down once in a day and just reflect the day?
Just think about yourself.....are you really doing all that things?!? I guess no! So maybe this is a chance for you to change your mind as well! Try it.
To be continued....
Donnerstag, 22. März 2012
Welcome to my blog! :)
In this blog I want to give you an overview about one of my classes here in Sydney University. As an international student we are able to participate an "Learning in Outdoor Education" class which is really completely different than our lectures in Germany. But in the following posts you will find out what it is all about here....
And believe me: Even when it does not seem that this class is important for business students I will show you that it definately is!
The last few weeks went by really fast and I am really having a great time here in Australia so far. Here is a picture of one of our first group activities. This game was really about teamwork and leadership!
As you can see the wheather cannot be better here - 25°C and a warm wind! :)
