Our first thought was that we would only take the essentials. As
we’re planning on riding a motorbike around, our luggage allowance is limited.
Our second thought was...hang on a minute...we’re riding a motorbike around India. Suddenly the first aid kit took priority. That extra pair of cute denim shorts went out the window and the first aid kit grew to fill the gap.
Most of the stuff we had at home already, or we ‘acquired’ from first aid kits at work. It’s amazing the stuff you have in your bathroom cupboard when you dig deep enough. The rest can be picked up over the counter at the chemist, except the antibiotics for which you need a script from the GP.
Whether or not we’re going overboard is yet to be seen. I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry. And, as the helpful girl at the chemist reminded us, India is renowned for its prowess in the medical field so...we’ll be fine.
Thermometer
Scissors
Nail clippers
Nail file
Tweezers
Splinter Probe
Elastoplast
Gauze Bandage
Bandaids
Sterile Wound Dressing
Aero Wash: Eyewash and wound irrigation
Burn Aid Burn Dressing: sterile gel impregnated dressing
Burn Aid Gel: Cools, soothes and relieves burns, scalds and sunburn
Medi-Quattro cream: A four-in-one: antiseptic, aesthetic, anti-inflammatory and soothing cream.
Tinactin: Anti-fungal cream
Amoxicillin: Moderate-spectrum anti-biotic
Metoclopramide: Anti-nausea tablets
Buscopan: For relief of stomach ache and pain due to cramps or spasms (probably the most essential part of our first aid kit considering the delicious street food we plan on devouring)
Nurofen Zavance: Fast acting ibuprofen
Voltaren: Rapid relief of acute muscle aches
Tiger Balm: Topical treatment for the relief of muscle aches and pains (EBC...we’re ready for you)
Paw paw ointment: For everything!
Lemsip: Cold and flu relief
For a university assignment of mine, I needed to visit an Aboriginal Cultural Centre. I googled it and found there was a beautiful one at The Grampians National Park: Brambuk. So, as we do, we planned a weeked away, complete with accomodation that had a gas fire place and a spa in the living room. Ah....training for Everest Base Camp has never been so luxurious. Until my stomach bug kicked in that is. In hindsight, the stomach cramps were probably the best training I could have for trekking in Nepal when the goat curry I'm sure to eat flips my stomach upside down.
Day One
- Reed Lookout/The Balconies: 2.1km return: 27 minutes
This walk was very straight forward. Flat, well-marked, short. While Chris was tempted to venture out onto the over-hanging rock, my talk of slipping, combined with his mild vertigo, thankfully deterred him.
- MacKenzie and Broken Falls: 2km return: 1 hour (including photographs)
Stairs, stairs and some more stairs. I told myself it was perfect preparation for Adam’s Peak. Just like every other flight of stairs we will walk up and down between now and Sri Lanka. We spent quite a bit of time at the base of MacKenzie Falls. Chris got some stunning long exposure photos of the dramatic waterfall before we traipsed back up the stairs to the top. We then wandered over to Broken Falls where
Chris ventured off the beaten track in search of the perfect photo.
- Ngamadjidj Shelter: 300m return
The walk to Ngamadjidj Shelter is a very short loop which takes in some ancient Aboriginal rock art. As the original reason for visiting The Grampians was to check out the Aboriginal Cultural Centre (Brambuk), we thought this walk fitting.
- Hollow Mountain: 2.2km return
The first half of the Hollow Mountain walk is stock standard.
Stairs, a hill and a few rocks to scramble over. The second half is anything
but. It consists entirely of rock scrambling and it fantastic fun. Follow the
yellow arrows which are painted on the rocks, past the people practicing rock
climbing, to the stunning views from the top. A perfect place for a packed lunch
of, in our case, leftover homemade pizza. Ahhhh....
Day Two
- The Pinnacle: 8.4km return: 3 hours 30 minutes (including almost passing out a few times)
I’m sure that even if I was well The Pinnacle walk from Halls Gap
would have been challenging. There are a lot of stairs and a whole lot of uphill
walking and then some rock scrambling. When you have a stomach bug, this walk
seems never ending. When we set off from Halls Gap I was feeling average. As we
walked and the altitude increased and the sun’s intensity grew, so too did my
stomach gramps, nausea and light-headedness. Let’s just say that today we
practiced a walking pace that is probably similar to that which the lack of
oxygen on Everest will induce. We made it though. And as we scrambled up the rock path that is the last few hundred metres, the magnificent views silenced my stomach enough for some fun photos.
O’Briens Crossing– East
Walk – Cowan Track – O’Briens Road – Short Cut track – O’Briens Crossing
14.6km return: 3hrs 53min
Finding the path at Lerderderg is almost the most challenging part. For future reference, it’s on the other side of the river to the car park.
The walk was mostly flat, following the river, but there were plenty of bushes, fallen trees and water-logged areas to negotiate. And, as you can see from the photo, there's a whole lot of driftwood to wander across. It's quite an eerie feeling to be walking on such delicate wood which is precariously balanced on top of more delicate wood. It almost felt as though it was alive as the leaves and damp wood beneath the top layer moved to accomodate our footsteps.
And just when you think the 10km you’ve just walked has been a challenge, you come to 'the hill'.
The hill is steep. So steep that it takes you up 200m in altitude and makes simultaneously drinking, breathing and walking impossible. A taste of what walking at 5000m above sea level might be like when we make it to Nepal. The plan is to return to 'the hill' again before we go to see if we can't manage to stride up the mound with confidence. We'll have to see if time permits.
