Training: Mt Warning N.S.W

Today we rose early (1:45am) and were on the road from Pottsville to Mt Warning by 2am. Dressed in our zip-off pants, hiking boots and with our camel packs in our bags and torches in our hands we were ready for the newest training stint in preparation for Everest Base Camp.

Mt Warning is located in North-Eastern New South Wales and is an iconic local landmark of the Tweed Valley.

It was 3am when we started the summit trek and it was dark. Really dark. Despite having done the trek previously, the thought of all of the critters that may be lurking under foot kept me clinging to Chris for the first half hour of our hike. My paranoia was not unjustified as we came across a lizard who had a leaf for a tail, a cane toad (Chris' first encounter with such a delightful creature), a black snake and a big colourful python on our journey.

We made it to the summit in 1hr 45min. A pretty good effort we thought, considering that scrambling up rocks that are so steep you need to pull yourself up on a chain, with a torch in one hand, all the while watching for snakies is quite difficult in the dark.

When we reached the top it looked like we might have the place to ourselves. This ideal was quickly squashed when a stream of ten or so people streamed up as we awaited the sunrise.

Despite the disturbance of the intruders' elephant-like stampede shaking the platform and disturbing the camera and tripod, Chris captured some beautiful moments.

We made it to the bottom in record speed, being spurred on by my bulging bladder. The joys of easily accessible water thanks to a camel pack.

 

Storage Gets Silly

When searching for somewhere to store all of your worldly possessions for six months there is much to consider. For instance, do you go for the well-known, tidy, expensive storage facilities with 24-hour access? Or, do you choose the run-down, dirty, isolated shed run by Ross...who's long leather jacket and vintage American muscle car, squeezed between towers of rusty shipping containers, make you sure he's part of the Melbourne mafia?

 

I think the answer is obvious...surely your possessions could not be safer than with your very own mafia member as their custodian. Ross it is.

 

All that remains now is what we'll carry with us across the Indian Subcontinent...

 

 

 

 

 

Vaccinations

Malaria zones in India

Rabies, Japanese Encephalitis, Polio, Malaria, Dengue Fever, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Tetanus and Measles are just some of the illnesses that the Indian sub-continent boasts. Crocodiles, spiders, leopards and snakes, including the infamous King Cobra and Viper, are just some of the deadly animals that inhabit the area. Will someone remind me why we’re going again?

After a pretty average day we were on the way to our appointment  with a doctor who specialises in travel vaccinations when my shoe broke. So after walking the rest of the way barefoot (quite fitting considering the name of this blog) and copping a few strange looks we entered the most unorganised doctor’s surgery we had ever seen ready to be vaccinated against whatever we could.

It was a love-hate relationship that developed between us and our doctor. While he somehow managed to lose a syringe as we sat there, and while he had a mini oven in the corner of the room, bandaids on the floor and the rest of his belongings strewn, with all of his doctor things, in a haphazard manner across the room, he recognised that I love a bargain. And so our relationship flourished. The rabies vaccine is usually 1mL administered intramuscularly at $115 a pop, three times over three weeks. However, if you have a with-it doctor, you can split the 1mL vaccine between two people and have it administered intradermally (between the layers of the skin), which requires only half the standard dose, and hence splits the $115 cost each time. Every dollar counts! And I can now pat all the rabies-infected monkeys and dogs that I like. Well...maybe.

The doctor was even kind enough to use a more gentlre botox needle for me as he knew I wasn’t a fan of needles, and tried his hardest to ‘confuse the nerves in our spinal cords’ and hence decreasing the pain by scratching the skin prior to injection. What a guy!

Hepatitis A and B as well as tetanus are extremely important vaccines to have and both Chris and I were up to date with these thanks to previous pre-travel jabs and we are both covered for measles thanks to childhood vaccinations. Chris needed typhoid, we both got our rabies shots and at the moment we’re tossing up whether we can protect ourselves from Japanese Encephalitis with deet-based repellent or whether getting the $180 vaccine is a better idea. As for the rest of the illnesses...there hasn't been a case of polio in some time and the risk of dengue fever can be limited by preventing mosquitto bites.

As for malaria, we’ll get one box of Mefloquine (the weekly tablet to prevent it) between us and buy the rest in Sri Lanka where it’s cheaper. We also grabbed some Diamox which is said to prevent altitude sickness and if necessary we'll buy more of that over there too. 

Visas

Sri Lanka:
1 month, single entry, tourist visa: $20 USD
Never has a visa application been simpler or quicker. It all happens online and within 
five minutes we had received email confirmation of an approved visa. Simply print the receipt and present it on arrival. Easy.

India:
6 months, single entry, tourist visa: $95 AUD

The Indian government wants to know everything. From the town where your parents were born, to whether your grandparents were Pakistani nationals and what visible markings you have. Fill in the application form online, print it, stick a passport photo on it, take the form and your passport to the visa services centre in the CBD and pick it up five business days later. 

Note: India being India, your application requires a passport 
sized photo that is unlike many others: 5cm x 5cm

Nepal:
1 month, single entry, tourist visa: $40 USD
Our plan is to get a visa on arrival in Nepal. As they are valid from date of issue, our visit to Nepal is too far in advance for us to apply while in Australia. We have however downloaded and filled in the visa application form and we plan to have our $40 ready and waiting as to speed up the process when we arrive in Kathmandu.

First Aid Kit

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

Training: The Grampians National Park, VIC

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.

Training: Lerderderg State Park, VIC

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.

Training: Werribee Gorge State Park, VIC

Circuit Track: 10km return: 2hrs 35 mins

This was our first real hike in training for Adam’s Peak in Sri  Lanka and Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The Werribee Gorge Circuit Track was
relatively easy. There weren’t too many hills as the walk mostly followed the river through the gorge. It was very beautiful though. And there were some fun 
parts where you hold a rope and lean out over the river. 

Let the Planning Begin...

Planning a trip can be half the fun. Excitement builds as you scour guidebooks, read blogs, highlight maps, interogate fellow travellers and, in my case, read the diary entries of a relative who lived and travelled the subcontinent more than thirty years ago. 

With any luck, this research will result in a well thought out itinerary. More likely, it will result in confusion, angst and a re-thinking of what one is capable 
of.

I began my planning knowing nothing more than the fact that I wanted to dunk myself in The Ganges. So, when Lonely Planet suggested that this may not be the best idea I've ever had, the plan began to swerve in another direction. And it continued to swerve and veer and jump and change until  it landed where it is today....spend one month in Sri Lanka, buy a motorbike in  India and ride around for three months, volunteer somewhere for a couple of  weeks, then trek to Everest Base Camp. Seems simple enough. Until you read a  blog which suggests riding a motorbike in India is a silly idea, have a friend  tell you its the best idea you've ever had, have a relative tell you it's your  only option and have a documentary tell you that you may well die. 

Perhaps  travel really was simpler when you had to make it up as you went. When, as the  diary I'm reading suggests, sometimes you were the first to be doing what you  were doing and hence, there was no 'warning on the label.' Does this 
mean I'll  cease my research? Doubt it. It's way too much fun.