The Great Outback...

Was in Perth, Western Australia for an Adventure Course about 1 week ago. The trip itself was quite eventful with a handful of first times:

1) Frist time I venture on a trip alone without any family members in tow.
2) First time I left babies at home since they were born.
3) First time I went on an overseas adventure trip.
4) First time I had to cook for 27 people.
5) First time I had to wear 4 layers of clothings in summer.
6) First time I went into a REAL cave and spent almost 2 hours in there.
7) First time I had to walk down a path in total darkness.
8) First time I rock-climbed and abseil from a 46m high cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean.
9) First time I shared my ups and downs with strangers.
10) First time I kayak in the waters of the Indian Ocean.

The list is not exhaustive...

But one thing I am sure was that I totally enjoyed this course. Despite the fact that I was not "allowed" to use my mobile phone, there was much camaraderie amongst the participants. Initially, I was very uptight over the fact that I could not hold on to my phone because Kaden was not in the best of health. I wanted to be in the know in case any situation crops up. I am not sure how the management saw my appeal as. But like I had mentioned to them, I was doing what I did out of love for my family. I definitely do not want to be politically involved in the struggles or whatever you may call those.

We spent most of the time in the "jungles" and nature reserves over at Margaret River. What we saw were trees and plants and more of them as the days passes. We even had the chance to spend one night out pitching tents along a coastline and listen to the roaring waves lullabying us to sleep. Food was not a problem. we had fresh rations everyday. All the participants took turns to help cook or wash and it was like a big family event. So despite the fact that we were away from home, we could still savour authentic local chicken rice. Yummy!

Each of us went on the trip with differences. Some positive and some negative. But I guess each of us came back home being more appreciative of each other, our families and of course the local weather.