Afterthoughts on the hike up Blue Mountains today

There's just so much to learn about life from this trip, and this is just the beginning of everything. Oh, I'm so thankful for the incredible weather. It's been raining like shit for the past few days and today was just GOOD CLEAR SUNNY WEATHER. Here's 3 main points -

Acknowledging that every good thing must come to an end.
Made friends from different nationalities and I spent the day hanging around 2 girls from Mexico and Sweden, and 1 guy from UK. We shared salted peanuts along the hike, made sure nobody was left behind (4 of us are slower, because we are relatively n00bs) and held each others' hands when we crossed puddles of water which were above our ankles (at 4 degrees, no joke) and walking down slippery slopes. We bonded, we laughed, we dined together, and at the end of the day - we parted with a hug wishing each other well. There's no need to keep in touch, or to form attachment. It was good while it lasted and that's most important.

Laughing in the face of adversities
The sole of my shoe fell out and that was rather expected anyway, since it was really worn out and I brought the shoes here for one last trip because it was the same pair which I wore everyday when I was studying in Melbourne. It was just so funny as I saw the expressions of the other tripmates looking so shocked but it wasn't so bad..at the reef walk in Sentosa a similar thing happened to me and so I knew what was coming. Not that bad, and in fact it's even easier to hike and climb the hills. Eventually at the last stop, I bought a pair of flipflops (Pink, with Australian flag!) and pranced around in it. Met more interesting people who gave me admirable looks for being so brave to wear flipflops under this weather but of course, they don't know how it's like walking around in soaked broken shoes..

Go without expectations and you will be surprised
Initially I thought the hike was just like a guided walk along the town..or at worst it was like Bukit Timah Hill. Nothing prepared me for what's coming, avoiding stinging branches, climbing tall steps that reached my knees, muddy puddles which I sank my entire lower leg in, steps and more steps. I was rewarded with incredible views of the 3 sisters and the cliffs, and being good in Geography helped a little..being able to recognise the formations and all. Fresh air too, and the guide was really good because he's so funny and incredibly knowledgable about the plants and the history behind the Blue Mountains. Katoomba is a quaint little town which is cool and very romantic, I love it and I want to go back there someday.

To be honest..I'm not really the hiking/adventurous sort of person so this trip simply took me by surprise. At least next time, I'll know what it means when I book a trip that says 'youth' and 'adventure'. It means pack extra clothes and socks, and get a decent pair of shoes.

Tired, I'm going to bed soon. Tomorrow spending half a day at The Con with that teacher..I'm nervous and the rest of the trip (whether I'll extend or not) will depend on tomorrow's outcome. Let's hope things will be good.