Last winter we decided to visit my sister in Melbourne, and planned a skiing trip to Mt. Buller. It was the first time for me to go on a ski trip, though I've seen snow before, I never knew how to ski (lived almost all my life in Southeast Asia, that's why)
There were four of us and the trip to Mt. Buller took quite a bit of time, almost half a day from the CBD (if I remembered it correctly..) The road was long and winding, and I fell asleep countless of times ^_^.. When we arrived at the lodge near the mountain (still took us another 1/2 an hour to go up there..), we settled our belongings and headed out again, but since it was already late in the afternoon, we decided to look around & play with the toboggan (sled) only & come back for a quick lesson in the morning.. it was quite fun, and we had a bonus of a gently falling snow in the evening!!
We came back the second day for a short lesson with the ski gear on. Wowie, I didn't think it's going to be this difficult! my legs felt like they were attached to iron pieces, stiff and felt really weird! I found it difficult to maneuver my movements, to coordinate the skis and my body.. and to remember to bend slightly otherwise I'd fall backwards..
After a gruesome 45 minutes that felt like hours, we were finally released to try out our 'skill' on a beginner's slope.. it was fun though nerve-racking at first. Felt like I was gonna go smack-bang and hit other beginners.. But after a few tries, we got more daring and went on a little further. the feeling of going down the slope was simply exhilarating! It reminds me of riding jet coasters (without the upside downs & loops), and I love riding jet coasters!! If I could choose any holiday destination, it'll have to be theme park with plenty of roller coasters...
By midday it got a little misty at the higher slope, where my sister & I tried our luck (it felt like pure foolishness when, as we got dropped off the top by the ski lift, we looked down and gulped.. but there was no choice but to ski the slope down.. and boy, it was the best feeling as the wind gushed about us all the way down.. *thankfully, no accident whatsoever!*
As the day drew to an end, we packed our stuffs, returned the equipments, and felt the aches after the whole day of skiing. (we were all amateurs....) Oh well, at least the shabu-shabu dinner back at the lodge appeased our tastebuds & relieve the coldness of winter weather in Mt. Buller.. yum!
