Memoirs of a Teh Tarik Drinker

This would probably be the highlight of my trip to Australia, seeing that I purposely chose to brave the chilly conditions of Australia at this time of the year just for this purpose.

As many would probably know, it is rare for places in Australia to have snow due to the dry conditions of the country but there are several mountainous areas surrounding the town of Canberra that houses some of the most beautiful snowy resorts and destinations in the country.

[Uncle and Aunt navigating the GPS]

Equipped with a really high tech Pajero, we set our course to Perisher Mountains which is approximately 3 hours drive from Canberra town towards the Jindabyne town. To most people this may sound like a boring, long drive which some may find excruciating but personally, I didn't even feel the time spent on the journey when you are welcomed by this sights along the drive.

[Postcard perfect view!]

[Amazing sky view upon our arrival!]

They say that fun will always be appreciated better when shared so my aunt managed to conjure up some people who was nuts enough to join us to brave the cold for some white snow fun! I had the great opportunity to meet up with some fun loving Sabahan students in Canberra who quite honestly made my already fun day at the snow better.

[Now thats a snow pose!]

First up we have Sdr. Wendell who not only provided the never ending jokes throughout the trip but also provided some photography assistance (or in my case near absolute reliance) of pictures from our trip! Since I do not have my usual photographer in my side for this trip, Wendell's presence was crucial for the sake of this post. Do check out his site for this work guys!

[One thorn, Two roses]

Next up we have Carriena, resident chef student in Australia and Kelly, environmental law student who literally was game to anything when it comes to snow. Sometimes its amazing how much you click with people when travelling, especially when these people are one of the most fun people I've ever met before!

Of course, I still do wish in these circumstances that my TeamTehTarik would be able to join me for this trip. Next time maybe...

At the location, or even in Jindabyne, you can rent yourself boots, jackets and even snow sledges for your trip. Obviously not everyone would actually have these equipment at their disposal so having shops that allows you to rent these stuff at a relatively cheap price is really handy.

Once there, its really up to you what you want to do as almost every snow activities are available. NicoleKiss highlighted her efforts of snowboarding while she is up here. We however went to a more "amateur" approach of sliding our way dumb across the snow.

[Snow Sledges! - now in florescent colours!]

[Its...So...SCARY!]

[TehTarikDrinker - Blazing the snow one mountain at a time!]

[YAY!]

[DOUBLE YAY!]

[Photographer in action!]

[Climbing up a slippery snow hill would possibly be the hardest task here]

One thing that one must remember is to be slightly careful when having fun here for accidents may happen. I managed to twist my ankle while sledging and as for the girls, a certain "four person sledge" crash told a more subtle tale of their injuries. All in good fun.

Of course there are places to eat at the resort but be aware of the ridiculously over inflated price of the food there. For me, I thought it would be more fun to have a pre packed picnic from home while chilling on the snow!

[Home made yum!]

[Best way of relaxing is to make a snow sofa of yourself!]

[not a good time to look for your car keys...]

All in all I honestly believe I've accomplished my intention of coming to the Australian snow fields. Regardless of your capability in skiing or snowboarding (I'm man enough to admit I have none!), I honestly believe that this is truly a place to go for anyone travelling to Australia. If there is ever any chance I would most definitely do it again real soon!