Mount Buller: Lesson Learned!

Ever since my best friend Niar told me that there is a snow mountain in Melbourne, I was really curious. I did some research and found out that the snow in Australia is not as cold as the snow in Europe during winter. This made me even more curious.

The fear of cold

So, I actually have a fear of cold weather. Hehehe…

You see when I was little, it became a belief. Everyone always said that my asthma would act up if I got too cold. It made me reluctant to take morning showers, especially with cold water, because I was afraid of getting too cold. I became scared of going to places with cold weather. Because it always turned out to be true, every time I got cold, my asthma would act up.

Until one day, it wasn’t true. Hahaha…

Allergies are mysterious symptoms, well, at least in my case. I don’t know about others. But for me, it’s a mystery. Because when I was little, I rarely had itching or eczema. That was my younger brother’s problem – he had skin issues and would get swollen if he ate shrimp. But I always had difficulty breathing. Sitting on a carpet, breathless. Getting cold, breathless. Having the flu, breathless. Feeling tired, breathless. Every time before an exam, breathless. When facing a serious problem, breathless. Running, breathless.

So, I was always equipped with a bunch of medications in a Tupperware, complete with three inhalers. One to use every morning, one before bed, and one to treat a sudden asthma attack

Isn’t that pitiful?

Why was it so intense? Because my mom knew that asthma could be life-threatening. Plus, I would often faint. If my asthma worsened and became severe, I would faint anywhere, anytime. It was troublesome, really! That’s why my mom always tried to be close to my friends, teachers, and everyone around me so that they could take care of me and inform my mom if she was not around.

If we ask a doctor, they always said that I shouldn’t keep a cat. When I arrived home, my mom said, “If I forbid you from having a cat, you will be sad, and your asthma will worsen. It seems like cats are not the trigger. As long as you promise to take good care of them so that the cat doesn’t get dirty and doesn’t bring diseases from outside…” That’s what I held onto tightly, and I always made an effort to take all preventive measures, such as getting TORCH tests done during pregnancy.

I would do anything so that people don’t have a reason to drive them away from me.

Well, before I learned about trauma and the brain, I actually never knew what triggered my asthma. Especially since I got bitten by a stone fish on Ora Island, I developed eczema, and until now, it often flares up, a double dare: Asthma and eczema.

Now I know that there are many things that trigger my asthma, and psychological factors play the biggest role. The rest is related to the immune system, and taking care of the immune system is closely related to living according to the circadian clock. Eating what the body needs, staying active, getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, and providing the right “food” for the brain to stay healthy.

Finally, I realized that it has nothing to do with the cold (realized it at the age of 37, hahaha).

So, I became brave enough to try many things that used to frighten me; taking cold showers, early morning showers, swimming in super cold water, and eventually challenging myself to conquer this fear of the cold by traveling to Mount Buller, Australia.

Preparing to face myself

Every time I travel abroad, I always choose a season that I believe I can handle. Mostly early autumn because the weather is really nice, around 23-26 degrees Celsius, comfortable. Not too hot, but not too cold. One jacket is enough, and walking feels comfortable because my cheeks don’t sting from the cold.

This time, we visited Melbourne for the third time. So far, it has always been in autumn, but this time we decided to experience winter. I was kind of worried, of course. I read and watched everything I could learn about winter in Melbourne and especially Mount Buller. Finally, I chose three main goals that made me confident I wouldn’t back down:

1. Wanna go dog sledding

2. Wanna see Ara wearing Elsa’s outfit under the snow (that’s her wish, haha)

3. Wanna see Abib skiing (that’s his wish too)

I discussed it with Poe, chose accommodation, and booked it. When we arrived in Melbourne, every day I whispered to Poe, “I’m so nervous about going to Buller.” Every day. Poe just smiled and hugged me. Meanwhile, he kept busy “securing” everything with snow gear, starting from Merino wool long johns with the right thickness to face Mt. Buller, jackets and snow pants, beanies, gloves, and boots.

For the kids, we bought from Ausky and MacPac, but I only bought long johns, a beanie, a jacket, and gloves. Poe only bought gloves and long johns. We rented our skiing gear at the Ski Hire in the Arlberg Hotel, so don’t worry; there are plenty of rental options available. But remember, you must buy the gloves and long johns because they don’t offer rentals for those items.

I tried to “secure” my own mindset, breathing in, breathing out, and surrendering myself. But of course, I also equipped myself with healthy food and drinks to take care of my immune system. I tried to believe that I could do it!

Meet Allan from Snow Gum Express

Oh, by the way, as additional information in case you want to go to Buller. We planned to take a bus from the city to Buller. But when we did some research, we found out that for the bus, we had to be at the pool by 5:30 am, and then we would get off at Mansfield. From there, we would continue with the Mount Buller bus to reach our accommodation. Poe and I were a bit nervous because we had the kids, one big suitcase, and no experience with this.

So, we tried to find options for private transfers from the city to Mount Buller. We stayed at the Arlberg Apartments, at the top of the mountain. Thankfully, they were very cooperative and helpful. Every time we had questions or needed assistance, we contacted them through the chat on booking.com (oh, how I love this app so much), and they always responded and provided solutions.

They even gave us three recommendations for private transfer services. We tried contacting all three, as usual with our last-minute style. Only one vendor responded and, Alhamdulillah agreed to provide the service right away and even offered a discount. Considering that there were many tourists at Mount Buller, and they were busy shuttling between the city and Mount Buller every day, we felt really lucky.

Its name is Snow Gum Express. This small business is managed by Allan, who also drives and handles administrative tasks. He is assisted by two other freelance drivers and also Sebastian, his son who just turned 25 on July 15th. After contacting Allan a few times and agreeing on the pickup time and round-trip private transfer, we paid with a credit card, and we were good to go. It was a blessing.

The journey with Allan to the destination was a delightful experience! Allan is actually quite old to drive every day. I admire his strength because the journey of over 3 hours from Melbourne City to Mount Buller is quite challenging. We were picked up at 10 am in a HiAce, and throughout the journey, Allan shared many stories.

From the city’s history, the history of Melbourne, and James Cook to the exciting stories of his own life. I knew he often gets tired, but I was happy because we took the country roads and made frequent stops to visit bakeries, buy coffee, use the restroom, and stretch our legs. We passed through many districts, and Allan explained everything in great detail. It was so enjoyable to see the farms, plantations, and houses in the village. It was a treat for my eyes.

Unfortunately, Sebastian drove us back, and he wasn’t as talkative as his father. But it’s all right because by the time we headed back, we were super tired, and the kids slept a lot during the journey. It was a pleasant trip with Snow Gum, highly recommended.

Conquering fear

Stepping on the snow for the first time left me amazed. The lyrics of Ed Sheeran’s song from his latest album, “The Hills of Aberfeldy,” immediately came to mind. Yes, it was very cold for me, even though I was wearing multiple layers of clothing and a jacket. But the kids looked comfortable and were so happy, rolling in the snow and engaging in snowball fights.

Seeing that, the cold didn’t feel as biting anymore. Why do I feel comfortable in my heart? Why am I so happy?

We stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights, and Allah was so good to us because we were continuously blessed with unexpected surprises. Like the Dog Sled, for example. Since the beginning, Allan mentioned that it seemed like the dog sled rides were fully booked until next month. But, he said, we could still visit the place and play with the dogs.

So, we went there and played with those 40 energetic Siberian huskies. I didn’t have high hopes anymore since the sled drivers had also said they were fully booked. Well, just seeing the snow dogs was already delightful. Suddenly, while we were having fun playing, one of the staff called me and said that they had guests who arrived at the wrong time. Their scheduled dog sled ride was supposed to be tomorrow, but they came today. So, there was an empty slot available for tomorrow. We could use it. I cheered with joy, feeling incredibly happy! Wow, truly lucky!

When I finally got on the sled and even tried being a sled driver, I felt like my head was going to explode from pure joy. All this time, I had only watched it in movies and documentaries, often feeling amazed at how happy the dogs looked as they pulled the sleds. This time, I truly felt it. The cold didn’t bother me anymore because it seemed like all the enjoyable experiences in Mount Buller had warmed my heart.

“Wow, Nyanyak you did it! This is the last day in the snow and no problems at all! Impressive!” said Poe, hugging me. Yes, I managed to conquer the fear that I had believed in for decades. I was healthy, not asthmatic, not in a panic, and not frozen. Yes, I didn’t play in the snow as much as the kids did because I am aware of my capacity. I know, I get colder more easily compared to them or other people. I know I shouldn’t get wet to avoid getting cold. But I enjoy it! I try everything, from skiing, and taking the cable car, to sliding on the snow and making a snowman. Then, I eat A LOT, hahaha..

Mount Buller is friendly and “warm”

The air may be below zero degrees Celsius, but it feels comfortable there. Besides all the delicious food and many exciting games, the people there are friendly and enjoyable. Suddenly, we become acquainted with many people. Including one of them, Mark, who is originally from Dunedin, New Zealand, and works part-time during the ski season at Ski Hire Arlberg. Mark, spent 3 months in Lombok and fell in love with Indonesia.

Suddenly, we play with others, greet each other when we meet on the cable car, laugh together when trying to ski, and fall. Ara, who was left alone when the three of us were trying to ski (well, I mean Poe and I, because Abib was skiing like an expert and was invited to the expert location by Mark), suddenly got invited by some older kids to learn how to ski. They taught her, held her, and helped her slide.

We got to know each other and played together. Yes, maybe because it’s cold and there are potential risks, makes everyone looks out for each other. It feels like a society that I have imagined all this time, where we care for and protect each other, without looking at who they are, what they look like, or where they come from. It’s very warm.

Fake Snow

I also learned that some of the snow comes from snowmaking machines. It’s not natural snow. The locals who live there tell stories that in the past, snow in Mount Buller used to heavily fall, even reaching the lower regions that now no longer have snow. But now, the amount of snowfall has decreased.

So, the snow in Mount Buller actually comes from the Antarctic, which is relatively close. There are several mountains in Victoria that receive snowfall every winter. However, now it’s becoming scarce, and according to the locals there, it doesn’t feel as cold as before. I realized that we, living in the tropical air and under the blazing sun, are getting hotter day by day, but we are accustomed to the heat. It must be a significant difference for them, from being cold to not feeling as cold anymore.

It’s really sad. I started enjoying sitting by the window at night, listening to the howling wind that sounds like the Yeti in Tintin’s storybook. It’s like the enchanting song of the Athaholan in Frozen 2. Then I think about how I never really thought about snow before. Yes, I often read and watch things about polar bears, but I didn’t feel a strong connection because I have never experienced it.

It becomes even more heartbreaking and suffocating, after realizing that snow is just as beautiful as the beaches in Indonesia. Everyone has felt that the environment is changing. It’s not just the people in Indonesia who are tired of facing floods, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts all at once. The world’s treasures are not only tropical forests, rainforests, oceans, beaches, and volcanoes, but also snow.

The existence of everything keeps this planet balanced, fulfilling its role as intended.

So, besides learning to be brave and face my own fears, I also learn that taking care of the Earth and its balance means taking care of all its treasures. Something that is given for free by God but is being fought over and destroyed for unknown reasons.

*sigh

Hopefully, we can all mature and stop behaving like toddlers fighting over toys. Because it turns out that the entire Earth is filled with beauty that God has prepared for all of us, each creature, no one left behind. Just have what is meant for us, and take good care of it, because this is all we have.

We don’t have any other options, you know. Where else can we live?

Thank you so much, Mount Buller, for the lessons, friends, hospitality, warmth behind the cold wind, and beautiful memories. Now I am more confident that I am human, capable of living anywhere and adapting well. But I will remain determined to resist adapting to the climate crisis; I choose to take mitigation actions.

Because I want my children and their children to enjoy all the beauty on this Earth in the future. I promise I will strive even harder. For them.