After staying one night in Kuala Lumper, I got to the train station up the road at about 6.20 am, changing to the airport train at central. We were four women sitting together on this train. We shared travel stories, and it was quite a wonderful experience. We had never met each other, but all woman independently travelling the globe. Then we disbanded – one from England, one from France, one from America. I got to the airport and it was an easy check in for a 10 am flight.

This was a very difficult flight. It was with Air Asia. The flights are a great price, but there is not much leg room for tall folk. Met two Malaysians sitting next to me. One of them had never been on a plane before. They were flying to Sydney to study English for three years. I got to hold a baby down the back of the plane, which is always a bonus.

6 August, I arrived in Sydney, Australia, at 8 pm. Ah, it is so nice to be back down under. I enjoy hearing those random sayings and the way of speaking that is familiar to me. So from there I caught a train to the Blue Mountains. I just missed one train and I waited for another, had a meal at the Central station and re-grouped. On the next train, a couple happened to be sitting next to me. They were also going to Katoomba, which was my destination. It was dark and hard to see the stations. As I was just about dozing off, I asked them if they could let me know the stop. Then they kindly put me in their cab and took me to the Flying Fox House hostel. It was just up the road. Christian, who was working there, was very friendly. I had notified them that I would be coming in late.

A friend Emily, just happened to be there at the same time as I was, so we met up. I met a lot of people at the hostel as it was a very friendly place. They had shared meals every night, and I was invited to one. Obviously, I spent time in the Blue Mountains. I went to the touristic spots. Undercover as a tourist with some energy work in the area. One evening we went out to the lookout and lay on our backs underneath the stars.

Whilst I was there I also found out that Yosuke had been found and recovered off Mount St Helens. This would give his family in Japan some sort of closure, so my thoughts were with them too. So it there was emotions around this that.

Mountains, some are climbed, some are seen, some may keep you, all are to be respected. This trip had been about Mountains. I had planned to go to Mount Kailash. It was not meant to be. In hindsight, I would not have been well enough, so I was stopped. I saw the Himalayan Mountain range form a look out in Nepal in the early morning. I got to the fifth station at Mount Fuji and walked up to the sixth in Japan. And I went to the Blue Mountains in Australia to spend time among them.

I like to say, you don’t have to go up a mountain to know a mountain.

But it seems that some people are called to be on them, to walk them.

Rest in Peace, Yosuke Onishi.

12 August, departed Sydney 6.45 pm, arriving at 11.45 pm into Auckland, New Zealand.