Tasmanian backpacker Andrew Gaskell was rescued last week in a national park in Sarawak, Malaysia. His travel blog revealed that he had put himself in serious trouble two months ago without regard to security procedures.
On Tuesday, a ground search and rescue team in Sarawak's Gunung Mulu National Park finally found 25-year-old Gaskell, who was hanged to safety by helicopter.
Lying in a hospital bed, Gaskell told ABC that, apart from fatigue and hunger, he was not hurt, but was bitten by mosquitoes.
Last night, Gaskell posted an apology post on Facebook.
"Dear ones, I deeply apologise for the immutability and trouble that began with me." "I entered that road without permission," he wrote. "I should sign up for the Mount Mulu tour and find a guide to show me the way. If I follow the rules of the park correctly, I can completely avoid accidents. I will abide by the rules of the park in the future, and I hope that others will learn from my lessons and follow the rules of the park. "
Gaskell thanked the local police, park staff, the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Malaysian people and his "friends and relatives in his hometown."
"I deeply apologize for all the trouble I have caused. I need to cultivate myself now. "
His blog revealed that this was not the first time he had taken a wild adventure without being prepared for local advice.
Two months ago, in Bako National Park, 550km from where he was rescued, Gaskell used closed roads in disregard of the signs and, in his own words, the physical damage was "incalculable".
On Aug. 18, he wrote down what happened after Bako entered the closed road despite signs.
"I chose not to register as a walker because the road did not seem to be allowed to go. "he wrote on his blog," Why would someone close so many roads to the National Park during this peak walking season? "
Gaskell decided to move on regardless of the logo, and then saw another sign for the walker.
"my journey must continue. Not far away, I found another sign standing on the road, very inconvenient to walk, I had to squeeze through. "
Then he ran out of water.
"the road is getting harder and harder to walk. The temperature has affected me, I have never been so tired. "he wrote," I started fighting in my head. Go back, or move on. No one knows I'm here, and there's no signal on my phone. But I only come to this place once, and all I have to do is finish this road. At last I convinced myself that these short-range roads were for the delicate tourists and the weak old women, and they were nothing to us Tasmanian explorers. "
After another day, Gaskell had enough.
"I was hot and tired, thirsty and hungry. His temper grew agitated, too. I want to go home。 I gave up. "
When he arrived safely, he recorded his injuries: "the arms, hands and legs were scratched, the right thighs were bruised, and the ankles were swollen. The psychological damage is immeasurable. On the bright side, I didn't fall into a cave. "
Before going to Asia, Gaskell8 said: "maybe, after this trip, I can figure out who I am and what I want to do."
After being rescued, his mother said she hoped he would consider traveling with the group next time.
