Another sleepless night on the plane, but we made to Sydney nonetheless; two zombies managing still to get around. We arrived at 6AM (the time here is 16 hours ahead of Massachusetts), immediately we were hit by the balmy weather, in excess of 80 degrees and decided that it was going to be a good thing here.
We rented a little Toyota at the airport, since we had been planning to visit the Blue Mountains area, which is about 1 1/2 hours out of the city, and after dropping off the luggage at the airport we immediately set out for our day-trip. We have opted not to visit the city because we will be back here in about three weeks when we will be joined by Diane, but sadly not with Gianna, who will have supervisory duty with Charlie who today underwent another operation to fix the bad one done previously.
The drive took exactly 90 minutes, during which we enjoyed listeng to FBI Radio, a local station playing Indie music from local artists. Upon arriving at the National Park, a very kind Ranger outlined all the highlights and the hikes we should take in.
At exactly 9:30 AM we stopped for lunch in Glenbrook, one of the many lovely villages in the area, after which we took our first exhausting, sweaty hike to Wentworth Falls, the highest waterfall in New South Wales, which unfortunately was reduced to a trickle due to the months-long drought that has caused half of the expansive park to go up in flames. Nonetheless, the view from the falls was indeed spectacular.
Next we headed toward the Three Sisters, peaks sacred to Aborigine culture; see photo below.
In the town of Katoomba we found a little street that brimmed with street art on its decadent buildings. We were even lucky enough to see one of the artists at work.
The Govetts Leap lookout was possibly the most awe-inspiring highlight. Here Eric opted to go on a 1 hour hike, while I limited myself to a short stroll, during which, an artfully colored cockatoo or parrot kept flying along with me, ultimately perching himself on the limb of a tree, seemingly begging to have his picture taken, which I could not oblige to do.
At this point we took the upper park road, and here the extensive damage caused by the recent fires, some still smoldering, came into view. Thousands of acres burned to a crisp; mountain upon mountain, hill upon hill, hundreds of thousands dead trees. In spite of this calamity, the area still held a magical aura, and already, just days afterward, some smallish patches of green begin to appear.
Still, Australia has been scarred badly by this calamity, and what we witnessed today was just a drop in the bucket.
The Ranger had recommended we stop for a slice of Apple Pie in the town of Bilpin. No recommendation has ever been so greatly appreciated. The place was owned by a Sicilian who moved here twenty-three years ago and speaks with a perfect Aussie accent. His pie was the best we ever tasted.
By now we were beyond exhaustion and we have a 6 AM flight to Perth, across the continent, to catch. A quick bite at an Oporto fast food joint was followed by a rush-hour traffic drive back to the hotel, where we have never been so happy to see two beds.
I will post this in the morning since the wi-fi here won't let me upload my pictures. By then I may find something out about our kitty, and will keep you posted. Right now my bed awaits. Alarm is set for 4 AM. G'night mates.
Comments