In The Blue Mountains

This article was written 17 years ago in 2006 when I was 21, so I ask you not to judge the writing too harshly! The text is as it was originally published.

The jump into the car yesterday morning had to be speedy. After waiting in the reception of Sydney Central YHA for two hours, James and Heather parked the car opposite, crammed the bags into the back and we set off on a scenic tour of Sydney Airport. Not that we were meant to be anywhere near Sydney Airport.

James' navigation skills still need some polishing, and after arriving at the International Terminal, we turned around and went in the right direction; towards the Blue Mountains. We inadvertently also ended up at the Sydney Olympic Park, and after a brief exploration, we got back into the two-door and travelled the last leg of the journey into the hills.

Two days ago I mentioned I was feeling ill, and yesterday was the peak of my discomfort. I was streaming, ears were blocked and eyes were watering. Thankfully I've been feeling better today, but it's still not totally gone. Thankfully in the evening yesterday I was feeling good enough to go on a brief walk to the end of our road to view the major local landmark, The Three Sisters. Blue Mountains sits on the edge of what the Australians call the Grand Canyon, and The Three Sisters are a rock formation on the edge. Admittedly not as big as the Grand Canyon, the views were still spectacular and a large number of photos were taken.

Once back at the hostel, we dropped in a wash, watched Neighbours (been there!) and cooked ourselves a chicken tikka masala, complete with a bottle of wine worth forty quid (Heather couldn't be bothered to carry it any more). After cards, we crashed.

This morning was an early start, and we went on another visit to the three sisters, this time going further and descending the 500 or steps into the canyon itself. After a two hour stroll we took the inclined railway (the steepest in the world) back to the top and made our way to the car for the afternoon's excursion.

Despite the sunshine, when you move into the shade it becomes ridiculously cold. We arrived at our destination (the Jenolan Caves) and after a quick scout about and inspection of the stalactites/mites, we decided it was too cold to stand around in the shadow of the hills and took refuge with hot chocolates in the tourist shop.

The drive home was three hours long, with an elongated break while we tried to sort out burning photos to CD (a digital nightmare). Once back in the Blue Mountains it was fish and chips and planning tomorrow...

This post was first published on Wed Jun 28 2006 originally on justbeyondthebridge.co.uk, my former personal blog

The author

My name is Andy Higgs and I am a founder, designer, occassional surfer and travel enthusiast based in the UK.

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