M-whY

I woke up and looked outside, seeing clear blue skies for the first time since I've been in Australia. I packed my things (double checking to make sure I wasn't leaving anything behind), checked out, and walked to the train station.

"One way ticket to Katoomba please."

"That'll be $11.40." Awesome. Booking a tour would've cost $60-70 AUS, and that didn't even include activities.

It was a two hour train ride to Katoomba, the best place to base yourself for trips to the Blue Mountains. Upon arriving, I located Katoomba Mountain Lodge, who had the cheapest dorm beds in town. I was pleasantly surprised at the establishment's decor. The lounge areas were well furnished, the kitchen clean, the dorm beds comfortable, and there was free internet! Definately better than the last place I stayed!

There was only one other person there when I entered my dorm. Like myself, he had just arrived.

"So do you know what you're doing today?" I asked.

"Nope," he smiled. "I just got here too."

"You think all the sights are walkable?"

He checked his map. "Probably. They don't look too far."

"Wanna give it a go?"

"Sure. Let me make some sandwiches first."

Michael was from the UK and had spent the last seven months doing volunteer work here in Australia. He was nearing the end of his trip, and was taking some time to see the sights. We walked through Katoomba, about 2 kms down the road, to Echo Point. From here, we took pictures of the Three Sisters. According to Australian aboriginal legend, three beautiful sisters, Meenhi, Weemala, and Gunnedoo fell madly in love with three brothers from a different tribe. However, ancestral law forbade them from marrying outside their own tribe. The brothers would not be denied so easily and tried to take them by force. A bloody war broke out. To keep his daughters safe, their father, who happened to be a witch doctor, turned the girls into stone with the intention of restoring them once the danger was over. Unfortunately he was killed in battle, and no one knew the spell to change them back.

Of course, I knew the spell to release the sisters. But Australia's department of tourism weren't too happy with the results, and made me fossilize them again.

From Echo Point, we walked along Prince Henry Cliff Walk. There were numerous lookouts, each of them with a view of Mt Solitary at a different angle. We stopped for lunch before descending to the Federal Pass on the Scenic Railway, world's steepest train ride. The ride lasted a mere 30 seconds.

"That was hardly worth $7," remarked Michael.

I guess if you're the world's tallest, biggest, steepest, or [insert adjective]-est, you can charge whatever you like.

The Federal Pass was not as scenic as I hoped. There were few openings in the trees to look out of, and the canopy of leaves made it difficult to look up the skirts of the Three Sisters. We descended quickly into the valley, making good time. Along the way, Michael explained the rules and strategies of rugby to me, and I tried explaining the rules of American football.

I've always wondered, if we took NFL players and taught them the rules of rugby, would the US then sport the world's greatest rugby team? Imagine having Ray Lewis and Jeavon Kearse as forwards, and Randy Moss out on the wings. I think we'd be pretty good.

Within an hour, we had covered 75% of the track. "This shouldn't take 2.5 hours," said Michael. "The estimated track times are over exaggerated."

But what goes down, must come up. The going got a lot tougher as we started climbing endless steps back to the cliff. We paused numerous times to catch our breath. "We probably should've walked down the steps and taken the Scenic Railway up," I panted during one of our rest breaks.

We finally reached the top. I checked my watch. Yep, the entire trek had taken exactly 2.5 hours.

We continued onto the town of Leura, stopping to check out the Bridal Veil Falls on the way. Every once in a while, we'd catch a glimpse of a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the trees, or see the flutter of red and blue as a Crimson Rosella flew by. At Leura, we had dinner at a fish and chips shop, before setting off on the 2km walk back to Katoomba. The sun had already set by the time we got back to our rooms.

I sprawled out on my bed, weary from the day's grueling climb. As I looked over my pictures from the day, I had one final thought before falling asleep.

I really need a haircut.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!