Aside from seeing the New Year in at Sydney Harbour I only really had one other touristy desire whilst I was in the Sydney area. That one thing was to visit The Blue Mountains.
In typical fashion though, it turned out to be a bit of a last minute rush … I delayed it right until the week before I was due to commence my Surfari heading North! Nevertheless, once I’d found an ideal (and cheap!) trip I relaxed. All I had to do was turn up now.
24 hours before I was due to leave, the offer came up to head into Sydney for an outing with a few of the Manly boys. I hadn’t been over the water for a while and I had a hankering to see the city again … I figured it would be my last time for a good few months. It was early afternoon and raining when we arrived, so we figured “let’s go to the pub”. Being poor though, we ended up heading to Kings Cross for cheap backpacker beers. Worst idea ever. All I’m gonna say here (the rest is unmentionable) is that we completely missed the last ferry home. Having lost the others at some point in the early hours (they were both fine, they found each other at Circular Quay!) I wound up paying $50 to a mercenary taxi driver to get home on my own. $50 dollars I could ill afford, but at this point, as I slowly sobered up I realised I had to be back in time. I crawled into my hostel bed around 6AM. I had to be up by 7AM for my trip …
Somehow, I don’t know how, I made it to the pickup point in time. I was still drunk and slept the entire bus journey. The whole day is something of a blur if I’m honest … a bit like the weather we encountered.
The first lookout was a whiteout. I really hoped things would improve … I really wanted to see the picture postcard Three Sisters. Fortunately for me, although not stunning weather, it improved and the rest of the day was a thoroughly pleasant experience.
I enjoyed The Blue Mountains. I think if I could do it again, I’d stay there a couple of days and do some proper hiking. The tour only scratched the surface of the opportunities there.
I’d also visit with a clear head …
