Saying Goodbye to Sydney

A few things to wrap up my Sydney visit as I sit waiting for my ride to the airport....where once again my flight is delayed at least a couple of hours.

The other night I went to the Sydney Mardi Gras parade, along with 300,000 other people. In order to get a place in the front, it was recommended to be there by 5 PM,  the parade didn't start until 7:30. I went along the parade route looking for a good spot and noticed that people had brought stools and chairs for the wait and I wished I had one.

As I passed an alley I saw a little girl, dressed in her school outfit, with her parents standing behind her. She had a stack of milk crates in front of her, and was holding a sign that said $10, but was crossed out and marked down to $5! I bought one and thanked her for saving me from standing for hours. The places around me filled up pretty quickly. Om one side of me was a young guy from Brazil and the other side a couple from Great Britain. We all passed the time talking and eating the snacks all had thought to bring.

It was actually a pleasant time, the wait wasn't bad at all. As it became time for the festivities to begin, two young girls tried unsuccessfully to shove their way to the front. This made them unhappy and a bit petulant, to say the least. They then tried to make me feel bad that they "couldn't see".  A few examples:

You're tall, why do you need to be in front?
It isn't fair that we can't see.
Why do you need that stool? Give it to us.
Don't you know that it is rude to keep us from seeing the parade?

I patiently explained that I had arrived two hours early to get the spot, but they were stuck on how unfair it all was. Sadly, they were American girls from Brooklyn. They tried various variations on their theme, but none of us were willing to give up our hard-earned spots. Eventually they moved on, flirted with some boys and managed to get closer to the front. The parade was great, over 200 floats, 13,000 participants, seemingly from every walk of life. It lasted 4 hours! I think my favorite was either the Beekeepers with their giant bee, or the airline attendants with their airplane.

On a completely different subject, the shopping here is so much better. Though they have new malls it is the old and decadently fancy ones that I love. The Queen Victoria building and the Strand have to be seen to be believed! Don't buy anything though, the prices are awful!

It has been a really nice two weeks here. My hotel/apartment at the Fraser Suites was conveniently located near a train stop, had fantastic views and most importantly had super nice and professional staff. There were a couple of small hiccups that were appropriately addressed...they even sent me off to the airport in a private car for free!

See you soon! I'll be heading to Italy for another campervan trip during the month of June, this time with my sister Linda,  and maybe my sister Laura. First I've got to get a new passport, then off I'll go again. G'day mates!

Waiting for the parade

In the Queen Victoria building

The Strand

Outside the Queen Victoria building

Queen Victoria!

Sunset from my room

Freshest vending machine ever!

Blue Mountains Redux

The last time I went to the Blue Mountains it didn't turn out so well,  as I was suffering horribly with a case of Montezuma's revenge. This time all the internal processes were working appropriately and I had a much better time.

I took off early in the morning from Central Station for the nearly two hour train ride to Wentworth Falls. I arrived at the station with the hike directions I had printed out months earlier. They were useful for the first 10 minutes and then I might as well have thrown them out. Not far into the hike I hit a detour and from there on the directions didn't always make sense.

What I loved about this hike was that it followed a pretty stream downhill, being joined by other little streams and gradually heading down into the valley.  There were many small waterfalls and cascades and few other hikers to spoil the tranquility. I continued down into the valley  eventually arriving at the top of Wentworth Falls. Of course you can't actually see the falls from the top. From there the wicked and mis-named Giant Stairway begins.

When they say "giant stairway" I think they meant to say GIANT LADDER, as that is how steep it is going down the steps carved into the sandstone. I have pretty good knees, but soon they were complaining about the abuse. After several hundred giant steps down, clutching the available railing on one side and the wire rope on the other, I made it down to the Middle Pool of the falls. There was a fantastic view from there. Maybe even worth what followed...

I took some pics and then went to continue my trek down into the valley, where I planned on taking the "Scenic Railway" back to the top. I had zero intention of climbing UP those steps. Then my plans were dashed by a little sign that said "trail closed due to landslide". There was no other way out, I had to climb the Giant Stairway to continue my hike. Suffice to say that going up was much more difficult than going down. So much for well-laid plans.

After getting back to the top and having

a well-deserved break, I continued onto the Undercliff Track, which is exactly that...a trail that goes around the rim of the valley under a series of cliffs. I passed more streams and views of the valley  eventually stopping for lunch at a beautiful overlook, where I was joined by several lizards hoping for a handout. They seemed especially fond of the piece of a plum I threw to them  though they had a tussle over ownership of said plum.

I continued my hike up the side of the valley, passing some of my favorite "corn on the cob trees" and eventually made it back to the top and the final mile or so to the train station. The hike was just a bit over 10 miles, plenty of hike for me!