Blue Mountains

These are the word Charles Darwin used to describe the Blue Mountains when he saw them for the first time. An accurate description, don't you think?

After leaving Sydney, we got back on the train and took it two hours west toward the Blue Mountains. Now, "mountains" has a very different meaning here than it does in the States, and these mountains were more like big hills. But they were blue, and they were very beautiful.

The three points are called the Three Sisters.

A group of us rode the "scenic railway" down to the bottom of one of the mountains. The area used to be a coal mine, and the railway was used to transport coal. Now, it is like a theme of the mountains and the surrounding city, Katoomba. The little train here is mostly just a means of getting to the bottom, not a ride. But it was nearly a 45 degree angle, and "Indiana jones" theme music played, so it had a roller coaster feel.

At the bottom, we were surrounded by sub-tropical rainforest and the remains of the old coal mine. This is Katoomba falls.

As a part of our scenic railway ticket, we got to take the skyway back. It was like a giant ski lift for 40 or so people.

Unfortunately, this picture wasnt taken the day we actually rode the skyway. The day we rode it there was fog that reduced visibility to less than 100 meters. But, floating through the fog and clouds was exciting.

The next day, the fog turned to a cold rain. The temperature didn't get above 50 F and the fog was so thick we couldnt see trees that were 15 feet outside our window. So, we spent the entire day lounging around the hostel watching Disney movies and working on homework. It was actually really nice to have a day to relax after running from place to place during the last week in Sydney. We played this game called "signs," one of the many "camp" games we've taught eachother throughout the trip. It was such a blast.

The lounge area near our rooms was the location for a breast cancer awareness jewelry party. So, each time we went between our room and any other area, we had to pass through trays of finger foods, cakes, and champagne. This was rough, considering most of us had no money, and only brought ramen noodles or peanut butter sandwiches for the stay in Katoomba. As the event was wrapping up, the cleaning staff, a few women, came and offered us all the leftover food. You should have seen us! I've never seen college students put away so much cake in champagne in my life! The staff had clearly drank half the remaining champagne already, which made the whole thing that much more interesting. One of the women said, "How often do you stay somewhere and party with the staff like this?" But thats an Australian for you.