Way Too Long

Just got back from another exhausting, eventful and overall fantastic weekend. We went to the Blue Mountains this weekend-a small mountain range about two hours away from Sydney by train. While we expected some ridiculous views and intense hiking we didn't quite know what we we're getting into with the town we were staying in.

Katoomba is the main town in the tourist attraction that is the Blue Mountains, so we found a cheap hostel there because it's centrally located. But by the end of the night one of our group members described it as "small town Australia on acid." I wouldn't go that far but because this weekend was there winter solstice they had a huge magic festival-go figure. Within fifteen minutes of getting into town we were watching an extremely long magic parade with a few thousand people in costumes walking by. Some were celebrating the magical theme with witches and wizard costumes, but others were dressed as snowmen, caterpillars or even dragons. There were also a large contigent of people supporting causes-including the Green Party-which is still the third party here but has a lot more support (between 15 and 20% in the polls). The magic crowd stayed in town till late at night taking in the liveshows and fireworks which we appreciated.

The actual hiking and scenery was amazing. We probably hiked/walked a good 25-30 km this weekend and went up or down it least 2500 stairs on the paths. On Saturday we walked on the only path/trail I've ever seen that has said for strong walkers only. The path took us down 900 stairs at some ridiculous angles that left all of our legs in atrophy and quivering by the time we reached the bottom. Fortunately the way up only included 780 stairs. My entire body is sore as I type this.

It was all worth it though. Katoomba is known for these three large rocks known as the Three Sisters that are sacred to the Aboriginal people. What was even cooler was the wide array of waterfalls and the fact that the entire valley was a temperate rainforest. I had never seen one before and it was fascinating. While there weren't a ton of animals, the vegetation was extremely thick away from the paths and being down in the valley was really eerie. I forgot to charge my camera before I left so I couldn't take as many photos as I would have liked and they certainly don't do justice to what I saw this weekend. I would say this was definitely the most beautiful place we've been which is saying something (the beaches may look better in photographs but this was just awe inspiring). A link to the photos is below.

Blue Mountains

I know I'm getting behind and I have so many stories I want to tell and photos and even some videos I want to post. Last week I was sick and had a paper so I couldn't do much but I'll try to upload all my photos and break down my adventures at some of the beaches, surf camp and the world cup thus far. Watching the World Cup at 4AM abroad is definitely a different experience-I've been drenched by English fans, sat in a pansy patch to watch a game and been given serious props by random Australian fans for being a Yankee who actually watches the sport.