Got up at 7am to get some breakfast before we had a full days travelling ahead of us. The Blue Mountains bus came about 7.30am and we set off on our day trip. We picked a couple of other people up on our way out of Sydney and then we were off. First stop was the Wildlife Park, where we got a chance to see various different Australian animals. I was expecting to be able to hold a Koala bear, as that’s what they always show on these adverts for Zoo’s but you actually just get to stand next to one of them while they are perched on a posing branch thing eating. I did like the fact that a lot of the animals are free to wander round the zoo in relatively open areas (not the crocs obviously). So you are kind of wandering around in and amongst the animals, which was nice with the Kangaroos as you were able to feed them. The Kangaroos are pretty big and grunt at the smaller Wallaby’s to scare them off when there is food being given out. When they stand up they are about the size of me (ok not dead tall then lol) and they have pretty long and tick nails. I bet they could do some damage if they wanted to and a few of them had scratch marks where they must have been fighting.
The Blue Mountains are called such because of all the eucalyptus trees that grow in the area and produce a kind of blue haze when it’s hot. You could actually smell them as you walked around as the watery mist that was in the air was filled with the smell. Unfortunately this mist meant that we could also not really see anything of the mountains as we drove around. As we drove around our tour guide pointed out various area of landscape that a year ago had been nothing but charred stumps due to another big bush fire. The houses in Blue Mountain (as it’s a place as well as a mountain range) were built in and around the bush so they had a very high risk of bush fires. I guess that’s the price you pay for having the great views of the bush.
We then stopped off at a Chinese place called the Golden Dragon (make note) where we were given the choice of Chinese buffet where you could have one plate full (let’s hope they are big plates), roast pork or roast beef. I went for the Chinese buffet as I figured I had probably mastered the art of piling my plate up high. If you make a wall with your spring rolls you can very easily get it two storeys worth of food. Phil went for the roast pork, picturing some kind of suckling pig in the back being carved into thick slices for his delight (Ha).
We got to the food counter where was advised to take a seat and they would bring it over. The very miserable Chinese man who seemed to be in charge, grunted “you wiv coch tor” I think he meant “excuse me sir but are you with the coach party that’s just arrived”. I mustered up my biggest smile and replied “Why yes I am” (if it’s good enough for the American it’s good enough for me). He then barked “You no need tray!” so I put the tray down even though I was thinking “shouldn’t I be the judge of whether or not I need a tray”. Anyway unfortunately he also decided to serve me instead of leaving it to one of the nicer happier looking girls behind the counter. I’m guessin it aint gonna be piled high if your not serving yourself. I asked for some rice and noodles, to which he plonked a spoon full of noodles on my plate and no rice. I would usually not bother but when there’s food involved I aint being short changed for no one. I asked for rice again so he added it sparingly. Then I pointed to the chicken curry and asked for that, he oblidged. I then pointed at what looked like a kind of sweet and sour chicken, and said “can I have some of the crispy chicken in sauce”. He started to scoop up some of the southern fired looking wings in front so I stopped him and said “no the one at the back with the sauce”, and he barked “that no crispy that honey chicken, this crispy”. I can’t stand bad manners at the best of times and when it’s coming between me and my food I'm not impressed. So I then said “Right well I don’t know what it’s called cos I don’t work here but I want that one at the back if it's not too much trouble”. With that he dumped two lots of it on my plate (probably thinking I wouldn’t manage it all but he doesn’t know me and my belly lol). Then with that he slid my plate at me and was off barking at someone else.
Phil’s Pork arrived soon after I’d took my seat and Happy Larry brought it over. Phil’s face was a picture. It was frozen veg, burnt roast potatoes (that were the kind thrown in the chip fat and not lovingly cooked in the oven) and a couple of slices of packet pork, all drowning in congealed stuff that was trying to pass itself off as gravy. I don’t think Delia has to worry any time soon. Phil ate what he could but let the re-enter the atmosphere roast potatoes in disgust, along with a few slices of gravy wannabe. My food was okay to be honest but I kind of guessed I would be safer with the Chinese buffet option it being a Chinese place and all. Phil said it was the worst meal he’d had since we’d been travelling, but coming from someone who a few weeks ago was shoving silkworms in his mouth I find that hard to believe. He said he was going to give the fella a piece of his mind on the way out and tell him how bad the food was, but he just about managed a “well we won’t be coming here again” under his breath as we left LOL.
Once we’d eaten the culinary delights that purported to be lunch we left to go and see the three sisters (these were three large rocks very close together that had been formed by something or other, I’d stopped listening at that point). Me and Phil had paid for the Blue Mountain tour with all the add on’s so were dropped off at a cable car station to get the cable car over to the other side of a large gorge where we’d meet the others. A very large and empty cable car arrived after a few minutes were an attendant inside. He didn’t even bother with his patter about the views etc as we were already laughing when we got inside and could see we were right up above all the mist and fog and could see nothing on all four side, and glass bottom floor. We couldn’t see one sister never mind three, I think they must have been out shopping.
We got out the other side and met up with the rest of the group to go down the bottom of the hills on the steepest railway thing. It used to be used for coal mining but the started to make more money using it for tourist rides and so have left the coal where it is. The train was a kind of roller coaster style thing that sloped down at a 45 degree angle down the hill. Laura croft who was driving (see picture) explained a bit about the train
and then I thought she was going to let the hand break off but instead we kind of went down slowly. There was a party of about 25 Chinese women behind us who were very loud and giggly and were gripping onto the hand bars like it was the big one at Blackpool. I got a picture behind me as we went through the tunnel, which then had them in fits of laughter when I showed them their face lol. There must have been a special offer on a perm and set at the salon near where they lived as they all had identical hairstyles (see pic).
After the coalmine thing we then got a different cable car back up the mountain to where the coach would be. The view was equally as breathtaking as the first cable car. It was the same fog but in a different direction, this time we had up hill fog. It had also started to rain but that didn’t really affect the view as we could see nothing but fog so I don’t think its possible to see less that nothing? (Answers on a postcard). On our way out of the Blue Mountains area we caught a glimpse of the top of the 3 sisters, nothing much to get excited about so I don’t feel particularly cheated.
We stopped off for a rest break at a small place that had a huge candy shop that sold every type of sweet you could imagine, all in sweet jars around the walls of the shop.
One girl spent $38 dollars on sweets alone, she said she was just too embarrassed when she got to the counter and realised how much it was.
We then drove down to some body of water who’s name escapes me and got a sea-cat back to Circle Quay, which is about 15 minutes walk from our hostel. The sky was pretty cloudy most of the way back and then just as we got back to the Quay the sun came out, typical !
Phil still hadn’t tried Kangaroo so we went over to the Rocks to a burger place called Rock-in Burger and he ordered Kangaroo burger and chips. It’s supposed to be a really healthy meat as they are hopping around all day and so very lean. The meat is very low in cholesterol and high in protein. I wasn’t hungry as I’d eaten loads of sweets lol We both split up after he’d eaten as I wanted to use the internet café and he was going in search of that ever-special fridge magnet.
I got back to the hostel and had a quick shower before going out to the Internet café. I went for a shower and left the room key in the light switch thing, so came back to the room in just my towel and oops couldn’t get in. Fred wasn’t in the room either so I had no way in. I didn’t really fancy going down to reception in just my towel so hung around outside our room at one of the tables and waited for someone to either come out of the lift or come out of one of the rooms. Thankfully one of the guys next door came out to go downstairs and he went down to reception for a spare key card for me lol.
It was pretty late by the time I got back and Phil and Fred were still up. Contestant number 4 had also joined us in bed A, but he was asleep when I got in so I didn’t get chance to say hi or anything. I just packed up my stuff and got my clothes ready for the morning so we wouldn’t have to wake Fred and Bed A then went to sleep.
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