The Blue Mountains

My parents gave me two adapters to come to Australia so that I would be able to charge my electronics.  I soon found out that for whatever reason, they were unable to charge my computer.  So we woke up and went to the nearest electronics store to resolve this issue.  I spoke to one of the men working there and he insisted that I either needed a power converter ($150) or a new charger ($100).  When I asked him why I couldn’t just buy another power adapter he told me “because you’ll blow it up!” After consulting two more workers, I went with his advice.  I approached the counter to pay for the charger and, as it turns out, the salesman was a real tool.  My credit card and debit card both got denied so he told me to go get cash out of the ATM.  When I asked him where the nearest ATM was, he rolled his eyes and said “right upstairs.”  Thanks.  So I finally got the cash and came back down to him.  He gave me a blank stare and I explained that I was the one who just tried to buy the charger.  Blank stare.  “Do you have the cash?”  Obviously!  “Yes.”  So he rang me up and I ran away as quickly as possible.

We stopped at a grocery store to pick up some food for our planned hike in the Blue Mountains. We found peanut butter but we couldn’t seem to find any bread.  When we asked one of the men who worked there, he said “Yeah, it’s right under the sign that says bread.”  …Right. 

After we checked out, we grabbed our bags from our hotel room, and ran over to the train station just in time to catch a train that would take us to Central, where we boarded another train to take us to Katoomba. Upon reaching Katoomba, I realized I hadn’t the faintest idea of how to get to the actual park. Upon inspection of a map outside of the station, we plotted a course and walked down the main street to what we hoped would be National Park.

After walking downhill on the road, we stumbled upon some stairs that were poking through the trees. As we descended, an Asian family ascended (a large family…like 10 people!). Their daughter was wearing tight, hot pink skinny-jeans and white heels, and her family was apparently laughing at her distress as she trekked through the mud and rocks.

Soon, the stairs ended, and a magnificent view greeted us:

Not bad...

The trail continued back through the woods, emptying out in an area known as the “Cascades.”

The woods.

The trail through the woods.

The Cascades.

The water was very cold.

We hiked up the road to get back to the main street, huffing and puffing like true fit Americans. 

Wild animal.

Fuzzy.

We were craving Italian food, but conveniently all of the stores were closed until 5 PM, and it was only 4. The next rain left at 5:20, so we knew there wouldn’t be enough time for us to wait and eat, so we just stopped at another burger joint and made due.

The 4:20 train was delayed, so upon reaching the station at 5 we were able to board that train and we left soon afterward.

We made it home around 8, and promptly passed out.