The Blue Mountains are just beautiful. I've had a great few days here. They aren't strictly speaking mountains, but more huge sandstone cliffs with dense rainforests below. They are called the Blue Mountains because of the blueish haze that seems to cover the valleys. There are numerous walking trails to do - all very well sign posted making it easy for a tourist like myself. A lot of the walks are cliff top walks, or trails cut into the sides of the cliffs, and lots of steps down into the forests below, cascading waterfalls, etc. I've had quite a few "wow" moments out walking as you turn a corner and are met by a stunning vista. The weather has also been fantastic - lots of sunshine.
On Thursday, I went horse riding in the Megalong Valley, a 20 minute train ride from Katoomba. Saw a red-bellied black snake (poisonous but not normally fatal!) whilst riding and four wombats. When we saw the first wombat, our guide said it was incredibly rare to see them in the day. We subsequently saw another three on the ride so I guess we were lucky.
Yesterday, I went on a full day of abseiling and canyoning. The morning was spent learning how to abseil, starting with a 5m descent, then a 15m and finally a 30m. It is a spectacularly stunning place to abseil once you get over the fear of walking backwards off a cliff and actually look around at the view! In the afternoon, we went canyoning. For those who aren't familiar with canyoning, this basically involves a trek down into a canyon, then walking, clambering, swimming along it, jumping off rocks into deep pools, etc. It is great fun but the water was icy cold even with wet suits on. The finale for the day was abseiling down a 32m waterfall - hence the training in the morning. However, abseiling down a waterfall is a whole different ball game because it is so slippery that it's hard to keep your footing and before long you are hanging on the end of a rope being pounded by water. Because of the sound of the water, you can't hear anything the instructor might be telling you do, so it's time to face your fears and try and remember what you were taught in the morning! Keep letting rope out and descending as quickly as you can seemed to be the best option. I can't say that my descent was in any way stylish but it was a massive adrenalin rush and a brilliant end to a great day. I should also mention that you then have to hike up out of the canyon so at least that warms you up.
Today is Sunday and I've had a day of planning and organising my onward travel plans. The Blue Mountain Backpackers isn't the greatest hostel in the world, but it does have free internet and free laundry - the things you get excited about when you're travelling?! So train back to Sydney tomorrow morning, then a flight to Brisbane. Only an hour and a half but Queensland is a different state and a different time zone. After a night in Brisbane, I will be getting a bus to Hervey Bay and then doing a trip out to Fraser Island for a couple of days. Have also been thinking further ahead about my post New Zealand travel plans. As yet, I only have a flight to NZ booked and nothing beyond that. So the world is my oyster as it were. My original plan was to then go to SE Asia and India, but as you speak to different people whilst travelling new ideas start to develop in your mind. Am thinking perhaps South America instead. I was going to "save" South America for another trip but my desire to go there is probably greater than my desire to go to Asia so perhaps I should just do it now. It will also give me an incentive to learn Spanish and I'm thinking that I need to start using my brain sooner rather than later. Have downloaded some Spanish language books onto my Kindle so we'll see...
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