Sydney National Park, The Three Sisters and A Kangaroo

The bus leaves at 8.10a, headed to the Blue Mountains.

I somehow manage to miss my the bus...still don't know exactly what happened, but true to form, dammed if I was going to be left behind, I was not giving up! I headed to the nearest hotel, remembering that there were different pick up locations.

The first bus I see, I jump on. I gave it a random try to see if my name was on their list...yeah, no. 

"Is there room for one more?"

Were the people on the bus staring with hatred towards me for holding them up? Or were they amused at this sweaty girl, that just jumped onto their bus, back pack on, map in hand; true tourist style.

"Sure, we can take one more. Um, do you even know where we are going?"

"Where are you going?" I ask.

As luck would have it, they were heading to the Blue Mountains to stop at the National Park, then onto see the "Three Sisters" rock formation, take a sky tram through the valley, walk through the rain forest and then stopping at the Sydney Olympic Park. Just the tour I was going to do with the addition of the Olympic Park. Perfect. 10 minutes later, we're off.

The Blue Mountains National Park

The only Kangaroo I saw this day.

When the Aboriginal peoples ruled this land, they would leave this marking of the turtle on the tree where they buried their loved ones.

This was our tour guide, our entertainment and our driver all in one. Amazing. This guy could have a book written about himself. He has traveled the world three times over, contracted every disease and poisoning from each of these countries, had a rat stuck in his pants, took his 8 year old and 3 year old with him around the world twice and there were stories that went along with each of them. The bus ride was two hours there and two back and he talked the whole time. At first, we didn't know whether to cry, laugh, think he was crazy? 

Many of his stories were about people jumping off cliffs, planes crashing, sad fables, though they all had relevance to what we were seeing, they were all very dark and depressing stories. If only you could've seen the looks on the people's faces as he drove us through the narrow and windy roads high above the rain forest....

He made us black tea in this kettle which I can't remember the name to, I believe it was called a Billy. Billy Tea. He dumped in some eucalyptus leaves, due to his stories I was very skeptical at first to take a sip, it was very delish. 

The Three Sisters.

These workers were pulling weeds along the mountain side, can you see the drop off? This is what I call one dedicated, self less volunteer. Insane.

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That blue mist is from the eucalyptus vapors in the air.

Taking the Mountain Devil Scenic Railway Car down into the Rain Forest.

Two friends I made on the bus. They are from London. I don't know their names, and they don't know mine. 

And into the Rain Forest...

These three Japanese couples were all matching in pairs. The blond in black is hiding the "Plaid Girl." Quite possibly one of the most interesting things I saw in the Rain Forest this day.

I spent $6 dollars on gem stones:

a) because I really believe in their powers

b) because I was bored and enjoyed dropping the pretty $2 coins into the gumball like dispenser, turning the key and hearing the rocks drop down the chute

c) because they humidity tied with the tour guides depressing stories had me all mixed up in the head

This was a tea house in one of the small towns we stopped in. Hundreds of tea kettles lined the walls of this little house. Scary? Cool? Obsessive? I'll let you be the judge.

The Sydney Olympic Park. 

By this point in the day, the Dramamine had me like a narcoleptic, it was raining, the tour guide's stories had me dreaming of things I can't even write about....I could barely pull my self out of the bus to take pictures.

I can't say how nice it was to come home to Anya, Suze and Jen making dinner, friends over, and the wine a flowing.