BLUE MOUNTAINS AND SYDNEY REUNION

I Joined up with a girl from the Blue Mountain hostel in Katoomba, called Ella, and did a five hour round walk in the blue mountains.

It was a glorious day and we descended the 900 steps past the Three sisters into the Bush.We went to the base of the verticle railway and then walked back up steps to the top. I have to say it was pretty scary watching people on the steep railway. They youngsters were screaming. But I am waiting to do the railway with Sammie. Everyone says it is very scary. Apparently Liz and Keith went on it when they were here at Christmas.
ME STANDING HALF WAY UP ONE OF THE THREE SISTERS.


It was breathtakingly beautiful. It was nice to be with someone who likes to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. The hostel at Katoomba is really peaceful and I enjoyed staying there. I am looking forward to taking sammie there for a day. It is only two weeks until she arrives, so next week I will be heading down towards Melbourne, so that I can meet her at the airport. I will meet up with a lovely couple that I met in Ko Pi Pi. They have invited us to stay with them in Melbourne.

Last night I had a reunion with three people from Sydney that I met in Cambodia. Katherine, Lucas and Emma and Emma's boyfriend from Canada.


We went out for a Spanish meal. It was so nice to see them again and exchange stories. They have all started their second year at university. We are going to meet up again when Sammie is here. They are dying to meet her because I have spoken about her so much to them.They plan to take us to the beach and the Chinese gardens.

Today I got the train back to Bondi beach for the weekend to chill out. I do love the cliff walks by the sea. Carmel is house hunting this weekend but I am hoping to meet up with her on sunday for breakfast.

BLUE MOUNTAINS

Yesterday I went up the Sydney skytower, the tallest building in Sydney, and got a birds eye view over the city and the harbours.

I thought it was a breathtaking view.

Today I got up very early and took a two hour train ride to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. It is a World Heritage site. Luckily for me they were able to let me check into my room at the YHA when I arrived at half past nine. Normally you cannot check in until midday. So I hopped onto the shuttle bus and headed off straight away to explore the Blue mountains. Everyone says they are amazing but nothing prepared me for how amazing they are. The grand canyon is massive!

I got off the shuttle bus at a viewing point that looked across at the rock formation called the Three Sisters.


The Panorama is something to behold, you could also see Jamison Valley.
I then took a two hour round walk through the bush to the waterfalls and the skytour viewing area. I even met someone from Tunbridge Wells on one of the viewing platforms, it really is a small world.
I did scare myself a bit as I was walking along wondering if there were spiders and snakes, but then I had a stern talk with myself and got on with the walk and it was ok.
I am feeling shattered now so I have retreated back to the YHA and will do another long walk tomorrow exploring the Australian bush. I have been very lucky because the weather forcast for the couple of days I am here is good. I do want to bring Sammie back here.


There is the worlds steepest cable train rides and I will only do it if she does!!!!I watched it from a distance and I have never seen anything like it!

BONDI

Michelle, one of the girls in my four bed dorm in Bondi beach, and I decided to go for a walk along Bondi beach. We got caught in the rain so we went for some lunch. I ordered good old fashioned stuffed chicken. She on the otherhand decided to try a bit of (SKIPPY!) Kangaroo. It took ages to come and the waiter came over to apologise. I said that was because they were still trying to catch Skippy, who was still hopping around the kitchen. Eventually it came and I had to have a try.

It was very tender and ok but I was glad I was not having any more than a taste. I can at least I can add Kangaroo to the list of strange things I have eaten on this trip. Will have to try snake next!

The following day was very windy and rainy. We sheltered from the rain but got a birds eye view of the local life guard doing his morning training of pushups,swimming across the harbour and running back again.

Not bad entertainment over a pot of tea!

Then the sun came out so we walked along the cliffs to Coogee beach


and we met some interesting insects on route.

I took a picture of this big spider, which frightened me to death. The next few days when I did that route I walked in the middle of the road rather than come face to face with it again.We got the bus and headed into Sydney and had a few drinks in the Opera House cocktail bar to recover.


Saturday was the big Mardi Gras parade in Sydney but I decided to go and see the world final of the Iron man competition on Coogee beach.And I have to say even with their budgie smugglers on those guys are so fit.



They swim a circuit in the sea, then Kayake the same circuit, then paddle a board around it. 18 start, that is whittled down to 12 and they do the same circuits again!! then they are reduced to the last six and they do the same circuits again. They are so fit!! I really am loving my time here is Australia. Met Carmel later in the day and we did another walk along the cliff tops and had a good natter and a hot chocolate.
!

SYDNEY

I am just loving my time here in Australia, it is just such a contrast from Vietnam. I went to the Australian museum and saw a fantastic exhibition about the history of the indigenous Australians.


How they have been treated throughout the years, Their children were taken away from them and put with white middle class families, supposedly for their own good.They are called the Forgotten Generation., Thousands of Aboriginal people were just slaughtered to make way for the white settlers .People were not even prosecuted for killing them in the early days, it was done as a kind of sport!!. Only recently the new Prime minister made a public Apology for the way things had been done in the past. Carmel says it was a very emotional day for everyone who watched him making the apology. It was a long time coming!
It also gave you a good insight into a lot of their traditions and how difficult it is for them living in Australia and maintaining their heritage.They pass stories ,or they call them, Dreams, from generation to generation. And when you hear the film clips of them describing the meaning of each story or piece of artwork it is so sad that they are having to struggle to do things that just come so naturally to them. Hopefully that will begin to change.
I then went to the Barracks museum to see the history of criminals who were shipped over here to live. There were a lot of Irish!!It was fascinating to see how the catholics were feared incase they plotted when they got together to pray.
There are lots of rosary beads that were found in wall spaces or under the floorboards.The cathedral in Sydney is getting all spruced up because the pope is due to visit soon.

Then it was onto meet Carmel for the opening of an art exhibition. She has a good life! We had a few free glasses of champagne then headed out in the pouring rain for a Japanese meal.

Carmel got me to eat raw eel, and I have to say it was delicious.
The next day I got the train out of Sydney to meet up with some lovely friends who I have not met for ages. Jake and Annable Lynch and their son Fin. Annable had to work, so Jake, Fin and I went to the beach for the day.


Fin and I had a lovely time getting to know one another. He is great company and so intelligent.He was also a dab hand at hitting the ball for a three and a half year old. Jake also cooked a lovely meal for me on the barbie

I stayed the night at their amazing house.They have their own swimming pool. A long way from the days I got to know them in their little terrace house in Armley in Leeds.They made me feel so welcome and it was great to catch up with Annable when she got home from work.

The next day I got up early with her and planned to chill on the beach all day and meet up later.But I had a very bad tummy bug so retreated to the hostel and slept all day through until the next day.It is ironic I go around south East Asia with only minor tummy bugs and come here and get hit hard. I am hoping to meet up with them again soon.

I then checked into the Bondi hostel for a few days.The weather was not very good.

I got caught in the most horrendous thunder storm, so retreated into a restaurant and had a glass of wine. Eventually I got a taxi to Carmel's(I was too frightened to walk in the thunderstorm!)
And she cooked up a very delicious prawn rissotto

We seem to spend a lot of time eating.It is fortunate that the hostel is literally round the corner from where Carmel lives so we are able to meet up.

HO CHI MINH (LAST VIETNAM ENTRY)

I went to Ho chi Minh city and met up with a lovely couple, Katarina and Paul, whom I had met At Mui Ne.

They were both working in Vietnam but living in a hotel until they found an apartment. They kindly booked a room for me at their hotel, so I did not have the pressure of finding a place to stay in the city.But the taxi driver that picked me up from the bus, took me all over the place(even though it transpired that the hotel was round the corner from where the bus dropped me off)He then charged me 4 times the price they said I should have paid. It made me so angry.

But saying that I did enjoy my time in Ho Chi Minh, maybe it was because they showed me around and it was nice to hang out with them.I went to Notre Dame Cathedral(having gone to Notre Dame Grammar school in Leeds it seemed rude not to check this one out)It was beautiful.I also went to the revolutionary building.It has remained the same since the reunification of the country when the north Vietnamese flew in and stormed the building with helicopters.I also went to the war museum and the Cu Chi tunnels.It was very difficult to view some of the images of the Vietnam war.The way both the Americans and the Vietnamese treated each other beggers belief.I found the politics of why the war happened mind boggling as well.All that bloodshed and for what???
The Cu Chi tunnels went on for miles underground on three layers.The entrances were very difficult to detect under the leaves .

They housed hospitals,schools ,kitchens etc and families lived down there undetected by American soldiers for years.They had very ingenious ways of getting rid of the smoke produced from cooking.


They were able to carry out surprise attacks on the Americans without being detected for a long time.

The next day I changed the mood and went to the fine arts museum, which was very relaxing to wander around.The building that housed the artwork was very beautiful as well.It reminded me of places I had visited in Italy.

Then time for one last cocktail before I leave Vietnam..and you can see how HAPPY I AM TO BE GOING !!