Robot Claw

Today we drove to Katoomba, and immediately went to view a famous landmark called The Three Sisters. Here they are from the Echo Point lookout:

We walked along a short trail for a closer view of this famous rock formation. It was early in the day but sunny and warm and the views down into the valley were wondrous.

The trail ended at an overlook just above the formation, at which point we noticed a bridge some distance below:

There was very steep staircase leading down from this overlook. It was the beginning of an infamous trail called ‘The Giant’s Staircase” and even though I was still aching from all yesterdays walking I couldn’t resist giving it a go!

This was a perilous trail! Narrow steep steps wound down the cliffside, and even walking down was a challenge. There were a fair amount of people navigating this trail, and it was clear from the looks on their faces it was more than they expected.

After a few hundred steps I got to the bridge we’d seen from above, only to find it was blocked off by a fence! It seems people are no longer permitted to cross over to the sister itself. The steps continued beyond that point, but they were even steeper and more perilous. I turned around and headed back up to where Sue was waiting. The climb was strenuous but not as bad as some of the other tourists made it seem. I suppose I’m made of sterner stuff.

There’s a lot of history here at Katoomba, and much of it is based around The Three Sisters, an attraction people have been visiting for well over 100 years. I’ve been before but remembered almost none of it, and I’m glad we went today.

Afterwards we visited many antique shops in Katoomba (watch for a future blog post about some things we saw) while Sue’s new car was charging. Lunch was at the local RSL club, before we headed to the amusingly large converted convent we’re staying at tonight. It’s been a tiring few days, so there’ll be lounging tonight!

I ate half the bag before I realized I’d lost control of myself, and made the decision to throw the other half away. That’s the power of Toobs!

I woke at midnight, and after hours of doing nothing shuffled down to McDonald’s for breakfast around 5 am. The streets were almost empty, and the few souls I saw were clearly still enjoying their Friday night. I remain ruined by jet lag, and felt like a passenger in my own body as I staggered into Maccas…

…And then immediately walked out. It wasn’t the refuse and unidentifiable liquid on the floor. It wasn’t the crooked miscreant unconscious at his table, broken burger dripping limply from his hand. It wasn’t even the thin-lipped juvenile watching me with villainy in his eye. It was the smell. Enough said.

As it turns out my room includes a lovely breakfast buffet, so I hastily returned and enjoyed lashings of bacon chased down with watermelon. It was sublime!

Then I shopped, for many that had given me a list and some that hadn’t. Items were purchased, and they’ve already been squirreled away in my bags. Thrice I passed this mannequin in my wanderings, and I’m sure her position changed. Even fake, she looked more alive than I felt.

Sue came down to Sydney today – we’re heading off on a road trip tomorrow – and she had the brilliant idea of us taking a Vivid cruise. Since my plans of seeing the lights were thwarted last night I was optimistic, and happily the cruise exceeded even my high expectations. It was amazing.

I’ve been to Vivid for several years now, and it’s so spread out and the light installations so large you can easily get good views. But today I learned the best view is from a boat!

The bridge and opera house both looked brilliant in the lights, and the reflections on the water only accentuated this. As you can also see they dialed the spotlights up to 11 this year and the light rain in the air made them extra visible.

The boat went from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay and back and the cruise took about an hour. The weather was great – not cold at all – and the views unbroken and much better than you see on land. While the boat sometimes rocked, I’ve long since mastered my sea legs and it was no trouble at all.

Afterwards we walked over to the installations at Darling Harbour (like the laser/sound show above) but by this point I’d been up over 20 hours and needed my sleep. And now, with this post done, that’s exactly what I’m going to do!

The flights were of course awful. I didn’t eat or sleep, and was barely alive upon arrival. Happily my hotel had a room ready (for a reasonable $300 upgrade) so I was able to shower within an hour of arriving in Sydney.

After a healthy lunch (at 9 am) I wandered around in a jet-lagged fugue for a few hours until I had to sleep. Vivid begins today and I wanted to be at Circular Quay when they turned the lights on at 6 pm.

I felt ok after a few hours of sleep, but this was short-lived, and after only a half hour or so the exhaustion and delirium hit me again. I pressed on to Circular Quay regardless, but shortly after I arrived the rain began.

I didn’t have an umbrella and at first the rain wasn’t heavy so I considered waiting it out, but then the heavens opened and the rain became torrential. The crowds had formed by then and people started running for shelter 🙂

I snapped a quick photo of the Opera House (about half an hour before Vivid began) and rushed back to the hotel. I’ll see Vivid tomorrow!

There’s the bingo card I made for this trip. There’ll be prizes if I complete three or more lines. Surely that will be easy…?