Robot Claw

I took mum to Sydney for some shopping as a Christmas gift. We walked around for over 7 hours and visited many shops and had a great time.

We also stopped at the Cathedral to light some candles and check out the nativity, and it didn’t disappoint!

Mum had never stayed in a ‘fancy’ hotel so I splurged and got us nice rooms at the Sheraton in Hyde Park. She was astonished by how nice it was and by the size of her room 🙂

The true astonishment came the following morning. I used my charm upon checking in and was rewarded with a free continental breakfast for both of us. And when we went down to eat this morning our minds were boggled!

The selection was endless. Of course all the usuals were included (in spades) but they also had roast meats, a fresh fruit juicery, a fried noodle station (with chef), a congee bar, all sorts of seafood items, various egg and potato dishes, a massive salad bar and more and more. I’ve seen some impressive buffet breakfasts in my time (Hawaii comes to mind) but this was another level!

Due to trackwork (which required a coach for some of the way), extreme heat and a train breakdown the trip home was taxing. But we made it safe and sound and it’s good to be home and out of the heat.

A successful trip, and one mum says she’ll remember for a long time 🙂

Drive about 90 minutes south of Newcastle to Woy Woy road heading south out of Kariong. You’ll see a dirt patch on the east side where you can park, and this sign at the head of a dusty road into the bush:

Walk the path/road about ten minutes, ignoring the bugs and the heat. When you see a second smaller path veering into the bush on the left take it. The surroundings look a bit like this:

Walk a while along the increasingly disappearing path until you see the biggest tree in Australia:

At this tree scramble up the boulders at the edge of an old escarpment, ignoring the snakes and wombats. Marvel at the water-eroded rocks as you climb around them, and slowly circle around some car-sized rocks watching your footing:

Assuming you’re not yet lost – and yesterday Sue and I were for a while – you’ll end up in this narrow gap between two giant rocks:

Look closely at the walls behind sue. Do you see them? Here’s a closer look:

Behold! Incontrovertible evidence that Australia was visited by Egyptians in antiquity. There are the so-called ‘Gosford Glyphs’, discovered in 1975 and dating to the 1920s when Aussie soldiers returning from WW1 carved them about 5000 B.C. Scholars scoff marvel at the fact that hieroglyphs from many different eras of Egyptian history – and some never seen in Egypt – are all gathered in this one spot, not to mention how the carvings seem to have been done with modern tools, as if the carvers did it only a few decades ago had access to technology beyond their time.

Some say they are even evidence of aliens! The same aliens that made the pyramids, it is suggested, hopped over to this remote spot in the Australian outback and graffitied a few rocks before (no doubt) flying home. It’s a strange story to be true, but difficult to disprove.

I’ve brought you many Australian sights on the blog over the years. But can I ever top actual evidence of Aliens? After today’s adventure, nothing would surprise me…

I walk the track,
I don’t look back.
Negative biofeedback.
Was that a macaque?!?

Birds in the trees.
Ache in my knees.
Where is the breeze?
Oh look, ascomycetes!

Sweat on my brow.
Where am I now?
Anyhow,
I continue somehow.

The trails of my past.
Nostalgia unsurpassed.
I don’t do this half-assed.
Macca’s, at long last!

A refreshing frozen coke.
For me: bespoke!
Joy it does evoke.
That walk was no joke!

Landing is Sydney was surreal: the smoke from the fires reduced visibility so the usual see-for-miles vista from a few kilometres up was dirtied by a hazy fog.

There’s a slight smell of smoke, and I’ve seen a few people wearing masks. Buts it’s not so bad at street level.

You can see some protesters outside the QVB, to the left of the statue. The queen herself has been adorned with a rudimentary gas mask that was attached by a protestor. They were of course protesting the climate deniers running this country (who were alas voted for) but tourists looking for Christmas bargains mostly ignored them.

The trip had been awful. Endless, boring and hungry since the food they offered me was inedible. I didn’t sleep a second and mostly played my GBA. Every year it gets harder and Australia seems farther away.

Customs and the airport was speedy though, and while my room wasn’t ready due to the early hour my hotel was nice enough to provide me with a changing room to shower. Then I hit the streets of Sydney.

The light rail through the CBD is now running. I’ll try it one day, but not this trip. The shops are decked out for Christmas and it’s hard getting my mind used to the fact I’m here before Christmas Day rather than after as usual. It was still early when I took the above shot; the crowds massively increased later in the day.

I hit my usual spots, ate my usual foods, discovered again that postcards have become scarcer as they have everywhere. I’m sure the ones I bought yesterday were from stands that haven’t been restocked in a decade.

It was warm before lunch but a cool change blew in later in the day. I was staggering by about 3 and grabbed some dinner before retiring around 4 pm. It’s now 4 am and I’m mostly (?) rested, but the jet lag is real.

Off to Newcastle by train today. I read The Hawkesbury region has been badly burned. Will I see evidence on my journey?