the Trip to Blue Mountains

I made a trip to the Blue Mountains the past 2 days with 2 of my friends, Yili and Justin. The last time I was in Sydney, I didn't think about going there, all the things in my mind then were jobs and income. This time I've saved a little money and so I have the opportunity to make a trip there. The Blue Mountains is a world heritage area with amazing views.

We took the train from Central Station to Blacktown on Thursday morning, and changed to, due to railway works, another train to travel to Katoomba, the major town in the Blue Mountains National Park area. We booked one night at the YHA there. It was not a pleasant experience dealing with the staff. They're all not very professional and friendly. We made there in the morning but had to check-in in the afternoon. We paid our rent on our arrival, but obviously the staff didn't make a record on the computer, and when we checked in in the evening the staff on duty couldn't find our payment record. They kept doubting that we hadn't paid. I didn't fell happy about that. I learnt that the next time I pay any rent I have to remember to get a receipt.

Anyway, after our arrival, we stored our luggages at the YHA, and then went out to walk aroung the area. I have to admit that it is a very beautiful town with so many trees and lovely houses with adorable yards. The YHA is not far away from the Queen Elizabeth lookout in Echo Point, but we didn't know that. We went to the Scenic World on foot, and took all the three of Railway, Cableway and Skyway. The ticket we bought was Scenic Pass for adults which cost AU$28. It was expensive, but I think it's worthwhile. The view was excellent. It was also great to walk the tracks in the dense forest you can get to by riding the Railway or through other paths. The forest there is consisted of a lot of tall trees and ferns. There are also some exhibitions along the tracks regarding the coal mining history in that area many decades ago.

We then walked a long way down the hills to the mid section of Katoomba Fall. It is so beautiful and comfortable at the place. The water of the fall is not abundant due to the lasting drought, but it looks still good when you get close to it. The water drops splashed by wind onto to your face, the great scene of the valley, the birds' chirps, and the quiet surroundings all made us calm and even slumberous.

Later we walked to Echo Point and we walked down the very steep stairs down to the Three Sisters. It was scary walking down the stairs, but it's worth it. The views was great. There are many lookouts along the tracks in the whole area. But I have to say the Queen Elizabeth Lookout beside the information center truely have the most stunning scenery, and it's also the easiest one to get to.

The next day, today, we took a tour to Jenolan Caves at AU$60 for YHA members including couch transportation to and back from Katoomba and the ticket of the guided tour to Lucas Cave. The caves are maintained by a reserve trust. It took more then 1 hour to get to Jenolan Caves from Katoomba, we dozed off on the way.

You definitely have to go to Jenolan Caves if you go to the Blue Mountains. We don't know how it looks like in the other caves there, but it is absolutely breathtaking in Lucas Cave. I can't describe it well. You can find it out by going there yourself or looking at the photos I took through the link to my photos on the left.

We came back to Sydney in the evening at about 8:30PM. We should have come back earlier, but we missed the previous train by 1 minute, and had to wait until 6:24 when there was another train from Katoomba to Central Station. The train ride usually takes only 2 hours between Central Station and Katoomba on a single way ticket for adults at AU$11.60. Check the City Rail website for train fare details.

I spent about 200 dollars on this trip including train fares, YHA accommodation of 8 persons dorm, tour couch fares, Scenic World ticket, Lucas Cave ticket, and food. You can spend a lot less then that because I spend too much money on foods and drinks. By the way, do never attempt to try the Thai restaurant closest to Blue Mountains YHA on the street before the YHA. There are 2 Thai restaurants on this street, and we picked that one and definately regretted. Their foods were certainly the worst Thai foods we'd ever tasted, and were expensively over-priced at that kind of low quality.