Mountains and A Beach

We had a weekend of mountains and a beach!

Saturday...
Early Saturday morning, our group of 11 all met at the YH Center, just across Central Station in the Central Business District. Our tour guide, Michael from Oz Travel, took us on an hour long bus ride to the Blue Mountains area. My seat on the bus was a booster seat! To some extent, it was nice being taller than everyone else on the bus.



Our first stop was this really nice view of the river/lake (hehe... I've to check my Oz Travel Itinerary for the exact name). We had morning tea there... and a some scandalous moments (Background music, 'Bakit ngayon ka lang dumating sa buhay ko?').





Our next stop was this fabulous fabulous mountain top with a great view of the landscape. It resembles the Grand Canyon so some extent. Here I am with my Korean red hair, squinting at the bright sun.



Here's our Filipino tour group (we miss Cesar, Melvin, and Angelo!). Check out our ocho-ocho boys!



Our stop after that was Wentworth Falls. Although there wasn't much gushing water in the falls.



I think this picture is inverted. Hehe!


Before lunch time, we went to Scenic World, where we saw...

Statues of "natives" worth mimicking...



... and rode the steepest railway in the world!



The famous "Three Sisters" rock formation



... and wandered around the rainforest (although this picture looks nothing like a rainforest!)



We had lunch at this quaint resto in Leura Village, Leura, a "delightful village, made up of delicate shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, antique and book shops and quaint tea and coffee houses." We bought chocolate covered coffee beans which got someone a little hyper. Hehe.

We went to this Aboriginal Engraving site next, and after that was some Kangaroo watching. You can tell by my distance from the 'roos just how much I like animals up close and personal. Haha!





Our second to the last stop of the day was the site of the 2000 Sydney Olympics!



We then took the Ferry back to Circular Quay.



It was super cold in the Ferry that I immediately dreaded not bringing a jacket. It was just me, my shawl, and the strong winter wind.


Sunday...

We had a more laid back Sunday. We went to the very famous Bondi Beach!



The beach was huge!And the waves were even bigger. Surfer dudes, bikini-clad girls, and a lot of tourists were milling around the beach... despite the super cold weather.















Fish and chips were in order, of course. And a cone of mint choco chip ice cream. We then finished the day with a small shopping trip in the nearby Westlake mall.

Up next... more shopping at DFO (scheduled for this Saturday) and Hunter Valley (scheduled for next Sunday)!