So if you have been following my blog, you would be fully aware that I am hiking in Katoomba, also known as the Blue Mountains. I started hiking on thursday with some friends from Sydney and decided to make my way back for the weekend. It's called the Blue Mountains, because when the sun hits the mountains, they look blue. Pretty cool I guess.
The Blue Mountains is a little bit like Port Sydney in Muskoka. A very small town, with a grocery store, and two bars. There is probably more, but the general pace here is much slower than anywhere else I've been too in Australia (Sydney). After been in Sydney for 2 weeks, I figured the best way to plan more of my trip was to get out of the city, somewhere remote where I would have the chance to do some research about the land down under and maybe plan my next couple of months. What better place to do that than in Katoomba. There probably won't be many people to meet, let me rephrase that, there probably wouldn't be many people that would want to party and drink till all hours of the night. Man was I wrong.
After arriving to Katoomba friday afternoon, a little hung over from partying in Sydney the night before, I placed my luggage in my room, put my food in the kitchen and had a lonesome beer on the sun deck, where I figured I could start my planning. It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes when a group of girls asked me to take there picture. Being no stranger to photography or interested in meeting new people, i quickly obliged and started my photo shoot. Seeing that I was on my own, these lovely ladies invited me over to chat with them and this is really where the stories begin.
Where in the begining there were only 4 of us, our number quickly grew to 7, then 10, and in the end there was easily a crew of maybe 20 travelers, ready to enjoy a weekend in Katoomba. When you find yourself traveling on your own, and you are in a big group of people, you quickly realize who you vibe with and who you don't. The English travelers, really chose to stay within there own group and that left me with the wittier, more enjoyable Irish. Now, I've never really hung out with the Irish, except for an old boss who spoke "wit a tick aksent", and I'd been told that the women talk so damn fast, if you aren't 100% into the conversation you're lost. Most of this Irish knowledge I'd had was accurate, but once you start chatting and drinking with them, you pick up the accent quickly and partying with them become easy.
So here I am, Friday night in Katoomba with an original plan of detoxing and planning my trip and by midnight, I find myself in Katoombas only nightclub with 9 Irish drinkers and a single Aussie. With drinking and conversation, I volunteer myself to walk with these new friends of mine into the Blue Mountains the next day (Saturday) and show them around.
SATURDAY MORNING and INTO THE AFTERNOON
FML, it's 10:30 and these Irish are ready to go walking. I'm not the kind of guy to leave my partying Irish to travel through the woods on there own, so as promissed, I decide to, wait a minute, Lara the New Yorker (an English teacher in Oz with both an Irish/New York accent), changes my name from Peter to tour guide for the next 4 hours. After another great hike through the Blue Mountains, with 6 of my Irish comrades, we get back to the hostel and decide we shall have a BBQ. After going to the grocery and more importantly the liquor store, we get back to the hostel, and start our evening off with "crisps" and beer.
While some would love a nap after such a long day, the Irish, the new Yorker and the Tour Guide decide that enjoying the weather and beer was a much more enjoyable way to enjoy our Saturday evening. Well to make a long story a little shorter, our party went on till 6am Sunday with highlights such as:
- an evening bbq with beer and 5L of goon
- a visit to both bars in town, obviously with the night club being the last stop
- a kitchen break-in, which included scaling a wall to get our booze from the fridge
- a fort build only out of couch cussions, which was invaded on more than once
- and Brian the story-teller, keeping us laughing for hours on end
I wouldn't change a thing from this weekend. I met some great people I'll visit and party with again when I make my way back to Sydney, and really that's what this trip is all about for me. Meeting great people, having a good time, and enjoying myself to the max! Thanks for the memories guys!!
As far as my travelling plans are concerned, I know that I am booked in Melbourne till the 3rd. Which gives me lots of time to plan my trip further, and write more about my adventures in this blog. Hope you enjoyed the read.
Peter
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