We jumped on the morning train to the Blue Mountains – ETA: 2 hours. Of all the money we’ve spent on everything in this very expensive city, this was by far the best value. $11.20 AUD RT. The mountain town of Katoomba was our destination; this country town is quaint with small B&B’s, picturesque wooden houses and plenty of tourists this time of year.
After a nearly 2 hour wait in excruciatingly painfully long line – we jumped on board the world’s ‘steepest’ railway – a minute or two hair raising, knuckle clenching ride down slopes reaching 52 degrees! Composer, John Williams’ Star Wars theme sound track blasted us away. The tracks lie along what is an old coal mine – and basically part of the railway just goes over the edge of a cliff! At the bottom are boardwalks that lead through the rainforest.
We took lots of videos but have had had nothing but slow or non working Internet this entire trip (even in pricey hotels) – so we will upload some videos later in January when we return to Thailand.
Many people come to Katoomba to see the Three Sisters – three vertical rock formations perched on the side of a cliff. Echo Point is a very popular lookout over the Three Sisters, the Blue Mountains and the valleys far below.
Sydney must get the award for the most Thai restaurants outside of Bangkok – we have tried a number of them – mostly average in quality. Tiring of eating out – we decided to make our own meal tonight – we bought some fresh lettuce, balsamic vinegar and mangoes. Oh and the dessert wine. Tamburlaine – recommended to us by a lady who was pouring wine at the wine shop.
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