November 27, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! To my parents who I was not able to call on the special day I am sorry that we were not able to talk.
Jodi and I have been very busy the last couple of days. We finally “got off the beach” and traveled to the Katoomba to visit the Blue Mountains National Park and World Heritage Site. We traveled by bike, ferry and train and used the travels as a test of our equipment and systems we plan to use in South East Asia. Unlike our previous “test” this one was not a disaster and went without a hitch. The panniers worked well, the biking went well and the transitions to ferry and train were seamless. I was very pleased to be leaving Australia with a success and momentum.
Katoomba was very rainy and the hiking tracks were covered in mud but we managed to get in a tramp and the clouds lifted long enough for us to see the “Three Sisters” and the “Grand Canyon”. The smells were outstanding, I am not sure if it was the eucalyptus trees or the wet ground but the fragrance there was the best and most refreshing I have experienced to date. The trees have a blue tint such that the valley and the surrounding mountains appear bluish green and the ground was covered with a very thick layer of leaves and mulch. There were many birds about and they had some very unique calls. I was good to get out of the city and into the wilderness and experience something other than surfing and beaches.
Katoomba is a pretty nice town that reminded me of Ashville North Carolina but with more backpackers and internet cafés. Jodi and I had thanksgiving dinner at a little café, she had a hot pumpkin chicken salad and I had a pasta thing with spinach and feta cheese. We stayed at a hostil called the “Central Backpackers” and it appeared at first to be of good quality. The host gave us an extra room for our bicycles, making us very happy knowing they were safe and sound. The hostil hadn’t been open for very long, everything appeared new and shiny so we thought we were onto a good thing. Then came night. The host had invited some of his “buddies” to stay and they managed to take over the common room while getting drunk and playing the music much to loud. I can handle most things but at 2:00 am drunks talking in the halls awakened us which was followed by a couple arguing. It sucked laying in bed and listening to the girl crying and frat house commotion. We decided to cut our stay short.
The next morning it was raining again so we decided to leave town and head to Penrith for a paddle. Our friend Stu met us at the train station but he did not have room in his care for our bikes and us so Jodi and I rode to the white water park. Stu and I rented boats and played every wave and hole for the next four hours. I had a great time! At about 7:00 pm we boarded the train for Sydney and arrived at Manly Beach at about 10:00 pm where we grabbed some Thai food and went to bed. This morning it is raining again, something the weather has been doing since we arrived and something that hasn’t been happening very much in Australia for 4 years. I am glad they are getting the drought relief but I wish it could have occurred during a different 10 days.Tomorrow we fly to Bali and we are both looking forward to traveling the Island by bicycle. Our friend Chris recently wrote us from there saying, “he was having an incredible time” and with many tips on where to stay and what to do. We are both looking forward to moving onto a place we have never been.
Jodi and I have been very busy the last couple of days. We finally “got off the beach” and traveled to the Katoomba to visit the Blue Mountains National Park and World Heritage Site. We traveled by bike, ferry and train and used the travels as a test of our equipment and systems we plan to use in South East Asia. Unlike our previous “test” this one was not a disaster and went without a hitch. The panniers worked well, the biking went well and the transitions to ferry and train were seamless. I was very pleased to be leaving Australia with a success and momentum.
Katoomba was very rainy and the hiking tracks were covered in mud but we managed to get in a tramp and the clouds lifted long enough for us to see the “Three Sisters” and the “Grand Canyon”. The smells were outstanding, I am not sure if it was the eucalyptus trees or the wet ground but the fragrance there was the best and most refreshing I have experienced to date. The trees have a blue tint such that the valley and the surrounding mountains appear bluish green and the ground was covered with a very thick layer of leaves and mulch. There were many birds about and they had some very unique calls. I was good to get out of the city and into the wilderness and experience something other than surfing and beaches.
Katoomba is a pretty nice town that reminded me of Ashville North Carolina but with more backpackers and internet cafés. Jodi and I had thanksgiving dinner at a little café, she had a hot pumpkin chicken salad and I had a pasta thing with spinach and feta cheese. We stayed at a hostil called the “Central Backpackers” and it appeared at first to be of good quality. The host gave us an extra room for our bicycles, making us very happy knowing they were safe and sound. The hostil hadn’t been open for very long, everything appeared new and shiny so we thought we were onto a good thing. Then came night. The host had invited some of his “buddies” to stay and they managed to take over the common room while getting drunk and playing the music much to loud. I can handle most things but at 2:00 am drunks talking in the halls awakened us which was followed by a couple arguing. It sucked laying in bed and listening to the girl crying and frat house commotion. We decided to cut our stay short.
The next morning it was raining again so we decided to leave town and head to Penrith for a paddle. Our friend Stu met us at the train station but he did not have room in his care for our bikes and us so Jodi and I rode to the white water park. Stu and I rented boats and played every wave and hole for the next four hours. I had a great time! At about 7:00 pm we boarded the train for Sydney and arrived at Manly Beach at about 10:00 pm where we grabbed some Thai food and went to bed. This morning it is raining again, something the weather has been doing since we arrived and something that hasn’t been happening very much in Australia for 4 years. I am glad they are getting the drought relief but I wish it could have occurred during a different 10 days.Tomorrow we fly to Bali and we are both looking forward to traveling the Island by bicycle. Our friend Chris recently wrote us from there saying, “he was having an incredible time” and with many tips on where to stay and what to do. We are both looking forward to moving onto a place we have never been.
posted by Kirk & Jodi Roberts at 12:13 PM
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