Monday, April 9

We woke up early and headed to the train station to head to the Blue Mountains. We had to go to the Central train station and then get on a different train that took us straight there. The ride was about two hours long and I sat next to a girl who was studying in Melbourne and visiting Sydney. She was from Singapore so we talked about our experiences in Australia and trips we have taken. We arrived in a small city called Katoomba and walked through the city to the look outs. We have great weather and the views were amazing! We walked around the edge looking down at the valleys and then made our way into the valleys. They have many hiking routes that go down into the valleys and let you see all the waterfalls. They used to mine coal and shale there so they had a small area that showed parts of the mines in the cliffs. We walked around and then made our way to the Three Sisters which is a rock formation of three huge rocks that stand alone. We spent almost all day walking and taking in the views. The Blue Mountains aren't actually blue but look blue when looked at from a distance. This is because the eucalyptus causes mie scattering, which scatters ultraviolent radiation and makes a blue haze. A lot of beautiful sites! We took the train back into the city and ate at a restaurant called The Argyle. Had a wonderful day with wonderful weather and wonderful views!