Saturday 13th August and Sunday 14th August 2016 - Trip to the Blue Mountains to escape the City2Surf in Sydney

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was not doing the City to Surf 14 km run this Sunday 14th August 2016 for the first time . After 25 City to Surfs and 1 City to Sea it is time to retire and run a different race  - and I dont mean Presidential either.

Saturday 13th August 2016

Today I decided to skip my weekly Saturday Lyrical Jazz class between 1 pm and 2.30 pm yet again and catch the train 2 hours out of Sydney to Katoomba. I missed the 3.18 pm train so caught the next train which is an hourly service only from Central Station to Katoomba Station. I arrived at Katoomba at around 6.20 pm and it was cold and dark.

There was a Taiwanese student on the same train who was also overnighting it in Katoomba. She was a bit lost with her back pack and suitcase. She stopped to look at the map of Katoomba so I asked her where she was staying. She looked like she was staying at the YHA which is where I usually stay when I visit Katoomba. She said that she was staying at the YHA so I said for her to follow me as I knew where it was. It is about a 10 minute walk downhill which is ok with luggage but getting back to the station it will be all uphill. Her suitcase was very heavy . I helped her with her suitcase up the 2 flights of stairs to our room after checking in.

After settling into our 8 shared female room We went for a walk to the supermarket. Only Woolworths and Coles were open. ALDI had already shut and Coles was a little too far to walk to uphill so we went to Woolworths.

We are now relaxing back at the YHA in the dining/lounge areas having a bit of dinner. I made myself a hot cup of chai and finished off my sandwich a banana and some wedges whilst planning tomorrow and blogging.

Tomorrow I have a choice go sight seeing and blog about it or concentrate on my studying. I would prefer to concentrate on my studies so will head to the Cultural Centre and library tomorrow.

Will see.....

To be continued

Sunday 14th August 2016

Sunday morning - waking up to a perfect sunny day in Katoomba. It may have been down to 2 degrees overnight but today it is around 13 degrees but feels like summer!
Showered, packed, made and ate a full breakfast of 2 small poached eggs spinach smoked salmon dill and 4 slices of custy toasted bread for breakfast with a nudie juice, waged my dishes, filled my Contigo with hot water to make a Chai tea, checked out, stored my luggage then left with the Taiwanese student to wander around Katoomba - not much happens in Katoomba on a Sunday morning until 10 am. I showed the Taiwanese student where the Cultural Centre was and we stopped at the station and Trolley Bus Shoppe. There was a train load of tourist arriving at Katoomba Station for the perfect day trip.

I ummed and arred about whether or not to spend the day sight seeing or study at the Cultural Centre and library. I decided to spend the first 2 hours in the morning studying and having a look at the art gallery then maybe going to Echo Point and Leura around lunch time before heading back to Sydney on the 4.54 pm train back to Sydney. The City to Surf madness would be over by then and all roads reopened to traffic.

Slight change of plans. Sat on the steps outside the Cultural Centre until it opened at 10 am blogging. Then purchased a ticket to view the art gallery. This ticket also included entry to "Into The Blue -  Blue Mountains World Heritage" exhibition. Before entering the art gallery and spending some time in there,  I just had to take some photos from the viewing platform at the back of the Cultural Centre of the Blue Mountains and its surrounds. Quite a good venue for a social event or any type of event/conference with its large open outdoor rooftop area with seating and seminar rooms off to the sides.

I spent quite a bit of time in the art gallery then continued onto spend some time at the "Into The Blue - Blue Mountains World Heritage " exhibition. This interactive exhibition is great for rainy days as it showcases the Blue Mountains every changing environment in 3D on several surround sound screens including the ceiling all indoors. (Photos below). A feeling of being there without being there.

I visited the art gallery as I needed some inspiration for my creative coding course and found some. I attach some photos from a Polish artist Magda Wegrzyn who spent several months in The Blue Mountains for her art residency. My favourite was her soundless subtitled digital animation piece of work entitled "Eucalyptus Tree" a story about the early explorers of The Blue Mountains (photos  of her other works attached and hopefully I will upload to youtube in time)

There was another artist(s) exhibiting their work(s) in the art gallery however I was unsure if parts were missing or not as there were large blank spaces on some walls - names without works.

I then umm and arred about whether to take the local bus to Echo Point. I found out the library didn't actually open until 12 noon therefore I decided to take the public bus out to Echo Point. The bus was full but we didn't have to wait long for another one as the buses did a continuous loop between Katoomba town centre outside the Carrington, Echo Point and Scenic World.

When I arrived at Echo Point I did a quick walk along Prince Henry Cliffwalk past Kedumba View as far as Lady Darley Lookout and back. I thought about continuing down to Katoomba Cascades Falls and Kiosk or to Scenic World Skyway East Station  which was another 45 minutes one way or upto Katoomba Panaramic Drive 100 m up steep stairs but decided not to. A quick toliet break snack and look at Aboriginal art before hopping back on the bus back to Katoomba town centre. Back at the YHA studying continues with a hot cup of chai in my Contigo.

I managed to fast track my Cyber Security course by a week by the time my Taiwanese student acquaintence returned from her trolley bus "tourist" shuttle around the Blue Mountains. She only managed to get to Scenic World  Echo Point and The Cultural Centre viewing platform in the time I spent a few hours at Echo Point and via Scenic World on return to Katoomba town centre. I could have done the same stops as her for almost half the cost. I call it the "Cheapskate Chinese" way! (Im allowed to say that because I am Chinese). I paid nothing using my opal card reward trips to get to Echo Point and Scenic World - she paid $25! The most she should have paid was $2.50 unlimited using an opal card ticket on a Sunday!
We retrieved our luggage and walked all the way back uphill to Katoomba station in time to catch an earlier train departing at 4.18 pm or so back to Central Station Sydney. On the 2 hour or so train ride, which was full yet again of day tripping tourists, I continued with my Cyber Security course into the final week's module. Interrupted by a phone from work asking if I could cover for someone tomorrow - travelling in and out of black spots it was difficult to return the call that I missed. I think it took 3 or 4 attempts. These back spots also slowed my course progress as I was studying online.

Back in Sydney around 6.20 pm - no sign of City to Surf memorabilia.

In conclusion if there was an estimated 80000 - 90000 people in Sydney participating in the City to Surf - there was an equivalent number of people out and about in the Blue Mountains on Sunday escaping the City to Surf!