Had to wake up at 6:30am to get breakfast at 715am and catch a train an hour later. We travelled about 100km west of Sydney to Katoomba. From the station, some very nice gentlemen picked us up and we went to a national park in the blue Mountains. We embarked on an "easy" hike. Yeah, easy for the tour guide because HE has done it a billion times. My quads have been killing me since then. Our group- 9 of us- went with our guide, Tim, who was absolutely great. We stopped occasionally to observe different species of plants and animals. There was a mix of rainforest, swamp, sandstone. So many amazing facts that I learned and wish I could remember all to tell you: fire actually increases wildlife regrowth in Australia. The oils in the leaves of the prominent trees are so volatile that fire can move at speeds of 35mph. Therefore, only the greenery singes and the bark/trees remain and full forests can be regrown in 4-12 months. While australia has the top 5 most venomous snakes, only 1 person average dies per year because the country is well prepared and most of the dangerous animals are passive. The dissected plateau was made of sand and clay from Central Australia as well as Antarctica. My ankle rolled a good three times while I was jumping from rock to rock and over puddles, through mud ankle deep (need to balance on stepping stones...and everyone who knows me knows my ability to balance is severely hindered). We stopped to have lunch in a cave and I finally relaxed after my ever increasing labored breathing. We had sandwiches (lemon herb chicken with red and green capsicum *thewordforpeppers*, sundried tomato, artichoke and potato salad. A weird combination, with a few things I don't like, but it was good. We packed up and walked over to a waterfall. The two hour train ride back I spent listening to stories and chatting with the group. Kyra, Lindsey, our two new friends Steph and Sam, and I walked to the marketplace mall and ate at a portuguese restaurant named Nandos. I had a chicken wrap with fries.

The hostel has an entertainment area with a bar down below called Scubar. Lindsey and I went and met up with some people and had drinks. The first drink I had was called a Ducky Fuzz (Midori, Malibu Rum, Banana Liqouer, Pineapple and Orange Juice) and the other was called Fubar (Bacardi, Malibu, Blue Caracao, Sprite and Lemonade. Everyone is very chill and from what I can tell we will be journeying many a time with them in the future.