We had run the stand fan all night (and slept through it!) and it seemed relatively cold by comparison with last night. The ever trusty phone said it was 28C at 8:30am. Helen's had a text from her Mum -- not in itself a big thing, they must converse three times a day -- that said the dive computers were stuck in customs. A phone call to extract our importation of half-price electronics has to be a good excuse for a coffee so we picked a coffee shop -- probably the only one [in town] not to do breakfast -- and settled in the corner. Ten minutes later a frustrated and bemused Helen announced that FedEx were charging AU$120 tax and AU$50 for what appeared to be the privilige of talking to them. Still we estimate we've only paid at worst 65% of the cost of buying them locally. We were going to see the [local] boomerang man but he only teaches you how to throw them, not how to make them. How dull.
We set off for Katoomba in the heart of the Blue Mountains. Blisteringly hot again, the air con is working overtime. The road from Dubbo is lined with farms, we're obviously back into civilisation. We took a run up to the Mt. Arthur lookout near Wellington or what we thought was it to take a look over the mist which we suspected was smog from the bush fires. You can't tell from halfway up a hill where it was sunny and hot. A little way outside Wellington we stopped at the Caves, fooling ourselves that it might be a cheap detour. Like somewhere else whose name I forget they were charging a lot of money (AU$12) per cave. Not likely, especially when you look at their promotional material. Hey, it's just a cave! We did a quick run round their (free admission!) Japanese Garden, funded by their sister Japanese town. It was pretty enough but too damn hot to be away from the air conditioning. Back in the car, pronto.
Down the road to Orange where we stopped for lunch at Cafe Latte. Helen had a hair in her orange juice (wrapped around the straw) and had it replaced. I had one embedded in my food but just put it to the side. On paying, we were asked, as a matter of form: how was it? Too many head hairs for our liking
I replied but it went straight past without being acknowledged. I must learn to use my consumer power to better effect than just handing over my cash.
The smog comes and goes as we travel east. As we start ascending into the Blue Mountains it looks a bit more like cloud and then spots on the windscreen confirm it. I'm sure it was smog previously. In fact it gets so thick it's more like blanket fog at which point you realise that cars over here don't have fog lights. Recalling the tragic events at Alvechurch I slow right down to a safe speed and notice the build up of traffic behind me. For some reason I'm grateful road works and school zones officially slow me down to 40kmh, it's like I'm guilty of holding these people back. Towns, buildings and zebra crossings loom out of the mist, sometimes you realise the road runs along a ridge. Today's view is a bit plain.
Katoomba YHA is good and we're in an en-suite again (AU$70). The woman on reception says the mist came in this morning, it was hot yesterday. I'm thinking they could do with some of the water content in the bush fire areas where the radio is reporting all sorts of post fire horrors: a kid deliberately starting fires; 25% of the 400 destroyed homes uninsured; political mud pies being thrown about -- complaints about too much national parkland being declared (for the number of park staff) and complaints that Aborigines are legally allowed open fires during total fire bans.
We pop into the nth cafe in the row tempted by the scones and coffee offer. Some confusion at the counter and we had something resembling our order. Sadly none of it resembled delicious food and drink. By the way the proprietor waved his hands around camply (recalling his £5 taxi journey from London to Bucks. and the 30p return train journey -- this was some years back) and the sketches of the backs of naked male torsos I guessed he wasn't being entirely straight.
We went to the far end of town and into another cafe to continue our journals over another coffee and this one has a resident drag artist [and decent coffee]. I should think there are some queer goings on in town. There are three or four antique and [secondhand] book shops in town and the place seems to be packed with travellers, from the more urbane with broadrimmed hats and cargo shorts [me! me!] to the stereotypical backpacker sporting the latest in grunge. You get the impression they've been imprisoned in town by the weather.
Katoomba YHA S33.71833 E150.31081 Elev. 1009m -- I'm working on a new theory that the altimeter takes 5 or 10 minutes to settle down, it started [today] at 982m. [Normally, it gets 2 minutes.]
We skipped dinner this evening an apathy/not hungry/too fat already combination and shared a superthin chocolate bar which explains why it was so cheap in the vending machine. Naturally, a man of my talents paid double, not noticing the first slot had lost its bar.
Copyright 2003 Ian Fitchet. All rights reserved.