Woke up at 4:00 a.m. couldn’t figure out why and couldn’t go back to sleep. Ugh. So I got up and in the handicapped shower --- it had a tray at the bottom that caught the water from going into the bathroom.
Checked out of the lovely Salamanca Inn (without time to grab breakfast). Interesting signs on the way to the airport.
At the Hobart airport for my LAST Jetstar flight :) yeah - out of the air for at least 10 days. This was a small airport, rental car / hire car return was clearly marked. I called and got the return date changed but for some reason they still had yesterday on it. See my packing at the end of my plane backpacking, this is all I had. Now I can buy stuff to take home to friends and family.
The Hobart Security checked me for bombs (I think this is the third time this happened), the man joked with me and said I looked dangerous. I said that was tired not dangerous as it was so early. Again no bomb residue, duh?
In the gate area (all 4 of them), I had a fruit salad and watched McHale’s Navy and the NBC Today show (interesting what is played on the TV here -- more on that later - Jersey Shore is about to invade - hate it for them).
They loaded the plane from the tarmac - front and back - I got in on the back and had to make it to the middle. Luckily I sat beside a nice family - a Tassie man and his British wife and their 8 month old baby. He is an engineer who builds windmills for wind farms. He said they were setting them up in the English Channel now too. Interesting job. The cute little red headed baby was GREAT on the plane, not a peep (did they drug him?). They were headed back to the UK after a few days in Sydney with friends. He only comes home once a year.
Beside us when we were settling in, I saw a funny very site -- two Italian stallions. They actually turned out to be Greek owners of a restaurant in Hobart. One was so metro it bordered on stereotypical. I couldn’t get a photo, but here is my best description -- slicked back black hair, 5 o’clock shadow, blue and white checked jacket, tight whitewashed jeans, black skintight short sleeve t-shirt with buttons on the front, a tattoo on his right arm, and a few nice gold chains around his neck. To top it off, he and his buddies were arriving in Sydney at 11:30 (if we were on time, yeah right, that’s gonna happen) and they had a wedding at 2 across town -- good planner. To top it off, he ordered a “cuppa noodles”, who eats that on a plane? But they had it in their cache of goodies. If he had just had a Gucci man purse...... Why couldn’t I get to my iphone camera? Note to self, keep it on me from now on.
At the airport, no problem getting my new hire car - my first Holden, a Barina (looks just like the Getz but it’s a GM instead), bright electric blue. Didn’t get a GPS but they did give me a map book about the size of the one from Perth, hum I see a trend here.
Now to brave Sydney traffic and get out of town to the Blue Mountains. The weather is amazingly beautiful and the traffic was not as bad as I thought it would be.
The road was a four lane fast highway almost the whole way to Katoomba. But about 20 kms out, it became a two lane and there was major construction. Got to the large town of Katoomba and got lost down a no through street, what? Found the Carrington Hotel and a front row parking space. Dragged all my luggage up the stairs (I will be repacking so I only have to carry a small bag out every night, yippee).
This is a "Hoon" car down here aka known as a thug car they drag race. But so far I haven't seen but one set of baggy britches.
After checking in I got in a 1904 elevator and went to the third floor, room 61. I had reserved a room with a view, and got a view just not of the correct side. The room was nice and big but there was a nasty old time bedspread and a lovely oscillating fan (hint, no a/c and the sun had been beating in all day long). The bathroom was up some stairs and had no “shower” other than a shower head in a huge spa/garden size tub (yeah, my mother’s daughter is going to get in a hotel tub, only my friend DD would do that).
Not a bad room, but for what you pay, hum?? There was decent wi-fi internet (so that made up for the tired room and the few TV channels).
Went down the grand staircase, to the main road. Met a woman at the bus stop who pointed me in the direction of the trolley station for me to get my trip sorted out. I stopped at the Savoy Restaurant first -- everything was very art deco. Even my waitress was decked out in a vintage patterned shirt and a flower too, with cat eyes glasses. Had a very restorative cheeseburger, fries and chocolate milkshake (my first in a very long time -- it’s more milk than ice cream, I could show these Aussies how to make a real ice cream milk shake, just give me some Bluebell to start with). Outside there were lots of hippies sitting outside the restaurant. And an Asian couple came in and met up with 2 Italian looking men, from how they started the conversation, I thought I was in NYC and they were setting up a hit. It was only a meeting about getting work done on their home, nosy me.
Wandered down to the train station, and Katie and Toni helped me out, an all day trolley ticket for tomorrow with the Scenic World transportation and then a pass to the Jenolan Caves for Monday. I guess I won’t get back until at least 3, I guess. What to do for the rest of the week? day? I wandered down the main street, lots of book shops, junk shops, and clothing resale shops. I controlled myself and didn’t even go in (maybe I went in a few, but I didn’t buy anything). They had street musicians out too, but what is up with this crew?
I did research and finished planning my trip (wherever the wind blows me, right?). I am tired of driving 5 hours here or there. I am staying about 3 hours outside of Sydney, there has to be something to see in the Hunter Valley.
Repacked my bag and turned in early, I plan on leaving Monday afternoon after I get back, don’t really want to stay in this hotel anymore.
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