Excess Baggage, and We Were Just Leaving

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Can you beat that? I am leaving for Sydney with my nephew who is migrating to Australia. Thought it would be sweet to travel with him and bid our farewells there. I chose not to bring a lot of stuff as I know he would need my baggage allowance for all the stuff he wanted to bring. And he wanted to bring so much! We were asked to shell out as much as US $400 for the excess baggage. I looked at my nephew and he did not look like he was about to part with some of his books and CDs. We stepped out of line and rearranged our baggage, handcarrying some of the books (dear me....) and tried again. We settled on the additional fee of US $200. And I told my nephew I'd take it out of what I intended to give him as parting gift!

We Are Finally Flying!

By the time we got settled in our seats, my arms were sore. I never handcarried anything as heavy. And I did not bring my roller bag! It was a gruelling 7 hour plane ride to Sydney. Sore arms and all, I thankfully slept through the flight. I felt refreshed and cheerful once more when we arrived in Sydney. But not for long. I had to tune my ears to what the guy in front of me was saying. Oh sure, it was english alright. But why was I not understanding a word he was saying? Groggy from the 7 hour flight, I strained to hear and understand every single word that was said. I looked at my nephew, and knew he was in the same predicament. At least I knew I would be here just for a few weeks. My nephew had to deal with this OZ accent from hereon. Somehow, my facial expressions ranged from 'what were you saying?' to 'i'm totally clueless'. There were Americans in the next line, and we sensed we shared the same problem. And English is their first language!





In no time, we were whisked out of the airport into a car driven by another nephew. Half an hour's drive and we reached the apartment where we were promptly served our welcome breakfast. Over cups of coffee and buttered toasts, we planned our next few days. Weekdays in Sydney , weekends in Katoomba. I decided to spend my first day in the apartment , hoping to just chill out in the park in front of the apartment.





The following day was much better. Felt refreshed after a good night's sleep. I must have snored the whole night. I was so tired I only managed to go for a quick shower and some flossing, and brushing, and that's it. Off to bed. I was rewarded with renewed energy the next morning. Enough energy to meet up with my brother-in-law's brother who gave us a tour of Sydney. Just the usual. Opera House. Harbour Bridge. The Botanical Garden. Darling Harbour. The whole caboodle made it to the train station , grabbed our tickets, off to the Opera House and the rest of the sites. It's like we crammed all the tourist sites in one day! I thought then that my nephew and niece must be real busy and couldn't afford another day out in the city. Well, it shouldn't be too difficult to get around. With a good map, and a day pass, I should be able to go off where I wish.

Weekend In Katoomba

Weekend was spent in Katoomba, home of the blue mountains. This one was a pleasant surprise. Just when everybody back home said there is nothing to see in Australia, I find myself admiring the beauty of katoomba. Very raw. A real nature treat. I like the idea that the locals lobbied against any food chain setting up shop anywhere in Katoomba. No McDonalds No KFC No Burger King. Great. But the house where we were to stay for the weekend is about a half hour walk from the train station. And I mean half hour of brisk walking. With my weekend bag in tow, I had to walk in step with my much younger nephews and niece towards our house for the weekend. Homer very kindly let us stay in his house while he's away for the weekend. By the time we got there I was out of breath! Gosh I never walked that fast in a long long time. It took a while to catch my breath, and get back my bearings. All's well. It was a fine excuse not to prepare dinner. My niece and nephews took care of that.





The next morning, I woke up to the chirping of some birds. I looked out of the window to find as many as 5 birds (sorry, i don't know what birds they are) around the backyard. What a wonderful sight! And it is so blissfully quiet and tranquil here in Katoomba. Come to think of it, the only sound I must have heard stepping out of the train station for the hike to this house must be my own heartbeat! The serenity is so soothing. It must be worth so many vitamins and supplement pills ! By the time we were done with breakfast and ready to explore, I was in good spirits. We reached the town center where we found many art galleries, quaint cafes, small handicraft stores, and a bookstore. I stepped into a small, quaint-looking bookstore and found myself enthralled by the music flowing from somewhere inside. The owner of the bookstore had his grand piano installed somewhere inside the bookstore and played for the entertainment of all those browsing through their rare selection of hardbound books. I can stay here all day! This is one afternoon I won't forget.

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Comments

[Hunter Valley Accommodation]

Great!
What a great read - thanks for taking the time to share the article. Us at Hunter Valley Accommodation will hopefully be able to incorporate some of that into our pub.