Pretty soon I got to Katoomba. And here I already noticed that my fever was now at a mich more manageable level and my forehead wasn’t hot anymore. Well, being exposed to the chilly winter might’ve helped. I downed half of the Gatorade I brought with me (it remained cold while in the bag) and disembarked the train.
I looked first for the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus booth/store, and it was still closed. So I went towards Katoomba Street looking for breakfast. It was 7am, and the street was clearly still waking up and haven’t set up fully yet. But I didn’t lose hope and kept walking downtown looking for one that’s at least selling something I can eat. Eventually I found one – a pastry shop called Buttery, and it had some of the things I wanted to try. And best of all, they were opened half an hour before I arrived, so most of the items were freshly baked. Mmm hhmmm, I thought I might pig out here. I ordered to go one each of the “steak and curry” and “steak and mushroom” pies, and one apricot-topped puff pastry, plus a cup of coffee with milk. I only ordered three things after seeing the size of those pies. Gutbuster and a half. I walked back toward the train station again as I spotted some roadside tables to sit on earlier.
For the two pies, they were both very good but I heavily – and enthusiastically – recommend the one with curry. The filling is rich, and one will need something of a noticeable flavor to cut through that, and curry definitely hit the spot. The pies were hot to the touch, but in that chilly winter morning outside, the heat’s scalding effect was neutralized. It was like I was eating very warm pies instead. I couldn’t recommend the same level of enthusiasm about the one with mushroom though. It tasted good on its own too. But like the previous pie, it’s rich on the taste but with mushroom being too compatible with the beef filling, after three bites, my tongue was tired. If only there was tabasco or specks of chili flakes that can awaken my tastebuds, that pie would’ve been miles better. The pies took six or seven bites to eat, and I struggled to eat the last two bites of the mushroom pie. The apricot pastry was great, real fruit on top of well-made and well-baked puff pastry, just the right hit of sweetness, and after the mushroom pie issue, it definitely put a brighter end to my second breakfast. Sips of the hot coffee also helped brighten the mood on that chilly morning.
Also, I noticed that Sydney (and by extension, Katoomba) had some really fancy street birds. Singapore has mynahs, crows, hobo pigeons, and quail birds. Sydney has definitely the fancier street birds. There’s parrots, birds with long blue feathers, birds with thick feathers, and some I don’t know of but had these thick silver-and-black feathers and had really long beaks.
Soon, it was 8.30am and I spotted across the street that a lady has unlocked the Blue Mountains Explorer Bus office and occupied the main counter, so off I went inside to redeem my online voucher. What I got was a decent brochure that essentially acted as my pass to the bus and Scenic World (the lady wrote in a number near the top of the first page, something like an ID).
While waiting for their bus to come at the designated point, I did some people observing there while sitting on a roadside bench (30 minutes to kill anyway). And I noted that the locals here are used to the cold weather so much that some are emboldened to wear for convenience than for comfort. Sure, most of them still wore the layers and coats and scarves and beanies, but a select few were just of the fuck-it variety. I saw one walk the streets in just a t-shirt, outdoor cargo shorts and crocs. One dude walked a few blocks in just casualwear and flipflops. Also, are office formalwears insulated in Sydney? Yesterday I saw a lot of men wearing formalwear and nary a padded coat on them. Maybe just a local thing to get used to the two extremes.
At 9.15am, a double-deck HOHO bus of theirs parked in front of The Magician Cafe, and only two people got in for the first ride of the day – me and a young blonde lady from Montana. The bus driver also served as the tour guide (with a mic). Can’t remember his name but he had a cheery way of talking with a voice straight out of a daytime radio DJ. The blonde lady got off at the Honeymoon Lookout. And soon enough, the bus got me to Echo Point.
Whilst here, I had to also keep in mind my planned schedule for the day. The HOHO bus dropped me off at Echo Point at 9.25am, and the next bus comes by at 9.55am, that meant I had 30 minutes to enjoy the views. So I did just that, and made a beeline for the main viewing decks. I had to make the most of it, so I started snapping away. Thankfully I also brought a selfie stick, so I was able to take some vantage views. Lots of pictures here.
I was worried that the weather might fuck up the views – I saw some travel bloggers come before and be unfortunately hit by weather conditions that made clear views at Echo Point be unsuitably bad. But no, the day was perfectly sunny and warm (well, not that much warm, it’s still winter). Picturesque day all in all. Got in lots of pictures and videos as well.
At the 9.45am mark, I had my fill of the fresh air and stunning views. I made my way to the souvenir shop nearby to see what they offer… however, Number 2 came calling. Had to make a deposit, as I fear this thing comes with gas and of I held it in, it might come out later as an uncontrollable release. The toilets were out in front a few steps away from the souvenir shop, so I hurried to do the damned thing. Bowl’s metallic, and the winter made it worse.
I managed to do the deed by 9.54am, just enough to run to the bus stop and wait a bit for the HOHO bus. The bus came exactly on time (whew) and only a few passengers again this stop – me and a family trio of whom I assumed were of Indian descent given their accent and complexion.
Time to go for the main event.
Briathrail // Albert 2MNG 
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