Sydney and the Blue Mountains

I could tell Sydney is a beautiful city as the plane started its descent. It's called the Emerald City for a reason! Trees, green everywhere contrasting beautifully with red rooftops. And then there's the harbor and river and beaches. It's walkable and the public transportation is great (expensive, but great). Eccentric, electrifying neighborhoods (like Newtown), creamy soft beaches, coastal walks...Then there are the beautiful urban parks, one of which, Centennial Park, is larger than Central Park. No wonder so many Kiwis live here. I could very easily live here! And two hours by train to the west lies the Blue Mountains, and that in itself is a gem. I went hiking there today. I always need some nature time after city time. and Wow. I was very impressed by the ancient red canyons, sheer walls that dipped in with waterfalls and curtains of soft mist, hanging gardens...I admit I was a little more cautious in my walk than typical, with visions of poisonous snakes and deadly spiders and even crocodiles on my mind. I wasn't in Kansas...er,New Zealand...anymore. There hardly anything could hurt me, so I walked with that comfort and confidence in mind. Here there are a great number of things that could hurt me, as I learned in the Australian Museum...where they helpfully listed the ten most poisonous snakes in the world, nearly all of them living here, it seems. Even in today's paper that I read enroute to Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, there was a picture and article about the huge rise in numbers of this one spider in Sydney and Blue Mountains that's highly toxic - funnel something spider. Anyway, nothing happened to me beyond sore feet, speaking of which, I got a little shock when I looked down at my right foot at one point on the hike and saw that my toes were coated with blood...yes, blood. I thought maybe I got a leech on me and look around for it, but no. Turns out it was a small cut under a toe, but it continued bleeding profusely for a long while. weird that a small cut like that could result in so much blood. (1/20: I now know it had to have been a leech.)

Highlights of animal sightings (alas, no crocodiles) included two water snakes in a pool at the bottom of Wentworth Falls, lots of a creamy white parrot with a beautiful tuft on its head, and a spectacular red and purple parrot that I watched for a long while. It was feeding on a red blossom that resembled one from the Strawberry Tree back home...I wonder if that's an Aussie native. Of course, as soon as I decided I wanted a picture, it moved farther away. Oh, and a teeeeeny red spider with a black abdomen. I don't know if it was poisonous; I'm guessing yes.

My eyes are dancing with all the beauty and new visions - speaking if vision, did you know that a nail clipper in a first aid kit comes in awfully handy as a back-up mirror when you need to find where in your eye your contact lens is? I discovered this delightful tidbit today. I'm weary in a good sort of way and now I'll go back to the hostel to pack for a very early morning start tomorrow when I fly to Tasmania!