Our last day in Sydney concluded with us having breakfast and leaving right after. Even though our bus was late due to heavy traffic, our drive to the first of two stops on our way to Katoomba, where we were planning to stay overnight, went by without any upsets. The first walk we did lead us through an almost jungle-like area in which our objective was to keep our shoes relatively clean and to enjoy the view into the valley and the four advertised waterfalls. Sadly the views were obstructed by fog and the „walkways“ had turned into mud already. Despite all that we still got to enjoy the beauty of all four of the waterfalls that were spread along the way. Something that would come back to bite us later… literally.
After another short ride by bus we got to our second stop. This time we had a true challenge in front of us. Six kilometers of hiking and thousands of stairs leading through as good as untouched nature whilst the rain was pouring. But before we had even started something unexpected happened.
Four members of our travel group had been bitten by leeches earlier and they just now noticed. After we got rid of those parasites and made sure no one else was infected we finally started our journey through the valley. The physical challenges were worth it compared to the experience and impressive landscapes and after around two and a half hours and a lot of sweat we finally drove back to our hostel. After our arrival we were allowed to take a short break. Many students went to the local Aldi. The day concluded with some delicious curry and melon for dinner and with a feeling of excitement to finally meet our exchange students again Tomorrow.
