By train was the easiest way to get to there. At the train station I went in to the ladies room. The toilets had blue light bulbs above them, giving a psychedelic glow and I was curious as to why blue light bulbs were used. Was it to keep away some type of bug?
An old lady on my way out said, "Oh, I think they made a mistake and used the wrong light bulbs."
That answer didn't satisfy me, so I asked a woman at the ticket booth.
She told me, "The blue lightbulbs are to keep the heroin addicts out of the bathroom stalls. With the blue lights they can't see their veins." What a smart idea. The government here is addressing problems such as this. In some pubic restrooms are bins for needles. Instead of pretending the problem doesn't exist, they are attempting to deal with it.
A two-hour train ride took us to Katoomba, which is an aboriginal word meaning "tumbling waters." It's a small mountain town (pop.?- more info)with a main strip of shops and restaurants. Wanting peace and quiet, we stayed a few miles out of town at the Phoenix Lodge, a two-story log cabin house with a fireplace and hot tub. The owner greeted us on arrival and showed us around.
"The kitchen is yours to use. Here's the coffee and tea and you're welcome to store beverages in the refrigerator," he said, as if he were welcoming us into his home. Our room was the largest, with a Jacuzzi tub and fireplace. Birds, wildlife and trees flourished. A relaxing change from the city.
A hike to Minihaha (american indian, why this name?) waterfall was on our schedule for the first day. Our first bushwalk! Minihaha means laughing creek. Hiking for a half hour, we arrived at a pristine waterfall. Along the trail we spotted a kookaburra (a famous Australian bird). No wombats though, since they are nocturnal, leaving the borrows to graze after dusk. wombats seem to be a creature loved by Australians. Many children's books have wombats as characters. And road signs in the country warn 'wombats', to protect them from being hit by cars.
