Most expensive G and T

"Three Sisters" in the Blue Mountains
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We landed in Sydney Australia and had only one night before heading out to Australia's famous Blue Mountains. Don’t worry, we’ll be back in Sydney to do all the tourist stuff. After a two hour train ride (Sydney has a wonderful train system), we arrived at our hotel in Katoomba. Pipka and I decided to do some hiking in the warm weather before retiring back to our room to shower off the accumulated salt from our sweat. We walked out to the famous "Three Sisters" which is a three spired, sandy like rock formation that are adjacent to each other.  In the background, the blue mountains provide an excellent backdrop with Grand Canyon style vistas.  After the warm hike, it was only appropriate to decide and buy the ingredients for a couple Gin and Tonics…this would be a costly mistake.

Red Parakeet, or some other technical name that I didn't remember
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We headed off to the grocery store only to find that they don’t sell booze, liquor, beer, or wine. “No worries”, as the Aussie’s would remind us. “There’s a liquor store across the street.” While Anne picked up some tonic at the grocery store, I would make my way to K-mart for some glass tumblers. Before I left, Anne and I surveyed the grocery store, only to find there were no limes. (how convenient that they sold some tonic with lime flavour, only at a dollar more) Meanwhile, I looked in K-mart for glass tumblers only to find that they were over priced and came in sets of six. I went back out to the parking lot and told Pipka of the situation, suggesting that we may try the hotel for glasses. Anne reminded me “no worries, just buy some plastic cups for our delicious, refreshing drinks.” I went back into K-mart, only to find no plastic cups of any sort. I asked one of the dishevelled seasonal employees where the plastic cups were, and she gave me directions: go down aisle two, take a right at shoes, take a left in stationary for a short ways, take a right in men’s, then go to the corner of the store to find a wall of plastic cups ready for my immediate purchase. Well, I got lost somewhere in women’s lingerie and never found the cups, but I did find an end cap stocked with non-disposable plastic cups, promised to be priced at 2.99. I checked out, 4.99 poorer, and went to the liquor store with Anne. It was at this time, that I wished K-mart the continued success for their complete and global conquest for bankruptcy. Off to the liquor store.

33 dollars for the 700 ml bottle of gin

Scenic train ride. More scary than anything.
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It was a matter of seconds that I found that Australia must pay astounding import taxes, or I was getting royally screwed (or both), for imported Gin from England. I coughed over the 33 dollars for the 700 ml bottle of gin, realizing that I was in too deep now to turn back. We returned to the room, found that they had a set of two glasses for our immediate use, and made our drinks.  While sipping the liquid gold, I thought of how it would have been cheaper to go to the local pub and drink until our legs didn't work anymore than to buy the necessary items for the Gin and Tonics.

Skyview tram that we took across the gorge. Glass bottom included.
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The Blue Mountains (so called for their eucalyptus trees that bleed and give a blue haze like view) were great. We saw exotic birds, a prehistoric looking lizard trampling through the groundfloor leaves, different types of gum trees that looked like they were pealed with a potato peeler, and other wildlife that made us feel in a remote, and unforgiving world. We did several hikes, with 800 zillion black flies, and covered a fair amount of ground for the two days we were there.  We ended the hikes by taking tramways across steep rutted gorges and a scenic train that is self proclaimed to be the steepest ride in the world.  (I don't believe this for a second as Valleyfair's Excalibur makes me wet myself everytime I go over the first hill) Both nights we ate at Renes Pizza, which I can recommend without any degree of hesitation. As a matter of fact, I will do a review for the same.

Well, off to Sydney for a promising four-day excursion.

bkh