Today was going to be an especially memorable day: we were going to the Blue Mountains. Since I can remember, mountains have always had a special allure to me. Having grown up in a reasonable flat area of the North West province in South Africa, anything that has the word 'mountain' attached to it, means a break in the monotonous flat horizon of rows and rows of maize. So when I first heard about the Blue Mountains, I got understandably excited.
The 2-hour train trip was reasonably uneventful, as one would hope such things to be when they're not the main attraction. We did, however, start to realise that we are really going to a popular tourist destination. Arriving in Katoomba confirmed this: the thing that you will see MOST of in the best tourist destinations, are in fact tourists themselves. They arrived by train, by bus, by any possible means of transport, to see the mystical Blue Mountains. (Which reminded me of an old Afrikaans song - 'Al lê die berge nog so blou'. Loosely translated as 'Even though the mountains lay in blue'...)
The moment I stepped off the train, I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed. Fresh mountain air, with a hint of eucalyptus on the nose, and open blue skies. A beautiful day. And a beautiful quaint town, which reminds me of somewhere, even though I've never quite experienced a similar place. Knysna in the mountains? A larger version of Hochsback? Kaapschehoop maybe - with the cool air and perched on an escarpment?
Whichever it may be, there was a welcome feeling of familiarity. Even in the forest walks just outside the town. Huge trees, mottled shadow, layers of leaves coating the forest floor, tree-ferns, moss, chirping of birds and insects... It was all there. Even down to a few pesky mosquitoes. The only thing that was missing, was a waterfall. Or lots of waterfalls - then it would be like the forests near Sabie and Graskop in Mpumalanga.
I was quite delighted then, to see a signpost on one of our walks, reading 'Katoomba Falls - 25 mins'. Yes! We followed the signs, still enchanted by the forest. The previous time we walked in a forest like this, our quick 15 minute walk became hours of being lost, and walking along cliff edges that still give me chills when I think about it. We mistook an animal track for a human one. (In hindsight that explained the unusual frequency of animal droppings along it...)
Not so on the pathways here. You can hardly doubt the nature of a 1m wide pathway - especially when large sections of it is clad in wood WITH a handrail! It is the difference between walking in a forest where marketing and a well-organised tourist industry plotted the points of human interaction, and walking in a forest surrounding a little village that can only be reached by car after a good number of hours on a winding single-lane road...
After the indicated 25 minutes of walking, lo and behold, there is another sign to the waterfalls, and some tourists pointing the way. Two minutes? I am surprised. Shouldn't we be hearing the falls by now? Yes, there is the bubbling of a stream close-by, but waterfalls.... thunder. They roar. They make their presence known. We walk a bit, see a little stream flowing over some rocks. Walk some more, see a slightly bigger stream falling over some rocks between the trees, and again and again. We walk a bit further.... the sound of water grows fainter. We turn back. Is that it? We look at each other. We look at the stream coming down between the trees. I point my phone in that direction. I aim. But I can't get myself to press the button. Even with my real camera I would probably need a 400mm lens to fill the picture with water rushing down.
We stared at the waterfall a bit more, then looked at each other. "The trees are really magnificent, you know." I nodded.
The 2-hour train trip was reasonably uneventful, as one would hope such things to be when they're not the main attraction. We did, however, start to realise that we are really going to a popular tourist destination. Arriving in Katoomba confirmed this: the thing that you will see MOST of in the best tourist destinations, are in fact tourists themselves. They arrived by train, by bus, by any possible means of transport, to see the mystical Blue Mountains. (Which reminded me of an old Afrikaans song - 'Al lê die berge nog so blou'. Loosely translated as 'Even though the mountains lay in blue'...)
The moment I stepped off the train, I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed. Fresh mountain air, with a hint of eucalyptus on the nose, and open blue skies. A beautiful day. And a beautiful quaint town, which reminds me of somewhere, even though I've never quite experienced a similar place. Knysna in the mountains? A larger version of Hochsback? Kaapschehoop maybe - with the cool air and perched on an escarpment?
Whichever it may be, there was a welcome feeling of familiarity. Even in the forest walks just outside the town. Huge trees, mottled shadow, layers of leaves coating the forest floor, tree-ferns, moss, chirping of birds and insects... It was all there. Even down to a few pesky mosquitoes. The only thing that was missing, was a waterfall. Or lots of waterfalls - then it would be like the forests near Sabie and Graskop in Mpumalanga.
I was quite delighted then, to see a signpost on one of our walks, reading 'Katoomba Falls - 25 mins'. Yes! We followed the signs, still enchanted by the forest. The previous time we walked in a forest like this, our quick 15 minute walk became hours of being lost, and walking along cliff edges that still give me chills when I think about it. We mistook an animal track for a human one. (In hindsight that explained the unusual frequency of animal droppings along it...)
Not so on the pathways here. You can hardly doubt the nature of a 1m wide pathway - especially when large sections of it is clad in wood WITH a handrail! It is the difference between walking in a forest where marketing and a well-organised tourist industry plotted the points of human interaction, and walking in a forest surrounding a little village that can only be reached by car after a good number of hours on a winding single-lane road...
After the indicated 25 minutes of walking, lo and behold, there is another sign to the waterfalls, and some tourists pointing the way. Two minutes? I am surprised. Shouldn't we be hearing the falls by now? Yes, there is the bubbling of a stream close-by, but waterfalls.... thunder. They roar. They make their presence known. We walk a bit, see a little stream flowing over some rocks. Walk some more, see a slightly bigger stream falling over some rocks between the trees, and again and again. We walk a bit further.... the sound of water grows fainter. We turn back. Is that it? We look at each other. We look at the stream coming down between the trees. I point my phone in that direction. I aim. But I can't get myself to press the button. Even with my real camera I would probably need a 400mm lens to fill the picture with water rushing down.
We stared at the waterfall a bit more, then looked at each other. "The trees are really magnificent, you know." I nodded.
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| Walking through forest in the Blue Mountains |
Later, we learned that the Blue Mountains are indeed host to many waterfalls. I am still not convinced we saw the right one. Maybe we should have just walked another 10 minutes. Maybe it was just not the right time of year. If you go to Vic Falls 'in season', you see The Smoke that Thunders. In dry season, you see lots of cliff and a bit of water.
One day, I will go back to the Blue Mountains. And then I will know...
Welcome to Australia, Elizabeth! I saw your posts on Google+ I did not realise you had emigrated. Yes, it's a noteworthy experience: wonderful on the one hand but it can also be extremely stressful. I started a blog before I left Cape Town to document my reasons for leaving but also to remind myself just in case it got so tough that I would consider going back, as some people have. Check it out on http://yamiemi.blogspot.com Start reading from the bottom (first entry) (btw, there is no going back!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stefan!
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