Remembering the three sisters

As I went through the pictures I stored in my PC, I came across the many snapshots Ana and I took during our trip to Australia in March 2004. One of the highlights of our Australian vacation was a trip to the Jenolan Caves and the Blue Mountains near Sydney. Being somewhat of an outdoors-type person, I enjoyed the day-long trip to see the well preserved cave complex in Jenolan and the forested slopes around it. I've seen my share of great outdoor vistas here in the Philippines and it sickens me to no end to see how many of them are being spoiled in the name of greed and incompetence.

The Jenolan Caves remined me of the rock formations in the Sohoton National Park which we vistied in April 2002 and the riverine caves of the St. Paul National Park in Palawan.

This is a shot of the Three Sisters (or that's what our guides told us they were). These were a series of unique rock formations rising above a nearby mountain range. The view from our vantage point was simply fabulous. I recall the chill mountain wind whipping around us as I took this shot. It was about 4:00 p.m. at the time I took this so the sun was beginning to set, leaving the rockface bathed in a warm, vibrant glow.

Here is a shot of Ana and myself near the edge of the viewing deck. The same Three Sisters are just about visible in the background. The mountain air, being very fresh and cool was invigorating. Good thing Ana decided to bring a windbreaker.

I've got a case of acrophobia which always tried to ditch but sadly, I guess I'll have to live with it for the time being. This shot was taken in the cablecar ride which brought us up to view the side of the mountains bordering the Jenolan Caves. I was impressed with how the locals practiced their forest conservation. I'm glad that their children will be able to enjoy the bounty of nature in their own backyard.

This is Ana with Taylor, the daughter of our gracious and kind guides Russell and Lisa Young. Lisa is Ana's friend from way back here in Manila. She met Russell during his stint at work here and they moved to Sydney where Russell hails from after they got married.

I'm certainly looking forward to the day we can go back and get to see the Three Sisters again. This time, Joshua will be coming along too.