[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 25 June 2017]

 

Day 3: 10 March 2017, Friday

After the chilly weather we had yesterday, it was nice to wake up to blue skies today. We were banking on good weather this morning because we wanted to make a trip to see the Three Sisters before heading back to the city. IJ was considering giving the Three Sisters a miss but I said it would be preposterous to do so! Going to Blue Mountains and not seeing the Three Sisters would be like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower. Luckily, the weather was on our side today.

At 8:30am, we set off from our hostel and walked to Echo Point, which is the lookout offering a view to the Three Sisters. According to Google Maps, the distance is about 2.8km and the walk would take around 35 minutes. In the end, we took around 45 minutes to get there, partly because we were admiring the nice houses along the way and partly because KH was feeling the after effects of yesterday’s trek, so we walked at a slightly slower pace.

When we arrived at about 9:20am, there were not many people yet. Most tourists make a day trip to the Blue Mountains from Sydney, and the train ride from the city takes two hours, so they will usually arrive after 10am. We were blessed by really fine weather today and we had a great view of the Three Sisters and the surrounding Jamison Valley.

The Three Sisters are a sandstone rock formation comprising three rock towers and their names are Meehni (922m), Wimiah (918m) and Gunnedoo (906m). Legend has it that they were three sisters who were turned to stone by a witchdoctor, who wanted to protect them when a battle broke out after the sisters had fallen in love with three men from another tribe but their marriage was forbidden due to tribal law. Unfortunately, the witchdoctor himself was killed during battle, so no one could reverse the spell and the sisters remained in their rock form.

As rock formations, the Three Sisters are not really spectacular by themselves. I think their beauty comes from the surrounding scenery, taken as a whole. I haven’t been to the Twelve Apostles in Melbourne but I have seen pictures of them and I imagine they are quite similar. The Three Sisters are just three rock towers but they stand out here because of their shapes, in comparison with the surrounding area. So while I won’t say they are breathtakingly beautiful, I would still say they are worth a visit.

From Echo Point, you can visit Katoomba Falls and the Giant Stairway. Katoomba Falls is a waterfall while Giant Stairway is a series of more than 800 steel and stone steps leading to the valley floor, where you can follow the 2.4km boardwalk on the Scenic Walkway and walk through ancient rainforest. If you’re too tired or lazy to climb back up again, you can take the Scenic Railway up. As we were short of time, we didn’t go for either, but we did walk on Honeymoon Bridge.

Honeymoon Bridge is about 400m from the Echo Point lookout area and you’ll need to descend some steep steps to get there. The bridge itself is only about 10m long and it connects to Meehni, the nearest of the Three Sisters. Once across the bridge, you can rest at one of the two benches there. The rest area is tiny and can fit no more than 10 people. We were lucky there was no one else there when we visited so we had the bridge and the benches to ourselves. We didn’t spend too much time there and U-turned back shortly after. The climb back up to Echo Point was a bit tiring because of the steep steps and upslope. However, Honeymoon Bridge is well worth the effort because you can get really up close with one of the Three Sisters and the view is great.

After a quick visit to the gift shop at Echo Point, we took a taxi back to Flying Fox, which cost us A$10. At about 10:40am, we checked out of the hostel and made our way to Katoomba station to catch the 11:14am train to Sydney.

Upon reaching Central station at 1:14pm, we finally bought an Opal card each and topped up A$10 worth of value in the card. Using the Opal card was cheaper than buying single-trip tickets. Our Airbnb apartment was located in Glebe so we could either take a bus or take the Light Rail to get there. I was thinking of taking the bus, but as soon as we exited Central station, we saw the Light Rail train parked there so we hopped on it immediately. We took the red Dulwich Hill Line and alighted at Glebe station 10 stops away. The ride took about 20 minutes so it was rather convenient.

After getting off at Glebe, we walked for another 15 minutes to reach our Airbnb apartment, which was located at Norton Street, along Glebe Point Road. KH had booked the apartment and it was gorgeous! It had two storeys and two bedrooms, with a large outdoor balcony and even an underground garage directly connected to the apartment. It was huge and super nice. It was pricier than staying at a hostel but cheaper than staying at a hotel, and for an apartment of this size and location, I would say it was a good deal. All thanks to KH who scouted for this wonderful Airbnb apartment!

Glebe Airbnb apartment
Address: 4/30 Norton Street, Glebe, NSW 2037
Cost: S$523 for 2 nights for 3 pax / S$87.20 per person per night

We took our time to settle down, shower and get some rest before heading out again. We didn’t have much planned today because the main activity of the day was the Adele concert, which would be held at ANZ Stadium, at the Sydney Olympic Park. The stadium was built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics so it is relatively new.

I have actually been to ANZ Stadium before, when I watched U2’s massive 360 Tour in 2010. For Adele’s show, she would be performing in the round, meaning, her 360-degree circular stage is right in the middle, so fans can see her from all corners of the stadium. This allows her to maximise the capacity and ticket sales. She would be performing not one, but two nights at the venue, and needless to say, she sold out both nights. That’s 190,000 tickets sold. Phenomenal.

But first, we needed to have dinner. IJ and KH were cracking their heads over where to take me for dinner because they wanted to treat me to a birthday meal. I finally spared them of their misery after I did some research online and found a place that was near our hostel and seemed right up my alley. It was called The Record Crate, located at 34 Glebe Point Road, just 5 minutes walk away.

The Record Crate is a bar/live venue/record store and it touts itself as rock n roll in the heart of Glebe, where DJs and live acts perform here occasionally. It is a hipster place where the cool people hang out. When we visited at about 4:45pm, there were no music acts but the restaurant was pretty much filled with locals enjoying a beer to celebrate the end of the work week. I browsed through the selection of records on sale but I didn’t manage to unearth any gems. We ordered a pasta each, which came in a bowl instead of a plate, and the serving was way too much for our Asian stomachs. The food was so-so because it was more of a bar than a proper restaurant, but the ambience was nice and I wouldn’t mind visiting again to catch some live band performing and maybe have a pint to go along. Thanks for the dinner treat, IJ and KH!

At about 5:30pm, we left The Record Crate and walked for 20 minutes to Redfern station to catch the train to Sydney Olympic Park. We were supposed to take the yellow T1 line or green T2 line to Lidcombe, and then change to the T7 line to Olympic Park. In normal times, it would take only around half an hour to get there. However, when we reached Redfern, the train platforms were full and the crowd had spilled onto the station entrance area. A staff member who was managing the crowds suggested taking the orange T3 line as an alternative route to Lidcombe.

At that moment, I was getting quite anxious about being late for the concert (which was supposed to start at 7:30pm), so I decided to follow the staff member’s suggestion. IJ tried to tell me that the alternative route was much longer and it might be better if we continued waiting for the T1 or T2 line. But I insisted on taking the T3 line because I thought it was better to be moving rather than to be stuck at Redfern station for dunno how long.

As it turned out, it was the wrong decision as many other people also diverted to the T3 line and the ride took much longer than expected. When we finally reached Lidcombe station, it was already 7:05pm and there was also a long queue to get on the T7 train. We finally got on board the train at 7:20pm and reached Olympic Park at 7:32pm. Once we exited the station, we ran towards ANZ Stadium. We stopped by the merchandise booth for about 5 minutes to grab some merch.

While queuing, one of the staff said that the show was going to start any minute, and asked us to hurry and enter the stadium. We panicked and quickly grabbed some merchandise, then sprinted all the way to the entrance gates. After the security check, we ran all the way up to the stands. Our seats were way up because they were the cheapest category, remember? By the time we took our seats at 7:45pm, we were literally out of breath, panting away and perspiring. What a mad rush to watch a concert!

Maybe Adele was privy to the huge crowd that was still making its way to the stadium, so she delayed the start of her show. We ended up having more than enough time to rest and catch our breaths, so we could actually have strolled our way into the stadium instead! Nevertheless, it was Adele and I could never have forgiven myself if I had missed any part of the concert because I was late.

Despite our seats being way up, it didn’t feel like we were too far away from the stage. Maybe it was because the stage was in the middle of the stadium so it was generally the same distance away wherever you are seated. Though technically, the stadium is oval-shaped so yes, those people sitting at the ends would be further away than those at the centre. But it still felt intimate enough, compared to the last time I watched U2 here, which felt really distant. The 95,000 seats began to be filled as the minutes trickled by. It was a seriously impressive sight. I have never been part of a larger audience before.

At 8:15pm, the lights dimmed and the crowd went into a frenzy. Throughout the past 45 minutes, the LED screen displayed Adele’s closed eyes, like she was sleeping. Now, as the strains of Hello started playing, Adele’s eyes began to open and blink, and the LED slowly rose to reveal the circular stage beneath. And then, Adele appeared. When she sang the first line of Hello, her voice reverberated around the stadium, sending shivers down my spine. I wanted to pinch myself. I couldn’t believe this was really happening. I’m really watching Adele live in concert!

For such a large stadium and audience, the sound system was really good. Adele’s voice was clear and the music was well balanced. I was not expecting the sound system to be that good because of past experience at our Singapore National Stadium, and also because of our cheap tickets. So I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. That really made the whole concert experience even better.

In true Adele style, she was full of banter in between songs and was self-deprecating, never afraid to make fun of herself. I loved that she had no airs and remained true to her good old self despite the huge success she has had. She acknowledged that it was beyond her wildest dreams to be playing for 190,000 people over two nights in such a massive stadium in Sydney. To show her appreciation for the fans in the nosebleed seats, she had hidden a handwritten letter under one of the seats in the topmost rows before the show, and revealed its location midway through the concert. So next time if you only manage to get the lousiest seats, cheer up because there is every chance that Adele may have a surprise for you.

This was one of the few concerts where I knew almost all the lyrics and could sing along to almost every song. And Adele sang almost all of my favourite songs, except Turning Tables and All I Ask. I was really hoping that she would sing those two songs but it was not to be. Anyway, here is her setlist for the night:

Adele – Live in Sydney, ANZ Stadium, 10 March 2017
1. Hello
2. Hometown Glory
3. One And Only
4. I’ll Be Waiting
5. Rumour Has It
6. Water Under The Bridge
7. I Miss You
8. Skyfall
9. Don’t You Remember
10. Make You Feel My Love
11. Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
12. Sweetest Devotion
13. Chasing Pavements
14. Take It All
15. Set Fire To The Rain
16. When We Were Young
17. Rolling In The Deep
18. Someone Like You

Adele finally said goodbye at 10:05pm. From hello to goodbye, it was 1 hour and 50 minutes but it felt much shorter. I was so sad when it ended but happy that I had ticked off one more concert from my bucket list. We lingered in the stadium for a while to allow the crowd to disperse. After we got out, we felt our stomachs growling so we went to buy some piping hot pizza. Pizza never tasted so good before! I then went to have another look at the merchandise stall and ended up buying a T-shirt with the Sydney Opera House silhouette and the words “Hometown”, the same one that IJ got.

Our concert tickets included free rides on public transport so we didn’t have to pay for the train when we came. For the return journey, we took the free shuttle bus instead because it stopped at Glebe directly. I think what we caught was the last bus, so there weren’t many other people. As the bus wove its way around Sydney, all the other passengers disembarked and we were the last ones left. We spoke to the driver and asked if he could drop us nearer to our apartment instead of at the original drop off point somewhere further away. He gladly obliged and dropped us almost at our doorstep. It was well after midnight by then. What a great birthday I’ve had!