Tuesday, April 5, 2011
April 1
This was no April Fool's Day, or was a it? The day was damp, fray, and misty...what else was new on this part of the tour?
Finally the rain subsided as we approached Devils' Marbles. Juno chose an extremely difficult set of rocks to climb and I did it...hiking shoes were a definite assist. A dingo was sleeping nearby and he just moved when buses or cars pulled away. Did you know dingoes howl but not bark?
Along our various pull offs, our stops brought us to small towns where Aborigines would be wandering around or sitting in parks, at roadside tables, etc. They are a lost people and are caught between two worlds.
Juno finally got us to Alice Springs and we stayed at a backpackers' place called The Haven. Fortunately we had a room with three single beds and private bath. We joined the group for dinner and then Pat and I decided to return to the room. We got lost! We were in an arrea where we were not supposed to be. Fortunately, an Aborigine couple asked if we were lost
and they actually escorted us back to the hotel. Needless to say we were a bit nervous but arrived safely. He asked for $5 but we told him we had no money. We quickly put our key card in the gate and closed it. Whew! Take note: know the address of your accommodation!
Finally the rain subsided as we approached Devils' Marbles. Juno chose an extremely difficult set of rocks to climb and I did it...hiking shoes were a definite assist. A dingo was sleeping nearby and he just moved when buses or cars pulled away. Did you know dingoes howl but not bark?
Along our various pull offs, our stops brought us to small towns where Aborigines would be wandering around or sitting in parks, at roadside tables, etc. They are a lost people and are caught between two worlds.
Juno finally got us to Alice Springs and we stayed at a backpackers' place called The Haven. Fortunately we had a room with three single beds and private bath. We joined the group for dinner and then Pat and I decided to return to the room. We got lost! We were in an arrea where we were not supposed to be. Fortunately, an Aborigine couple asked if we were lost
and they actually escorted us back to the hotel. Needless to say we were a bit nervous but arrived safely. He asked for $5 but we told him we had no money. We quickly put our key card in the gate and closed it. Whew! Take note: know the address of your accommodation!
March 31 - Daly Waters Pub
Oh my gosh! What a pub! As Juno says, there are lots of "Knicks and knacks" in this place! What memorabilia adorning the walls! There are collections of baseball caps, bras, panties, business cards, license plates, worldwide currency, antique car parts, and much more.
Rain keeps following us-- part of another cyclone.
Due to the long bus ride, we played games. One was to see who could eat a "wheetabix" the fastest. (This is similar to zwieback.) Each person had a chance to be at the front of the bus while Juno played a song. I chose "Waltzing Matilda" while trying to chew and swallow this piece of sawdust. It made a paste in your mouth which made it difficult to swallow. I did mine in 2 minutes, 16 seconds. The fastest was 1 minute, 19 seconds.
We also divided ourselves into two groups and played trivia. We make up 12 questions based on anything and everything. Winners had the evening free of dinner clean up. My team won!
Still raining and the campsite was a muddy and full of holes and stumps...not easy to see those holes in the dark!
Rain keeps following us-- part of another cyclone.
Due to the long bus ride, we played games. One was to see who could eat a "wheetabix" the fastest. (This is similar to zwieback.) Each person had a chance to be at the front of the bus while Juno played a song. I chose "Waltzing Matilda" while trying to chew and swallow this piece of sawdust. It made a paste in your mouth which made it difficult to swallow. I did mine in 2 minutes, 16 seconds. The fastest was 1 minute, 19 seconds.
We also divided ourselves into two groups and played trivia. We make up 12 questions based on anything and everything. Winners had the evening free of dinner clean up. My team won!
Still raining and the campsite was a muddy and full of holes and stumps...not easy to see those holes in the dark!
March 31- driving to Alice Springs
Did lots of driving. It rained all night and our clothesline broke which meant my shirt and bathing suit were drenched. Weather is hot, humid, gray, and rainy...I hate the rain!
We left the campsite and drove to Mataranka Thermal Pool. There was a cafe with a resident wallaroo named Dick. Her name means "food" in the Aboriginal language. She was quite friendly and approachable.
The area is quite green due to all the rains. In the toilet was a friendly green frog! Ah, the wilderness...
We left the campsite and drove to Mataranka Thermal Pool. There was a cafe with a resident wallaroo named Dick. Her name means "food" in the Aboriginal language. She was quite friendly and approachable.
The area is quite green due to all the rains. In the toilet was a friendly green frog! Ah, the wilderness...
March 30
I'm trying to reconstruct the past few days. While camping in the outback, needless to say, there was no Internet connection. I made some basic notes to jog my memory.
Although my tour was ten days consecutive, it was comprised of 3 short tours with different campers as well as drivers/guides. Our tour guide, Juno, age 24 from Alics Springs, drove us from Darwin to Alice Springs. This part involved lots of sitting on the bus, but Juno made it pass quickly with music and games. He got everyone to participate and we all enjoyed ourselves and got to know one another. He was also a fun character: bushy hair, wore different socks, had a great chuckle, and smoked at each toilet stop! He told us of the 1998 flood where stores were flooded 18 meters high and crocs would "have a munch" in the meat department. Along the way we had a water buffalo run across the road!
We had lunch at our campsite and then had a cruise to number one gorge (there were many) at Katherine Gorge. There we walked along the rocks to view 20,000 year old rock art high up on the rocks. Later we hiked along a pretty rough rock path to the Southern Rock Hole. Didn't swim here but enjoyed the view.
Although my tour was ten days consecutive, it was comprised of 3 short tours with different campers as well as drivers/guides. Our tour guide, Juno, age 24 from Alics Springs, drove us from Darwin to Alice Springs. This part involved lots of sitting on the bus, but Juno made it pass quickly with music and games. He got everyone to participate and we all enjoyed ourselves and got to know one another. He was also a fun character: bushy hair, wore different socks, had a great chuckle, and smoked at each toilet stop! He told us of the 1998 flood where stores were flooded 18 meters high and crocs would "have a munch" in the meat department. Along the way we had a water buffalo run across the road!
We had lunch at our campsite and then had a cruise to number one gorge (there were many) at Katherine Gorge. There we walked along the rocks to view 20,000 year old rock art high up on the rocks. Later we hiked along a pretty rough rock path to the Southern Rock Hole. Didn't swim here but enjoyed the view.
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