greetings from Alice Springs!

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it's hot, Hot, HOT! it must have been about 37C when our plane landed just before noon. from the sky the whole area looked dry. it's almost a desert but a large part have vegetation.

there was another backpacker in my flight who was staying at Annie's Place as well. we were picked up by Shawn from the hostel.

Annie's is a happening place in the middle of the desert - well, more like a bush land really, it's in a hot and dry area but to me a desert should look like that of the Sahara where it's just sand everywhere. it's only 15 minutes drive from the airport.

i will be staying in Alice Springs for two nights only - tonight and on the 18th. in between, i will be with the Mulga's Adventure where we will be sleeping in the bush for two nights. it's only AU$16.- per night at Annie's and the Mulga's is AU$250 which includes, transportation, guided treks and tours, food and a swag to sleep on.

checked-in and took a shower. my roommates for the night were a young couple from the UK, a french guy and a german guy. all friendly especially Vincent, the french guy, who is a bit chatty.

i rented a bike. headed out to the small centre of the town to find something to eat. i saw a lot of aborigines wandering around town. they looked like beggars but they don't panhandle. more about them later...

after a late lunch, i headed up to the old Telegraph Station that is now a museum. it was somewhat of an eye-opener seeing how people have managed to survive in such a harsh environment, in the middle of nowhere, in relative comfort. i saw some wild kangaroos and this time they all lived to tell their friends about their encounter with me. there were a bunch of other wildlifes but i was not sure what they were.

i then pedaled to the Alice Springs Desert Park to see some more wildlifes in captivity. i didn't expect it to be that far. i must have biked for about an hour. and did i already mention that i was in some sort of a desert? but it was all worth it. lots of interesting creatures in there that i have never seen before. i'll post some photos later. the internet cafe at the hostel where i am right now does not have a card reader.

i pedaled back to the hostel and immediately took a cold shower!

tomorrow is going to be an early start. the Mulga's Adventure leaves the hostel at 06:30.

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