Letter #4 (I think) from Aussie

---

First of all- everyone clap loudly - Jane and I have survived the outback - barely and are now enjoying 2 days in Darwin in an airconditioned hostel with food, sauna, pool and wine on site - what joy - we showered until the water ran cold and then enjoyed a quiche for lunch - not a sandwich or warm water to drink in sight!!!!
March 29 -Up at 0630 to see the rock at sunrise - it is freezing and I am wrapped in my sleeping bag for the sight- aaprently rare to be this cold!! just my luck - as I gaze at the red rock I realize that I am ready to take off - i think I have seen the rock from every angle now except underground. After taking tents down - we are getting very good - I may even be able to help Erin and Mom this summer on our yearly trip- Jane and I are off to the last real bathroom of the day before out in wildnerness for the day. On our way to Alice Springs we stopped at a roadside
stop for petrol ( not gas here- gas is only for barbeques!!) and we see the famous singing dingo - has been featured in the National Geographic - looks like a bond dog to me but one of the girls can play the piano and he sings lovely - but he is also a guard dog and never takes his eyes off the Frenchie and the aboriginals there. THis one had been found as a pup and was 7 years old. I had a bad day with my tummy today but took some of Carlas pain meds and feel much better by the time we reach Alice. In Alice Springs we are staying 3 days as Kings Canyon is still flooded and we have to cancel that trek. The first night we get a chance to upgrade to a hostel from a tent for $6.50 and the Frenchies have a fit - they paid a lot of money for the trip and they have their own tent and they're not payiing - I have murder in my eyes as the monologue goes on at poor Adam as everyone else naturally wants to sleep in a bed and have a hot shower with no fear of spiders, bugs and snakes joinng us. anyway, Adam paid their share as it had to be 100% approval and they slept in their dam..... tent. - when Jane and I tiried to pay their share - he refused saying that it was his problem - if you here of barbequed frenchies - you know nothing - right!!
We are at a great park called "Macdonnells" that is fully supervised because of the aboringinal problems - it has a pool and lovely outside and inside kitchens with lots of freezer and fridge space. THis is where I last emailed everyone from - imagine the middle of the outback!! After a quick look for souveniors, Jane and I met the others at a local bar for supper - it is a typical AUstralian bar- there were boots stapled to the ceiling !! Dan and Scott barely escaped a fight as a local miner had come to town for a fight and a fu... - his own words and apparently they had been chosen but Scott being the gentleman he was, bought the bloke some drinks and all was well - anyway after supper off to a nice bed and a good sleep. The next day, we went for a camel ride and visited a camel farm - it was very interesting- apparently there are over 1,000,000
wild camels in Australia now and in 8 yrs will have doubled -are being caught for meat etc now - I always thought that camels were dirty and buggy and spit but these ones were great, the farm also had 4 orphans that had been brought to them by the officials who loved Carla - she is so small that i think they thought she was one of them!!
This is the first place where I have had a chance to interact with the aborinigals and I find them very sad, they just walk around all day - some have a real problem with alcohol but mostly I find there is no hope or expression in their eyes - I tried to talk to one grandmother who was selling painitings on a church lawn but she didn't speak good english - apparently there is a big problem with the younger generation- similar to in Canada but they are much poorer! I was ging to climb
Anzac hill thinking that it was a good 4 km hike but found out it was a 5 min walk so after emailing everyone, I decided to walk home - aobut 5 km - bad decision - right thru the heart of
aboriginal living - made even me a little nervous as it was about 6 pm and getting dusk but I smiled a lot at babies and gave chocolate to some of the little ones and kept walking
- got lovely pics of the river which is still high from the rain and flooding - weather is hot and dry at present and I find Jane at the pool relaxing. I have worn out one pair of flip flops so bought new ones at the kmart as well as some local chocolate - Francis cooked chicken fajatis tonite for supper and they were good - very proud of himself - I am sure that he has some kind of dysplasia syndrome but his main problem that could get him killed is his total lack of social skills -
Sat Mar 31 - went to ALice Springs Desert Park for 4 hrs - enjoyed a wild bird show where there
were falcons, eagles, and others fllying by to catch stuff thrown in the air for them - none are kept in the park unless they are injured and they always return- there were some other birds also that they were training but I had seem that kind before - the wild ones really intrigued me.
I then spent an hour listening to an old aboriginie talk about desert plants for food and for
medicine - I loved it - others in the group spent their time looking at the wildlife but I thought he was so interesting I stayed for his whole presentation - he finished off with the aborginal version of how the earth was made - it is a very spirtiual one and he says that every region has their own version of the spirits and how things are formed in their own area - I could have listened all day!! This tribe base their legends on the constellation "the seven sisters"
The other exhibit that I enjoyed was the nocturnal one- there are some night snakes so little that I could step right on them and not even see them!! what a lovely thougt as I trapse to the loo 3 - 6 times a night here!! Maybe it is a good thing I now hav flip flops as no more bare foot jaunts any more!!
After a free afternoon of shopping and a visit to the Flying Dr center for Alice Springs where we enjoyed a great tea of chicken pie and lemonaide and saw how the center was run, we are off to see an aboriginal show and dinner with free wine - we all decide to dress up - Francis and Mr Personality, Andrew ( a 62 yr old sourpuss, grumbler) decide not to go much to our relief - we are a nice looking group when everyone gets a shower and some deoderant!! The show is called the "Bright Red" and was wonderful to see - some of the guys participated in the digeredoo demonstration - Dan was good, Mr Frenchie ( Dingo- as we now call him- not do good) and Jane- well she got up to do the female Emu dance and I have pictures - it was so cute - she was a good head!! I, on the other hand, just enjoyed the atmosphere and the food - they are really big on Kangeroo here!! Oh yeah and the wine was free!!! As we came home, we all agreed that it was a marvellous time but we are ready to move on to new adventures ........
Apr 1 - SUn - I am not telling anyone in this group that it is April Fool's day here as I don't think the results would be good. We are treated to a free pancake breakfast by the park in the morning before we leave and the Frenchies each go back 4 times because it is free - we are off to ssee the Devils Marbles today and that is only 400 km away - the scenery is changing now more grass and trees but still brown in color - we stop at the tropic of capricorn - what a funny feeling to know where you are standing - took pics too! by the way, Erin now has my NZ and Tasmania pictures should you start to see some on the blog but none are identified so you will have to guess !! anyway - I know -having trouble concentrating !!!
Back to my story........ the earth is now turning a reddish color as we travel north into the real interior and we stop at a UFO place for a toilet and drink stop - wow - not using bushes today!!
Apparently there have been the most UFO sightings here in all AUstrailia and we see a picture of a missing man that looks like Scott - but there is no money for his return so we tell Scott he can stay with us........otherwise we would have tried to turn him in for the reward money - lovely lot aren't we - however, he said that the car the guy had - he wouldn't have driven 50 ft so it probalby wasn't him!!!! FLies are not bad today - ate lunch ( sandwiches) and no problem!! still lots of aborginals everywhere we look!
We arrived at the Marbles at 4 pm and they are magestic - I decided I needed a little me time so went for a walk around the Marbles while others climbed on them - it is Sunday and as I haven't
been to church since Feb just had a great quiet time singing to myself and walking x 2 hrs - saw one canadian who stopped his car and talked to me when he saw my Canadian visor! lovley chap from Vancouver- a dentiist who is working in Alice SPrings.
Adam cooked dinner for us and then we just sat around taliking and looking at the stars -some of the group are sleeping on the rocks but Jane and I decided to sleep outside on just the tarp with the stars as our bedroom - we kept saying to ourselves as we lay there - we can't believe - two of us here at our age having this much fun and under these skies! reality came when at 4 am it got very cold and we had to put sweats on but it was still fun- The moon was full and it was like daylight. allnight - we couldn't lie on our backs - it was too bright to sleep - no worries about going to BR tonight - by the way chemical loo and no showers tonight - Jane and I used "wet ones" to wash - some used nothing!!!
Apr 2 - Off today for 770 km ride for aome more camping- tempers flare today as Mama Mia gets loud at dinner at me - I am not sure why and then sulks loudly until Scott tells her to grow up - and he is the quiet one!! it is going to be a long drive - but after a while we ignore her and have some fun in the van - At 5pm we stop for a swim in a thermal pool - we have left the desert behind and are now headiing into the hot humid tropics and you can feel the difference already in the air - apparently there are crocodiles in the pool area but we don't care - it feels good - some of the guys grab a beer at the bar and we are off again. We arrive after dark - we have to put the tents up and then off to bed after supper as I was exhausted - very hot but too scared to sleep outside - saw first tree frogs and they are funny the way they climb up the wall - it is like their arms are elastic - one stayed on Coral's shoulder for about 1/2hr just looking at us while we did dishes!!Mama miaslept in van so we helped poor Coral put up her tent! Many trips to loo tonite and now I have to search for spiders, snakes and frogs - found 2 frogs in the flush just looking at me for most of the night !! saw first huntmans spider tonite - size of my hand and on the back of a chair - met other trek group tonight who are also staying here tonight so Francis
joined them and we had a peaceful supper!!
Apr 3 - up and packed at 0830 bfore it got real hot - very humid - to spend 5hrs with aboriginals and to have dinner with them - really enjoyed the experience - went for a walk and had some interesting tales about the environment - they use everything for some use - even the termite
hills are used - they put them under tires that are stuck in the mud after rains and they work as chains - work very well! We threw spears- not well, made baskets - not well and painted with
okra - really not well, and then enjoyed a native meal of kangeroo, sausage, and beef ( or somethg like beef) by now it is very hot and humid and Jane is burned on her back - we sit and enjoy the children who are back from school and playing - I fed them chocolate and listened to them, they are closer to granmothers and grandfathers than their parents as this is who teaches them and watches them - it is wonderful to see this interaction - Frenchie, Adam and Chris take turns running and playing with them - My bathing suit has dissappeared as well as one of jane's flipflops - the shoe returned when I announced lpoudly that Jane had lost a slipper along with my bathing suit - I have a feeling the suit wil not turn up- so childish, eh!! my only problemi is that it is my $100 suit - not the cheap one!!
It is now afternoon and we are off to Katheyrn Gorge for the nite of tenting with showers we are told!! It rains on the way but is clear when we arrive - hot and humid again as we put up tents but nice outside kitchen - Jane and I do tacos which are a great success and cake for desert . Jane has taken 3 showers tonite and is still uncomfortable. Jane and decide - to heck with the snakes and drag our air matresses outside for a nap - about an hr later we hear giggling and snapshots and awake to find we are surroundeed with wallabies and kangaroos nibbling on us and around us- Jane gets in the tent but it is still too hot for me so I decide to stay outside - the darn wallabiies ( like miniature kangaroos) would not leave me alone and one time I woke up nose to nose with one - finally in the middle of the night I again went inside the tent and then hit Jane by mistake when I thought she a kangaroo- the next morning I find out that those brats had put about 2 loaves of bread on and around us and the wallabies were trying to get the bread -big laugh all around...... there will be payback!!!!!Jane got me up at 7 am to put our tent down before it got real hot and off we go again ....
time to sign off again- Jane and I are on our way to the beach but we can't swim because of
crocs so I might sign on again to bring everyone up to date
having a great time - love to all - the real aussie anne

---