Stops 34 - 40

I cannot believe it has been two whole months since I updated the grand old travel blog, but a significant amount of time was spent without reliable internet not from lack of love for writing about it all.

Darwin was hot and sweaty and I enjoyed it immensely. You can smoke in pubs, airports and for all I know... child care centres. *laughs* A very shallow reason to love a place maybe, but as a smoker it is the last bastion of Australia where I can kill myself slowly whilst having a good time! I was touristy and flashy but that can be forgiven because the locals are genuinely friendly and warm. The night clubs are filled to the brim with backpackers looking to drink themselves into a frenzy. Thankfully, I ran into the lovely Lisa from Mount Magnet and she tried to increase my intoxication to the approprate level for a young backpacker. A grand job she did as well.

Walking home at around 2am, finding my hostel was near impossible. Well, completely possible. The taxi driver could only laugh when I asked to be taken to my hostel. Assumingly he was thinking it strange that I was Australian and did not know my around - unlike the primarily foreigners who were there - I jumped in the cab. Only to be greatly embarassed when it turned out to be only about 10m around the corner and had clearly walked past it at least once if not several times without noticing it. Oh alcohol, you devillish creature.

I stayed with my stepsister in Suburbia for a few days and had a wonderful time playing with my cheeky four year old nephew. He was gloriously bright, fun and alive but the supressive nature of suburbia took its toll and I left a few days later.

A flight later, I ventured down to Alice Springs to make the pilgramage to the desert heart of the country. Poetic as that may sound, sadly the heart of the Australian Outback is the same tour operated - I heart Australia tshirts and tacky trinkets of the other major capitals in Australia. Plus, the drivers in Alice Springs drive like mad men and women so hold onto your life there if you are a pedestrian.

A three day tour to Uluru, Kings Canyon and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) was the only really accessible way for me to see the big rocks that bring busloads of Japanese tourists every day and it was beautiful. I could whinge and complain at length about how crowded, claustrophobic and uncomfortable the way you see 'those rocks' on a tour, but honestly the natural beauty of it all is more than a counterbalance. If for a few second you can pretend you are on your own there - which I did by walking as far ahead of my tour group as possible - it is some of the most spectacular landscape in the entire country. I had three days of games, including a dry weetbix eating competition, trivia on global national anthems and a group of men completely unable to light a campfire competently enough to cook dinner thrown in as part of the tour package and I swore to myself that even if I had to walk there next time I would do so gladly. I was also unable to climb Uluru due to terribly high winds but I will definately be returning to conquer it again, as culturally frowned upon it is now, before they stop the practice altogether. Walking around it just doesn't cut the mustard. Next time, Gadget; Next time.

Then, a fifty six hour bus ride lay ahead.

Ok, so we did stop overnight and have a few hourly breaks along the way but it was a REALLY LONG TRIP. I think around 2,500 kilometres. Then off to the parents farm for what I though was two weeks to recharge my batteries and wait for my house sale but it ended up being almost seven weeks of feeding chickens and picking vegetables. Really, that is pretty much all I did.

I did work on a project that demanded a lot of attention, but it is still in the experimental phase. I am designing greeting cards and it is developing slowly but not sure what step to take next. I will keep you posted.

Just as I thought I may go mad with boredom I was on a bus to Rockhampton to visit to Bel and Tash. Thank you girls, having a familiar face was lovely and the wine drinking was greatly appreciated.

Now, as my status indicates I am in Cairns and it is an EXTREME place. I have been here three days and already I have been pushed to my limits. That is not an exaggeration (as fond of them as I am). I wanted to write this all down before I either take my exhuasted body to bed or force myself out for another adventure. I will begin another entry about this town another day, when all these stories that are currently unfolding can be looked at in the light of day - and cleaned up for general consumption. *grins*

May all those doors open to you even if they lead to challenging roads.

Kate

---

---