Ten months on the road quickly came to an end and in the whirlwind of returning home I've neglected to write my final blog entry until now.
It was lovely to return home and see familiar faces and places again. I've been pleased to have all my things in one spot, with everything unpacked and a entire wardrobe to choose from. But I do miss the road sometimes: the adventure, the leisure, the people, the shopping, the food. For now, I'm concentrating on my career...and saving up for the next trip! In the meantime, I have many photos and memories of my travels and all the lovely people I met along the way.
It is hard to sum up my travels in a few paragraphs. So I'll settle on listing the best lessons I learned: that we are never alone, that a smile goes a long way, that I can always carry my "home" in my heart and therefore be at home everywhere.
Lots of love to all the places I've called home...I will write again once the next adventure presents itself.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Northern Territory Odyssey, Part 3: Uluru, the rock of my heart.
I kept pinching myself on the bumpy ride from Alice Springs to Uluru. What had happened that morning seemed almost too good to be true: we got upgraded! No more schlepping with the plebian hordes – the regular tour we had arranged was overbooked and so we were bumped up to the “Safari in Style” instead. Luckiest girls ever! There were only ten of us on the 4wd bus, with an experienced tour guide and even a hostie who was to prepare all our meals.
Most people don’t realize that Uluru (also known as Ayer’s Rock, but the name isn’t so politically correct) is another 500 kilometres from Alice Springs. We left town early and enjoyed a snooze after watching the sun rising over the Outback. We stopped every hour or two to get gas, buy an ice coffee, or ride a camel. Just another day in the Red Centre.
I’d planned to visit Uluru at the end of my trip since it is a place of spiritual significance. My ten-month odyssey through Australia and Asia has been both a physical and metaphysical journey for me. I’ve grown a lot emotionally and spiritually and I thought it would be the perfect place to reflect upon my time.
Uluru didn’t disappoint. This is no mountain: it is one solid rock, a monolith sticking out of the desert like a beacon. When you see Uluru, you have no doubt why people travel to one of the most remote areas of one of the most remote countries on earth to see it. It is a sacred site for the Aboriginal peoples of Australia…and now for me too. We got to see the Rock in its many glories: at sunset (with bubbly and snacks provided courtesy of our Safari in Style), at sunrise, and up close during a four-hour walk around its base.
I had lots of time to reflect during our three days in the heart of the Outback. Our group was mature and relaxed, with early nights and happily silent dinners. After Uluru, we hiked the Olgas and then Kings Canyon…madly drinking water because this place is so dry you can dehydrate while standing still in the shade.
Our adventurous guide couldn’t be bothered to take the highway back to Alice. Instead, we took the shortcut: a 200-kilometre, 4WD-access-only, red dirt road called the Mereenie Track. We bumped speedily along the road but stopped countless times to see amazing things, like a herd of wild camels crossing the track, and wild horses or brumbys ,as the Aussies call them, grazing amongst the spinifex. I serenaded Kelly with my own rendition of a Rolling Stones classic: “Wiiiiild camels couldn’t drag me awaaaay…” Apparently, the early European explorers of the Outback preferred the water-rationing camel to the everyday thirsty horse. When explorers completed their tours, they simply let the camels free in the desert. Today, there are over a million wild camels (probably speaking with Australian accents) grooving in the vastness of the Outback.
At the end of the Mereenie Track, we pulled into oasis-like Glenhelen and caught our transfer back to Alice Springs (a slick Jeep, courtesy of the upgrade). Kelly and I were happy for the hot showers at the hotel in Alice but already we missed the Red Centre, the heart of Australia.
The next day, we boarded the plane and headed back to Melbourne, where it all began for me in Australia. Yes, the end is near. Only one blog left…lots of love to everyone back home.
Most people don’t realize that Uluru (also known as Ayer’s Rock, but the name isn’t so politically correct) is another 500 kilometres from Alice Springs. We left town early and enjoyed a snooze after watching the sun rising over the Outback. We stopped every hour or two to get gas, buy an ice coffee, or ride a camel. Just another day in the Red Centre.
I’d planned to visit Uluru at the end of my trip since it is a place of spiritual significance. My ten-month odyssey through Australia and Asia has been both a physical and metaphysical journey for me. I’ve grown a lot emotionally and spiritually and I thought it would be the perfect place to reflect upon my time.
Uluru didn’t disappoint. This is no mountain: it is one solid rock, a monolith sticking out of the desert like a beacon. When you see Uluru, you have no doubt why people travel to one of the most remote areas of one of the most remote countries on earth to see it. It is a sacred site for the Aboriginal peoples of Australia…and now for me too. We got to see the Rock in its many glories: at sunset (with bubbly and snacks provided courtesy of our Safari in Style), at sunrise, and up close during a four-hour walk around its base.
I had lots of time to reflect during our three days in the heart of the Outback. Our group was mature and relaxed, with early nights and happily silent dinners. After Uluru, we hiked the Olgas and then Kings Canyon…madly drinking water because this place is so dry you can dehydrate while standing still in the shade.
Our adventurous guide couldn’t be bothered to take the highway back to Alice. Instead, we took the shortcut: a 200-kilometre, 4WD-access-only, red dirt road called the Mereenie Track. We bumped speedily along the road but stopped countless times to see amazing things, like a herd of wild camels crossing the track, and wild horses or brumbys ,as the Aussies call them, grazing amongst the spinifex. I serenaded Kelly with my own rendition of a Rolling Stones classic: “Wiiiiild camels couldn’t drag me awaaaay…” Apparently, the early European explorers of the Outback preferred the water-rationing camel to the everyday thirsty horse. When explorers completed their tours, they simply let the camels free in the desert. Today, there are over a million wild camels (probably speaking with Australian accents) grooving in the vastness of the Outback.
At the end of the Mereenie Track, we pulled into oasis-like Glenhelen and caught our transfer back to Alice Springs (a slick Jeep, courtesy of the upgrade). Kelly and I were happy for the hot showers at the hotel in Alice but already we missed the Red Centre, the heart of Australia.
The next day, we boarded the plane and headed back to Melbourne, where it all began for me in Australia. Yes, the end is near. Only one blog left…lots of love to everyone back home.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Northern Territory Odyssey, Part 2: The road to the red
After a cool night’s sleep in the blissfully air-conditioned hostel in Darwin, I was the first one up and waiting for the bus. Twenty-four of us were loading up for the drive south and my early arrival paid off…and Kelly and I enjoyed front row seats for the long journey. The Stuart Highway, running through the center of Australia, is a seemingly endless road, invariably straight and surrounded by vast, empty countryside. In three days, we covered the 1500 kilometers from Darwin Alice Springs. The colours of the scenery changed with each day: the first was lush green, the second was golden yellow, and the third was that vibrant rust colour of the Red Centre.
Our first night was spent near the town of Katherine, home of the amazing Katherine Gorge. We hadn’t reached the desert yet and so it was another hot and sweaty night in the tents. Some of our group paid $60 for a boat tour of the gorge but those of us with more limited budgets opted for the hike and swim on offer. Nevertheless, we paid our price. Our newbie guide must have been crazy to take us on a lengthy hike over rough terrain at midday when it was 37 degrees in the shade. I drank three liters of water over the afternoon and still I didn’t have to stop once to relieve myself. This is the exactly the kind of folly that can kill people in the Outback…but we all survived so maybe I’m overreacting.
Day Two featured a heck of a lot of driving as we covered about 700 kilometres. The landscape changed as the trees got shorter and sparser, with tall golden grasses growing amongst them. In the morning we stopped at the Maranaka Homestead for a blissful dip in the thermal pools. Little wallabies grazed in the forests surrounding the pools while we floated and splashed, soothing our aching bones from all the hiking and sitting we’d been doing. At lunch time, we rolled into Daly Waters, which is the location of Australia's first international airfield and home of the Daly Waters Pub, probably one the most remote and interesting pubs in the country. The walls were lined with paraphernalia: license plates, ID cards, women’s underwear, hats, stickers and badges – all left by past visitors. We cooked up a proper Aussie barbecue in the picnic area and I downed a few ciders to ease the heat and the endlessness of the road.
Our driver waived to every car we passed on the drive. There is a steady, if meager stream of traffic on the Stuart, comprised mostly of road trains, which are transport trucks hauling two, three or four containers. Just imagine how much fun it was to witness our 24-passenger bus (hauling a trailer no less) passing a road train: the longest minutes of my life. We camped outside Tennant Creek on the second night and found that the humidity and heat had been replaced with desert dryness and a mess of flies. The Aussie flies are known for their omnipresence and persistence – as if the heat and isolation of the Outback weren’t enough to drive a person mad. Thankfully, the fly net I bought at one of the roadhouses kept me sane.
We passed many small towns, stopping endlessly for gas. I finally got a glimpse of Australia’s Aboriginal peoples, who are as black as Africans and who carry the continuing scars of a native people whose country was taken over by colonists. Before we left Tennant Creek, we visited the community centre and were treated to some music by a local Aboriginal band. The music program had been set up as a way to keep people busy and give them a sense of purpose. It seemed to be succeeding.
On our final day, we had a mere 300 kilometres to cover. We stopped at the Devil’s Marbles, outside Tennant Creek, for a wander and many photos. I felt like I’d arrived. We were finally in it and amongst it: the mystical Red Centre of Oz. Overnight, our world had gone from incredibly humid, lush and green to incredibly dry, rocky and endlessly red.
We arrived in Alice Springs and had to say a sad goodbye to our beloved group, who were on a different tour schedule and had a stopover in Alice. Kelly and I reluctantly left them to party the night away and but we fell gratefully into our hostel beds. More adventure was waiting: onward to Uluru! Lots of love to everyone back home.
Our first night was spent near the town of Katherine, home of the amazing Katherine Gorge. We hadn’t reached the desert yet and so it was another hot and sweaty night in the tents. Some of our group paid $60 for a boat tour of the gorge but those of us with more limited budgets opted for the hike and swim on offer. Nevertheless, we paid our price. Our newbie guide must have been crazy to take us on a lengthy hike over rough terrain at midday when it was 37 degrees in the shade. I drank three liters of water over the afternoon and still I didn’t have to stop once to relieve myself. This is the exactly the kind of folly that can kill people in the Outback…but we all survived so maybe I’m overreacting.
Day Two featured a heck of a lot of driving as we covered about 700 kilometres. The landscape changed as the trees got shorter and sparser, with tall golden grasses growing amongst them. In the morning we stopped at the Maranaka Homestead for a blissful dip in the thermal pools. Little wallabies grazed in the forests surrounding the pools while we floated and splashed, soothing our aching bones from all the hiking and sitting we’d been doing. At lunch time, we rolled into Daly Waters, which is the location of Australia's first international airfield and home of the Daly Waters Pub, probably one the most remote and interesting pubs in the country. The walls were lined with paraphernalia: license plates, ID cards, women’s underwear, hats, stickers and badges – all left by past visitors. We cooked up a proper Aussie barbecue in the picnic area and I downed a few ciders to ease the heat and the endlessness of the road.
Our driver waived to every car we passed on the drive. There is a steady, if meager stream of traffic on the Stuart, comprised mostly of road trains, which are transport trucks hauling two, three or four containers. Just imagine how much fun it was to witness our 24-passenger bus (hauling a trailer no less) passing a road train: the longest minutes of my life. We camped outside Tennant Creek on the second night and found that the humidity and heat had been replaced with desert dryness and a mess of flies. The Aussie flies are known for their omnipresence and persistence – as if the heat and isolation of the Outback weren’t enough to drive a person mad. Thankfully, the fly net I bought at one of the roadhouses kept me sane.
We passed many small towns, stopping endlessly for gas. I finally got a glimpse of Australia’s Aboriginal peoples, who are as black as Africans and who carry the continuing scars of a native people whose country was taken over by colonists. Before we left Tennant Creek, we visited the community centre and were treated to some music by a local Aboriginal band. The music program had been set up as a way to keep people busy and give them a sense of purpose. It seemed to be succeeding.
On our final day, we had a mere 300 kilometres to cover. We stopped at the Devil’s Marbles, outside Tennant Creek, for a wander and many photos. I felt like I’d arrived. We were finally in it and amongst it: the mystical Red Centre of Oz. Overnight, our world had gone from incredibly humid, lush and green to incredibly dry, rocky and endlessly red.
We arrived in Alice Springs and had to say a sad goodbye to our beloved group, who were on a different tour schedule and had a stopover in Alice. Kelly and I reluctantly left them to party the night away and but we fell gratefully into our hostel beds. More adventure was waiting: onward to Uluru! Lots of love to everyone back home.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Northern Territory Odyssey, Part 1: In the heart of Kakadu
The heat began as soon as I stepped off the plane in Darwin. Later, I would find out that there are three temperatures in the top end of Australia: hot, bloody hot, and f*cking hot. The Wet season had just finished a week before my arrival, so the landscape was lush and the temperatures steaming at 35 degree Celsius and 70% humidity.
I was excited to get to Darwin because it was reunion time. Remember Texas Kelly, my best girl from law school in Melbourne? Well, she decided to come back to Australia for another semester and met me for a nine-day tour of the Australian Outback. We ran into each other's arms and hugged...and immediately started chatting like no time had passed since we last saw each other.
Our tour first took us east of Darwin to Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks. We were a group of 16 backpackers in a big 4x4 vehicle with a hilarious Kiwi tour guide and an Aussie driver who would give Crocodile Dundee a run for his money. The group was great: lots of enthusiastic Germans, two pretty Danish girls, a gentle Frenchman, two funny English engineers, etc. Kelly confided to me that she's sometimes embarassed by her countrymen: "The Americans are so loud...but Europeans are awesome!" As for me, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love ze Germans.
Given the heat, our main activity was swimming. We sampled all the amazing waterfalls and plunge pools around Kakadu...well, at least the ones that had undergone "crocodile management." At the end of the Wet season, the park rangers wait for the water to recede and then check the pools to make sure they are croc-free. Since crocs can't climb over rocks, the pools are then accessible to visitors for the rest of the season.
In addition to swimming, we did some hikes and saw some amazing Aboriginal rock art. At the top of the Ubirr lookout, we gazed from plateau to plain, soaking in all the elements: the lush greenery of the Nadab floodplain to one side, the red rocks of the jagged Stone Country to the other. There was a refreshing breeze blowing the smoke from the backburn which the park rangers were doing below, a rainbow in the distance and sunshine dappled with a few raindrops. Heaven on Aboriginal earth.
We camped in permanent sites in roomy canvas tents and dined on hearty fare in the screened-in cooking areas. Our guides taught us lots of Aussie songs, with accompanying choreography, and there was constant singing around camp: "Gimme a home amongst the gum trees, with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two and a kangaroo..."
After three days, we trundled back to Darwin to re-group before setting off on the long drive south. The Kakadu crew was full of love and laughs - we all enjoyed each other's company and looked forward to continuing the journey together. More news from the Red Centre to follow - lots of love to everyone back home.
I was excited to get to Darwin because it was reunion time. Remember Texas Kelly, my best girl from law school in Melbourne? Well, she decided to come back to Australia for another semester and met me for a nine-day tour of the Australian Outback. We ran into each other's arms and hugged...and immediately started chatting like no time had passed since we last saw each other.
Our tour first took us east of Darwin to Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks. We were a group of 16 backpackers in a big 4x4 vehicle with a hilarious Kiwi tour guide and an Aussie driver who would give Crocodile Dundee a run for his money. The group was great: lots of enthusiastic Germans, two pretty Danish girls, a gentle Frenchman, two funny English engineers, etc. Kelly confided to me that she's sometimes embarassed by her countrymen: "The Americans are so loud...but Europeans are awesome!" As for me, I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love ze Germans.
Given the heat, our main activity was swimming. We sampled all the amazing waterfalls and plunge pools around Kakadu...well, at least the ones that had undergone "crocodile management." At the end of the Wet season, the park rangers wait for the water to recede and then check the pools to make sure they are croc-free. Since crocs can't climb over rocks, the pools are then accessible to visitors for the rest of the season.
In addition to swimming, we did some hikes and saw some amazing Aboriginal rock art. At the top of the Ubirr lookout, we gazed from plateau to plain, soaking in all the elements: the lush greenery of the Nadab floodplain to one side, the red rocks of the jagged Stone Country to the other. There was a refreshing breeze blowing the smoke from the backburn which the park rangers were doing below, a rainbow in the distance and sunshine dappled with a few raindrops. Heaven on Aboriginal earth.
We camped in permanent sites in roomy canvas tents and dined on hearty fare in the screened-in cooking areas. Our guides taught us lots of Aussie songs, with accompanying choreography, and there was constant singing around camp: "Gimme a home amongst the gum trees, with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two and a kangaroo..."
After three days, we trundled back to Darwin to re-group before setting off on the long drive south. The Kakadu crew was full of love and laughs - we all enjoyed each other's company and looked forward to continuing the journey together. More news from the Red Centre to follow - lots of love to everyone back home.
Friday, April 24, 2009
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