G'day from the Outback

I flew from Melbourne to Darwin to begin my Outback Adventure, and let me just say...my flight to Darwin can best be described in one word, "TERRIFYING!!!!!" I will preface this little story by saying, I don't like to fly, so when it felt as if the plane hit a brick wall my anxiety sky-rocketed into outer space--literally! The pilot reported we had flown into a severe storm and there would be extremely heavy turbulence for the remainder of the flight...um, which was 2 1/2 more hours. Long story short, the flight was very rough...a couple of times the nose of the aircraft felt as if it were pointing at an angle toward the ground, at which point I overheard one of the flight attendants say (as she clutched her seat and displayed a somewhat worried face), "I've never felt turbulence like this"---Lovely! The remaining portion of the flight every single muscle in my body was at full-on tense mode, but finally a moment to relax when we landed at the Darwin Airport at approximately 11:30pm.

As I deboarded the plane, shaky legs and all, I was hit with Darwin's wickedly humid hot air. I could feel my straight flat-ironed hair start to get shorter and shorter as it began to frizz out and curl up. Yep, even though I couldn't see much of Darwin because it was very dark and rainy, I could feel I was definitely in the tropics of Australia. I got my bags and located transportation to my hotel. The Outback Adventure I was touring with had booked a Hostel style room for me at the Frontier Quality Hotel. As we pulled up to the hotel, I became somewhat concerned when I noticed the sign at the top of the hotel read (see below): Quality Frontier, XXXX.

Now, as most of you know XXX in the US usually carries a pornographic meaning. So, when I saw the XXXX, my initial thought was I might be spending the night in an extreme brothel (I say extreme due to the extra X). I nicely asked my driver (who chuckled to himself over my question) about the XXXX, he stated the hotel was owned and operated by a beer distributor who sells XXXX Beer. I was very relieved to know I wasn't going to be able to right a book sometime in the near future entitled, "My Night in an Australian Brothel."

After learning in Australia that XXXX means beer not brothel...I checked in and met my roommates who were also going to be on my adventure--all of them had just flown to Australia from there respective countries, so it was a brief meet and greet then off to bed. The next day we were up very early to meet up with the rest of our tour group. The rest of the group was quite eclectic and super fun...folks from the UK, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Canada, and US.

I have a story for every single moment on my Outback Adventure (click on Outback Adventure to view all of my photos)...many of which can only be told via face to face, due to their length, but I'm going to try and share a few fun facts and Outback stories. My adventure began in Darwin and went into the Outback (ie central Australia) via Kakadu National Park, Katherine, Tennant Springs, and Uluru (aka Ayers Rock).

Okay, so some fun facts about Darwin: First, there are no public beaches due to an infestation of deadly jelly fish, sharks, and crocodiles; therefore, I was very careful not to fall into the water!!!! Second, Darwin was bombed in WWII at the same time as Pearl Harbor; however, because Darwin was so far removed from the rest of Australia (at that time), the Australian Government never knew Darwin was being bombed until the Japanese had been defeated--note to self, if I ever move to Darwin make sure they have a proper "bombing notice system" in place.

The time of year for my Outback Adventure is called the "wet season" leaving their only other season to be called the dry season. During the wet season, this area acquires approximately 18 to 25 feet of water. During the dry season there is no water and the land is much like a desert. As with everything there are both good things and bad things about each season. The wet season is just that...WET...it's a little annoying because nothing dries out and everywhere you go and everything you do involves water and being wet; however, the positive piece of the wet season is it's the most beautiful time to visit the territory, everything is very vibrant with color, healthy and alive.

While visiting Edith Falls (the second time after I'd left my Contiki group), I had already been given the tutorial about "no swimming" at the falls due to high water levels, which by the way increases crocodile activity. As folks were all enjoying the beauty of the falls and taking pictures, I heard a little rustling in the watery weeds beside me. All of the sudden an enormous crocodile came barreling out of the water as if to bite my legs right off. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a picture of mine or the croc's facial expressions--I was too busy pulling a Forrest Gump and running for my life. Evidently, crocs aren't very fast on land, which is why it's so important for them to get you at the water's edge. However, even though there was no chase, I felt best to err on the side of caution and book it the hell out of there. Thankfully, I was safe!

The Aboriginal Culture in the Outback is very interesting. This culture is indigenous to Australia and do not believe in the written word...they communicate through song and dance. As with the Native American culture in the US...the Australian Aborigines have experienced much of the same treatment and/or displacement. As Australia has become more and more developed this culture has had a difficult time finding where they fit into the "New Australia." They are experiencing a rise in levels of alcoholism and child maltreatment and are battling extreme levels of poverty and a lack of education. In many of the areas I visited there were hundreds of Aboriginal individuals and families panhandling around the towns--I would love to investigate more about the policies or lack there of regarding these cultural shifts and dynamics.

Right before I headed back to Darwin...I came down with a sinus infection...actually, it felt more like the plague. Thankfully my dad made me take an antibiotic with me along the journey, so I started taking those bad boys immediately. I took a Greyhound bus back to Darwin...it was a long journey (especially long because of my illness), but I enjoyed the trip. During my travels, I met a women from Katherine who was headed to Darwin to visit with her Endocrinologist. She stated her Endocrinologist practices in Adelaide, but comes to Darwin once every two months to see his patients. If for any reason she or any other patient has a problem within those two months they must travel to Adelaide or wait until he returns to Darwin...Adelaide is probably a two day trip by car and a 5 hour flight---Yikes!

My Outback Adventure left several "Next time I visit" moments: Firstly, I left my Contiki tour group just before Uluru to head back to Darwin; therefore, I did not get to visit the heart of the Outback in Alice Springs that I hear is beautiful and that has a very unique culture. Secondly, when I did evidentially end up in Uluru (Ayers Rock) my camera battery was dead, and because there was no easy electrical access, I have no pictures of the most moving place on my adventure--sadness. I will have pictures hopefully at some point sent by my travel pals, but in the mean time I've included a YouTube video of Uluru below---you'll just have to use your imagination and picture me standing, posing and melting at the rock in the 42 degree Celsius heat (that roughly transfers to 115 degrees Fahrenheit). The sunrise and sunset at Uluru were breathtaking.

For next trip, New Zealand, Kakadu in the dry season, Uluru (for more than a day), & Alice Springs!!!!