Australia 1st Jan 2016....Cairns. 

"G'day mate" always wanted to say that.;-) I'm finaly here, the land down under, the other side of the world, I still find it hard to believe, and what an amazing place it is too.....

As you know I decided to get the new years eve flight, it was cheap and I'm no longer the party animal I once was ( not that I was ever a party animal...;-)) so new years was spent on a plane. It was alot busier than I thought, I thought the airport would be quiet, it wasn't. I sat on the floor for 5 hours...hope I don't get "knobby styles" :-/.. I read...people watched, and was introduced to the great friendly Aussie way, I kept getting asked 'how I was doing mate' ....I never got asked how I was doing travelling through Asia...more like 'More rice with that rice???'...I had the most conversation I've had in ages just sitting on that airport floor ...so friendly, so already a great start. The flight over I managed to get some sleep, I was knackered and the time difference would throw me abit as well. I don't normaly sleep too well on planes, just incase the pilot needs a hand ...;-) Anyway I slept, and before I knew it was landing in bright sunshine....9am Cairns time. 

I got my visa online, and compared to the Russian, Chinese, Burmese one it was a dodle...So much so I was convinced I would be turned around in the airport. I waited in line and went through the electric control, and that was it.....no stamp...no interview...nothing..I went back to the immigrations officer, "Ive not had my passport stamped"....'No worries mate...' "but you sure you shouldn't be stamping it??" ...'No it's fine, your on electronic'......so to this day I think i'm an "illegal"....oh well...i'll keep you posted. I got my bag, and made my way out into the Aussie outback....well not really but just adding abit of drama..;-) It was a small airport, modern clean and free from the crowds...no 'hoards' that i'm used to in the Asian airports....."civilization at last!!!!!"..everyone spoke English....no selfie taking morons infront of you on the bag carousel...I Love this place!!! I stepped outside, it was bright sunny hot and humid....but the air smelt sweet....hello Australia!

I got a mini van into cairns, it was only 15 minutes, and looking out the window I could get a great feeling about the place. It wasn't a built up place, the houses looked like a 'Home and away set' ....all the road signs were ......well different....it was clean, fresh, uncluttered...The hostel was right on the esplanade, I'm in a dorm but to be honest enjoy the company, .....usually...It's alot more expensive here than South east Asia, i'm paying £12 for a dorm bed, in Thailand you could get a single room, ensuite, with a massage thrown in...kidding...I knew it would be more expensive here. The hostel was rammed with travellers, old young....from all over, such a great buzz....and best of all they had there own kitchens, so you could make your own food....how good is that! Also a pool, washing machines...it was a fantastic place. I was pretty knackered but didn't want to waste my first day, so had a shower, and decided to go for an explore. The receptionist was brilliant she gave me a map and went through the do's and don'ts....Now just to put you in the picture, the hostel faces the ocean, gorgeous blue water, white sandy beach, sun blazing away in a cloud free sky...paradise...all this was like a picture frame in my mind....until Jodi...(not Sheila..not met a Shiela yet) said "you can't go in the water or Salty will git ya".....' sorry, who's salty???' "a Croc!!"..."you should go no closer than 3 meters near any water, or the salty will git ya".....I thought I was hearing things, apparently the Salty is a crocodile...bigger than man in some cases upto 4 meters long! and the salty is a salt water crocodile that roams anywhere it wishes....and who would argue with it....it's 4 meters of teeth!!!!....The saltwater croc is the more aggressive of the crocs, they do have cousins that are fresh water crocs but without the attitude......can you imagine, I thought it was sharks that were a danger.....but no! the bloody salty's ate them all!!!!! 

Making sure I was three meters from the waters edge at all times I walked along the esplanade, to be fair it had railings...was about 5 foot up from the water.....wooden and concrete walk way, and rammed with people, I made sure I had people between me and the waters edge...just incase. Walking along I saw my first aborigines...they were in football shirts, sitting in a big group, drinking....none had war paint or a boomerang...no diggeridoo....quite dissapointed...it took my mind off a 'salty' jumping out the water and snapping me head off though! I saw pelicans sleeping on a sand bank, bloody great things they are, parrots in the trees....at the end of the esplanade there was a massive park, with at least three big outdoor swimming pools, a stage, barbie shacks....no lie they have public gas barbies all in self contained, out door picnic areas, thats free for anyone to use....guess it takes their mind of the 'Saltys'....The town was really small, shops lined the roads.....I spotted 'Woolworths" .....it was a supermarket, remember Woolworths?? I walked along the isles just looking at all the food! I plan to be rice and noodle free for the next 10 to 20 years! On the shelves were tins of Heinz spagetti, bread, crumpets, cereals...and.....REAL TEA !!!! I'm talking Yorkshire tea..my fav, it was amazing, never before have i felt like crying in a supermarket! I walked out of there with 2 carrier bags rammed with goodies. I walked back to the hostel the back way, (meaning away from man eating 4 meter salty's) I found an Irish bar, "P J O'Brians" and lo and behold they do roast dinners!!! dinner is served. I ordered from a girl who I thought was Aussie, turned out she was from Manchester....she see the funny side though. I had a guiness...well it is new year...and sat there and watched the West ham highlights.....I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! .....Now fed and watered, I continued to walk, I completely forgot about the dangerous things in the ocean....fully contented with my dinner, my shopping bonanza....the sun was just going down ...it was still warm, then I looked up...it was like a scene from the apocolypse...thousands of bloody bats were flying about, and they weren't small things either! about the size of a car!!! alright a slight exaggeration....about the size of a fox....that flys! they were fruit bats, they only eat fruit I was assured....'at last I've found an animal in this country that doesn't bite, sting or want to rip you limb from limb!..amazing to see these things it was, next day I saw them all hanging upside down in all the trees along the street.....only in Australia. With all the excitement and near death experience, I was knackered! I went back to the hostel and made a real cuppa, the first decent cup of tea I've had since my supplies ran out in July and I started on the Liptons!  What a day, a roast dinner, shopping fit for a king and a real cup of tea.

Next day I was up early after having a great sleep, I met my roomies, A Japanese guy who constantly was doing yoga or something similar or slapping himself with both hands in the face....I didn't really speak to him much...:-/...there was an American girl she was travelling through, a nice girl, and then one guy who didn't move from his bed for two days...maybe the salty's terrified him??? We will never know.  Feeling fully refreshed, with about ten cups of tea...(forgot about my bladder problem!) and a bowl of cereal I was ready for the day! Would I survive it would be a different story? I booked a boat trip to the Great barrier reef, something I've always wanted to do...I did check first wether 'Salty's' can swim out that far! no they can't....phew......'and what about sharks? are there sharks out there?'..."only little ones they wont hurt you"....'by little ones; is that an Aussie little one or an English little one????' ....."ha ha your so funny".....I smiled, not convinced. I also booked an excursion to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree reserve for tomorrow, I will get a chance to see one of these 'Salty's' up close on a river trip....but not too close so I can come back with all my bits!...The Daintree park is a world heritage reserve, home to all kinds of things and is THE oldest rainforest in the world...how cool is that! plus the nature and scenery supposed to be amazing. So having planned the next couple of days and feeling excited, it was time to fill my day today. My first stop was the esplanade again, past the 'abo's' sitting around getting drunk...so sad to see...hope they don't start playing catch with any boomerangs! next I went to the indoor mall, it was airconditioned and a good respite from the heat, plus I wanted to get some bits. I didn't get the bit's I wanted in the end, but did sit through the new Star Wars film in an Xmax cinema instead! Don't you just love those spontaneous days!!!! Great film! I came out ....(light sabre flashing this way and that...;-)) and went to PJ O'Brians ...for a roast dinner and a Guiness....again. I've got my supplies back at the hostel so will have a light supper. I walked back, past all the locals and tourists, it's a lovely town Cairns, you feel really at home here, well I do. no ones in a hurry, people smile and come upto you ask how your doing. If it wasn't for 4 meter man eating salty's the place would feel safe. 

TBC........

Cape Tribulation, and Daintree reserve.....5th Jan....

Today i was going up the coast to the Daintree reserve and Cape Tribulation, the mini bus pulled up right on time, it was already a packed bus full of Westeners, so already a good start. The driver was a typical Aussie, full of banter as he drove the one and a half hours north. Our first stop was a look out point, the rocks where Captain Cook ran aground on the reef hence the name Tribulation....apparently he had abit of bad luck in this general area so theres alot more place names that reflected his mood...none of it good...The view was gorgeous, and fringed by the oldest rainforest in the world, although how they know this I don't know. Next we went to George Town, total inhabitants 2500 people....how they survive here is anyones guess.... Next was the highlight for me, the river boat trip. I was going to actually see one of these 'Salty's' up close....but not too close. As we were driving up the driver was telling us that in Darwin a few tourists had been attacked, that they spotted a 4 meter 'salty' in the river near Cairns and have yet to get it.....all sorts of reassuring stuff like that. We were also told not to lean over the side of the boat, as they can jump up and drag you in...Thankfully it was a big metal boat and not a little kayak as I imagined, also it was full, so at least I'd have a fighting chance if one did jump up they would go for the bigger juicier bloke standing infront of me, (after being pushed forward by me in blind panic) We had only gone 50 meters before we spotted the first one laying on the bank, a big ol thing it was,  over 2 meters, amazing to see, and to think this place must be crawling with them. We see more and more, one was over 3meters! a monster!! Certainly puts you off paddling! These were wild preditors, with a real attitude as well, the guy was telling us they will just attack for no reason.....and they taste like chicken! We must have been on the boat an hour and no one was missing so a good trip. I got some great photos. Next we went to an Abo cultural center, met a huge Aboriginal bloke with a shock of black hair, badly fitting clothes and an Aussie accent. he showed us the shields spears boomerangs...body painting, it was abit touristy but he was a proud man and eager to tell us his heritage. I wanted to chuck the boomerang....you know what i'm like ....but I think he's heard my reputation so it was a no. I'll do it later for sure! 

By this time I'd got chatting to a few people on the bus, there must have been about 8 Brits, 4 Dutch,  4 Norwiegan, 3 Americans, and a few Australians...a good group, I'd bump into a few of them on my travels later. We had lunch at a beach place, and I had fish and chips! not a grain of rice in sight! bloody lovely it was. There was the odd scream from people as bugs of various sizes landed on them, it wasn't helped by the fact that earlier, as we walked through a narrow path with a mangrove swamp either side of us looking out for 'salty's' there was bugs of every description on the path on the trees..on peoples backs, I just didn't say anything, (maybe screaming will attract a salty??) There was a spiders web across the path which someone walked into, that did have alot of screaming, turns out that the spider although BIG was not a venomous, 'but will give you a nasty nip'..... very rassuring. The beach we were all heading to was like paradise, but no one was swimming, for obvious reasons, such a shame, you cant even lay down slap on some factor 50...or 'a salty will git ya'...On the way back we saw some wallabees....little kangaroos in a clearing, hundreds of them and my first glimps at them, i'm defo in Australia now, :-) FYI these do not want to kill you or rip you limb from limb. After stopping at another stunning view it was an hours drive back to Cairns and so the trip was finished, but a brilliant day.

I got back to the hostel, and met up with my new roomies, three blokes from London a father and two teenage sons, after abit of a chat about places to go I decided to get something to eat, I wasn't having a roast again, now that would be greedy 3 roasts in three days....I did think about it though..;-) but decided to have spagetti on toast, i'm talking real Heinz spagetti and proper toast, ( it's the little things in life that give you the most satisfaction) I stood there waiting for the microwave to ping and the toaster to pop watching the others make there dinners...all these weird and wonderful concoctions....I suppose it's the stuff they miss, the Chinese just had a bowl of noodles and was content to just shovel it into their gobs. After making a few Whatsapp calls and catching up with the world as it was 10am in the UK..11am Spain, and my only real chance to catch up, I still can't get used to the time difference, but nice to hear all the news from home. 

The Great Barrier Reef.....another tick off my bucket list.....

Next morning I was up at 6am, I had to walk to the harbour and be there for 7:30am so had my breakie, packed my GoPro, towel, change of clothes, bottle of water and I was off, I walked along the esplanade, it was quite busy with joggers, people going to work, Abo's passed out drunk. I got to the harbour and checked in, there was a few people there but I still had an hour to wait so sat there and people watched. I met a few people from the previous tour so had a little chat. I'd booked the tour that went to the outer reefs; When I was checking into it, the nearer reefs although cheaper don't offer the same experience, they are broken or void of wildlife as it's so popular. I'm on the 'silver crest' more expensive but they go to three reefs right out....and in my own reassurance.. further away from any hungry 'Salty's'....We finaly boarded the boat, a fast cat it was, they gave us a cuppa and a cake and we had a briefing, it will take an hour and a half to reach the reefs, Sam the instructor gave us an intro to the reef, she was a marine biologist, and really informative, as well as gorgeous. Next she gave us our equipment, mask, flippers, snorkel....and a lycra suit?? I said to her Im ok without but she said there's 'stingers' here and she would recommend it....."i'm sorry what?"....'stingers.. jelly fish that can kill ya'...In my haste to find out if the 'salty' could swim this far, and there's absolutly no sharks??? your sure?, I forgot about asking if there was anything else that could hurt you?! ...."is there anything else that will hurt you" I said...' well the turtle might nip you if you get too close....the clown fish are very territorial and will go for you'......"NOOOOOO not Nemo as well?????" "why is it that everything in Australia wants to get you???" ...'you git used to it' ...."so you reckon I should look like captain condom and put this lycra on".....'ha ha your so funny'.....The trip out I stayed on deck, it was choppy and I felt abit rough (slight exaggeration...I felt ROUGH!) you think I'd be used to it having worked on cruise ships....I wasn't...I talked to the porcelean telephone more than once...i'm not proud...Finaly we reached the first reef! If I get in the water I will be alright, although I did have visions of me snorkeling away with huge ploombs of vomit flying out me snorkel like a sick whale....It didn't happen, phew....So there I was, looking like a floating ill fitting condom, but it was amazing, the fish were everywhere, coral, and a different world, I spent ages head tucked down looking at the world beneath me, when I did look up I was miles away from the boat....gulp!...I swam back, bloody knackering but what a day! We all got out the water, there had to be about 40 of us, some scuba divers and us snorkellers, on a reef miles out from the shore....i'm on the Great Barrier reef! how cool is that. :-). Getting out the lycra suit was an adventure in it's self, we stowed our gear in the 'Wet rack' and dryed off as we were heading to another reef...the boat was rolling in the swell...doh, but we headed off and they gave us a lunch....it was stir fry or Chinese rice....and fresh fruit, guess what I had?! One of my new years resolutions was to never eat fried rice and bloody noodles for at least a year! so I had fresh fruit, it was nice....both times!! yep talked to the porcelain telephone yet again! You'd think once your last meal came out that there would be nothing else....Wrong! after a short time we reached the second dive site, I put on my wet lycra suit, mask, which I had to put vaseline over my beard, that still wasn't quite water tight but hey....I took a bouyancy stick this time as I was worn out from the first dive you just lay on it and it keeps you afloat, so I was back in the water, Go Pro on and looking at the world below. We were on a deeper reef this time, I crapped myself when millions of jelly fish swam upto me from below! I realised to my relief they were air bubbles from the scuba divers under me!! phew....I moved away from the area as there was a 'brown' cloud in the water now! ;-) I prefered the first reef as it was alot shallower, but this reef you see alot bigger fish, and I just swam through them in awe....praying none would rip my limbs off! before I knew it the horn went off and we all headed back to the boat. 

I still felt rough but wasn't sick, to be honest nothing else could physicaly come out of me anyway....even my lungs and kidneys came out in the last bout.....We were heading to the third and last dive site. Sam came and sat with us asked what we'd seen and we could ask her questions....I wasn't the only one who was rough thankfully, the doctor on board was handing out sea sick pills all over, there was three Chinese laying on the deck greener than grass, even the four selfie taking Chinese girls were quiet, sitting there holding their heads....'take a selfie now I dare ya' ;-) The last dive site I put on my gear and got in the water.....I never did see any sharks, or sea turtle, they were about but I think they were avoiding me in fear of being covered in puke...On the way back we were chatting and telling each other our experience, showing photos and video of the different fish...such a great atmosphere. Ive always wanted to come here, always been a dream, now I've done it, I felt emotional; Now I have to find more things to :-) 

Back on terra firma....Cairns last day and flying to Sydney.....7th Jan...

We got back to port and filed off, I still had my sea legs so wasn't feeling hungry, even if you put a roast infront of me I couldn't eat it....I know, that bad! I went back to the hostel had a shower, I did risk a cup of tea, and eventually did have a snack which stayed down. I walked around Cairns soaking it all in, this will be the last night I'm here as tomorrow I'm flying to Sydney. I like Cairns, there's a nice feel to it, I'm not sure if it's because it's the first 'Civilized' city I've been to for nearly 7 months.....or it's my first stop...or what, I will let you know, but a lovely place for sure. 

Next morning I had a little lay in, my flight wasnt until 4pm so I will have breakie, shower, checkout at 11, put my bag in storage and chill out before the mini bus picks me up at 1pm...I'll miss this place. 

  I got to the airport, checked in and we boarded on time, it's a 2 and a half hour flight to Sydney, the same time it takes me to fly from Spain to the UK....I'm flying on Tiger air, a budget airline, cheap as chips, a Ryan air of Australia....(but better looking stewerdesses.;-)) It's 7pm I land Sydney time, the airport was easy to get through, and a train just yards from the terminal which takes you straight into the center. My Hostel is literaly outside the central station in the heart of Sydney. I checked in, found my dorm, just a four bed dorm, bunk beds, locker, nothing fancy but clean safe, cheap....ish, 20 quid a night ( in Asia I could get a single room with bathroom for 3 nights for the same price) I liked it though, it's a massive hostel YHA ...it's got 9 floors, 3 laundry rooms 2 kitchens, a cinema, pool, sauna, restuarant...you name it....and it's packed...I got some dinner, just outside there's a row of places...then had a shower and bed, I was knackered! But excited to be here, I did sleep well though. 

Walkabouts in Sydney.........

Next day I was up and out, I was heading over to Manly to meet with some friends of mine who I worked with in Italy, they were leaving for the East coast that afternoon, so we arranged a meet up. It was mad seeing them here, thousands of miles away the other side of the world, lovely to see friendly faces. We had a cuppa and chatted then parted ways as they had a long drive ahead of them. I stayed in Manly and headed to the beach, the sun was blazing, people were happy, and the place itself was great. The sea was crashing in, not many people in the water I thought, but then saw them confined to the two ends of the beach. These people are used to the rip tides and dangers of stingers, sharks...so really safety concious, and everyone just obeys the rules. There was surfers out and they were doing there thing, helicopters kept buzzing over head, I suppose looking for sharks, (no Salty's down here!! ) ...I hope.. I sat on the beach for abit, ( just to rub it in...:-)) Then got bored and went for an explore around the headland where I noticed people going. This was a rocky outcrop, but sheltered so there was alot of swimmers on the beach there. I got abit of a shock as on the rocks along the path I was walking there was these Dragon lizards sitting on the rocks...I walked on...don't want to be attacked by one of them do I. The whole place just had a lovely feel, I made up my mind that if I win the Lotto then this is where i'm going to live. Walking through the town again the place was buzzing, restaurants and bars shops....you wouldn't want for anything here. I spotted an Italian place with a big sign "Manly Italian Resturant" then in the window a big sign, 'Waitress wanted'......not very manly is it..;-). I caught the ferry back, that in itself was a great experience, seeing the opra house and the bridge, the boats and ferries all darting about. Once we docked I took a wander around the quay. Packed it was and full of buskers, Abo's playing diggeridoos....thankfully none throwing boomerangs, I came back here more than once in the end. Heading back to the hostel I found a 'Woolworths'...it would be rude not to go in wouldn't it? it's all part of my Australia experience, this was later enhanced by 6 bars of 'cherry ripe' ....which is the most gorgeous chocolate ever!! I should know i'm a chocoholic!..Alas my first new years resolution broken....but hey this chocolate is worth it! ;-) (can you get Cherry ripe in the UK?) I also got a box of cereal, some milk, and some fruit, how healthy is that. I had such a good day I decided to splash out on dinner, I'm on a budget so every once in a while i'll treat myself, something to look forward to, and now I didn't have to decide what flavour of rice I could have today....now I could EAT! I had a Kangaroo steak, how authentic is that, ( don't ask for rare as it just jumps off your plate;-)) roast potatoes, asparagus, veggies, so gorgeous, and it melts in your mouth.... Feeling stuffed, I came upstairs to the hostel lounge, it was crowded but a real buzz from backpackers young and old from all walks of life, sitting around. 

Next day I wanted to go to Bondi beach, after all it's an icon, the sun was shinning, I packed me factor 50, towel, cameras....and off I skooted, first catching the train to Bondi junction then the bus to the beach. Every where you looked out the bus was surfers walking along with surf boards under their arms....it can't have been far from the beach then, I was crossing my legs anyway, too many cups of tea for breakfast....I know, I know...but it was yorkshire tea..;-)..The bus finaly stopped, I ran off, all etiquette aside as I barged past 'bloody tourists';-) I found a cafe, ordered a pot of tea and asked to use the bathroom, (out one end in the other)...it's ok I'll go in the sea later..;-). Finaly, I crossed the road and looked down at the beach.....'is that it???'...it was tiny, I must say i felt a little deflated, seeing the pictures on the TV it looked alot bigger. It was packed, and I picked out at least a hundred women I was going to marry the first 100 meters I walked..;-)..I walked to the end of one end and soaked it all in, surfers in the water, waves crashing in, people in the water swimming at either end, blue sky, a smell of the sea...it was like watching bay watch only a million times better!! I walked to the other end of the beach, got a egg and bacon roll from the beach guards association.....kind of like our RNLI....(well it is for charity). I came back after investigating the other end, then finaly hit the beach. Found my spot, splashed on the factor 50, layed down...... and decided I needed to go swimming quickly. I walked upto the waters edge in my red swimming shorts...(NOT SPEEDOS...I have some street cred) I must have looked like David Hasslehof gone wrong, everywhere you looked were blokes strutting around like they've sucked on a bike pump and their mates have blown them up! huge they were...couldn't even put their arms down..bloody possers!  I waded into the sea, bloody freezing it was....but I wasn't going to show it. You could feel the current, the waves would crash down and seem to suck your legs away, no wonder they are strict about designated swimming areas. After a short time and checking the water hadn't turned blue, I moved over abit, and splashed around....Bondi beach was beginning to grow on me..:-) lovely it was. I spent a few hours on the beach, I didn't want to overdo it, the sun was fierce..( don't want to rub it in ...;-)). I took a couple of selfies....as you do, then had another walk, before heading back to the hostel. 

Still in Sydney....

Would you believe, I got uptoday and it was raining!! bloody rain! I couldn't believe it. oh well, I spent the day getting myself ready, as tomorrow I'm heading off to Uluru (Ayers rock) if you don't want a boomerang in your head you call it Uluru. I'm looking forward to it. I wasn't planning to go as it was expensive.....I thought...and to drive would take 30 odd hours...In Cairns I saw a deal 4 nights in Uluru and Alice springs all in package for a good price, once I checked online for flights it seemed it was too good an oppertunity to miss so it's my Christmas present to myself and another dream come true...Meanwhile it was still raining out. I did my washing, packed my bag, sleeping bag...camera bag. I'm only allowed to take 15kgs, my camera bag weighs 10kgs on it's own, i'm abit over but will chance it.....I can always wear all my clothes..;-) I booked another couple of nights for when I come back, I like it in this hostel and I can see it gets full, also made sure it was ok for them to store my backpack with the rest of my stuff....it was ....The rain finaly stopped, so I headed out just to get a bit of fresh air really, it was chilly out, the coldest i've been in months...well apart from the aircon buses and trains, i'll be sleeping under the stars in the outback, I wonder if I should take a coat?? ( it's summer time here, in the outback it goes upto 50'c....nah I wont be cold..) Tomorrow I'll know for sure......

Walkabouts in the out back....real Croc Dundee stuff....  

Walkabouts in the out back....real Croc Dundee stuff, 11th Jan...

I got to the airport in plenty of time, lets face it the transport system here is second to none. I'm on a Jetstar flight which is another budget airline over here....I went through to the departures and got some lunch, it will be a long ol day, a three hour flight, and then meet up with the tour and another 2 hour drive, so not sure when I would next eat....and my supply of 'cherry ripe' went on the train ride here to the airport..:-). I look around to see any other "Uluru tour looking people" .....not really sure what they would look like really...but it passed the time. The flight was called and we waited in line, my turn came to go through,  I was asked if I would assist the crew in the event of an emergency....."i'm doing what??" 'are you able to assist the crew in the event of an emergency yes or no?' ...(.i'm sure she was ex Ryan air, rude get.) Turns out I got a seat next to the emergency door, it was in the front row so I'll be first off the plane....probebly first to die if the plane plummets! but hey 'destiny is in everything'. I said yes anyway, and we were on our way....( not because I said yes, we were on our way regardless...) I slept on and off, between toilet breaks.. it did seemed a quick flight, (after some of the 14 hr bus journeys maybe I'm used to it?) We flew over Uluru on the way in, it was smaller than I expected, then again I didn't know how far up we was, but great to see it from above. The airport is only a few kilometers from the mountain...bet the ol Abo spirits are turning in their graves.  We touched down, the door opened and it was like an oven door being opened....bloody hot it was..After a short walk across the runway, we were in the terminal building and thankfully the aircon. There was no passport control, the airport was small, the bags came through and I went out the doors to arrivals. I wasn't sure who I was supposed to meet or anything, there was a number of people with cards but none with my name on. I asked a few people and they said just to wait they will be along.... I waited. After a while the crowds thinned out, all going on their tour or to the hotels etc....there was about 8 people left in the airport...all waiting like me, as it turned out they were all on the same trip as me. 

Eventually the mini bus came, and the guy with the clip board and a crocodile dundee hatcalled out our names and we loaded our stuff and got on the bus. There was 18 of us altogether, and as it turned out a great bunch of people, always a good start. 

After the introductions we headed for Uluru, well no sense in hanging about is there. The scenery looked like mars..( not the chocolate bar....think i've got 'cherry ripe' withdrawals...;-/) ....red dusty sand, mingled with bush and small trees that looked half dead, although we were told they had a generous amount of rain a few days ago, so looks lush.....'no one told me it rains here!' I saw Uluru as we approached on the road, you get a sense why the Aborigonies hold it as sacred. I just stared in wonder, I can't believe i'm here, im dreaming. We stopped a little way from the mountain and was allowed to take photos....I took alot! So so lovely it was. We boarded the bus again, and drove another few kilometers to a cultural center, from here we wasn't allowed to take photos as it was sacred ground, not even Abo women are allowed to look at it....how sexist is that..;-0...?? The cultural center was a history of the tribe that lives here. (Aboriginies arn't one tribe, there is probebly over a hundred all over Australia, each with a different language, foods, laws...) They have no written language, everything is passed down verbally, or by art work and symbols, they use pictures or symbols to tell a story, write a map..how easy is that....they dont have numbers either, they cant count past 4 apparently....maybe one finger always gets bitten off by a Dingo???;-/ , if they see 5 or more for example:  kangaroos, its 'many'. They showed us various symbols for describing a person, kangaroo, water....and it's all in the art, interesting stuff. One thing I did notice was the flies, they are every where! I dont mean a few, i'm talking in your ears up your nose in your eyes, I swear the little gits were trampolining on my eye balls for a laugh! No where did I walk in daylight where I wasn't followed by at least a hundred flies! You try eating! I'll never look at a rasin in the same light! Once the sun goes down all the little sods sleep and you don't see any....that's when the dingos come out and rip you limb from limb! on the plus side, there's no 'crocs' up this way......(the flies probably pissed them off!). Before we left the center, AJ, thats our driver ...(I can remember that name)..made us fill up our water bottles, we had to carry 3 litres at all times. I was going to tell him that I maybe useful, as I can drink a litre of tea and some how pee out three litres....if you don't mind drinking my urine of course?? I thought better of it, buggered if i'm drinking pee, even if its my own brew. 

We pulled up right at the foot of Uluru next, I didn't think we were going to come so close. You can walk up it, but it's deemed dangerous as a few people have fallen.....probebly selfie taking Chinese....so we didn't go up. I'm just happy to be here, to see and to touch it. At the first stage of our trek we werent allowed to take photos as it was a sacred part, something about two snakes had a fight and turned to stone...and to explain it there was some discoloured rocks that were long.... (someones been sitting under the sun too long me thinks)...Soon after when we walked 200 meters, we could take photos, and away I went.  It was hot, the flies were driving you crazy, but I was loving every minute. I actually saw a kangaroo as well, wild and free it was in some bushes, looking like an animal trapped in a cars headlights before it hopped off ( I almost feel guilty when I eat kangaroo steak now..:-))....Time was getting on and we all headed off to the first camp for the night. We would be sleeping in a 'Swag' a kind of canvas sleeping bag with a built in mattress....how cool is that....under the stars crocodile dundee style. In the end we didn't that night as it rained!!...don't laugh...first rains in 9 years! on and off not constant but enough to keep you in a tent ....so we slept in a tent the first night, which was still cool...well actually it was bloody hot, but dry. Before that we sat down and had our first meal together......Bloody stir fried rice!!!.I have now broken my second new years resolution of never eating rice again..doh. I managed to chat to the rest of the group, there was a fellow Brit girl from Bristol, an Italian guy, a Slovakian guy, a Czech girl, two Dutch and the rest were German. A great bunch they really were, so lovely. Next morning it was an early start to see the sunrise...4am!!! We were up at 4 am for the next three days as well, but the sunrises were amazing to see, and we crammed alot into the trip so can't complain. AJ walked around with his speaker going, and the camp woke. After a quick breakfast, we packed up camp and was on the bus, it was still pitch black. After a half hour drive, we pulled up and walked a little way until we finaly reached the spot where we would see the sunrise over Uluru. I came fully prepared with me tripod,  took pictures of the group sitting in the break of dawn and of the surrounding area and of Uluru...so amazing. 

Once the sun came up the heat came back, and of course the flies...After boarding the bus we headed for another sacred mountain and would be trekking for an hour or so, then back on the bus and made our way along the outback road that will eventually lead to Alice Springs. The road was dead straight, it went for hundreds of miles before you saw any signs of life. We pulled up at a place that was a farm/servo/shop/camp ground/tourist attraction...The story goes that this family bought one million acres of land in the 50's....that's an area as big as Luxembourg!! Can you imagine! you can't pop home for a coffee break here! It was cows and camels they farmed, and built everything from scratch, you've got to hand it to them, they were real bushmen...even the toilets had 'Sheilas' and blokes on ...how Aussie is that! After some more sight seeing, and bus journeys we eventually stopped to get some fire wood, AJ pulls over in the middle of nowhere and told us to head into the bush, fan out and pick up the dead branches, but kick them first incase anything is lurking under them or on them or it's not actually a snake your picking up! ....FYI in Australia there are 22 of the worlds deadliest snakes! ( this is out of 25 in this catagory!!) That's not all that will kill you though, not forgetting the spiders bigger than your hand, dingos, scorpions, the heat and the constant threat of going insane from these bloody flies!!! So there was me looking for fire wood in the outback! I survived..phew...brought back a modest pile and survived the bush....'croc Dundee' or what...;-) 

We arrived at another camp ground, unpacked, then had dinner which was a fusion of Europe and Australia, 'spagbol with Kangaroo meat' mmmm. The sun started to go down....the flies went to bed thank god, and tonight i'm sleeping under the stars in a 'SWAG' how great is that....if I survive the night without being bitten, eaten, or stung it will be brilliant! AJ did start to give us a list of do's and donts which did get a little worrying..."don't leave your shoes outside or any food or clothing or the dingos will have it away...check where you put your feet and hands"....I put my boots in a weather bag so no spiders or scorpions would surprise me, and kept it on the bus with my cameras....I left my shorts on, it was too hot to sleep in a t'shirt, I had a jungle sleeping bag, but to be honest under the canvas swag it was boiling. We were all fanned out around the camp fire in our 'swags'....This is the life I thought.... that was when I started to feel little stings...turns out I was sleeping on an ants nest!! I jumped up, banged, swatted, spuished and eventually got them out of the swag....I moved to another spot, still making sure I was surrounded by a few of the others so I wouldnt be eaten or bitten first....;-).. Then it started to spit! I few got up and ran to the cook house...it didn't last long and didn't even wet anything, I stayed put, zipped up the canvas outer shell and drifted off to sleep....I must have woke up a couple of hours later after dreaming I was wandering the bush alone and coming across the 'wherethefuckarewe' tribe, they taught me how to throw a boomerang......which never came back.....thats when I must have woke and felt drops of water on my head! It was raining now abit heavier than before, 'i'm buggered if I was going to get up now' so just burried myself under the swag and must have drifted off again...I woke up just before my alarm went off, I peered out from under the canvas to a starry world above me that blew you away, so many stars! so amazing to see, this is what camping under the stars is all about! After checking that nothing was missing, ie legs arms etc....i didn't see or hear any dingos so all good.  I got up and got ready for the day ahead, the camp started to stir as well, we had our breakie and headed off on our big trek which would be a few hours, but under the low morning sun it will be ok. AJ was adament that we are away and on the bus before midday,he also made sure we all had our three liters of water. Very safety concious was our AJ. 

The trek was great, steep in some parts but the views were gorgeous, we dipped down to a place they call the 'garden of Eden'. You could see why, all around us as we approached was a red dusty hot descolate place, then next minute as you descended, it was a lush green oasis with flowing water. We had a picinic there and abit of a breather then headed back up and out to the bus. This was the last time we were in the bush, we had a three hour drive to Alice Springs now, we stopped at a couple of big ranches for lunch and pitt stops. everyone slept or just gazed out the window at the endless wild country. Once we got to Alice it was time to say our goodbyes as bit by bit the group was dropped off at different hostels, until there was just 8 of us left. We were all sharing a dorm, had a chicken Madras curry for dinner and chatted away. Tomorrow we had to be up at 3:30 am for the 5 hour bus ride back to Uluru airport. We all made it and set off on time, stopped at a couple of the ranches we passed on the way in, I felt like a local. I imagine these people don't have too many visitors out here. We arrived right on the dot to the terminal, and went through to check in. The plane took off on time, we all slept most of the way then said our goodbyes in the airport as we all went off  our seperate ways. I'm on facebook with them now....:-) 

I came back to the same hostel, I liked it, it was central, and everything I needed. After checking in I went up to the dorm. There must be a new craze out with skate boards ( now I remember skate boarding when I was a teenager....yes years ago!) the room had a couple of skateboards laying against the wall, and clothing strewn everywhere else! You get a sense of who you'll be sharing with just by looking at the stuff....Tie dyed tshirts and josh sticks for hippy types....a little bag, phone chargers and battery packs, packets of noodles for our Chinese friends....hairdryers, shoes and clothes everywhere for girls...bad smell of feet, dirty clothes for blokes....never fails. I'm with 3 other blokes, they don't say much but I've met a few people down stairs. My first meal back was my Kangaroo steak....sod the budget I was starving.. followed by a shower and bed. Next day I got up later, fresh as a daisy I was, I had to do my washing ( lets face it there's only a certain amount of times your boxers can go inside out....kidding mom..;-) ) There was three laundry rooms in this hostel ( not sure if half the kids know what one is for! but hey) So just stuck my load in....no seperating whites and colours here!...in for a penny in for a pound...Whilst that was chugging and turning away I did some shopping, I needed soap, some food bits....(alright cherry ripes) and an internet card. I found some soap that smelt just like coaltar soap, I love coaltar soap!!!! This stuff was called 'Slavo'. Now keen to smell 'fresh and clean', I decided to have a shower again whilst my clothes were in the dryer. If you can imagine washing your self with a cheese grater it wouldn't come close to this! It smelt great don't get me wrong but it had sand or sandlike grains in it! I took three layers of skin off on my first wipe! I thought it might be just the top layer.....it's not! I lathered that thing up to a froth and it was still like sandpaper! dont ever buy salvo soap! Still red raw from my shower I dryed off and collected my washing. The rest of the day was mine.....then it rained! Oh well no beach for me!

Next day the weather was much better, I decided to go to 'Hyde park', they have an ANZAC memorial I'd like to see, and it's on the way...ish to Darling harbour. They've got these birds here, black and white they are as big as a chicken with a big long beak, they are happy to run around infront of you, although wary at first incase these turned out to be another one of Australias killers I didn't see them try to attack anyone. I watched these for abit sitting there in the shade of the park.. The memorial was nice, the park was cool, busy and relaxing, I walked back into the city to Darling harbour where I see a maritime museum advertised and a diesel submarine you could go on. I've never been on a sub before, my uncle Charlie served aboard them and after walking around that thing now realise he must be mad as a hatter! Sorry charlie. ;-) There's no way I could have gone to sea in that..... small, crampt, it must get  pretty ripe in there as well, every space had a button or dial or pipe....I know I pushed and pulled every bloody one :-) even the torpedo one!!! Such a great experience and a great respect for my uncle and all the poor sods who go out in them. I also went on another warship and the 'Endevour' which is a replica of the ship that Captain Cook came to Australia on....ran aground....gave everywhere really bummed out place names...and left. Now even I had to go on hands an knees to get around the lower decks! ...hats off to those blokes as well. After a great day I was shattered, so headed back to the hostel.

Which now brings me upto date, it's my last night in Australia, tomorrow i'm heading for New Zealand....how great is THAT! I do love Aus, i've decided to come back here for another few weeks after NZ, but will plan that out nearer the time. I got a flight booked from Christchurch to Melbourne on the 29th Feb, that gives me nearly 6 weeks ...hope it's enough? So now i'm repacking, did some 'Yorkshire' tea bag shopping...downloading all my paperwork...and eating some more cherry ripe. It's a 1:30pm flight so plenty of time to get across town to the airport, check in and start my New Zealand adventure....I'll finish up for now, The next blog will start in New Zealand....see you there.