Back in Sydney for one last night

This morning we had to return our beloved Mazda 3 at the airport by 8 am. Our flight wasn't until the afternoon but we thought we could find a nice spot to enjoy the sunshine outside.  However, what really happened was that we had free WiFi the whole time so we spent it catching up with everyone back home.

Our flight to Sydney was pretty uneventful.  We flew Quantas again and I think I've got their Cricket Team safety video memorized now.

We booked a night in an airport hotel that was pretty cheap and clearly close to the airport. Plus, they had a shuttle service for $16 roundtrip. 

We ate dinner at the restaurant in the hotel and spent the night reorganizing our things, showering and wasting time online.

Check out is at 10 am and we will head back to the airport to catch our flight home.  Well, first to Dallas, and then home. 

It's wishful thinking, but I really hope our flight to Dallas isn't full because it would be awesome to have a whole row to flip all of the armrests up and sleep. But since it's right before Christmas, that probably won't happen.

I can't believe we start our trek home tomorrow.  We've had a fantastic trip (we always do, but it is still fun), met some great people, and experienced a lot of new things. 

We are ready to come home and enjoy Christmas with our families...we just wish it wasn't so cold.

Maybe there will be one last post from Dallas. 

See you soon Minne!

Queenstown, Lord of the Rings tour

This morning we were picked up by Nomad Safaris for a Lord of the Rings tour.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a ton of great info all along our stops.

Queenstown was founded on gold mining in 1862. Most of the miners worked up Gorge Road and on the Shotover river. You could stick your hand in the river and stop the gold from running down it, there was that much of it.

From that path we also went up further towards Arthur's Point up by Coronet Peak which is one of the big ski resorts in Queenstown. It's the only ski resort in the area to have a paved road going to it.

This is also the way we veered off to go to Skippers Canyon (on a definitely not paved road). Most of the gold rush people moved up there because there was more gold. Shania Twain's exhusband pretty much now owns all of the land between here and Wanaka. Only 5 families still live in Skippers Canyon and they can trace their ancestry to the gold miners of 1862.

Skippers Road is one of the top 20 most scenic drives in the world. It's a heritage site so there are no modifications done to it. If the road has needed to be rebuilt they must use the same rock from the area-which is basically like sand, it falls right apart. The other thing is that it's also one of the top 25 most dangerous roads in the world, which explains a lot since there are no guard rails and the road is open all year long.

Coming into Arrowtown we drove past Millbrook, a luxury golf course. Now that doesn't mean much for me, but I thought my golf-obsessed family would like that. There are 5 very nice courses in the area. 6 if you count a 9 hole course.

We drove right through the Arrow River with our jeep and tried to find some gold.  We had no luck so I guess we have to come home.  Arrow River was also our first Lord of the Rings site.  When Liv Tyler is trying to get Frodo to the Elves because he's been poisioned she rides across the river while being chased by the Dark Riders.

Our second site was right by the Bungy bridge, and that was the site for the Pillars of the Kings.

Our last Lord of the Rings stop was up by The Remarkables.  The Remarkables mountain range is actually a ski resort but was used as Mordor and the Misty Mountains.

All of the stops were beautiful but it was kind of interesting to learn how they super imposed the backdrop of say Skippers Canyon to the Arrow River to make the scene look more dramatic.  It's already gorgeous I wouldn't have the eye for piecing it all together. Our guide said he worked security for filming of The Hobbit and he walked into a food tent and all of these actors were dressed up in full costume which was pretty cool.

After our tour we got dropped off in town so we did a little shopping and ate lunch at Fergburger. We have walked past it all thr time and it always has a big line.  So we figured we had to check it out.  The burgers are huge so we split one and we were both really full. We then walked back to the hostel and decided to change and go to the beach. It was such a beautiful afternoon and we love being down by the lake. We had dinner at a cute little Mexican restaurant and then walked back to the hostel.  We have to get everything organized tonight because tomorrow we go to the airport to start our trek home. We have an overnight in Sydney tomorrow, so you should hear from us again.

Queenstown, Ice Bar

This morning felt like it came really fast.  The Captain woke us up at 7 for breakfast and then we cruised out back to the end of Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea. 

There was a huge cruise liner coming in from Australia so that was pretty cool to see.  It looked just tiny compared to the steep mountains surrounding it.  It was another beautiful day on the boat.  You could tell that the crew was really excited for some sunshine and it gave us a chance to go a little further out.

We saw a Red Deer on the rocks.  They can be hunted all year round and they get a few people who come up and hunt from helicopter up here.  So the Captain said it was pretty rare to see one in the wild.  We also saw a bunch of adolescent fur seals lounging on the rocks and then bottlenose dolphins swimming along the edge too! It was really cool that we were able to see such diverse wildlife, it sounded like that's less likely to happen when it's rainy.

We returned to the port and then made our way back towards Queenstown. We had learned that before we got to Milford Sound the road into it, through the Homer Tunnel, had been closed for 4 days due to bad weather. So we determined that we were truly lucky to have such nice days.

We didn't waste much time when we got back to the hostel.  We are in the same room as our first night and then we decided to go down to the beach and Marine Street. It's a beautiful day and we just wanted to soak it up.  We found Hell's Pizza that my sister Heidi suggested we try and ate that for dinner. I think that I got more of a kick out of the fact that a cute botique called Angel's Designs was directly across from Hell's Pizza.

We did some shopping, had some delicious ice cream, and then came back to the hostel to get ready for going to the Ice Bar.

Incase you're unsure of what this is, it's exactly as it sounds.  The bar is made of all ice. Even your glasses are just carved out ice.  We were given a parka and grippy gloves and then went on in.  I had a drink called the Perky Penguin which was delicious. The there was even an "air hockey" table inside - so really an "ice hockey" table. The bartenders told us that they do change out their ice carvings about every 4-5 months and it's two guys from Auckland that do it.  The best part is that they get the ice from Vegas!

Originally they only had the ice bar in Christchurch, but the earthquake that recently hit them leveled it and they rushed to open one in Queenstown. He said it took the guys 10 days to have it ready. Now it is the largest ice bar in the Southern Hemisphere.

Even with the jackets and gloves we still felt a little cold so we finished our drinks, slammed the glssses into the "ice garbage" and went outside to warm up.  We walked around for a little while before making our way to the hostel.

Going to take it easy tonight since we are getting picked up early for our tour tomorrow.

We will be able to reassure everyone that the world doesn't end, we are 17 hours ahead of you in Minnesota so if you're feeling uneasy just check in that you've heard from us!

Cheers!

Milford Sound overnight

This post was for yesterday December 19, 2012.

Today we drove to Milford Sound from Queenstown. The drive was about 4 hours and, in typical New Zealand fashion, it was so beautiful.

We only pulled over a handful of times. One of the best stops was at Eglinton River. It was a clear river with beautiful purple flowers all around it and amazing mountains behind it. We also had to drive through the long Homer Tunnel that basically went straight through the mountain. There was one bit of a rough patch on the road where they're still cleaning up from an avalanche that happened this winter.

We checked in at the Milford Sound Visitor Terminal and the lady told us we have been complimentary upgraded to a private room (we booked a quad room because it was cheaper and they said they could fill the other 2 spots). So that was nice of them and great for us.

In Maori legend, the fiords were created not by rivers of ice, but by Tu Te Raki Whanoa, a godly figure who came wielding a magical adze uttering incantations. Milford Sound isn't actually a Sound at all, it's a Fiord. The difference is that a Fiord is a glaciated valley. It's a narrow and steep-sided area that has been flooded by the sea after the glacier's retreat. A Sound is a river valley that's been flooded by the sea.

After a brief safety meeting on the boat, we went to check out our room. Our door opens right up to the outside and we have a constantacular (constantly spectacular, I just made that up) view. The rainforest clings to sheer rock walls washed with waterfalls. Mitre peak dominates the skyline and sticking out of the clouds we could see snow-capped Mount Pembroke. We also drove right up under a waterfall that created a beautiful rainbow right along the bottom of the rocks.

We learned that Milford Sound is the wettest inhabited place in all of New Zealand but it is a beautiful day here today.  Because we had such nice weather we were able to go up a little further for our night activities to a little bay right about at the Tasman Sea.

We went on a guided cruise in a little boat around Anita Bay. The guide took us out past Post Office Island, which was actually used to drop (or send) mail or supplies when it was too difficult to travel through the Fiord in bad weather. He also pointed out the peaks we could see and some trees and gave us other bits of knowlege about the area.

We came back up to the boat for dinner. We moved to a different part in the Fiord and had an awesome view of the Stirling Falls.

Dinner was a delicious 3 course meal and we sat next to another couple in our assigned booth. After dinner the guide that did our little cruise earlier gave a slide show presentation with pictures of Milford Sound and the whole Fiordland area. He was really funny and included a few funny video clips too. Some of the pictures he showed us were from when it was raining and all you could see were waterfalls after waterfalls. I thought we saw a lot of them but the pictures he showed us were just crazy.It almost made me wish for rain so we could see something like that. Haha.

The rest of the night was ours to enjoy.  We took a look out at sunset, which was a little hard to capture because the mountain peaks are so steep. Now that it's dark, we're just going to bed.

Til tomorrow.

Queenstown Bungy Jumping!

Good evening from the adrenaline junkie's paradise, aka Queenstown New Zealand!

Mes & I left drizzly and damp Franz Josef this morning and made our way to Queenstown.  It was about 4.5 hours but it was BY FAR the most beautiful stretch of driving we have had yet!

We crossed a one way bridge that was so long it had pull over passing areas a few spots along the way.  Another we crossed had this huge rushing waterfall running under it.  Luckily there was a spot to pull over once we drove over it because this time I really did have a bunch of cars following me and wouldn't have been able to stop in the middle of it like last time.

When we got into Wanaka the views were so stunning we were basically pulling over every chance we got.  The lake with the snow capped mountains in the background didn't even seem real.  It looked like a painting. Mesa had the good idea of getting pictures with us in them so people knew it was a real place!

Coming into Queenstown was an awesome feeling. It's got an amazing energy.  I don't even know how else to describe it, but I've only felt it before in Istanbul.  It just makes you feel happy and excited and you know you're going to enjoy every minute of being there. The landscape is unbeatable and the buildings are so cute too. I even told Mesa that the McDonald's were "gorgeous".

We found the hostel with no problems and after quickly going up to the room and changing we hopped back into the Mazda and went directly to bungy jumping on the Kawarau Bridge.

Mesa wanted to go first so I hung out on the viewing platform to take pictures. We hugged eachother (just incase) and up she went.  They counted her down and after a few moments of hesitation she jumped! She didn't even scream! Well she let out an excited scream once she knew she survived.

After she came back up, I went.  I was a little nervous when I saw how high it was, but I dove right off. It feels longer than it looks when you watch people jump.  When i got back up, some ladies that had been talking with Mesa said I had a really nice dive off the bridge, like a swan. I guess diving sticks with you,  although this is nothing like the spring boards I was used to.

The Kawarau Bridge is the world's first bungy site and is a 43 meter jump with the Kawarau River below it.  There are other options for those of you who want more of a thrill.  The Nevis jump is a staggering 134 meters high. We did not want to try that one.

After jumping we drove back into town.  We shared a nice falafel wrap on a rooftop terrace and then did some major shopping.  The shops were all so cute and of course I'm finding all sorts of things I love and am having a hard time restraining myself.

We will probably just take it easy tonight but it's been a really fun day.

Pancake Rocks & Franz Josef Glacier

Last night we slept so well that it was almost difficult to get out of bed this morning. Because we didn't have WiFi we didn't stay up as late.

After checking out, we drove just down the road to the Pancake Rocks. They're right along the cliffs and scientists know they're made of limestone but they don't know how they became layered in the way that they are. It's pretty cool to see the waves crashing into them. 

Our drive to Franz Josef was pretty easy compared to some of the other parts.  The roads weren't nearly as winding. It's colder the further south you go and we started to get a little rain on and off.

We arrived in Franz Josef with enough time to check into the hostel and make our way to the Guided Glacier Hikes.  This was another we thing we booked in advance and it ended up just being our guide, Sam, and the two of us.

Of course it started drizzling right when we were about to go out but that didn't stop us from having a great time. They gave us waterproof boots, pants, and a rain jacket. Sam took us off the usual public trail and had us try all sorts of different plants. The first one kind of made your tounge tingle and go numb. The second tasted like a green bean. The third was like cinnamon but then it kind of made your mouth on fire. 

As soon as we got out into the flat part of the glacier valley, we could see waterfalls all around us. The water was so fresh Sam told Mesa to fill up her water bottle here. When we got up to the rope, Sam took us a little further.  Because we had a guide we could go.  The glacier is in a retracting phase right now, so it's much further back than it used to be.  Plus all of the glaciers are melting so it's getting harder for people to see them (they're not even doing hikes on the ice right now because there's a large cave under it).  He showed us a part that you could see where the glacier had been and he asked us how long ago we thought it was when it was up that high.  I guessed 50 years and he said it was just 4! But it was quite a drastic difference I never would have thought it was just that short of time. 

Sam brought us even a little further than they normally do their hikes, but it was awesome when we got there.  We were on the ice, but it was still part of it that was covered in rocks.  We could see the cave and the water rushing under it.  It was pretty beautiful.  Scientists expect that this glacier will be gone by the 2100.  Or earlier since the area is basically due to have an earthquake.  They sit right on a couple fault lines and Sam said they believe that any earthquake now would register around a 9.5 and basically nothing and no one would survive.  The eathquake that recently took down a large portion of Christchurch was only a 6.5. We are hoping for no earthquakes tonight.

After getting back wr turned in all of our wet gear.  I dont know what happened with Mesa's rain gear but she was soaked. My pants were a little wet near the bottom, but nothing like hers.  We ran back to change quickly before going to get some dinner at The Landing, where Sam recommended.

We shared a small pizza and some potato wedges and then went back home. It's still rainy outside, so we probably won't do much. 

It's been kind of nice to not have more driving to do after our busy day.

Sailing in Abel Tasman National Park

We had no WiFi yesterday so this is the post for yesterday, Sunday December 16th.

This morning we woke up to learn that a fuse had blown in the middle of the night and none of our phones charged and the water wouldn't run. Luckily we had woken up with enough time to find an outlet that worked and charge for a bit.

After checking out of our room, we drove to Kaiteriteri for our full day sailing tour around the Abel Tasman National Park. I know what you're thinking, how are you going sailing all day when you got seasick kayaking!?  Well, luckily I didn't feel queasy at all and it was such an awesome day.                 

Our tour only had 8 other people on board, plus the Captain, so we had plenty of room on the boat.

Our first drive out of the cove was to Split Apple Rock.  It's basically a rock the looks just as it is named. I was the only one of the group to swim out to it. The Captain had warned me that the rocks around it are pretty sharp, and he was right. It was really hard to climb up it because my hands and feet hurt.  But since I had already jumped into the chilly water, I couldn't just go back.  So eventually I made it up (I'm sure it didn't look graceful) and Mesa did a good job as photographer.  When I got back to the boat I noticed I had a few small cuts on my hands and the bottom of feet.

The morning was a little cold, and even more so after I was wet, but once the sun came out it was perfect.

Every view was amazing and the water was unbelievably blue. Almost that clear blue green color that doesn't ever really exist because it's been photo-shopped.  Well, we found the real deal in NZ. Just stunning. We then sailed around to Anchorage for lunch. Mesa and I stayed on the boat and used our time after lunch to lay in the sun.  Our other points of interest were Pinacle Island where we saw NZ Fur Seals laying on the rocks.  There was one tiny little pup with it's momma, and a little off from that a large male fighting with a female. They're cute from afar but man the males look REALLY big.

We also went to Barks Bay and past Observation Beach. Every thing we went by was beautiful.  We went into two shallow lagoons. One had a low tide walking trail marked that we rode past on the boat. But because it was so low it looked so clear.

We got back to the beach around 4:30 and started making our way to Punakaki. We anticipated the drive to take us 5 hours but the GPS said 3 1/2. It has been pretty accurate so far so we were really hoping it would stay the same this time round.  The drive was still full of winding roads and amazing views and it felt like we were out in the middle of no where. There are these tiny towns you go through that just have a small general store and a few homes. So we made sure to fill on gas and get some food for driving before then.

During all of our driving we                     encountered many one-lane bridges. Most of them have been fairly short and going over rivers that have just a little bit of water running under them during this time of the year. But there was one we came across that had a stoplight telling you when to go. We get halfway across it and Mesa yells out, "Stop the car!" She hops out and takes probably 5 pictures and then asks me to take one of her! Luckily no one was coming this whole time but usually I'm going slow enough around these turns that there's easily 1 or 2 cars that catch up quickly and follow right on my bumper.

The drive probably would have been accurate to the GPS but when we were just about into Punakaiki we drove right along the West Coast Road and the sun was just starting to go down. It was gorgeous. The tide was beautiful and there was a light mist that was splashing on the rocks below.  So naturally we pull over to take pictures and then hop into the car (that's been playing Christmas music for the last 45 minutes) and continue on our way. We probably stopped about 4 times on that road.

Our hostel knew we were checking in late, so we were lucky that they left a note for us on the door and our room was open and ready for us. The place looks like a cozy log cabin that you'd find up north and it's down this dark gravel road. We will have to see what it looks like in the daylight!

Now, time for bed!

Christchurch to Kaikoura to Motueka

While we were able to find a somewhat quiet spot in the airport, it was hardly the best night's sleep.  We got up around 4 am to go over to the domestic terminal so we could fly from Auckland on the North Island to Christchurch on the South Island.

Once we landed we had no problems getting our bags or our cute little rental car: a bright blue Mazda 3.

Mesa was brave enough to drive us to our first stop.  Luckily, we have had a few weeks of seeing people drive on the other side to help us get used to it.

She got us out of the city wonderfully and we arrived safely in Kaikoura. It didn't take us as long as we thought, so we parked on the Esplanade and found a nice cafe to eat a little and get some caffeine. They also had free WiFi! We walked down the road to go to Kaikoura Kayaks and stumbled upon a little Flea Market. They had live music (a guy playing an electric violin, which I've loved since seeing it played in Istanbul) and a wide variety of things for sale. We didn't buy anything, but it was a beautiful day and it was fun to look. 

Our kayaking tour was a lot of fun.  Since we had a slow going couple of days with just flying and driving - it was so nice to move around. The people in our group were a family with 2 young boys, and another girl by herself that went with our guide. We had a 2 person kayak and we were doing a great job at it.  I've never been kayaking on the ocean and Mes hasn't been kayaking ever - but we rocked it. 

We went out to this rocky area and saw a Sea Lion laying on the rocks.  The waves were getting really strong out there and I was starting to feel a little nauseous. When we turned back around our guide spotted an Orca whale. It was too far away to see anything but the tail come up but we paddled out that way. I saw it come up once but the waves were so high that everytime he yelled out that he's up, we were in the low part of the wave and couldn't see it.

On the paddle back to the beach I was feeling so sick, even with trying to focus on the land. Let's just say my lunch made a second appearance. I think I felt worse that Mesa had to see it since she was in the back of the kayak.

After that I felt a little better and we pulled the kayaks up to a music festival on the beach.  It wasn't a huge thing but the girl performing was great and it was nice to sit on stationary land for a minute. 

I don't really know what's going on with my seasickness / motion sickness lately. I don't remember it being this bad, but I guess I'll need to be better prepared for my boat to Antarctica in March.

The drive to Motueka (actually all of our driving) was so pretty. I drove the strech of road from Kaikoura there and it wasn't too bad.  There was one part that was just constant hairpin turns on the mountains but we take them slowly and it's been working for us. We have seen farmlands with the sheep on the hillsides, ocean and beach views, desert looking mountains, snow capped mountains, and mountains that looked like a full forest, and what I liked to call sections of tree avalanches. It's so beautiful that it actually makes our driving some of the best time because we get to see so much of the countryside.

Anyone who has been to New Zealand says it's the most beautiful place they've ever seen and what better way to see all of that beauty by driving it and enjoying it on our activities?!

Our hostel is very nice and cozy looking. We are both so excited about sleeping in a bed.

I don't think we have WiFi tomorrow, but we will see when we make it to our hostel!

We also just heard about the Connecticut shootings, so here's a little trave quote I'd like to leave this with:

If life is a journey then let my soul travel and share your pain.- Santosh Kalwar

Until next time...

Flying to New Zealand...all day

This morning we woke up to get ready for our long day of flying!

We had a shuttle pick us up and take us to the airport.  This day is going to be rather uneventful since all we are doing is flying the whole time, but at the end of it - we will have made it to New Zealand.

Our first flight brought us to Melbourne. This airport was so fancy. Tons of nice duty free items and shops. They even have a Victoria's Secret here. We've been flying Quantas again so that's always nice.  Melbourne looks rainy and drizly outside but it is not 100 degrees so it's kind of fun to have a little change. Auckland, New Zealand seems nice but it's midnight and a little hard to tell :)

All of our flights were pretty nice. I had time to watch all of the kid movies I've been wanting to see: Brave, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Days, and The Muppets. Plus a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother.  We arrived in New Zealand and now we are just hanging out in the airport for a few hours before connecting to Christchurch on the South Island.

We are so excited for NZ but I can't believe we have already left Australia.  We had a fantastic time but it just went so quickly. I think we did a great job of packing the quintessential Aussie experiences into our short trip. We explored Sydney, the Opera House and the Bridge, the snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, and the road less traveled to the Red Center of the Outback which was so awesome, and we have met (or reconnected with) some really great people. Those are the things I think of when I think of Australia.  While we didn't ever have "Shrimp on the Barbie", everything else we ate was plenty delicious and I can leave happy. Of the 16 counties I've now been to, I've been lucky enough to have experienced 8 of them with Mesa. I can't wait to now go out and see what New Zealand can share with us.  Look out South Island, you're about to have some ambitious, inquisitive, and energetic travelers!

Now off to find a quiet place to settle before making our way to the domestic transfers in a few hours. 

Outback Day 4 & Alice Springs

Last night I was so tired and exhausted because of the heat (and mad at myself for being afraid of a big bug that I wrecked my phone) that I fell asleep in the tent without even getting my sleeping bag.

Luckily this site was our nicest and our tents felt like some of our past hostels.

We had some breakfast and packed sandwiches for the day and then went off to do another 3 hour hike at the Western Macdonnell Ranges National Park in the Ormiston Gorge Creek. Juno said it would be an easy day and that we would be rewarded with a swimming hole at the end. What he didn't tell us was that a decent portion of the hike was over large stepping stones where a creek would be if there was any water. It's impossible to pay attention to your surroundings because you had to watch every step you took.

Of course that didn't stop me from slipping and smashing my knee. It was quite painful because I landed right on the rocks, but luckily I didn't twist anything. The first thing I asked about was if my camera was ok. I had my lens cap on and although it got a little scuffed up, it is fine. I don't know if I would have handled it very well if I broke my phone and my camera in the span of 8 hours.

Every time we did a hike we had to carry 1.5 liters of water each. My Camelback bladder is 2 and Mes had 1.5 but on this hike we were all running low and drinking it quickly. It was such a hot day and it was very easy to get dehydrated quickly. Our group Mom of the trip was doing fine and then the dehydration just hit her. I have so much respect for her and her husband because, quite honestly my mom and dad wouldn't have made it. (Sorry guys, but it's true) Mom wouldn't have handled the heat and daddy-o's knees would not have made it.

Luckily two of our guys went ahead and grabbed some extra water from the truck to bring back and we were all saved! Plus we did get a nice swim in. The water felt wonderful. There were some Loon-like birds diving around us and up on the cliffs little birds had made their nests.There was also a little cave area surrounded by water that Mesa swore she saw a rabbit in, which turned out to just be a rock shaped like a rabbit (dehydration much??).

We only had another 10 minutes to the truck. I have to say I was a little disappointed that Juno didn't explain this hike better and gauge our group's level with the hiking and the heat. We had different options that we could do for the day and it would have been nice to do something that everyone could survive.

After Ormiston Gorge we drove to the Ochre Pits. The pits consist of several layers of multi-colored rock that was traditionally used by the aboriginals in ceremonies and played a large role in the economy because it was traded all across the continent. While it was used by everyone, only the aboriginal men were allowed to collect it. Breaking any off is a $5000 fine.

From here we drove to Ellery Creek Big Hole (or as we like to call it, the Deep Hole). This was our picnic spot and then we could go for another swim. It's just beautiful out here. You're surrounded by tall red cliffs and the water is nice and cool because the water gets so deep.There was a perfect sandbar out in the middle where you could easily sit with the water up to your shoulders but you didn't have to tread water!

After our last swim we drove to Simpsons Gap. It's a beautiful gorge carved out of the West Macdonnell ranges by Roe Creek. We were hoping to see some Wallabies but we first saw a Dingo so I thought he had eaten them all.  Luckily one was spotted up on the rocks.

From here we came back to civilization in Alice Springs. We had a nice night getting Subway and going to Cole's for snacks and supplies. We were even more excited to have WiFi again.

We have a big travel day tomorrow and we may not get a post in until we get to our New Zealand hostel. But it will get posted once we can.

Goodnight from the still very hot Red Center...

Outback Day 3

This morning we woke up at 5:30 and I felt so much better than yesterday. I slept significantly better in our tent than I did outside with the ants.

We loaded up after breakfast and went to the Kings Canyon.  This was a 3 hour hike and the views were unbelievable.  The Canyon itself was stunning but then we also went through some old sand dunes and down to the Garden of Eden. It was like a little oasis down there. Nice and cool, a water hole, and if it was a different season there would have been a waterfall.

We then made our way back up and across the other side of the canyon.  Here you could see where a large section of the rock face had been eroded with water and then fell down.  It happened about 70 years ago so Juno kept telling us that they're due to have another piece break so we shouldn't get too close to the edge.

The walk itself was hot, but was probably the best part of the Outback so far. 

After we finished we went back to the Kings Canyon Resort near our campsite.  We had a nice lunch and then went swimming again. From here we made our way out toward our last stop.  The road was ridiculously bumpy, you could hardly call a red dirt road a "road" but the during our drive we saw a wild dingo, some wild camels, wild horses, and cattle.  We even went off-roading for a bit to chase down the camels and horses.

We made a stop at Gosse Bluff which was amazing. It's this huge crater that was created by an ice meteor around 140 million years ago. It hit the ground so hard that it created small hills around the area, like a ripple. We were able to go inside it and then did a short hike to get a good view. It was really cool. The aboriginal people actually believe that up in the sky a woman put her baby down in a cradle but the baby fell out and crashed into earth and that's what created the crater. The mom and dad keep looking for the baby every day. The mom is the first star out each night and the dad is the sun.

We also stopped to get a good view of the West Macdonnell ranges which is where we are staying tonight.

When we got to our campground we had some free time and we went to find a natural swimming hole. It was just a 10 minute walk from our site and the water felt so good. The views were beautiful. You're surrounded by red cliffs and and bright blue sky. There were some big birds down at the far end too. It was a really nice way to end a hot day. It was over 100 degrees again and those moments where you can cool yourself down even for a little bit are so precious.  You're already hot again by the time you get back up to the campsite, but for that moment, it's perfect.

We had a nice dinner and relaxed for the evening. When we got back into our tent there was a massive bug right up by my headboard. We got one of the guys to kill it for us, but after that I felt another bug land on me and I dropped my phone and shattered the screen. I'm typing on it now though, so I can still see on it, but I'm pretty bummed. It will definitely need to be replaced when I get home.  Stupid huge outback bugs.

Well it's 8:30 and I think we are off to bed. Tomorrow will be here soon enough.

I really might melt.

Outback Day 2

Well I'm going to start out mentioning, that sleeping in a swag under the stars in the outback was not the most enjoyable experience for me.  I hardly slept because I could feel ants crawling all over me. I even pulled about 15 of them from my hair in the morning! Gross! Then add in our 3:30 am wakeup call, and I was a little like a zombie.

We had enough time this morning to have breakfast, or like the Aussies say "breaky", put away our sleeping bags and swags and get ready before heading out to Uluru to watch the sunrise. There were a lot of people there, but we had a decent spot to watch the rock that wasn't too crowded. I think that the sunset was a little more beautiful, but it could have just been my attitude about the whole morning.

After the sunrise, we went to do a walk around the base of Uluru. I may have mentioned it in my last post. But Uluru is one large sandstone rock formation and it is a 5.8 mile walk around the base and the highest point is 1,142 feet high. This site is very sacred to the Anangu aboriginals of the area and there were certain areas of the rock where we were not allowed to take pictures. They have separate men and women areas and even today you could be speared for not obeying those sites. Plus it is a $5,000 fine if you get caught photographing in the restricted area.

Luckily it was still pretty early in the day so we weren't too hot during our walk around the base, but you know it's only going to get hotter.

After our base walk, we had a few snacks before Juno took us on a guided Mala walk. He explained a little of the differences between the male and female aboriginals, along with some plants and the stories that they believe about the area. It was really starting to get hot now. They had even closed the climb to the top of the rock because it hit a certain temperature (there were people going up it when we arrived).  The aboriginals do not hike up Uluru because it is sacred.  Each aboriginal has a totem, and only the males with the Mala totem can hike to the top. There's a big sign asking you to not do it because of how sacred they believe it is. Plus, it can also be dangerous. 36 people have died doing the climb, either due to the heat or falling off because it is steep or windy.  There has even been an increased lack of respect given by those at the top, like going to the bathroom, golfing, and nudity. It's just really disrespectful and I was more than ok with just doing the walk around the base. 

After our walks, we went back to the campsite to have lunch and clean everything up.  We had to wait a little while for Juno to get gas but we got going a little after 12 to make our way to Kings Canyon. It's a 4 hour drive so it made a good nap time. We stopped for a nice view of Mount Conner and then again at Kings Canyon Station. There was also a point where 8 wild horses were on the road and we had to wait for them to cross. We have also seen a kangaroo and I saw 3 wild Dingos.

We spent some time at Kings Canyon Resort before going up to our campsite. We were able to swim for a bit before heading back to make dinner. The stars are spectacular, but after last nights swag experience we decided to sleep in the tent tonight. We can still see the stars from where we lay.

Goodnight!

The Outback Day 1

This morning we left our hostel for the Outback with Adventure Tours. They picked us up around 6.  There were already 6 others the van and there would be an additional 4 to meet up with us at Uluru (Ayers Rock).

You really didn't have to go but 10 minutes out of town to make you feel like you were in the middle of nowhere. But we kept driving. 

We took the Stewart Highway out and in the 3000k that the road stretches, there is only one turn, in Alice Springs.

Our first stop was at a camel farm and no one wanted to do a ride.  Mesa and I have already been on camels in Egypt so we didn't feel the need to pay for a 5 minute ride again.  We only made a few other stops, to get gas and have a few lookouts.

The beginning part of the day was a little slow going. It was just a lot of driving. We drove past Mount Conner and the finally made it to Uluru and Kata Tjuta.  Our campsite is permanent, so we didn't have to pitch tents.  We had a quick lunch and then went off for the afternoon.

It was too hot to do the Valley of the Winds walk so instead our guide, Juno, brought us to an Aboriginal Cultural Center.  We learned a little about the aboriginals of this area and some of their stories about Uluru.

From here we went to Kata Tjuta. This is another large rock, like the most famous Uluru. But it isn't flat on top, instead it has 36 different heads, or mounds. We did a nice walk up close and it was pretty impressive. The rocks are just huge. Kata Tjuta is a conglomerate, so it is made up of many different rocks like basalt, granite, etc. And they're all squished and held  together like a fruit cake. Much of the rock is below the ground.

Uluru, is a little different. That is one complete rock and instead of pushing straight up from the land, the rock broke below ground and pushed up vertically on top of the other piece. So you actually see the difference in the way the setiment runs on each rock. The 3 big rocks: Mount Conner, Kata Tjuta, and Uluru are all in a straight line of eachother.

We had a nice view of Uluru for sunset, complete with champagne. Some of the other tours had fancy tables, but we had ours out of plastic coffee mugs. A real outback experience.

We got back to the campsite for dinner, kangaroo meat and camel sausages. Both were not as bad as they sound.  Going to sleep outside in a swag tonight. Wish us luck!