Stephen Blyth's Blog

Desert oasis

Sunday, May 23rd, 2004, Australia, Travels, whanau, life

It’s not quite the desert around here, but I surely have found an oasis. Needing to swap my book, get a copy of Saturday’s Age, buy some replacement tent pegs and hook up my iBook I’ve found all this and more in Alice Springs within half an hour of arriving. Ferdinand, who runs the Green Frog Internet Cafe and the neighbouring Centashade hat shop, has been filling me about the local eateries. There is quite lot of culture and history to check-out around town as well. So little time though.

It’s been quite a dramatic week….

My camping trip in Nitmiluk National Park, the home of the Katherine Gorge, was disrupted on the first night by water buffalo – stomping loudly nearby and keeping me awake – and the next night by an unseasonal downpour which forced me from my camp site. Nonetheless, it was great to be in the outdoors and the park was hotter than anywhere I have ever walked. I did find some rock art in the distant Jawoyn Valley. I’m going to write up some of my trip notes shortly.

The Wayward Bus ‘Down the Track’ tour to Alice Springs was a cheap and good way to travel from Darwin. There stops along the way to see the sights, and snap photos, something which seemed to be the pre-occupation of many of the group. I’ve added a few pictures of the trip to the Australian Travels photo album.

Our guide and driver, Shortie, was a character – a polite way of putting it. He barked out orders and did everything himself. Yesterday at lunch he had an apoplectic outburst. Some money was missing, along with some personal belongings, and Shortie laid the blame at the door people on the tour: someone on the bus was a thief!!

To say the outburst soured the trip is an understatement. The accusation was left hanging. True Aussie bloke style, Shortie didn’t mention it again and left us in an uncomfortable silence. I really don’t know what to think but I definitely will be sending a message about his unprofessional conduct to the company’s customer service manager.

I’m making plans to spend a few days camping in the West MacDonnell National Park, which stretches along a spine like range 130km to the west of Alice Springs. Later in the week I’m planning to do a two day trip to Uluru and Kata Tjuta.