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After a well deserved sleep in, I convinced Evelin that she really wanted to do a camel ride in the Macdonnell Ranges later in the afternoon, so we signed up for that at the front desk, where they offer many different tour options, and we parted ways for the day to explore the town on our own.
The weather here was no longer humid, there was a pleasant breeze, though it was still rather hot. I found myself some poached eggs for breakfast in the Todd Mall, and went to the visitor centre to get some maps of the town. A group of us were meeting up to do a free didgeridoo workshop in the early afternoon. I really wanted to go for a walk out to the Botanical Gardens, but I didn't have time before the workshop, so I headed over to where it would take place. It turns out the guy decided he couldn't be bothered doing the didgeridoo workshop that day as he had other things to do that evening, and apparently was rather rude about it. Well then, I was very annoyed because I had planned my day around that and now I didn't have enough time before our tour to change my plans and head out to the gardens. Not happy Jan. Instead, I did some souvenir shopping and wandered up to ANZAC Hill, for stunning views of the east and west MacDonnell Ranges. I was the only person up there so I took some time to sit and drink in the view.
ANZAC Hill is a sacred site for the Aboriginals, it is the site for Corkwood Dreaming, one of their creationism stories, involving the landscape of the area. The aboriginal name for the hill is Untyeyetweleye, but it was named ANZAC Hill in 1934 in memory of the ANZAC soldiers killed in WWI.
I spent a bit of time relaxing up here before hurrying back to the hostel, where we were to be picked up for our sunset camel ride. Our driver, Tom, piled us on a bus and we drove through the town picking up other people for the ride. we drove past the famous Todd River, which was its usual bone dry. Driving a small distance out of town, we arrived at the Pyndan Camel Tracks Yard, near White Gums Station. Without any fussing about, the camel guy sat a camel down in front of me and Evelin and said hold on and lean back. Evelin was bloody petrified as she hadn't even got her footing before the camel was standing up with us on its back. If you have even been on a camel, you will know that the standing up of a camel can be a scary feeling if you aren't expecting it. Laughing, I told her to relax and enjoy the ride. Eventually she loosened the death grip and I think she was nearly at home on the back of our beautiful camel friend. watching the sunset over the west MacDonnell Ranges while plodding along on a camel's back, with nothing but the amazing scenery and occasional noises of a camel filling your senses, has to be one of the most delicious things in the entire world. An hour later, the stars were out and we were arriving back at the ranch where we headed into a shed with lots of camel paraphernalia, including fascinating pictures of the camel history in Australia. They were used in expeditions, such as the Burke and Wills Expedition, and in the building of the Overland Telegraph and also for transporting goods between Alice and cattle and sheep stations, and also Aboriginal communities. Lots of pictures of the Camel Cup, which is held every year in Alice Springs, of which our guide and owner of the Pyndan Camel Tracks, Marcus 'The Camel Man', has been an integral part for many years. An eco-tourism operator, he is clearly very passionate about conservation and the welfare of his camels. Check out their website, every camel has a biography and a selfie! The camels were just lovely and clearly a happy bunch, which made me a happy traveller. I would recommend this tour to anyone who heads out to Alice Springs. The camels were just darling, and the sunset over the ranges was fabulously spectacular - the photos and video I have posted is really nothing in comparison to the real thing.
Sadly, it was over all too soon, and we headed back to our hostel where we decided it was high time for another drink, so we moseyed over to check out the famous Bojangles Saloon. Again, another pub with lots of stuff hanging from the ceiling and walls, it was pretty impressive, and felt more like a museum than a pub. Now hungry, we were off in search of food, but it was getting rather late (small town, everything closes early) and couldn't find anything to eat anywhere. We ran into Tom, the bus driver from the camel ride. He told us we shouldn't be walking around by ourselves this late, so designated himself chaperone for the evening. We went to a place called Sporties, where we just missed out on getting a meal, but were able to stay for a drink. This place looked more like a 50s diner than a sports bar, where we were witness to some crazy young ratbags (not so much different from the ones we have around Wollongong) fighting and police cars tearing up through the mall after them. Probably a good idea we had Tom with us that night. We then walked over to another cool little bar called Monte's. We had walked in the night before but it was jam packed with crazy people. Tonight it wasn't as busy and it was really laid back, there was a big AFL match on the big screen and everyone was in a great mood. It looked like a circus tent, lots of interesting odds and ends about the place. I had a great time chatting with Tom about camels, and really rather late, we arrived back at the hostel, even though yet again we had another early morning start. I think I was getting used to having a perpetual hangover by this point!
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