Day 5 of the Contiki School Trip for Kidults. That is basically what this is - everybody gets told the night before what time we have to be up, what to pack, when to eat, told off for being late, counted onto the bus..... But it's bloody awesome. I think it's because we can regress back into our childhood and let someone else do the hard work while we have a damn good time!
This is potentially going to be a long blog - we're half way through a 7.5 hour journey down to Tennant Creek. We have 4.5 hours tomorrow and so I'm swapping seats regularly to avoid leaving a permanent arse print! Despite the loooong hours I've done travelling in the air and on the coach, I've yet to use my kindle or iPod. Signs of a good time perhaps? I have seen my messages by the way - wifi is SO limited *stressed face* in the outback I've actually been forced to go out and socialise with people to pass the time. I'm quite a fan! ;-) But I will reply as soon as I reach some kinda normality and civilisation. I managed to blag some complimentary wifi last night and this morning (amazing what a chat with a receptionist can do) but it did involve inconspicuously trying to loiter in specific places! Hence why I haven't put many photos on - it takes ages but I will catch up at some point!
So Katherine was a bit scary to be fair - we were told to lock the doors at night and put the chains across. We were even advised not to leave washing out at night as the aboriginies (I think I keep spelling that wrong, which is actually quite ignorant given that I'm in their back yard) would take it if they made their way in to our resort thing. So I had a few glasses of vino to help me sleep last night as the thought of someone breaking in during the night was a little unnerving. You can drop kick the bugs but I wouldn't fancy my chances of drop kicking an aborigini! Although I'd bloody give it a go if I had to I guess.
So who else am I knocking about with out here? Well there's Jade that I met at the airport, Courtney who is another Kiwi, Fiona the mad Scottish one, Rhys the camp Welshman, Damian from Birkenhead, Rob from Salisbury - they're the main lot, but we obviously mingle and mix with everyone else - more British, Canadian, American, German, Swiss, Japanese and a few others. Rhys broke his back a few years ago so he's pretty grateful to be walking etc now. Given that he's camp as anything, he's absolutely hilarious, love talking to him. And he works for the DVLA in Swansea, perfect banter material. Everyone knows each other well enough now and the banter has definitely started. Damian told me the other day that he gave up work 18 months ago to look after his mum who had terminal cancer and she died only 4 months ago. He's only 25 and doesn't mention his dad either. I sometimes wonder if he's ok when he's sat being quiet but I don't like to ask. Fair play to him though. Fiona has adopted a nickname of Scotland - which is totally messing with my head! Having had that as a nickname at work for the last 2 years I keep thinking they're talking to me. But they're not damn it. Jade is a bit like my little kid sister/shadow but she's a good laugh and we look out for each other. Especially when she got her hair stuck in the hair dryer last night. She's bloody special sometimes.
So anyway, up early this morning to have breakfast and hit the road. Everyone was quite quiet this morning after a late ish night and an early start. Our first stop was Elsey National Park and Mataranka Thermal Springs. 22.5 million litres of water flow through here every day, for some reason I thought that was pretty impressive. It was here that Rob completed his challenge that was set last night - not only skinny dipping in the thermal pool, but getting someone to join him. He happily obliged and then managed to talk some random ozzy guy who was also in the pool to get his trunks off. Was majorly funny but was even funnier when the girls hid his towel and trunks. Yes, the banter and games have definitely started. We walked back up to the restaurant and there was an 18 month old baby wallaroo sat on the step that we could feed and have pictures with. She was proper cute and I'd quite like one for Christmas.
From here we carried on down to Daly Waters where we stopped at the Daly Waters Pub for a burger and a beer. This was a wicked little outback pub where everyone who had been there leaves something - tshirts, ID cards, caps, underwear, number plates, you name it, they've got it. We all signed a hat and left that with them. We had a game of skittles in the road with a ball that looked like something out of the Flintstones - infact the whole place looked like it was from a film set!
We hit the road again for the third leg of the journey and Jara put the film Australia on - hence why I started blogging! We went through a few villages, had a stop Renner Springs and made it to Tennant Creek and our accommodation. Reminds me a little of the film Hostel and there were talks over dinner about Wolf Creek! It's only an overnighter though and apparently it's the best accommodation in town!! We headed to Tennant Creek Hotel tonight for drinks and pool after dinner but we're now back, the room door is locked and the chain is across. But it has free wifi so all is good in the world! 5am start tomorrow, breakfast at 6am, leave here 6.30am. Ouch, god help me.....