maybe the dingo ate your baby

Adelaide has nothing to mention, except that they are a bit stuck up by the fact there were no convicts involved in their settlement. I spent one night here and caught the famous Ghan to Alice Springs. It's an overnight train and was surprisingly comfortable. I spent a good deal of the night awake in the lounge car, watching the Simpsons and Lord of the Rings DVDs with a couple who had brought a Playstation 2. What champions! When the sun finally rose in a burst of splendor only the desert can muster, I was up instantly. Back in the lounge car I watched the dry, flat land radiate mile after mile. The seemingly immutable characteristics of the vast desert are actually in constant transformation. I am fascinated by the countless colours; the greens, greys and golds of the spinifex grasses and shrubs, the striking blue of the sky, often cloudless, the blackened trunks of bush-fired trees and the rich, burnt umber of the mysteriously fertile earth.

I arrived into Alice Springs and the heat slapped me violently as I hopped off the train. The carriage had been deceptively cool but outside was nearing 38 degrees celsius. The airconditioned bed at the hostel was like a cradle and I was out as soon as I hit the pillow.

The next day I was off on a camping trip to the cherry-candy centre of Australia, Ayer's Rock. We drove off at 6:30, twenty clueless backpackers and our guide, Darren. I sat up front with an insane Chilean, who reckons there are more aliens living in Chile than anywhere on earth, a German interested in learning about the prostitution in Thailand and a sheep-loving Welshman (enough said there). Up first was a 5km walk through King's Canyon. Darren says this canyon is larger than the Grand Canyon, but I could never get out of him in which way. I think it may have just been an American/Australian-mine-is-bigger-than-yours. The canyon was a humbling spectacle. The wind at the summit almost pushed us over as we marvelled over the height of the drop.

That night we turned off the main road and plowed through some bush to get to our "camping site". I use this term loosely as it was just a clearing in the middle of NOWHERE. We unrolled our swags (a small mattress inside a body bag), opened our sleeping bags and laid down to sleep beneath the undisturbed mural of a billion stars. This would have been the most beautiful sight and the most peaceful sleep of my life if I hadn't been absolutely terrified about the spiders that live without care in the bush. I was awake with eyes wide for most of the night. We were up at 5am.

We spent the day exploring the Olgas (Kata Tjuta). This collection of massive sandstone globes lies a few miles from Ayer's Rock (Uluru). The colours, shapes and sheer size of these rocks was incredible. We climbed and hiked through a small portion of the Olgas, maybe a quarter of the total area, but it took us about four hours!

As sunset approached we pulled up to the carpark to cook our dinner and all gathered around for the best view. There were masses of people, so I slipped off and walked down the road until I was alone. I turned off the main road and into the bush. Then I was in solitude, Uluru before me. The rays of the sun illuminated the huge monolith and it melted from one red hue to the next. The sky was transformed behind it, like an infinite canvas. As the sun set it faded into silhouette and the stars began to descend.

On the way to camp, Darren turned on some disco music, a strobe light and put up a mirror ball. Oscar showed us his enigmatic way of dancing, which was mainly just a lot of hitting his ass. Around the campfire we sang, toasted marshmallows, listened to guitar strumming and watched the fire, trancelike. We awoke from another night of terror at 4am. Like prisoners we loaded ourselves onto the bus, filthy and tired. But as soon as we arrived back at the Uluru viewpoint all that misery disappeared. The sun crept up to our horizon, brightening the sky, and was suddenly upon us in a great flash. It was a spectacular sight. When we had all washed up as best we could in a rest area sink, we headed over to the rock itself. It is a 9.4 km walk around the base. I only hope I have the opportunity to do this walk again. It was phenomenal. When you see photos of Ayer's Rock it seems smooth and simple. But it's a complex of caves, rock piles, valleys and ridges. And you can not understand the enormity of the thing until you are beneath it. I took some photos, but I don't think they can be fully appreciated without the personal experience. I did not climb to the summit because it is viewed as disrespectful by the local people.

After we left the park we prepared to leave Oscar and Andreas (Chilean and German, respectively) at the airport. After all their entertainment it was quite a sad farewell and we all slapped our asses at them through the window as we drove away. We made one stop on the way back to Alice Springs to ride camels. What sweet and comical creatures! It was a unique ride, the height and speed of the animals surprised me. It was a great way to end a remarkable journey to Australia's red centre.

I am beginning to empathize with those who crave the desert. When they are drowning in the world they crawl on dry knees to the hot, dusty, flat earth. It is level enough here to see in all directions. You are fooled into believing that you have a clear vision that gives you control of your environment. But the desert is brutal and always the one in control. Maybe there's the comfort. I'm still working it out, being an ocean-girl.

On to Perth 5th October.