Chocolate Cake, Karaoke, and Camels

Countdown to my return to the US: 11 days.

All of my exams went well. I feel that my essays were strong and I was told by my astronomy professor that I should pass the class easily. I spent my week visiting things I hadn't seen in Sydney, like the Chinese Garden of Friendship (goregous) and the Royal Botanical Gardens. Derek and I checked out Luna Park; you can tell that, at one point, it was a thriving amusement park, but with the giants of Six Flags and the onslaught of entertainment from home, the place was pretty dead.

My flatmates and I had our last night all together; Elisabeth and Sarah will be gone on their respective trips when I get back from the Outback. It was bittersweet. Christian was supposed to make something German, but instead he helped Keisuke make curry. Elisabeth made Norwegian chocolate cake which was great! I made up mixed CDs and CDs of pictures for everyone. Saturday morning, I said goodbye to Sarah and Elisabeth. There were no tears because it just didn't feel like the end. I can't believe that it was the last time I'll see them for a very, very long time.

Derek and I somehow made it to the airport; usually we take a bus and a train, but the airport train station is under construction. We had to take three buses which we just barely made. We made it to the airport in one piece, however, and with lunch in our bellies!

The flight over half the country was beautiful. The landscape changes quite a bit; first it's green, then everything is divided up into huge plots of land, like a patchwork quilt. As you get closer to the centre, the ground becomes redder and redder. Pulling into the airport was crazy; all of the sudden an airport--and nothing else--appears in this vast wasteland; it's a 15 minute drive into the city of Alice Springs.

We stayed at a hostel called Annie's Place last night, walked into town, had a drink and sang some karaoke at a local bar, then headed back to the hostel and turned in early. This morning we took a camel ride into the MacDonnell Ranges on the dry bed of the Todd River. According to one of the women at Annie's Place, you're considered a local if you've seen the river flow three times. Apparently, though, it's been raining quite a bit for Alice Springs and the river has flowed 10 times this year!

The ride itself was awesome. It was just Derek and I with a guide. Riding on a camel was much smoother than riding a horse--at least at such a slow pace. Their feet are so funny to watch as they spread out over the sand. My camel kept trying to stop and eat grass as we walked.

We've got our campervan and will be driving to Uluru as soon as I'm done typing. It's so exciting! I hope everyone is doing well...see you soon!