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In the Outback!

We are flying over a barren red swirling landscape on our way to Alice Springs almost in the middle of the Australian continent.  It is odd when I see a rainbow below and only one lone dirt road with an occasional crimson tendril snaking off.  I don’t see asphalt almost until we land! Officially, we are in South Australia Northern Territory, but everyone calls it the Northern Territory.  When Australia was divided into states, the NT was given its own time zone…1/2 hour behind the eastern part of the country!  Some said this was to give cricket players an extra half hour of daylight to play. Alice Springs airport is the largest in land mass in Australia.  During COVID, it was covered with parked aircraft.  Airlines sent fleets here since the isolation made it inexpensive and the dry environment wasn’t damaging to the planes. 30,000 people currently live in Alice Springs.  In 1970’s, the US took advantage of this  landlocked city to build a l...
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A Spiritual Moment!

“Palya”! Or… Welcome, and it’s another busy day in Australia with an early wake up alarm again at 5:00 AM.  We are heading for sunrise at Uluru, the heart of Australia! This 11,000’ red sandstone tower, taller than the Eiffel Tower or the Sears Tower in Chicago, a World Heritage and UNESCO site, towers above the desert floor commanding your view and respect.  A sacred place and also the site for their Creation Story multiple ceremonies are conducted here for aboriginal men, women, and young children. We see the pink and orange glow of impending sunrise as we near Uluru.  It stands quietly sentinel…waiting…as I walk to the lowest viewing area.  I want to see Uluru from the bottom looking up among the shrubs and grasses as generations of people have done before me.  I want to be still…and just be. It is difficult to explain how I felt or even write about it.  It was a spiritual moment, and even though I have loved every moment and adventure of this tr...
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A Day of Lasts and Remembering!

It was a day of “lasts”…last morning in New Zealand, last breakfast made for me, last time to pack my suitcases.  I have thoroughly enjoyed waking up in the mornings to hotel breakfasts…some better than others…and conversation with my fellow travelers to start the day.  Some of us have been together for six weeks, and all of us are friends now.  It has been a fabulous group of people to travel with. I will not miss eggs; I have seen and eaten enough eggs for six months!  I will not miss beans for breakfast; although, I did try them a few times, nor broiled tomatoes.  I especially won’t miss limp “streaky bacon”!   I do not like and will never like nor miss Vegemite! I will miss trying new foods and drinks and need to Google how to make lemon lime bitters!  I will miss my “news ignorance” which I indulge in when I travel.  It has been especially pleasant missing US election drama. I will miss the electric hot water pot in each room with an ...
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