Newsletter #2 - 2013 - Alice Springs to Darwin

Dear Family & Friends,

Yesterday the 4 hour stop in Alice Springs was interesting, passengers could book from a wide range of different tours or just go into town. As we hadn't ever ridden a camel, they always look so scruffy and smelly, we decided we should experience it. We alighted from the lovely cool of the train to the 31 heat of Alice Springs & the flies, boarded a mini bus and were driven about 15 mins out to a farm for our camel ride. We were a group of 8 people and our guide, using 6 camels, Pete and I were able to both be on 'Ruby' a very docile camel who kept trying to grab the bushes along the walk in her mouth, she must have been hungry, they were nice clean looking camels with no smell. A strange sensation when they rise up with us sitting on their backs, but a worse sensation when they kneel and sit again, ready for us to get off!! However we didn't slip off, it was a lovely slow ride out for about an hour through the paddocks with the ranges around us, the guide took our photos along the way, Steph's hat blew off so we had to stop and the guide had to demount, after his camel sat, for him to retrieve the hat. We all enjoyed the experience and were pleased to later get back onto the train into the air conditioning, have a rest then drinks in the bar and another beautiful dinner.

Tuesday morning we looked out to an overcast sky, lots of lovely green grass even a flowing creek, puddles of water around, we imagined it would be hot and humid outside, quite a different look to the previous day when we had been looking at dry countryside, and saltbush.

We stopped at Catherine about 9am where most passengers went off for a cruise, tour or look at the town, as we had previously done those things we decided to stay on the train and relax and catch up on some paperwork. About 1pm the train was on its way again, we had a beautiful lunch then had to pack up, have our last drink in the bar lounge and be ready to leave the train in Darwin just after 5pm. A bus transferred us to our Hotel on the Esplanade, again into the air conditioned comfort of lovely rooms overlooking the bay.

Yes, it is very hot, humid but not as bad as we expected. 'The Wet' has not really started this year yet, Darwin has had the hottest January on record but locals say the monsoon rains may not come until the end of February and have been pushed away by the adverse weather in Queensland. The first couple of nights there was a little lightning and a shower of rain about dinner time, quite comfortable to walk in the light shower as still very hot. Nights are not even cool, air conditioning in the Hotel is a great comfort and we have been using the delightful swimming pool in the afternoons.

We have done quite a lot of walking around Darwin, even in the heat, been to movies, shopping and travelled on the local bus service. Quite a lay back city, a number of tours are not operating during 'The Wet' season (even though it hasn't really started yet), some places closed, like the Vietnamese Restaurant we looked for one night and after half an hour walking, found it had closed down for a month. In the lovely green park opposite the hotel, you see the aboriginals sleeping for the night, many are congregated in groups all around the city streets, but do not appear to cause too much trouble.

Trust this finds you all fit and well.

Love from Jan ‘n Pete