Our group had an eventful week in the outback! We started off our days emerging from our cocoons (also known as “swags”). There is no easy way to explain what they are, so if you are confused click the following link-
https://www.google.com.au/search?q=swags&rlz=1C5CHFA_enNZ710NZ710&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=618&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOn83ui7XQAhWITLwKHfgqCREQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=roll+up+swags .
Although it took a little convincing, almost our entire group put our underlying fear of the unknown creatures of the outback aside, and slept underneath the stars and the (almost) full moon every night.
Each day began at 5:00 am before the sun rose. As we were packing up camp, the sky went from a shining moon, to a rising sun as we ate our breakfast around our fire. After loading up the van, we would take a drive to a hiking location, and by 11:30 am we had hiked 7.4 km. Our mornings were so filled with excitement, that by our lunch breaks we would already have stories to share with one another.
Stevo, our incredible tour guide for the week, planned numerous activities for us to occupy our afternoons including, swimming in nearby watering holes and driving up to 5 hours each day. This allowed us to stop at numerous lookout points, visit a camel farm, and grab a few ice creams to keep us sane in the blazing Australian sun!
Our last day, we were given the opportunity to visit an aboriginal community close by to where we stayed our last night. We got a tour of the land, and were able to hear stories about their culture and the uniqueness of how they live their lives.
We returned to Alice Springs, and jumped straight into the showers to wash the weeks worth of sand, dirt, blood, sweat, and even a few tears off of us before we all shared a delicious bbq dinner before treating ourselves to a night at the movie theatre.
Although we are trying not to count down the days, we are looking forward to the week ahead, as our heads are full of memories from the last 2 months.
unconditional love,
Kate