A big hello to everyone following the HONGI 2017 squad!
Elliot and Sophie here. We have been beyond busy in the Australian Outback this past week swimming in breathtaking water holes, riding camels, and waking up at 4am to start hiking because the weather got up to 100+ degrees in the afternoons (or 40+ for the Canadians out there). We were welcomed in Alice springs by our incredible tour guide Lindz. Not only did she know anything and everything about the outback, but she gave the best advice and was a trained chef! Kangaroo Bolognese was a group favorite. We all agreed at the end of the 5 days that she was the most interesting and wise person we have ever met. We started this week off in Alice Springs and made way in a huge tank like van to our final destination, Uluru- a massive sandstone monolith sacred to indigenous people, and thought to have been created 550 million years ago. These van rides were full of crazy off-roading, wildlife spotting and somehow sleeping. We were all truly grateful for the luxury of air conditioning. We slept in swags, which were basically just an individual human cocoon. One memorable night was when we found ourselves in the middle of a storm consisting of rain wind and lightning from all directions. Luckily our amazing guide researched the weather and made sure to find sites with optional clamping tents that we were able to move to. The spiritual energy of Uluru resonated throughout the Outback, and as we slept under the stars, the energy encapsulated us all. Our time seemed to pass within minutes! The landscapes were something out of a dream, intricate complicated details with vibrant colors foreign to anything most of us had ever seen! We ended the trip feeling much more united as a group and with nature.
Thanks for reading!! Check back next week where we give you the dirty deets of our scuba excursion in Cairns and photos we were not able to post these last couple of weeks.
Xoxo
-Sophie and Elliot