our contractual obligations fulfilled successfully in alice springs
delivering our large vw campervan to apollo midday sunday 21st
oh what fun we have had hoofing it from sydney 3230km away
incident free apart from one minor issue with running out of fuel
but that providing more mirth than drama so taken as a positive
having a hotel room on wheels has been a real discovery for us
lugging our own kind of fast food has also assisted independence
we arrived in alice with a few hours to spare so hotel check-in first
swapping on-board luggage for a couple of bikes for a return journey
handed over the keys to our home at apollo then jumped on the bikes
a ride back into town and the discovery of a sunday morning market
the place is buzzing as we push our bikes through the milling crowds
a kind of return to reality actually after 6 days of relative obscurity
happy to wander and peruse and a locally made scarf is purchased
then mounting our machines and a gps assisted ride to our hotel
it feels like mid-summer - hot, dry and no water in the todd river
we ride alongside it and cross over to get back to lasseters hotel
the offer of dollar-each oysters noted prior and now well in mind
that and a well earned cold beer taken with salads for a nice lunch
sitting outdoors at the next-door casino and enjoying the ambience
solid gold hits on the music mix make it all seem quite timeless
and memories of many times in many similar places come easily
lazy sunday afternoon it is and a hotel swimming pool beckons
we don't get past the spa pool though - our bodies are pampered
soy lattes to follow and more relaxing poolside slow us further
a decision to keep it that way means an evening of nothingness
on monday morning we (re)pack, check out and taxi it into town
delicious breakfast taken at a buzzing epilogue cafe in todd mall
all day to kill so then a wander around various shops and galleries
no surprise at the sky-high prices for the earthy aboriginal paintings
the contrast with the likely economic position of the locals is noted
but with that a mental note that the local people do seem - um - content?
recalling memories of a more marked difference in outward appearance
but not something one should be judging a complex situation by methinks
looking for a tax write-off (not) we visit 2 electronics stores in town
alicetronics and igear are both long-time clients so let's meet and greet
hunter is most pleased to see us and a hour or so spent in his company
positive affirmation as usual in the years (decades) of code-writing
we then have another 5 hours or so to kill - lunch - taxi - hotel
a repeat of yesterdays beer-food-music in the outdoor setting
wi-fi locked in and hours gobbled up as both of us catch-up
retrieve the parked luggage and overload a taxi to rail central
a sense of excited anticipation seeing the ghan sitting waiting
but first check-in and a little bit of apologetic official argy-bargy
our 10 bags become 11 with some required weight re-allocation
no worries - photograph our wheels and a long walk to our carriage
red class is at the rear of the long train behind gold and platinum
piling on and taking our spacious and very comfortable seats
24 hours to darwin and all we have to do is - nothing - nice
ta-ta alice - good to see ya again - the journey continues...
