I spent my last day in Alice Springs doing a whole lot of nothing, as there is nothing much to do there. I checked out, burned a bunch of time on the expensive internet, then tried to walk the town to see something interesting - there wasn't anything. I walked to the top of Anzac hill where there's a memorial to those who have served in previous wars. It was just a pillar monument - no names on it or anything. A little lame. At least from there, I could see this view of Alice Springs. Yep - that's pretty much it.

From there, I walked down along the Todd River which is the river that runs through town. The thing is, the river is completely dry. From looking at the river bed, I imagine the river gets high and wide at some point in the year, but as it was, there was nothing but wasteland and a few drunk aboriginees along the "shore." Pretty sad.

Out of sheer boredom, I went to the Reptile Center which a guy at the hostel said was pretty cool. I'm not much of a reptile person, but I have to say, after going there I felt much better about them. It was nice to be around someone who knew everything about them, and I felt comfortable enough to pick up some of the lizards and held a boa constrictor. The boa was interesting - I always thought snakes were slimy, but he was very smooth. When he was wrapped around me, I could feel all his muscles contracting and moving to propel himself around. Here's a photo, but the lame internet at this hotel is limited and I can't rotate the photo. Turn your head to the side and enjoy.

I finally got on the shuttle that took me to the train station around 5pm and the train was off at 6pm. It was a much better experience this time. First off, the train wasn't full, so I was able to move around and get two seats together by myself. Secondly, there were no children running in the aisles and no baby crying in the middle of the night. Still, it was another 24 hours on a train.

We stopped off in a town called Katherine, which has a population of 10,000 (a third of which are military personnel). It is the biggest town between Alice Springs and Darwin. I'd love to show you photos of how interesting Katherine was, since we stopped there for 4 hours and walked around the town. However, Katherine was actually even less interesting and more tragic than Alice Springs.

We got back on the train and headed out. We were now officially out of the Outback. There was plenty of vegetation along the way, including several mango farms. Power lines were visible and other signs of civilisation. It had been warm by dry in Katherine, but when we arrived in Darwin 5 hours later, it was hot and humid.

My traveling friend, Matt, had driven from Alice Springs to Darwin and had conveniently (for me) arrived just in time to pick me up at the train station and take me into town. We traded information about how much we were paying for our rooms there. It is currently the peak season in Darwin, and rooms are scarce. My room was supposed to be a single en suite for the low, low price of $130. Matt was only able to find a single (no bathroom) for $85. We were both nearing the end of our travels and desperately low on money, so it was depressing that we would both be spending so much money. More, in fact, than I'd spent on any other room in Australia by far.

Matt dropped me off at my hostel and we made plans to meet for dinner. I went to reception to check in. I stood there for 10 minutes as I watched 5 backpacker girls trying to get a room, and the guy at the desk desperately searching for beds for them and not finding any. I finally got up to check in, and when I gave girl at the desk my last name, she said, "Aah...[editthis], we've been waiting for you." Warily, I said, "Why?" "Um...I'm sorry to say we've had a problem with your room." (Oh no, I thought) "There's been a problem and I'm afraid the room isn't habitable." (Wonderful) "We have no other singles available in the hostel. We have only dorm rooms." (Good god, I thought. I'm going to be in a room with 10 other people) "Umm...we have another room for you, but it's not a single." Waiting for the other shoe to drop, I say, "Go on." She was nervous. I could tell it was something the management had dumped on her to take care of and she was afraid I'd blow up. "Well, we have a dorm room for you, but you'll be the only one in there, and it is en suite. Also, we'll give it to you for $50." I saw dollar signs. It was a dorm room, but I'd be by myself with my own bathroom. How bad could it be? She took me up to show me the room and I accepted. Additionally, for my troubles, I got a voucher for breakfast and dinner. In essence, they were paying me to stay there.

I immediately called Matt and told him to cancel his room for the night. I had bunk beds now and there was no need for him to spend his money if he didn't have to. He came right over and we unpacked. When I saw the room, I saw two sets of bunk beds. I assumed they were normal beds. As it turned out, the mattresses were horrible. You could actually feel the springs, and when you rolled over, you could feel (and hear) the springs pop back up. Also, any time you moved, the frame of the bed squeeked loudly. Additionally, the bathroom wasn't exactly what I'd call clean. But what the hell...it was only $50 between us.

We showered and headed down for dinner. I finally got a decent tasting pizza (and it was free!). We walked around town in the dark and down to the water, though we couldn't see it with the sun down. The next morning, I went in to shower again and discovered that there was no hot water. At all. Ugh - I would be traveling all day and needed a shower so I sucked it up. I warned Matt when he headed in to take one but he suffered through, as well. In the end, you really do get what you pay for.

I didn't have to be at the airport for a couple of hours so we wandered around town and went out to the beach. The water is clear blue, and it actually reminds me of Hawaii with the warm weather and the mild humidity. The problem with the beaches at Darwin is that you can't really swim in the water. It's plagued with box jellyfish whose sting can result in death. If that wasn't enough to keep you out of the water, the salt water crocs and the sharks should do the trick.

Matt dropped me off at the aiport and I headed off for my day of travel. First, it was a 4 hour plane ride to Adelaide, then an hour layover there before I got onto a 2 hour something trip to Sydney. I'd made reservations at a hotel near the airport since it would be problematic to get into the city and back out for my flight today. The hotel was the most expensive I had paid for - $150. When I arrived, I felt like I was at the Ritz Carlton. It was an actual hotel room in a hotel with an actual elevator and 24 hour room service! It was like taking a vacation from my vacation, considering some of the places I've stayed since I left Melbourne over a week ago. I took a nice hot shower in the clean bathroom, ordered room service (dinner AND dessert) and tried my hardest not to call down for a masseuse. I slept over 9 hours just because it was so comfortable and clean.

I've now checked out and have a few hours before the shuttle comes to take me to the airport. I fly to New Zealand today, but won't get there until after nightfall. I'll let you know how it is.

(Yes, this photo is here twice. For some reason, I can't delete it).