Finally arrived in the center!

What a long wait.... but finally, the journey is the destination.

Well, it has been several days since my last blog. Where do I begin? Maybe it's best to start in Alice Springs. I landed there on Monday afternoon. And because I had been out in the heat all morning in Cairns, I decadently used the room service of the restaurant located in the hotel in the evening and didn't move my butt outside anymore. I wasn't feeling very comfortable in the area either, so why not? Delicious! However, my balcony was right above the bar of the restaurant. If I have to listen to the annoying laughter of a bar visitor from my bed until early morning, I can at least enjoy the delicious food!

But this night also came to an end. In this case, a rather early one, because I was already picked up at 06:00 in the morning for my tour into the Outback. At that time, I didn't know that I would have to get up even earlier in the following days... But more on that later.

Today, a day after the tour, I am back in Alice Springs. This time luckily at a different accommodation. A pleasantly quiet room in the house of an elderly couple. We had a very nice conversation and this morning the landlady took me into town. There I visited the museum of the 'Royal Flying Doctor Service', which has its headquarters in Alice Springs. about 100 years ago someone came up with the idea that 'the brave men who settle the Never Never' (and what about the women and Aborigines??) should also have the chance to receive appropriate medical care. This was previously only guaranteed on the densely populated East Coast. The RFDS now reaches even the remotest corners of this huge country and not only provides emergency medical care but also offers medical prevention for all Australians (and tourists). Great achievement!

Afterwards, I went to the small but fine Reptile Center in Alice Springs. Since I didn't encounter any snakes in the Outback (fortunately!!), I wanted to take a look at these venomous creatures. 18 of the 20 world's most venomous snake species are native here. However, they are not as dangerous as I always thought. Unlike snakes elsewhere in the world, they have extremely small fangs. They have no chance of hurting you if you wear sturdy shoes or long pants. And even if they do, their venom does not enter our bloodstream directly, they don't go that deep. Normally, with the right method, you have enough time to get to the hospital. But you should do that quickly after each bite, no matter how tiny the snake was...

In addition, Australian snakes cannot perceive body heat. So you 'only' need to have the nerves not to move at all if you accidentally get too close to one. Then you belong to the landscape for them and landscapes don't get bitten. Besides, there are no aggressive snakes here. Normally, they flee from us (that's probably why I didn't see any in the Outback - they were guaranteed). They only bite when they have no escape route left or we step on them like camels. So there is no danger on clear paths and in daylight. In the grass, bushes or at dusk/night, the situation is of course completely different! That's why the rule in the camp was always: NEVER go out without a flashlight in the evening!

Well, that's the end of the speech by a young lady who is very enthusiastic about her profession as a snake catcher in the center.

At the center, I met a Swiss woman and we spontaneously spent the rest of the day in Alice Springs together. Actually, we wanted to see all sorts of things, but it was way too hot. So we sat in a café for the rest of the day and talked - also beautiful!

Shortly before sunset, we both made our way to our accommodations. Firstly, see above, and secondly, it is supposedly not the city where a woman should be alone in the dark. Although I didn't notice anything strange, nobody wanted anything from me.

Tomorrow afternoon, my flight to Sydney will depart. My son (16) wants to pick me up from the airport. I'm really looking forward to it, we haven't seen each other in 10 months!

From the plane, I will then tell you about my tour into the Outback.