Travel Tips

- Why is the dirt in the centre of Australia so RED? Iron in the soil? Ok, but why is there iron in the soil?

- We are finally starting to look right *first* when crossing the street.

- Travelling like this inspires mostly-serious dinner conversations about the financial viability of running a youth hostel or an internet cafe.

- We highly recommend the book <i>A Town Like Alice</i> by Nevil Shute. Not so much about Alice Springs (in fact, lots about Malaysia which is a bonus), but good Australian feel. In fact, liked it so much that I also read <i>In the Wet</i> and <i>Requiem for a Wren</i> by Shute. Completely different, but all interesting reads.

- Another recommendation: heard a bit of the band Yothu Yindi on our Outback tour. Mix of Aboriginal and Rock music. Really enjoyed the bit we heard.

- Fascinating variations on the toilet flushing theme, here in NZ and Australia! No flushing handles, but rather knobs to twist, buttons or bars (on the wall, on top of the toilet) to push, levers to turn... a surprise every time. And in an admirable bow to common sense, in each case there are two such knobs/buttons/lever positions: one for a big flush and one for a little flush. Conserving water through technology!

- More questions. We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, between Alice Springs and Darwin. Between the Tropic and the Equator, the sun is to the North for part of the year and to the South for another part. Is this a defining feature of the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, and why they are important? When someone uses their analog watch as a compass (halfway between the hour hand and the 12 is south), do they have to use the counter-clockwise side of the hour hand for part of the year and then switch, when between the Tropics?

- Australia has a form of artwork I hadn't appreciated heretofore: fountains. Ubiquitous and original, throughout the cities. Ok, they weren't in Alice Springs and Darwin, but Sydney and Melbourne and Adelaide all had beautiful water sculptures, rippling and spraying this way and that. Added a great deal to their outdoor areas.

- Just before flying out of the Darwin airport, we saw a whole bunch of UN Peace Keepers (complete with blue berets!) and a UN plane. Heading off to Delhi, we think.

- Did we mention the wild camels?? I really liked the wild camels :)