Day One
4:30am
New Fancy Luggage
"Earplugs".......check
"Eyemask".......check
"Torch".............check
"Batteries"........check
"Runners"...check
Daypack
"Textas"....check
"Book"......check
"Travel pillow"...check
"Spare undies"...check
Feeling excited...and very much like a single mum extraordinare Fi was taking her daughter and getting the hell out of Canberrrrra freezing cold. It was school holidays and fun times were to be had in the much warmer Northern Territory.
Granny Annie also known as Super Granny came to collect the excited duo and took them to the airport. Bidding them a fare thee well at the drop off they excitedly boarded their plane only to discover there's a delay due to the blanket of Canberra fog.
Flight One to Brisbane...Cosy and short.
Flight Two to Darwin: Screens on the back of the chairs, Yay! Fi breathes a sigh of relief. Her cherub will be entertained for the next couple of hours. She quickly becomes aware that she's sitting next to a big bikey looking man and makes a mental note to not participate in any type of arm wrestle with the shared armrest as she would definitely lose.
With an hour to go Fi discovers Mr Bikey man is actually a linguist on his way to transport a Japanese camera crew to the Kimberleys. A very interesting conversation is had. She make a mental note: "Not to judge a book by it's cover." (Ever...)
On arrival at Darwin airport Daddy Bear is waiting excitedly to hang out with his cherub. As always mummy bear is a washing machine of emotions. Gripped with resistance she lets her go. A big cuddle and she quickly walks away before lil miss can see the eyes filling with water and rolling down her cheeks.
3:00pm
Not too much time to wallow though. Must put on backpacker extraordinaire cape and catch a flight to Alice Springs. Darwin airport has certainly got a more laid back feel than Canberra airport. It's so lovely and warm and people are wearing flip flops and shorts everywhere.
Fi finds her plane and takes a seat. A feeling of freedom begins to descend. She hasn't done anything like this in years. Adventure is on the horizon. The flight is a smooth two hours.
On arrival Fi discovers her luggage is nowhere to be seen. To her disappointment it's still in Brisbane. Qantas had failed to meet the connection with the luggage. She was told it would find her in Yulara. To her surprise Alice Springs was freezing cold. Not expected at all! So glad she remembered to pack a jacket and spare undies!
6:00pm
She arrives at the YHA in Alice Springs. A quirky set up. It would be 'rocking' in the Summer around the swimming pool. The place is filled with all ages. She meets some lovely girls to share the dorm with. They invite her out for dinner. Feeling exhausted she declines the offer and would rather sleep. A can of tuna and bowl of rice come in handy for a quick dinner.
10:00pm
Fi is not overly impressed with the quality of bedding (although shouldn't complain as sleeping bag is still in Brisbane) Yellow, brown sheets and a faded stinky doona cover. There seems to be music coming from somewhere all night. The earplugs and eye mask are in Brisbane with a brand new sleeping bag. She resigns herself to a night of no sleep.
Granny Annie also known as Super Granny came to collect the excited duo and took them to the airport. Bidding them a fare thee well at the drop off they excitedly boarded their plane only to discover there's a delay due to the blanket of Canberra fog.
Flight One to Brisbane...Cosy and short.
Flight Two to Darwin: Screens on the back of the chairs, Yay! Fi breathes a sigh of relief. Her cherub will be entertained for the next couple of hours. She quickly becomes aware that she's sitting next to a big bikey looking man and makes a mental note to not participate in any type of arm wrestle with the shared armrest as she would definitely lose.
With an hour to go Fi discovers Mr Bikey man is actually a linguist on his way to transport a Japanese camera crew to the Kimberleys. A very interesting conversation is had. She make a mental note: "Not to judge a book by it's cover." (Ever...)
On arrival at Darwin airport Daddy Bear is waiting excitedly to hang out with his cherub. As always mummy bear is a washing machine of emotions. Gripped with resistance she lets her go. A big cuddle and she quickly walks away before lil miss can see the eyes filling with water and rolling down her cheeks.
3:00pm
Not too much time to wallow though. Must put on backpacker extraordinaire cape and catch a flight to Alice Springs. Darwin airport has certainly got a more laid back feel than Canberra airport. It's so lovely and warm and people are wearing flip flops and shorts everywhere.
Fi finds her plane and takes a seat. A feeling of freedom begins to descend. She hasn't done anything like this in years. Adventure is on the horizon. The flight is a smooth two hours.
On arrival Fi discovers her luggage is nowhere to be seen. To her disappointment it's still in Brisbane. Qantas had failed to meet the connection with the luggage. She was told it would find her in Yulara. To her surprise Alice Springs was freezing cold. Not expected at all! So glad she remembered to pack a jacket and spare undies!
6:00pm
She arrives at the YHA in Alice Springs. A quirky set up. It would be 'rocking' in the Summer around the swimming pool. The place is filled with all ages. She meets some lovely girls to share the dorm with. They invite her out for dinner. Feeling exhausted she declines the offer and would rather sleep. A can of tuna and bowl of rice come in handy for a quick dinner.
10:00pm
Fi is not overly impressed with the quality of bedding (although shouldn't complain as sleeping bag is still in Brisbane) Yellow, brown sheets and a faded stinky doona cover. There seems to be music coming from somewhere all night. The earplugs and eye mask are in Brisbane with a brand new sleeping bag. She resigns herself to a night of no sleep.
Day One
Lessons Learned
*Never judge a book by it's cover
*Always pack a spare pair of undies
*Keep earplugs, torch and eye mask together in my day pack
*A can of tuna was a great idea!
