18 days

And now I have the hugely difficult task of trying to describe Centre Trip. To make it very simple I could say 'Wow' and leave it at that, but for blogging purposes I will do as Sam suggested and start at the start. I kept a journal (yes we were made to...thankyou school) so this should be a fairly accurate account. I'll spare you most of the journally bits and give you the tastier pieces. Enjoy!

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Day One

I wrote...

It is a rare day when I am able to come suddenly and perfectly awake. This
is what I do today. 3.15 am. You've got to be kidding me! Time to grab at least
another hour of sleep...I give that idea up rather quickly. This girl isn't
sleeping any more today!

Heading off at 5.30 am to 18 days in Central Australia is such a thrill. I have always loved travelling, and leaving while it is still dark simply adds to the experience. It doesn't matter that on this first day all we will do is drive to Adelaide. I don't care. I'm so excited that I hum and buzz and hop. As the sun rises the sky turns pink and a large pale moon gives me the shivers. U2's 'It's a beautiful day' begins over the bus speakers. The vibe is set!

Day Two

Once again we are on the bus. We are instructed to reflect on time (as a sort of theme) and then given 20 minutes to do so. How Ironic.

I wrote

Time is something that is hard to get a handle on. It's so strange to
think that I'll never have this moment again. Ever. Time is a human invention.
It limits us. I believe in a God that has no limit...If God is unlimited and
eternal in the whole 'time' thing, is he also beyond our understanding in
everything else? I think so. I love the way that we can understand just enough
of God to figure out that we will never be able to fully comprehend Him.
My time is precious, but it is a gift to be enjoyed and celebrated as
well as a tool to be worked with. Life is to be delighted in , and our time
should be used accordingly. No-body can control the amount of time they are
given, and therefore who are we to live mediocre or complacent lives? What a
thrill!

p>

Other than that, just more driving. We made it into the desert about lunchtime, and I wrote a little poem...

Desert

Life in an empty place

Pushing out from dry earth

Stealing into corners

Creeping across endless space

Love in a lonely place

Flows from a thirsty heart

Invades the harsh landscape

Filling the emptiness

Day three

Glen Dambo morning proved to be freezing. Numb all over and a cold shower. Beautiful sunrise though!

More driving. Had my hair braided into a gazillion little braids. Arrived at our first bush camp. Did some charcoal sketching etc etc.

Lucy and I pioneered the useage of the girls 'toilets' (holes). A proud moment for all involved...

Went to bed freezing but under a magnificent night sky!

Day Four

Day four I awoke to the most beautiful sky. The stars (it was 5.30 am) were shining through layers of glorious clouds. Despite the numb feet, it was a lovely morning. Sunrise and all.

Back on the bus we were prompted to think about Aboriginal Land rightsand other related topics:
I wrote...

It is one thing to own a 1/3 of an acre in Suburbia, it is entirely
different when we are out here with the land stretching out for thousands of
kilometeres in each directon. Back at home the idea of owning land makes
snese to me, but strangely enough, out here it seems sort of ridiculous. How can
we 'own' land? Still, the concept of either land belonging to you or you
belonging to the land is quite an appealing notion. I believe it can work both
ways, the point is having a place to call home. In our society
that means 'owning' and in Aboriginal Culture being 'owned'. Problems occur when
we try and combine both views.

The lunch stop was in Alice Springs (different to how I expected) and then another cold 30 second shower at Tillmouth Wells roadhouse.

On to the second bush camp...I had a pretty special hour or so where I just lay on my sleeping bag, listened to an amazing cd that my friend made for me and watched the stars come out.

Dinner, a warble around the campfire and bed. By now I'm used to the 5.30 starts and the bush 'toilets'. Not so used to the cold.

Day Five

Start bright and early. Hike up the little ridge next to us. Lovely! Nice also to get some exercise after sitting in the bus for so long.

Drive 100 or so km's on unmade road (bumping and jarring) Not far to go, but so rough that it takes us about 3 hours. We finally reached Yuendumu the Aboriginal Communtiy where we were to stay for the next three days.

I wrote...

Driving into Yuendumu felt like coming home. The wonky buildings, mangy
dogs and snotty nosed kids made me feel like I was in Honiara again. I love it.

The biggest thrill was when a bus full of the kids pulled in, a little
girl came straight over to me, took my hand and asked for my name. I told her,
and picked her up. It's amazing how open and expectantly friendly the kids are.
Her name was Sarah. She looked at me, examined my face and touched my hair.
'You're pretty' she said. My heart Melted.

The people at Yuendumu are incredible. From the moment the first busload
of kids arrived, we were met with uninhibited curiosity, friendliness, energy
and a willingness to love. Being a 'Nampijinpa' I quickly found sisters and
cousins all over the place. Some of the older girls even coyly suggested who I
was allowed to marry. We cuddled and played with the little ones. I was
constantly carrying at least one child, if not two or three. The snotty
noses and distinct smell of the kids ceased to matter as we opened ourselves to
them.

Day Six

Still at Yuendumu, more interaction with the kids, a trip to the 'art centre' and a whole lot of washing to be done in a bucket. The sun was out and beautiful, the washing was relaxing and on the whole very theraputic.

Day Seven

Church in Yuendumu was a bit of an experience.

I wrote...

Today was Sunday, Church at Yuendumu was once again reminding me of home
in the Solomons. We arrived for a ten o'clock start, and over half an hour later
some of them wandered in and began to set up the old PA. Life without time
constraints...lovely!

Church itself was an experience, dull in places, lively in others. I
enjoyed it, but didn't really feel like I'd put much into it. I was sort of a
spectator. I desperately wanted time to withdraw a little afterwards and spend
time with no-one else around. amd just find God in the day...more so that is.
Not that God can be 'found'...it's more him that does the finding.

We had a bit of an interesting look at cultural differences, and how the Aboriginal community were embracing Christianity in a way which complimented and completed their culture rather than abolishing it. The use of song and traditional paintings throughout the service was fascinating. More on related things later.

Also went hunting. Ate honey ants, kangaroo (including liver, heart and brains...go me!) and some little flower things.


Day eight and nine

Back in Alice springs for a couple of days. Time to re-stock (in my case on Jersey Caramels) and pick up mail. We went out for dinner one night and managed a couple of amazing HOT showers. Both mornings were so cold that I woke up with frost on my sleeping bag...seems strange for the middle of the desert.


Day ten

Our tenth night was at an amazing bush camp. Red sand-dunes and beautiful desert oaks. I was feeling quite shocking...nauseous, headache etc...but we did this 'dark activity' where you go and sit silently by yourself in the dark and then write down your thoughts.

I wrote...

Sullenly I wonder if my hands will be too cold to write. I gaze out into the
dark and suddenly it doesn't matter that I'm tired and cold and sick. Suddenly I
get a glimpse of just how small I am. The dark sky stretches down to meet the
desert. It's like I'm in some sort of snow globe...the stars rush towards me and
I begin to wonder whether anyone has ever been around to see and hear exactly
what I am now seeing. As if in response to that thought, a shooting star dances
across the sky, so quick that had I blinked I would have missed it. All my
senses seem to sharpen. I sit, still and silent as I become a part of the
landscape. I realise I've been holding my breath. I let it out now, slow and
steady, only to take it in again sharply. The cold that seemed opressive before
has become exhilarating. It is so hard to be selfish, sarcastic, cynical or even
tired whilst taking time to just absorb the night...

Day eleven

Kings Canyon. Breathtaking.

Wrote a descrptive piece on it...may post at a later date.

Day twelve

Uluru...also amazing.

I wrote...

Driving into Uluru for the first time was a very powerful experience. Solid
Rock was playing, and the desert was stretching out on both sides, an unbroken
view of the magnificent rock. At the same time as I was getting shivers and
tingles, I heard one of the girls saying 'Why does it even matter to us? I mean,
it's just a big rock!' Well, that got me thinking. Why so important? Why was I
so moved by it? To tell the truth I think it comes back to it being a 'sacred'
place. Now I don't believe the particular Dreaming stories associated with
Uluru, but there is something about the place which is deeply spiritual. How can
anyone see something this incredible, this...odd, without thinking and relating
it back to God, or at least something outside themselves. It worried me that so
many people were taking it lightly. The commercialism of the place seems to have
cheapened the experience.

Day thirteen

We hiked Kata Tjuta to the Valley of the Winds. The view was stunning. Completely wild. I did some sketching and then wrote an odd little entry in my Journal.

I wrote...

I am hiking behind Steve our cook and he has the oddest looking elbows I've
ever seen. His arms are covered in thick, dark hair all except for the
aforementioned elbows which are completely bald, quite red and have strange
little folds of skin. As he swings his arms, the skin moves back and forwards so
that you get the impression of little mouths talking to one another. For some
unknown reason this fascinaes me much more than it should. I am endlessly amused
by the ridiculous and Steve's elbows keep me entertained for the dullest part of
the hike...before the beauty and strangeness of Kata Tjuta steals my attention
and takes my breath away.

Day fourteen

Interesting discussion on western views of christianity and sin. Made me think a lot. Will post more about that at a later date.

Base walk at Uluru.

Bus to Coober Pedy... blergh.

Day fifteen

Coober Pedy is such a hole. The treelessness scared me, and the only nice thing was our first warm (underground) beds for at least two weeks and more Jersey Caramels from the supermarket...Oh wait...the lady that did the opal cutting demo was kind of cute and funny. Did I mention she had a beard?

Day sixteen

The final Bush Camp. I hadn't been looking forward to it (I can't remember why) but when we got there and I saw the beautiful red sand, the twisted trees and enough sky to drown in I changed my mind.

I wrote...

When we got to our camp, I spent the fisrt half hour or so just sittin on
the ground drawing in the sand. Patterns, trees and occaisionally some words.
very relaxing. After that was the usual bush camp routine, set up, eat,
sit round the fire, pee in a hole etc. etc. I borrowed a blanket and had an
excellent last night under the stars. How sad that it will be the last for now.
It will be a miserable business sleeping back inside

Day seventeen

.Back on the bus and into SA again. Stopped for a ramble on Lake Hart (a salt lake) where I managed to like the salt..woo! Stopped for our last night at a church hall in Murray Bridge.

Day eighteen

I wrote...

This trip has flown (but dragged) in usual camp style. It has made me grow a little...or a lot... of patience, made me question 'western' culture in relation to God and the way I approcah my own Christianity. I've laughed a lot, cried a bit and am craving and appreciate my life and family relationships. I know what I can do with and wthout. I love life. I love travelling. I love people. I love the land and the isolation. I love the trees. I love the long hours of time to just sit and think. I think I told someone at least once a day to 'embrace' what we were experiencing. I have developed an un-natural craving for cherry ripes and Jersy Caramels and now have 40 cents left in the world. 500 km to home...

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