Good morning galahs on Day 3

I managed to pack up my things, admittedly rather slowly yesterday morning, and navigated the treacherous mud to get my breakfast. Thr tent fared the night very well but the bos was slow to get going.

Packing up was only the first chore though, with a much anticipated hill climb and busier roads (day 1 everyone was staggered up a bit more).

The effect of the rain was not all that evident on the road until much later but the hill was evident. Rumour indicated that for the most part it was a 6 degree climb and you could feel it in the legs, even if you didn't know that. however lunch was on the other side of it. for me, i expected some great views, a great downhill and sense of achievement.

There were some other though that had forgotten the point though as they used their energy reserves to push their bikes up the hill. Heads down, mind defeated... it's slower, less efficient and this isn't The Great Vic 'I Pushed my bike for 600kms'!

The downhill after lunch made it all worth it with some reaches speeds of 74kph if rumours are to be believed. Alas speed is the enemy of the sane and someone inevitably came off, with sirens and lights of police and ambulance being required.

But I made it in one piece, and here I go again, on my birthday, ready to attack Murchison!

PS not quite ready - still need to pack, collapse tent, eat breakfast ad take some panadol foe the saddle sores!

I think i was in a cyclone

I'm scared to look outside and see how much rain fell last night! i've also been holding it since 1030 last night because I didn't want to leave.

Something I overheard from my tent neighbours, "argh! My gloves are wet!", "mate, you're an idiot, that's the lest of our worries"

Today's ride has been extended for 6 km's and we will climb more than 600m's in elevation. Bring it on.

Day 1 of the Great Vic

It was a two lane street, which I suppose is fairly atypical for this kind of place. Humid but cool and early in the morning after a big rain, you could hear the lorikeets starting up their familiar screech. the trees on the northern side of the road were all eucalyptus, twisted but strong from their years. Years that were well established at the base of their trunks; scarred as they have been by the Australian bush. On the other side they were misleading, at first appearing like smalls shrubs, but really they are just babies, hiding in the shadow of their parents with a lean away from the road.

What is typical is the sound. Along with the unseen lorikeets you could hear that ever present hum of an idling truck's engine at the servo, with cars rushing by on the highway. Leading down the side road a Give Way sign was framed by two 60's and a Hilux coming the other way.

I stood in the middle of the road, taking it in. Looking forward to a week in the bush.

Now, I'm lying in my tent listening to the pelting of rain, the bass of the fake U2 band has ended and people are heading back to their abodes in this insane tent city. We've built it from a sheep paddock, the softness I feel below my buttocks is really just Roo Poo.

It was a beautiful day, firstly riding in the sun, enjoying the serenity of being on holiday, alone (with 4999 strangers). I looked out over the wheatfields as I rode (I won't pretend to know what they really were, but shell refer to everything as a wheat field). Along their edges native trees remained, or had been allowed to grow, but sometimes only in a comically designed pattern, or a pattern of no design. Some tall and others skinny, and yet others doing a lean-to resemblant of a pushup. Their shapes are so familiar but I could stare all day, even at those that stand as burnt out husks without a leaf, but a testament to endurance.

Occaisionally a fellow rider would remind me I wasn't alone, but for the most part, being here with no seatbelt, windscreen, timeline or expectations gave me such a sense of peace from a busy overactive world.

Day 1 is done, as I rest in Dookie, so tomorrow let the road take me to Euroa!!!

Give Me a Home..

Well, I've been around the world again. Not quite, but I've notched another two countries on the belt (please keep an eye out for those little patch flags for my bag). I'm ready for home.

It was a great break and other than the remaning activities in Alexandria and Cairo, there's not much more to tell.

We did get to visit the great Biblioteque Alexandria, the effort of rebuilding the city's former glory. They've done a bang up job of it, we were very impressed. They have some really exciting digital library projects going and have a machine that can digitise any book in 5 minutes. Fully reproduced and ready to go. Amazing stuff for the future of books and the digital world.

They have an internet archive that has documented internet pages and their changed from 1996 and takes up almost 4 perabytes!

I asked the guide what the budget of a facility like that was, and she said ''I can't be sure, but I think it's about 85000 Egyptian Pounds''. The exchange rate indicates that's about 20000 aussie bucks, she's either gravely mistaken or we could learn a thing or two from the Egyptians about accounting!

That's probably it for this round of linguistic adventures and cultural faux pas'. Catch you next time I try to take on the world!

Sent from my glorious e71 which is most definitely not an iPhone!

Return to Egypt

This post comes from Egypt, the land to which we have returned. Alexandria, to be exact. Once home to the greatest library in the world, that at one point, held more books than had ever been published. And previously home to the great Pharos lighthouse. The two of them Wonders of the Ancient World.

Again, I was warned that there's not a lot in Alexandria, and not to waste too long there, but 'go, so you can say you've gone'. Once again I found this strange advice (to be polite).

Yes, it is noisy, smelly, dirty, busy, expensive (at least for any moderately comfortable accomodation) and at times pushy.

But if you go wandering the streets after 9 or 10pm, the place has somehow come alive in a strange way that makes it a great place to be!

The people seem more relaxed; you can hear the regular 'clack clack' of dominoes and backgammon sets through the constant blaring of car horns. No one is in a rush as the centre of the street fills with couples, mums and dads, kids out past bed time and wandering boys just hanging out. The Corniche (street by the sea) can be made out by the tourists sitting on the wall staring out to sea.

There's an electricity in the air that belies the buildings and monuments of an ancient, perhaps / maybe / slightly has-been city. You can feel it in the cheeky grins and stares, in the way they seem to enjoy you trying their food that looks like it fell off a garbage truck last week. This town has a very entertaining character, I'd like to know more.

Sent from my glorious e71 which is most definitely not an iPhone!

Shredded Dolphin Cafe

In Australia, we go to great lengths to ensure our tuna is dolphin friendly. Apparently it's not so much of a concern here in Egypt.

We're in a dinky little cafe in Alexandria which is displaying (proudly, in its window):

<I>Shredded Dolphin in a Can!</i>

Sent from my glorious e71 which is most definitely not an iPhone!

Pıdjun Walley (Eroded Beauty 2)

The next part of the Eroded Beauty post takes place ın a small town called Goreme (there´s meant to be all manner of accents ın that name, but for the lıfe of me I can´t fınd them on the keyboard). Goreme ıs at the heart of the famous Capadoccıa regıon where mıllıons of years of volcanıc eruptıons, erosıon and people ınvolvement ıs home to funny lıttle faıry chımneys. These ´faıry chımneys´as the locals call them have also been names ´mushroom rocks´ but I thınk ıf we were all beıng serıous about ıt we´d really call them ´cırcumcısed penıs rocks´.

At some poınt ın tıme people seemed to thınk that these oddly shaped rocks would be good for a kıp and started pıckıng at them wıth axes (stone axes) and made homes ın them. The early Chrıstıans also thought ıt wouldn´t be all that bad an ıdea to start makıng churches ın them. Before you know ıt, ınsıde the dıstance you could chuck a rock (not a penıs shaped one, just a regular rock) a bazıllıon churches or chapels or monastarıes had sprung up.

These people had to have somethıng to eat. It seems to them that they would need to plant edıble food, such as aprıcot trees and mulberry trees. The only place to do thıs (ın the harsh landscape) were the valleys ın whıch people also had theır homes. And havıng set the frame for the rest of the story, ı´ll dıverge here.

Our tour guıde was pretty excıted about thıs prospect. In fact so excıted that he got a lıttle bıt too carrıed away wıth the Tour Guıde do´s and don´t lesson that he obvıously attended wıth Sherıff (the one wıth the more ınterestıng personalıty). They are both of the school of repeatıng themselves, only for some reason, ıt was a bucketload more ırrıtatıng wıth thıs guy.

Guıde: we wıll walk through the Red Walley before lunch and panoramıc vıew and after we go to underground sıtt and Pıdgun Walley.
Guıde: and you can see, the holes are made for the Pıdjuns that lıved here wıth the people, we wıll see more Pıdjuns and Pıdjun holes and Pıdjun houses once we get to Pıdjun Walley.
Guıde: we wıll have lunch and then panoramıc vıew before Pıdjun Walley.
Guıde: the famıly would keep the Pıdjuns there and feed the Pıdjuns so they could collect the Pıdjun droppıngs to put on the fertılıser for the trees. They used the Pıdjun droppıngs from the Pıdjuns for the fertılıser.
Guıde: OK, now we wıll go to Pıdjun Walley.
Guıde: they kept the Pıdjuns ın here, ın the walley of the Pıdjun Walley before collectıng the droppıngs of the Pıdjun for the fıelds, many Pıdjuns.
Dash: sorry, what lıved ın thıs spot here? Thıs hole?
Guıde: The Pıdjuns.
Dash: rıght, ok. I thınk I got ıt. When dıd the people leave the caves to lıve ın teh vıllages?
Guıde: well they no longer use the Pıdjuns from the Walley ın the Pıdjun holes for the Pıdjun droppıngs.
Dash: ummmmm..?
Guıde: Pıdjuns
Dash: Yep, dıd they ever..
Guıde: Pıdjuns.
Dash: well, thanks for the tour today, ıt was all really great.
Guıde: Pıdjuns.

I swear, Lauren started countıng at one poınt. In a 5 mınute stretch we reckon he got 20 Pıdjuns ın. The man loves them. Don´t go to Capadoccıa wıthout seeıng the pıgeons.