Rocks, Reefs, Grubs and Lap Dances

Uluru (Ayers Rock) was definitely the highlight of The Outback. Sitting in the middle of the country, surrounded by nothing but desert and red sand, it is really impressive. I was able to watch the colors change on the rock as the sun went below the horizon, accompanied by champagne. Apparently, this is something that every person who watches it does, and the group that I'm traveling with was no exception. After 10 days of traveling through the middle of nowhere, this made it all worth it.

My final day in The Outback was spent around Alice Springs, which compared to most of the other 'towns' that I had been through, was booming. At night I went to a steakhouse and got to sample some local foods: Crocodile, Kangaroo, Emu and Camel. Not a huge fan of the croc, but the others were all quite good. Before leaving, I was able to learn a little more about Aboriginal culture, as well as their diets, by going to a bushtucker tour. It is safe to say that the food available to them is quite different that what I am used to, and in addition to native fruits and vegetables, I sampled some other delicacies: Witchity grub and kangaroo tail! Mmmmmm!

Now in Cairns, it is safe to say that I am once again in civilization. And better yet, no flies. I spent yesterday at the Great Barrier Reef, which was awesome! Unfortunately, this area is getting a ton of rain due to a cyclone (hurricane) to the northwest of us, making visability kind of poor. It was not worth diving due to the conditions, but I was still able to do some exploring of the reef through a snorkel, and still got to see a sea turtle, shark and giant clam, in addition to a ton of fish and coral.

At night we went out for a bar crawl around the city, and at each stop there was a compition for some sort of prize. How I got roped into this, I don't know, but found myself standing on stage, my partner for this competition, a female tourmate, seated in a chair in front of me. As soon as the words 'lap dance' were spoken by the DJ, I knew that I was in trouble. Sure enough, I had to give my best dance for 2 minutes, in front of a crowd of 40 or so people, competing against the 3 other teams (all friends). It was a long 2 minutes, and I'm sure for my partner and all those watching, it was not a pretty performance. However, once time was up, the tables turned and the girls had their turn as well, so it wasn't all bad! And, I am pleased to say, we won! In fact, the cheers that made up the voting showed it wasn't even close. I would like to think that my performance had something to do with it, but I'm pretty certain I owe this one to my partner. That is one occupation that I won't be considerting upon returning to the States.

Tomorrow morning I head south to Whitsundays, which is supposed to be having better weather than we are here. My fingers are crossed, as they have some great beaches and I'll be out sailing for a day.

Tonight: Cairns

1/13-1/15: Whitsundays

1/16: Fraser Island

Cheers!