Day 53 – Alice Springs

The Chinese curse may be “May you live in interesting times”, but for me it proved to be a blessing. After being woken by a roommate rising and cursing him because the mobile showed it was 4:38, I checked my watch and it was actually 6:08. I rose, had a shower and dressed and then had breakfast. Lynn was up soon after and had breakfast and we were soon off. The trek to the Visitor Information Centre was all of a few moments and about 50 metres, so I found out where I could obtain a permit for travelling the road to locate where I came to grief (Central Lands Council), a permit for the Mereenie Loop (there, on the day it was required or the day before) and I found out the Tanami Track was closed – then open, as it was posted just as the desk operator enquired. We did a little exploratory walk around the CBD and during this, I ran across the local police superintendent who assured me the two police I would like to thank personally were still stationed there. Then we set off to the Central Lands Council and got the permit and asked about Raymond, who I had been in hospital with. The girl on the desk couldn’t help, but her father, standing just behind me, knew him and gave me a community he was living in. He assured me it wasn’t a closed community and I could just go in and ask. We headed off there, and ran into Jaycar (which I thought had gone, as it wasn’t in its original location) and Lynn was able to get something I had shown her for charging four devices at once through USBs. She even got a senior’s discount (I don’t get that at home!). Then we located the community Raymond was supposed to be on, but couldn’t find him. We went out to Emily and Jesse Gap and I decided to head off to the RFDS then before doing anything else, and the people there recognised me. After the tour, I bought some T-shirts for Abby, Alex and Ted and found myself next to Sharon, the nurse who had come out to Yulara to help with my operation and then had visited me in hospital. We had lunch at Hungry Jacks and then it was back to the Central Lands Council to leave a card for the father of the girl on the desk to get in touch with Ray. Then we called in at the hospital, but I had less luck there. We went out to Flynn’s grave, then Simpson’s Gap (no rock wallabies) and finally back to the hostel. After unpacking more and having tea, I finished the puzzles, wrote up my blog, spoke to others and finally went to bed.