redefining 'nothing' and 'nowhere'

you think you've been in the middle of nowhere. but you're wrong.

there's this plain in the middle of australia, which takes a day to cross by train, called the nullarbor (pronounced null-a-bore) plain. it means exactly what it says - no trees. oh, and nothing else either. don't believe me? look at this. this goes on for so long that there is a four-hundred-seventy something kilometer section of track that is absolutely flat and straight. (there is a town somewhere in there, named 'forest', that boasts a good hundred trees or so.)

i'm not trying to make it sounds like it wasn't fun. the plain was very pretty, spectacular sunsets and sunrises, and a lot of wildlife. we saw bunches of eagles and wild kangaroos. and we got to eat and sleep a lot, which is the best part of any vacation :)

and it's not entirely featureless. there's this gigantic hole in the middle of this plain in a place called kalgoorlie. they get a lot of gold out of this hole, which is why they've gone to all the trouble to dig it. the powers that be have decided that it is worth stopping for. so there's a bus tour of the town when the train stops there. at 11 pm. i don't know if anyone stayed awake for it, but all of our bunch paid our money and proceeded to doze through it. yet somehow everyone was awake for the story of the bartender who was losing business, and picked things up by making the standard uniform for his barmaids high heels - and nothing else. when told to fix this or lose his liquor license, he dressed them....in saran wrap.

so laura covered the excitement of today. in an effort to not be redundant, i'll shut up now.

australians are cool. they've got a few weirdnesses, like 1.5 hour time changes, my coffee with milk is a 'flat white', and 'entree' really means 'appetizer'. but they're all laid back and friendly, speak english, and their sense of humor is pretty much on par with ours. it makes getting around, and being here, very relaxing. and of course entertaining :)

and here's what you've all been waiting for...pictures! so far we've got a small selection from our assembly, perth, and train trip, but nothing more recent than yesterday. so quantity pictures, and shots of us cuddling with koalas and feeding kangaroos, will have to wait a day or two. enjoy!