the start of my vacation (during my year long vacation)

i'm finally finished with working in australia!! wooo! it was such a relief on friday when i left work for good. the only downside was that i actually just recently started to enjoy work. figures!

i'm in alice springs right now and it is hot as anything! i got here on sunday afternoon and leave in about an hour or so for a 5 day camping trip through the outback. i've never been a big camper, but i'm really looking forward to this!

alice springs has been interesting these past 2 days. it's a short walk into the centre of town where there are a few shopping centres and a few cultural things to do. walked to the cultural precinct yesterday and saw some aboriginal art and the aviation museum and a cemetery with the grave of the most famous aboriginal artist. i was glad to do something cultural and i just love experiencing art (at least ever since i took a course in college called 'experiencing art' haha!). i also did a short walking tour of the town centre which included the stuart gaol. i sat in jail for about 45 min. actually!!! (to listen to some dude talk about the history of the building... kinda boring). that's about all there really was to do here. and so the rest of the time, i took advantage of the heat, the sun, and the amenities at the hostel i stayed in and went to the pool! sweet deal.

that's all i've got for now. i'll try and write again shortly after my camping shenanigans! :)