Jaimie’s Blog Level 3/4
Journeys

Sydney to Alice Springs 2001 Australia.

As quite a few of you already know I stayed in Australia for a year and traveled around Asia for a few months before coming to Japan.

I decided to travel out to see Ayres Rock and meet my friends by train. It took 3 and a half days and I was in economy class but the trip was unforgettable and I met some real characters on the way including a professional kangaroo trapper, and full blown painted aborigine complete with digeridoo.

The train, as you can see is huge and has a dining car, bar, and shared shower rooms. It rarely stops throughout the journey except to refuel and the smoking area( I still smoked then) was a non stop party any time of night and day.

I saw the most amazing sunsets and clearest night skies on that trip plus about a million kangaroos, emus, camels and the world’s most dangerous snake.

Australia is big! And Flat!
A cool journey but once was enough. I never thought it was going to end and the scenery doesn’t change much over 3 days.

Manali city  over the Rhotang Pass. 1990 something. Kulu valley India.

Did this trip with my mum, she loves India and has been there many times.

This journey is hard to describe. Both heaven and hell all at the same time.

Here is a little hint the word Rhotang means ground of corpses ( dead bodies) due to the number of people who have died trying to cross it. The pass is covered with smashed up cars trucks and worst of all buses. It is closed half the year and is just under 4 kilometres high in the Indian Himalayas. I swear I have never been so scared in my life it was a long journey straight up, in an old bus with wooden seats and people hanging off the sides and roof, the road is so narrow you can’t see the edge and it requires about a hundred 3 point turns to get round the tight corners. I sweated buckets on that journey and my mum got sick because we were up so high.

On the other hand the views are unimaginably beautiful and getting off the bus was a source of sheer delight plus it was well worth it when we got off and started hiking through the valley.I will also never forget it for the rest of my days!! I woke up the next morning looked out of my tent and the snow on the mountains was orange in the sun. Amazing. India was such a crazy trip and I was so young that I don’t think I appreciated it properly but I think one day I might go back and try it again.