Adelaide To Alice Springs

Once we took a few days out of the travelling ring with Mel, who we borrowed the car from, we made our way up to Adelaide.
It was unfortunate, as we had changed our plans with very little short notice, our friend Jay, who we met in India, had only enough time to see us for one afternoon. I was happy for the time with him, but I must admit I had a few tears after he left. He was part of our travelling family, we had many a night with this guy giggling our little hearts out and will always have a special place in mine and Jamie's heart. It just wasn't enough time, but hay ho, thus is the way of the traveller every now and again. You make friends and fall in love with some of the most amazing people on the other side of the world, and then go through the heart break of losing their faces from your view for years on end. And its hard.
We have met some people along our journeys that have touched the deepest part of my soul and changed me from the inside out. You know who you are. Every single lovely person that we ever spent anytime with, laughing or crying, I miss you all.















After a good nights sleep, Jamie and I packed the bags once again, and booked a shuttle bus for the train station. We had decided to travel up to Alice Springs in as much style as we could afford...ie not a bus, but a train.
Luckily due to us being in OZ out of season there was some amazing deals with the Great Southern Railway company on all their long distance trains. We bought a ticket on the "Ghan" all the way up to Darwin with a 7 day stop halfway up in Alice Springs (base town out towards Ayres Rock and surrounding areas).
the shuttle bus was on time, with about 45 min till we absolutely had to be on the train, which was plenty due to the fact we where only about a 10 min drive away.
The driver checked us on the bus, took our tickets, put our bags on the trailer and away we went. We then waited, and waited, and then waited some more. there was only another two people with us so we where just a little puzzled when it got to 10 past, 20 Min's to go, and ended up at the airport with the driver not only taking the other peoples luggage of but OURS aswell!!! AGGHHH! This was when we started to panic. Jamie ran off the bus and talked to the driver, then his face dropped, the driver had mistook our booking (which we organised the day before!) thought we where going to the airport, which was 15 Min's away from the train station. Of course he never thought to even glance on our tickets we gave him, which had Train Station written on in bright red letters !!!
I'm sure many of the people reading this will understand what happens in moments like these, your face is a picture, your heart rate goes up, and you end up on the edge of your seat. See the problem wasn't like your usual train, where there is another along the way in the next hour, no, this train only leaves Adelaide twice or three times a week! If you miss it, you miss it.
So on we get, the bus driver panicking just as much as we are, due to the fact on that particular day, was extremely heavy traffic because of a lorry and truck charity rally along the main road leading all the way up where we needed to go, Bloody Perfect!
In the end the bus driver got on the radio to the office and asked them to contact the train station to hold the train for as long as they could.
My god that journey lasted an eternity, as soon as we got there dead on half past, when the train was suppose to be departing, we got our bags and I shouted "RIGHT, CHEESE IT!!!" and legged it down the empty platform with everyone watching us from inside the train, more than likely laughing at the dirty travellers looking ridiculous trying to ran down a platform, panic stricken with big rucksacks.

Anyway we made it, and very much enjoyed the journey. Train itself was comprised up of loads of carriages, but we where only allowed in 3 of them. Bit of a class system when it comes to the amount your willing to spend. All the cheap bastards where at the back.
We had the seated Red tickets, which gave us the carriage with the main train seats were, plus the toilets and showers. Then the next carriage along was the lounge, where we spent most of the time, then next along was the cafe.
The journey up to Alice was just over 24 hours, leaving 1.30pm, arriving about 2pm the next day.

MORNING!