September 16 Wednesday We got up early again for sunrise, and again it was nice, but not what Geoff had been hoping for. We got back, had a quick breakfast, loaded the van with our bags and all the trash/recyclables, and cleaned the floors of the kitchen, bathrooms, and bunkhouses. Before leaving the park completely we stopped at the Ranger station and were given certificates for having served the park as volunteers. We also stopped at the art wherehouse to pick up a few more pieces for other people. I took the opportunity to get mine wrapped in bubble wrap. We stopped in Yulara again to get fuel then drove on to Alice Springs. It took a while longer than before because there were some heavy dust storms and visibility went to near zero several times. Our brief lunch stop was an adventure just keeping things from blowing away in the hard wind. I got dropped off at Haven (my hostel) and we had all agreed to meet at the restaurant in Annies Place in the evening for a sendoff. In Alice I walked over to Anzac Hill and took several pictures of graffiti, then walked down to the other end of town where I had seen some other graffiti. It was already getting dark and I found the place. It was at a youth center and there was a large group of teens playing rugby. I was on the property when a man accosted me and demanded to know what I was doing. We got it straightened out quickly, but they were definitely concerned about people just walking onto the property and their intentions towards the kids (sad state of the world when this is the case, but not really surprising). Most of the CVA volunteers got together for food and drinks at Annie's Place. We had a nice time once more and said our goodbyes for the most part. Several of us will meet in the airport again tomorrow.

September 17 Thursday The three other people in my room got up and left at 5:30am. They are part of a tour group coming from Darwin south. The girl had scattered her underwear all over the bathroom last night. I went back to sleep until almost 7:30. Then I had a simple breakfast of bread and jam, checked out of my room and waited in the lobby until the shuttle came to take me (and seven others) to the airport at 10:30. I spent the time reading (and realized I did not get a picture of my room at Haven – doh!). Once at the airport it did not take long before I saw Danny, Derek, Gary and Janet. Later after making it through the check in process we also met up with Gillian, Vita and Mei. My bag was one kilo over the limit so they charged me $10. I would not have known what to take out to get it under the limit because my carry on was really full. Those of us from CVA talked and exchanged email addresses and other things, including sandwiches until our flights started boarding. Five people were going to Melbourne on the same plane (and Danny was continuing on to Sydney later in the afternoon. One had a direct flight to Sydney, and Mei and I were on the same plane to Adelaide (but Mei was staying there while I was continuing to Sydney). Danny and I made arrangements to meet on Sunday for lunch. We all said our goodbyes and I got on my plane. There was a slight rain storm as we left Alice Springs and that translated into a lot of turbulence, so the trip was much like a good roller coaster. I enjoyed it and could continue reading, but I did not get to see much of the landscape from the air and my window seat was kind of wasted. My bag was checked straight through to Sydney, so I just had to wait for my plane in Adelaide. The flight to Sydney was uneventful and we arrived five minutes ahead of schedule. Airlines seem to have it in for backpackers. My bag came through and it wasn't until I was already walking out of the terminal that I realized that my tent was not attached to my bag. Why they had to remove it is beyond me, but I had to go back and pick it up from the luggage carousel. Nothing else seems to be missing. I caught a shuttle with six old people and two business types into the city. I was the last one dropped off. Got checked in at Asylum, but it was too late by then to get the free dinner, so I went to Coles to pick up some food for the next few days. I am almost out of Australian money and do not want to change more, but should be okay. I do not need much. I checked my budget and I did not manage to save anything while in Australia. I don't expect I'll be able to in New Zealand either, but after that things should be quite cheap for several countries.

September 18 Friday I spent some time getting my notes together and uploading pictures to Scott's server, but did not get my notes posted and the internet was down later when I tried. It just turned into a rather lazy day and that was fine with me.

September 19 Sabbath I walked to the Woolhara church this morning. I did not take a map, but followed essentially the same route as when I was here a month ago. Sabbath school, church, and a nice potluck all awaited me. The only downside was at the potluck an Indian man sat at my table and was non-stop jabbering about one conspiracy after another, which I as an America was supposed to confirm or deny for him. He gave me his email (I did not give him mine) and I do not plan to contact him. His ideas were so wild that I just tuned him out very soon after he joined the table, but he was persistent. As potluck was winding down, the Pathfinders were gathering to join Pathfinders from all over the greater Sydney area for a Drug Free Sydney Harbor Bridge walk. I was talking with one of the parents involved, having a really nice discussion about Adventism (he was not born into the church and we were comparing viewpoints from inside and outside) and he invited me to join the walk. I did not have anything really planned so I said yes. We drove across to the north side of the bridge and walked across with close to a thousand Pathfinders and like-minded people. It was late afternoon and the wind on the bridge made it rather chilly, but it was nice to do the whole Bridge. Before I had only gone to the first set of towers which had the observation deck and then gone back. I walked back to Asylum on my own. Again, while walking down a major street I got 'props' for my facial hair. That is an ongoing thing. People somehow feel compelled to tell me that they love my beard (it was a Abe Lincoln chinstrap style), or now goatee. The Taiwanese girls all were fascinated and wanted to see what I looked like without some of it, which was part of the reason I went down to the goatee. I'll let it grow again. But it has happened far more than I ever expected and people aren't shy about commenting or wanting to touch it.

September 20 Sunday Another nice big free breakfast of toast, fruit and a cereal suicide with yoghurt instead of milk. I met Danny at noon at the King's Cross Coles and we walked down to Chinatown, had some lunch at a Thai place near where he is living and then wandered over to a Brazilian culture festival at Darling Harbor. There was music, a small parade went through while we were there, and many booths, some with info and merchandise, but most selling Brazilian food stuffs. I talked to the people manning the embassy booth and discovered that because of reciprocal treatment of US citizens trying to visit Brazil, to how Brazilians are treated entering the US, it costs $270 for a visa. But the same regulation means that using my Swiss passport I can enter for free. Danny had to leave to meet some other friends and I went back to Paddy's market, picking up some apples and bananas. Back at Asylum I watched Blades of Glory with a group of people from the hostel. Danny stopped by again and we said we would meet tomorrow night to say goodbye. The internet was not working properly so I was able to upload some to Scott's server, but not post anything to my blog or access my email. Everyone in the hostel has been getting frustrated with the spotty internet usability. Several people were watching a remake (it must be a for TV version) of Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain, which was laughable. I remember vaguely enjoying the book, but the other movie made from it was also rather goofy. The endings of many of his books are not satisfying to me, I've found.