On the road again

It is just over a month since we returned from Africa - and a routine (or at least some sort of pattern) has been slow in developing.

Today we are in central Queensland, heading to Carnarvon Gorge.

The month prior has seen us catching up with friends and family in Melbourne, Orange, the Gold Coast, and near Brisbane. Along the way we have done some tourist stuff, I have played some golf, and we have battled with Telstra....ooh how we have battled with Telstra, but that deserves special treatment(a separate post is coming!). My golf also deserves special treatment... but no more on that subject on this blog.

On our journey thus far... the pictures in order from top to bottom


* the big cod at Tocumwal (not pictured - the glider is there instead...Beth took a photo of my kissing the cod, but we were both reluctant and it wasn't a good pic!)


* Lake Canobalas in Orange (cold and overcast, but would have been magnificent in during autumn)


* the Organ Pipes at Mt Kaputar near Narrabri (amazing and remarkably accessible)


* Australian Radio Telescope at Cullogra near Narrabri (oh the wonders of modern technology and the marvels of creation)


* Lockyer Valley from Picnic Point Towoomba (a great outlook and a pleasant place to stop...the city is worth more time than we gave it on this occasion


* Chinchilla Weir (a nice camping spot with toilets and power just a little way out of the town. We shared it with about a dozen others, and we all paid the same rate....thanks to the generous shire council of Dalby)

It seems that each village or town offers a variety of sites of historical or natural interest - our timetable is generous, but you could spend a lifetime visitng all these places.

Arriving home

It's different being back in Australia.

* It's cold
* People don't walk along the roads
* Electricity outages are rare.
* There are more cars
* Real markets are organized and only on weekends
* No one offers to watch your car when you park it
* There are lights along the road at night
* Email and internet are easy to access, and relatively cheap (except for Telstra)
* There are more books around
* I can watch AFL football.

It's different, but it doesn't mean it is better. It IS home.

Flight home

There's nothing exciting about being in airports and aeroplanes for 28 hours. On the planes there are food and films. On the ground - well it depends on the airport.

Three days before leaving Zambia we stood in a market of timber stalls surrounded by mud brick buildings. On the day we left Africa we spent nine hours at Tambo Airport. In the market we could buy basic foods cheaply, and assorted clothing second hand.

At the airport there was a wide range of processed food at the food court, and the latest in brand name clothing, electronics and souvenirs. At the market many people struggled to buy the things they needed. In the airport were people with far more money than they needed to live on.

We may live on the same planet, but we live in different worlds.
Those of us in the developed world must find ways to share what we have in ways that will provide the resources for those in the undeveloped world to help lift them up.