On top of the world

This morning we hiked in Kings Canyon for three hours. It was a nice walk, and the scenery was, as is usual here, surreal. We walked up the canyon to the top, which was dry and rocky. Then we walked down into the Garden of Eden, which was green and lush, and even had a water hole. Then we had a five hour drive to Alice Springs, a city in the middle of Australia. We all got dressed up and went out, first to Bojangles, a country-western pub where you eat peanuts and throw the shells on the ground. There was a guy with a big snake there, and women were letting it wrap itself around them. Only in Australia. I had a kangaroo fillet, which was delicious. Then we went out to a dance club.