lately i've come to feel like i'm living in an episode of Lost. as you can see from the attached photo, i live underground in a room cut out of the rock. i slavishly operate a computer here at least once a day and put coins into it every 15 minutes to avoid having something bad happen, namely being cut off from updating my blog and flickr. for entertainment, we go out and play unconventional golf (on the dusty ex-opal fields on the outskirts of town at the coober pedy golf club).
in other words, i'm in the "only underground backpackers in coober pedy", Radeka's Underground Backpackers. jean and i are here for a few nights before heading up to uluru (aka. ayers rock) and alice springs.
coober pedy (opal capital of the world!) is an odd place -- we've found our way to having fun, but it's easy to see how people could get sucked into feeling like they'd arrived in a tourist trap as well. i'm recovering from a cold (thanks to jean for the chicken soup), and so it's a quiet day overall. watched lots of australian tv, and besides catching an episode of the simpsons, saw some game shows and relaxed. next up, more of the outback.
in other words, i'm in the "only underground backpackers in coober pedy", Radeka's Underground Backpackers. jean and i are here for a few nights before heading up to uluru (aka. ayers rock) and alice springs.
coober pedy (opal capital of the world!) is an odd place -- we've found our way to having fun, but it's easy to see how people could get sucked into feeling like they'd arrived in a tourist trap as well. i'm recovering from a cold (thanks to jean for the chicken soup), and so it's a quiet day overall. watched lots of australian tv, and besides catching an episode of the simpsons, saw some game shows and relaxed. next up, more of the outback.
Comments (3)
hey andy, i've really enjoyed your blog entries. the trip sounds like a hoot. so how does that roof tent thing work?
Posted by Deep | April 12, 2006 6:04 AM
Posted on April 12, 2006 06:04
hiya deep!
the rooftent is super-simple -- it's a platform that attaches to the roof rack on the land cruiser with a little ladder leading up to a metal grid platform at one end, and a folded-shut wood platform at the other end. when you open up the wood platform, the tent folds out from inside it. all you have to do after that is open up the tent and unfold the (not-too-thick) mattress. some of the interior of it is held together with seatbelt material, so i'm not sure if these are made by hand or if there's a big rooftent company somewhere. regardless, it is a wonderful invention.
Posted by andy | April 12, 2006 10:35 AM
Posted on April 12, 2006 10:35
The best Aussie TV show has to be "Song for the Socceroos," which is a weekly reality/game show whereby musicians compete to create the best theme song for football team the Socceroos. I mean -- it's on recurringly! To find one song! Great stuff.
Posted by allyson | April 12, 2006 12:06 PM
Posted on April 12, 2006 12:06