Mark Made Me Do This

Let's Go Outback Tonight

And no I don't mean the Bloomin' Onion. *(Editor's note: I have never actually been to Outback Steakhouse)

Okay here we go, I've got Macklemore going and a frozen pizza thawing, so let's kill this.

Over Spring Break AKA Mid-Semester Break AKA "Mid Sem," Mark & I made the voyage over to the Northern Territory to explore Australia's outback. 

These are our stories.

The Trip

Well it certainly could have started better. We had a nice and early flight, of course. So, leaving our apartment before the sun rose could only be accompanied by a tropical-storm level wind and a flash downpour. Naturally.

Making the long walk to the bus station, en route to the airport, was only made better by Mark losing his headphones and both of our bags getting drenched.

Highlights from the bus ride, airport and flight:

1. Girls near us on the bus almost got sick. 
2. Australian Airport security is a breeze compared to back home, although I definitely was the victim of racial profiling, as they selected me for a "random" check.
3. Almost got Hungry Jack's (BK) twice.
4. Got very jealous of the high schoolers who were just carrying around boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts. 
5. Sat in the last row of the airplane, man some people did a number on those toilets. 
6. Landed in Alice Springs, all set to conquer the dangers of the Australian wildlife

Alice Springs (part 1)

I won't spend much time talking about the hostel. It was a hostel with typical hostel stuff: awkward roommates, gnarly bathrooms and questionable beds. But it was not the worst thing in the world.

Hello. My name is Dan. And I'm a KFC-aholic. I almost never eat that stuff. And yet, here in Australia, it's been my crutch. And how can you resist all those secret spices and original recipe and OKAY, I have to control myself. I'm sorry. I've only gone twice the last 24 hours, so I'm getting better, okay? But yeah, Mark and I went there. And it was a-ma-zing.

Day 1

The first day of our three-day, two-night journey into the unknown started bright and early, as we had a long drive ahead of us before reaching any of the juicy parts of the wild. 

Oddly enough, the first stop of our trip (besides fueling up at the most fly-infested gas station known to man) was the most intense of the trip. That's not really saying much, but it was a hot, steep and longish hike around King's Canyon.

To be continued...