Jul 06 2019
Flying Over Kati Thanda (Lake Eyre)
I admit it. I got duped. I met a tourist in Oodnadatta who had taken a scenic plane ride over Lake Eyre. “Was it worth it to fly over?” I asked. “It was a great experience,” he said, “Just stunning!” So later on, I plucked down $200 for a one-hour flight over Lake Eyre, or, …
Jul 05 2019
Riding the Birdsville Track
I almost didn’t ride the Birdsville Track. But I’m glad I did. The Birdsville Track, a major dirt road running north south, connected Marree in the south (where I was) with Birdsville in the north (where I needed to go). Over a month ago, I was informed that the Birdsville Track was closed due to …
Jun 27 2019
Muslim Immigration: Hooray for the Cameleers!
Like the U.S., there is some anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia. The same caricatures of Muslim people exist here as much as in the U.S. But in Marree in South Australia, a former railroad town at the southern end of the Oodnadatta Track, there exists something that highlights the tolerance of earlier years: the first known …
Jun 25 2019
The Japanese Connection
Where do urban fables come from? (Note: I’m calling this an “urban fable” because that’s how these mythical stories are called, even though they may not take place in the city.) That’s something that’s puzzled me for quite a while. And this one has to do with the Australians and the Japanese. While I was …