After an astonishing sunset and a very early sunrise at the Uluru Sara and Sofia had walked with their group around the Kata Tjuta, or Olgas.
"The valley of the wind had not really wind." Sofia complained when they were gathering around the camp fire later in the evening. A thing nobody did because it wasn't cold, it was still warm, but it was nice to sit by the fire.
"No. Did you count the mountains? There are supposed to be thirty-six."
"No, I believe you when you tell me there are so many. I'm glad we didn't climb them all."
"You'll love Heart Attack Hill tomorrow." Dan grinned. He was sitting next to Sara.
"Do we have to climb a hill with this name?"
"Yes, it will bring us on top of the canyon."
"How long is the walk tomorrow?"
"About four hours. We'll be there at half six so that we'll be back by eleven. The track gets closed quite often around that time because it's too dangerous to climb it. We'll take all the time in the world for Heart Attack Hill, there's no need to rush. As soon as we're on top, we won't have to climb again; only if you want to go swimming in the Garden Of Eden."
"Garden Of Eden sounds nice." Sara said.
"As swim sounds good after a climb. How high is the hill?"
"Well the walls of the canyon are over three hundred meter high."
"Sara?" Sofia sighed.
"Come on, you can do it, Sofia. One meter is one yard and three inches approximately."
"Over three hundred."
"Around three hundred thirty."
"Is it a wall or are there steps?"
"Steps."
"I hate steps. My knees will kill me."
"There is the chance to walk next to the path, you don't have to take all steps."
"That's better. I'll have sore muscles after this trip, I know it."
"The rest of the trip is sitting in the trailer and drive."
"Yes all the way from Adelaide to Sydney via Broken Hill."
"Where will you have stops?"
"We'll go from Adelaide straight to Broken Hill for two nights and from there to Dubbo, having a night there and go back to Sydney. If we can manage we'd like to get up the coast for a day, there's a koala hospital in Port Mac…"
"A koala hospital?" That was the first thing Sofia heard. Sara had never mentioned this hospital to her.
"We're so gonna go up to…Port Whatever…wait…Port Macquarie…is that the port of the lady who's chair we saw in Sydney?"
"It's named after her husband."
"Of course, the woman gets a small stone and the man a whole town. Bastards."
"The old times, Sofia." Dan laughed.
"They wouldn't do it otherwise today. But Sara, we'll go there! I want to see koalas and I want to touch them, or at least be very close to them. We can skip anything else but not the koalas. Can't we go from Dubbo straight to Port Macquarie?"
"Dan?"
"Good question. It's a six hundred kilometer ride…don't ask me how many miles that are, Sofia."
"370, we had the same distance from Port Fairy to Adelaide. We can do that. Sara?" Sofia's eyes pleaded for an affirmation of her friend.
"We'll go there, yes. And even if that means we'll have no more time in Sydney, you'll see your koalas."
"I love you." Sofia hugged Sara.
"Some women are easy to please." She grinned.
"You won't say that when you're on the road." Dan smiled. "It's a long trip. Especially after the trip from Broken Hill to Dubbo, that's even longer. You'll be two days only on the road."
"We'll have plenty of water, have some breaks for a short run."
"It will be hard, but we can sleep on the plane."
"Yeah, sixteen hours." Sofia rolled her eyes. What an awful thought. But she would see her beloved koalas.
"Dan, where can we see kangaroos?"
"There might be a few on the road when we go to the Kings Canyon. They're active in the evening, night and early morning. Keep an eye open for them."
"An open eye at five in the morning? I need toothpicks." Sofia buried her face in Sara's hair. She was happy if she could get out of her bed – or swag – at five, keeping her eyes open sounded impossible.
They survived Heart Attack Hill and the rest of the canyon walk. Tired, dirty and sweaty Sara and Sofia had taken a nap in the bus when they were on their way back to Alice Springs. Like most of their group members they woke up when they had a stop at a traffic sign that showed a camel and when they had a stop at a camel farm. Feeling like a little adventure they took a camel ride inclusive a canter. After that Sara knew why these animals were called ship of the desert, she was sea sick.
Back in Alice Springs they went to their room, had a shower and were after another short nap back with their group. This evening was the goodbye party. Most of the group would leave tomorrow like Sara and Sofia did. Tonight they got a discount on their dinner and some free beer from their tour company in a pub across the street from their motel.
"I liked these three days. We should do that again." Sofia got rigid. "Sara, there's a snake!"
"Don't worry it's a cuddle snake."
"A what?"
"A boa, all she wants is to cuddle you." Sara grinned. A man was with his snake in the pub. He wanted to show them some Australian native animals and snakes were very Australian. Sara was glad he didn't bring a Brown Snake or a Taipan.
"Would you like to have a photo with you and the snake?" Sara offered.
"Are you kidding me? Over my dead body! That's a snake, Sara, not a koala. You bring me a koala and I'll hug that one but not a snake."
"They feel great."
"They are snakes."
"Pansy." Sara got up. She would pet the snake. When she came to the man he put the snake around her neck. Sofia got almost a heart attack, seeing her friend with a snake around her neck, obviously happy and the snake starting to roll it's tail around Sara's leg. It was ready to kill her friend! It took Sofia all her willpower not to run at Sara and free her. Instead she took some photos, nobody would believe her when she told them in Vegas, Sara was playing with a snake. A crazy woman.
"It feels really good." Sara came back smiling.
"There are other things that feel really good."
"A dragon?" Sharon, who sat opposite of them had a dragon on her arm.
"Uhm…"
"I take it." Sara held her arm out and Sharon put the dragon on it.
"Hello gorgeous." Sara petted the animal softly with her index finger. "You know what kind it is exactly?"
"Central Bearded Dragon, they're very popular as pets because they're so friendly. No need to be scared, Sofia."
"I don't trust strange things."
"It's not a thing it's an animal. I didn't know you're that scared, officer."
"Officer?" Sofia's eyes narrowed. "Give me that bloody dragon! I'll be a knight and fight it."
"You hurt this cutie you'll be in trouble with me." Sara handed her the dragon.
Sofia swallowed first before she realized that the dragon wasn't slimy or wet. It was dry and warm, sat still on her arm and didn't seem to bother to be handed around.
"Smile." Sara took a photo of Sofia with the dragon.
"Maybe it doesn't feel too bad…whoa…!" The dragon started to walk. Sofia had to stop the urge to shake her arm when the dragon climbed up her arm and stopped on her shoulder, obviously happy with it's new place and all the things it could see. After a few seconds it closed it's eyes.
"Somebody is sleeping on your shoulder. That's cute." Sara grinned and got her camera. "Close your eyes and I'll take a sleep photo."
"At least you enjoy that a wild animal took over me."
"Don't be so whiny…oh come on, close your eyes"
"I've closed my eyes."
"Not you, the little dragon. As soon as the flash light comes up it opens it's eyes. Without the flash I can't take a photo. Damn."
"Oh well we'll wait for you and the camera. I don't think the little dragon will run away."
"There's somebody who likes you." Sara smiled.
"You."
"Besides me."
"Luigi?"
"I don't know what the name of this little fellow is."
"I need a man who likes me. American, would be nice if he's from Vegas, that makes the relationship easier."
"In that case you should spend your holidays in Vegas and not in Australia." Sharon laughed.
"I do spend a lot of time in Vegas, which doesn't mean I find a decent man. Somehow it seems to be impossible to find a man who wants a relationship that will last longer than a weekend."
"You look at the wrong places."
"Before I start looking in the internet or newspaper to find a boyfriend I'll stay single. I'm not that desperate."
"Good to know. And for the moment you're engaged with a really good looking…whatever it is."
"Soft and smooth. A little bit like me." Sofia grinned.