Manu switched on the wall light at the head of his bed and the lights in Las Vegas dimmed for a second. I shielded my eyes and lunged for the sunblock. ‘What is that, a 1000 watt bulb?’
Despite near-permanent retina damage we hit the road. The unknown smell of wet camel deterred us from a 90min ride available at Stuarts Well Camel Farm. Just before Alice Springs the odometer clocked 3000 kms – and we haven’t even reached the first venue yet.
The ‘Retreat’ needed safe lodgings for the night. We can’t bump in to the Finke Race site till tomorrow. Ben parks the truck out front of Outback Vehicle Recovery. The owner is on 24hr call to do exactly his company’s description and providing a major incident doesn’t call him away he’ll keep an eye her while the three of us perform a much needed reconnaissance on the closest pub to our motel. Bojangles Hotel’s walls, side tables and ceiling are covered in almost everything used by humans in the last 150 years. In between these items animal skulls stare with dusty eye-sockets. A rack of water buffalo horns, a huge stuffed wedge-tailed eagle in full wingspan and a spear with a telescopic sight – too much to recall on one visit. Only on the way out I notice the well-worn horse saddle window seats.
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