Alice Springs to Sydney

I hooked up with Tibo and his girlfriend who were on the Mulga Adventure trip with me. We established yesterday that we'd be catching the same plane.

Tibo's girlfriend was stopped for a routine check in the airport and tested positive for explosives! Armed security was called, there was lots of waiting around, answering questions, examining documents, etc. The theory is the dust from camping had lead to a false positive. I just hope this won't come back to bite me on the remaining legs of my journey!

Airport to my hostel on George Street? A doddle. A little bus took me door to door.

Whenever I walk through the doors of a new hostel or hotel, I go through the same set of questions in my mind. How friendly are the staff? How clean is the place? Are there any patronising signs (you'd be surprised)? What do the other guests look like? Answers to these questions turn into emotions and set my mood and expectations.

790 on George Backpackers hardly turned me on. No one seemed friendly, staff or residents. Kevin, my French roommate, is the only element of normality, but he seems very independent, declining my offer to go out for food in preference to cooking some pasta in the hostel's kitchen.

Where are Phillippe or Jairo or Maryn or Charlie or May or any of the other lovely people I've met when you need them?

Kevin and I are sharing our room with with the rudest person in the world. He didn't offer his name so I'll refer to him as the fat Indian guy. He didn't respond to my hello, then snapped WHAT? when asked if he'd been here long. I'll avoid the fat Indian guy at all costs.

I found a nice food court in the China Town area then strolled around George Street before heading back.

I don't feel good. Will things improve?