Uluru/Sydney, November 7: Transition Day

Upset about the election results, at 2:30 am I gave up on sleep. I thought a look at the stars might help calm my brain. Remind me there is more to life than US politics. 

It was back to 75 degrees, which after 100 degrees at the heat of the day feels wonderful! I tried to get comfortable in the parking lot (no one was out driving at that time of day), and eventually gave up and went back to the room. Don woke up when I got back and said he wanted to look, too. With him, I was braver about walking farther away.

We saw a giant bunny, and some stars, though not nearly as much as I would have expected from being in the middle of nowhere. I was thinking we'd see as many stars as I saw on my first trip to Cuba when my jaw literally dropped in shock. I did not have a similar experience on this year's trip.

Cell phone cameras are pretty amazing, but nothing can capture the vastness of the sky.

By 5 am we tried again to get some sleep. Checkout was 10 am. The bus to the airport a few minutes later.

My heart is broken for our nation. For the world. I lost faith in humanity. I'm writing this a month later, and the faith is still lost. We are in for a rough four years. More will be undone. I don't know what I can do about it. As I looked at the stars I pondered what if I just did not get back on the plane in two weeks? Would I have packed differently if I had given any serious thought to returning? Is the pain I am feeling worth the hope I felt for about 100 days? How will all of this play out? 

Late night thoughts that continue to haunt me.

We made it to the airport. It is so small (how small is it?), it is so small Ella, the person who checked us in, is also in charge of boarding. We had this happen in Sydney as we boarded our Delta flight home, but that's because Delta only has one flight a day from Sydney. Seeing this in action explains why they tell you check in closes an hour before the flight. The charming tarmac landing we had a few days ago looked insurmountable with his swollen leg. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he is not the first person to have this problem so they offered a solution: take the lift. I climbed the stairs. We were the first to board, which gave us time to put the carry-ons, including his crutch, up high. The plane was mostly full, but they gave us a row to ourselves. 

Back in Sydney we checked into our hotel room, a space barely larger than our bed with a shower so small I didn't even use it. After we came home I counted we stayed in nine different places over 20 days. I do not recommend it. We were in a couple of places for three nights, and even more for only one. I never once felt settled enough to unpack. Some places I did not feel settled enough to take a shower. This was one of those places. The bathroom did have soap bars in it, which was a mini win.

We took a tram to Circular Quay because I wanted to take a picture of the jacaranda trees in bloom with the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background, the kind that is seen on travel websites. We took the elevator next to Gigi's Café and walked towards The Rocks. The trees were past peak, but with enough purple to make it worth the jaunt.

This was a scheduled errand night. We went to a mall with a Cole's (grocery store), Target, K-Mart, Aldi's, and a LEGO store. Plenty to keep us entertained! Don bought some notebooks for 20 cents AUD each (14 cents US) that he liked on last year's trip. He enjoyed visiting a bonus LEGO store (one I went to last year, so no need for another stamp).

Hi, Ashley!

We found a Colombian burger place called Bucara and had a cheap dinner before heading back to the hotel. Definitely moving slower with the crutch.