We checked into the Melanka Lodge which was more like a motel than a backpackers'. I ended up sharing with Karen, a South Effrican that Beth had met on Fraser Island. Not feeling too well I went for a walk into town in search of food totally forgetting that I was supposed to call on Oz and Beth. By the time I got back, still under the weather, they'd gone out. So I went to the pool and chatted to Karen for a while. I quickly decided that lying in the heat was not what I wanted to do so I packed the swimming kit and headed to the local municipal pool. Even in Alice Springs they've got an Olympic sized pool. I did my slow motion impersonation of Glen Houseman/Keiran Perkins and proved that the previous days front crawl mile was no fluke.
Feeling much better by this time I packed my camera and headed off to do the sights - the signpost and the Anzac Hill lookout and the dried up Todd River. I bumped into the two young lovers and arranged to meet them back at the hostel. I had a quick beer with Karen at the hostel bar and met a mad German who didn't climb "the rock" on principle and also a Dawn French look-alike who kept saying "I know".
Karen went to bed early in order to make an early start and Oz, Beth and I went to the Old Alice Inn for our tea. The Inn was possibly the most luxurious pub I've been in in Australia and the food was pretty good. Got back to discover that some bastard had nicked my Boro towel from the washing line. If I catch them they'll be sorry. There can't be too many Boro towels in the outback. I was so mad I didn't care about Karen's snoring.
2012
Years later Oz and Beth somehow got Karen to do a good luck message for my wedding. They also borrowed a Boro towel and presented it to me at the wedding to replace the one that was stolen in Alice Springs.
I recall that Karen was getting up early to do a balloon trip.
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