Ghan Again

 Monday  1/3/21

Today is our last day in Alice Springs and it will be back on the Ghan this afternoon at 6ish.

 

We have a late check out of 1pm and given my limited mobility, we have limited options for bus trips and excursions and stuff we can do.

So we decide to have lunch in Alice springs at the Base Café owned by the son of friends.  Great quirky café with awful pavers leading to and from (I now notice such things). However great food and great to catch up.

 

With nothing better to do, we think it will be a good idea to get to the Ghan station, hours before we need to. We can at least sit and wait in the air conditioning. We had fond memories of champagne, music and good times at the last Ghan station in Adelaide.

Boarding was due to commence about 4.30pm but we arrived about 2. Would have been OK except that the passengers arriving from Adelaide were still being processed by Northern Territory border police and COVID (global pandemic) marshals etc. Whilst this was happening we had to stay outside the station.  In the 35+ degree conditions. But there was a seat and some shade so only felt like 35 degrees.

 

Alice Springs is hot as in temperature, an odd dry heat that some people find more comfortable than humid heat.   Interestingly we are told Alice is  currently in the middle of very mild weather for Alice and the temperature is usually 40+ this time of year and they are expecting to have these more normal temperatures next week.

Good timing for us. Especially today as we sit outside the train station.

Eventually (30 min later) we are allowed inside while the border people pack up their stuff which takes forever.

We are slightly disappointed to only be offered fizzy (non-alcoholic) drinks instead of the champagne (fizzy alcoholic)  we were expecting.

Eventually (hours later)  some other people started to arrive and everyone was looking around for champagne but no luck. 

Due to my boot, I requested a train carriage closer to the dining and lounge cars so I would not have to walk as far. This was not easy apparently and there was some confusion about the order of the carriages and which were closer to the dining cars. Eventually a lovely lady called Kayla (customer experience manager for our allotted carriage) assured us she would move us closer and did so to the 1st cabin on the first carriage next to the lounge and dining carriages. It was the closest cabin.  Perfect!  The service on the Ghan has been fantastic as in friendly, helpful and efficient.

While we waited to board, a guy turned up with a guitar and set up to play. Great we thought, some entertainment. Maybe to be followed by champagne? (no)

Strangely, he was setting up on the platform outside the building in which we were waiting in the air conditioning.  There was no one outside because it was hot but he set up and started singing to the train. Must be odd to sing to no one with your back to the people in the station who couldn’t hear you. He was actually good as you could just hear snippets floating in when the doors were opened.

 

there were tables and chairs set up outside but no one sitting there as it was too @#$% hot

 

Eventually we boarded and were very happy with our carriage. It was time for a drink in the lounge and then dinner which we were happy to share with fellow travelers from Uluru and Alice who we were seeing again on the Ghan. It has been nice to see familiar faces on different tours and accommodations.

 This was the dinner menu and us having dinner in the Queen Adelaide dining car. It is beautiful. 

Thank you to Karen and Jock who took this photo and kept us company.

 

The end of a very tiring, hot day. Tomorrow we stop at Katherine if the river has not flooded. And another bus trip. Oh no!!