Well,  after a huge delay in updating this website,  i can now tell you that YES,  we finally managed to get Joseph & Nairesho over here...... after MUCH frustration and effort i might add.  Their initial  visa's were declined due to some errors in the application, so i went on and filled out and entirely new application  and finally got it through with just 2 weeks before their travel dates to depart.!!  Then,  one of their flights had been cancelled without us knowing, the stretch from China to Adelaide had been cancelled and we didnt find out until we were standing at the airport wondering where their plane was.  Have to admit Southern China were extremely good and had already put them on a flight to Sydney, then Adelaide,  arriving only 4 hours after their original flight schedule..... we applaude their efforts!!

So,  Joseph and Nairesho's  first weeks were spent exploring the local areas around our way,  interacting and meeting people at our gallery, talking at the local school  and learning about our traditional  Easter the way WE celebrate it,... with an easter egg hunt,  and (boiled) egg cracking competition.  One of Josephs most memorable moments was spent with David Gulpilil, the oringinal aboriginal actor from the movie Storm Boy.    David comes to our gallery quite often and was eager to meet Joseph and Nairesho,... but it was made even more special because they spent the morning filming part of Davids new biography movie he is making.... both the guys were really happy to chat with each other and hear of each others cultures.  The traditional  Australian  Aborigine culture comparing with traditional Maasai  from Kenya in East Africa. They enjoyed it so much, David and Mary came back again to share a few more stories.

Well, finally we hit the road on their 5 week road trip.  We travelled 550kms on the first day, and they were amazed at the distance we travelled. We worked out that all of Kenya will fit into just SOUTH Australia,  more than once, so yes,  Australia is a big place,... some thing that continues to amaze them even now.!!  

WE  visited the WOOMERA  ROCKET  RANGE  first,  then got to COOBER  PEDY  later that day.  We tried to structure the trip so they could experience things they would never see back home,.. or many other parts of the world.  So,  seeing mine shafts and underground houses and churches was a real eye opener.. as was seeing the the opal that was mined  and how it was done; not to mention the deserlate rocky terrain that goes on for miles.

Naturally you cant come to Australia and not visit ULURU and the surrounding areas. So five days in the area of Uluru and KINGS  CANYON,   Mc Donald  Ranges  and ALICE  SPRINGS,  gave them a good insight into the  sheer size and beauty of this great land.  Lots of walking was the order of the day and Nairesho learnt the value of good walking shoes and JEANS.  (Maasai girls and woman do not wear trousers,  so this is a very different thing for her,... but, she has taken a liking for it and totally understands the logic and comfort of wearing jeans,  especially after climbing some of these canyons,  and also, in the beginning,  sliding down the huge slippery dips at St. Kilda play ground)!!!!     Back to the story....   

From Alice Springs, in the middle of Australia,  we needed to cross the country to get to Nathans place over in Queensland,.... so a 3000kms trip took us up to Tennant Creek and Three ways, where we slept over night before the long stretch eastward  over many days and  nights toward the coast.  We  stopped at Mt. Isa,  the mining town, and Longreach, the Stockmans home  and also the home of the Qantas airplane.  Later we also learnt the joy of camping in FREE CAMPS along the road, where you can just camp on the side of the road under the stars and wake up to just nature around you.

On the way, we have had DINGOs come into camp,  seen Wedgetail Eagles, Camels, Echidna, Brolga, kangaroos, in fact, the first Kangaroos they saw were actually seen in front of our house on their first morning in Australia!!  They were also lucky enough to pat a little ;Joey"  in Coober Pedy who was rescued and needed to be bottled fed.  Last night, i introduced them to a beautiful GREEN  FROG  that took up residence at the ladies toilet block at the town of Saffire where we were free camping.  A little bit of FOSSIKING  was also tried, meaning they  looked and kicked around in the dirt for pieces of gem stones or Opal.

So far,  most of this trip has been inland, dry and desolate in parts, today we reached the east coast of Queensland and a town of ROCKHAMPTON,  where we picked up a few supplies and then sighted the ocean in all it's glory.   Actually it looked quite brown and choppy today, but the views are stunning.  I could hear the sound of 'aww wow' as we passed the palmed lined beaches and the small islands we can see as we pass,... but the biggest amazement came later in the evening,  when it was pointed out that where they had seen a group of people walking  a couple of  hours earlier,  that same place was now totally under water!!! Yes,  the TIDE had come in and the place changed immensly,  as it will again, tomorrow morning and again tomorrow night.

There have been so many magical moments along the way, but for tomorrow, we get to explore the first of the coast lines that Queensland has to offer.  Joseph is still amazed that we still have another 1000 kms to go before we reach Nathans place down near Brisbane.  Yep... Australia is a HUGE country,  with it's HUGE  4 trailer ROAD  TRAINS,   the   L O N G  coal  trains  and the sheer scale of our great land,.  But the tour is not over yet guys...

There  is still a lot more to come.!!!