It's HOT.

Yesterday we went on a one-day trip to Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) and walked around the formations in the blazing hot sun. The shade was so welcome. Thank goodness for the SPF 60 The Boy's mom gave us for Christmas in our stockings. After our stupid burns (Surfer's Paradise and the surprising burn on Fox Glacier), we actually finally evaded sunburns and skin damage. YAY us! but for real, it was hot. 41 degrees hot. Crazy, burning, hot. So hot they had to close the Ayers Rock climb because the rock gets so boiling hot that it cooks the climbers from the insides. Hot.

Small world -- The Boy pointed out two men on our trip with Lululemon shirts on. I said, "ooh. they must be Canadian." Turns out, not only are they Canadian, but one of them is the father-in-law of Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon. His daughter was Lulu's second employee, so they all live Lululemon. Like me! Teeny tiny world!

Ayers Rock and the Olgas themselves are stunning massive rocks in the middle of the desert. Many people have said that they're awe-inspiring, and many have said they're overrated. I say: "Wow. Bigger than I thought. Cool."

We're in Melbourne now, and there is an unexpectedly large population of asians in this area. they all speak mandarin. My friend JD lives here and instructed us to go get "dodgy dumplings" from this place in an alley that has had a few health code violations but serves fantastic cheap dumplings. We went and (a) feel fine, and (b) have leftovers. it was GREAT.

Our hotel, however, is not. Seriously, Aussies just throw that word around too liberally. "Hotel" Discovery is actually a hostel. And $85/night may get you a "private double" room, but it does not get you "privacy". We've been paying $40-$50 per night for private doubles, some with ensuites. At Hotel Discovery, you get a drywalled partition. Your private double will be in between dorm rooms and people speaking at regular tones will be heard perfectly through the walls. And your bathroom facilities will be a full 200 m away. Honest. In North America, "Hotels" are at a certain standard, "Motels" is below that, usually one or two stories with ample parking, and "Hostels" is below that, offering dorm share, right? The motels we've stayed at in Australia have been the nicest places so far.