On the plane

In the Air!

Here we are in the air, about 1 1/2 hours into the flight, We are heading for Cameron's Corner which is where the NSW, Queensland and South Australia borders meet. No I didn't see Narrabri from the air as we are passing far too far south for that.

There are over 100 video channels and as many audio channels on the in-seat entertainment system. While most people have got their headsets on and have entered the hypnotic state of long-distance travel and television viewing, I found nothing interesting to watch, but the flight information screen is fascinating. It looks like we will pass right over the "corner" at an altitude of 10 km and speed of about 900 km/h. The outside temperature is about -50 deg. C which is amazingly cold, especially when you realise that the ground temperature here is probably about 30 deg.

I'm sitting at a window seat watching the geography of this great Continent slowly change as we head north west. It's fascinating looking at how it gradually unfolds, getting redder and drier as we go. From time to time we pass over areas that almost look like immense lakes, dotted with red islands. In fact it's black soil laid down by floods of long ago- there is no sign of anything that really resembles water,

OK so I'm a newbie of international travel, and I'm not sophisticated or experienced enough to be bored by it all yet.

At Sydney Airport, I was hoping to get onto the Internet at one of the several free internet computers there. I noticed that they run ubuntu linux and opera as the web browser-- great choice. Unfortunately the only ones that were not in use didn't work (D'oh!). Michael connected to the Telstra Hot- spot service through his wireless card and we were able to upload my blog entry and his emails that way. Next time (if there is a next time!), I will make sure that any computer I take has a working wireless card... I have the dreaded Netgear wireless card and we weren't able to get it going under linux in time for me to bring it on this trip.

Another oddity is that on random occasions the laptop just stops in the middle of booting. It only happens maybe one time in ten and always at the same place... resetting it allows it to boot up normally.

It appears that have now left NSW and are cutting across the north-eastern corner of South Australia. The landscape is quite barren- even the black soil looks bare. Instead of the regular grids of paddock and roads with frequent patches of bushland and rivers and creeks of Central NSW we are now into the sparsely settled parts of central Australia- really the outback.

We will pass south of Alice Springs, so I don't imagine there will be much to see other than desert until we get to the WA coast . Then it will be sea, oceans and blue until we land in Singapore in about 6 hours time. (About 5.15 pm NSW time, 3.15 local time)

I am really surprised at how calm I am... I'm not worried about anything, which is the exact opposite of the way I often am in strange situations. This really must be the grace of God. I slept really well in the Airport Motel last night, only waking a couple of times. Often in strange or stressful situations I get really upset in the stomach but I feel really good. The only minor problem I have is that I get an occasional soreness at the back of my mouth that I think might be caused by the Vibramycin that I started taking yesterday for malaria prevention. But that is really just an inconvenience. The alternative (catching malaria) would be much worse!

Thank you to everyone who is praying for us, We can really feel the spiritual power that is sustaining us. I would ask that if you get a prompting to pray for us any time while we are away, please obey that prompting. It may be that God is asking you to pray as we approach difficult situations.

I miss everyone already and I am looking forward to getting home again! And that's before I've even arrives at the destination!

I don't know when I will be able to post this but I will do as soon as soon as I can.

Blessings

Keith