I didn't sleep that well.
This place was supposed to be the quietest in the world (underground, in the middle of the desert), and it was.
Only problem, in my room there was Tom, who didn't stop snoaring the whole night (really loud snoaring ...).
After breakfast, etc, I quickly go to take pictures of the nearby "space ship".
Just next to our hostel, there's the prop that what used in the movie "Pitch Black" (or it's sequel "Riddick" - not sure).
It's there disposed as if they didn't know what to do with it, it's weird ...
We then go next door in an Opal Mine Tour.
It starts with a movie explaining the history of the Opal industry in Australia and Coober Pedy.
After that we have a demonstration of how an opal is made shiny and soft, then go around the caves and get into the first underground house that was dug here.
A guide explains us a lot of things about the life here.
(don't why most of the pictures are blurry ... they seemed good ...)
After that, Luke takes us for a quick tour of the city.
Then we stop at a place where anyone can go to try to find opals.
We search in the debris but find nothing (except 2 girls that find some really small ones).
Apparently some people already have found big ones, like this 9 year old girl who found a stone worth 4000$, and a backpacker who found a stone worth 25000$ (!!!).
Unfortunately we were not that lucky ...
We quickly go to visit a church.
We then go back to the place we stayed at for sleeping and have lunch.
We're having quiche and salad.
After a while relaxing in the area, we get back in the bus and back on the road, direction the Red Centre.
(we quickly stop at the entrance/exit of the city to take a picture of the Coober Pedy "sign")
We do a few toilet stops on the way, nothing really interesting ...
The landscape is really beautiful, but the funny thing is the Red Centre, is mostly green ...
Luke tells us he has never seen that much vegetation in this area, it's very special (due to the massive rains they had these last months).
On the way we stop to pick up some wood for tonight, as we will camp, and it will be cold.
(I also see for the first time one of the famous "road trains")
Tonight we're staying at Marla, which is nothing more than a camping site, a petrol station, and a pub, in the middle of nowhere.
We have the choice to sleep in tents or in swags. Most people go for the swags.
A swag is a kind of mix between a sleeping bag and a tent. You sleep in a sleeping bag inside the swag.
It's really warm (warmer than a tent actually).
We then have dinner : stir chicken with pasta.
(while the others were preparing, I went with Kade in the pub to play pool)
After dinner we play cards for a while (shit head and poker), then go out to join people of another tour around the campfire (they're doing the same tour, but the other way round).
They're playing the game "Truth or Dare", we join them.
(if you choose "truth" you hace to answer a question, if you choose "dare" you have to accept a challenge)
We're having a lot of fun, and continue playing until 2:30am ... (it will be a very short night, as tomorow we have to wake up at 4:30am !)
The night is really cold (the swag is warm & comfy, but the head is cold, and it's quite humid).
The sky is amazing, we can see millions of stars !
(it's the most beautiful night sky I'v ever seen, it's fantastic !)
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