We had to catch the complimentary shuttle bus from our hostel to the station at about 10.45. We checked in our bags and then had about an hours wait till we could board the Ghan (pronounce Ghan, as in Afghan)! There was a little merchandise shop, so I bought a couple of Ghan pens. Before we boarded there was a little introduction from the staff, who all had uniforms, which included the typical Australian hat! When we got into our carriage, (Red Seater) we found our seats and they were massive! They were really wide and comfy and had so much space inbetween you and the seat in front, I was able to stretch my legs out the whole way and still not be touching the one in front, they also reclined quite a way, so you were able to get properly comfy and get some sleep! The train departed at 12.20pm and arrived in Alice Springs at 1.45pm the next day, so over 24 hours on the Ghan! We bought some supper on the train, as we didn't have anything with us and it was only $6 for a meal, so wasn't too bad. The train had stopped for 15 minutes earlier in the day at Port Augusta and we were able to get off and buy some chocolate etc! We spoke to this guy called Tom from Holland, who we bumped into again at dinner. We then just chatted with him and a French girl and German guy for the evening. I didn't get that much sleep for some reason I wasn't that tired, and had managed to sleep better in the day than at night! When morning came I woke up to see sunrise, but it wasn't that spectacular as there were clouds. As we were now official in 'the Outback' I was expecting to wake up to red soil and sand and hardly any vegetation, however due to the highest rainfall Australia has seen in 50 years, the outback was pretty 'green'. Lots of short grasses and shrubs, but you could still see the deep red soil, which literally glows in the sunshine. We had breakfast and then just sat reading, and looking out at the beautiful landscape. Late morning we crossed the border from South Australia into Northern Territory, I unfortunately missed getting a photo of the sign! We also went by a statue, the Iron Man, to the 1 millionth concrete sleeper.. Someone had too much time counting them all! We crossed over a 'river' which was a mere trickle, the Finke river. About an hour an a half before we were due into Alice Springs, I saw planes taking off and was confused that we were almost there, when we were informed that we would have a 60 minute stop before finally getting into Alice Springs, as the Ghan from the other direction needed to be able to pass us, as the track for most of the way is single. We finally got into Alice Springs on time and the sun was out and it was warm. Tom and Marlene from the train came to stay at our hostel with us which was only 5 minutes from the station which was good, and we were all in the same room. We all wanted to go out to see Uluru, and they suggested we rent a car ourselves as it was at least $150 cheaper than paying for a tour, so Arthur and I agreed, and we went looking for the best deal, before going to the Reptile Centre. Here we held a python called Kayla, who was 3kg, they can weigh up to 30! And their mouth opens to double the circumference of their body. We also got to see all the lovely poisonous snakes, who were all really quite small, so that was nice, I'd be able to spot them as I was happily walking along. Not. There were also lots of lizards and other desert creatures about. We went food shopping for the next 3 days and then got pizzas for dinner, and then played cards back at the hostel. I didn't go to bed too late as we had an early start the next day!