Monday 23th May, Echuca - Nathalia The day started out with an underlying tone of hostility after a chaotic night where a number of crew members were abruptly woken up when stood on by another crew member. Now, I am not the heaviest sleeper in the world, and usually if I get a hasty wake up in the middle of the night, it takes me ages to get back to sleep... needless to say; I was one of the crew members fuming in the morning because of my disturbed rest. However, this hostile mood was rapidly transformed into an exciting positive vibe as we joined the community breakfast at the church! We rocked up expecting cereal, toast, maybe some fruit. However we were shocked to find a kitchen full of volunteers cooking eggs, beans and bacon (although meat is not technically part of our Otesha food mandate!). So after a delicious breakfast and some interesting breakfast friends, we set out on our way to Nathalia, approx 60km.   Something I have noticed on this ride is the amount of road kill that creeps up on us and attacks our nostrils. Today I was pretty shocked to see a dead kangaroo on the side of the road. But it wasn't the dead roo that I found disturbing, it was the fact that I could clearly see its heart sitting in the middle of the fringe that I was riding on. And at this point I was even more disturbed at myself because I had to fight a strong urge to get of my bike and closely inspect this organ, and maybe poke it with a stick. Only later when I was thinking about it I decided it wasn't that weird to want to take a closer look because, in my whole life, I have never actually seen a real heart. Although, I'm not so sure that it is a particularly common occurrence.   The morning's ride was beautiful. Since we have begun our tour, I am developing an increasing appreciation for Australian landscapes. We stopped for lunch in Barmah and talked to some of the babe locals who were pretty impressed to see a group of girls (and 2 guys) riding to Canberra. Our spirits were soaring from the morning ride. The sky was clear and the sun was shining on our helmets when we continued on our journey after lunch.   All of a sudden, the sunshine was no more and big grey clouds loomed over us, but we continued to ride on, not really believing that it would rain, despite the obvious signs including the chilling wind and the lack of sunshine. So guess what happened next? Yep, it started to rain. Not just a drizzling rains either. Big, fat, heavy, wet, blinding raindrops plummeted from the heavens above. But we were so happy and on such an endorphin rush from riding all we could do was scream with pleasure and laugh. One cannot adequately describe the sheer ecstasy felt when riding a bike, especially when you are suddenly caught in a beautiful unexpected downpour! And, as suddenly as the rain appeared, it was gone. Leaving one of the biggest, brightest, most brilliant rainbows I have ever witnessed. Nothing could make this day any less than perfect.   Maybe except someone falling off their bike and injuring themselves... So guess what happened next? Yep Inca fell off her bike! I heard a small scream from behind me, and turned to see her sprawled on the road with her bike on top of her. Luckily Rahkel (aka Hercules) was riding behind her so she quickly lifted up Inca's bike with one finger. By then Nys dogg and myself had sprinted back to help out. I was pretty proud about how well we all reacted; our first aid training had obviously been worth it after all. We quickly got her off the road, and when she wanted to lay down on the grass at the side of the road we promptly sat her up making sure she didn't slip into concussion! Luckily Vanessa the first aid queen was next to arrive and made sure we were looking after poor little confused and pained Inca (who actually seemed to be in a pretty good mood giggling every time she opened her mouth and instructing people to take video footage of the situation.) Although she seemed to be in a happy shock, we hailed a car and Alex got her a lift with her to the hospital in Nathalia (although the woman was a little apprehensive, apparently she had partied in Melbourne on the weekend and was about 10 minutes away from home until she got hailed by a bunch of fluorescent cyclists).   The problem was that there was no room for a bike in the car. So suddenly we had 11 bikes and only 9 riders. This dilemma lasted about 3 seconds. I remember it like this: Someone said something like "oh dear, what are we going to do?" A thoughtful silence fell over the group. People exchanged looks of dismay and confusion. All at once, the group looked down the road to see a coach driving around the bend. No one needed to utter a word to another, we all knew this was the vehicle that would rescue the bikes! And sure enough, the bus was hailed, three bikes and one cyclist were loaded on, and the rest is history!   The left over crew made their way to Nathalia and organized their sleeping arrangements in St Mary of the Angel's school gym where we would sleep that night.   Em xx Tuesday 24th May, Nathalia We all woke up exhausted, but no one quite as exhausted as Inca, who was a little drugged up and also in a fair bit of pain. However we proceeded to get ready and make our way to the classroom where we would perform. In our exhausted state, our play was performed in an interesting order, but the kids were none the wiser!   During lunch, we decided that we would later watch a movie, and so I took off to the school library to search through their selection of movies. I was not really expecting a huge range of movies, and was still fairly disappointed to bring back a selection of four movies:  Shrek, Edward Scissor Hands, A Mid Summer Nights Dream and Looking for Alibrandi (I was secretly hoping for this one). The librarian first gave me a strange look at the fact we were considering to watch various school texts. However she soon looked past it because she invited us back to her family's dairy farm. Our first Otesha farm excursion! We were able to see local cows get milked, cute baby cows and the impressive new water pump which made a great reduction to the farms water usage. Thank you government water pay back scheme! The highlight was definitely having a chat over a cuppa with the family and sampling the delicious unpasteurized milk. Thank you Nathalia! Em Wednesday 25th May. Nathalia to Cobram Alex here! The day started out quite slowly; packing up our things and one last photo opportunity with the students of St Mary of the Angels (who were a lovely bunch of kids). The school also had a great feel about it with beautiful mural mosaics and teachers with beaming smiles.  All ten of us left the school  for a 45k ride a little disorganized but in good spirits. Bar beautiful Inca who was nursing her elbow injury and waiting for a lift in to Cobram later in the day - N.B. Inca would like me to include a concise description of her day and her adjective of choice was 'boring'. While I was revved for a big physical day of riding (trailer in tow!) before we'd even left town I discovered that my front tire was deflating due to a faulty valve. I usually enjoy practicing bike mechanical skills now but had been so excited to get going that it was just downright frustrating. Nyssa also had a flat. Fortunately we found ourselves right outside a bike shop and able to replace tubes. A little while later and we were off. It was a clear sunny day and a tail wind coasted us a long as we soared out of town at 27km an hour! However, only 4kms out (if that!) and disaster struck. A loose strap had slipped out from the top of the trailer, wedged its way into the tire and actually torn apart the base axel...bolts had fallen off due to the pressure leaving a whole component unsecure. Vanessa and Josh valiantly went back into town to try find some replacement parts (cheers guys!) while Michael and I sat about the side of the road on a fallen tree trunk observing all the ants about us, snacking away and having a good ol yarn. Upon their return we spent a while figuring out how to attach all the bits and pieces and inspecting everything. It was not until past 1pm that we finally were back on track and heading towards Cobram. I had been excited for a more challenging ride but the day proved slow and tedious. One right turn and our tail wind had transformed into a strong head-wind. Thanks to Vanessa in front and Michael at my side, a lot of this wind was blocked. Josh was backing up the rear and I felt like a queen being escorted a long! It was a long, dull road with no turns no hills...absolutely nothing to break the monotony. Our lunch stop, despite the lack of colour in our food (a rarity for Otesha meals), was great!  As we easily fell into some great conversations we also easily lost track of time. As we set off again, the sun was slipping away. The last 9kms of our journey was accompanied by the most beautiful sunset! We raced along energized by the firework display of colours in the sky but also aware that we didn't want to be riding in the night, nor did we want to be setting up all our tents in the dark. So far on this journey we have not had to rough it. We have found accommodation and much hospitality from church groups, neighborhood houses and schools willing to accommodate us. However, despite the cold, camping upon our arrival in Cobram was so much fun! Everyone felt immediately relaxed about the fireplace, enjoying yum African cuisine cooked by the talented Nyssa, good company and a dazzling starry sky. This is a surprisingly long blog entry for what was an overall very dull, drawn-out day of riding. However, good conversations and camping with the Otesha crew more than made up for it! Thanks to those who collected food donations, or got the fire started and the food going, also to Rahkel for going and collecting water for everyone.   Thursday, May 26th ,  Barooga/Cobram  Waking to the sounds of birds and bright sunshine we rose ready for our two Cobram performances. First up was Barooga Public School, a small primary school over the river on the NSW side. This is definitely the kind of school that you would wish that you had have gone to as a child. We were greeted by friendly teachers, wide open play spaces, an amazing veggie garden and a very impressive kitchen, set up under the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen School Garden project. We performed under the morning sun in the natural amphitheatre to the whole school. What a fun performance it was! The kids enthusiastically wrote and/or drew environmental pledges on their paper cut out hands for us to deliver to Canberra. The prep kids were especially cute pledging to pack up their toys and turn off appliances at the power point. We all enjoyed hanging out and chatting with some of the older kids after the performance and finding out about their lives in Barooga and what issues are important to them. Afterwards we joined the teachers in the warm staff room for a cuppa and early lunch and waited the arrival of Elise from the local newspaper. The interview, held in the warm staff room was a truly collaborative effort with everyone piping up to answer Elise's questions. We finished up with Elise taking a photo of us in front of the veggie patch and then we were off to our next school and performance. Christ the King secondary school turned out to be much closer than expected so there was time for a cuppa in the staff room before our performance to the year 7 and 8s. Sometimes our afternoon performances can be a little flat and our audience tired but the students were our best audience yet and we had a blast performing for them. They laughed and interacted and had a million questions for us at the end. We stayed back until the end of school talking in small groups and took them out to see our bikes loaded up with all our worldly goods. As the afternoon sun began to fade and with the school day almost at an end the kids decided to use their bodies to spell out OTESHA, like we do in the play with VEGIE. It looked great and we took some photos to remember the moment. We fare welled the kids and thanked Shay who had been so lovely looking after us at the school, and headed back to our camp site for our second night of camping. The weather had held up and Kate had arranged to pick up some wood cut up on the side of the road for our camp fire and seating. We enjoyed a delicious minestrone soup made by the awesome cooking team of Alison, Alex and Rahkel. We traded stories around the fire latish in to the night and then headed to bed after deciding on riding groups for the next day and starting times. All up it was a brilliant day!! Vanessa Friday, May 27th Barooga-Mulwala We left the Barooga campsite and travelled out to our next destination at different times with some people wanting to sleep in and others wanting to arrive early at the Mulwala Football Club to make contact for the night's accommodation. We had a beautiful ride and took some photos of the bird life and the wetlands we saw around flooded dams. There were some gently rolling hills which were fun and thankfully few and far between and not too steep. We took the riding slowly and enjoyed the scenery. Arriving in Mulwala we found the lake artificially flooded was a uniquely beautiful if haunted sight. We took some time and went down to the lake and enjoyed the view before heading to a local op shop which we virtually took over for an hour while we concocted costumes for Nyssa's birthday party the next night. Then we went to source food donations and found the local businesses were very generous. Yarrawonga bakery and the Crusty Loaf provided us with bread, pies and donuts. This lead to something of a feast that night which was extended by the generous local IGA which gave us a trolley full of food and Allison and I looked like we belonged on the streets of Bangkok coming back from Yarrawonga to Mulwala across the narrow bridge with a massive stack of boxes on the back of my bike. I was very pleased to make it over the bridge and back to the football club. We were also provided with fruit and vegetables by the Fruity Fresh grocery store and Food works donated food as well. I don't know what Rod from the club thought of us when we came in with a massive supply of food. I think he must have thought that we live very well on tour but rest assured Rod that was an exceptional haul and doesn't occur very often.                                                                                                                                              Saturday, May 28th Mulwala-Yarrawonga This day marked the first day our mid tour retreat! Rod, our charming host and keen cycling enthusiast, had us settled into our accommodation at the Mulwala Football Club's netball change room the night before. Thank you Rod! Just days before we were without any accommodation for our retreat. Vanessa opened the retreat with an invigorating group yoga session which got our blood pumping and our muscles relaxed for a day of reflecting and sharing. During our day of activities we were able to reflect on our experiences of the Otesha journey by looking at our expectations and fears from training week. For most of us our Otesha experience has revealed an inner strength and resilience that surpassed expectations as we developed as a group, as cyclists and as performers!    Over some beers we shared humorous life experiences in the game 'Crossing the line' facilitated by Liz and myself. And before we knew it, it was PARTY TIME!!!!!! That's right; it was time to celebrate my 24th birthday in style, at probably the best fancy dress costume dance party extravaganza Mulwala's netball change rooms had ever seen! Costumes sourced at the local Mulwala Op shop along with our own personal items and some creative flair ensured that every member was looking phenomenal at the event. Inca and Emily embodied sexy in their 80's and 90's inspired mini dresses. Michael embodied creepy gangster in his parachute twinset trackies and gold chains. Josh took an untraditional interpretation on Scottish attire by teaming his kilt with a Hawaiian shirt, thigh high suspenders and eyeliner! Rahkel had on an overall ensemble that made her look like a spice girl in the 90's. Liz power dressed and painted a realistic image of what Julia Gillard may look like with dreadlocks. Alison was a crazy Mrs. Doubtfire grandmother with stiletto heels. Kate made a convincing Britney Spears (old school pre-head shave). Vanessa was a gypsy dancer. I was an 80's explosion of purple and sparkles. Alex was a sex on legs 80's gym instructor in her leotard, aka Pat Benetar. It was a night to be remembered! Or forgotten. Thank you to the locals who joined our party and kept things interesting, particular thanks to Batman and the Phantom for my 'special' birthday dance!! Couldn't have imagined a better way to spend my last day as a 23 year old. Thank you Otesha, Mulwala and Rod for making me feel so happy on this wonderful weekend! Nyssa xxxx Sunday May 29th,  Mulwala  Today we woke up to a beautiful, amazing sunny day.  Last night we celebrated Nyssa's 24th birthday at the footy club, so we had a wonderful breakfast and cleaned up the mess.  We then proceed the day with "hippie" activities, including eurhythmy and compassion exercises.  It was a pretty funny experience because our host was walking around the outside looking at 11 scrubby looking "hippies" doing weird exercises and expressing sound with our bodies without speaking.  It was a great way to start the day because it was such great weather, and we had a whole footy oval to ourselves. We paused to make some lunch, then crossed the bridge into Yarrawonga, passing the border back into Victoria, and had a fantastic lunch on the lake side.  Then Rahkel led a drawing session called the 3-fold exercise. After a great time by the lake, as the sun was setting, we took a picture of the silhouettes of our bodies spelling out Otesha. We also got to experience a very futuristic bathroom at the lakeside, with automatic doors, a recorded man talking to us, a button to dispense toilet paper, and relaxing elevator music to go along with your experience. Fantastic.  Then it was back to the footy club for a massive cook up for Nyssa's birthday dinner. We had baked potatoes, homemade refried beans, a huge salad, and a four course dessert including chocolate fondue, orange cake, pumpkin pie and truffles.  A bit of sour cream, guacamole, cheese and dessert eating competitions made it was an amazing night and a great end to our retreat weekend. Happy Birthday Nyssa!!   Monday 30th May, Mulwala-Yarrawonga After our retreat and party weekend it was business as usual on Monday morning. Our group pedaled over the bridge from Mulwala to Yarrawonga. Crossing the Victorian/NSW border, a novelty that still hasn't worn off! At Yarrawonga High school we were met by the lovely Roberta, who made sure we were ready to perform to the year 8's and 9's. Two performances back to back! Although the students were at times restless, they laughed at the right places and asked the right questions and were more than willing to have a chat after the play. Thank you Yarrawonga! We had a wonderful picnic down by the lake and watched some of the prettiest colorful birds I have seen for a while. The sun shone down on our backs and a great time was had by all. One hilarious story that came out of day came from our resident 'Frenchy' Alison. Who found herself at a cafe sipping a coffee and reading the local paper when she spotted none other than herself in a colour picture with article on page 3! Quite a surprise for our International to find herself the object of a story on the local paper that she knew nothing about! Nyssa x Tuesday 31, May Yarrawonga / Mulwala -  Rutherglen 'From the land of the egg and the fog to the land of the mouse'  We woke and proceeded to gormonise an excessive amount of French toast with left over fondue chocolate (infused with raspberry), honey, tahini, jam and butter. Interestingly, Alison informed us that the French call this breakfast pain perdu which literally translates to - 'lost bread'. She explained that normally you use lost bread, bread that is old and stale for this breakfast. At this point I think it is important to mention that thanks to Yarrawonga IGA and manager Dean's     generous donation, each tour member had consumed  an average of 8 eggs over 2 and a half days. Go protein! Josh created an equally glutinous beverage concoction to accompany our eggy lost bread, it consisted of chocolate milk, added milo for texture and LSA. I personally found this proteinous drink delicious but was feeling rather bulbous after the enormous breakfast. All we were walking around in a bit of a food coma as we packed up and said goodbye to Rod and the Mulwala football club. Cheers to Rod who was a kind and patient host, thanks for sharing your cycle touring stories and for having us! The sun was shining and there was no trace of the fog that had dominated proceedings over the weekend as Nyssa, Alison, Alex and rode off to the Mulwala bakery to grab a coffee. We got talking with the barista about the tour and she bought us out a plate of fresh, free, iced donuts. Oh my! I couldn't possibly eat another thing. Really, we could barely bring ourselves to thank her. I think I just grunted but proceeded to eat half a donut anyway. On that (full) note we left Mulwala taking the north road headed for Rutherglen. I was pulling the trailer load and for the first 20ks was definitely feeling every piece of French toast, every beer and every donut I'd consumed over the weekend. Wow. Progress was at worst sluggish, at best steady but it was a bloody beautiful warm day, the road was flat and followed the swollen Murray river. Pretty soon, the river beckoned us closer and it was one of the quickest of consensus decisions to stop and have a swim! It was so cold river but so good to be immersed in water. Blissing out we frolicked like blubber filled seals and then proceeded to sun bake for most of the afternoon. It was truly idyllic. Dudes were going past in their boats showing their yabbie finds there were good chats to be had and importantly sun to soak up. Then Nyssa said, 'the only thing that could make me happier right now would be a beer or a cup of tea'. Hmmm.. Alison answered, popping out a flask of chai she had salvaged from breakfast that she reheated on her trangier - great job. Tea in the sun, we'd certainly forgotten all about the 40km that lay ahead, it just didn't matter everything was in its right place! We got back on the road which continued along the river and into Corowa. Still feeling pretty festive we made another easy consensus decision to call it beer o'clock. Had a delightful couple of bevies and Nys sourced some food for dinner and we were back on the road for the final 10k into Rutherglen. This last stretch was actually a deceptively hard ride and the road was not very well lit which meant we really had to concentrate. I was feeling every rotation with the trailer load and had to talk fairly sternly to my body to keep it moving. The night was clear and crisp though and we were treated to a sky littered with stars. The highlight of the evening came when Josh who was perched on a seat outside the kitchen in his leather jacket, looking like a patient in a waiting room - sat bolt upright and exclaimed - 'Oh it's a mouse, oh it's a mouse!' This was a sign of things to come and that night some crew members has some whiskered friends join them in their sleeping bags. Wednesday 1st    June, Rutherglen We have hit bindi territory - although we were warned to watch out for them from Bendigo and north. Finally the bindi's are coming out to meet and greet us. Rules for bike riding in bindi territory

• 1) Don't ride on the grass
• 2) Don't ride on dirt roads
• 3) Don't ride on a combination of dirt and grass
• 4) Keep an eye open on the edges of the road
• 5) Carry fully stocked puncture repair kit
• 6) Smile, breathe deeply and press on
• 7) Make sure you wear shoes!! (Bindi tootsies! :( )

So after a morning performance at Rutherglen Secondary followed by awesome group workshops with the year 8s. After a performance debrief as well as a wonderful donated lunch (thanks Rutherglen Secondary!) we now have a half day off! What to do in this wonderful sunshine? Coffee? Winery? Oh that's right! Puncture repair! So I'm writing this with a coffee in one hand and a deflated tube in the other - after an unsuccessful first attempt today, and an unsuccessful tube replacement yesterday. With no bike shop in town, the service station was recommended as a spare tube supplier but, wouldn't you know it, they don't have my size!! My spare tube is slowly flat in my tyre and my other spare has decided to spring a leak at the valve. Puncture repairs a-go! Let's just look at this like really good practice and with the sun shining it's the perfect weather for it...some of us have been having similar dramas in Yarrawonga - with so many punctures over the weekend. Oh well, half-way through the tour and we are able to smile and relax as we glue, scrape and patch! Might even attempt the beautiful and scenic Rail Trail at sunset if this goes well! Smiles.   Kate   Thursday 2nd June 2011 Rutherglen to Albury Today we have ridden 60 Ks from Rutherglen to Albury in the shinning sun across plains by the river up into hill county again. We had not seen hills like this since the other side of Bendigo and it was new country. This morning we left Rutherglen high school amidst our pack up during the generous school breakfast club program and differing route options. After a meeting at the local bakery we decided on taking the northern route through NSW as it sounded quicker. Our two groups set off and I soon found myself ridding in the lovely company of Kate. Ridding in pairs is such a joy as it easily lends itself to conversation, and we were both happy with an easy ridding pace that morning. The roads were quiet and we wound our way north back up to the Murray River. On getting to Howlong we found the back group had caught us and we had a lunch, toilet, op shop and pub break. Oh how much I was enjoying the warm sun this morning! It felt like we could do anything. The next leg was a bit longer, Howlong to Albury being 29Ks. Kate and I cruised on and were increasingly surprised at how the hills were moving forward to meet us. Or was that just because we were riding along the road towards them? However it happened we soon came to meet a hill, and another, and another. Once I made it the top, enjoyed the view, and began the downhill decent I knew what hills are all about. Wowowowo speed, easy flying ( :   We had a press conference to make at Albury scout hall at 4.00 pm so Kate and I cleverly navigated our way  through the city, only to find ourselves at the #1 scout hall not #2, wow Albury is a big place! Once we found the right place we met the friendly scout leaders who let us in, and the media crew turned up to take photos for the newspaper.   After that it was action time; buy food and cook and eat before our performance to the scouts that night. I had hopes of an early night. We all enjoyed tamarind stir fry before our performance, and people tried out the showers in the scouts new facilities. And sleep! We all needed to rest up for three performances and an early start in Woodonga tomorrow. 'till next time ( :   Rahkel Friday 3rd June 2011, Albury It's Inca here and before I start on Friday I wanted to quickly add that I'm back on my bike and couldn't be happier! Just a week after a fall that left me unsure if I would be able to continue on tour, my bicycle and I got back on the road and joyfully peddled our way from Yarrawonga to Rutherglen and we've have kept going ever since. Anyway. Friday. It was all a bit of a blur to me really. It began with an early wake up and a rushed breakfast and then an hour long ride from Albury down across the river to Wodonga, where we performed to a lot of students and got a lot of media attention. Vanessa recorded a great interview for the radio and a photographer for the Border Mail took a great photo of us, making us look like professional performers! We then raced back across the border and had more media attention, this time for TV, before performing twice more! Wow, exhausting! After all that, Our Day Off began.  Our Day Off is a peculiar phenomenon that takes place most weeks. On Our Day Off Otesha crew members are obliged to take time for themselves to relax, eat (or fast, if they so wish), sleep, get things done and, above all, replenish their energy stores for another crazy week. The observance of this phenomenon is taken extremely seriously and preparations for the event begin in advance. As such, after our last Friday performance we returned to our temporary home to shower and get changed (into each other's clothes) for the night ahead. First things first, we went to the pub - just to see ourselves on TV of course! - and then treated ourselves to dinner in a beautiful Thai restaurant before going to bed. Inca. Saturday 4th June 2011, Albury Our Day Off was enjoyed by all in a multitude of ways. I'm not going to try and write about them all, but I will list a few. Sleeping in Having breakfast and coffee at Electra, a cafe owned by Nyssa's friend's aunt and uncle Catching up with old friends and meeting new ones Appreciating Albury's collection of bicycle shops Going to the movies once (or twice) Reading (Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance / Lady Chatterley's Lover...) Eating Crepes and speaking French Eating Thai from a hawker stall Appreciating the sun and watching it set Skinny dipping in the river followed by a quick bike ride to dry off Cheese! Utilizing the library for internet time Being blown away by Albury's Art Gallery (if you're reading this and you live near Albury, go and check out the exhibition on James Guppy 'Seduction and Subversion' and also Andrew Pearce's work in 'The Wandering' - this guy is only 22 and his photography and films are incredible!) Sleeping some more Sunday 5th June, Albury to Culcairn We were warned that there were days on Otesha like the one we had today. I'm not sure that I believed how intense things could actually get! The day started off with an early start, something that was particularly hard for the select three who had indulged at the local Irish bar 'Paddys' until the wee hours. We packed up and said our last goodbyes to the Second Albury Scout Hall and our wonderful hosts, had a hydrolyte to cure the aching head and began the morning.  I thought I had it sorted by leaving in the late group....a leisurely midday start after a morning breakfast at the 'early bird cafe' with the dream team Vanessa, Michael and Emily for a 60km ride. Things were looking up, until we walked outside the cafe and discovered our first flat tyre on Emily's bike. One down! After picking up the trailer we began the journey to Culcairn. It soon became apparent that our team was not in 'peak performance'. Emily was low on her usual abundant energy. Vanessa was sickly. Michael and Nyssa were sleep deprived and exhausted from the Paddy's experience. But we were on our way! That's when Vanessa's gears broke down. Then it began to rain. Emily took the trailer. Then we may have missed the turn off and backtracked a while. Then came the darn winding hill! Well done Emily on making it up! It was time for a trailer swap after this marathon effort from Emily 'Beefcake' Nancarrow, if we were to make it to our destination before sunset.  However we soon found the trailer connection was bent so Emily was stuck with the trailer! Unlucky. Then Emily got her second flat. Unlucky again. Our sickly group was powering on still. We had 30 km left. The scenery was beautiful, the hills painted in a red glow. However the temperature was dropping fast and poor Emily still had the dang trailer, we had to get a wriggle on if we were to make it on time! Then I got my first flat. AHHHHHH! With no tubes left we had to begin the patch and repair while we added extra layers to avoid freezing to death. It was getting dark and we were 20km from our destination if we pumped it we would make it before things got dark and hectic on the highway.   As I looked to my left I realized how beautiful the landscape we were travelling through actually was. I had been stressing over tyres whilst the sun was setting in a pink majestic haze next to me. Gum trees and rolling hills surrounded us as we cycled on. I was seeing this beautiful country with three of the most amazing people I have met in my life and we had just hit the 1000 meter mark together as a team on my speedometer! I looked at the sunset again. Who cares if I was cold and hungry and tired and sore and dehydrated, I was in heaven! That's when Emily stopped. And announced the fourth flat of the day. It was dark and we were on the side of a highway. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!   At the end of the day we made it. We may have shed a few tears and a few primal screams. But we made it. Many thanks to the ever patient Michael who kept his calm and became the best bike mechanic around. Thanks to Vanessa who pushed through her nightmare and anxieties and helped us survive the darkened highway experience. Thank you to Emily, those thighs can really pack a punch, you are the trailer queen! I don't think I would have survived without you three. Maybe we were still the dream team after all!  Nyssa xx Monday 6th June - Culcairn Alex here! We awoke this morning (well some awoke earlier than others as the cleaners entered the school building for their 3am start to the day!) Inca, Liz and I, on the other hand, were cozily snuggled up and left in peace in one of the offices with a sign on the door. I'm sure it would have been quite perplexing to read 'Please do not disturb. 3 cyclists sleeping' I personally wanted to write "Warning: Vegetarians Sleeping!" but you know... We very rapidly packed up our panniers and moved our bikes outside before the school teachers commenced their morning staff meeting. Waiting around before the performance I felt really tired and just escaped to my book (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - read it!) I'm not as aware of all the goings-on today as I spent most of the day hiding in its pages... We got set and ready to go for a performance to the entire school (about 300 students). Despite a somewhat limited theatrical space (the school's stage had unfortunately been flooded last year) we did a great job. In fact, having to change our positions a bit proved a very refreshing task! The kids were respectful and responsive to our messages and we had the opportunity to chat to a few of them afterwards during the lunch break. The afternoon was kept relatively free for Otesha administration things and lunch. I spent most of the afternoon in the lovely Culcairn bakery where I enjoyed a delicious soy latte! Ah bliss! I bumped into the P.E teacher from the school and we sat and had a great conversation about education and technology (to summaries it simply!) Then...I read my book....and I read it some more... I escaped quickly to the library where, when sick of my book, I read another book for a while... You know, we don't often have time on this tour but when we do I'm surprised at how readily I can read! Back in my life in Melbourne that is not so much the case... I'm much more distracted. Anyway, had a bit of fun in the supermarket also with Rahkel, Emily and Inca where we went through the usual decisions on which product to buy over another (the Ethical Shopping Guide is our greatest asset in these scenarios! Thanks Nick Ray!) then I did a quick donation run to the bakery. Mmm the only thing better than donuts are donated donuts! We just had a delicious dinner of soup, salad...and there is dessert to come. Apparently it is quince and almond cake. Boy am I ever glad that Inca was born to cook!' Over and out. Until next time folks! Hope you made it though to the end of our tales!