thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
When Ifirst saw a termite mound (more than 5 metres) I was confused with ants. Peoplenormally think this as they try to make a connection with something they haveseen before. After a while I realized that termites are what I know as acupim in Brazil.BecauseIve never seen such a tall non-human construction on earth, I felt reallyimpressed by them. The castle is really hard to break as they build thetermite mound using grains of sand and saliva. They are amazing architecturalfeats complete with arches, tunnels, chimneys, insulation and nursery chambers.People in the region make bricks from termite mounds to build their houses orpubs since it is so robust. It is easyto see termites when they came with winds in the summer burning them in thelight. Termites dont have eyes like ants; they are transparent and verysensitive when exposed to sun and light. Actually the queen of a termite colonyhas wings to fly and find a new place to create her castle. The secondaryreproductive members dont have wings. If you tried to kill the termite colony,it is only possible after killing the queen. It doesnt matter how manytermites you are going to kill, the colony will survive asthe queen is capable of producing over 30.000 termite eggs per day! Over herlifetime, a termite queen can produce upwards of 165 million eggs. The incrediblelittle queen reigns for 50-60 years until she dies. She has the power of the throne.The queen is so big (almost the side of a human hand) and cannot move. So, theworkers surrounding the queen take care of her basic needs. When she dies, the colonydies and the mound becomes a free house for ants or bricks for humans house.Termite bricks for human s houseIn this pub, the bricks is from termitesLitchfield National ParkAnotherimpressive building is the magnetic termite mounds that look like gravestoneson the grass (big cemetery). The mounds are flat and huge. Every mound iscleverly aligned north to south to minimize the exposure to the sun and keepingthe mounds cold for the termites. It is possible to see the termite mounds allover the Northern Territory, but the official place is in Litchfield NationalPark. You cant believeyour eyes as you survey hundreds of two-meter-high termite mounds standingupright in the same direction, like enormous magnetic compasses.I couldnt kick the bucket without seeing it. Starting atthe end, I can assure that it was for sure my best trip in Australia so far. Iam not telling you that I didnt like the others, but I really loved the newexperience I had there and also I wasnt expecting so much beauty. My objectiveof this post is to encourage people to go there and see the marvellous treasureAustralia has with your own eyes.Beforetravelling to Outback, the first thing came to my mind when I heard the word Outbackwas the amazing international restaurant I used to go in Brazil (by the way itis not from Australia). The second thing was the big rock and red sand. Everytourism agency I went to I could see packages selling attractions to the bigrock and one day without thinking too
much, I decided to give it ago. When Iresearched what to do there, I was impressed by the number of things theNorthern Territory has to offer. Sunrise - Uluru (left) and Kata Tjuta (right) - separated by 30kmOutback isthe colloquial name for the vast desert region that comprises most ofAustralias interior (the arid Red Centre in the Northern Territory) and someof the most iconic landmarks in the world including Uluru (Ayers Rock), KataTjuta (the Olgas), Watarrka (Kings Canyon), Karlu Karlu (Devils Marbles), theancient Aboriginal rock paintings at Kakadu National Park and south of TennantCreek. You will see hundreds of waterbirds and wildlife, the sandy red desertand lush parks and waterholes, vastness in land and diverse in culture.Thepopulation is only 230,200 spread all over the Northern Territory, which meanstoo much land for too few people. The number of males to females is the highestof any state or territory and the median age is the lowest in Australia (31,2years). The proportion of aborigines is 30% (the highest proportion of all thestates and territories). Some research Idid after the trip ;).NorthernTerritory can be divided into 4 regions from North to South: Darwin Region,Katherine Region (Katherine Park), Barkly Region (Tennant Creek) and CentralAustralia Region (Alice Springs). I did 10-daytour from Darwin to Alice Springs with Wayoutback Company. You can camp,track, cruise, spot wildlife with someone experienced. I also stayed 2 more daysin Alice Springs and 1 more day in Darwin, but if I could do it all again Idseparate at least 3 extra days in Darwin and 4 extra days in Alice Springs nota part of the tour. During these free days you can get to know better thelocal culture, try the local food, visit aboriginal sites, explore the regionaccording to your curiosities and I assure you (100% guaranteed) that you willbe surprised by this experience. I confess that this region also reminds me alot of my Country, Brazil. For example, places like Chapada Diamantina(BA), Bonito (MS), Mato Grosso (MS), Manaus (AM), Piratuba, (SC), etc.It was inthe Northern Territory where I had the opportunity to do and try many thingsthat Id never experienced before or at least it had been a long time since Ihad done them, such as:1. Some ofthe most well-known and spectacular sightsin Australia including Uluru, Kakadu National Park and Katherine Gorge and someof the sixty national parks and reserves in NT.2. Spectacularbreathtaking sunset and sunrise. OMG!I was on holiday, sure, but watching the sunrise and sunset was a must doevery day. The colourful of the sky was indescribable. Every day, every minute,one unique show. 3. Signs were everywhere. Seriously... evenif I wanted to hide from them I couldnt because I was surrounded by arrows. Therewere signs for lifts, stars, bridges, cigarettes bins, drinkable water,ecological toilets etc. This reallysurprises me as Id never seen such a good organization in such a remote area.4. Eat green ants alive or if you are verylucky, the honey ants (Ill be really envious of you if you could do it haha).For who wants to know the taste of green ants is a superpower citric which is impossiblenot
to make a face while eating them. And the honey ants, people told me about,as I didnt get a chance to try them, taste like honey with lemon, like astrong Chinese tea (Honey Lemon Tea). The aborigines eat honey ants as thehoney ants stock honey in their bodies which is normally to be shared with theother ants if they dont have enough food to eat. 5. Beshocked by the biggest castle of termites.I was so impressed that I wrote another post just telling a little bitwhat I learned about termites there. You will see thousands of them when youvisit the Northern Territory and it is impossible not to ask questions aboutthe tallest non-human constructions on earth. 6. Besurprised with the poorest and driest soilsin Australia where plants, animals and people have created clever ways ofsurviving in such a harsh environment. Look outside the airplane how the desertlooks like a big red ocean, which it once was in the past. 7. Sleep inthe swag and wake up every hour tocontemplate what my eyes couldnt believe the stars. I also couldnt believelooking at people sleeping with ear plugs and eye patches!!! Waking up with akangaroo near you in the middle of the night is amazing. 8. Get achance to know a little bit more about the stars,as you are in one of the amazing spots to look up the stars. Another point tomake here is that the moon is different from my country. While Brazilian moonis a letter C, Australian moon is a smile J.9. Ride a camel and learn the importance of thisanimal for this region, how people domesticate the wild camel. On this topic Ican suggest the documentary Track about a girl that spent 10 months with 2camels crossing the red centre. And there is also my favourite documentary calledWhipping Camels. 10. Seewild, pet, tiny and huge snakes allover the northern territory and witness the aborigines happiness when they findone to eat or show to the tourists.11. Seeplenty of others animals in the wildor in the captive. See them in a way youve never seen before, kangaroos,wallabies, emus (the largest bird of arid Australia and well adapted to life inthe desert), dingos, frogs that look like plastic or are fluorescent, touchlizards like blue tongue or the bizarre Thorny Devil, thousands of colourfulparrots, visit a croc by taking a cruise along the Mary River or at night nearyour camp (their eyes are red with the flashlight). See the cane toad, a bigpest that was introduced to Australia from Hawaii that spread all over the territoryand neighbouring states killing native animals.12. Cookfood on the fire and try the yummy bread (called damper) in a pot on thefire. Eat fresh nuts from the LilyWater (aquatic plant looks like Vitoria Regia from Brazil) while you aredoing the crocodile tour. Try bush tucker (bush tomatoes, quandongs, bushbanana, etc. Learn more about bushtucker (another post) and how aborigines survive in the desert. 13. Betestimony to the numerous intentionally bushfiresin order to manage bush and dont feel bad about that. See many birds waitingto eat smoked BBQ.14. Camp, find
the best wood to make thecampfire and assure that you are not going to be freezing at night.15. Learnabout aboriginal culture. Bereminded that you cannot explore all over the country as there are many areasthat belong to Aborigines. Learn traditional dot painting and the symbology ofthe drawings. 16. Try toplay or listen the enchanting didgeridoo.In this region one can do a workshop and realize that it is not as easy as youthought that it could be. 17. Learnhow to throw a boomerang, theinstrument used to kill animals to be eaten.18. Stopand have a seat in the fascinating bush pubsand historic stock routes, talk with the owner, learn a little bit about theplace. 19. Climbthe gorgeous red earth bizarre rock formationsas you are in a natural playground20. Feel homesick. As I told you before, manyareas reminded me of my country, Brazil. 21. Soak in the spectacular waterfalls or hotspring water. 22. Learnthat Opal is not only a card totravel on transport services in Sydney but one of the 10 most expensive stones andfrom Australia.I reallyencourage people to go there instead of focusing only on the coast. It is atrue blue fair dinkum aussie experience for who wants to know more aboutAustralia. The outback is unforgettable. And if you want some tips and keen onto give Outback a go, I wrote more a little bit (Darwin and Alice Springs) to be done and seenthere.Hope Icould encourage you to visit Australias amazing red centre.
Today,Alice Springs is the main town in central Australia. There are heaps of thingsto do there and I couldnt do everything I was planning to experience.Surrounded by a sea of red sand the size of Europe, Alice Springs attractedmany famous pioneering characters. Alice Springs began its modern history asStuart, a telegraph station on the Adelaide to Darwin line. Before that, theregion was inhabited by Aboriginal people believing in an important figurethere, the caterpillar (MacDonnell Ranges), amazing view from the airplane. Ispent there only 2,5 days that wasn t enough for me but and I can suggest someactivities, such as:1. Alice Springs Desert ParkGreat forthe nature lovers! Its a huge area introducing to Central Australia - plants,animals, landscapes and people of the desert. There are more than 10 shows perday! Every half hour you can learn moreabout the animals, aboriginal survival in the desert, kangaroo, dingo, etc. Myfavorite was the free flying bird show. 2. Reptile CentreThere areshows with the pet snakes, lizards, crocodile where you can give it a go totouch and work on your phobia. This park enables visitors to get up close andpersonal with these creatures. Due to the fact I am freaky about snakes, Icould at least try to not die in front of one of them and it reduced my fear ofthem just a little bit. 3. Kungkas Can CookSince Iarrived in Northern Territory I was keen to eat bush food and I asked everyonehow I could make it until I found Kungkas Can Cook cafe. OMG it makes mecrazy!!! I tried fruits, bush honey, seed and heard the history how to getthem, etc. It was so much new that I wrote in another post about bushtucker. I wish I could share this food with every friend I have.4. The Didgeridoo WorkshopTheworkshop occurs every day in the city and explains how to play in one of theworlds oldest instruments. Ive been playing wind instrument since I was achild and I confess that didgeridoo is not as easy to pick up as I wasthinking. Trying to make differentsounds, vocalizing, harmony and taking in the tips on the rhythm, it is definitelysomething that you really need to practice much more. 5. Earth SanctuaryIts anamazing experience to learn about the stars over our heads. I had theopportunity to see the moon, Saturn, Antares in a stethoscope and ask as manyquestions as I could about our space.6. Araluen Cultural Precint20 minuteswalking from the city, theres a huge area to experience the Art & Cultureof Central Australia. The Museum of Central Australia, Aviation Museum,Theatre, Expositions, Sculptures are held in this area that provides an integratedvisitor experience. You can spend all day if you want, how many things you havein just one area. 7. West Macdonnel Ranger National ParkI didnt gothere but sounds like an amazing spot to see. The ranges stretch over 640kmrunning east-west through Alice Springs. It is 250km west of town with manyspots to climb and swim. In the desert there are not too many areas where youcan find waterfalls, natural swimming holes and lakes so it is worth it. 8.
TrailIt is achallenging 242km trek from Alice Springs towards the West, along the spine ofthe range, immerse in chasms and gorges. It is one of Australias mostspectacular bushwalking and trekking experiences. No public transport runs tothis area. I didnt do it, maybe next time. 9. Olive Pink Botanic GardenThisitinerary you can do by yourself with a guided book showing you every wildplant from the desert (now boast over 600 plants). Dont expect to see a hugerose garden but a lot of desert bush that maybe youve never paid attention to.10. Anzac Hill LookoutI dontknow what makes the sunset in the outback look like the moon so Iwholeheartedly recommend you to see it in every opportunity you have there. Onespot in Alice Springs is the Anzac Hill Lookout where you will have a greatview of the town and the surrounding landscape.11. Gem Cave JewelleryThis storein the city specialises in Australian Opal. It is so beautiful that I recommend10 minutes to see the colourful and shiny Opal and the different types such asblack opal, white opal, etc., which a little stone can cost more than AU$20,000(Opal is one of the 10 most expensive stone in the World). Apart fromthis, there are plenty of activities that I didnt have time to do. AliceSprings is a modern town rich in history, attractions and offers differenttourism. Each place has its own story to tell, for example, a doctor who had savedthe lives of those living in remote areas with his airplane. There is also an innovative project, which makesit possible for children living in remote central Australia to participate inschool classes called the School of the Air.What do do near Alice SpringsWhen peopledecide to go to the Red Centre, the most common place to visit is Uluru and therest is plus, including the city Alice Springs. But there are too many thingsto do there that you can save more time to exploring the region. Ok, letsstart with the most famous icon of Central Australia. 12. Uluru One ofAustralias most true blue Aussie icons of the outback is World Heritage-listedUluru. You cannot miss seeing the sunrise and sunset on the rock. Before thejourney to Uluru, all visitors are invited to visit the Cultural Centre whereyou can understand about the importance of this region for the localenvironment and aborigines. Uluru/AyersRock rises 348 metres from the desert (higher than The Eiffel Tower), 3,6km inlength with a circumference of 9,4km and it is believed that Uluru extends for5 km below the surface (Uluru is like an iceberg where most of it is under thesoil). Atdifferent times of the day the colours shift constantly, from pink to blood redto mauve, and the sky reflects also an indescribable colours composing with therock. Looking how one big rock is in the middle of nothing make me astonishedof the powerful God who put something so special there.Uluru from the airplaneIn Uluruyou can find a hollow and the very scarce permanent water hole where animalsand aboriginal people can survive in the desert and this is one reason thatthis location is so important. The rock also has
plenty of symbology and signal;the aborigines dont allow you to take picture to not discover their secrets.The rock count a big story about that woman should look after their childrenand have the right to defend them if necessary. Also there are sites with drawsthat means that is one area used to teach and spread their culture. You havesome spots where only women are allowed or only men can visit (private area). Alsoyou cannot climb the rock as well, in spite of this some companies continue to givetours to climb and people take their own risks.Uluru is sofar the Worlds most famous monolith and this is the reason of thousands ofpeople from all over the World go there every day. Everyone has a spot that isnot in front of the others where you are be able to peacefully enjoy everymoment. 13. Kata Tjuta Valley of the Winds Uluru and Kata Tjuta - separated by 30kmKataTjuta/The Olgas, literary means many heads. There are 36 rock domes ofvarious sizes and the tallest dome is around 546 metres high. I dont need tosay there is a current of wind, do I? There are strong winds whip around theboulders and through the gorges. I spent there 4 hours doing the 7,4km hikingthrough creek beds, feeling the wind, domes and beautiful wilderness. I thinkwalk between Kata Tjuta is more surprising than walk around the Uluru rock(both are separated by 30 km. In the middle and around them, nothing, ops, redsand. Both of thecomplexes of rocks have water pool where animals come at night to drink it,which makes these areas sacred for aboriginals. 14. Kings Canyon TheAustralias Grand Canyon in the Watarrka National Park reminds me again ChapadaDiamantina BA (Brazil). Walk around the rim of the canyon allows you to gazedown in awe at the sandstone chasm plunging 270 metres to the canyon floor.Into the depths of the chasm, there are luxuriant cycads around the permanentwaterhole in the Garden of Eden with a tropical climate (only in this oasis, bythe way). The Lost City is a breathtaking spot that looks like a huge beehive.The amphitheatre is also spectacular. Kings Canyon is my favourite track inAustralia for sure.I wasimpressed about the facilities in this remote area. You see stairs, bridge, signs,easy access into the valley of water holes and pool and smoking bins. TheGarden of Eden is also a sacred place because of the pure water and people arenot allowed to swim there.15. Mount Connor/AtilaAn imposingmesa located on a flat salt pan. The tourism bus stops there and I reallywanted to walk in the salt dry lake but I couldnt (no time for it). Its lookreally nice and shiny in the distance. Some people commit mistake thinking thatthis pan is Uluru because is also something enormous in the middle of a bigdesert.So, Idescribed the famous spots and something Ive learned there but if you knowanything else, Ill be glad if you share with me. I hope mypurpose was achieved share my experience in an inhospitable area in NorthernTerritory and learned a little about aborigines, history and ways to survive inthe
desert. Im sure you will be surprised as I was after seeing it with my owneyes.Ps: If you want to know 25 things to do in Darwin, see in this post.And experiences in outback, click here. Moreinformation:http://www.travelnt.com/ http://www.tourismnt.com.au/ http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/index.html http://www.ntlis.nt.gov.au/roadreport/http://www.parksandwildlife.nt.gov.au/
Bush tuckercan be from animals (kangaroo, emus, turkey, wallaby, snakes, lizards, etc),plants and fruits (wild orange, bush passionfruit, bush fig, bush tomato, bushbanana, bush coconut, lemon myrtle, bush plums, bush onion-yalke, nativelemongrass, bush yam-sweet potato, seeds and spices (wattle seeds, mulga seeds,ruby saltbush), insects (witchetty grub, caterpillars) or honey and nectars(honey ant).However,because of the climate, some wild food/animals, which are not originally fromthe region have thrived in Central Australias desert, such as camel, dates, quandong,feral cat and bush honey.Being thereI could try some bush tucker and learn a bit about them with Kungkas Can Cook. Bush tomato, forexample, is considered a treat, which is given to children, however, rarely arethey found in the arid parts of Australia. Interestingly their growth is stimulatedby fire to break the dormancy and germinate. As they don'tgrow in abundance the aborigines made a fruit ball to be hidden and stored forseveral years gave in little portions for their children (maybe it was thebeginning of the protein balls! Haha). But it is not every bush tomato isedible and even for the edible ones a particular technique is used to eat thembecause most of them need to remove the poisonous part (or maybe this is thesecret to keep us far from this delicatessen). For my taste buds it was bitterand reminded me of Vegemite (now I understand why Australians love this!). Bushtomato was the only chocolate some children got from the desert and they couldn tkeep away from this treat. Another indulgencewhich is very difficult to find in the wild world is sugar bag - the honey madeby Australian native stingless bees from the Western Desert. I got one from theWarlpiri tribesman who hunted it from wild nests. Its real bush tucker. Eventhough sugar bar is a natural sweet substance originating from the nectar offlower like honey, it has its own special flavour, totally different. It tastes like burned caramel with honey andpropolis (it is also a little bit bitter, but enough to mix well with the sweetcaramel). The flavour is out of this word and its a highly prized food forAborigines who hunt it from wild nests. I alsotried quandong the wild peach, saltbush dukkah, native salty herb, and wattleseed, which only germinates after bushfires and is a rich source of protein andcarbohydrate in times of drought. Next time Imkeen to try honey ants and a witchetty grub.Honey antis an ant that stores honey in their stomachs to share it with other ants when foodis scarce. Because of their size, honey ants cannot move. Who tasted it saythat is a very strong honey with lemon. Aboriginal women grab them from thenest into the ground.Witchettygrub is a delicacy found in the roots of the witchetty bush. Women dig forthem. Some people say that they taste like scrambled eggs and almonds.I wish Icould share this experience with every friend I have and this is the reason Iam writing this post. If you have the opportunity to go there, do it and try asmuch as bush food you can. You will not regret it J. (more experience to be made in