Landing strips under water

Temperature - Day (maximum):
Rain and snow

Germany – 17.03.2001 – 24.03.2001

Due to heavy rainfall in the northwest of Australia, many of the airstrips are under water and Ken Rieck is unable to fly to Anna Plains to look for our camels. We would like to leave Germany immediately, but our visa situation does not allow us to do so. Since we’ve been here I’ve been desperately trying to get another visa for Tanja and me. As we don’t know whether we will be able to accommodate our camels in Alice Springs if we find them again, we will have to stay in Australia for at least two years. It was quite a feat of strength to organize the first two-year visa for us, but this time we seem to have hit an impenetrable wall due to a last-minute change in the law, despite our public relations work. Although the head of the visa authority in Bonn is trying very hard to do everything possible for us, we are simply not getting anywhere. Laws and rules make us bite on granite and, in addition to the lost animals, jeopardize the further Australian expedition. It is an enormously busy time that tests our psyche to the limit. Tanja and I are often close to despair, but inside we are sure that we can overcome the hurdles we face.