getting it right this time
ok. exhausted though i am again today, i really would like to catch myself (and you all) up on this thing so i can stop thinking (read: obsessing) about it so much.
so. i was up to great keppel island. that was last sunday. nearly 1 full week ago.
i realized just now as i read through my past two entries to find my place that i already told you about "don the wanderer" - he's the 75 year old from yeppoon with the bright orange VW kombi. his name is Don. he wanders whenever he feels the urge. then just parks by the side of the road when he's tired. or when he's waiting for a photograph to be just right. not rushing. no place to get to - the journey is the destination.
once we left don, we travelled only slightly further south to Rockhampton to go to the Dreamtime Cultural Center, yet another aboriginal park. we like those. they're interesting. this one was different in that, well, first of all it was about a different language group of Aboriginals - the ones from the area around Rockhampton. So there was that: different stories, different practices, etc... also, this one had a fair amount of information on Torres Strait Islanders. Well, at least lots more than anywhere else we've been (which isn't saying much - nowhere else had we seen much mention). This is an entirely different set of oppressed and marginalized people who were exploited for labor and missionaried and all that good fun. The Torres Strait Islands are just north off the Queensland coast - there are a whole bunch of them but only some small number (like 14) are populated and they get very close to Papua New Guinea at the top. The woman who told us about them was named Jane. Jane is a large set woman with hair that i can only liken to the Fijiian women we saw - she wore a flower print red and white dress and had several missing teeth. She spoke English fairly well, and sometimes threw in Aussie slang that took me off guard for some reason. it didn't seem to fit. in any case, she rambled for a while in quite an interesting fashion, talking about today's generation of children and how they're not interested in learning the old ways of their culture, just the Western stuff and TV and junk food that makes everyone fat. apparently, when the first europeans saw the torres strait islanders, they wrote back home that the islanders were six feet tall and very slim. she then gestured to her girth and said "very slim. not like today with all the western food" or something to that effect. she was very likable and instead of moving on with the tour group to try a hand at boomerang throwing and listen to a didgeridoo demonstration, nabia stayed behind to chat with her. i wanted to see the didge, so i went with the group and ended up talking with some canadians during the boring boomerang-trying session, wherein half the group gave it a go, the best throw being executed by a boy of about 12, who came away with a quite satisfied look on his face. the didgeridoo demonstration was cool, as it usually is; a very cool instrument that thing. but the people of that area did not actually play it. Dreamtime asked permission of the nearest group that did play it so that they could use it at their center. probably because tourists wanted to see the Aboriginal didgeridoo. no matter if it ever was actually used by the specific people they were learning about. that makes sense, doesn't it? just lump them all together. i can feel the sarcasm behind my eyes as i type that. in any case, dreamtime was cool and after i saw the didge i went back and met up with Jane and Nabia and listened to the rest of Jane's history and how she came to be in Queensland. It turns out she is the daughter-in-law of a very important man in the history of Aboriginal rights. Eddie Mabo. his was the first case to go to the High Court over native title on the land. The above is a link to a Time magazine article about it. i didn't read the whole thing, but it seems pretty informative and is written by the guy who wrote a book i just read, so i think it's legit.
once finished there, we had a boring lunch in rockhampton, which looked strikingly like parts of mackay, and then drove down the road (which contained nothing other than intermittent fuel stations every 80km or so) towards Bundaberg, our ultimate destination for it is where the turtles were hatching, but we only made it as far as Marion Vale before we got tired. we popped in to an information center (the most convenient things on the planet for travellers - everything you could possibly need to know and helpful staff to boot). The man (greg, i believe) called up the turtle place and told us that they were booked up for the night so it was no use heading down there, as bundaberg was not much to look at. instead, we should head towards the coast to 1770 or agnes water. i believe i already mentioned the place we stayed and the hammocks and the beach and the vibe. so that was an enjoyable, if short, stay. and now i've seen american pie: the wedding. same jokes. only minimally amusing. but i DID get to overhear a piece of "the X factor" which is like american idol except not only for individuals under 25. this has opportunities for groups and for people over 25 too. cuz they like to sing too. anyway, there was one group that was amazing - fantastic - from sydney, all women, awesome. so now i want to watch the show. just to see them again. but i can't figure out when it's on.
moving on, the next day we reluctantly left 1770 after taking a yoga class at the community center in the morning (exercise like that after so long of not doing that makes me realize how clogged and tight i am. not a good feeling.) and lazing around most of the day. driving down more monotony of road to bundaberg, stopping in to another info center, getting the turtles all squared away and booked, then checking in to the only hostel in the whole city (fairly decent sized, by the way) that the girl in the info center was willing to recommend even halfheartedly... eventually we made our way to the Mon Repos Turtle Rookery, a well known and very important nesting and hatching spot for green and loggerhead sea turtles. there we serendipitously met up in the parking lot with Xena and Raj and Roshan and the other brother completing the trio, Gary. There was chatting, insect-spraying, and reading of the informational boards in the center. Then they, being in the first group (booked early), got to go down and see a nest hatching. the tiny turtles burrow from the clutch of about 128 eggs up through the sand for 2-5 days. then they pause about 10 cm from the surface and wait for a significant drop in the temperature, meaning it's probably night time and they're less likely to be seagull food. then they all burst up from the sand and tumble and stumble over eachother with their surprisingly strong little flippers towards the lowest light on the horizon, usually the moon. they slip into footprints on the beach, they're so tiny. and so cute. anyway, our Deaf friends got to go down. we waited and listened to the time (and brain cell) killing slide show presentation about the new interpretive display and blah blah blah. then the second group went down because another nest was hatching. we were in group 3. the late bookers. no one told us it made any difference at all. so the info centers aren't COMPLETELY helpful. just mostly helpful. anyway, we waited and waited until about 5 hours had gone by since our arrival, our Deaf friends had come back from their viewing, grins and photographs intact and since departed, and we had even joined the little kiddies for a spell at the drawing table, coloring in pictures of turtles with blunt colored pencils. it was now 11:30 or so. we wondered when we were supposed to give up. they said they send people home at 1:00, but we were in luck. they had some hatchlings from earlier in the evening that they had taken away for measurements and testing and they were to be released onto the beach and we could watch that. so we and the other 20 people or so still hanging around made our way down on to the beach and stood by while one of the workers dug out a nest - counting how many eggs hatched successfully. we got to feel the strength of the flippers of the struggling mini-turtles. they're like wind-up toys at that stage; they just flap away until they're in the ocean or have not a scrap of energy left. so these dudes were tired. they'd been a little bit delayed by the laboratory. but they were finally released and, since it was a cloudy night, three people stood, making a path down to the ocean, holding flashlights (here "torches") to mimic the moon's light on the horizon. that way the babies knew where to go. so they flapped and flopped and flipped their way slowly towards the water until they got washed away by the tide. even the slightest distraction can mean trouble - one woman turned on her torch on the side and a couple of the hatchlings turned and headed for it. luckily one of the rangers told her to extinguish it before it was too confusing. so we got back to the hostel exhausted and disappointed not to have seen a nest hatching but happy to have seen the little guys at all.
we left in the morning to head down to hervey bay. drive drive drive... stop at gas station... drive drive... stop at information center and stay there for a while getting help from the two ladies behind the desk, planning our fraser island trip as well as our flight out to lady elliot isalnd. they were lovely and very patient. we were indecisive and slightly whiny. all that squared away, we drove on to Hervey Bay, and, realizing we would in fact be here for two nights, called a servas couple on the way in. talk about your short notice, "we're actually here already, do you have space for us?" and yes they did. we found the place and each have our own rooms! it's nabia's turn for the double bed though. anyway, Barbara and Don are lovely, chatty, and have travelled pretty extensively. they like the out of the way places - not cities - and have a thing for trains. they've seen more of the US than i have (which isn't saying too much) and they've been to antarctica. we ran some errands in the afternoon in town (2 blogs ago, when i got cut off), then rushed back for dinner, which was delicious of course. they're on a diet, Don's trying to lose some kilos, so no carbs after 3:00, but Barbara made us a couple of potatoes anyway.
Next day off to our one-day Fraser Island trip. This is the largest sand island in the world and the only place on the planet where rain forest grows on sand. Guide was Kieran (second Kieran!) and it was unfortunately on a big busfull of people and not very personal, but we learned about the island and explored as much as we could given our short time. about 1 hour on the barge going over, a rain forest walk, a buffet lunch, some colored sand peaks from the iron leaching out, a cool shipwreck of a yacht (photographer's paradise - imagine the orange yellow rusting ship with exposed wood skeleton on the white sand beach for miles in front of the turquise ocean), a swim in a cold freshwater creek that produces millions of liters of fresh water a day (there's a water table under the island - sand is an excellent filter), and then another dip in a perched lake - that's one that stands above sea level. then off home. on the way out we saw a dingo. they're naturally very skinny and so first instinct is: undernourished! feed the thing! but like i said, that's how they are naturally. their snouts are long and wolflike, but they have a puppy dog cuteness to the eyes and manner. adorable. back to the mainland on the barge, chatting away with a pair of lovely australian women who happened to be sisters. a nice day, really. then back to Barbara and Don for another delicious low-carb meal (chili) and good conversation.
Next day (we're up to yesterday now - i'll stop soon) we got up early (YET AGAIN) to catch our flight out to Lady Elliot Island. It was an expensive endeavor to book this resort - definitely a big splurge, so i was nervous it wouldn't be worth it. we got on the smallest plane of the trip thus far (14 seater) with our 2 pilots in the row in front of us, and flew the 40 minute trip over to the Coral Cay.
[the rest of the information about lady e will be supplied at a later date. maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day, but lady nabia requests that we post about it somewhat simultaneously so that no one steals anyone else's thunder. i'll just say this. it was GREAT snorkelling. prepare thyselves for yet more discussion of sea animals.]
so the short short version with edits is this: we stayed on the island one night and then flew back this afternoon to Hervey Bay, and i am currently at the computer of the ever hospitable Barbara and Don. this afternoon we went on a kangaroo search, but were sadly unsuccessful. Due to the recent rain, there is much for them to munch on out in the bush, and so not much need for them to venture out into civilization or golf courses where we can spy them. Back to the house for more delicious dinner and more good conversation, i broke a chair, and now we're all headed to sleep.
Tomorrow we board our first bus of the east coast to go all the way down to byron bay, where i plan to SLEEP IN UNTIL AT LEAST 8:00 THE NEXT MORNING. i don't think that's too much to ask.
we will get our underwater camera pictures developed, we will bask in the sun and the alternative atmosphere, and start to tie up loose ends of our stay here in Oz. it's the beginning of the end. and the end of the beginning.
thank you and goodnight. and sorry this is so long. that's what happens when i fall behind.
amy
notes:
dad: i'm glad you are well after the surgery
leslie and erich: i'm glad your nz trip was good - i need to go back someday too - maybe we can all coordinate :)
mms: congrats on the website gig - i expect a link when you're ready. and were you calling me a bitch? or emerge? because either way, someone's being a sore loser. work it out.
ara: congrats on the job offers. drop me a line sometime.
everyone else: you too can get notes, if only you just email me
so. i was up to great keppel island. that was last sunday. nearly 1 full week ago.
i realized just now as i read through my past two entries to find my place that i already told you about "don the wanderer" - he's the 75 year old from yeppoon with the bright orange VW kombi. his name is Don. he wanders whenever he feels the urge. then just parks by the side of the road when he's tired. or when he's waiting for a photograph to be just right. not rushing. no place to get to - the journey is the destination.
once we left don, we travelled only slightly further south to Rockhampton to go to the Dreamtime Cultural Center, yet another aboriginal park. we like those. they're interesting. this one was different in that, well, first of all it was about a different language group of Aboriginals - the ones from the area around Rockhampton. So there was that: different stories, different practices, etc... also, this one had a fair amount of information on Torres Strait Islanders. Well, at least lots more than anywhere else we've been (which isn't saying much - nowhere else had we seen much mention). This is an entirely different set of oppressed and marginalized people who were exploited for labor and missionaried and all that good fun. The Torres Strait Islands are just north off the Queensland coast - there are a whole bunch of them but only some small number (like 14) are populated and they get very close to Papua New Guinea at the top. The woman who told us about them was named Jane. Jane is a large set woman with hair that i can only liken to the Fijiian women we saw - she wore a flower print red and white dress and had several missing teeth. She spoke English fairly well, and sometimes threw in Aussie slang that took me off guard for some reason. it didn't seem to fit. in any case, she rambled for a while in quite an interesting fashion, talking about today's generation of children and how they're not interested in learning the old ways of their culture, just the Western stuff and TV and junk food that makes everyone fat. apparently, when the first europeans saw the torres strait islanders, they wrote back home that the islanders were six feet tall and very slim. she then gestured to her girth and said "very slim. not like today with all the western food" or something to that effect. she was very likable and instead of moving on with the tour group to try a hand at boomerang throwing and listen to a didgeridoo demonstration, nabia stayed behind to chat with her. i wanted to see the didge, so i went with the group and ended up talking with some canadians during the boring boomerang-trying session, wherein half the group gave it a go, the best throw being executed by a boy of about 12, who came away with a quite satisfied look on his face. the didgeridoo demonstration was cool, as it usually is; a very cool instrument that thing. but the people of that area did not actually play it. Dreamtime asked permission of the nearest group that did play it so that they could use it at their center. probably because tourists wanted to see the Aboriginal didgeridoo. no matter if it ever was actually used by the specific people they were learning about. that makes sense, doesn't it? just lump them all together. i can feel the sarcasm behind my eyes as i type that. in any case, dreamtime was cool and after i saw the didge i went back and met up with Jane and Nabia and listened to the rest of Jane's history and how she came to be in Queensland. It turns out she is the daughter-in-law of a very important man in the history of Aboriginal rights. Eddie Mabo. his was the first case to go to the High Court over native title on the land. The above is a link to a Time magazine article about it. i didn't read the whole thing, but it seems pretty informative and is written by the guy who wrote a book i just read, so i think it's legit.
once finished there, we had a boring lunch in rockhampton, which looked strikingly like parts of mackay, and then drove down the road (which contained nothing other than intermittent fuel stations every 80km or so) towards Bundaberg, our ultimate destination for it is where the turtles were hatching, but we only made it as far as Marion Vale before we got tired. we popped in to an information center (the most convenient things on the planet for travellers - everything you could possibly need to know and helpful staff to boot). The man (greg, i believe) called up the turtle place and told us that they were booked up for the night so it was no use heading down there, as bundaberg was not much to look at. instead, we should head towards the coast to 1770 or agnes water. i believe i already mentioned the place we stayed and the hammocks and the beach and the vibe. so that was an enjoyable, if short, stay. and now i've seen american pie: the wedding. same jokes. only minimally amusing. but i DID get to overhear a piece of "the X factor" which is like american idol except not only for individuals under 25. this has opportunities for groups and for people over 25 too. cuz they like to sing too. anyway, there was one group that was amazing - fantastic - from sydney, all women, awesome. so now i want to watch the show. just to see them again. but i can't figure out when it's on.
moving on, the next day we reluctantly left 1770 after taking a yoga class at the community center in the morning (exercise like that after so long of not doing that makes me realize how clogged and tight i am. not a good feeling.) and lazing around most of the day. driving down more monotony of road to bundaberg, stopping in to another info center, getting the turtles all squared away and booked, then checking in to the only hostel in the whole city (fairly decent sized, by the way) that the girl in the info center was willing to recommend even halfheartedly... eventually we made our way to the Mon Repos Turtle Rookery, a well known and very important nesting and hatching spot for green and loggerhead sea turtles. there we serendipitously met up in the parking lot with Xena and Raj and Roshan and the other brother completing the trio, Gary. There was chatting, insect-spraying, and reading of the informational boards in the center. Then they, being in the first group (booked early), got to go down and see a nest hatching. the tiny turtles burrow from the clutch of about 128 eggs up through the sand for 2-5 days. then they pause about 10 cm from the surface and wait for a significant drop in the temperature, meaning it's probably night time and they're less likely to be seagull food. then they all burst up from the sand and tumble and stumble over eachother with their surprisingly strong little flippers towards the lowest light on the horizon, usually the moon. they slip into footprints on the beach, they're so tiny. and so cute. anyway, our Deaf friends got to go down. we waited and listened to the time (and brain cell) killing slide show presentation about the new interpretive display and blah blah blah. then the second group went down because another nest was hatching. we were in group 3. the late bookers. no one told us it made any difference at all. so the info centers aren't COMPLETELY helpful. just mostly helpful. anyway, we waited and waited until about 5 hours had gone by since our arrival, our Deaf friends had come back from their viewing, grins and photographs intact and since departed, and we had even joined the little kiddies for a spell at the drawing table, coloring in pictures of turtles with blunt colored pencils. it was now 11:30 or so. we wondered when we were supposed to give up. they said they send people home at 1:00, but we were in luck. they had some hatchlings from earlier in the evening that they had taken away for measurements and testing and they were to be released onto the beach and we could watch that. so we and the other 20 people or so still hanging around made our way down on to the beach and stood by while one of the workers dug out a nest - counting how many eggs hatched successfully. we got to feel the strength of the flippers of the struggling mini-turtles. they're like wind-up toys at that stage; they just flap away until they're in the ocean or have not a scrap of energy left. so these dudes were tired. they'd been a little bit delayed by the laboratory. but they were finally released and, since it was a cloudy night, three people stood, making a path down to the ocean, holding flashlights (here "torches") to mimic the moon's light on the horizon. that way the babies knew where to go. so they flapped and flopped and flipped their way slowly towards the water until they got washed away by the tide. even the slightest distraction can mean trouble - one woman turned on her torch on the side and a couple of the hatchlings turned and headed for it. luckily one of the rangers told her to extinguish it before it was too confusing. so we got back to the hostel exhausted and disappointed not to have seen a nest hatching but happy to have seen the little guys at all.
we left in the morning to head down to hervey bay. drive drive drive... stop at gas station... drive drive... stop at information center and stay there for a while getting help from the two ladies behind the desk, planning our fraser island trip as well as our flight out to lady elliot isalnd. they were lovely and very patient. we were indecisive and slightly whiny. all that squared away, we drove on to Hervey Bay, and, realizing we would in fact be here for two nights, called a servas couple on the way in. talk about your short notice, "we're actually here already, do you have space for us?" and yes they did. we found the place and each have our own rooms! it's nabia's turn for the double bed though. anyway, Barbara and Don are lovely, chatty, and have travelled pretty extensively. they like the out of the way places - not cities - and have a thing for trains. they've seen more of the US than i have (which isn't saying too much) and they've been to antarctica. we ran some errands in the afternoon in town (2 blogs ago, when i got cut off), then rushed back for dinner, which was delicious of course. they're on a diet, Don's trying to lose some kilos, so no carbs after 3:00, but Barbara made us a couple of potatoes anyway.
Next day off to our one-day Fraser Island trip. This is the largest sand island in the world and the only place on the planet where rain forest grows on sand. Guide was Kieran (second Kieran!) and it was unfortunately on a big busfull of people and not very personal, but we learned about the island and explored as much as we could given our short time. about 1 hour on the barge going over, a rain forest walk, a buffet lunch, some colored sand peaks from the iron leaching out, a cool shipwreck of a yacht (photographer's paradise - imagine the orange yellow rusting ship with exposed wood skeleton on the white sand beach for miles in front of the turquise ocean), a swim in a cold freshwater creek that produces millions of liters of fresh water a day (there's a water table under the island - sand is an excellent filter), and then another dip in a perched lake - that's one that stands above sea level. then off home. on the way out we saw a dingo. they're naturally very skinny and so first instinct is: undernourished! feed the thing! but like i said, that's how they are naturally. their snouts are long and wolflike, but they have a puppy dog cuteness to the eyes and manner. adorable. back to the mainland on the barge, chatting away with a pair of lovely australian women who happened to be sisters. a nice day, really. then back to Barbara and Don for another delicious low-carb meal (chili) and good conversation.
Next day (we're up to yesterday now - i'll stop soon) we got up early (YET AGAIN) to catch our flight out to Lady Elliot Island. It was an expensive endeavor to book this resort - definitely a big splurge, so i was nervous it wouldn't be worth it. we got on the smallest plane of the trip thus far (14 seater) with our 2 pilots in the row in front of us, and flew the 40 minute trip over to the Coral Cay.
[the rest of the information about lady e will be supplied at a later date. maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day, but lady nabia requests that we post about it somewhat simultaneously so that no one steals anyone else's thunder. i'll just say this. it was GREAT snorkelling. prepare thyselves for yet more discussion of sea animals.]
so the short short version with edits is this: we stayed on the island one night and then flew back this afternoon to Hervey Bay, and i am currently at the computer of the ever hospitable Barbara and Don. this afternoon we went on a kangaroo search, but were sadly unsuccessful. Due to the recent rain, there is much for them to munch on out in the bush, and so not much need for them to venture out into civilization or golf courses where we can spy them. Back to the house for more delicious dinner and more good conversation, i broke a chair, and now we're all headed to sleep.
Tomorrow we board our first bus of the east coast to go all the way down to byron bay, where i plan to SLEEP IN UNTIL AT LEAST 8:00 THE NEXT MORNING. i don't think that's too much to ask.
we will get our underwater camera pictures developed, we will bask in the sun and the alternative atmosphere, and start to tie up loose ends of our stay here in Oz. it's the beginning of the end. and the end of the beginning.
thank you and goodnight. and sorry this is so long. that's what happens when i fall behind.
amy
notes:
dad: i'm glad you are well after the surgery
leslie and erich: i'm glad your nz trip was good - i need to go back someday too - maybe we can all coordinate :)
mms: congrats on the website gig - i expect a link when you're ready. and were you calling me a bitch? or emerge? because either way, someone's being a sore loser. work it out.
ara: congrats on the job offers. drop me a line sometime.
everyone else: you too can get notes, if only you just email me
posted by theonetheycallamy at 2/19/2005 06:58:00 AM
1 comments
