Mood:
a-okTopic: Life in Aussie
Visiting North Queensland felt like a trip to a different country. It was a very good getaway from the chills of Melbourne winter, and being in the humid tropics often give me a sense of déjà vu and a touch of home sickness.
I spent 2 days on a boat on the outer reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. Boat life was very interesting apart from the many moments when I was sea sick. Most passengers on my boat were young Americans and I spent my days huddling up with several lone travellers. I dived mostly with Sebastian and Stefan from Germany and Matt from Minnesota, USA. Matt was the first passenger I met and I was fairly fond of him. He was a 22 year old lad – I’d imaged boys like him are still inclined to be driven by testosterone rather than intelligence, yet on the boat whilst he was surrounded by pretty young things but he chose to hang around with a rotund old auntie like myself. He did, nevertheless occasionally let loose his real opinion of me, ‘Did you intentionally chose a suit one size too small?’ he asked dryly when he watch me battling the zip of my wetsuit with great amusement. Sebastian was a young German gap year student and he would always emerge from the water with his face and lips purple, but two times more oxygen left in his tank than everyone else. We wondered if he had some magical system in his body to turn off oxygen supply to his face while diving, but we also suspect that he was stealing air from our backup regulator when we’re not watching. Bes from the Netherlands was one of the dive crew and he had tattooed on his right shin the words “cˆ?cˆ??? ??Š”. “It means ‘Love, Father, Mother, Respect’ doesn’t it?” he asked excitedly. I agreed diplomatically – I did not have the heart to tell him that the grammar is completely off the charts and no self-respecting Chinese would ever inscribe the four words in the order in which now permanently adorned his leg.
While I had been long excited about the prospect of diving in this world famous natural wonder, it grieves me deeply to note that the reef appears to be in a fairly poor condition. The influx of thoughtless tourists who are more concerned having a good time and not too bothered about getting a grip on their buoyancy is taking a severe toll on the health of marine life form. I saw this elderly stout American dude struggling to balance himself, and while he did not intentionally crash into the corals I do wish he’ll polish his diving skills before endangering the surroundings. I felt my heart break as I watch this flabby tub of human flesh kick his clumsy flippers into the fragile reef causing a huge piece of coral to fracture, sinking sombrely into the depth of the ocean.
On the 3rd day in North Queensland I spontaneously hired a car to check out the surrounding regions of Cairns. I visited the lovely Port Douglas, disappointing Mereeba, beautiful Barron falls, cute little Kuranda Village and had dinner at a cosy family restaurant on a remote beach north of the airport before heading back to Melbourne. The day went fairly fine and dandy but I did have a pretty noteworthy episode on my drive out of Cairns in the morning. 30 minutes on the road and I was eager for a lookout point to stretch my legs and rest my eyes. I was driving up this curvy mountain road and saw the entrance to ‘Rex’s Lookout’ and quickly signalled and turned sharply to my left. A colourful minivan was following closely behind my shiny Toyota Camry, shortly after the turn-off I swerved into the only lot left in the small parking bay. I didn’t think the driver of the minivan was too impressed with my impetuous moves but as long as he’s cursing under his breath and not in my face, I was happy to live with the guilt of being a reckless driver.
“That was some fast driving there!” Greg said as he saw me skipping down the grassy knoll of the lookout. I had done more than my fair share of bad driving but this is the first time I have to face the victim of my deed. “You think really fast don’t you,” I think he was being really tactful, “you think and you react straight away – a sign of good driving I’d say!”
“You really mean to say, a sure sign of bad driving, don’t you,” I apologised meekly.
It turned out that Greg was a hang gliding guru; he was there to sweep a young lady off her feet and into the abyss of infinity. Since I was such a ‘good’ driver Greg asked if I’ve ever attempted hang gliding before. I told him I did try earlier this year in Byron Bay but it didn’t happen due to unsuitable wind conditions. Greg said he was from Byron Bay and there were only 4 people who hang glided there – Neil, Ashley, Brian and a 4th person. I said it was Neil that I’ve met and Greg said they know each other and he’s worked with Neil before. Small world – it’s kind of scary. I impulsively rented a car to hastily stop at a lookout then unexpectedly met someone who actually knew a person from a not-too-distant past.
Life had been rough on me lately and while I am trying hard to appreciate the fact that being alive and healthy is one of the biggest blessing I can asked for right now, getting away from routine was great fun and meeting new people certainly helped widen perspective. The best part of this getaway was the time I spent on the boat when the sea was calm and I stared into the ocean spellbound by the waves thinking of all possibilities in life. The worst part of the getaway was the time I spent on the boat when the sea was rough and I stared into the plastic sheet that feebly separates me from the raging waves, mesmerised by the sea foam at the same time my stomach threatening mutiny and my glorious life flashes by before my eyes.
