Flight to Sydney
9/14/00
8:05 PM
Sadly, my Aussie Walkabout has come to an end. My emotions are mixed, very surreal. I’m amazed my three weeks of backpacking are over. It saddens me to know that the joys of a new town, a different horizon, the anticipation have all come to an end. The sun, the surf, the birds, the sail — all are behind me. But at the same time, my adventures are starting anew! The thrills of athletic competition, the excitement of an international event, to be a participant of the Olympic Saga on the World’s Stage. And no dingos or bandicoots.
So here I am on the Flying Kangaroo. Bought a paper and an SI to catch up on The Games and the rest of the world. As it turns out, I haven’t missed out on much at all. As expected, Cairns was uneventful until I got to the airport. You see, I forgot about the white gas I had until I was checking my bag. And as I’m rummaging through the damn thing, trying to dig out the contraband, the smoke alarm went off. But I made my flight. And I can now claim to have been in Brisbane for 12 and a half hours.
So about last night. A fitting end to my stay in the Daintree, indeed. Served dinner again to the crowd’s amusement. A fine dinner it was, too. Between my shower and dinner I read some Hesse, had a beer or two, and was scolded by the school teacher. According to the horoscope she read me, Gemenis drink too much beer. Gemenis or Yanks? A fun group, those teachers. After playing chess with the students, the gent teacher told me, “If you teach them to play chess, I’ll kick your ass.” I think he wasn’t joking.
After running the food, I sat down with Robi & Kim to enjoy my free meal and beer. I had about 20 minutes before my night walk. I shoveled the food down in between bits of conversation with my mates. We exchanged contact information, as well as invitations to come for a visit. Wonderful company, those two. And yet another reason to come back. My group was ready to depart, so I said my goodbyes to the kitchen staff, told the kids to grow up and save the rainforest, and bid a fond farewell to my friends from Melbourne. And then we were off into the woods.
Not my favorite three hours in Cow Bay. It was dry, the moon was full, and only the Cane Toads were out. Joel, our guide, was quite knowledgeable and enthusiastic, but I didn’t have much to keep me interested. This German guy was annoying me and this woman from Sydney just wouldn’t shut up. The highlights included a confirmation of Bryson’s lost camper tale (the diving couple was discussed on Snapper w/Simon), and a quote straight from Mick Dundee: “You could live on it, but it tastes like shit.”
And you know what, I forgot we lost an hour on this flight. I’ll have to save the best for later.
KC
Oh, I tasted a green ant’s abdomen. Like putting your tongue on a 9v.