Crocodile Swim?

I decided to hop on another Groovy Grape bus tour to take me from middle of Australia in Alice Springs past the Tropic of Capricorn north to Darwin. There was only 5 of us in our group and once again our nights would be spent sleeping outside in swags.

We saw more of the outback including another great sunset at the Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu). The Devils Marbles are a strange place where giant granite boulders are stacked up on each other. Our first night, after exploring boulders we actually camped in a location that I can only describe as... behind a truck stop... hey, it's the desert, and they have a bar.

The next day after a few sight seeing stops including a stop at a wild 'authentic outback' bar we approached the in the Katherine region and our driver took us to check out local river. As we walked to the trail to the river we noticed the signs:

WARNING
"Freshwater crocodiles inhabit this area. They can become aggressive and cause injury if harassed."
"Saltwater Crocodiles can move into this area undetected. Attacks can cause injury or death."
Enter the water at your own risk.

We made our way to the river and dove off the dock (following our driver/guide) for a swim. Later that night, as the drinks were flowing our guide revealed an enlightening comment, "Wow, what a rush that was at the river - I had never been to that area before and had no idea if there were any crocodiles in the water." Pass me another drink please.

The next morning we took a dip in thermal heated Bitter Springs (which maintain a constant temperature of 34 degrees Celsius) followed by a guided tour of Cutta Cutta Caves. About a couple hours before Darwin we had a great hike and spectacular swim at Edith Falls - swimming at the base of a waterfall! Then, off to Darwin.

Didgeri-Darrell

My "Rock Patrol" ended in Alice Springs and it was a good location to recovering from days of hikes in the desert. One afternoon a few of us popped into a didgeridoo store/theatre and saw that they gave free lessons. For about 30-45 minutes we were told some pretty basic techniques but still most could not generate that unique resonating sound from the instrument. My group laughed because I was able to mimic most sound that the instructor did - quite fun.
Some of us purchased tickets to the evenings show and it was quite entertaining. The music was contemporary and was accompanied by various percussion instruments and set to theatre lighting and a slideshow/videoshow. There was about 70-80 people attending. Toward the end of the show, the person playing the didgeridoo said he would like to know if anybody in the audience plays. Then, without warning he continued, "We had a couple people attend a class today and I think some of them are here.... is Darrell around? Folks can we get Darrell to come up here and play with us?" I was really hoping there was some other Darrell out there but when he spotted me in the audience he got everybody to clap and encourage me to the stage. We played a few notes, each with different didgeridoos. Then they grabbed a few other members of the audience to play drums and shakers and we had a great time playing one of the last songs with them.

Rock Patrol: Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and Kings Canyon

One of the most iconic Australian landmarks is that of Uluru ("Ayres Rock" or "The Rock"), a giant monolith rock popping out of the desert floor. The tour I was on would let me explore Kata Tjuta ("The Olgas"), Uluru and Kings Canyon. I spent one day on each.

The nights in the desert are much cooler then the extreme heat of the day and we were sleeping in swags under the star filled skies. We would start each day before sunrise, waking up and preparing for the day shivering from the cold and for some of us, the lack of sleep from staying up the night before.

Each location was gorgeous and it is very difficult to say which I enjoyed the most.
Uluru has been considered an extremely sacred site by the Aboriginal people for thousands of years. Only chosen elders would climb it during ceremonies and even the men will not set their eyes on the sites dedicated to women's ceremonies. I found it quite funny how most tourists goal is to climb Uluru when they themselves have a strong religious background. I recall walking with some people that said, "I think it's ridiculous how they say you shouldn't climb it", "Ya" I said, "And how about the Vatican, every person should be able to explore every inch of that sacred building."... they were not amused by me pointing out their hypocrisy. I don't personally have a problem with climbing Uluru but then again I wouldn't have a problem is they offered a rock climbing wall up the side of Notre Dame cathedral or a waterslide from the top of St. Peters Basilica.

Rock Patrol: Coober Pedy And The Search For An Opal

I had flown from Sydney to Adelaide and decided to hop on a Groovy Grape bus that would take me from the bottom of Australia to the outback. We travelled from the south coast heading north and it did not take long for the desert to appear. Great open spaces, sparse vegetation, giant dry salt lakes and overall beautify scenery.

Our first overnight stop was Coober Pedy. This is an opal mining town where the majority of the residents live in homes carved out of the stone. The benefit is that with the extreme temperatures of the desert their homes remain a relatively constant temperature - never needing heating or air conditioning.

We slept in dug out dorms meters under the ground. Out of 4 buses that happened to be in town that night I was the only outsider in the local underground bar. I got to find out quite a few things about the characters in town and was treated pretty well.

The next morning another backpacker and I said goodbye to the group we were travelling with and waited until noon before we would catch up with a new group that we would be with for the next 4 nights. The afternoon started with an opal mine museum tour and then some free time to wander.

A couple of us ventured to a public nooding (fossicking) area at the edge of town (noodling is the term used for people who look for opal in the miners discarded opal dirt). The search was going nowhere and I told the other two that I was with that the desert flies were too much and I was heading back. A few meters from the road I saw some potch (white worthless opal) and picked it up to take a look. A tiny aboriginal woman saw me and walked over asking what I found. I explained that it was just potch I hadn't found anything. We chatted briefly as her dog wandered around us. She reached in her pocket and pulled out a colourful stone in a fake gold mount from a necklace. At this point I though that she might be selling this costume jewelry as opal. She said, "See, this is an opal. A nice one. I found it on the ground, just like you found the potch. You can take it". I smiled and declined but thanked her and said "No, it's okay, you can keep it." Again she refused to take it back and I could sense that she would be offended if I did not smile and take the little trinket. She seemed content that I took it and returned to her course. I popped the charm in my pocket and shared the story with my fellow travellers. We all laugh and thought that at that very moment that little old aboriginal woman was telling her friends that she convinced some white man that he had a real opal.

A couple of days passed and I noticed that it was still in my pocket. I told the story to our guide Kev and he said that it was very unusual behaviour. "She didn't ask for anything?" he asked, "Not even a couple of dollars?". "No", I replied. "Well, your are very lucky to have that happen. I've never heard of that before." he said. I showed him the stone and he mentioned, "If this is a fake its a really good one. You should have it looked at when we get to Alice Springs." But when we compared it with some opals that members of our group purchased it did look quite different, darker and much larger. We all laughed and I threw it in my pocket again.

Days later in Alice Springs our group was having a farewell breakfast in town. Across from us was a jewelers and the girls in our group teased be to go in and see if it was real. "No", I said, "If it's a fake and I prove it then it's not as good of a story". They were not amused with my decision. After everybody walked off Kev and I walked into the shop to solve the mystery. It is a real opal. A solid one piece matrix opal valued conservatively at three to four hundred dollars on a 9kt backing.

When we walked away from the shop Kevin turned to me and said, "See, the aboriginal people do not place such a monetary value to things like stones and gold. They are all just parts of the earth". We chatted again about how unusual it was and how even the people behind the counter at the jewelry store had never heard of anything like that ever happening.

We ran in to a couple of people from our trip and shared the news. They were amazed and said I could sell it and pay for some of the trip. "Nope!", I replied.

I don't think I would ever sell it but I would surely give it away some day. It is a great end to the story and a humbling lesson of simple generosity from an older culture not fully tainted by greed or material possessions. An old woman saw a man looking in a pile of dirt and rocks for a colourful stone. She had one and thought I might like it. Someday I'd like to give it to somebody that I think would like to have colourful stone.

Finding My Mojo

Last year when I  was in Australia I  spent two days at Mojo Surf's "Spot X" camp (between Sydney and Brisbane). The weather was perfect and the waves were great. I was getting up on the board, turning and even rode in with a dolphin not far off my right side.

This year I thought I'd do the same so I signed up for a 5 day surf trip from Byron Bay to Sydney. However, the one thing I had no control over was the weather. A couple of cyclones had passed through in the days and weeks before and there was still some pretty major storms off the coast causing very rough conditions.

The instructors attempted to lift our spirits explaining that we would become "white water warriors" due to the fact that there were so many waves that the water from the break to the shore was a white wash of foam, spilling waves and currents. One missed wave could often carry you back to the shore but 30 meters from where you entered. Far more difficult then the year before and we all had bruises, rashes and bumps to prove it.

It was still a blast and the 20+ people in our bus played in the waves by day and partied into the night with drinking games, bonfires and some tunes cranked... then we had to get up at the crack of dawn to do it all over again.

10 Days in a Camper

A couple people from the hostel in Sydney asked if I wanted to share a camper van drive up the coast from Sydney to Brisbane. 10 days with Sandra, Mitch and Corbin. The van would have been ideal for two or three people but four - wow, not much room.

The first morning we woke up on the side of a beach and I popped out of our van to see the sun come up over the water. This was not planned, the heat was extreme and I had moved to the front seat for some cooler air during the night and didn‘t really sleep. We got better at spreading out the space as the days went on. Our nightly accommodation locations ranged from side roads, to beach parking lots, to camper parks and national parks. Too many cold water showers on the beach and rest-stops resulted in us sneaking into a hostel in Byron Bay for a real shower with warm water...  we were found out and kicked off the premises... mid shower.

One night where we parked close to the water (in a beach parking lot) and the waves came up to within a few meters of the  camper. As the rain poured down and the tail end of a cyclone was shaking the camper all we could hear was wind and the crashing roar of waves from right outside the door. 

Our little camper was good to us, she puttered down highways, trekked rough unpaved back-roads, mountain trails and through water over the flooded areas. 

Life's a Beach - Missing Bikinis and Great White Sharks

For me, one of the main reasons for returning to Australia is to play on the waves. The beaches here are beautiful and I try to get out to the beach as often as I can (almost every day). I consider myself respectful of the surf and try to keep within my limits when venturing into the ocean. Aside from the marine life that may cause concern (jellyfish, stingrays and BIG fish) there is also big waves, nasty rip currents and undertows and whatever may lie on the sea floor that you may step on or be tossed onto.

Here's an article from one of the days I was playing in the surf at Bondi (I don't recall an alarm but I did hear some rumours and saw some boats buzzing around):

Second Bondi shark in a month - Livenews.com.au

Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach has been closed for the second time in as many months after another shark sighting this afternoon.

At around three o'clock the Westpac surf lifesaver rescue helicopter spotted a three metre shark at the southern end of the beach.... and ordered lifesavers to sound the alarm.

Beach goers flocked to the shore as lifesavers attempted to scare the shark off on jet skis.

The beach has since been re-opened.

This comes just a month after a local surfer was mauled by a great white at the same end of Bondi Beach which resulted in him losing his hand in the attack.

"Three years ago, we recorded just one shark off Sydney beaches," said Brown. "Last year, we saw seven and this year we have recorded more than 27." - Michael Brown, director of Surfwatch, a helicopter-borne volunteer service that locates sharks and looks for emergencies close to shore. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/15/australia-sydney-shark-attacks-race

That said... the beach is still heaps of fun. A group of us ventured to Coogee Beach the other day and the waves were awesome. Nothing like looking up at a wave and seeing the entire silhouette of the person standing in the wave (completely vertical) before it crashes into itself, or, the spray like rain on the backside as the wind breaks off parts of the crest. Dive under and hear a muffled roar above before you surface into a bubbling and still turning white wave aftermath.

There is another side to these fun waves that I feel I should mention. They may be considered bikini displacement devices. Needless to say, I feel I have shared many an intimate wave moment with quite a few of my female hostel companions. One incident worth noting was of a rather voluptuous girl from England who required a bikini strap repair while still out in the surf... I'm always ready to aid a damsel in distress. Things got a bit crazier a short while later when a series of big waves came crashing in and I hear a voice behind me "Darrell. Help. I've lost my bottoms!" In between sets of waves I actually (miraculously) saw the bottom piece of a bikini drifting away... a minute or so later I was able to grab them and return them to the rightful owner. Now lay the a new, and equally difficult challenge - getting then on. After many failed attempts at self clothing, the need for further assistance was required. She was quite embarrassed but grateful.

The Great Green Laundry Incident of 2009

$80 Billabong Bordies

$85 Billabong Cargo Shorts

2 new Industry Shirts

1 new polo shirt

2 pair cargo pants

3 pair white socks

$7 cheap "green beach towel" picked up on a rush to the beach

....tye-dye green clothes after the first wash - EXPENSIVE LESSON LEARNED!

Who Wants To Go To The Pub?

The benefit and curse of staying in a city hostel is that there is ALWAYS a reason to go out. It's always someone's last night, or a first night, there is always a birthday, free drink vouchers, or some pretty girl. After over a week of constant nightly excursions to one, two or three bars an evening I thought that a night in was in order... I'll just have some rye... and some cider... and an entire bottle of Smirnoff vodka on the steps of the hostel... it may be healthier just to go out.

Yes, I Brought Sandals to Australia

After a 21 hour flight from Toronto to Vancouver to Sydney and checking into a familiar hostel in Sydney's infamous Kings Cross I proceeded to go out to party with some fellow residence. I figured I've done this flight a couple times before and resting doesn't always kill the jet lag... this time I'll try getting shammered instead. It worked!

The following morning I opened my pack and prepared to dawn some beach appropriate attire. An essential part of this attire includes sandals. There were two pairs of similar sandals I had back home and I recall placing them both out on my bed when deciding which ones to take... and for some reason I inadvertently took one of each pair. Two useless sandals in Toronto, two useless sandals in Sydney... I'm off to a great start!