Today I met with a couple of guys that I met through the guys we’d talked to on the internet (Paul and Michael), and who met with me on Tuesday night. When we went out, they introduced me to some of their friends, who then offered to take me siteseeing and to the beach.
What wonderful guys – the picked me up just before noon and we went for a drive up along the beach, with the thought of having a swim as well as some lunch. The best part, though, was that I got to ask questions about different tidbits that interested me.
The one thing I really wanted to do was see a kangaroo in the wild. After a brief discussion, they agreed that the best place to do that was – the cemetery. Apparently all those flowers are tasty tidbits that are too tempting to avoid.
First, we went up to lunch and ate at an “African Grill”. This was in a large beachside complex of shops – think the places that you get off the cruise ships, with lots of T-shirts, overpriced women’s clothing and other stuff that no one other than a tourist would buy. We got to go through some of the neighborhoods along the beach to get there, though, and to see what their houses look like. There don’t seem to be the “McMansions” that Americans are so prone to putting up on their beach, and after one high rise hotel was construted they immediately realized they’d made a mistake and now nothing can be built beachside which is taller than the “palm line” – the top of the palm trees.
As always, the closer to the water the more expensive the property.
Anyhow, we ate at a place called the Hippo Grill, which immediately converted in my mind to the “Hungry Hippo”. Some of you have asked for pictures of the food – the reality is, it looks just like our stuff. Two of us had salads (mine was a wonderful avocado and seafood thing with a citrus dressing) and one had an ostrich burger. Kangaroo and emu were on the menu, but they recommended against it. I’ve had emu before, but intend to try kangaroo before we leave, just for the novelty if nothing else.
We opted out of a swim in the ocean. The winds had picked up significantly and, all of us being of an age where we’ve swam in oceans before and don’t necessarily need to take on the rigors of the open sea and it’s crashing waves, we opted for a drive instead. It was rough enough that even the die hard surfer boys had come in for a bit.
We talked about all kinds of different things during our trip. The backpacking thing is very popular here, even among adults although they noted that bunking on a cot and sharing a bath isn’t necessary to make the experience fulfilling as one passes his or her 40th birthday. For the younger generation, though, parents essentially stick a postage stamp on the butt of their children sometime after high school or college and tell them to check in occasionally. They travel with nothing except what they can carry, although cell phones and laptops seem to be very essential now, too. Even the computer, though, isn’t a requirement – there are internet cafes everywhere, and for about $3.00 an hour you can surf to your heart’s content. Kiddos, take note on where you think you’d like to go – your time is coming!!
OK, I have to talk about the cemetery here. It’s beautiful, and if you didn’t know that’s what it was you’d think it was a park. Much of the natural vegetation has been preserved, and nothing other than native plants may be placed there – no rosebushes or petunias or anything. Caskets are wooden so that they decompose quickly, and the gravesites are not in straight rows like we’re used to seeing – instead, they’re laid in rows or spaces wherever something isn’t growing. No headstones, just flat plaques, and for lots of them, it’s a plaque on the wall around a pond or raised bed; it’s not necessarily on top of mom or dad (although I suspect that’s more the case when someone has been cremated and the ashes scattered).
We were driving through and almost immediately saw two kangaroos – a mother and joey, who they said was probably a couple of years old – out of the pouch, in any event. Of course, I had to stop and take pictures. I’m sure the guys thought it was about like we would think of someone stopping to take a picture of the squirrels in Hickory – woop-ti-friggin-do – but they humored me and we took pictures. Victor noted that the kangaroo and emu are both national symbols of Australia, and they’re also eaten here which is kind of an interesting paradox.
After we saw the first two, we turned around and there were another mother/child pair lying in the shade (it was the heat of the afternoon), and we got to within about 5 feet of them before they got irritated and hopped away. I’m not stupid enough to try and pet them – figuring that they, like squirrels and buffalo and anything else that the tourists choose to pester, will bite, kick or scratch if given the opportunity.
Of course, immediately after stopping long enough to satisfy my curiosity and taking lots of pictures, we began to pass larger meadows that had dozens of them lounging about in the shade. They’re so odd the way they hop along – their legs remind me of the new athletic leg prosthesis that is being used now, kind of a curved metal band with a lot of spring to it.
Riding in a car here remains somewhat traumatic to me. I can’t seem to get my brain wrapped around being on the left hand side of the road, so each time a car approaches my heart does the, “Someone’s coming straight at us!” routine. The fact that I’m sitting in the “driver’s seat” without a steering wheel occupy my hands contributes to the situation.
By then it was the full-on heat of the day (sorry to you folks suffering in the ice and snow back in the US), I’d imposed on them as much as I felt I could and they dropped me back at the hotel in time for a nap.
