I’ve learned that there is always another wave coming*
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Diogo N., Windang Island, 2011.
*“I’ve learned that there is always another wave coming. Translated that means there is always tomorrow. No matter how badly you get caught inside, if you can just hang in there and keep paddling, the set is going to pass and there will be a lull afterwards. So don’t give up, just take your pounding, wait until the set passes, then make your move.”
— Gerry Lopez
“Blood /n./ substance commonly used to mark a climbing route”
I wish it would be less fuzzy but that's what you get when you belay with one hand and take photos with the other...
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Alan G., Blue Mountains, 2011.
Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports … all others are games*
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Marek, Blue Mountains, 2011.
*Ernest Hemingway
I am slowly turning into a buckle bunny
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My first day as a jillaroo…
Well.... When I said that I was not going to update this space very often due to poor access to internet connection, I did not know how much I was going to be right about it!
I am leaving this morning for my first day at work on a cattle station.
Yes, my first experience as a jillaroo !!
Well yes, I see you coming here, maybe I have watched "Australia" too many times (is three times too many?)
But it is not going to be as glamorous as Nicole Kidman would like me to believe, riding horses in the sunset in stunning landscapes (although I am in the same area where the film is supposed to take place)
There will be probably more of de-horning, de-sexing, shots, marking and running in the yards involved, although I will make sure I wear the appropriate jeans, checkered shirt, leather hat and boots (I now understand much better the concept of "boot cut").
Anyway I will let you know as soon as possible :-)
And who knows, maybe I will meet my personal Hugh Jackman there...
Or I will be back in a week crying for my mother and begging to wear a business suit again.
A little company for the night
This evil green monster was concealing itself in the dark, probably waiting to dig its filthy fangs into my flesh to draw the life out of me.
That will teach me to turn the lights on before washing my hands.
Especially since I saw the frog AFTER I was done.
Shake, rattle and roll
Last night I experienced my first earthquake.
Actually, it was more of a tremor reaching Darwin just a few minutes after the 7.0 that shook Indonesia just 700 km north from here.
A few minutes before the shaking and rumbling the dogs were scratching the door trying to get in, and I had some weird heart palpitations (I don't know if it was related but a quick search on Google shows that it might be) that I voiced out loud to my friends. Then my couch suddenly started shaking quite strongly underneath me.
It was a very strange sensation.
And not a very comfortable one.
In a flash, the feeling that there was nothing I could do, and nothing I could control popped into my mind and clenched my guts, and although I could feel it wasn't very strong and not life-threatening, an animal-like fear was raising and racing through my brain like a freaked-out rat, frantically looking for the exit and screaming 'out, out, OUT!'
But I put a smile on my face, stayed shaking on my couch, and laughed about it with my friends.
We are not animals, aren't we?
Well... maybe.
La resistance
A cheezy clip but some special thoughts for a special someone going through some personal turmoil I can relate to.
We’re born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we’re not alone*
They have just left me after 8 days on the road, and I miss them already. It was probably tough for them, camping out in the wild, but I am happy we have done this together...
Sharing a tent, cooking on the fire, trying out new recipes for damper (very tasty one with coconut milk), swimming in waterfalls and water holes, spotting birds, snakes, discovering 50 000 years old rock art, tasting green ants, playing with soap tree, getting stung by caterpillars, dreaming of a cold shower...
I am a bit sad tonight, as they are flying to Cairns to discover the Great Barrier Reef for their last days in Australia. Hope to see you again soon, dear roommies!!
*Orson Welles