Yes, we have no bananas
We're leaving the rainforest today (The Daintree, Cape Tribulation) in the tropical northeast. We're leaving the stupid bugs that fall from the ceiling and land on their backs and can't get up, the rare blue butterflies we've seen three of, and the vivid, strange dreams we all seem to be having here.
On the way out, we're going to try to track down some jakfruit at a roadside stand we heard about. They are delicious, taste like taffy (kinda), and have more calories in one bite than any other fruit on the planet. (We didn't ask how many that was. Do you really want to know when it's that good?)
We're in Cairns for New Years and then fly home on the 3rd.
Remind me to tell you about the sketchy old dude who wanted me to hold a python. "No worries, it's just a baby." Mm-hmm....
UPDATE: To answer your question, jakfruit is very sweet and reminds me of Laffy Taffy, a bit. There are little pods inside that you pop in your mouth, and then spit out the large, smooth pits inside. It is very wet and mushy in the mouth, and the sticky, latexy feel will stay on things like lips and fingers until sucked off. You smoosh it around (like a still-whole baked potato) to see if it's ripe. The whole fruit can get as big as 300 lbs or so, but usually are picked when they're the size of a few human heads.
And no, nothing is better than chocolate.
Will work for air conditioning
Chanukah/Christmas is tomorrow and Sarah and I have plans to be out in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef again. I bought a new disposable underwater camera because the first one is almost used up. Spent another day in the swimsuit and sarong ensemble today. Bought a sun hat. Currently sitting in wet shorts, typing. Don't tell the next person I was the one who wet the seat, mkay?
We're staying at an adorable place outide the main strip (read: not littered with drunken nekkid 19-year-olds), called Bush Village. We have a cabin to ourselves, cook lunches, and feed coins to the air conditioner. I have taken to calling the AC my found one true love in life. We're running away together, until the power cord unplugs. Then it's over. I'm terribly superficial, I know. They make a nice breakfast at this place and run free shuttles to the main strip, a few minutes away. We walked here today and sweated enough to irrigate a small nation. Like Russia. We managed to be here around the hottest and most humid time of the year. Even the little lizards who live on our porch and the surrounding palm trees have told us they're flying South for the summer. I would let them in the cabin to use the air-conditioning, but that would mean sharing my one true love - and I'm just not that kind of woman.
Eric, in a feat of boyish grace, acquired a bit of a booboo and didn't make it all the way into town. The other three of us hit the Saturday crafts market in town and then the artificial lagoon. The lagoon is huge, and natural-looking, for an artificial lagoon. You don't swim in the ocean here without a stinger suit because it's stinger season (stingrays, assorted jellies, other stinging stuff). So we swam around the lagoon, beached ourselves on the grass, marvelled at other people's even tans. I've gotten some color - we all have - but it's not the perfect tones of a Coppertone ad. It's more like pieces of toast from a toaster that doesn't work as well as it used to. But still, it's Dec 24 and we're tanning. I have little to complain about.
Okay, I'll write about the yacht later. The water was a beautiful as in the photos you see of the region. The blue of the deep open ocean is like that intense blue of those freezer eye masks, and the rest lighten into blue-greens and eventually go clear. The powerder white sand beach of Whitehaven beach was particularly lovely. But these are stories for another day. When I have another coin to give the nice internet cafe lady.
For now, here's the bay (I think it was this one) I steered the yacht into when we parked for the night on my birthday.
either I've still got my sea legs...
...or I'm drunk. I don't think it's drunk. Not currently, anyway.
We got off the racing yacht this afternoon, a few hours ago. I still feel like I'm swaying. When I was in the shower at our hostel, I swear the building was moving. Is it ridiculous to take sea-sickness pills on land? (The boat actually wasn't that bad most of the time, in that regard.)
Anyway, gotta run, but I wanted to say, no, I did not run the boat aground, nor did I fall overboard, nor did I puke over the side. Because I know those are the charming questions I would get first.
I did drive the boat at one point, though. Very cool. When I looked at the natural harbor between the islands where we pulled into on a map, I was shocked. It was tiny. And yes, there are pictures.
The snorkelling was great. The weather was great. The turtles and stingrays and anemones were great. And my sunburn, that's pretty great, too. (You know you're on vacation when you go through three bottles of 30+ sunblock in three days - and STILL everyone gets sunburned.)
But I can't really complain - I spent my birthday in a bikini, swim shorts, and a sarong. Occasionally, a wet suit, snorkel, and fins were added to that list. Never shoes, though. Amazing for the winter solstice baby, no?
Thankyouthankyouthankyou to everyone who sent me birthday wishes! I promise to respond individually shortly, but I wanted to drop off this quickie post. That, and I'm getting seasick when I look down at the keyboard because I swear the room is moving with the waves in the ocean. Now *that* would be a good trick.
Off to get ice cream and then free beer at the after party for us boat people.
Hot town, summer in the city...
...so we're skipping town.
In eight hours a plane carrying me, Sarah, Christine, Eric, Ali, and her friend Scott, will be leaving for our big summer holiday. We fly into the Whitsunday Islands and spend three days and three nights on a racing yacht. Not a bad way to spend my birthday. Our little raft will be taking us around the islands, the inner reef, and then out to the Great Barrier Reef (the outer reef). We can't bring any liquor in glass bottles, so after our trip to the bottle shop today, we transferred liquor into water bottles. Classy. But wait, it gets classier. There are those in our party, who shall remain not me, who have purchased boxes of wine. Nothing says happy hour on a yacht like wine in a box.
After the boat, the four of us stay in the Whitsundays for a few more days until Chanukah/Christmas, then take a couple days to drive up through the country to the Daintree Rainforest area. A few days later, we drive to Cairns (pronounced 'cans') to do more work on our tropical sloth skills. We fly back to Melbourne on 3 Jan.
As you may have noticed, I attempted to post something about Japan and Chicago, and it didn't work. It was long. I can also say it was hysterically funny because it's not here to prove me wrong. So let me also say it was quite brilliant. A loss to the world. Anyway, I wanted to retype it before I left but it didn't happen with all the excitement of packing (read: I left everything until the last minute and ran out of time and packing took longer than I thought because it got a little traumatic having to cut down my supplies and figuring out how I would survive without the third black tank top).
I'll try to fill in some details. However, if the coming posts are either a) sporadic or b) idiotic, realize they are only the meanderings of a sun-soaked brain. The regular sporadic idiocy will return after the new year.
Happy Holidays. Have a peppermint milkshake for me.
The Australian Salute
For a few days now, you'd think Melbourne was the friendliest place on the planet, where everyone knows everyone. Even if you don't know people, they'll wave to you anyway.
Au contrare, mon petit chien.* The explanation is flies. There are lots and lots of flies here that swarm around you whenever you go outside. Think Pigpen on Charlie Brown. People are always waving their arms and hands around their heads. It's common enough that it has a name: the Australian Salute.
Just to look around, it looks very friendly. Okay, it's not constant, or awful every moment outside. But on a walk, you'd notice it. And you do see the occasional hissy fit on the sidewalk. It's probably me. And I'm probably shouting something unitelligeable and whiny.
I can't complain too much, though - the day after tomorrow we leave for our beach holiday, starting on the racing yacht where we'll live for three days. Enjoy the snow at home. And yes, I know I keep mentioning that...
*I know, my French is limited. Feel free to make suggestions. For French statements. Not for how I can improve my French. Any culture that considers smiling rude is not a culture whose language I need to stress myself over.
Christmas just isn't Christmas...
...without the traditional prawns, cherries, and ham.
Welcome to Australia.
In related news: We're off to the night market at the Queen Vic Market to pick up some holiday wear - sarongs and gauzy dresses. No, really. (We leave for the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and surrounding areas on Monday. One must have appropriate attire, you understand.)
nothing says wedding like brocade... and layers and layers of fabric
bad, blogger! bad!
I haven't posted in a few weeks. I was in Chicago eating pizza and shooting wedding dresses.
More to come on that...
For now, I posted a backlog of photos on the
photo site. (the top 4 albums)
I've got some Chicago photos coming. Soon. I swear.
