Time to Relax

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DAY 335



We planned today to “have a day off” today and boy we were looking forwards to it. We want to basically just enjoy the environment here, we are camped right on the beach edge, the water is a beautiful turquoise colour, palm trees and other such tropical plants line the edge creating pockets of shade from the harsh sun. There is not much of a breeze this morning so we think it will be a hot one.

We both awoke early again, but did not get out of bed straight away, no rush today after all, at 7.00 the kettle got the better of us, it was not quite calling but you could see it sat on the stove awaiting a fill of water to make us both a cup of tea. No sooner than I am up I head over to the washing machines and put the first load in.

The sea is like a millpond again, it seems that way every morning, the surface is so smooth it looks like glass until a fish jumping breaks the surface. I look out to sea in the hope of seeing the local crocodile that parades up and down the water. I am told that it swims about 100 metres out from the edge of the beach and as yet have seen no evidence, however I am not about to go into the water to test the theory.

We have breakfast cereal as we have run out of bread, which means a trip to the local supermarket, but we will do that later when it gets cooler. As soon as breakfast is done the washing up is out of the way, the second load is in the washing machine while the first is now pegged out on the line, I grab my book and my chair, oh yes and another cup of tea and I go and sit in the shade outside of our hut and relax, while Andy is busy doing the blog.

I don’t read my book straight away, I just sit and watch the view in front of me admiring the colour, there is no breeze, I watch a pleasure boat or two cut across the bay in front of me, by now the previously unbroken surface is quite a ripple, the boats head up to the buoy and turn hard left around the hidden sandbank.

In a way this is torture looking at the scene in front of me and cannot even go into the water to cool off, there is a sign no more than 3 metres away from our trailer saying that crocodiles are present. Even if you see locals swimming in the water, don’t do it. I am told that the locals know what they are doing, i.e. someone is watching the water at all times, but I don’t see that as the case, we have seen kids play in the water and no one watches, they just play without a care in the world.

I wonder if people get complacent, they have lived here for many years, but it seems to me a game of chance, they have been lucky up to now, but on the edge of our campsite there is a memorial for a 52 year old man that was playing in the water with his family and a croc took him right in front of their eyes.

I explain to Andy that I would like to see the crocodile for no other reason but just for confirmation that they are there, although confirmation is not really required, we know they are there. I have seen a couple of fins in the water, but I could not possible say whether it would be sharks, dolphin or Dugongs and would dolphin come into the crocodile infested waters?

I get the second load out of the washing machine, peg it on the line and soon I immerse myself in my new book, this time I have a crime novel, just something different again, I do have my favourite authors but I am using this trip as an opportunity to read different authors.

I move occasionally to get a drink and go back to my seat which I had become so firmly moulded into. The shade vanished as the sun came round so I retreated to the shade of our hut, it is hot, no correct that, today is a scorcher but it takes a few hours for any decent breeze to kick in.

We have both been terribly lazy today, ok apart from the couple of machine loads of washing that I have done. But that is ok, it was a hard drive up here and it would not do it justice if we came up saw it and turned round to head south again, we need to enjoy this.

Since we arrived we have not had anyone camped next to us, we have had the whole hut to ourselves and it has been blissfully quiet, but late afternoon that changed when someone arrived and pitched their tent. Bill and Jeanette come round and introduce themselves, they are up from Melbourne. We chat for ages but the time comes for both of us to pop out to the supermarket for some supplies.

Andy and I head into Seisia we have a quick look around the supermarket, pick up what we need and decide what we can do without until we get back to civilisation and slightly cheaper groceries and then we head back to camp.

On the way back we see the coconuts that have fallen from the trees, we stop and pick one up to take back with us. Andy is keen to open it up and see if it is coconut, as we know it.

Andy sits and opens the coconut but it doesn’t give in without a fight, it has a very fibrous shell, that in the movies is very easy to get off but this is not the case, the fibrous shell has to be cut around with the axe, and then remove the 2 inches of fibres to expose the “Nut “ inside.

When Andy eventually liberates the nut, it is about 100mm diamater, and we give it a whack with the axe and the “Milk” starts to dribble out, so we capture it in a glass.

The fruit is soon revealed and with the aide of a knife we manage to get all the flesh off the shell and put it in a storage container.

We obviously try it, what surprises us is that they are just lying on the floor all around Seisia for anyone just to pick up, that makes us think that that there may be something wrong with them or the “May be poisonous

Tentatively we try a piece, it seems to taste just like it does if you went and picked one up from the super market, we won’t have to much just in case it Is dodgy.

Tea time comes around and we warm up one of the prepared meals that we cooked in Cairns, tonight is Cashew and Chicken Curry, we had debated whether to warm it back up in the camp oven over an open fire but we decide not to.
The rest of the evening we spend talking to Billy and Jeanette, as we said they are from Melbourne, Billy Drives a Road Train for a specialist haulage company and jeanette works as a civilian for the Police.

We have great fun chatting with them and soon the evening has all gone, and its time for bed, again a very warm evening so we open the long end flap to let the cool aire blow over us.

So good night everyone.

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Photos

Lazy Bones
I just couldn't get my bum out of the chair and put my book down

The Prize
Fresh Coconut

Comments

[Stacy]

Interesting blog!
Just commenting to say that I love reading your blogs! I stumbled across this site about a month ago and have been reading them since! I am planning to go travelling around Australia in about 15 months time (feels like a life time away!) with a friend. Yours, as well as others are making me feel more excited about going there, it's good to get some sort of insight as to what it's like there! Keep up the good work, I look forward to reading more of your stories!