It has been an eventful week in Oz, and I’m not sure where to start. I guess I’ll start with an update on the crew members that you have been reading about.

Shiroma reunited with her boyfriend Mishka, a gentle and very laid back massage therapist. They are now living in a 4×4 and looking for work as fruit pickers here in the Cairns area. After living aboard Pura Vida for 3 months, she is well accustomed to confined spaces and seems to be quite comfortable in the truck. I have to admit that after watching how sick she was on the passage from NZ to Fiji, I was skeptical about her decision to continue sailing, but she was bound and determined to overcome it and have an enjoyable experience at sea, and that she did. The "princess" and I have learned a lot from each other.

Reunited

Ash was on a mission to find work on the day that we disembarked and managed to find a job almost immediately as a shuttle driver for a backpacker’s hostel, for which he gets a decent salary and accommodation. I guess the Kiwi passport makes working in Oz quite easy.

Colin is still on board and has been going back and forth about whether or not to stick around and continue having "the time of his life" or return home to finish his degree in photojournalism at MU (one of the best schools in the country for such a degree). Just today he decided to return home, and although Dallas and I will undoubtedly miss his enthusiasm, curiosity, and sense of humor, it is fun to imagine him sharing the brilliant photos and blogs that he has created since arriving in Fiji 2 1/2 months ago with his family, friends, professors, and colleagues.

That leaves Dallas and I without crew for the first time since we sailed down the east coast of the North Island of NZ in November of last year. Although there are many backpackers who seem keen to come aboard, we are going to opt for some time alone on the boat for the next leg to Darwin, and possibly on to Bali. Beyond that, we’ll need to find someone to join us for the long stretch across the Indian Ocean (any takers??). Dallas has been on a mission to get charts for the eastern coast of Africa before we leave Oz, and I think it’s safe to say that we have finally committed to that route (rather than the Suez Canal).

Being in Oz is pretty exciting after 2 1/2 months away from 1st world conveniences and a lifetime of hearing about Aussie culture. Between the outstanding land and marine wildlife, the friendly and fun people, and the prosperity (no recession here), I think it definitely lives up to all the hype. We haven’t seen much in terms of wildlife yet except for the fruit bats flying overhead and nearly dropping some guano shampoo onto Dallas (it’s good luck apparently). It is really remarkable to watch them climb around the banyon tree branches as if they were miniature monkeys. Tomorrow we are going for a day sail to check out the wildlife around the Great Barrier Reef! We are taking a few friends along, and they are excited about the opportunity, as I am.

Cairns is a town that seems to have as many transient backpackers as locals and caters to the travelers extremely well. There’s an esplanade in the center of town with a pool, showers, and barbecue facilities, all of which are free. The pubs are full every night with people from countries all over the world but mostly from Oz and Europe. It is always interesting to hear their perceptions of the States. In general, people tell me that they believe our government and economy has been addicted to war for the last 60 years but that they love traveling in our country and think Americans are very friendly. Oh, and apparently we eat a lot more cheese than they do in the rest of the world. I’d never thought about this, but I suppose we do put cheese on just about everything. 

Cairns Esplanade

The cuisine here is more or less like that of NZ except that one can find such delectable treats as crocodile, emu, and kangaroo on the menu. Colin tried all three. He said crocodile tastes like chicken. The emu and kangaroo were pretty forgettable but had potential if prepared in such a way that they didn’t turn out so tough and gamey.

Prior to coming here I had read about the unfortunate plight of the Aborigines since the arrival of the Europeans and their continued disenfranchisement in society (e.g., they finally got the right to vote in the 1960’s), but I wasn’t prepared for the blatant segregation. Each night that we have been out on the town we have seen groups of intoxicated aborigines (“abbys”) gathered in the center of the main street in the middle of the tourist district asking those who leave the pub for money or drinks, and I haven’t seen any black Australians anywhere else in town such as working in stores or restaurants. Of course many white Australians denigrate the abbys as a group since many just collect their government money (“the dole”) and go straight to the liquor store, but I would be interested to see where they are living, what their schools are like, what kind of opportunities they have relative to whites, etc.

Shiroma, Mishka, and I had a close encounter with an abby man when we were using the public barbecue. He must have been in his 50s or 60s, had few clothes and no shoes on, and was carrying a large, nearly-empty bottle of liquor. He approached and told us that he was hungry and cold. We had finished eating and cooking and had nothing to offer except an eggplant, which he gave back. The Korean family next to us had just finished cooking and gave him a plate of very spicy food…he ate it without hesitation but probably wasn’t feeling very good later on!

The boat seems to be in pretty good shape and just about ready for the upcoming passages. I cleaned out the water tanks and although it was a bit disgusting to see the small piles of rusty sediment in there, I think we’ll be in good shape for a little while. Dallas got the autopilot serviced and biked all over town getting required supplies (e.g., a new wifi antenna, hardware for the bimini). These tasks are always a little more complicated without wheels, as I can attest. On Tuesday I went ashore with our two propane tanks, our large spinnaker in a bag, and two spearguns, all of which needed to be taken to shops at least a mile away. I stuck them all in a grocery cart and set off to find Shiroma to borrow her truck, but after half and hour I got bored with searching and just hoofed it to the shops with the overloaded cart. It must have been a funny sight to see! As I walked I realized that David Bowie’s “I’m Afraid of Americans” was going through my head, probably because the spearguns were sticking spearhead-up out of the cart! Don’t mess with this bag lady!