The city itself is not that attractive and the main street, the Esplanade, is filled 50/50 with Tour Agencies and Restaurants/Cafes. Again, not much to see unless you want to book something to do.
Close to the Esplanade is the Lagoon though, a big treated water pool leveled barely above the sea level. The public toilets/showers are better than the ones from the hostel I was staying at (Gilligan's is said to be the best, mine, the Bohemian is not worth the money), so this quickly became my favorite freshen-up spot.
I bought a Greyhound Australia coach ticket in the morning and booked my first trip from here down to Townsville. I came a bit too late and after checking out of the hostel at 9AM, I could then only take the 1PM bus...
This is where the Lagoon shows its value - when there is nothing else to see or do, take a dip in the mild sweet water under the scorching sun and relax in the shade of the surrounding trees.
The sun was already there, combining with the tropical humidity, I hauled my (heavy) stuff to a bench where a couple of swedes were resting, asked them to keep an eye on my bags and splash... here I go for a veeery welcome dive.
As the time to leave got closer, I spent my time chit-chatting with the swedes (not the easiest task in the world I tell you), snacked and prepared to leave.
One thing I haven't said yet, is that the east coast is packed with german backpackers. It's incredible, I feel in Germany here and that is NOT what I was looking for when I decided to travel in Aus!
Oh well, it could be worse... and I'll tell you how when I can think of anything worse...
In the coach, I met Maria, a... german girl:) She's a very happy, bubbly and photogenic girl from Landshut, a place very close to Munich. Worthless to say that we spent the whole ride speaking in german, but it was fun.
Rolling a bit back in time: before leaving Cairns, I searched for some couches in Townsville and hurray, I took two numbers to contact with me. Returning back to the present...
As Maria did not yet book a place ot stay, I proposed her to stay with me at Lana's and her mother's place in Townsville. CS was a total new concept for her, so she was quite... dubious about such an adventure. Not only did I have a bed at Lana's, Jason, who was very keen on hosting, was also offering his place. M did not want to stay at my first offer (Lana) and I wasn't up to quit on Lana so Jason could have been an obvious choice for her. OK, she would be a girl, staying alone in a stranger's place and she'd spend a night (or more) there. In fact, 2 guys live at Jason's... I can only think of what M was thinking "this is getting dodgier by the minute...". In the end, I should be the one with doubts about such an arrangement! In fact, the guys are gay, which means M would be in a perfectly safe haven.
I wish she had accepted the offer, J was a real fab and offering host. I crashed there for my second and last night in TV. He did go out of his way to show us around town, give us the sights and some hints. I hope this little demo about CS and hospitality were enough to convince M to join and give it a try. And here a snapshot of the happy trio high above TV, on Castle Hill.
I ended up staying at J's after his invitation and because he would be able to take me to the coach terminal when driving to work. Lana (and Maxine, her mother) were my hosts for my start in TV.
Drifting a bit aside... My contact with wildlife has been rather scarse for the last times... I actually can't remember the last time I petted/touched a wild animal.
L&M are wildlife care takers. They are part of a small group of people taking care of injured or sick wild animals (not pets). While I was there, they got a call on their 24/7 duty phone - a possum had been attacked by dogs. The lady brought the little animal in but it wasn't too seriously injured. The little fellow was more affected by hunger and thirst than by his injuries. He was about to be put down as he had only one eye, but after a vet call, we got the confirmation that he should be able to learn how to survive like that.
Just imagine holding this 250gr little animal in your hand, he's shaking a bit, everything around him is new and strange, he's been handed from one pair of hands to another but now he's warming up in this towel and somebody is handing him a plastic nipple to suck on for some water. Oh and does he love it! A piece of fruit has the same effect, he grabs it with his 2 tiny long-nailed hands and enjoys evey little bite he takes at it. They agreed that the little had been abandoned by his mother. After being released, he would need to learn to survive on his own and stay away of dogs.
The same night, L, a diplomed zoologist, had to put down 2 birds - they had a virus and the treatment was not able to improve their state. What looks simple and downward fair, an euthanasia performed on two little birds, is just... I don't know how to describe it, but something dies inside you at the sight of the last struggle an animal offers and the fading out laying down of the head.
L looks at me and says "you get used to it with time...", she had noticed the look on my face.
More about the post-TV happenings in a later post.
n.-
0 comments:
Post a Comment