Back from a delightful "vacation within my vacation" -- one that had special meaning because of its timing. And rejoicing that I didn't barf up my spleen in the process. Let me explain:
Last Tuesday, July 7, would have been my daddy's 100th birthday. He was a blue-collar worker in a textile mill, and as his only child, I thought he hung the moon and all the stars. When I was growing up, all the mills in Lexington closed during the week of the Fourth of July. Likely as not, this meant that Daddy had his birthday off. We didn't have any money to go anywhere, and neither Mama nor Daddy wanted to go anywhere anyway. But that week was a real treat for me because it meant that I'd get to spend a lot of time with Daddy, just the two of us. We'd go blackberry picking, fishing, visiting down in the country and just hanging out. So to this day, the week around July Fourth translates "vacation" in my mind. And of course, I associate it with Daddy's birthday.
Daddy had done all the traveling he ever wanted (and quite a bit more) during the War, but he understood my desire for adventure and never stood in the way of my taking a trip. He died in 1987 before I started traveling overseas in earnest, but I think he would have delighted in all the places I've had the privilege of visiting in these last 20 years or so. And I think he would have cheered the loudest when I was finally able to check off perhaps the biggest item on my Bucket List: the Great Barrier Reef.
Making this trip out to Australia was indeed inspired by the Reef, and once I knew I'd be here on Daddy's birthday, arranging a Reef package to coincide with that big anniversary was a no-brainer. Queensland Railway happily obliged me, offering a dynamite package that included a 24-hour, 1,000-mile train journey from Brisbane north to Cairns (pronounced Cans), day trips both to Green Island on the Reef and to Kuranda in the rainforest nearby, three nights' hotel accommodation and transportation during the entire stay.
Think "planes, trains and automobiles," plus buses, catamarans, semi-submerged submarines, glass-bottom boats and gondolas suspended by cables hurling above the treetops. You name a conveyance, and I rode it last week!
In all modesty, regarding the ocean-going components of this outing, I must congratulate myself for not heaving up breakfast, let alone a vital organ, overboard. To say I am prone to seasickness is to remark casually that The Elephant Man has a mild case of acne. I avoid looking at pictures of boats; my stomach lurches at the thought of a Jacuzzi. I am the quintessential Taurus: This bull must remain on terra firma, or epic nausea ensues. I've been told my face takes on a greenish hue not seen in nature.
But to get the full Reef experience, one must board water vessels of some type. I had come all this way, and so by golly I was evermore committed to conquering my punies. I was going to enjoy this excursion or die trying! Down went the Dramamine, chased with a couple of ginger tablets provided by the crew on the Big Cat, the catamaran holding 299 other passengers bound for glory off the coast of Cairns. In choppy seas.
Oh, boy.
Just let me not hurl. Just let me not hurl. Just let my head stop pounding. Just let me get on dry land again before I die, please God.
After about 90 minutes of rocking and pitching and all manner of vile heaving back and forth on the waves (which felt like 90 hours) we dock. I've made it!!! Land never looked or felt so good!
I took a pass on snorkelling, since the wintertime ocean temperature was too chilly for me, but I did get a big impression of underwater life from the glass-bottom boat and the semi-submarine, a claustrophobic contraption in which several dozen souls are crammed like sardines sitting ten feet below the surface of the sea.
The glass-bottom thingy did entirely too much bobbing up and down to suit me (can one's head actually explode from excessive bobbing?). But once I transferred to the sub, I got my equilibrium back. From the windows on either side of the sub you're about as close to marine life as one can get without actually being submerged in the water. It's a pleasant feeling, especially since there's no sense of movement.
In fact, this was when I had the "Aha!" moment. The Great Barrier Reef, given its mammoth size (visible from outer space, they say) has had great press. It deservedly earns kudos for receiving excellent PR. And it's impressive, no doubt about it. BUT. From the tiny portion I saw, its fish and marine life are rather underwhelming and far less colorful than, say, what I've seen in the Virgin Islands, Aruba, Mexico, Hawaii or Costa Rica, and particularly in the Bahamas -- which sets the gold standard for your underwater sea show.
The GBR's fish on view on this mostly sunny day ran the gamut from dull brown to dull gray. The coral, likewise, was an undistinguished brown and gray and all the drab tones in between. Interesting textures, but otherwise unmemorable. There were a few huge turtles that played a starring role, and a few stingrays stirring up the sandy-colored sand. I did see a couple of clown fish -- like "Nemo" from the movie -- who stood out like champs because of their distinctive orange stripes. Otherwise, it was all rather monochromatic and, dare I say, disappointing.
But I did it, was grateful to a benevolent Universe for allowing me this adventure, and surviving to tell the tale. And unlike the majority of my fellow passengers, mostly Japanese, I actually looked at Nature's grand sights around me rather than surgically attaching myself to one or more electronic devices. Why, I ask you, does one bother taking a voyage to one of Planet Earth's greatest wonders and then spend the day attached to your phone??
Despite the churning, rocky seas on the return trip, I made it back to Cairns with my tummy (and dignity) intact. I'll never be a sailor, but I had achieved my goal, ticked a big item off my Bucket List, and remembered my beloved dad, Roland Hedrick, in the process. All in all, a hugely successful outing. Happy 100th birthday, Daddy!
Next blog entry: I travel back in time to a hippie haven in the rainforest.
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