Sunday 12 May 2013

13th May - perceptions - bush turkeys - marina


Monday 13th May

Yesterday on one of my visits to the ablutions block I found an old sailing codger, gazing out into the middle distance.  He wanted me to explain the rigging on a nearby ketch.  I was less than helpful but stayed for a chat.

He wanted to know where we had been, where we were going, the usual marina conversation, so I told him, briefly, that we were on our way to the Louisiades via the Indonesian Rally, and maybe also via the Malaysian Rally – the long way round… He sighed deeply and said, “You wouldn’t want to go to the Louisiades.  They are ruined!!”  The Americans, he went on to say, have completely spoiled these beautiful islands with their wicked ways.  Apparently in the past you could go the and the people were lovely, honest, hospitable, but now they steal everything, including the outboard motor from your dinghy, and are most unpleasant.  I blinked a bit and said we had been there less than 18 months ago and had found the people to be honest, hospitable, kind…and that the only thing we had lost through theft was a stubbie holder… OldCodger didn’t really want to hear any of this and said that we must have been VERY VERY lucky.

I am including a photo of some of the wicked boys who swarmed all over 2XS, and who only ever took the above-mentioned stubbie holder to use as an armband.  I think earlier I wrote about two of the boys on Budi-Budi, a very remote little group of PNG islands. One of them stood in the doorway of the cabin gazing very intently at the cabin.   He didn’t speak any English, but his friend was very smart and very quick to learn anything which came his way.  I asked, a bit anxiously, “What is he looking at?”  “He is looking at that photo of children on the wall.  Who are they?”  I told him they were my “grannies” and he said, “My friend thinks they look so nice…”



I have missed several opportunities to get a photo of a local bush turkey, but I will persevere.  They are attractive middle-sized birds, with very brightly coloured heads and glossy plumage.  They make enormous mounds in which they lay their eggs.  Bigger than a crocodile nest!!  Pete and I watched a couple of them industriously kicking twigs and dry undergrowth and dirt backwards to wads their mound – they do this in much the same way as a dog buries its poo, with much scattering of dry matter.  At the butterfly place in Kuranda, there was a very big turkey mound between the main aviary and the nursery (full of caterpillars and cocoons.)  A handwritten sign explained that the gardeners had been battling with the turkeys over the years, trying to neaten the mounds, to no avail.  They ended up deciding to go with the flow and now they help the turkeys by blowing all the dry leaf litter towards the mounds with their leaf-blowers and- all is well, everyone is happy, especially the turkeys.

Yesterday we had a 2XS lunch, with our Cairns friends – Bill, Rosemary, John, with a very welcome extra visit from Billy Knowles with his son Daniel.  (Billy is the creator, on the Atherton Tableland, of the very delicious silage which I wanted to take home for my breakfast.)  



We talked a lot about our trip up the coast and around the top to Darwin – they are all a great fount of knowledge re all of this.  It all sounds quite wonderful, beautiful, and fraught with possible crocodile encounters…

We also had a quick visit from some of our marina neighbours, Jim and Gina, from New Zealand, who are leavign tomorrow.  We will undoubtedly see them all the way up the coast, and then…on the Indonesian Rally!!



I have just realized that maybe not everyone can visualize what life is like on a marina.  So out came the Panorama App on my iPhone  and here is a photo, 2XS second from left:


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