Supersuckers
A few nights ago we pulled into a nondescript little hamlet called Ellenborough, for the simple reason that there was a free camping ground there, and after staying in a nice holiday park for a few days in a relative lap of luxury we'd decided to save a few bucks and camp for free. By the time we found our campground it was around 8.30pm, long after the sun had gone down (it might be hot, but it's still autumn) and we pitched our tents in the glare of the car headlights so as to see what we were doing. When we woke up, we were surrounded by trees, beautiful hills and a gorgeous, clear river a few hundred yards away. We headed to the river almost immediately to have a bathe and a paddle, and generally clean ourselves up. The part where we swam was deep and calm, but it led straight to a shallow stretch where the river flowed much faster over some harmless looking rocks. Before too long, we were skidding down these rapids on our bottoms, which wasn't as painful as it sounds. Jen and Claire, weighing less than I, sped down to the bottom of the rapids, about 300 meters away. I meanwhile had become snagged on a large rock and was scared to move further incase I ruptured something I didn't want to be rupturing. I was busy holding on to my flip-flops with one hand and trying to free myself with the other, when I looked down stream and saw the girls shrieking, and with panicked expressions on their faces, running out of the water onto a little gravelly bank.
Now, put yourself in my position. Here you are, stuck to a rock in a river which seemed to be flowing faster by the second, trying desperately not to lose the flip-flops you'd bought only the day before, and you see your two companions screaming and flapping about, trying to get out of the water. Never mind that you are in a country where bites from simple creatures like spiders can kill you instantly, or where rivers and lakes are known to house no end of dangerous creatures. Never mind that your panicking companions have trekked through the Amazon, spent several months in Africa and would know danger if they saw it. Never mind that you can't go down stream because that is where the danger is, and never mind that going upstream, against the flow of the rapids could possibly take the best part of an afternoon. I turned myself round and hauled myself up the rapids, emerging only a few feet away on the bank covered in lichens, moss and a few scrapes but otherwise unharmed.
"What was all that screaming about?" I asked Jen when she came back upstream, trying not to let on that I had just spent twenty minutes trying not to soil myself.
"Leeches" she replied. "Hundreds of them, all over us!". And they were right. Upon inspection, I had a few dozen small black worms clinging to my legs and arms. But they were tiny and probably harmless, although if left undetected they will continue to suck on you until they are about the size of your finger. We headed back to the tents to dry off and calm down, and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something like "Leeches? That sucks..."
So we spent three happy, leech-free days in Port Macquarie, a pleasant sun-bleached town on the coast. It's rich in history, being the third penal colony in Australia after Sydney and Newcastle, and I happily explored the historic sites, including a quaint but informative little museum. We had a lovely sunset cruise up the river last night, and packed our bags today for another short jaunt up the coast. We also had the pleasure of sharing the camp ground with an amazing couple called John and Sandy, who travel around the country in a big old converted school bus, living off John's army pension. These guys are worthy of an entry all to themselves, but I'll just say that on our first evening we arrived back to find they'd cooked us dinner, and we stayed up for hours eating, drinking and sharing stories until the rain came on and we all went to bed.
So right now I'm sitting in Port Macquarie's library typing all this up, while Jen and Claire visit a Koala hospital nearby. They're coming back to pick me up for the drive up to Coffs Harbour, a few hours north of here. And hopefully, that's the last we've seen of the leeches.
Now, put yourself in my position. Here you are, stuck to a rock in a river which seemed to be flowing faster by the second, trying desperately not to lose the flip-flops you'd bought only the day before, and you see your two companions screaming and flapping about, trying to get out of the water. Never mind that you are in a country where bites from simple creatures like spiders can kill you instantly, or where rivers and lakes are known to house no end of dangerous creatures. Never mind that your panicking companions have trekked through the Amazon, spent several months in Africa and would know danger if they saw it. Never mind that you can't go down stream because that is where the danger is, and never mind that going upstream, against the flow of the rapids could possibly take the best part of an afternoon. I turned myself round and hauled myself up the rapids, emerging only a few feet away on the bank covered in lichens, moss and a few scrapes but otherwise unharmed.
"What was all that screaming about?" I asked Jen when she came back upstream, trying not to let on that I had just spent twenty minutes trying not to soil myself.
"Leeches" she replied. "Hundreds of them, all over us!". And they were right. Upon inspection, I had a few dozen small black worms clinging to my legs and arms. But they were tiny and probably harmless, although if left undetected they will continue to suck on you until they are about the size of your finger. We headed back to the tents to dry off and calm down, and I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from saying something like "Leeches? That sucks..."
So we spent three happy, leech-free days in Port Macquarie, a pleasant sun-bleached town on the coast. It's rich in history, being the third penal colony in Australia after Sydney and Newcastle, and I happily explored the historic sites, including a quaint but informative little museum. We had a lovely sunset cruise up the river last night, and packed our bags today for another short jaunt up the coast. We also had the pleasure of sharing the camp ground with an amazing couple called John and Sandy, who travel around the country in a big old converted school bus, living off John's army pension. These guys are worthy of an entry all to themselves, but I'll just say that on our first evening we arrived back to find they'd cooked us dinner, and we stayed up for hours eating, drinking and sharing stories until the rain came on and we all went to bed.
So right now I'm sitting in Port Macquarie's library typing all this up, while Jen and Claire visit a Koala hospital nearby. They're coming back to pick me up for the drive up to Coffs Harbour, a few hours north of here. And hopefully, that's the last we've seen of the leeches.
Labels: bathing in public, leeches
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home