Sunday 1^st September, 2024

A morning of “lifers” during a three-hour drive / walk in the forest surrounding the Seven Spirit Bay lodge. A bantang – Indonesian buffalo with slim horns and a white bum, there are now 3000 of them in the Park; new birds included a striking Rainbow pitta and a Partridge pigeon; then a frilled lizard clinging doggo to a tree in near perfect camouflage.

Fran, our Birdlife “Twitcher” whose footsteps I dogged on all our walks, crouching behind Olivia’s back to photograph a bower bird’s bounty display. Then Olivia expounded on the physical elastic-plastic chewy properties of the red gum.

An excellent barbecue lunch by the beach, but the long drop in a tin box to one side was atrociously lacking in hygiene. I with several others opted out of the afternoon’s fishing trip, to the delight of the fishermen/women who eagerly took our places for second go.

That evening at supper while we enjoyed a delicious beef steak, Ian turned to me: “Jane, are you religious?”

I gave it some thought… “Depends what you mean by religious – I have a strong Christian faith, which is continuing to mature as I get older. I don’t think I have to go to church every Sunday. And I don’t try to convert every person I meet. But I’m happy to answer questions. I am – just me.”

Monday 2^nd September

Suzanne and I were thankfully on the second half list for the flight to Darwin, so we enjoyed a lie-in. Breakfast again was cold. I had already packed my suitcase, and Suzanne was going to put it out for me, so I caught up with my diary in the coolth of the lodge library.

And then it was time to go. We waited for the plane to circle and land, piloted by a smart lady with an Aussie sense of humour. During her spiel about safety, she noted she’d lost the whistle on her sample life jacket, which would probably have alerted the crocs, anyway.

We checked into the Hilton Garden Inn and Suzanne complained – no second luggage rack and the iron did not work properly. The room staff were quick to rectify. Then she said, pointing:

“That suitcase is not yours.”

She was right. I had taken Eric’s instead. Back down to the foyer I went and asked them to call him. We apologised to each other.

For our buffet sunset dinner on the Charles Darwin that evening Suzanne put on a long flowing whiteish gown and took an age to do her makeup while I waited for a shower. I wore the little red crease-free dress that had accompanied me round the world almost twenty-five years ago. Three of the men made short speeches, hurrahing and praising Ian, then I stood up and thanked him on behalf of the ladies, saying the group was the best I’d encountered in all my travels. I proposed a toast to Ian – all stood up and we raised our glasses formally – “To Ian”.

We were all a bit jaded, somewhat worse for wear and ready for the tour to end. Everyone but me had received reminders to check-in online. I panicked, so Suzanne kindly did it for me on her Qantus app, which I had been unable to upload.

Tuesday 3^rd September, 2024

I was the last to leave the hotel. I marked time with a ride round Darwin on the Hop a Bus, stopping off for a walk round the Botanic Gardens, and then at the Museum. I was waylaid by a lady who had seen me at the hotel, so we enjoyed lunch together at the cafeteria – a tasty large chicken and mushroom crepe – exchanging stories.

On the Hop a Bus back to base talking non-stop, she quickly realised we were approaching our No.3 stop thus saving me from another stressful time. My 4pm transport to the airport arrived on the dot.

I had intended to ask for an upgrade if I had enough Qantas frequent flyer points, but so swift and fluent was the check-in service, I completely forgot. A smooth, trouble-free flight, and my son was there to meet me after I’d collected my borrowed, damage-free suitcase from the carousel.

A couple of weeks later I invited Maggie (the lady at Perth airport with the $50: https://jbwye.com/2024/09/27/a-chapter-of-mishaps/) and her husband for lunch at a café. They were anxious to know about my Arnhem Land adventures as they were thinking of going, so I brought along Outback Spirit’s large map and talked them through the stages.

During the meal, as was my recent habit, I asked them for their stories… and it transpired in an amazing, wonderful circle, that we shared the same roots in faraway Kenya. I had gone to school with his sisters, one of whom had been to my mother’s ‘Southon’s Secretarial College’ in Nakuru.