Hot and Heavy
Our fifth week on the road was lethargic; full of slow, sticky days and the odd crocodile. We had decided to take a week to explore Broome, after four weeks of constant travel was wearing us thin. I’m a little late in posting this entry, since (spoiler alert) things have gone balls up this week - but that story is for the next entry. For now, let’s talk about Week 5 on the Road to Grow.
The last leg of the journey up to Broome was spent watching a crack slowly trace its way along the windshield, from a chip gifted by a passing car. It seems to have stopped now, thank goodness. We rolled into Gateway Caravan Park - a lovely spot just 20 minutes out of town - and booked in for a surprisingly cheap week-long stay. Naturally, we went on to Broome as soon as we’d scoped out our lodgings, strolling up and down the pearl and clothing shops that lined the streets. At one point, a voice called my name, and a friend from Perth came over to chat - yet another example of the magic of the road.
I was astonished at just how lush Broome is, considering the oppressive, dry heat of the sun up here. Our first day in town was only a taste of the heat, but it was enough to warrant a cold beer and ice cream to round off the evening.
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Our second day began with a café breakfast and godsent cappuccino in town (Alessandra had an amazing mango smoothie, as Broome has an abundance of mangoes), followed by another tour of the shops across the baking footpaths. I made some pretext to go into one of the pearl shops, where I bought Alessandra a beautiful pearl pendant I’d spied there the day before. She was surprised and delighted; it suits her perfectly.
Both of us had some tasks we wanted to get done, so we parked up on the firm sandy beach at Gantheaume Point; and set up the awning and folding chairs, doing our best to focus as our little metal box of a bus was slowly roasted in the unrelenting sunshine. I managed to finish some writing, and flew the drone over Alessandra as she ran across the sand with Sabre in tow.
To finish off the day, we went to a local night market on the coast, eating pizza and weaving through stalls selling clothing, jewellery and trinkets. We ended the evening on a high, and were driving back at night for the first time, when a poor wallaby hopped out in front of us on our way back to Gateway; and, unable to slow down or turn in time, we hit it at speed. We were shaken and saddened by the accident, finding some solace in knowing, at least, that it had not suffered.
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The heat reached its crescendo late the following morning - the kind of heat that totally drains one’s energy. We went into town, taking breakfast at another café. Alessandra bought a lovely green-and-white checkered dress and we walked around for a while, but we were quickly chased back into pumba by the sun beating down on our heads. We returned to the caravan park where, for the rest of the afternoon, I worked on a commissioned painting; completing it just as the weather eased.
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The following morning, it was time to visit Cable Beach. We dropped Sabre off with a lovely French couple who were staying at Gateway and offered their services, then spent the whole morning laying on the sand under the blistering sun. Unfortunately, plenty of stinging jellyfish meant that the ocean was less appealing for long swims, and we overheated without the reprieve of the cool water. Somewhat defeated, we drove over to have a delicious lunch at Masto’s Brewery, discovering the joy of mango beer; followed by an evening of rest with the fan in our faces.
Warning: Cable Beach will try to kill you.
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The next day began with a workout (while it was still cool enough to manage one). It was our first since leaving Perth - though it has been on our minds to begin ever since we hit the road. We followed this up with chores as temperatures continued to climb, refusing to dip below thirty-three degrees for the rest of the day. At 2:00pm, windows down, we sped off to a local crocodile sanctuary. There, a courageous fellow taught us all about the different species as he dropped fist-sized chunks of meat into the waiting jaws of enormous saltwater crocodiles; which thrashed and snapped to get what was tossed to them - and would likely have taken the guide’s arm, too, if he were any slower in retracting it. As we left, Alessandra went back to ‘use the bathroom,’ and came back with a delicate baby crocodile skull for me to study and sketch. I hope, one day, to have a classical study filled with such oddities and trinkets - I’m lucky to have a partner who supports this dream.
Biding their time.
When we returned to base, we collected Sabre from the petsitters and flopped around in the soupy conditions of the bus for the remainder of the night.
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Another day, and another bloody scorcher. Still, at least this one was a little more varied. We went to examine a series of dinosaur footprints, impressed onto rock at the edge of the ocean; followed by a second afternoon parked up by the beach. We stayed there until 3:00pm, when we left for Cable Beach and a joyride on a camel. The camels stood much taller than I’d imagined; almost majestic, if it weren’t for their vacant expressions and long, floppy lips. Alessandra and I mounted a camel named Moshie, and we enjoyed a bumpy ride along the glassy smooth surface of the sand, just as the sun began to set on the horizon.
The camel ride
Poor Sabre had a rough time of it for much of the day, having first become stressed by the heat of the day when visiting the dinosaur footprints, then having something irritate his eye at the beach. He pawed at his eye - which swelled considerably before we noticed and washed it out - and threw up repeatedly after overheating. Nothing ever gets him down though; he was happy as a clam all the while.
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The final day of Week 5 was spent working on Pumbaa’s mural design - a task I have been intimidated by since the beginning. There’s something more challenging about tackling a design that is personal, and will be an advertisement of what I can offer. Nevertheless, the most difficult part was getting started and, once I was, I really began to enjoy myself. Meanwhile, Alessandra spent her time looking over the next stage of our journey, and we concluded that we won’t make it all the way to Darwin before having to loop back for my medical appointments in late July. Just one of those things, though it is disappointing to have come so far, only to have to turn around just shy of the famous port.
The finished commission
In the evening, we went into town and watched the new rendition of The Little Mermaid at the world’s oldest operating open-air cinema. The movie itself may have only been average, but we both had a great night, followed by a drive home which was, thankfully, without incident.
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That concludes Week 5 on the road, which means it’s now time to reflect on what we have taken from our week in Broome:
Saltwater crocodiles are no joke - and apparently, they can retract their eyeballs, so the whole ‘stick your thumbs into their eyes if they grab you’ is not going to do you much good
Getting started really is the most difficult part of any task
Sometimes, the only choices we have are the rock or the hard place - at least we get to pick
I am absolutely not a hot weather guy.
