Aussie phrase of the day: stuff it up = screw it up, "I hope she doesn't stuff it up," or on a not-so-nice note you could tell someone to "get stuffed."
The morning of the third day was much anticipated by everyone. Monkey Mia was the ultimate part of the trip, the climax of the story, the reason for coming in the first place. It was all about the dolphins! The famous dolphin feeding was done several times each morning at Monkey Mia, the first one at 7:30am. You can't touch or swim with the dolphins and much to the dismay and disappointment of several people, especially one little girl who cried and cried when the dolphins swam away after the feeding, only a select few people, chosen at random from the crowd, were allowed to feed one of the five dolphins. I was NOT one of the chosen ones, but being so close to them was pretty special in itself. The dolphins were very friendly and playful and had names like Nicky, Shock, and Piccolo. They were identifiable by the markings on their fins, which weren't so easy to find if you didn't know what to look for. One of them was noticeably pregnant and looking quite bulgey. For a half an hour you stand up to your knees in the water hoping that you will be lucky enough to get brushed by a curious swimming dolphin or will be one of the chosen ones to feed them. It was a good 30 minutes that I am very happy to have had despite the fact that I didn't get to feed the dolphin. When else in my life would I get the chance to get so close to a dolphin?
We had a few hours to burn before heading off for another day of adventure in the outback, so I joined my Swiss German friends and my favorite Frenchmen to share some scones with cream and jam and a cappuccino at the seaside restuarant. We finally packed into the Beach Bus again and were off to Ocean Park of Shark Bay where we saw some fantastic marine life up close and personal. We toured a series of aquatic tanks where Loggerhead sea turtles, sting rays, crayfish (rock lobster) and other varieties of fish swam. Of course, the highlight of the tour was the shark lagoon, which was really an inground pool/ pond that is built to resemble a natural ocean setting containing ocean water that is pumped in by a windmill from the nearby bay. The sharks were small, reasonably harmless reef sharks. The largest and most dangerous shark in the tank was the Tiger Shark, given it's name for the dark stripes along it's gray body. Despite the sign warning of danger as you enter the lagoon area, the tour guide calmly assured us if you fell into the water, the sharks would cower in a corner of the lagoon until you had made it safely out of their environment. I don't know about you, but I have a hard time imagining a shark cowering in a corner. That's like saying a lion would hide behind a rock if you were standing in the desert of Africa. I think not. Well, I wouldn't want to try it anyway and why would you post a danger sign if there wasn't really any danger? Hmmm.
We made our way out of Shark Bay and back to the Great Northern Highway, which isn't so great as it is only two lanes most of the way and surrounded by bush and desert. However, we were headed toward a truly amazing sight; the oldest living organism on the planet, the reason for life - literally. I had a great appreciation for this creation because if it weren't for the stromatolites, as they are called, the world, essentially, would never have existed. They don't look too spectacular, but again I couldn't help but feel grateful for these bulbous gray forms that were growing in clumps along the shore. The stromatolites formed 3.5 billions years ago and for 2 billions years they were the only sign of life on earth; these large, lumpy, asphalt-looking rocks. During their first 2 billions years on earth the stomatolites created lots of oxygen via algaelike microorganisms that live on their surface and raised the oxygen level by 20 percent, allowing for the creation of other lifeforms, such as you and me! Pretty major stuff for such mediocre looking things and pretty amazing that they still exist today!
After the stromatolite experience we walked down a sandy path to an old telegraph station and museum. I read about this place in my Bill Bryson book, In a Sunburned Country, and was eager to explore it. I didn't actually get to go into the telegraph station, but it bears a legendary story of a linesman who once fixed a telegraph line naked... and there's a picture to prove it in the museum. Instead, I opted to visit the neighboring cafe/ gift shop, which boasted, on a rustic sign hanging outside, that it was air-conditioned and that appealled to me more at that moment than a photo of a naked linesman. But I was lucky enough to enjoy the photo anyway, in postcard form. Several slots in the postcard rack inside the gift shop were reserved for the image of the naked linesman standing at the top of his ladder. It's only a discreet shot of his backside, but very exciting to see what Bryson described in his book. I had to buy one.
We were on the road again after a quick lunch at a picnic area near the telegraph station. We travelled back toward the coast to find our humble abode for the evening. The scenery had changed slightly as we drove further south toward Perth. It was oddly reminiscent of... home. It was America's midwest! It was almost like I had gone to sleep and woken up back in Missouri during a dry season. There were rolling hillsides, tree-lined wheat fields and grazing cattle. There were windmills and country homes every couple of miles. WA or MO, I wasn't sure anymore. Then we reached the coast. Oh, no... we're definitely not in Kansas anymore. We were staying at a hostel overlooking the ocean. Another dip in the ocean, another glorious sunset, even better than the last. Then stargazing!
Cleggy took us down to the beach after dinner to show us some constellations. He explained the star signs or zodiacs and where they were in the sky. Scorpio sits just on the horizon as it is the sign for October to November, thus the sun sets into Scorpio until mid-November when the star sign changes to Sagittarius. Cleggy pointed out Capricorn - that's me! - Aries and Pisces, the Milky Way, and two much smaller galaxies that looked like little smudges in the clear night sky. It was a very fun and memorable astronomy lesson.
The next day started with the usual bowl of corn flakes, toast with jam, and cup of coffee. We didn't linger long before we were back on the road to Perth. The last day and it would be bound to go just as fast as the other three had. It was a fairly uneventful rest of the way home, with short stops for lunch in Geraldton and a leg stretch and ice cream at the Billabong roadhouse again. We pulled into Perth with daylight to spare. You can see by my many musings over the 4 Day Monkey Mia Safari - as it was called in the brochure - it was a relaxing, yet... colorful trip. From the sunsets and sandy beaches to the personalities of the people I met, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope you enjoyed the ride, via my blog, as well. This small bit of travel has left me with the travel itch to see more of Australia. I can't wait for Sydney in December!
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