Today has been a pearler of a day, as they say,
however we have passed it in a rather mundane fashion.
Laundry certainly fits into that category although it
was not quite as straight forward as expected. I turned up in the one currently
functioning laundry facility soon after 8 am this morning and found myself in a
rather long queue, all of us waiting for the two functioning machines. The camp
owns a great collection of machines all crying out for a competent fix-it
technician. I soon found myself engaged in lengthy conversation with the
manager of the camp discussing and weighing up the options of replacing the commercial
machines, their cost plus the freight, versus the cost of flying in a chap from
Darwin. Then came a further conversation about utilising the talent pool of
backpackers who are frequently well qualified in particular trades but cannot
be legally employed. This took us to the subject of the dilemma of the repairs
being undertaken at the second amenities block and the fact that the tourist crowds
were about to descend on the area in their masses and need toilets, showers and
operational washing machines.
Our washing did eventually get done and on to the
line before the morning was entirely gone although Chris did wonder where I had
disappeared to for so long. Laundries and swimming pools are definitely the
centres of our social life!
I am all too aware that the winter is creeping up
and will find us somewhere along our travels, and always aware that I am susceptible
to respiratory illness which will eventually see me off for good. News reports
have alerted us to the fact that the ‘flu vaccine is now available so I made a
call to the local medical centre to suss out the situation in this neck of the
woods. First I learned that my own Vodafone cellphone does not function up
here. Surprise, surprise! When I got through to the receptionist who then put
me on hold for a very long time, during which Chris was telling me to hang up,
I found that, yes, the vaccine was available to travellers but I would have to
see the doctor. “Not a problem”, I responded.
“Well”, said Grace on the end of the line, “We have
one on 29 April!”
I decided to give it a miss for now.
We set off into town calling at the Home Timber
& Hardware Centre. Here we were able to buy a new water jerry can at a cost
about double its predecessor and have our gas bottle filled, this for $36.
Chris was appalled at the charge because we generally pay in the early to mid
$20s for this service. Although I do not retain figures in my head very well, I
did think we had paid the same sort of inflated price before, at a Home Timber
& Hardware. I checked back and sure enough, two years ago in Goondiwindi we
had paid this and 90 cents more. This inflated cost for gas is not a Kununurra
matter, more a penalty for not using BCF or the like.
We also called into the headquarters for the
Department of Environment and Conservation where we secured an annual parks
pass. Fortuitously two of the rangers who were heading into the Purnululu
National Park this afternoon were there in the office so we were able to
discuss details of the park with the experts.
From there we headed to the supermarket, stocking up
on canned and dry food, a few cardboard boxes and then filled with diesel, yet
again.
We did learn from the park rangers that it was
possible that half the walks in the Purnalulu National Park may not be open
until much later in the month. This will severely limit our enjoyment of the
park and most likely curtail the length of time we spend in there under canvas.
I suspect that the purchase of special provisions may have been rather overdone.
The latter part of the afternoon was spent stewing
in the swimming pool with our companions of yesterday, exchanging more
information and stories, and mostly laughing at ourselves as we each recounted
the ridiculous events that befall us as travellers.
No comments:
Post a Comment