Day 1 - the not so indecent proposal

It all started with a message. Simple and unexpected. An invitation for a road trip. Like a long version of a girls night out but with many starry nights, wonderful talks and views and music. And lots of driving. Alyson had started her journey on December 5th and she needed company for the last leg. With Tom and the kids in South Africa it was doable. I just needed someone to look after Sombra. 

Living in Australia, a road trip means distance. Great distances. When home is Darwin, you just know that everything is far away. The Top End, really means that. The Top End. There is lot of 'in-betweness' with us and them. This was a 3,822 km road trip according to GoogleMaps. A trip to explore an area of Australia I never thought I would get to see. We would be departing Brisbane in Queensland on January 13th and arriving back in Darwin sometime around the 22nd. We would be driving through tropical rainforests, white sandy beaches that are gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and a part of the great Outback. Camping along the way in the vastness of the inland area, full of stars and silence. But the rumble of road trains. It took me about 24 hours to say yes. 

I decided the trip will be back to basics. For quite a while now, a two-day trip would involve a full suicase with lots of 'just in case' stuff .Everthing but the kitchen sink. This trip would be different. One 2-day backpack with a sample of clothes. It included feel good tops, comfy shoes and jeans. My camera, the computer, and a simple first aid kit. 

I am in Brisbane now. I landed early morning and had a nap in the airport. After all 'sleeping' in planes is sort of a contradiction. Unless you have three seats for yourself. You also have the peace of mind knowing that your backbacks will not dissapear while you sleep. I woke up around 7 am, went for a coffee and walked to the train station to traverse from the airport to south of Brisbane and go to Cleveland to stay with Rodrigo and Sol. Rodrigo was the head of the Marine Biology lab back in 1995 in Galapagos. Sol was who introduced me to wonderful books and kept my love for books alive while living somewhere that lacked bookstores.The last time I saw them was in 2001, they only had one son who was six at the time... he is now 21 and has a little brother who is 9.

In Brisbane Central train Station I had to wait for about half an hour for the train to take me to Cleveland. I was rather impressed with how clean the train station was. No rubbish and no rubbish bins. Australia is a land of colour. While sitting with my backpacks I saw people of all colours and walks of life. Suits, skirts, sandals, shorts. Young, old, middle age and unborn. Sober, serious, laughing and crying. And him. 

For thirty minutes he read. The rustle and the bustle around him, the trains, the swift passing of fellow commuters, the sounds, smells and sights did not distract him from his reading.  It gave me a happy moment to see a book in our electronic lives. Everyone else had a digital device and were connected somewhere else. He was there. Right across the train line, leaning on a pillar and standing nonchalantly immerse in a world only he understood. He was present in his own absence. I watched him for about 20 minutes. Then I got the camera out and connected myself to a mission of trying to capture this moment. To have a Kodak moment of what life used to be in a train station with long waits. 

Now at Rodrigo and Sol we have remembered and relived memories from back in time. We remembered good friends. We talked about the past, the present and the future. We ate a wonderful meal and had a cold beer while the cats brushed against my legs and pretended to find me useful. 

I saw my first (wild) koala and laughing kookaburra. As I have said before, I love my first times (para quienes quieran ir mas allá en esto de mi primera vez...)

It was a good first day... may all the rest be filled with similar happy warm fuzzy feelings and lots of first times...

[This entry has been edited from the original post at midnight...]