Life on Land and Sea

The constant cackle of cockies (cockatoos), crows, and kookaburras may rival that of wayward roosters in the Micronesian islands, who never seemed to know what time of day it was, and so crowed constantly. I guess, like sailors, they know that the sun must be over the yard(arm) somewhere in the world. Just as well they woke me early--I left my bungalow and found that a wallaby and her joey were foraging right in front of my room. Nice way to spend the day. Here's what my bungalow looks like:

Now, to continue from the last post: I did get to do some snorkeling the following day, but must say that I've had better. I think the problem is that I'm rather spoiled, having dived at Jacques Cousteau's favorite reef in Palau. Anyway, the islands are lovely and the water warm.

I did get another offer for a ride, this time to Perth, on board a 46' catamaran. I could get off it anywhere along the way, say Canberra, for instance. Two things scuttled that adventure: a) the owner didn't know how to sail, being a new convert from power boats, and b) there are no flights available from anywhere in Australia back to D.C. any time soon. Oh yes, a Swedish woman was teaching the skipper how to sail along the way. Never did receive any calls from the New Caledonian, Richard, who Bottle Shop-Debbie thought would love to take me out for a sail.

So, the only thing left to do was to try my hand at windsurfing. I gave it my best for a good hour and a half, half of which I spent in the water rather than on top of it. After a short break I sailed a small Hobie Cat for an hour to make me feel better. Here's why I need to be at sea:

Time to go.