One of Those Places...

At some time in the early 2020's I went on a quest. it wasn't one of those finding myself trips, I already knew who I was, what I wanted to see was how I interpreted the world with my new sight. How I moved in different and same places and situations. Did the same things that irked me before still do now? Had my responses to challenging situations changed? And most importantly, where in this world did I feel most comfortable. Exhausted and seriously unsure as to what the fuck I was doing, I boarded a long haul flight on Christmas day with far too much luggage (I’d packed very badly, which is not like me at all). Though I nearly missed my connecting flight, the remainder of my sojourn around the world can be broken into three parts: the friend leg, the family leg, and the me part. Over the course of who knows how long, I’ll share bits and pieces of my writings from that year in movement, in chronological order without any particular modus.

One of Those Places…

…You’re supposed to see before you die, that’s what Tasmania is. And really the verdict is still out on that for me. A land that is so incredibly beautiful, yet I remember little of because of the incredibly difficult interactions I had on that island. Of course, there were a couple genuinely great interactions that posed as life preservers, like Ben from Ross, and the overly excited waiter in Hobart, but overall my memory of the place is cloudy and vague. Could it have been the woman on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry who called me an arrogant black woman before I’d even step foot in the place? Or the wholly unwelcoming population that did it? Perhaps. I rather think it’s the air of incredible darkness, depression and eeriness that surrounds this isolated island. A cloud that unlike the ever-changing weather patterns of Cradle Mountain, stays firmly put, holding the souls of the eradicated First Nations People and mad convicts firmly in place. (A haunting, that I come to think of, isn’t unlike what one feels when passing through the Black Hills of South Dakota.)

I arrived on Tasmania not prepared for a lot. Somehow, in my dumkopf mind I figured the place would be small and easy to navigate, so I’d have free reign.A huge, honking wrong. A vast portion of Tasmania is protected so any outdoors activity you plan on doing has to be very well organized and planned way, way in advance, especially when taking into consideration the lack of adequate public transport. I could have cycled my way around, but I don’t cycle in temperamental weather conditions solo, much less when it’s below 5 degrees centigrade. Also, unbeknownst to me, I’d landed right in the middle of high season, so all car rentals were fully booked. Seriously desperate to catch a glimpse of the serene tranquility of nature, I borrowed my friend’s car and did some exploring, though couldn’t do the overnight camping I wanted.

Cradle Mountain was my first foray into Oceania’s wondrous nature and I was extremely grateful for it, though I can’t say it took my breath away the way it should have. The mountain and surrounding park are truly spectacular places, but so overrun by tourists you can go mad. You drive into a parking lot that’s akin to the county fair and from there you’re queued and bused to the ‘starting’ point,forgetting you’re in wild, wonderful nature. Unable to do the full Overland track, I did a part of it as a day hike, and it was nice, at least the bits where I could escape the hoards of out-of-shape hikers, some in seriously inappropriate shoes. To watch the weather change in a few hours, is to witness the glory of God’s creation. The amount of times I removed and put on layers during this hike was astounding and had me thanking my lucky stars I could afford good gear. To be honest it really wasn’t all that bad, because during a stop to layer shed, I came upon a veritable wonder of the world: the Echidna.It and the Platypus are the only monotremes in the world, egg-laying mammals.To see this truly extraordinary creature made my schlep—and arguably more lovely drive—worth it.

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