A few words about my traveling companions; my parents. My parents are some of the coolest 60 year old people out there, and you can take away the modifier 60 year old (sorry to Mom, she's not quite there yet, 59 year and 11 month old). They are what brought me here in the first place, for years they had this trip planned, a magical combination of solar eclipse, both turning 60 and Mom retiring. They have been here for a couple months, bought a Land Cruiser and have been cruisin' through Australia, camping along the way. Like the Land Cruiser they bought, they are rugged, tough, and competent, ready to face the perils of the land where "everything can kill you". So when I got here, I expected to jump right into that lifestyle. However, the first night we did not stay in a tent in the Outback, bugs and heat driving oppressing us.
Another characteristic of my parents is that they are incredibly friendly, a great advantage for prolific travelers. Their friendliness has led my parents to many great stories, from interactions with local campground owners, to making lifelong friends with other travelers. Two of those lifelong friends are a couple that they (well, I guess our whole family) met in a campground in one of the Carolinas when I was five years old. Wayne and Lorraine are Kiwis who hopped on their motorcycles and rode the globe. I actually remember from way back when because they ended up staying at our house and gave us tiny New Zealand flag pins, which we all cherished. They now live in Brisbane in a dorm room converted to an apartment, and are putting us up in separate rooms in the building as well. So much for thinking I would have my own tent, I've got my own room!
The advantages of their hospitality extends beyond being able to beat the heat and live in the city we are visiting, but are wonderful company as well. Wayne is away on business for a few days, but Lorraine has been coming to share dinner with us.
After the first evening, Lorraine mentioned "Christmas Crackers". We Americans all assumed she meant those salty little snack biscuits. No, she actually didn't mean food at all. She brought both "Christmas Crackers" and a holiday table cloth to our next dinner, and we had an impromptu holiday meal. For those who still are confused, Christmas Crackers are little decorative tubes that two people pull on the ends and they pop open to reveal a little Christmas surprise. Inside are toys, corny jokes, an even cornier tissue paper crown and a charade. We spent the evening having conventional (though not to us) Christmas fun and chatting about our families. A very nice pre-Christmas evening.
 |
| Dad and Lorraine opening the second cracker |
 |
| "What is the joke Mom?" |
No comments:
Post a Comment