I am preparing for my departure from Broome and considering I came here with a mission to work on a Pearl boat and relax, nothing really went to plan. Unfortunately, due to the economical crisis, they are sending less pearling boats out and the waiting list for employees was immense. After coming to terms with that realisation I decided to just use Broome as a retreat, a wind down period, as my time in Australia came to an end. And with Cable Beach, Australia's most beautiful beach, on my doorstep, what better place to do it.
I met Shalane in the campsite so my whole future started emerging in front of my face and plans kicked in for the Te Araroa Trek. The excitement and planning had not stopped since we first agreed I would be tagging along. I've loved the marketing side and receiving positive responses from sponsors feels like my birthday each time. Seeing Shalane's face light up like it was Christmas when her gear arrived from Canada confirmed that she was getting equally excited.
A spout of insomnia put a downer on things for a while. I think sleep deprivation for a long period of time is THE worst punishment anybody could do to me. It was maybe caused by NZ immigration not yet confirming my visa and after the planning, excitement and hard work that has gone into this, I would be devastated should they not let me in. So having lost momentum for some time, I had to give myself a kick up the bum and remain positive. I also got a part time job to pay for my accommodation and food as I would be staying in town longer to work on the project. I now know I am required to have a chest x-ray to check for TB for completion of my visa so watch this space.
The dramas have continued in Broome with freak torrential rain in the dry season creating severe floods around the whole town and especially, it seems, our campsite. I can also confirm that my tent does have holes in the bottom, which we actually discovered in a test run to the rain when the sprinklers flooded. I was actually sitting in my tent one night when my friend Inge suggested I pull my trainers inside and don't come out. When I unzipped the tent I realised I was surrounded by 4 inches of water and the bottom of my tent wobbled like a water bed. I found it hilarious, especially in the knowledge that I felt quite dry inside! The laughter subsided slightly when I realised the reason for me remaining so dry was because my foam mattress was soaking up all the water that was tricking in through the holes underneath.
One day at work when the heavens opened, receiving a text message from Hannah saying they had rescued my tent to higher ground was a huge relief! And to hear the girls dug trenches in the pouring rain so that the water could drain away proved real friendship! The rain continued and I have decided that the best way to describe the contents of my tent is that nothing is wet but nothing is dry. That, along with bloody smelly!
Happy to say now that the sun is out, I have 2 days left at work and 5 days left in the lovely Broome before I head up through the Kimberley's to Darwin. Hannah, and I have a relocation 4WD (Just - after they cancelled the first one) and we head north on 16 July. My stay didn't necessarily stay as chilled and relaxed as I planned but maybe my last few days will allow some down time before my next adventures!
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