Riding the wave

I recently moved to Australia from UK for a job. The move was surprisingly unpleasant for me, since I am generally quite enthusiastic about traveling to new places. For a variety of reasons, things haven’t worked out as expected. In the last few weeks, I felt quite down and out. I barely went out, spending my extra time doing mundane chores. I considered leaving (in less than a month’s time) frequently, but my dreams of being untethered and limitless were given a harsh reality check. I concluded that I wouldn’t have much to gain by moving, maybe not even emotional satisfaction. So I tried to make peace with it, still not wanting to be here. Just because I have to be here doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it, right?

My officemates kindly invited me to a camping trip they intended to go to with other people in the department. The objective was to stargaze, swim on the beach and enjoy a meteor shower. I was hesitant at first, because I had never gone camping, had no gear, and wasn’t in the mood to socialize. However, I do believe in having good relations with people in your department, and knew that this would be a good bonding exercise, so I agreed. I needed to procure, within a day, a tent, a mattress, a sleeping bag, a torch etc. Since I had not gone camping before and did not know if I would like to again, I was reluctant to invest. Each of them gave me some equipment (everybody in Australia is really nice), and I didn’t have to buy a thing!

We set off on Saturday afternoon. One of my officemates and his girlfriend picked me up in their car. We had to drive for about an hour to get to the base spot inside a national park. We stopped enroute to pick up a hat for me. While attempting to climb a slope into the car park of the store, the car’s engine momentarily stopped working, and we rammed into the car behind us. Thankfully the damage was minimal, and the driver said she didn’t need us to compensate her(another proof of Australians being nice). We took some rounds in the car park, and everything seemed fine. While I bought the hat, a discussion ensued regarding if we should get a rental car instead. My officemate was confident that things were fine, so we proceeded in the same car. Just before leaving the city, the car began making some beeping noises. At this point, my officemate became unsure of the car’s capabilities. We immediately stopped and rented a car. This entire process was quite stressful for the two of them, who felt very embarrassed for the trouble they were causing me and kept apologizing. They refused to take any money from me for the car rental. On a positive note, I finally got to sit in a green car! It is not very different from a normal car, except I felt much better.

We got to the base and met up with the rest of the group. I have now realized the importance of having a backpack, and traveling light. While others carried one back on their shoulders, I had 3, one in front, one behind, and one on the side. My officemate and his girlfriend helped carry the third bag, it was very kind of them. They also helped me with my bags while returning as well.

To get to the camping spot, we had to walk for 6-8 kms through a grassland. Since it was early evening, it was beautiful weather, with the sun not shining down on us too brightly, and a pleasant breeze gracing us occasionally. I learnt a bit about Australian vegetation, which is quite unique. Along the way, we got to see a baby snake slither past us, and a wasp paralyze a spider and carry it to its nest. I felt like I was walking in an Animal Kingdom documentary. We reached the top of the cliff, from where the view was dreamy. Lying to the left of the white and red stone was the magnificent blue ocean. We stayed there for a while, paying our respects. We then picked up our bags and descended, our intention being to camp right beside the beach. It was an arduous task but we got there before dusk. The view was beautiful, we could look at and see the ocean, but were unaffected by the sand that lay a few meters ahead.

We immediately began setting up our tents in as flat a place as possible. The process, while simple, was quite unintuitive to me in the beginning. It is ingenious that one can actually carry a small house which shelters us from sun and rain in their backpack. After setting it up, we began gathering firewood. We used sticks, twigs and branches of varying thickness, depending on what kind of fire we wanted. It was very interesting for me to watch and participate. Soon after, we started preparing dinner. My colleagues came prepared with a billy (or jimmy for Americans), a small utensil to cook in. A lot of food was cooked on the fire – marinated skewers of vegetables, pasta, corn on the cob etc. We had a very large and satisfying meal. For dessert, there was homemade carrot cake, homemade cookies (baked by me), and smoked marshmallow and chocolate biscuit sandwiches. We stayed until late, enjoying the warmth of the golden green embers, our faces enveloped in darkness, our conversations spanning a variety of topics, from hypnosis to racist dogs. I enjoyed being able to have a casual conversation with almost strangers after a long time, with no worries or strings attached.

Unfortunately, it seemed at that point that the skies were quite cloudy. We decided to take a small walk on the beach and call it a day. However, one of us spotted a shooting star while sitting on the beach. Since it wasn’t too cold, we decided to set up our sleeping bags there, so we could stargaze and/or sleep. By the time this was done, the sky had cleared, ablaze with a thousand minute flickering lights. It is impossible to get such a view from the city, because of all the extra lights. I quickly spotted a few shooting stars, before lying down in my sleeping bag. It was quite warm and comfortable, and I drooped off soon, listening to the lullaby of the waves. I remember a feeling of elation and gratefulness envelop me right before I slept off – happy to be there to experience this. The joy of being in nature is quite unlike another, because it is independent of any human being, including yourself. It gives a sense of things aligning in your favor, while mystifying you with all the beauty the universe holds. It feels similar to the joy one might experience while reading something amazing, except the ethereal is actually happening, how wonderful!

I recall waking up at some point, and watching a really big movement of white in the sky, I think it might have been a meteor. Since then, I kept going in and out of consciousness – feeling cold, feeling the mosquitoes, but not having the strength to go back to the tent. When I finally awoke, it was 6:45 am. It was beautiful, I had failed to capture the vivid colors of green, blue and yellow in the failing light from the night before. Soon, people around me woke up as well. We restarted the fire (which we had put out the previous night), and prepared breakfast. The feast included noodles, oats, pancakes, fruits, pastries etc. By now it had become quite hot, so we decided to go for a swim. I was a bit apprehensive about how cold the water would be, if there were sharks in the water, etc. The others convinced me to give it a try. The water was indeed cold, but we got used to it quickly. The waves were massive, as compared to the ones I am used to back home. My friends kept inching ahead, but I tried to maintain a safe distance, keeping the upper half of my body always above the water.

The next thing I remember is a large wave engulfing me. I was scared, but it was not unpleasant, just startling. It felt like the ocean was saying, welcome to Australia! Indeed, I felt welcome. I realized that, just like my body in this vast emptiness, my life was also clashing with a mighty wave of its own accord. Irrespective of whether I like it or not, this is the inescapable reality. There’s only one way to make sense of it, you’ve got to ride the wave. One never knows where its going to take you, but in that moment, only survival matters. As I stopped resisting the wave and let it carry me, I understood that I want to survive. I struggled in the beginning, but soon got a hang of it. When I finally got out, I felt happy that I had faced and conquered my fears. In my own small way, I have somehow always found the courage to deal with challenging situations, and triumphed. I resolved that this time was not going to be any different.

We then decided to explore the surrounding areas. The sand was squeaky and quite hot. We found several skeletons of dead fish, including puffer fish, and a fish with beautiful hexagonal patterns. We also found a very small and cute crab. When we returned to our tents, we realized that the flies had become unbearable, and that a bird had pecked at some of our lunch. We decided to pack up. The journey back was a difficult one. The sun bore down on us, draining us of our energy. With no shadow in sight, we kept walking through sandy terrain (akin to the Wild West, as portrayed by Hollywood) with flies everywhere, for what seemed like an eternity. We finally got to a better part of the park with more shade, and where the flies disappeared as well. My friend picked up a small lizard which kept trying to bite him. We also spotted an iguana and a kidna. Finally, we got to the car park, where we enjoyed some lunch and refreshments. After getting some passion fruit sorbet, I felt alive again. The journey back was uneventful and peaceful. I am glad I had this opportunity to witness such beauty, while making new connections. This concludes my first camping trip, my first view of the Australian ocean, and my first swim in the water here.

I enjoyed a lot and learnt a lot, which is the best possible combination. I feel rejuvenated and ready to give life and happiness a second chance. If you’re having a bad day, I hope this reminds you to ride the wave!