By morning my fever has already started to subside but I am exhausted and drained from the experience. My worries about malaria are, at least, unfounded and I feel I am on the mend. Amazingly, by lunchtime I have perked up considerably, and, can take notice of the significant change in the landscape as head for our last stop before Sydney.
The farm land is much more developed here, and we pass throughwheat fields and even paddy fields and toens and villages, where this some evidence of the flooding we have heard mention of on the tv.
Next thing we know is splat, splat, splat. Not rain this time, but we are going through a swarm of grasshoppers (do grasshoppers swarm?), then a plague of locusts. The windscreen and grille at the front of the bus are quickly covered. Rick pulls into a garage to refuel and Chris jumps at the opportunity to offer his services as official bus window cleaner, and it's pretty much a full time job as we hit swarm after swarm. Each time we stop, he leaps out, grabs an Esky (thats a large cool box to us Brits) and jumps up on it to wipe the dead and suffering away from the windscreen so Rick can see where we are going.
In fact, where are going becomes the mantra of the day as no-one can remember the name of this penultimate stop. Narrandera? It sounds like a Muppet chant. Where? Everyone has been focussed on our objective of Sydney, since our arrival in Australia, and on what they are going to do post Ozbus. Return home? More travelling? New job? New life?
Narrandera turns out to be a complete and pleasant surprise. Quaint and quintessentially English New England with its clapboard houses and ornate wrought iron verandahs. There's even a village green, an ex-serviceman's club and a Royal Doulton china fountain (one of 2 in the world!).
The campsite is a holiday village with ovely holiday bungalows overlooking a river and lake. Dinner is in the ex-serviceman's club and after touring the village green from every angle we eventually make it for dinner, where we will also have our Ozbus Awards ceremony. Now I have attempted to recall who won what that night but it has all faded into a celebratory blur.
Best Traveller : Janet/Liv
Funniest Faces: Chris
Loudest Snorer: Mark (Coober Pedy sealed it for him)
Best Smile: Debbie
Best in Bikini: Michele (he beat all the girls!)
Best Drinker: Lisa
Most Mozzie Bites: Lisa
Most Accident Prone: Frankie?
Me?I won Loudest Laugh AND Loudest Voice
Who would have guessed it?
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but decided the latter would only win me another award. Boohoo.
The farm land is much more developed here, and we pass throughwheat fields and even paddy fields and toens and villages, where this some evidence of the flooding we have heard mention of on the tv.
Next thing we know is splat, splat, splat. Not rain this time, but we are going through a swarm of grasshoppers (do grasshoppers swarm?), then a plague of locusts. The windscreen and grille at the front of the bus are quickly covered. Rick pulls into a garage to refuel and Chris jumps at the opportunity to offer his services as official bus window cleaner, and it's pretty much a full time job as we hit swarm after swarm. Each time we stop, he leaps out, grabs an Esky (thats a large cool box to us Brits) and jumps up on it to wipe the dead and suffering away from the windscreen so Rick can see where we are going.
In fact, where are going becomes the mantra of the day as no-one can remember the name of this penultimate stop. Narrandera? It sounds like a Muppet chant. Where? Everyone has been focussed on our objective of Sydney, since our arrival in Australia, and on what they are going to do post Ozbus. Return home? More travelling? New job? New life?
Narrandera turns out to be a complete and pleasant surprise. Quaint and quintessentially English New England with its clapboard houses and ornate wrought iron verandahs. There's even a village green, an ex-serviceman's club and a Royal Doulton china fountain (one of 2 in the world!).
The campsite is a holiday village with ovely holiday bungalows overlooking a river and lake. Dinner is in the ex-serviceman's club and after touring the village green from every angle we eventually make it for dinner, where we will also have our Ozbus Awards ceremony. Now I have attempted to recall who won what that night but it has all faded into a celebratory blur.
Best Traveller : Janet/Liv
Funniest Faces: Chris
Loudest Snorer: Mark (Coober Pedy sealed it for him)
Best Smile: Debbie
Best in Bikini: Michele (he beat all the girls!)
Best Drinker: Lisa
Most Mozzie Bites: Lisa
Most Accident Prone: Frankie?
Me?I won Loudest Laugh AND Loudest Voice
Who would have guessed it?
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but decided the latter would only win me another award. Boohoo.
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