Today was a typically busy day in Contikiland. I awoke at 6:00 a.m. and was herded into the bus with the rest of the flock. We shuttled over to the Kakadu Airport for our one-hour scenic flight over Kakadu National Park. I was loaded onto a 14-seater plane and we were whisked away up into the early morning sky. The flight took us above the cliffs, wetlands and rivers of Kakadu (including the East Alligator River, cousin to the South Alligator River, upon which we will cruise later in the day). We weren't low enough to see any wildlife (apart from a few birds), and we weren't small enough to have an adventuresome ride, so overall I was somewhat disappointed, openly questioning this "highly recommended" $95 (!) optional excursion.
Next it was off to visit more "Crocodile Dundee" hot spots, including Anbangbang Billabong (say that 10 times fast!), where Hogan and Koszlowski boated across. Though only half full (due to it being the dry season), the billabong, with its accompanying birdlife, was quite scenic.
We also saw Noulangie Rock, where we had another opportunity to view Aboriginal rock art (Historical Note: I've learned that there were 4 stages of Aboriginal Art, progressing from Handprint Art to Salt Water/Estuarine Art to Fresh Water Art (ex. x-ray fish) to Post Contact Art (ex. European saliling ships). The art here was not as faded as its Obiri counterparts, and thus made the viewing (and photographing) much easier and more pleasurable. My favorite piece of rock art was Nammarrgon, The Lightning Man. A skeletal creature with axes on his knees and elbows, with a bolt of lightning over his head, the Lightning Man is a much feared and respected ancestral spirit. The Aborigines believe that the Lightning Man lives nearby in a special three-columned mountain (which I viewed) and ventures out periodically -- when angered or otherwise inclined -- to create lightning by striking the ground with his axes.
-------------------------Nammarrgon: The Lightning Man-----------------------
We made a third and final stop at the Kakadu Visitor's Center, where I purchased a wonderful Aboriginal Art storybook for my students and $50 worth of art posters and postcards.
Then it was back to the hotel for a swim and a rest. No, scratch that . . . first we went on our Salt Water Croc-Spotting Cruise down the South Alligator River (why "Alligator" and not "Crocodile", you ask? -- misnamed by "a bloody American," or so I'm told). The South Alligator River, a.k.a. "The Yellow Waters" -- so nicknamed because of the yellowish algae which forms in the river (and not because too many tourists relieved themselves, which was my guess) -- is the perfect place to catch sight of wild crocodiles in their natural habitat.
This Croc Cruise was one of the best things I've done on tour. Not only did I see a dozen crocodiles (ranging from babies a half meter long to adults a full 4 meters in length), but also a fanciful array of birdlife, including a jabaru (a large beautiful bird with a greenish neck and long, bright orange legs), a pelican, a tawny frog mouth (an owl-like grey-brownish bird which blends in perfectly with the tree it inhabits for life), a sea hawk, several egrets, a bunch of broulgas (ducks and kingfishers) and a partridge in a pear tree. Add to that three goanas, half a dozen wild horses and a feral pig, and it was truly a brush with nature.
----------"Dammit Jim . . . I'm a Croc-tor, NOT an Alliga-tor!"-----------
Then it was back to the hotel for a swim and a rest.
At 7:00 p.m. we all walked over to the Gagudju , a 5-star hotel constructed in the shape of a crocodile, where we had an unlimited feast of salmon, prawns, mussels, cream of broccoli & mushroom soup, turkey, pumpkin, applesauce, squash and tons of other meats, salads and vegies that I didn't have room for. The dessert table was exquisite, and I barely restrained myself to a single slice of blueberry cheesecake and some fresh fruit. I washed it all down with a Carlton Light beer.
After dinner, I shot some pool and danced the night away.
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