Camping - my last post from Punmu

It's my last night in Punmu after what has been one of the most exciting and quickest weeks of my life. The weekend has been no different to the rest of my time in here, with so much to see and do and many adventures to be had. 

Friday night was the town disco, but after an eventful morning of hunting, we decided that we could do with a an early break and headed to the far side of the salt lake, about 30km out of town to camp for the night. It was dark when we arrived and we set up mostly in the dark due to the plague of bugs that descended every time we turned on a light of any kind. We had brought firewood with us and I was astounded at how fast the big branches catch out here - everything is so, so dry that we needed hardly any kindling. Here we are setting up - it was a little eerie to be sitting out so exposed in the pitch black, but I soon got used to it and was distracted by the amazing night sky. You can see the milky way so clearly out here and the stars are so bright that it was hard to pick out constellations due to the sheer number of stars crowding the sky.

The morning was just as spectacular, waking up to the view below - I actually woke with a fright when I realised how out in the open we were.

Being a salt lake, it was incredibly bright and hot by 7am  (it's been over 40 degrees here each day) so we quickly packed out our swags and headed home to snooze in the air conditioning until it was time to leave for the next camping place.

The next place was 4.5 hours away from camp at a place called running waters - though strangely, though there are communities dotted around near here, nobody chose this wonderful oasis. We arrived at about 4pm, having driven through most of the heat and jumped straight in the river as soon as we got there. It's fed by a thermal spring so lovely and clear and refreshing with only a few fish to bother you while you're floating around.



Despite this place being so remote, it was packed compared to most places around here, with four other groups camping - quite the crowd! Still plenty of room for a riverside spot though.

Carly and Mat cooked an amazing dinner in the cast iron put over a pit of coals. Unluckily, after we had eaten, I was tending the fire and without thinking stepped back straight in to the coals. Thank god I had my thongs on, but some small coals still got in between my thong and my foot making me squeal and jump a metre in to the air. Luckily our trusty esky was nearby and I put my foot straight in, not moving for the next 15 mins. There was no first aid kit in the truck and so to keep most of the dirt out of my foot while I slept (the swags get really dirty from the sheer amount of dust and sand there is out here), I fashioned a bandage out of foil and tissues. Combined with washing my feet every 5 mins, it worked really quite well as well as providing amusement to all.

The good thing about being injured was that I got to sit in the shade and be waited on the next day, with yummy egg sandwiches made for me while I reclined and supervised

 Driving a total of 10 hours for one night seems quite excessive when you think about it, but the scenery on the way was gorgeous and it didn't seem too long at all. These plateaued hills are all over the landscape and are like nothing I've ever seen before. 

On the way back in to Punmu, I finally had a chance to take a photo of the entrance to the community. Once "discovered" by white people, the Martu were quickly forced on to a mission in Jigalong (the place in the rabbit proof fence movie) some 8 hours away from here. When the mission closed some time in the late 70's, the ute below returned some of the people to their traditional land and Punmu has been here ever since, with the existence of a well making a settled community possible. 

As I mentioned before, there's no alcohol allowed here which is a real drawcard for families. There are many children who have family working in towns, but who stay in camp being looked after by aunts and grandparents so they can have a more traditional and stable upbringing.

Today was quiet at school, with a bunch of families leaving yesterday for the footy carnival in Jigalong. We had a small class and were sitting down to do reading when word came that the second bus had arrived. All the kids, and I mean ALL, jumped up and ran out, so we made a coffee, tidied the school and came home. 

Fittingly for my final night, we drove to Punmu Hill to watch the sunset and after scrambling up the loose gravely hill on my sore foot, I wasn't disappointed.

 

It was still about 36 degrees but with a cooling breeze and it was just wonderful to sit there in the silence and watch the sun sink below the horizon.

Like everything out here, the photos just don't do it justice. You can see for miles and miles and miles and it's so peaceful and calming. The earth radiates heat from the day and you feel like you're wrapped in a warm blanket. 

Getting down was slow (steep!) but not to difficult. You can kinda see the loose shale-y rocks in this pic.

 

After de-lousing the kids on Monday, I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to bring back any souvenirs with me and so got Carly to check my head when we got back. Sure enough, she found one and I can tell you that I was extremely grateful to have such a de-lousing pro making sure I am bug free. She and Matty did their hair too, so it was quite the family affair. 

Sitting here now, I'm really sad to be leaving. The week has gone so quickly and I loved every single minute of it. We leave tomorrow at 6am for the Telfer gold mine where I'll be hitching a ride on their fly in/fly out worker plane to Perth then home and back to reality by evening.

Punmu is definitely the most foreign place I've been, even after places like Bangladesh and Ukraine. Things are different in bigger ways than I can explain in this blog and the cultural differences run so deep that I've had to leave many of my beliefs about what's "normal" behind. Everything is extreme here, life is still very harsh and there are a lot of things that in regular life would be nuts, but here are completely ordinary and they really feel that way too.

Living in a community is certainly not for everyone, it's extremely isolated and hot and dirty and as a white person, you're a visitor who will always be considered an outsider. But like everyone else here, I've fallen in love with this place - its charm is captivating and the reward of being part a community that is keeping people connected to their country while making sure they have the ability to take advantage of opportunities both within and outside the community is extremely powerful. You get the feeling that the story is just starting here and if I get the chance, I'll be back in a heartbeat.

Goanna hunting

Another beautiful 5am start today! So that there's evidence of my 5am running, here's a picture of Carly and I on the airstrip. Without the distractions of Sydney life (i.e. wine), it really feels great to start the day with a run and be energised and home, ready for breakfast by 6:30am

As promised, the kids were at school early this morning and keen to go hunting. We picked up two of the ladies and headed a little way out of town only to get a flat tire. This was fun for the kids and they couldn't wait to take a photo before running away to look for lizards before there was any chance that they might be asked to help.

Soon after we reached a spot that the ladies thought would be good and set off on the hunt. These two women are gangster - with their beanies and long metal poles, just waiting to get at a big lizard.

Hunting for lizards is equal parts fun, boring and hot. You have to walk around in the baking sun looking for a fresh goanna hole and then use the pole or crowbar to collapse the caves and dig out most of the dirt before crossing your fingers and sticking your hand in there to grab what you hope is the tail of the goanna and not the face.

The ladies do the best job of course and find two of the three goannas we catch over the three hour period. If we were really out in the desert, the rest of us would have starved today! The woman below was armpit deep in the hole and grabbed the goanna face first, pinching it's mouth shut before dragging it out of the hole and giving it to one of the boys to brain on the ground, quickly ending its life. 

Now comes the real fun - this is your chance to pose with the goanna, rush up to your friends and thrust it in their face, walk around wearing it like a hat and artfully arrange it on burnt out branches of nearby shrubs.

The walk back to the truck was long and hot and once there, we were pleased that we had brought bountiful water and muesli bar supplies with us.

By this time, everyone was tired and hot and the successful hunters were reluctant to share their catch so we headed home to the air con for what is becoming the ritual siesta time and to organise camping gear for the weekend. 

Town disco is tonight, then camping on the other side of the salt lake and at a place called running waters until Sunday afternoon. Can't wait to have a swim and sleep out under the stars

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Some things I forgot to post yesterday

In my haste, I forgot to include a bunch of stuff about yesterday - mainly that I remembered to take a photo of the salt lake and that I was thrilled to have a turn at throwing the garbage in to the tip.

I've taken hardly any photos of the camp - it feels very weird to be taking photos here, kinda like when you see tourists taking photos in Broadway Shopping Centre and you think 'what on earth are they trying to capture?'. The one below is the view from the school out to the salt lake, doesn't do it justice at all, but a bit of an indication nonetheless.

This is the school emblem - the people who live in the community are Martu, and their lands cover a big proportion of the Western Desert with communities dotted all over, though many Martu now live in towns and cities. They're one of the last groups to have all its members "discovered" by white people in the late 1960's and they are very proud of their culture and their connection with country. The community has an AFL team, which plays other communities at carnivals throughout the year (I'm JUST going to miss out on one that's on a mere 8 hours down the road, and am feeling the disappointment very keenly), a band that has produced recordings that the kids listen to on their ipods and a ranger program that keeps up the traditions of hunting, water sourcing and controlled burning (among other things) alive and well. 

Just outside the town is the tip. No garbage trucks here, you just walk up to the hole and throw in your bag. As you can see, some people are more successful than others.

The salt lake! Lake Dora, breathtakingly beautiful and just a quick walk down the hill from the school. In the wet season, it does sometimes fill with water, but mostly it's hard, hard enough to drive and ride bicycles on with a thick layer of crusted salt that crunches as you walk. Again, the photos don't do it justice - the sunset was amazing. We may camp on the other side of the lake tomorrow night after the town disco has finished and watch the sun rise over the town the next morning. 

Today has been far less eventful, with a super hot day (it was still 36 degrees at 5pm, so I'm guessing it was at least 40 during the heat of the day), unsettled kids and a longer than usual day at school as a result. After we finally got home and had a late lunch, it was well and truly siesta time and we have all only started to stir now some 4 hours later.

Tomorrow will be filled with excitement though - the kids are taking me goanna hunting as a special activity and we'll be joined by some of the older ladies from the community, one of which was one of the very, very last people to stop living a traditional, nomadic lifestyle in the 70's/80's, so it should be brilliant. The plan is to come back and cook the goanna for lunch and I've already been warned that I may have to kill my own if I want to eat some, so we will see how that goes, but I hope I can convince one of the kids to do my dirty work for me!

Hanging out in Punmu

First day in Punmu
We hit the ground running yesterday, driving around the community at 7:30am to round the kids up for school (it is the holidays after all!)

School here starts early, with breakfast for the kids then quickly into the first lessons of the day. It's fairly relaxed this week with lots of kids away from camp so we're all in one room and play hangman and other games that help to improve the kids literacy before sitting down to do reading in the library. The kids are still shy with me at this stage but one of them agrees to read with me - she's great, sounding out all her words and very proud to finish the entire book before fruit-time (their recess, but with a focus on healthy habits).

By the time we come back, do a bit more spelling on the ipads, it's time to make lunch - I'm supervising four 10 year old boys who want to help, organising them in to a production line to make sandwiches. It's only semi-successful as I realise my child wrangling skills are next to non existent  but we get there in the end and no complaints from the kids about the quality so I consider this a win!

A walk on the salt lake completed the day, but sadly no photos from this as my camera wasn't charging when I thought it was and the battery was dead when we got out there.

Day 2 - my time to shine! 
This morning was another 5am start, which is not as taxing as it sounds - it's the best part of the day, nice and cool and so we went for a run to the top of the nearest sand dune, about 1.5km away. It was so beautiful to see the sun continue to rise over the plains with the tufts of grass peeking out of the red sand. We plan to head back there on Friday, so I'll make sure I bring my camera

When we got to school it was my time to shine - I brought a bunch of midwifery stuff up from work with me and was teaching the kids what a midwife is as well as some vocabulary and spelling words to do with the body (gotta know how to spell uterus!) and a couple of practical activities with the baby dolls.

Here we are learning how babies are super clever and maneuver themselves to come through the pelvic bones to be born. The kids LOVED this! Even the boys, as you can see, were very keen to have a go at seeing how the baby moves through the body as they are born.

Even the smallest child, who is only 3 1/2 - 4 years old wanted to have a go - so cute! 

And of course, after the baby is born, you wrap them up! So we did that too, with even more excitement from the kids. 

They were really good at it too - lots had helped out with smaller brothers and sisters and they were complete pros. 

After all that excitement it was definitely siesta time, so we packed up with promises of more baby action for tomorrow and retreated to the air-conditioned comfort of Carly's house. 

Did I mention that I love it here??

Port Hedland and drive to Punmu

Earlier this year, my friend Carly wrote me an email to see if I wanted to come up to visit her in Punmu, the community in outback WA where she works and lives. I pretty much jumped through the computer in my haste to say yes and now, after two days of travel from Sydney, I'm finally here.

I've never been to WA and was really surprised at just how different this part of Australia is to where I live. The plane from Perth to Port Hedland was at least 90% men, headed up for a week of work in the mines or construction. Having checked in separately to the others, I was lucky enough to be seated between two HUGE men, one of which had a shaved skull that was completely covered in tattoos. They were very pleasant, but I couldn't help but think what would have happened if a man was seated there because I was jammed in shoulder to shoulder between then. 

When we got to Hedland it was the same. Men - big burly men in hi-vis shirts and a much, much, smaller proportion of women that I'm used to. We had a drink in a local pub, but felt a little out of place in our non-fluorescent clothing and didn't stay long. That was ok, because Coach Carly had planned an early morning run for the next day (it was so stinking hot that we had to stop at a pub and beg a glass of water half way through) and we had all our shopping to do before heading off. 

This is what a "small shop" looks like

We couldn't leave Hedland without a trip to the local tourist attraction though - a big pile of salt. I'm sure you'll agree it was well worth the stop

The drive to Punmu was very eventful, with several grass fires that we had to drive through

This was also the first time I'd seen a road train - four trailers on each one, and there there are heaps of them! This section of the road is so narrow that you have to radio ahead to let any other vehicles in the area know that you're coming. We had to pull off the road so this road train could go by - it was an amazingly beautiful stretch of road, made even more exciting by the road train encounter

By the time we reached Marble Bar (Australia's hottest town) we were ready to smash a beer, and so we did. Past Marble Bar, there is actually no fuel or water outside the communities so it was a well deserved stop.

The road turns to red dirt when you're still 300km out of Punmu - amazing

And we went past the rabbit proof fence, which I also thought was quite cool.

We didn't get in to Punmu until 8:30pm and quickly fell in to bed after unloading our mountains of shopping

Today was a 5am start with Coach Carly in the Gym, followed by school until 12 then relaxing and lunch. I think I'm really going to like it here! 

Adventure 19: Budapest

Budapest for me, was one of the most vibrant and fun cities I've been to. We happened to be staying in a great area for nightlife, which helped, but the whole place seemed like it was one big party.

Our visit didn't start off to well. We caught the right number bus, but in the wrong direction, ending up in some random neighbourhood outside the centre. So we crossed the street and jumped on without a ticket. Bad move. We got busted almost straight away by a ticket inspector. Lucky for us, we held out and insisted they call the police when they tried to bargain a rate for the 'fine' with us. They pretended to call them and we were stuck in a bit of a stalemate, not knowing what to do, when we got saved by a friendly accomodation tout. pheew! 80 euros saved.

Our hostel was a converted apartment and very, very, 'cozy'. We were lucky to have a really fun aussie couple staying there who we hung out with a lot going to warehouse, cellar and rooftop bars all over the city. A perfect way to spend a week of 40 degree heat.

One of the biggest highlights of Budapest (especially in that type of heat) are the baths. Thermal and fresh water pools that have been in Budapest since the Romans wandered through. We spent two afternoons splashing around and trying out all the different saunas and plunge pools all the way from 80 degrees (sauna) to 18 degrees (the coldest plunge pool). We emerged both times wrinked, happy, and ready for some amayingly good Israeli falafel that was just across the street from the hostel. Quite possibly the best falafel in the world - even better than Rowda in Newtown.

I was so sad to leave this city - I'll definitely be back.

Photos to come probably in London. We're in Berlin at the moment, staying in a really cool district, 30 degrees every day, too many fun things to do, see, buy here!

Adventure 18: Eger

I had quite high expectations of Eger, a pretty town, lots of wine and our own apartment with no other stinky backpackers and it managed to live up to them.

It was great enough that we managed to give ourselves a proper scrub down after 6 weeks of travel let alone being able to sit in the bath tub with a book and a glass of local wine.

The town centre of Eger was stunning, little bridges, narrow cobbled streets and a town square with many cafes. It also has an minaret which you are able to climb and then view the whole town from a very narrow platform. I am usually pretty good with heights but the tiny platform freaked us both out and we were quite happy when we were safely back on the ground.

On our second day in the town we walked out to the wine region. It was very different from Australian wineries, as basically it was just a loop of cellar doors and you bought a large glass of wine to try rather than sampling a number of varieties. We managed to stumble upon this crazy old hungarian guy that was shouting at us as we walked past his cellar. He spoke no English, but we managed to order in German and then he had us try a ten year old rielsing and it was pretty tasty. So tasty in fact, that we got him to fill up a 2 litre coke bottle so we could drink it later. We tried to ignore the fact that he was sucking on the tube to siphon it into the bottle and happily made our way home with our booty.

We actually think he might have done the old switcheroo on the wine though when we drank it later but it was still tasty so all good in the end.