Getting around in Broome

In 1993, I travelled alone in this area of Australia alone but not without friendly people around me at all times. I stayed at a backpacker's place in Broome which was clean and full of young people from all over the world. We always cooked our own meals but at night there was crazy dancing and fun everywhere. Music is the same in every language.

Early one morning a fellow named Mattias from Switzerland wanted a travelling buddy to proceed north to the next town. We shared expenses and I read to him from my Erica Jong book,The Fear of Flying. It is always good to share cultural experiences as you travel and a few language lessons never hurt either.

We felt sad to leave each other, but that is what life on the road is beginnings and endings. It doesn't have to be sad because you learn that an ending means that a beginning is coming. We walked through the underground caves together in our sneakers.

I didn't see the bats hanging upside down on the ceiling of the cave on our way in, but they were certainly there and noisy and visible as we left. Mattias shared my love of photography and close attention to detail. Our uncoupling was natural as we had a quick hug and I noticed lining up new passengers for the next part of his trip.
In a laundry facility I found a notice that said FISHING DAY Meet at the pier at 7:30 Tuesday. Well this turned out to be a lovely idea.

Three women and i were there and ready to go. ourhost was also a woman. We caught many small yellow fish that no one wanted. Another schoolteacher and I decided we would take them back to where we were staying and have a feast. We invited others to join us. if we each chipped in five dollars, we could have wine and bread and salad and fish for supper.

There was a BBQ at our backpacker's so we fired it up and lounged about in our fancy skirts and relaxed in a most unusual way until bedtime.
I spent eight months like this on the road, living sporatically and happily travelling by bus, rented car and airplane and found myself back in adelaide, ready for a flight to New Zealand.