Category: Travel

3 Blokes in a Balloon

On By cjx07sterIn Dreaming, Travel1 Comment

Tersiiska Balloon

Three blokes decided to chance it and get up in a balloon one cold still morning.  They’d all come from different directions, having been individually sent invitations from a mysterious donor.  Kind of a gift card with a free balloon flight.

The balloon took off on time at 6am sharp in the cool morning air, the driver skillfully manipulating the gas burner, making the balloon just skim the treetops, nice and level, barely moving in the still air.

The driver handed around some Brut in champagne flutes. ‘Here’s to our new adventure’ he said. ‘You know – people have been riding balloons since the French invented them for over 200 years now. Very safe you are.’ he said.

After drinking the three guys were having a conversation about the effect of alcohol on the balloon.  The first guy said, ‘you know I think that the driver was a little ‘heavy handed with the champagne and that’s what made the balloon sink just now… too heavy handed.’

The second guy was feeling a bit light headed and seemed to feel even more light headed as the balloon started to rise.  This was probably due to his almost unbearable lightness of being.

The third guy was becoming less and less down to earth and then started making even more light of the situation with his incredibly unsubtle and weak minded jokes.  Thus the balloon kept rising .. the balloon did not stop rising until it had reached at least 10000 feet and the guys were worried that they might suffer from lack of oxygen.  The true gravity of the situation then hit them like a ton of bricks.  The balloon descended rapidly due to the additional weight and then they guys all started throwing gold bricks overboard.  It doesn’t take too many bricks to make a ton but that is not the point really.  Overboard with all the gold from the early morning rays of the sun and the balloon gradually leveled out again.

‘More Champagne ?’ asked the driver.

 

 

 

Photo courtesy Tersiiska:Flickr Copyright 2014

Minnamurra Call Unexpected Fall

On By cjx07sterIn Australia, Sunday Posts, TravelLeave a comment
Photo 2013-01-11 14.00.23
The sound of birds and water falling

The bird – I don’t know what bird – maybe a lyrebird mimic was there. In the gully just down by the falls. A bush rat ran past in a hurry. Old cold blocks of rock hemmed us in between the west cold mountain and the sea. We’d climbed 400 metres up along the elevated walkways and rope bridges straddling the rivulet. Past giant strangler figs and stinging trees. Past ancient red cedars, the survivors of past logging trails. A native rainforest in a sandstone slot gorge carved out of the old dividing range with a view of the pacific ocean to the east over Kiama.  Now we had arrived, a long walk up to the top where the falls are found. Here though the long curtains of lighted water falling are thin and scarce into the pool below.

I just wanted to see it, having heard it. With no cautionary thought, I had jumped over the railing and landed heavily in the bush below the viewing platform.  Jane cried out, “What are you doing !!!”.. but too late, as I started sliding down into the gorge, trying to grab something but moving down fast. Rocks and sandy bits came raining down on me as I clung onto a gum tree branch overhanging the falls gorge below.

“It’s nothing” – I called back, listening to the sound of my voice bouncing off the rock walls.

Jane muttered something about stupid and moronic – how I could have killed myself.  The wind was up, and I carefully thought through the sudden kind of stuck predicament I was in. I’d shoved my phone in my pocket before clambering over the fence, so I should be ok.  My clothes were kind of ripped up and I worried about how dishevelled I would appear  once I got back the platform.  How exactly since I had only a grip on a branch hanging down with the slippery rain forest ground cover between me and the platform.

I was hanging on this branch, I was ok. No clue now how to get back up to the platform.

“Jane, can you see if someone has a rope ?? and throw it down ?? . I can’t get up.” – I called again… loudly…  More echoes.

“Why can’t you just pull up on that branch, and get up here that way ?”, she said.

“Look, just go get one from somewhere quick.:” – I said, and then with that the branch broke.  No need for a rope anymore I thought tumbling down through space and straight down into the slot – basically free fall, until I hit the side of the  gorge and bounced all the way down into the water below…  which hurt  and suddenly the noise of the birds was replaced by the frigid cold murk of the rock pool at the bottom.

COLD COLD WET COLD LONELY COLD WET SLIME COLD WET BUBBLES GREEN AND ROCKS AND THINGS

PAIN PAIN AHHHH – blood coming out — my knee hip and elbow seem to have got hit on the way down into the pool.  I clambered onto the rocks and lay there for a bit.  Coudn’t hear anything – too preoccupied with the body signals coming from all over me.

After I bit I tried to get up – Jane was way up there, about 100 feet or more up calling frantically.

“You ok, Where are you ?, Where are you ? John ! : “where are you “. she called.

I had landed below a ledge somehow and could not see directly up to the platform.

“I’m down here below .. I’m ok but I don’t know how to get out of here.” – I yelled again.

It went quiet , quiet like the birds wanted to know what just happened. Quiet like I did as well and Jane must have run off to get a rope [finally] or help of some kind.

Excuse me Sir – You have to Imagine it

On By cjx07sterIn Art, Engineering, Innovation, TravelLeave a comment

On entering the room, there it was, a submarine so it seemed, all big round and rusty as I recall, and really filling the space, standing tall close to the ceiling, and wall to wall, almost corner to corner.  It looked more like a massive piece of war junk, a bomb perhaps, long not exploded after being left behind.  A modern day artist had found it and installed it in this rather white room of the art gallery.  How long had it been there ? How did they get it in ? Not sure – it looked familiar, yet impossible to really comprehend as something of any use whatsoever. How heavy was it ? It kind of looked solid, but I should have been too heavy if it was solid all the way though maybe.

The room seemed too small for the object and you could not the whole thing from where I stood near the entry. I started over to the left side, and tried to crab my way down the side wall – trying to see behind the thing, to see if there was a nameplate or something.

“Excuse me Sir”, came the command of the supervisor.

-mm.. but there was no line on the floor indicating the viewing limits — I thought..

I tried a bit further in, just a peek behind it is all I wanted..

“Excuse me Sir” !!

I backed out, oh well – I would just have to imagine it, since I could not see behind it.

How will the egg remember it’s me

(who backed out with care in the gallery)

when it has to remember

a rusty old chicken

It’s laid there to be

Later I ventured into another small room, an alcove hidden from view and the only thing in it was a square hole in the wall. The hole in the wall was pitch dark.  I poked my head in. There was nothing in there.  Gradually my eyes became accustomed to the dark inside the hole in the wall.  I still could not see much. I closed my useless eyes.

It smelled rusty !

“Excuse me sir !” I yelled into the void.  A dark metallic echo came back !

Now I remember what I imagined.

A short recollection – written in response to a experiencing the sculpture MEMORY of  Anish Kapoor.

Making Christmas

On By cjx07sterIn Travel3 Comments

Making Christmas

Christmas Tree – Abu Dhabi Rotana Beach Lobby – Dec 2012

 

It takes time to make a Christmas tree.  Last weekend it took me a day or two, from cutting down the top of a Laurel tree in my front yard, to trimming, making it stand ok, and then decorating it.  Here in Abu Dhabi today the people worked 3 dog shifts overnight to make this fabulous one.  There is somewhat of a contrast here, where all of the decor of the hotel is distinctly Arabic and yet right in the centre of the lobby is a beautiful reminder of Christmas.  Of course it’s hot outside and what better place to be than in a cool quiet lobby contemplating Christmas far from home.