Kenya...not the country

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  Mataburra, Australia
Thursday, December 8, 2005

Well, it's been about two weeks since my adventure into the outback of Queensland, but I've just been so busy with work and getting settled into my new house that I just haven't had a chance to write. So I apologize for this belated telling, but I promise it will be worth the wait...

DAY ONE - NOVEMBER 25

After stuffing ourselves with Thanksgiving dinner and watching movies, I quickly packed my bags to head off into the unknown. I was going into the Outback to a sheep station called Kenya, so named because the land reminded the first owners of when they had visited the African country. AJ was due to pick me up at 1:30 am in order to start the 15 hour drive Northwest. Crammed into the backseat of his Ford Explorer with two other girls while AJ and Julie took turns driving in the front, sleep was the only way to escape the boredom and heat (despite the air conditioning that was supposedly on). Stopping a couple times for a stretch, food, and pee breaks, we managed to reach the ranch around 4 pm. And even when I was in South Africa, I had never really seen anything like it. The closest town was about half an hour away and the it took a good 15 minutes of driving on the actual property before we reached the house. Stepping out the car, the dry heat hitting me like a punch, I looked around and saw nothing but bushes and a couple of straggly looking trees on land so flat it just seemed to go on for forever. In the very distant distance I could just make out a hill. That's where the nearest neighbor lived I was later told.

A Bore

The sight was daunting, but thrilling at the same time. To think that people lived here and made a life here where there was nothing, and no immediate help around if anything happened. And people say that I'm brave to travel on my own. The house itself seems almost magical, an oasis of green grass, big beautiful trees, shaded porches, a swimming pool, and (best of all) air conditioning. I was soon introduced to the family - Pammy and John, who own the place and their children Scott the oldest, Amanda whose 21st we were there to celebrate, and Jimbo the youngest. The second oldest son was traveling in Europe. Then there were the cousins - Lachie, Andrew, and Walker - whose names it took me forever to link to the right guy. A couple other friends of the amily were there as well, all in work clothes and jackaroo hats. It was all quite impressive to a city girl like me. After tea I went out with the guys to Mataburra, the closest town, to have a couple drinks at the local pub. It was a great little place with craggy-faced men in dusty hats playing pool or leaning up against the bar shooting the breeze with a stubby in one hand and a hand-rolled cigarette in the other. Everyone knew each other, and as soon as I walked in I felt all eyes on me. Not only was I one of the only women in the place, but I was new. It was a more curious, appraising gaze then hostile one, and as soon as I ordered a XXXX beer all was well. That night after a feast of a meal eaten out on the back lawn in a circle of chairs, all the young people retired to "the quarters" for more drinking and eventual sleep.

Best shot EVER!

The quarters is where the sheep shears sleep and if you can picture what migrant fruit pickers' lodgings look like in the movies, the only difference was that this place had little rooms to provide some privacy. I thought how great this was going to be, roughing it just like in the movies. I sat out with the guys drinking and talking into the night. The only sounds where of animals I didn't really want to know where or what they were. Looking up at the millions of stars in the sky, I couldn't help but think that this was the life. Then I went to bed. First of all, there was a frog sitting on the toilet seat in the communal bathroom, which I had to get one of the guys to move for me, and then there were the bugs in my room. As I lay there, sweating, bugs crawling on me, and desperately trying to bring sleep on, I told myself that there was no way that I would be able to last five days here. This was not like in the movies!

DAY TWO - NOVEMBER 26

We woke up early the next morning to start preparations for Amanda's big party. I was designated make luminaries with Anika, another cousin and the only other girl around besides Amanda. The boys were all commissioned to do the hard labor stuff, so I was happy to sit in the shade and fold paper bags. After we all finished our various tasks, the rest of the day was spent jumping in the pool and then air drying under the tree, talking and napping. Now this was the life! The memories of my night of bugs, frogs, and sweat were pushed to the back of my mind.

Black tie with a twist

After lunch, we all went back down to the quarters supposedly for a nap. At this point it was in the mid-90s and no one was really able to sleep. We pulled out all our mattresses into the common area, started up the fans and just lay there sweating. Some beers were drunk, some card games played, jokes told and, of course, everyone teased the yank! All in all, it was a great afternoon...despite the fact that I probably lost five pounds in sweat. The challenge then was to make ourselves all look presentable for the party that's theme was black tie with a twist. The guys all ended up wearing their tuxedo tops with shorts. I, in the fabulous borrowed black dress, decided to wear sunglasses all night. This later evolved into wearing sunglasses on the head and no shoes when I couldn't see anything anymore and my feet started to hurt. In the end, I think that we all transformed ourselves rather nicely, and the party was great! Again, I was swimming in the champagne and having a fabulous time talking and dancing with all the guys who were very excited to have a girl in their midst who was neither related in some way nor someone they had known since birth. It all really went by in a haze. Maybe it was because I was twirled around so much on the dance floor by all the boys who were taught to dance the old way (and more fun way) in boarding school. Or maybe it was the champagne. Or maybe just the magic and beauty of a night in the outback surrounded by fairy lights and stars.

DAY THREE - NOVEMBER 27

Yeah, this day went by in a blur too...but not a nice or beautiful blur.

Feeding Zach

I dragged myself out of bed with one of the worst hangovers in my life, cursing my love of champagne. I have now decided to lay off the stuff for awhile. I somehow managed to dress myself and get down to the house for breakfast thinking that I didn't look too bad. But by the time the fifth person walking past me grimaced and told me, "Wow Lacey, your looking good today. Have a fun night last night?" I knew that I must really look like shit. Which is how I felt, so it really shouldn't have been much of a surprise. I basically spent the rest of the day puking and sleeping, dipping into the pool to cool off, and laying under the tree. While everyone went to the recovery, which means drinking more than the night before and not groaning in agony in bed as I was doing, I was carefully watched over by Pammy and Julie to make sure I wasn't going to die as I was claiming. Finally, by around dinner time I was feeling almost completely better, which is when everyone came back from the recovery and told me what I great time I had missed out on. And even though I knew that I couldn't possibly have made it, I went to bed cursing my wussiness for not having just sucked it up and gone to pub.

DAY FOUR - NOVEMBER 28

I woke up the next day, though, glad that I hadn't gone drinking when I looked at the agony-filled faces around me. Today I was ready to see the ranch! After getting my heavyduty walking shoes on and a hat with a hole in the top (I was told not to worry about how it looked, that I needed it because of the sun), I jumped into the ute with Pammy and Julie to inspect the different paddocks.

Gorgeous!

I held the gun. The first one we went to, a couple of the sheep had gotten stuck in the water basin when the jumped over the little wire fence ment to keep them out of it. We easily got them out and then noticed a lamb stuck in the mud of a dried up water hole. It was cacked in mud, more dead than alive, but Pammy and Julie were able to pull it out and take it back to the house to hose down. They gave it water and washed off as much mud as they could. It was truely amazing - the little guy was up and walking around within 15 minutes. Though they still thought that it was very possible it would die, having been stuck in the mud for about three days or so, by the end of the day the little lamb was doing really well. We named it Lucky. Not only was it lucky that it was found, but that it was found by us instead of one of the men who would have shot it. After driving around the property and checking some more things, we headed back to the house for some lunch where I was told that the guys and Amanda were taking me pigging. Now, on a piece of land as big as Kenya, there are bound to be tons of different types of animals. I had already seen lots of kangaroos jumping around and birds amoung the sheep and cattle, but I had yet to see a wild pig. I was told that they are pretty dangerous and one of the only animals on earth, besides humans, who kill for sport. One pig can kill 20 lambs in one night, taking a bite and then moving on to the next one. Needless to say, these are not animals particularly loved by sheep farmers, so when they told me we were going pigging, that meant we were going pig hunting.

I love sunsets!

And, surprisingly to everyone, including myself, I was excited! So six of us jumped in the back of the ute with two in the front driving and watching for pigs. Even though we were going out hunting, and Lachie was sitting next to me with a shot gun, I couldn't help but look around at the land so beautiful in its own way. Lost in my thoughts, I wasn't ready for the first call of "PIG!!!". The ute immediately sped up and lurched to the right, throwing all of us around the truck. We were in hot pursuit, and we meant business. Andrew shot and killed one from the truck, then a couple of the others got out and started chasing the other two, kicking them from behind and grabbing a hind leg in order to bring them back to the truck. I watched as Scott stepped on each one and shooting them in the head. It was gruesome, but fascinating. It was what had to be done. We ended up shooting two more and by the end it wasn't even that exciting. The sun was going down and the sunset was spectacular. As we careened over rocks and logs and up and down river banks trying to shoot animals, I was admiring the blues and purples and pinks of the sky set off by the silhouettes of lone trees. But then, finally, it was my turn in the spotlight. Before the sun set completely, we pulled up to a dam where a water bottle was set up and I was taught how to shoot a gun. At first I was so nervous that I would do something wrong and hurt someone, or just that I wouldn't get anywhere near the bottle and would look like a complete idiot.

Kangaroos!!!

Then, on my second try, I got it! Andrew was in charge of my lesson and got me to lay down on my stomach in the truck and aim with the gun resting on the back hatch to make it easier and then, bam, bam, bam! I got it again and again and again! Everyone was actually impressed and more then a little surprised, and no one more than me. It was so much fun! But don't worry, I'm not about to go and join the NRA. Guns still scare me. But how cool is it that I know how to shoot them now?! When we got back to the house we had a big bbq and told of all our adventures of the evening. I held up my bullet-riddled water bottle like a trophy and everyone ooooed and awwwwed respectfully. And then I was formally initiated into the Kenya family, if that's what you'd call it. Catching me unawares, Scott grabbed me from behind and Jimbo grabbed my legs and, fully clothed, I was thrown into the pool. Freezing, I quickly dryed off and changed into the old shorts I'd been wearing practically all weekend and a t-shirt. Jimbo commented on my lack of clothes variety and when I explained that I didn't really have much, only one more skirt and top, I saw a glint in Scott's eye. Fifteen minutes later I was back in the pool with Andrew, Lachie, and Scott proudly chanting that I had no more clothes. Despite the cold and the shirt now see-through, it was really great! The end to a great experience. I went to Kenya a city girl scared of bugs, disgusted by the idea of going pigging, and disliking the idea of sweating constantly. I left able to ignore the flies and crickets constantly landing on me, able to sleep with who knows what kind of bugs in my bed, able shoot a gun, and able to just sweat it out doing whatever I had to do. The next morning Julie, AJ, and I sadly climbed into the car, and 15 hours later I was back in civilization with not nearly so many stars in the sky...

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Kenya	Lachie Andrew and Lachie	Marshy, Me, Lachie, Andrew, and Pammy	My waterbottle trophy
Saving Lucky	Scott's twist	The house	The Quarters

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