Good morning!
We just finished eating breakfast. We ate more of the bread with jam.
We might actually get more bread at lunch. Tim suggested it, and Jack and I liked the idea. They had some good savory snack things at the bakery.
It rained a bit this morning; but now it's stopped.
Hopefully the weather will be nice.
We're going to walk over and look at the Blowhole. And then....
I'm not sure what we're going to after that.
* * *
We're back.
We saw the blowhole.
I didn't enjoy it.
It was incredibly disappointing. A total letdown.
I'm joking. It was beautiful.
But I didn't have a very positive experience.
At one point, I walked over alone to another area to see the blowhole from another angle.
Well, I was probably just tired of standing in one place.
I've been feeling kind of antsy today.
Anyway....
There was a man and woman arguing. Then the man stormed away. I felt really bad for the woman. She looked like she was about to cry. I asked her if she was okay. She wasn't. And that's sad. But I ended up listening to her vent for....
Well, I didn't time it. But it was a pretty long time.
Jack and Tim came over after some time and asked if I was ready to go. Well, Jack asked that. Tim has more patience. I said I'd be there in a few minutes. Jack got impatient after a few minutes. I suggested that Tim take him back to the motel; and I'd meet them there later.
The woman talked and talked. I learned she's from Florida and her husband Australian. They live in Sydney, but they're planning to move to America in the next year or so.
I could have told her Tim was from Florida and that we visit there a lot...IF I was able to get a word in.
I wasn't. This woman just talked and talked with no care about who I was. She didn't ask me one single question about myself. She didn't want to know where I was from or what I was doing in Kiama. Nothing.
I'm thinking, maybe she's not usually like this. Maybe she's just really distraught because of the argument, and maybe she's just desperate to have someone listen to her.
Another part of me is thinking maybe she IS often like this, and that's why her husband got mad.
I shouldn't assume things like that, though.
Yeah.
I shouldn't. But I will.
Anyway....
I feel guilty.
I feel if I was a better person I wouldn't feel like I've wasted part of my day. I wouldn't feel resentful. I'd be patient and loving, always willing to help another human being.
I do after all owe someone a favor, that whole pay it forward thing. And I guess I DID do the favor. I listened to the woman for as long as she wanted to talk. A few times I hinted that I needed to go, but she didn't take the hint.
Our encounter ended when her husband returned and told her they'd be late. She said good-bye. And to her credit, she did thank me for listening. That was nice. I guess.
But does pay-it-forward count if you do it grudgingly?
* * *
I thought of something else that makes me feel bad.
I have a feeling I wouldn't have minded listening to the woman if she was Australian. Then I'd just stand there enjoying the accent.
I'm horribly shallow sometimes.
* * *
Jack is talking to his toddler cousins on FaceTime
They're very cute.
My sister has been talking to them about Australia, so they can understand where we are.
After he talks to those cousins, we may try to call his New York cousin.
Then I think we'll go to the beach.
* * *
We went to the beach.
It was nice.
We sort of had a picnic.
We ended up not going back to the bakery.
It was kind of out of the way to go all the way there, and then the beach.
So we walked to this cafe that's pretty close to our motel, and we picked up food to eat at the beach.
I had Tim and Jack try a chiko roll. I've often wondered about those things. They also shared a meat pie.
I got something called a Dim sim. I never heard of it before, but apparently it's fairly common in Australia. It's like a fried dumpling.
I kind of liked it.
Tim and Jack liked the Chiko roll.
We also shared some chips. I LOVED those.
We played in the sand and water a bit.
I read my book.
It was all quite lovely.
* * *
It's bedtime.
Tonight's our last night in Kiama.
Tomorrow we're driving to Canberra.
We had Indian food tonight at J J's Indian Restaurant. It took awhile for us to get our food, but we liked it. I got a vegetable curry thing. Tim and Jack got butter chicken.
Afterwards we went to Scoops and got ice-cream.
What else?
Oh.
I forgot to mention earlier. I sent an email to the Perth woman.
We'll see what happens with that.
NOTE: This trip journal is fictional. We are not really in Australia. Some stuff in these posts are based on research. Some stuff is based on my reality. Some stuff is based on past experiences. And some stuff is based on fantasy.
The non-trip journal posts ARE true and real…except for my dreams (which are written in purple).
We just finished eating breakfast. We ate more of the bread with jam.
We might actually get more bread at lunch. Tim suggested it, and Jack and I liked the idea. They had some good savory snack things at the bakery.
It rained a bit this morning; but now it's stopped.
Hopefully the weather will be nice.
We're going to walk over and look at the Blowhole. And then....
I'm not sure what we're going to after that.
* * *
We're back.
We saw the blowhole.
I didn't enjoy it.
It was incredibly disappointing. A total letdown.
I'm joking. It was beautiful.
But I didn't have a very positive experience.
At one point, I walked over alone to another area to see the blowhole from another angle.
Well, I was probably just tired of standing in one place.
I've been feeling kind of antsy today.
Anyway....
There was a man and woman arguing. Then the man stormed away. I felt really bad for the woman. She looked like she was about to cry. I asked her if she was okay. She wasn't. And that's sad. But I ended up listening to her vent for....
Well, I didn't time it. But it was a pretty long time.
Jack and Tim came over after some time and asked if I was ready to go. Well, Jack asked that. Tim has more patience. I said I'd be there in a few minutes. Jack got impatient after a few minutes. I suggested that Tim take him back to the motel; and I'd meet them there later.
The woman talked and talked. I learned she's from Florida and her husband Australian. They live in Sydney, but they're planning to move to America in the next year or so.
I could have told her Tim was from Florida and that we visit there a lot...IF I was able to get a word in.
I wasn't. This woman just talked and talked with no care about who I was. She didn't ask me one single question about myself. She didn't want to know where I was from or what I was doing in Kiama. Nothing.
I'm thinking, maybe she's not usually like this. Maybe she's just really distraught because of the argument, and maybe she's just desperate to have someone listen to her.
Another part of me is thinking maybe she IS often like this, and that's why her husband got mad.
I shouldn't assume things like that, though.
Yeah.
I shouldn't. But I will.
Anyway....
I feel guilty.
I feel if I was a better person I wouldn't feel like I've wasted part of my day. I wouldn't feel resentful. I'd be patient and loving, always willing to help another human being.
I do after all owe someone a favor, that whole pay it forward thing. And I guess I DID do the favor. I listened to the woman for as long as she wanted to talk. A few times I hinted that I needed to go, but she didn't take the hint.
Our encounter ended when her husband returned and told her they'd be late. She said good-bye. And to her credit, she did thank me for listening. That was nice. I guess.
But does pay-it-forward count if you do it grudgingly?
* * *
I thought of something else that makes me feel bad.
I have a feeling I wouldn't have minded listening to the woman if she was Australian. Then I'd just stand there enjoying the accent.
I'm horribly shallow sometimes.
* * *
Jack is talking to his toddler cousins on FaceTime
They're very cute.
My sister has been talking to them about Australia, so they can understand where we are.
After he talks to those cousins, we may try to call his New York cousin.
Then I think we'll go to the beach.
* * *
We went to the beach.
It was nice.
We sort of had a picnic.
We ended up not going back to the bakery.
It was kind of out of the way to go all the way there, and then the beach.
So we walked to this cafe that's pretty close to our motel, and we picked up food to eat at the beach.
I had Tim and Jack try a chiko roll. I've often wondered about those things. They also shared a meat pie.
I got something called a Dim sim. I never heard of it before, but apparently it's fairly common in Australia. It's like a fried dumpling.
I kind of liked it.
Tim and Jack liked the Chiko roll.
We also shared some chips. I LOVED those.
We played in the sand and water a bit.
I read my book.
It was all quite lovely.
* * *
It's bedtime.
Tonight's our last night in Kiama.
Tomorrow we're driving to Canberra.
We had Indian food tonight at J J's Indian Restaurant. It took awhile for us to get our food, but we liked it. I got a vegetable curry thing. Tim and Jack got butter chicken.
Afterwards we went to Scoops and got ice-cream.
What else?
Oh.
I forgot to mention earlier. I sent an email to the Perth woman.
We'll see what happens with that.
NOTE: This trip journal is fictional. We are not really in Australia. Some stuff in these posts are based on research. Some stuff is based on my reality. Some stuff is based on past experiences. And some stuff is based on fantasy.
The non-trip journal posts ARE true and real…except for my dreams (which are written in purple).
Chico roll and meat pies ...yuk.
ReplyDeleteDim sum, yum. Dumplings are Gao, and are very nice. Dim sum is lots of little bowls of different things in individual bites that you can sample, maybe that is what dim sim is? Anyway, nice post, imaginary or real.
ReplyDeleteDiane B: I don't think I've ever heard anything positive about a Chiko roll. But I figure SOMEONE out there must like them.
ReplyDeleteWhat foods do you like?
Redhead: Hi! When I first saw Dim Sim on the menu, I thought of Dim Sum; and thought it was a spelling mistake (either purposeful or accidental). But it turns out it's an Australian food...kind of an Australianized Chinese thing.