No. 34 – Homeward Bound

It’s a long way from Europe to Australia, both in space and time. Neither Pip nor Sailor Boy was looking forward to the seemingly endless flight. But going home, yes, it was time. At the Rome airport Check-in, they met FiFi, an Italian dog on her way to India… not that she knew!

Once through the gates, they found the boarding lounge filled with waiting passengers and familiar flat Australian accents.

Sitting beside Pip, a chatty Australian momentarily disinterested in her family smiled and struck up a conversation.

“Yes we did Europe. 16 cities, 20 days,” she appeared pleased with her efficiency.

You’ve got to be kidding, thought Pip.

“The kids had a ball. They’re great at that age, aren’t they? They’ve got no ‘inhibitations’ whatsoever.” Nearby her 10 and 8 year olds were absent-mindedly kicking the seats in front of them while engrossed in their i-pads.

“So where did you go?” Pip asked.

“Oh we did Italy. We did Rome and Venice and all that. Great shopping. And you?”

“Hmm, we went to lots of places”, Pip replied slowly, “It’s been quite a journey actually. I loved all the old ruins and Pompeii was amazing.”

“Yeh, what’s to see there?”

Momentarily taken back, Pip blinked before explaining, “It’s an archaeological site.”

“Oh! We’re not into all that stuff. We like shopping. We usually go to Bali. But it was nice. Jeff’s seen it before. He goes to Europe on business. And America, he’s been there. My sister wants to go to Vegas.” The lady studied her fingernails, “I might go with her.  She’d never come here. She’s not into culture and that. She likes action.”

“Yep it’s not for everyone” said Pip wondering, who said you can’t have action in Europe?

“Sis didn’t like school that’s for sure. Best off out of it, I said. So she left in Year 11. No need for mooore eddication. She got herself a job at Woolies”.

An overhead announcement broke into the conversation.

“She’s saving up for Vegas now” the lady added enthusiastically.

“I think that’s our boarding call” said a relieved Pip standing up. “Good luck in Vegas.”

Wow, talk about a reality check.

Escaping the lounge and stepping on board the flying kangaroo QF380 Sailor Boy and Pip were recognised by the air hostess as the characters from her favourite travel blog. After her warm welcome Pip found his way to his seat and looked around for Sailor Boy.

Sailor Boy had been invited to meet the Captain and check out the cockpit. All those instruments!

Impressed with his VIP passenger, the Captain suggested an upgrade to first class.

But what of poor Pip stranded in economy?

It was another test of their friendship. Surely this cant be the end of the travels of Pip and Sailor Boy.

No. 9 – Leaving Can Be Hard to ‘Bear’

Once again Pip tossed and turned sleeping badly, after his farewell dinner with his dearest Honey Bear. It had been a great night and now the trip was looming. He told Honey Bear all about it and that he would miss her while he was away. They even shared a bottle of champagne. Honey Bear looked wonderful in her gorgeous red top.

But now, he was even more worked up. For the last few days as the departure date approached, there had been so many matters to organise, including visas for his pawsport. Having bought a new video camera, there was software to learn.  His head was spinning and rather than try to remember it all, he had to write things down.

The trick was packing his bag to take exactly what he needed without going over the weight allowance on the plane. He looked around the room. So much stuff! His eyes lit on the souvenir one of his friends had given him at his farewell. It was a koala bear. Most Australians don’t see many koala bears, but they are the most popular souvenirs. Pip had his own special bear, his girlfriend Honey Bear. But he also loved kookaburras. They had the most distinctive bird call. Hearing flocks of kookaburras flying around in the morning and laughing at the world morning would always be the sound of home.

No 7 – Heading North – Shanghai or Bust

“Real travellers go overland Sailor Boy” said Pip. “We’ve got months to go before we get to the Med. Let’s see some of this great country first”.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘real’ travellers” SB replied, “and this great country?”

“Great” said Pip, “Big. What do you think? There’s over seven million square kilometres here, it’s the world’s sixth largest country. And what have we seen of it?”

“OK, A quick road trip then” said SB.

Rain. No sooner had they had set out than rain started to fall. And not just rain, but frequent downpours. Wide bodied trucks, utes and sports cars sped past leaving white wakes. When they had enough driving, they stopped. The motel was typical Australian roadside fare, dreary and slightly seedy.  The TV screen was filled with images of water on roads and highways. The news reports said rivers were rising.

Sailor Boy was worried. “I thought this is supposed to be the driest continent on earth.”

“We are in the sub tropics, not the outback and it’s the wet season. But it will clear up,” said Pip. And the next day it did, just as they approached the town of Taree.

The highway became a tunnel through an iron construction bridge, on either side of which water swirled. The Hastings River was very high. By the time they reached the other side it was time for a road stop. “Let’s have a look around, where are we, Taaareee. Put on your Aussie accent.”

“We just managed to get across that river,” said Pip, “but everyone still manages to get a drink at the Taree Aquatic Club.”

After two days of responsible and careful driving, the boys got past the north coast floods to reach their destination – infamous Noosa Heads.

The sun was shining. And here was river, a lovely, slow moving Mississippi-style river. The Noosa River, and no flood.

It was time to relax and look at the most translucent sky Pip had ever seen.

Happy to be finally released from the car, the boys walked along the river yawning and stretching. Occasional squarks and calls of water birds made a welcome change from the noise of the road. Sailor Boy watched a family of ducks paddle languorously by, dipping beaks in the reeds searching for insects.

 “So peaceful,” Pip shook his head.  After the anxiety of the floods and the road, the slow, timeless flow of the water was mesmerising.

Sailor Boy studied the large local Council sign informing walkers of the ecological details of the remaining mangrove trees clinging to the bank. This was a well-designed walk. It even had exercise machines thoughtfully placed at regular intervals. Tourist couples, locals, dog walkers, bike riders and joggers all mingled. On the water, rowers and kayakers shared the river with sail boats, a picture perfect afternoon.

Pip and Sailor Boy meandered past the holiday cottages and restaurants. The river turned and circled, snaking channel markers reflecting the banks.

A Queensland Waterways office and an old style caravan park, the sort that’s quietly disappearing, seemed to be the last man- made structures.

Not far away, grey green stripes of replanted bush accompanied the widening river and further on the sand banks opened up to greet the sea. It was a glorious sight.

For the two friends, days of swimming and surfing followed. They hired surf boards and played games on Sunshine Beach. They strolled up fashionable Hastings Street to have a cappuccinos and read the local paper, frowning at the news.

They fished, read and ate delicious meals. When they were ready for a different buzz, they hired a jet ski and zoomed around the bay.

“This is great, I could be seduced by this place and not leave” said Pip one morning, as they spread themselves out on a rock like two goannas in the sun.

“You could be, mate, not me,” said Sailor Boy,” we’ve got to get to Shanghai remember. If we stay here… we’ll bust.”

No. 5 – Pawsports Arrive

“Pip, the pawsports are here.” Sailor Boy yelled excitedly as he opened a big envelope.

“We’re going!” The boys stared at the red and gold embossed ‘passports’, their tickets to the world. It was official.

“We’re going… going, where again?” Pip scratched his ear.

“Going to the Med, remember. It’s a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea.”

Pip couldn’t really believe it. He knew Sailor Boy had won something, but it was hard to get his head around it. They studied the new ‘pawsport’ carefully.

“Right,” said Pip, “Going to the Med. What’s our mission?”

“Mission. No, that sounds too military.” Sailor Boy replied.

“OK then. What about making a buddy film?” Pip suggested hopefully.

“Too complicated.” said Sailor Boy.

“But it’s not a bad idea…to have… another purpose,” he said rubbing his cap, “Let’s see…” Sailor Boy was thinking out aloud, “Seen as I didn’t finish school, what about a search for something, wisdom, love,” he paused, “treasure, perhaps.”

“Oh that’s easier.” It wasn’t often that Pip was sarcastic. “Which one then? Aren’t they all clichés?”

“My life is not a cliché Pip. No, how about we just have fun,” SB lifted his arms contentedly, “Big time fun. And we’ll see about the rest.”

“I want to see what makes the world go around,” Pip looked at SB and smiled, “and have fun too, that’s for sure. We’ll see the world, and may the Gods be with us, especially Poseidon.” said Pip knowledgably.

“Who? Oh that’s right, I’d better brush up on the Greeks, I think I missed that,” said SB looking at his globe of the world.

“And when you finish with them, there’s the Romans, the French, the Spanish.” Pip was getting ponderous.

“Yeh, yeh, I hope you’re not going to start showing off. We’ve got a long way to go.”

“Why me SB, why are you taking me?” Pip shook himself.

“That’s easy. They say that dogs are a man’s best friend, Pip, and you’re mine.”

No. 3 – Shanghaied in Sydney

“This leaving business is too hard” said Sailor Boy.

“ I think we might need a drink to help us get over it. I know an old sailor’s haunt not far from here. It’s the Hero of Waterloo, one of the first pubs in Sydney.”

“There’s plenty of sailors down there – heroes, ghosts and sea dogs from the past.”

“Sounds good SB” said Pip, “let’s trot down”.

“Know any stories SB?”

“Well, one old story they tell in this pub they reckon is fair dinkum. They say here in the old days, in the early days of the colony, you’d get a mickey fin slipped in your drink.”

“A what?”

“A mickey fin, it knocked them out. I’ve seen it. Below this bar, in the underground cellar is the remains of an old tunnel. It’s sealed up now but it was built by convicts. There’s still iron shackles on the walls down there where they chained them up.

One minute a sailor would be drinking in the bar and the next they’d be out to it and they’d wake up on a boat to China.  So they say. That’s how they crewed some of the ships on that run. And that’s what you call ‘getting Shanghaied’.

Pip looked around. “It gives me the shivers thinking about it.” They were in the very bar.

“I don’t want to get ‘shanghaied’ SB, but I wouldn’t mind going to Shanghai” said Pip.

“Don’t worry Pip, we’ll  get there somehow” replied SB “and it’ll be a smoother ride than that. First of all, I better apply for my passport.”

No. 2 – Sailor Boy Enters a Competition

I want to travel the world, but how? How? Sailor Boy wondered as he looked across the harbour at the shimmering Opera House sails. Well, I’ll take a chance, there’s nothing to lose.  Entering the  ‘Win a Cruise for 2’ competition he saw in the Toy Shop seemed to be a better way than stowing away on a ship.  Following some serious contemplation, Sailor Boy thought of his entry. He had to write a statement in 30 letters or less on the topic “Why We Need Friends”.  Lucky I was good at scrabble, he thought. Finally he came up with it, the entry would be “I’d be all at sea without my friend Pip”. It was exactly 30 letters.

One month later he received the news, “Pip I’ve won!” he yelled.  “Come down to the harbout we’ll celebrate. You can come. We’re going. We’re going on a cruise.”

There was much to discuss. Now Sailor Boy had to educate Pip about countries and cultures. SB has had some sailing and boating experience but this wouldl be on a big ship. A liner.

Pip, who is a dog, wanted to know whether dogs were allowed on ships, and how they’d treat dogs. “Look at you,” SB said “You have to get a new wardrobe.”

“There’s so much to learn,” said Pip, “I want to learn about shipboard life, and how to row a boat”.

“You’ll have to learn all  the ropes”, said Sailor Boy.

“What are the ropes?” asked Pip

“Well”, said SB “that’s an expression. It means lots of things, there’s location testing, wind speed, wind direction, compass reading, barometer reading, studying navigation charts, not to mention knots and lasso throwing for tying up at whaves.”

“We’ll have some fun too, SB.”

” That’s right Pip,  we’ll meet the Captain, the crew and the ship’s dog.”

No. 1 – Introducing Pip and Sailor Boy

Introducing Pip and Sailor Boy

The world awaits us!

Two young fellas, Pip and Sailor Boy are about to leave home and see the world.

This is the travel blog of Creative Kick Start, a Sydney-based creative  consultancy. Follow the adventure via the numerical order of the postings.

Find out more about Creative Kick Start on our web site at – www.creativekickstart.com.au.

Pip and Sailor Boy have taken on the important roles of being mascots for Creative Kick Start and they would like to thank Alex Xeras and Noelle Hill for their excellent help in ‘kick starting’ this blog.