Tag 46: A man is a man when he is among men

08/14/2016

Hard to believe, but today we actually have the opportunity to take a shower. This is more than a necessity after a week, as Gudi's odors are only surpassed by mine. The amenities of such an exquisite experience are provided by a day-use area (a campsite for the day) in the town of Bowen. This place is known for its mangoes. I conclude from the fact that the entire Australian retirement community is vacationing here that old people consider the vitamins from these mangoes to be a fountain of youth. Although we don't get a chance to taste the fruits themselves, I, as a true tourist, certainly won't miss the chance to hold a huge mango (made of cardboard).

Otherwise, we enjoy the day and spend some time at the beach in Bowen. The aforementioned beach is beautiful in the entire area, and gradually we feel like one of the elderly couples that can be found everywhere.

But this area doesn't offer much more, which is why we soon set up camp in a campground near the Whitsunday Islands (note: actually we sleep in the camper!). It somehow feels like a commune, where besides a few stranded tourists, there are also many untamed and exclusively male hippies living.

Although they invite us to an evening campfire with steak, apparently rejected by their wives, and I am tempted to join the guys, the slightly homoerotic atmosphere triggers subtle memories of the movie Brokeback Mountain. So I decide to stay with Gudi in the camper and lock the doors tightly. Secretly, after so many weeks of being in a heterogenous partnership, I would be more than interested in any kind of group of men, but in the end I am afraid of attracting the attention of the cowboy hat wearers and getting caught in their lassos, despite my ability to make rabbit-like escape maneuvers.

Seeing a truly beautiful and moving sunset that illuminates the evening sky and even sets it ablaze, we cook our dinner, hindered by what feels like 50 knots of wind, and fall asleep during our daily ritual of drinking schnapps.[1]

Gudi's glorious laws

A man must be able to be a man in a group of men!

Although Gudi encourages me to join the men in eating meat and drinking homemade schnapps, I must confess that it is not only fear of becoming a victim of initiation rituals that keeps me away from the social gathering. In fact, it is also true that while it is often said that people become more communicative during a journey, the opposite is the case for me. This means that while in Asia I sought contact with every person who wanted it (and even those who didn't), in the Australian outback my solitude and peace become more and more important to me.

[1] On this side of the campground, playing cards is referred to as "schnapsen," so I feel a little nostalgic when I miss out on the opportunity to get some Xlers (=schnapps, see Lucky Luke comics) at the distant campfire.