So, I'm sitting cross-legged in the dirt in a cave with eucalytus leaves shoved up my nose. As I look around at the other people with various green leaves and stems poking out of their nostrils, including my husband and kids, I'm wondering, what in the world have I gotten us into?
I had been searching for an adventure that would feel unique to Australia and a bit off the beaten path. I stumbled across this Walkabout in the Lonely Planet Guide. It is advertised as a day spent with an aboriginal guide, bushwalking in the Blue Mountains and learning about aboriginal culture, including visits to sacred sites with drawings thousands of years old. I booked it and now find myself questioning my judgement as the guide takes another deep breath in of Eucalyptus and pauses a good fifteen seconds to enjoy the euphoria of the leaves before speaking.
Evan, our guide, is of aboriginal descent. He is tall and lanky and he is as fair as Snow White. When he arrived to initiate us on our journey, I thought, we just got scammed. He looks nothing like the "authentic" guys in traditional clothing and painted faces playing the digiredoo on the boardwalk by the Opera House. Now here we are in the dirt with Evan, as he unravels a whole series of beliefs and assumptions we have about the Aboriginal people. He's deeply knowledgable, quite spiritual and very opinionated.
We eventually yank the leaves out and spend the day on the walkabout. It's fascinating on a number of levels. We're introduced to the flora and fauna and its medicinal values. We do spend time at a sacred site and learn about the cave paintings. Evan also takes us a wild tangent on the evils of cell phones, microwaves and the puppets in the Australian government. He is a good representation of worlds of thought colliding. He lives and breathes the knowledge and understanding of an ancient culture and yet exists in the modern world. I don't know if he's right or wrong, but I do love hearing the beliefs that are so contrarian to my everyday life.
At the same time, the kids have lost interest and are falling asleep on a rock. Evan pulls himself back on track and the afternoon moves quickly. The kids are especially fascinated by Aboriginal thoughts on approaching adulthood. Kai is also curious about the cave drawing of the man with a giant penis. It spawns hours of speculation later in the car.
Mia asks about the fairness behind aboriginal men taking multiple wives. She also probes as to why the women had to go live with the husband's family in another clan, rather than remaining close to her own family. Evan moves delicately through his answers, but I'm with Mia. It raises more questions than answers.
At one point, we are asked to participate in a traditional dance, while Evan beats sticks against a piece of wood. We all bounce around, but Kai is distracted. At the end of the day, when we go over the highlights as a family, Kai calls forward that moment. While we were all dancing, Kai was watching a leech wiggle it's way up Evan's shoe and sock. That explains Kai's vigilance and refusal to sit on the ground all day.
Five minutes before the end of the hike Evan stops us. He is saying his good-bye and requests permission to leave us so he can sprint the last five minutes of the hike. It's the oddest thing. Our guide literally said good bye before the end of the tour and sprinted away. Rob and I stare at each other, dumbfounded. Then, with the kids, we figure, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. We chase after him, sprinting the last few hundred yards of the walkabout and end on a victorious note.
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Wow that sounds awesome!
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