On the Bottom Half

Post Christmas Pope's Eye and Kyle Melts

Christmas was a unique experience for a Canuck in Australia... It was a lovely day with lots of sunshine and plenty of heat. Bruce, Helen, and I finished preparing lunch and at 1130 Sarah, Shannon, and the kids showed up. We ate, opened 'pressies', chatted for a while, then 'the kids' carried on to see other family for the rest of the day. It was sure nice to have a family to spend Christmas with. The rest of the day was just laziness: we went into town to get a paper, but the only gas stations that were open were sold out of papers. It wasn't as still as I am used to, though, but it is the middle of summer afterall. What got me the most was the length of the day and the quality of the light. Just like Christmas in July. The rest of the week was mostly reading a couple of books I got for Christmas. Also, Bruce and Helen left to Sarawak on Wednesday. However, a few weeks ago, Andy offered to take me diving and on Thursday, we did go!

There is a plethora of diving in Port Phillip Bay and the dive we did is called The Pope's Eye. Even that wasn't to escape from mild fiasco, though. We picked up my equipment from a dive shop near Andy's home on the east side of Melbourne, and confirmed our booking for two dives that afternoon. I didn't try anything on because the shop owner didn't really provide opportunity to do it, but that won't come into play until later. Anyway, we went back to Andy's place to pick up his gear, then headed off all the way around the bay to a place called Portsea, where the dives were supposed to leave from. We got there after 1.5 hours! of driving, but with it being Christmas holidays and itself a 30+ degree day, there wasn't any parking in the town of Portsea. We dropped the equipment at the docks, then Andy went to park the car in the country-side while I guarded the equipment. When he got back, he ran out to the dock to checkin on the boat, but couldn't find the boat... We phoned the operator and he told us that 'oh, we're not going out today, there weren't enough people booked to run the trips. Sorry.'

We weren't about to give up after all that driving, so Andy went into a local shop and found a trip that still had two spots open. Success!! However, we got only the one dive, but what a dive! We had lunch before we left, then suited up and walked out to the boat. This is where I found out that my wetsuit was a little to big, that my fins had a tear in the rubber foot receptacle, and that an inflation hose attachment point on the BCD was torn off... I was starting to have serious concerns about the quality of maintenance on the gear that was to support my life while submerged. However, the dive site is only under 12 metres of water, so in any event, I could drop my weight belt and head up.

Those of you who know me know how much I weigh. When they give you a two-piece 7mm wet suit to wear, and you don't have enough mass to counteract that extra bouyancy, you need a lot of lead so that you will sink. I constantly surprise even the most experienced dive shop with how much lead they need to give me. I carried 15 kg for this one (33 lbs), but we figured out after the dive that I should carry 18 kgs. My body always thanks me for the workout of SCUBA diving.

The dive left me absolutely speechless! As my first in 6 years, and my first salt-water dive, it was a bit of a fight to figure out neutral bouyancy again. After all that, I could focus on the wondrous sea life that filled the sandy vista around me! There were cuttlefish hiding in rock nooks, fish that sat on the bottom that you could go right up to and bump noses with before they'd move, fish of all colours that would brush your hands as you swam past, and some little black ones that would charge you as they defended their territory! It was marvellous! The tide was ebbing, and it was surprising to have to fight that strongly against the current! I had to get all fours in swim mode a few times! After the dive, we went past a seal colony and snorkelled there, too. The seals enjoy the company and hopped off the colony to swin with you in the water.

After that, I caught up on sleep so that I may spend New Year's out galavanting.

I've seen thermometers get close enough to the bottom end of their scales, or at least know a few people who have witnessed such events. However, nothing could have prepared me for yesterday afternoon (31 December): the air temperature was 42 degrees, but the thermometer sitting in the sun was topped out over 50 degrees! I've never seen that much red stuff running the length of a thermometer tube before. Anyway, I was enclosed in a dark cave... I kept all windows shut and all curtains closed while I carefully attempted to avoid the heat. Luckily, Bruce and Helen's house stayed a little cooler, until the late afternoon hit. However, by that time, Sarah, Shannon, and the kids came to check up on me and found the airconditioner to plug in and help cool off the house. Sarah said they were coming to see if I were a puddle yet. Shannon said: 'Summer in Australia has arrived.' And how...

Anyway, yesterday I decided to brave the 500,000 expected New Year's revelers in downtown Melbourne for the festivities and fireworks. I caught an afternoon train into town and joined the crush migrating toward Federation Square. All public transport was free from 1500 31 Dec until 0800 1 Jan. I got to the square with lots of time to spare and staked out a spot on some grass to listen to some live music. The first fireworks were at 2115 and they were quite a spectacle. By that time, the sun had been low long enough to cool things off a bit. It was about 27 for the rest of the evening, but that's positively chilly after 40 degrees in the shade! Of course, being in a city, there is that standard measure of funky city folk. This guy was dancing up a storm and performed on the paving stones in front of me. The fireworks at mid night were absolutely jaw-dropping. The fireworks were staged to go off from about 6 different spots - three on the Yarra river, one from near the Royal Botanical Gardens, and two places atop different buildings around the CBD. There were fireworks everywhere for 15 solid minutes!! Just stunning.

Then the adventure of getting back to Sunbury was upon me. Everyone was told that there were hundreds of extra busses servicing all the suburbs, so I checked into it and there certainly was. However, apparently that didn't include the night rider bus to Sunbury. Would have been nice to indicate that before I tried to catch the bus! The first one of those didn't operate until 0415 - Melbourne's Public Transport failed miserably there. The service was entirely non-existent to Sunbury, even though they advertised that the service was there.

Anyway, to get home before 1200 this afternoon, it involved a chance encounter of more stranded Sunbury residents and a lucky phone call that actually got through to the flat-out taxi services everywhere in Melbourne. So, my 'free' public transport included a $20 taxi ride - cost neutral, I guess ;-) Anyway, I rolled back to the house at about 0430, watered the parched plants until about 0500, then finally got to bed at 0530 after finding, eliminating, and cleaning up an ant infestation in my yoghurt jar.

Anyway, what fun! Update Complete!

Happy New Year to Everyone!! I wish all the best for health, happines, and peace in 2006. All my love...

posted by Kyle @ 01:46