Somewhere under the stars

(let's pause this Coronavirus mania and rewind to 14 days ago when everything was still "semi-normal" - believe me, I will come back to the virus).

Yaay, camping trip. Long weekend was in front of us due to the labor day, so having been off on Monday I was happy to make most of it. Even though Monday was the day that I was the "happiest" to go to work I didn't mind having an extra day off (I am not saying that waking up at 5:15 every Monday morning was easy, but working in Baker institute was most satisfying for me because I got to work with patients who had cardiovascular diseases or diabetes).

I came home from work on Friday quite late so we decided to leave early the next day. We packed the car number 4 (yes, my aunt and uncle have 4 cars and this one is in use especially for camping) and off we went. As I said several times, everything in Australia is far (for Slovenian standards at least) so we drove for several hours before arriving at the campsite around noon. It is so different than camping in Slovenia or Finland and it was so crowded because of the long weekend. So we didn't get the best camping place, but it was still nice. We parked our cars, marked our territory and started putting up tents. I had my own tent which was way too big for me only, but it was nice to have some extra space. I also take full pride in putting up a tent completely by myself (ne me narobe razumet, zlahka postavim savico alpa bel šotor, celo členca pomoje, na "iglujčka" nas pa nikol niso navadl haha). My uncle dug a hole for the fire and our small camping area was fully set.

Now, when I go camping back at home it is full on "hardcore" - just a thin "mat" (aka armafleks), really tiny sleeping back (that you can pack in a small backpack and carry for 40km of hiking), a toothpaste (that you share with 4 other people) and a torch (forget this and you are screwed, big time). Well now, I had my own huge sleeping bag, an extra blanket, thicker "foam" thingy to lie on, a pillow, toothpaste for only myself and didn't have a torch.

Let me tell you how camping is like in Australia (and I totally love it, no judgment here. It is just different). You get a bunch of friends, take camper van, maybe some tents, drinks and chairs. You drive to the national or state park, choose between many places where you can camp and make your own camping site kind of in between your cars. No hiking, no carrying big backpack through mountains and hills. Just driving there. So funny. So for me, that was a "luxury camping" (but still long way from glamping to be on the same page). For some this might still be hardcore, because there are no toilets, no water, no access to shower etc. But I guess I am so used to much "tougher" stuff, that this was a piece of cake for me.

Our loong weekend consisted of grilling on the fire, fishing, driving to the pub (because apparently you have to do that) and reading. I was reading most of the time and it was the best thing ever (having Kindle = gamechanger). The weather was not the best but at least it didn't rain at all. Also the sky was clear during the nights and there is just something special about staring into the sky full of stars. Lying on the grass, having fire warm your body and thinking about your life is just... It is so interesting, in Slovenia I instantly find Cassiopeia and Ursa minor on the sky. Now everything was messed up because I am in the southern hemisphere.

We also took the dog with us and it was her first camping (since she is only 9 months old). That made it much more fun for sure and she was so happy out there in the nature. She was running around, playing and exploring. And when she needed to recharge batteries she would often fall asleep in our lap and I think it was the cutest thing ever.

When camping I especially love evenings. There is something special about the fire and the atmosphere around it. Roasting marshmallows and baking potatoes in the embers was just a cherry on top. And I don't know why, but everything always taste so much better when its done over the campfire.

I went for a run the first day and it was the biggest fail ever. Everytime a car passed beside me I would get covered in the dust from the road (because the road wasn't asphalt, it was "macadam"). So no running for me that weekend. We were also in a "shitty" camping spot in a sense that there were no hiking paths nearby (believe me, Australian forest is much different than Slovenian/Finnish). So I ended up just being lazy, reading and chilling. We did go for a forward drive with my uncle - let me tell you, I am not a fan and had enough after 15 minutes haha. It is a unique experience and I am happy that we went but sometimes the road was so steep that I thought our car is gonna "roll over". We also crossed a full river - water was deep (for my standards) and I freaked out at the beginning. But then my uncle said this is normal, that this is shallow river and they have crossed much deeper ones. Let me tell you, if that was shallow river, I don't want to know what crossing a deep river feels like.

Nevertheless it was an amazing experience and long weekend well spent. I am really grateful that I get to experience true "aussie life" and not just play a tourist on my free days.

What have I learned?

The word "camping" can mean very different things across the world.