Here I go ! After a long a blog ! Ofcourse it has to be a travelogue !

Not many other things can possibly make me actually sit and write things !

I learnt driving very very late (in life that is). I drove my first powered vehicle when I was 25 (Bajaj M80 ! ) and I drove my first car : less than a year ago. This was in Scottsdale, Arizona. I had exactly two weeks before the planned road trip to Las Vegas and GC. And I couldnt find any one else to pile on ! So I had to learn driving. What a trip that was !! I even got pulled over by a very friendly cop on Las Vegas blvd because I was changing lanes in front of him at a signal ! Any way I digress.

The point is, when I got a chance to go on a road trip in Melboure, I jumped at it ! The destination was Phillips Island. The plan was to be there well before sunset after some small detours (sunsets at around 9 pm here these days), just in time to see the home coming Little Penguins(http://www.penguins.org.au/). Not a long trip, just three hours of drive one way. We started off at around 11.30 am, went to a Indian Restaurant (yeah, they are in abundance in Oz too - Actually, you get Indian Meal Combo in normal restaurants as an option !!!), had lunch, went to Target (yeup) did some shopping and then hit the road. The Road signs keeps reminding you to "Keep left" and below that in smaller letters "In Australia". At junctions where the traffics are not heavy there are no signals. There is a round turn system and the right of way can be quiet confusing. ( I almost crashed into some one , but since the max speed is 100 km/h, the speeds are manageable)

We went to a "Indian Temple" as first stop. Unfortunately it was closed.

As we started from this temple again towards Phillips Island, my navigator, a guy who has been around and done this trip a few times, made the grave mistake of pointing towards the opposite direction! As sign board after sign board passed, we had no clue where we were heading to or where we were. After almost two hours, by which time we should have actually reached phillips Island, we reached a small town !!! As we parked the vehicle and took time to analyse our "current situation" , things started to clear up !

After driving for three hours, we realised we still had to drive 3 more hours. I was not complaining! We chose the safest route, no adventurous country side Australia routes. Finally we reached Philips Island after crossing some cool sea side roads, bridges, very large country side houses etc etc ... honks at a couple of "round turns" .

As we entered the Island, we saw clouds gathering behind us in the main land. We went to this "sanctuary" kind of place, and bought our tickets and found that the Penguins ETA was 8.45 pm .. (yeah .. thats when it gets dark) We had more than a hour to kill. We were just roaming around, seeing documentaries, exhibits, souvenirs, having a hot chocolate. By around 8 we were allowed to go and sit in the galleries, built on the seashore to give a grand reception to the home coming birds. The approach to these galleries are through a slightly elevated board walk. This, so that all those little homes of the little penguins dont get bothered.

Phillip Island Nature Park 2002

As we walked to the galleries, we could see these little chicks (of penguins ... sheesh) screeching their way to glory asking for food from any and every moving thing that passes by. It seems the chicks cant identify the parents. But the parents can identify the chicks. All these kids where at the entry of the burrow holes screeching. It was a beautiful site. Looking at all those cute little chicks ! And no photographs !! I felt like fish in water whose fins has been clipped !!!! It seems the flashes do serious damage to the eyes and if they allow night vision stuff people just sneak in a couple of flashes too. So there was a emotional ban on all photographic equipment. They just gave a black plastic bag to keep the cameras safely. Still one could notice a flash here and there, but the glares and the apologetic requests and sterner warnings dissuaded most from trying once and all from trying twice.

There was this proud oriental gentle man in full formal suit, followed by a bunch of juniors who were litereally crawling behind him. He gave this brave warror like pose infront of a chick. Just as his perenially bowing junior was about to click, a volunteer jumped in between and admonished the man !!! I could see the juniors gesturing apolegeticaly to the senior guy even as I was leaving the place almost an hour later.

In the galleries, we strategically positioned ourselves near the edges so that we could see the 100s of little penguins march towards home. Or thats what the volunteers told us. As the time approached 8.40, the cloud started to thicken and the lightnings were flashing the hell out of the chicks eys. And then we noticed this bunch of little guys just roll in along the waves. Then they stood up ! Four of them. Looked at this huge gathering waiting for them. If I was that small and was in similar situation, I would turn right back and RUN.

Phillip Island Nature Park 2002

Imagine, you are around 10 cm tall, you go for a swim, you come back after its dark, assuming that it will be safe as its dark and no one can see you. You swim around 80 km, hunting for food, for yourself, and your kids back home who are screeching so loud that you can almost hear them 40 km away, you think that since your tummy is white no one can see you from under water and since its black on back, no one can see you from outside water, yet every thing is after you including the lazing shark, you then find a bunch of buddies, swim back to the shore where you started off, finding your way in all that ocean, so that you can have a quiet evening with the stuffed up kids.

What do you find ? Flood lit shore line, about a 500 of giants more than 15 times as big as you, flashing at you now and then !

What do you do ?

Well, I dont know what you will do, but those four little penguins, werer probably thinking "here they are, back on time as usual, cute humans ! look at their kids in the front line, they are cuter, okay lets go tell hi and get going home mate, its pretty late and got to tuck those kids in their beds"

Phillip Island Nature Park 2002

That was how cool they acted, they walked straight to the kids who were sitting right at the front, then walked along the front row towards the sands, which is their usual path and start trudging along to their burrows.

It had started dristling by now, heavily. The volunteers started giving warning that if it starts raining heavily, we probably wont see any more than these early home comers at all. And then the clouds opened. Now I could see the point of those ponchos that every one were buying ! People starting running over the burrows to get to places where they can hide from the rains !! The volunteers came running screaming at them, imploring them to come back to the designated areas so that they dont crush any of those chicks in the burrows accidentally !

As the rain started getting stronger, we realised that only a few groups are going to come ashore and rest are going to go back floating still the rain stops ! A little dissapointed that I couldnt witness the "hundreds" of penguins to come ashore in a group, I started walking back. As if to pacify me, a bunch of early home comers were walking along with me on the ground while i was walking on the elevated platform till the offices and then they went ahead their own way !

Then we started the trip back. I was in no mood to drive in the rain. My friend took over. And we were home late in the night.

And then every body lived happily ever after !

I wanted to write about the 12 apostles trip too in this ! But I guess I ran out of fuel !later ..