Nourlangie Safari Camp, Episode 28
Nourlangie Safari Camp, here is 9SLK
Is anybody listening? (My radio code)
From the Diaries of Flemming Jensen 1968-1969
In the previous episode, Flemming tries his luck at fishing but unfortunately breaks down and has to paddle back to shore.
Saturday, 29th March 1969
Everything is ready. My clothes freshly washed and ready to put in my backpack. However there is nothing to suggest that it will be necessary, unfortunately. Something could have happened already a few days ago, but I do hope for tomorrow. The girls were here a day too early but they got their rations. Since it was also probably the last time they got coffee and my last biscuit with jam. That kind of thing is always popular and they are so easy to make happy and satisfied.
I also found a bag of sweets which I also gave to them. About ten minutes later I felt like a sweet and went a little shy to ask for one. But too late! These two glorious women had already devoured the bag's contents. They love the sugar stuff. Pat said that she initially gave them a two kilogram glass with jam at the time. The next day they came and asked for more. It tasted so good, they said! Then they got only a normal glass one at a time. It lasted just as long and they seemed easy to adapt themselves for this sort of thing.
They eat as long as they can and have something and do not think about saving. One example is their dress. They have after all some clothes. When they get a new dress they wear it until it is worn out. It will not be washed and it will not be repaired. Underwear they do not use. It bothers no-one and I can understand that from their perspective.
Today's good news came when I was in the wishing program in the radio and heard a greeting and an announcement that Allan is coming tomorrow. Unfortunately I did not hear it all but hopefully I heard the key message. I was slowly starting to think that I was close to being cheated again. This seemed fortunately not to be the case.
Sunday, 30th March 1969
I am a bit drunk but here it goes well. I just stuffed myself with sausage, bacon, tomatoes and eggs and several beers. Allan came, saw and conquered. He came with his mate Ted. He got all his stuff so I will probably not see him for a while. I'll stay here a little longer.
Allan and Ted went with the plane and left me with 10 beers, a bottle of sherry and a lot of food. He plans to come back on Thursday with fresh supplies for the entire Easter. A party of five or eight people will be here at that time having a few enjoyable days. Allan and I will then try to live up to the old safari tradition. Hopefully it will be exciting.
Tuesday next week I am going with Allan to Darwin and the day after we go to Alice Springs. Today I got just enough time to write a little letter to Alice and to send Allan a telegram which will be delivered within 24 hours. This should make it possible to give both my mother and father and Alice time to write to me. It is now three months since I received their letters. It's a bit hard.
Monday, 31st March 1969
Allan always has good ideas and new plans. This was perhaps the reason why I did not really sleep last night. His idea about that I go south for a few months and then came back again along with Toby to act as guides in the coming season sounded interesting and flattering. But if I started the season it would of course mean that I had to run the line out to about October. That is not what I was thinking of my previous plans, in which New Zealand and Japan are included.
I will leave it to this weekend and the future to decide if I should say yes to Allan's offer. Ah yes, last Easter I was in Sonderborg in Denmark with Alice. I wonder where my next Easter is to be. I got another buff today. After almost having given up I found some clues that led me in an opposite direction and even though I was tired on top of yesterday's experiences, I followed them. The buff gave me and Patra a long run before it had to give up. Unfortunately that meant that we were far from the car this time so there was time for a nap at midday. In the afternoon I spent some time cleaning up one of the cabins for the Easter guests. I'm still missing three, so there is plenty to do.
Tuesday, 1st April 1969
An airplane with good stuff was coming in today. The pilot was a lovely blonde twenty two year old who brought a carton of beer, a bottle of Bacardi and some cokes. She asked if I would take her out hunting. Afterwards we could enjoy ourselves in my cabin. I made her understand that this was certainly not something I normally did but in this particular situation I would make an exception with great joy.
We caught a magnificent specimen of a buffalo and later we partied on top of today's hunting success. Again a hunting success came in the house! Before she left she promised she would come back as soon as she got time. ALL FOOL´S DAY!!! Otherwise, it might have been fun.
In fact the broom was in action, and the various other cleaners that were used to get the remaining cabins ready so that they could once again be left for the next guests. Now we are ready for the first eight. I sure hope that there are no more. One extra dollar that is placed on the account was one I found under one of the beds. Unfortunately, there were no more.