It is still hot in Mataranka.. HOT.. and Humid.  And, the remains of a stomach flu still lingers.  My last days in this little place are a bit nostalgic, but mostly I am just eager to get onto my next adventure.  I am glad I will still be in Oz though.. for one thing, the birds here are amazing.  Even the bats.  Sure they smell.. but they are.. amazing!

I went for a swim at Bitter Springs: the only one there.. which is not unusual these days.  The tourists left when the weather started heating up and the build-up began.  The build-up was supposed to lead to the rains.. but they haven't arrived.  We get the occasional crazy storm, the usual power outages and a bit of the expected flooding, but it all seems to end before it begins.

The springs are slimy these days.. but other than the gooey green muk floating about, sticking to the steps and the bottom, the water is absolutely crystal clear.  I love it much more than a pool.  I float along, quite quickly actually, down to the steps and then struggle to get back without breaking into a front crawl and chance running into the bug-ridden, slimy mangroves.

I'd say it was quiet.. but it isn't.  The dry palms make it sound like a hurricane with the slightest of breezes.  Then there are the birds.. who, like the Indigenous people of the area, never talk softely, but instead shriek at one another: loud and grating.

Yup... still hot.  Still noisy.  Not unlike my classroom.

"MISS!  MISS!  MAKO IS ON THE CHAIR!"   "Miss.. Miss.. MISS!!!  OZZIE TOUCHED ME!"
"MISS!  MISS! FINISHED MISS!  WHAT CAN I DO?!"

I am ready for a change, but, I am glad I'm staying in the Northern Territory for now.  Guess I'm a little addicted to the heat, the noise and that little bit of chaos that is life in the north.