Cast of characters

When I travel, I feel like I'm in the largest classroom in the world, and each person I meet is a teacher, of sorts, to me. Its not until I meet others, and find out the endless possibilities of professions, thoughts, traditions, approaches to life, that I am truly astounded at all the possibilities. Mark Twain put it most succently when he stated the awesome power of travel and how it educates. "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
The greatest delight I've encountered on this jaunt has been the opportunity to meet and interact with people from, well,... everywhere. Its like I'm in the middle of my own novel with all these cast of characters, continuously being introduced. Let me introduce you to just a few of the strangers I met downUnder:
Andrew: the fair skinned, mild mannered hotel staff who took me out to dinner and he became my text message buddy. A patriotic, and passionate man when it comes to his country of Zimbabwa. Unfortunately he had to emigrate to Oz, because, as he said in his words ' its unsafe there as they are getting rid of the white people' - Tara: the red-headed, well-liked, Irish girl - one of 6 gals on my 10-day camping trip. Genuine and personable we always had a range of topics to discuss, (especially boys) as the other 4 gals were too jaded and cynical to contemplate that topic.- Paul: my pedestrian companion in Broome. He had one of the more interesting jobs of creating dirt rds in the isolation of the outback roads using large machinery. He recounted how they had to live off the land, (killing kangaroos,etc) and avoiding poisonous snakes, as this job meant that they were hundreds of km from civilization for weeks at a time. Paul was moving to Indonesian and wanted to make sure I knew the address of the 40ft yacht he'd be living on there, just in case I wanted to try my hand at sailing. - Deborah: the very amiable, soft-spoken girl I meet in Broome hostel. Her whole life was spent in Cannes, France. She described herself as having a 'charmed life' and this lenthy travel/work journey to Oz/Thailand was, for her, a way to find out 'how the rest of the world lived'. Her ability to adapt to the less, than, suitable arrangements (coming from a villa in France, to a 6 share small dorm room) was impressive. East Indian British guy (we'll call him Bob). He became a fast friend, whilst I was stuck in Ayers Rock airport for the day. His approach, though unconventional and forward, intrigued me. He introduced me to his wife and kids, and then proceeded to spend his time, addressing my 'life issues' on love, life etc. Formality was obviously not his strong suit. By the end of our day and subsequent flight together, his one son asked him 'so dad, whose your new best friend? Carolyn: the outgoing, generous and social post transplantee, I met online and was finally able to meet face to face. She also suffers from CF and is 12 yrs post transplant - the longest survivor I know personally. We spent a memorable evening together, eating, sharing our stories and socializing with her friends. It was a delight to meet an individual so content and full of life, knowing how much she had endure. Then there were the 4 guys I meet in Alice Springs at the hostel I was staying at. These 'Boyz of the UN' (pic)as I've dubbed them, made my stay in the sad city of Alice Spring actually enjoyable. More about them later .
Strangers are so easy to meet here,whether locals or from abroad. (you'll find a lot of Brits here) They will not only give you their time and attention, but sometimes offer even more. Like Sandra, my gregarious, friendly seat mate on the plane, who seemed to have the gift of setting people at ease and keeping them engaged. She was an accountant for a wine making co. - so I got a brief lesson in that topic. In the middle of our making dinner plans (when I return back to Melbourne) she suggested that when Gracie and I visit her in the Yarra Valley (the wine growing region of Melbourne) that we would be welcome to stay with her at her home. You gotta love the Australians for their ability to extend themselves, beyond the norm. Its almost like the caution of potential danger lurking around every corner, hasn't caught on as it has in the States and people are expected to be decent and kind. I hope this aspect of this country (and New Zealand) never changes.