Austrialian travel book

Reading this post in Pharyngula (one of my favorite blogs), got me to thinking about our trip to Australia and one of the best travel books I've ever read. In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson is a very good Australia travelogue. He's a bit of a wimp, but either because of or despite it, the book is very funny! One of my favorite passages comes near the beginning:

It [Australia] is the home of the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef, and of the largest monolith, Ayers Rock (or Uluru to use its now-official, more respectful Aboriginal name). It has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world's ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures - the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish - are the most lethal of their type in the world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you, but actually sometimes go for you. Pick up an innocuous cone shell from a Queensland beach, as innocent tourists are all too wont to do, and you will discover that the little fellow inside is not just astoundingly swift and testy but exceedingly venomous. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistable currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. It's a tough place.

Like I said, a bit of a gloomy gus, and a wimp. But the book is very funny and a great read.

We didn't run into any of these, although Gabrielle did come down with an awful rash on her arms. We think it may have just been sun poisoning, as no one there seemed to recognize it. That's one thing he missed - Carns (pronounced "Cans") is at or near the top in skin cancer deaths, due to its proximity to the equator. We did get eggregiously sunburned while on a sailboat, despite wearing t-shirts the entire day. We were voted "most sunburned" by the other passengers:-) Made for a long flight back to Sydney!

I have to post another one of our Aussie photos; perhaps tonight.