In the tropics

Who would have thunk it? They have ADSL up here in the Torres Strait now!

It's such a sad occasion to be coming up for, but it is so good to finally be here. Earlier this year I wrote about my yearnings to come back and now I've made it. It took us about 6 hours to get here (plane from Sydney-Cairns and then Cairns-Horn Island). When we reached the tip of Australia, the pilot (a female captain! How great, and rare, is that?) flew over the Inner Island group (Horn Island, Thursday Island etc.). When we came in to land I felt the greatest rush of excitement, sadness and relief, all at once. I've always been so attached to this place since coming here with Mama all the time as a child.

We are staying on Horn Island but today my mother and I caught the ferry across to Thursday Island (the "main" township) to visit her brothers and other relatives. While we've been busy helping to organise the funeral, it has also been really good to catch up with the hordes of cousins and their children. Everyone has grown up so much, unsurprisingly!

I took this photo of the sunset as we got off the last ferry back to Horn Is. this evening. The sky was such an amazing colour! It has been hot but up at the wharf the sea breeze is wonderfully refreshing, making for a very pleasant stroll back to the hotel.

Anyway, I'm being called away to dinner now. My cousin's wife's sister (her mother and sister flew up from Sydney with us yesterday) caught an esky-load of fish today so we've got a yummy meal waiting for us. Can't wait.