It was to be another day of nothingness today. Being a Sunday, which we only realised late last night, we chose to have a quiet day, mostly spent relaxing at the caravan park. It is so easy to lose track of days when we have no set agenda or structure to our weeks.

We were off to a reasonably early start however, heading to what promised to be a market of much grander proportions than that which we visited yesterday. This market is held weekly, in the grounds of a local school and boasts upwards of 200 stalls. On our arrival, we found the entire area to be an almost unmanageable jumble of cars and pedestrians, all streaming into the modest car parking area. As we dodged the drivers erratically and blindly searching for a car space, we struck up a conversation with another couple walking towards the main body of the market. They’ve been living on the road for 7 years, travelling around in a fifth wheeler, towed behind a big Ford ute. We laughed out loud when we mentioned that we were travelling with a couple of dogs, and their comment was that they did too for some time, but have found it more and more restrictive finding caravan parks that accept pooches. They found this odd, as “they bloody well let kids in!” They’re out sort of folks!

Once inside, we were greeted to a large array of stalls, selling all manner of fresh goods, craftwork and the usual junky market type bric-a-brac. The fruit and vegetables were fresh from the farms and it was hard to know what to buy as it all looked so delicious. Compared to what we are used to at the local supermarkets back home, there is no comparison. This produce is worlds apart, in a good way, in taste, smell and looks. Armed now, as we were, with plenty of bags full of avocados, tomatos, bananas and capsicum, we strolled through the rest of the stalls. There was everything from knock off sunnies and DVDs, to intricately handcrafted wood work and greeting cards, to 2^nd hand examples of just about anything you could imagine.

Marcus goes to market.

It was hot work wandering about in the glaring sun however, so it was a relief when we returned to the air conditioned comfort of ‘The Beast’, and headed off to do a tad more shopping. There were a few bits and pieces that I needed from the hardware shop, in an effort to get the fridge ready for travel tomorrow. Thankfully, whilst we have been stationary and running on mains power, it has been working reasonably well. We did have another fright with it yesterday when the temperature gauge inexplicably headed north again, but later decided that the probable cause of this might have been the placement of some warm food directly next to the temperature probe. It also probably doesn’t help that we have been hyper-vigilant over any slight temperature variances, causing our stress levels to elevate in direct proportion to the indicated temperatures.

With a few stops between the hardware store and the caravan park, at the grocery store and Supercheap auto, we managed to complete all of our allotted errands for the day. Well, almost. Back at the van, there was the by now ubiquitous load of laundry and some house work, while I got my hands dirty doing the re-wiring of the fridge. Being that we are on the road again tomorrow, the test will be when we stop tomorrow afternoon, to see if my temporary fix will hold up until such time as I can find the necessary part to complete a more permanent resolution.

Amongst our chores, we managed to have a hearty lunch of bacon and eggs. It was meant to have been our breakfast, but we were running a little bit behind schedule by the time we got round to frying it up.

Then we hooked the dogs up to a line we set up that allows them to run up and down alongside the van, and regaled in the sunshine, catching up on the weeks events courtesy of the Sunday paper. So much for the dogs expending any energy pacing back and forth the length of the van however. For the most part Bethany sat on Becs lap, while Alvin sat guard on his bed, barking at anyone who should dare walk within 100 feet of our camp. Scary dog he is, he occasionally even stood up to appear more ferocious.

We’re quite happy doing nothing.

Since they wouldn’t walk of their own accord, we strapped them into their harnesses and paraded them around the caravan park, for an afternoon walk. Back at the van, Bec took her daily afternoon nap, while I began typing up my dispatches for the day.

I was mid-way through when I heard what I thought were some birds prancing about on the roof of the van. It was a couple of minutes, and the thought that what started out sounding like small birds, was beginning to sound like rather large avian creatures, before I realized that it was a sudden tropical downpour. The hefty drops were what I could hear, slamming noisily down against the van.

The rush was on, as I hauled Bec out of her peaceful slumber, trying to gather up all the almost dry washing before it became saturated again. As well as the laundry, I had to clear up all of our furniture from under the awning, as the rain was pelting down, on an almost horizontal path, negating any benefit the awning could provide. The deluge lasted only a few minutes, but you could see how quickly a flood could occur, if it lasted for any extended period of time. As soon as it started, it was over, leaving me soaked, and the caravan strewn with dripping camp chairs, dog beds and semi-dry laundry. On a positive note, our leak above the bed failed to re-appear, so my liberal lashings of sealant must have done the job.

Dried up following our unintended shower, we headed out to dinner at the local Sizzler restaurant. We had seen this lair of all you can eat, buffet goodness when we first drove into town, promising ourselves a good old fashioned nosh up. And tonight was the night.

Two Plates Tooley.

An hour after we sat down, we left again, suitably over satiated, feeling physically ill, leaving the dishwasher wondering in awe as to who could ply through so many plates in such a short period of time, while leaving the establishments earnings for the days trade in deficit.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.