Went Wandering in Queensland

[Zichar]

The sun shone brightly as we reached the midway point through the loop
A largish pool on one side and a steep drop at the other
I watched amusedly as the girl undressed into her string bikini
A tad self-conscious I opined, even with her boyfriend on guard duty
Then tried unsuccessfully to get herself into what I imagined freezing cold water
She waded in at the edge gingerly, then tried many half-squats
But stopped short of plunging in, pulling up abruptly
Every time the surface touched her thighs
It’s too cold, she hissed sotto voce
Almost pleading at the fella, who cooed and coaxed her again and again

This is going nowhere I thought, and averted my gaze
To the other side where warning signs have been stabbed into the rock surface
Go past these signs at your own peril
Slippery rocks, horrible death and all that jazz
Where shockingly a woman in her forties
With three young charges, less than five I guesstimated
Each with a pink bucket and trowel, mistaking waterfalls for the beach
Traipsing around the edge, the roar falls less than three feet away
My eyes flew wide open mouth ready to shout a word of warning
When she sprouted curly horns and danced nimbly away

<27>


mandarin (CKC_7892_duotone) by Zichar, on Flickr
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[foxtwo]

no moooooorrreee...?

 

[Zichar]

no moooooorrreee...?

Haha I think only one more, the rest are mostly record shots and personal ones
Staying off processing that last one until I fill in the backstory for the rest

 

[Zichar]

Last light at Montville, from where a cafe was strategically built overlooking the valley
Taken handheld while the waitresses were busy packing up
I imagine it must be a sight to behold while sipping a cup of tea or so

We took a slow walk back to our car, hand-in-hand
The slopes suddenly devoid of cars, buses which brought the tourists along with them
The shops then bustling with candy shoppers, fudge and knick-knacks

When our ears pricked up at the sight (or sounds) of the young couple ahead of us
With the look of love, wide smiles, and eyes only for one another
The accent, was it Singaporean?

We quickened our pace, like make-believe secret agents in an espionage thriller
The game is afoot!
I shoved my hands into my hood and billowed it wider
Elephant's ears my child-like mind rationalized, already into character

At our footsteps, now audible on the quiet street
He turned back to glance
Then muttered in low voices to his female friend
She faked a pass over her shoulder
But we caught that innocent gaze, didn't we?

Heightened alert, heightened senses
They stopped talking as did we, straining to catch the little bits of conversation
The silence lay heavy upon us like a low hanging cloud
Then a quick drop of the shoulder, turn of the heel
Off they went across the street
But we deigned to follow

Safe now
Their gait went back to normal, the sounds of happy chatting floated by
The wife and I returned glances
All at once we mouthed the word
Singaporeans
And burst out laughing into the streets

<28>


clothiers (Montville_Pano01) by Zichar, on Flickr
​

 

[Zichar]

It soon grew dark, down the deeply shaded roads we wound our way back
And I sighed wistfully; we'd never make it to Mary Cairncross Park
To take up the offer of a spectacular view
Yet in an odd reversal of roles, she egged me on instead

I could have sworn she leaned over and grabbed the wheel
Giving it a good yank to the right as we reached the turn
But for safety's sake, only metaphorically

Barely 10 mins in and we were greeted with a glorious panoramic view
She did not lie
The Glass House mountains glowed, basking in the last rays of sunlight
Cold was the air, though the mosquitoes decided to brave that front to swarm

I ambled, skipped, hobbled across the road in haste
Tripod bag threatening to trip me up
Lashed to the tips of the camera strap that was caught in the hooks of the flap and the belt of my

I watched, with remote in hand, the last sunset of my trip
Taking in the quiet serenity of it all, branding it into memory to last the rest of my year, and years
Then shattered, as the sliding doors of the deep blue mini coach rolled open
And out poured tourists, their loud voices filling up my thought bubbles

This is a hidden gem, an amazing find - the guide proclaimed
As he dug out a red plastic bag, rummaging within to pull out with mandarin oranges
Local produce to enjoy the sunset with; the offering quickly divided
into quarters, individual slivers stuffed into the mouths of reluctant children

Chatter on they did, and flock, congregate around the lone photographer
For he surely must know the best views?
My mind screamed bugger off, my face only a wry smile upon it

And then the guide walked back to the coach and waved hello to a passing local jogger
Who slowed down and remarked that he hadn't seen him in a while

Within minutes the scene submerged into a sea of blue
Dismantling, packing, somehow I knew this would be my last for the journey
Returning to the car, another swooped in to the empty lot behind
A fellow photographer, himself ambling, skipping, hobbling across the road in haste
Almost tripping up, extending tripod legs mid-stride
Bit too late, brah

<29>


she said (CKC_7917) by Zichar, on Flickr
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That's all I have. Thanks for viewing guys

 

[soulFLY]

<22>


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This piece is superb..love the 'viens'...it would be great if there is more contrast in this...
Nonetheless, I love #17 and fall in love with #29...

Excellent stuff mate..

 

[Zichar]

This piece is superb..love the 'viens'...it would be great if there is more contrast in this...
Nonetheless, I love #17 and fall in love with #29...

Excellent stuff mate..

Thanks Thomas. I think I actually went ahead to 'burn' in the veins, not sure why i didn't just increase global contrast though
So many ways to skin a cat in PS, I almost always choose the laborious one!
Thought of your works for #16, it's really difficult to fix a busy horizon, makes me appreciate your hard work.