Refreshment

In a world in which everyone is masquerading as someone else, in which so many people promise so much but deliver so little, in which everyone sells out to the highest bidder, in which we are expected to feign respect for institutions we consider absurd, sometimes it's refreshing to ride into a dark rainforest at night, turn off the lights and just take in the sights and the sounds. I'm talking about the green glow from the glow worms, the flash of the fire flies, the ever so subtle sounds of the night time bird calls and bubbling creek, and the unique scent of the rainforest.

The irony here, is that after going through the vast majority of my life thinking I had no allergies, I have discovered one. While riding through the rainforest at Austinville on dark summer nights (or on warm winter nights when extra layers are not needed), I find that my arms begin to itch ever so slightly, but an itch that doesn't go away with scratching. I am, in fact, allergic to one of the things I love most in the entire world. Why it should be a problem there I don't know. This "problem" wasn't evident in the rainforests of New Zealand, Tasmania or even nearby rainforests such as Urliup. Yet last night, I was reminded of it once again. It's a testament to the beauty of the area (or perhaps my own stupidity) that I keep going back.