I had a fleeting desire

I received a very big gift in December 2019, completely spontaneously. Someone invited me to Western Australia. It was the only intercontinental travel my life back and forth. To this day it is an unreal memories to cross the Great Plain by train and board a Boeing 747 at the international airport. On the flight from Dubai to Budapest, many different nations were represented. Then I arrive at the airport of one of the most famous cities. Dubai airport is incredibly big! As a Hungarian national, I was amazed as I tried to find my way around it while waiting for my early morning transfer. I boarded an even bigger plane, an Airbus 380, which took me and others - mostly returning Australians - to Perth. Flying over the Indian Ocean, for example, as the plane passed over the Maldives, was an unforgettable adventure for me. I genuinely wondered how bored most of the passengers were with flying! And I was bursting with excitement.

When I saw the approaching coastline (I was lucky to be sitting next to a window on this flight), I felt the excitement of the explorers of old. Land at last! Although I only spent 11 hours in the air, the confinement and cramped space towards the end was overwhelming. I couldn't really move. Despite being very far from home, I felt like an experienced old mercenary on a new mission. In fact, it is my mercenary mentality that makes the madness of the human world bearable for me. Any shit comes up, I can assess it, react, even in a matter of seconds. That's why I didn't think twice about accepting the invitation to fly halfway around the world to get from the north to the southern hemisphere. I knew it was going to be a very interesting adventure that would give me valuable experience. It's good to know that I never go on holiday. I always collect data in every situation. Even in my sleep.

One of the things that really touched me was the ocean. Standing on the shore, feeling the wind blowing, hearing and seeing the waves, smelling the distinctive scent, and taking a handful of water and tasting how salty it is. The Ocean threw the truth in my face. As a Hungarian, living in a small town, moving within a 20 km radius, I know nothing about life that is much bigger than anything I have ever been able to comprehend. I was standing on the beach and tears were flowing. I am still in tears. Few people admit it, but Hungarian society as a whole is built on an abusive system designed to break people down and enslave them. Feudalism has never gone away in my country. There are masters and servants. It is quite commonplace that women are even worse off than men. Alcoholism is a widespread disease. Hungary is a terribly depressing place, of which the tourist perceives nothing, because he is only here for a short time, and for those who come as guests, my country is a magical place.

But for me, Western Australia was the magic. As a nature walker, I was fascinated by the vastness of the wilderness. In fact, Western Australia has 135 national parks. My host took me to a few during my stay. The opening picture was taken in Kalamunda National Park. Unfortunately I only had a small compact with me.  The walk through the eucalyptus forest was fantastic. I got used to the European oak forests, the running deer. In Kalamunda kangaroos were jumping around. A whole other world surrounded me. I felt and knew that I could work here for months as a green-hearted photographer and writer. My bad luck that I was here during the worst drought. The small watercourse was dry. I saw no sign of fungi. Still, the real, untouched, wild forest inspired me. What a fortunate place in the world, the ancient island continent, where the human-nature ratio has not been upset and our species has not consumed nature in a self-destructive way. For me it really is a fantastic world.

I was so far south that Orion, the famous constellation in the winter sky, seemed to be upside down. Below it, the Eridanus, the river of the Underworld, meanders towards the south pole, its brightest star, Achernar, never visible from Hungary. I always wanted to see it. The first night I looked up at the sky in Perth, there it was above me. I have seen the Achernar, the Ocean, cockatoos, koalas, and quoakas, and many other specialities. It was a wonderful experience. I knew I had to return to Hungary. I had to drink the bitter cup. But my wishes were granted. I got to go to a very special place in the southern hemisphere and experience what it's like to be in the wild, when you know that for hundreds and hundreds of kilometres there will be no cities. And my last wish, which flashed before me like the blue fairy of the ocean, was to visit all national parks.
Note: During my stay, my host shared local problems with me. I am Hungarian. I know the shit of human existence. I do not wear rose-colored glasses. My heart is green. I have seen homeless people in Perth. Cops came out on the street where I lived. I've seen where the rich live. I also saw how vulnerable it is to be a semi-legal immigrant. Yeah, being human totally sucks. Toxic animals or toxic people. Oh yeah. You get to choose where you die and what you die from. Life is wonderful.