Friday, 17 August 2012

No riding today (dammit!)

Ian was up early and nearly packed when I got up.  I’d packed the night before so, at last, I was pretty much ready when he was.  Except we had no place to go.  Coco said we could leave our things until we knew for sure if we were departing or staying another night.  Mail should arrive within a couple of hours.  If we’re very lucky, the belt can be installed quickly and we’ll be on our way by noon.  Feels like I’ve said that before.

Ian tracked the packages of belts sent by Allen to a truck in Katherine.  He’s off to the post office to get more specific information.  Meanwhile, Coco took the paintings I like out of the shed again.  He also gave me his card so I could give him all my money later (and he’d send them to me).

The fellows at the bike shop said the mail gets delivered by 11.  Ian went to see if the package arrived.  Nothing yet.  Nor at noon, nor 1:30, nor 2:30.  After several visits to the post office by Ian and the bike shop guys (It is here yet? How about now?) there were no belts.  And no real answers from the post office.  The “overnight mail” was in the hands of a private courier and they had no control over (or knowledge of) his schedule.  Frustrating!!  Finally, Ian’s phone rang at 3pm.  The shop has the belts. YAY!

This is a photo of a cast crocodile outside the sporting goods shop next to the repair shop.  It’s the pic of the day (mostly because it’s the only one).

Ian wanted to watch the mechanic do the installation but they would not permit it.  Well, that sure doesn’t engender confidence.  I tried to distract Ian by offering to buy lunch.  I hoped it would keep his mind off the scooter and get us a much needed meal.

We picked up a couple of sliced pork sandwiches at Bucking Bull.  They had actually closed but the ladies inside took pity on us and let us in.  We ate on the lawn adjacent to the shop.  Even though they completed the belt installation by 4, it was too late for us to ride north.  We agreed to spend one more night in Katherine and set out on Saturday morning.