Goats, Parrots and orbs in the sky.

The sign said “Goats on a roof”. How could anyone pass a sign like that? We turned off the main road and found ourselves at, well, a grass roofed café with goats on the roof. Apparently it all started in the 1950s when a Norwegian, missing home, built a shack with a grass roof. Soon goats turned up on his roof, swiftly followed by tourists (not on the roof) who wanted to see this. Over the years this has developed into a major tourist attraction and tourists need food and coffee and, now it seems, shops selling garden furniture, tie-died t-shirts and jewellery. Weirdly interesting. I suppose, in it's own way this is how places like Lourdes started out.(Substitute Goat for vision of virgin Mary).

A Goat on a roof

We got chatting to a Canadian couple interested in my trip. After the usual, where are you from/going? He asked if I'd seen The Long Way Round/Down. Not wishing to point out that, as my trip is called the dom way round, I may well have seen an episode or two, I said that I had. He was also a big fan of other BBC programmes like Top Gear. Having just seen it on the web that morning I was able to tell him that the identity of The Stig had been revealed. Odd, the conversations you can have with a total stranger in a car park.

Moving on, Tracy (or should I say Ewan) and I visited the World Parrot Refuge. I will let the photos do the talking but suffice it to say a parrot is not just for Christmas, and these friendly guys were cool. I was particularly taken by one little fella who kept pecking at my ankle. He couldn't fly and all he wanted was to be picked up and stroked. Parrots are very intelligent animals, they bond with their “owners” and can live for 75 years. Most of these parrots/macaws/cockatoos are victims of the illegal international trade in wild and exotic birds, secondly, in profit, only to the drugs trade. 

Pecking my ankle for attention

He just wanted some attention (the bird, not me)

Now for the surprise. Weeks ago I'd seen a place mentioned in the Lonely Planet that I just knew Tracy would love (and me to be honest). Whilst at Sebs. I'd managed to phone them and book us in for an night. Tracy had no idea where we were going and was a little surprised when I pulled off the main highway and into someone's drive. We were going to spend the night 15 feet up a tree in a sphere.

Again I think the pictures tell the story but what great idea. Building a wooden sphere and hanging it in the trees. It's like a tree version of a hobbit hole – or perhaps it's where the Ewoks live. Needless to say we had a fantastic evening hanging in the trees and a real unique experience. Isn't that what travelling is supposed to be about? Better than drowning in a sodden tent.

Our sphere for the night