Second Servings

Throughout my time in Australia last year I constantly was reinforcing the notion that I needed to absorb and enjoy every spec of this country that I could because the odds were slim I would ever be back. At least for a while. So with every adventure, beach, land mass, reef and historical sight, I clicked hundreds of photos, determined to attack the sights and sounds with the tenacity of a stereotypical uber-tourist. The result was a photo collection I will cherish for the remainder of my life, but in review, I felt that although the pictures might show a grandiose journey, that I failed to really extract the essence of the country. I felt like a food critic on iron chef, willing myself to enjoy every culinary creation as much as possible while constantly fighting the anxiety and attraction of the next dish in line. My initial excitement and 'awe' of being in a foreign land I felt at times would trump the pure enjoyment and experience of certain occasions. 

The saying goes that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, but if the first impression is great, does that guarantee infinite satisfaction in the following encounters? At what point does our satisfaction peak ? In college economics we learned of utility, or marginal satisfaction, where ones level of enjoyment or gratification follows a parabola of enjoyment, rising and then eventually falling with over-consumption. Furthermore, this effect is particularly measurable with food, or a movie, but what about a extended tangible experience such as travel? In this instance, the Australian continent. A concern of mine before returning was would I truly enjoy and appreciate this voyage as a sequel as much as I had the first time, or would it be old hat, routine and unoriginal to my senses and aspirations. I booked a ticket and decided to find out. 

A couple hundred miles south of Sydney on the southeast coast of Australia lies Murramurang National Park. Centered on historical holy lands of the aboriginal tribes this preserved virgin coastline and towering coastal eucalyptus forests remain relatively untouched from public probes. Last year I made the trip down from Canberra numerous times to explore and chart new beaches and enclaves, finding extreme samples of beauty in their most natural form and this happened time after time. I couldn't get enough. I had discovered Pretty Beach along with my then girlfriend Michelle and we were unanimous in declaring it the jewel of our journeys. Yesterday was the first time I returned and as we drove, my good friend Sean co-piloted our 1989 Toyota Tourago Van, I was curious to if the sights and beauty that I knew so well from last year would remain and flourish as I remembered. It absolutely did. 

Pretty Beach was arguably the most impressive find of my travels last year. With a sequestered cove of crystal clear aqua water, divine silica beaches and stunning coastal rock formations a traveler can not ask for more. Kangaroo packs sit grazing in the surrounding grasslands, indifferent to visitors. A few hundred feet off the beach sits a rocky sea-life burgeoning island accessible between tides and the absolute tipping point in the deal is that on more times than not, one can enjoy such a sublime setting without another human soul in sight. 

As I walked the beach and swam in the crisp waters, scaling familiar rock formations and admiring in the same I could sense my love of this place only growing. For me, the ocean was a little more blue, the trees more vibrant shades of greens, the sun glowed a tad brighter and the sand crunched just a bit nicer under my feet. Pretty Beach may have made a wonderful first impression, but it was it's incredible consistency and ability to deliver the same goods and then some, a year apart that really cemented it as a love of mine, as far as locales go. Of course I still was joined by my camera, yet instead of snapping photos in an attempt to capture and hold every spec of splendor, this time I was relaxed and free to appreciate all the glory the landscape had to offer. And I still took too many pictures! 

Yesterdays trip revitalized my enjoyment of being back in Australia. It excited and inspired me to not waste this experience. I am confident that combined with the knowledge acquired last year, and experience, that I can really enjoy this land mass and evoke even more satisfaction from it this time around. Consistency is an extremely underrated component of emotional enjoyment. Why do we return to our favorite restaurants? Because they consistently deliver the finest in quality goods and services. From those we find comfort in knowing exactly what to expect. When we are comfortable and relaxed, we open ourselves up to only enhanced and exaggerated enjoyment. That is where I am at in Australia in 2010. I am relaxed, I know how beautiful and captivating this place can be, I've seen it. And from this I can not wait to live the satisfaction brought to me yesterday in Murramurang, over and over from Sydney to Melbourne, up to Cairns and down to the Gold Coast. Australia succeeded in branding within me a fantastic first impression, but it's the second that I believe will really seal the deal.