Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 02:56:54 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 9, chapters 27 - 28 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 27 -- The Aussie Experience. We checked in to our lodgings at Alice Springs and spent the night. We didn't do much, other than clean up and go to sleep, but this way we'd be ready to set out early the next day. I got everyone up by 6:00 the next morning and had them dressed and fed by 7:15, so we could make the short drive to our first stop -- the 'Alice Springs Desert Park.' I had made sure we arrived when the park opened, because I'd heard there was a great deal to do and it would take a whole day to get it all in. As we entered the park, we were given several free audio guides to use -- one for every four people. These devices helped explain the park's features and made it so you could choose what you'd listen to. It even gave you the option of listening to something over again, if you missed a detail or two the first time around. It works like this. All around the park there are posts with numbers on them. If you punch that number into the machine, it explains what you need to know about that location. I was also given a timetable, which gave me the starting times for the various shows and presentations that would be given. I found it to be was very informative and this material coincided nicely with what I had read online, before we left home. There are three habitats to view and walk about, and each has its own unique set of plant and animal life that resides there. Over the course of the next couple of hours, we checked out two of these -- the 'Sand Country' and 'Woodland' habitats. Each of these areas feature two or more aviaries, which house the birds that reside in that particular environment. We discovered very quickly, however, that you have to be extremely quiet when you go inside or the birds will remain hidden from view. These areas also contained enclosures for the kangaroos and emus, but since we had seen these at the Wildlife Park, we didn't spend much time there. Once we finished at this location, I took the boys to one of the most popular features of the site, the 'Nocturnal House.' This building contains the creatures that are active during the nighttime hours, so the building is made to resemble a moonlit night. I was told it was best to view the area before 10:00, because the animals are more active then, so we went in to see the snakes, lizards and other animals that go to work after dark. This area also features some rare animals and those threatened with extinction. On that list we found the bilby and a desert dwelling marsupial that is related to the bandicoots. There used to be two species of bilbies, but one species went extinct during the 1950's. The term bilby is an Aboriginal term meaning, 'long-nosed rat,' so that should give you some indication of what they look like. The bilbies also have long ears, a soft, silky fur, dig burrows in the ground and do not need to drink water. The bilbies get all the moisture they need from their food (insects, spiders, some plants and other small animals). They range in size from 29 cm, or about 7.5 inches, on up to 66 cm, or approximately 17.5 inches. Also on the list of endangered animals is the mala, or rufous hare wallaby, which is another marsupial. It has gray fur that fades to yellow on the sides and underbelly, and is the smallest of the hare wallabies. It feeds on herbs, seeds, grass, shrubs and leaves, while residing in shallow burrows. It also prefers to be alone and its average length is around ten inches, which is approximately the size of a rabbit. Once we finished there, we went to check out the last of the three habitats, the 'Desert Rivers,' and this area had a couple of its own aviaries to view. After seeing everything there, we went to view a twenty-minute film, called 'The Changing Heart,' which compresses information about what has happened during the four and a half billion years of desert creation. When we left the area, we went to grab a bite to eat, since the boys were grumbling about being hungry. Maybe this was partially due to the fact that we'd heard so much about what all these other animals eat and it caused the boys' digestive juices to start to flow too. Whatever the reason, my gang now claimed they were starving. Once we'd finished our meal, we went to see a show on 'Aboriginal Weapon Use.' I found this to be very informative, since it went over many facets. It began with the Aboriginal use of clubs, which ranged from the very simple to those with conical, mushroom, pineapple, bladed or pick-like heads. These were used for hunting, as well as defending against or attacking other groups of people. The balanced sword-club, which could have a blade of up to a meter in length, proved to be a very fearsome weapon indeed. To my amazement, we were then informed that boomerangs were merely throwing sticks and did not necessarily return to the user. The boomerangs developed differently in different parts of the country, and some Aboriginal people never used a boomerang. Other groups abandoned the use of them over time and one group used a specialized boomerang to help them fish in shallow waters. The returning boomerang, which we are familiar with, had limited distribution and was mainly used in traditional sporting events and games. It was also used to kill birds or drive them into nets that had been strung up at strategic points. The returning boomerangs are also generally thinner and lighter than the other varieties. The hunting boomerang was a heavy version and used for both hunting and fighting. It was deadly in the hands of a skilled warrior and was often elaborately engraved or decorated on both sides. One such weapon had a flattened pick-like appearance and could be used to reach around the stick or shield of another warrior, often with deadly results. The Aboriginal people also used a variety of spears, hatchets and axes, as well as using fire as a weapon. They would use the smoke to mask their location or utilize the smoke and fire to drive animals, or their enemies, out from where they were hiding. This had been quite a lengthy, yet informative, demonstration, but once it ended we hurried off to check out some of the desert art next. Since the Aborigine didn't have a form of writing, they often drew pictures in the sand or painted them onto a rock wall, to pass along traditional knowledge. These drawings were only supposed to be seen by those that had reached a certain level within the society, since much of this was sacred and utilized mystical backdrops. Their artwork also appeared to be very simplistic, as Andrew observed. "I think I could draw better than that when I was in kindergarten or first grade," he stated, as he looked at samples of the primitive artwork. "It wasn't designed to be beautiful," I informed, "but to convey a message. It would be closer in use to writing, rather than the type of artwork you do." Andrew seemed to understand what I told him and said nothing more about its simplistic nature. A short time after we finished up there, we went to see our last demonstration, the 'Birds of Prey' show. This was held in a small amphitheatre, but the birds remained totally free and in their natural environment. The presenter explained and demonstrated how the various species differ, before he and his 'assistants' demonstrated these things for us. We discovered some of the birds would fly very close above our heads when they came in, while others refused to cooperate and embarrassed the presenter. One even snuck up from behind and surprised him. The presenter used meat to attract the birds and demonstrate their hunting technique. One particular bird even used a tool, a stone, to break open its desired meal, which had a rather hard covering. Once this show ended, we left the park and headed back to Alice Springs. Since we had done quite a bit of walking and standing, we were all fairly tired, so we rested a bit, before going out to dinner. When we came back from dinner, most of us just cleaned up and hurried off to bed. We got up early the next morning, yet were fairly well rested and looking forward to another full day of activity. After downing our morning meal; we set off for our first stop, the Henbury Meteorite Crater site. Shortly after arriving, we discovered that 4,700 years ago, a several ton meteorite, traveling at speeds in excess of 40,000 k.p.h., or 24,855 m.p.h., disintegrated as it entered the atmosphere. This meant it broke into many smaller pieces, several of which struck the earth at this location. The impact left behind twelve different craters, which varied greatly in size. The smallest impact site was barely noticeable now, because of the passage of time and the effects of weather. It was six meters across, or just under twenty feet, but it was only a few centimeters deep. The largest of the craters was most likely caused by a chunk of meteor about the size of an oil drum and left behind a hole 180 meters across, or 590.5 feet, and fifteen meters, or forty-nine feet, deep. This was due in part to the meteor's very dense and heavy composition, which was mostly iron, with a little nickel thrown in. Over 500 kg, or more than 1,100 pounds, of pieces were recovered from the area, with the largest piece being 10 kg, or 22 pounds. We had already walked around some of the smaller craters and were in the process of walking around the largest one when I heard someone speak up. "Holy crap!" Pat exclaimed. "Can you imagine how much damage there would be, if something like this happened today? To make this big of a hole, it must have kicked up an enormous amount of debris." "Well, if it happened in a desolate area such as this," Jake replied, "it probably wouldn't be too bad, but if it happened in or near a major city, then results would be catastrophic," "Hey, if a meteor wiped out the dinosaurs, it could certainly do the same to humans," Brandon observed. "Didn't something like this happen a few years ago on Jupiter?" Dustin asked. "I think I remember hearing something about that in school. I think it was a meteor or comet that crashed into the planet." "You're correct," I confirmed. "Jupiter was struck in 1994 by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet. The comet had been torn into pieces by Jupiter's gravity, when it passed by on a previous occasion, so it ended up resulting in eight or nine impacts sites on the surface." "Hopefully someone would spot anything like that headed toward earth, so there would be enough time to stop it or change its course," Sammy added. It was truly a mind- boggling scenario any way you looked at it. Once we finished walking around, I decided to have the boys grab a snack here, since our next stop would take a few hours to complete. No one complained about eating early, and then we drove over to the Watarrka National Park. The name comes from the Aboriginal word for the umbrella bush that thrives here and protects the rugged and scenic George Gill Range. The park contains a massive gorge and its best-known feature is Kings Canyon. Although we had been to the Grand Canyon in the past, I wanted the boys to see this canyon as well. Part of my reasoning revolved around the fact that not all of the boys had been with us for the trip to Arizona. Little Ricky had not gone along on that trip and we didn't run in to Nick until after we left there. Jesse also hadn't joined the family until long after that experience and, of course, Peter hadn't been with us then either. Not only did I want them to see this, but I also wanted those that had been to the Grand Canyon to be able to make a comparison between the two. There are two walks you may take to view the Canyon, so I started us out on the shorter and easier of the two first. The Kings Creek walk is 2.6 km, or a little more than a mile-and-a- half in length, and during this trek we walked along the canyon floor. As we went, we passed by numerous signs and displays explaining about the local vegetation, until we reached a lookout point. From here, we were able to view the canyon walls from the ground up and got a different perspective of the canyon than we would get on the next tour. The Kings Creek walk took about an hour to complete, but we were able to enjoy some very spectacular views along the way. >From there, we moved into position to begin the Kings Canyon Rim Walk. This is a six km loop, nearly four miles, and we moved in a clockwise direction around the canyon. The walk begins by climbing a steep path, which the locals call 'Heartbreak Hill' or 'Heart Attack Hill'. This climb is more difficult than if we had been able to go in the reverse, or counter-clockwise direction, but park officials want everyone moving in the same direction, to avoid congestion and tie ups. Once we reached the top, it became a fairly easy walk, as we proceed along the northern rim. From here, we got a great view of the opposite wall and rim, which is approximately 300 meters high, or a little over 984 feet above the canyon floor. When we reached the upper end of the canyon, the ground became much more uneven and the traveling was considerably rougher. At this point, we also began to pass through a collection of sandstone domes, which is referred to as 'The Lost City.' During this time, we also had a chance to take a little detour, which we chose to do, and descended into a very sheltered valley. When we reached the bottom, we discovered a permanent waterhole, which is called 'The Garden of Eden.' It is very peaceful and absolutely stunning, and although you're not supposed to swim in this area, some of the other visitors did. The walk back was through some narrow gaps and over some rugged parts of the valley, but there were also boardwalks and some steps in the more difficult and steeper sections, to lessen the difficulty. During the second part of the walk, along the southern rim, we were able to gaze upon some magnificent, and possibly the most beautiful of all the views. By the time we reached the milder grade back down to a point close to where we had started, nearly four hours had passed. I think everyone had enjoyed the experience, although we were all quite tired by the time we reached the mini-bus. >From there, we drove back to Alice springs, were we rested up for a brief period and took some nice hot showers to work out the kinks, before we went to dinner. After we ate, I decided to take the family to a pub. There are plenty of them in Alice Springs and the drinking age in Australia is 18, which meant that everyone except for Jesse, Andrew, Little Ricky, Sammy. Dion and our host, Peter, could indulge. Peter wasn't going to turn 18 until October and Dion in November, so they were unfortunately going to miss out on this. I did suspect they wouldn't miss out on it completely, since I figured they'd each take a few sips from the other boys' mugs now and then, and from the looks of the place, I doubted anyone would give a second thought about it. We had a good time and filled up more than half of the place. There were some locals and a few other tourists there as well, but they were all quite friendly and even inquired about our situation. As always, we shocked many of them with our story, but got a few cries of 'here, here' in the mix. Everyone was quite nice and we enjoyed the time we spent chatting with each of them. Some of the boys even tried their hand at darts and received some tips from some of the regulars on this art form. I wouldn't say any of them would threaten anyone there with their accuracy, except if you meant they might accidentally hit someone else with a dart. After going back to our rooms and getting a good night's rest, we got up the following morning and took off for our last day in the Outback, or the Never-Never as the locals like to call it. We were going to see the last of the sights I had scheduled, which was a stop at the Uluru/Kata Tjuta National Park. We started off visiting Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it is called in English. This is a large sandstone, monolithic done and rises dramatically out of the desert. It's Aboriginal name, Uluru, means 'earth mother,' and in reality it is just a large island mountain. It stands 348 meters, or 1,142 feet, tall and has a circumference of 9.4 km, or 5.8 miles. This site is very sacred to the Aboriginal people and has many springs, waterholes and caves, some of which contain ancient paintings. "Man, this could have been one of those U.F.O. landing sites," Trey suggested, "like in the movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.' It even looks a little like the butte they were trying to find." "You may have something there," Danny teased, "so look for little green men, or are we talking about the grays here?" "Very funny," Trey replied, "but you may begin to feel differently about it, if we see any artwork that shows things looking like spaceships." The Aboriginal legends often talk about large creator beings, so who knows what might have inspired those legends. However, I don't expect aliens would be as large as the ones in the legend about how this feature came about. The Aborigine claim that two young boy creator beings made Uluru while playing with the mud in the rain. We walked around the entire site, which few visitors do, and were surprised by how different the opposite side appeared. This is an area that few visitors ever see and has a much more varied surface, which includes many caves and crevices. This area is also very sacred and where many Aboriginal ceremonies are conducted, but these usually take place at night. Uluru also appears to change color with the changing light, so at sunrise and sunset it appears to glow red. >From here, we then traveled the short distance to Kata Tjuta, which is also referred to as Mount Olga or The Olgas in English. Its name in the Aboriginal language means 'many heads,' because it is comprised of a series of 36 rock domes, of varying sizes. It may have once been one large monolithic dome, like Uluru, but over time has been eroded to the point we see now. The Aboriginal great snake, Wanambi, is said to dwell here, either on top of Mount Olga during the wet season or hiding in a water hole during the dry season. While we were here, we took the Valley of the Winds walk, which is 7.4 km, or 4.6 miles long hike. We started off by walking up the trail to the first lookout point, Karu. From here, we went in a clockwise direction and followed a looping trail over rocky and hilly terrain, which gives us the sense that we were truly in the wilderness. We followed this trail until we reached the second lookout point, Karingana. From here, we looked through a narrow gap in the rock and viewed the valley that stretches out, far below. Several of the rock domes have been given names. There is a group of these formations associated with the 'mice women,' and there is another called 'Malu' or the kangaroo man. He is supposedly dying of wounds inflicted by dingoes and can be seen leaning against his sister, 'Mulumura,' a lizard woman. It took us three hours to complete this walk, but I think everyone felt it was worthwhile. Even though we knew the areas we had visited aren't the most desolate and dangerous places in the outback, it did give us a fairly good idea of what it is like there. We also learned a great deal about the area and the people that have lived here since long before anyone can remember. The Aborigine believe both Uluru and Kata Tjuta are evidence of feats performed by the creation people during the creation, or dreaming, time. The native peoples may have inhabited this area for 10,000 to 22,000 years and the ceremonies they still perform connect them to the land in many ways. When we got back on the bus, Ricky had an observation to share. "Dang, Dad. I was in the Outback when I was here before, but I didn't see any of the places we've been to the last couple of days," he commented. "Don't be such a wally," Peter interjected, which was his way of saying 'don't be an idiot.' "The Outback is huge, so there are probably lots of things you haven't seen. I suppose you were expecting to run into Bunyip (the Australia Bigfoot) while we were out here." Ricky gave Peter the finger for chastising him like that in front of the rest of us, so I thought I'd better jump in and put an end to it. "I know and I planned it that way," I told him. "I remember what I saw on the videos of your trip, so when I was researching where we could go, I tried to pick different locations." "You did all right, Dad," Ricky confirmed, before flashing Peter another evil glare and tossing him the bird once more. We didn't go back to Alice Springs this time. Instead, I drove back to the cabins, because this would be our last night there. Tomorrow, we will be heading back to Sydney for our final day, before returning to the good old U.S.A. I could tell Peter was beginning to feel really sad about the thought of us leaving, because he suddenly became very quiet. I hope we can find a way to cheer him up a bit, before we depart. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 9 - by BW Copyright 2010 by billwstories Chapter 28 -- Wrapping Up. On the ride back to the cabins, I wasn't the only one who noticed Peter was feeling down. I could see some of the other boys talking to him and trying to cheer him up, after Peter told them how he felt. "I hate the thought of you blokes leaving," Peter explained. "I've had such a great time, but now I feel as bad as I did when it was time for me to leave the States." "Come on, cheer up," Graham told him. "We'll still chat online and we'll see each other again. I know Dad will make sure we do." "I know he will too," Peter agreed, "but I'm still going to miss being with you every day. You're not just my friends, you're my family too." "We're going to miss you as well and you definitely are part of our family too," Little Ricky added. "Hey, why don't you stay in with us again tonight. I'm sure Cole won't mind switching again and staying with Ricky. That way, we might be able to make you feel a little better." Peter's head shot up and he stared at Little Ricky. "What do you mean?" he wondered, hopefully. "I think you know what I mean," Little Ricky explained. "I mean, I've done it with you before." "And I have too," Graham chimed in, added an even greater incentive. Peter was grinning from ear-to-ear, as he agreed to their proposal, so the boys quickly went over to confront Cole about making the room exchange. We stopped for dinner before we reached the cabins and I notice Graham, Sammy and Little Ricky were all huddled around Peter. Then when we got back, I discovered Cole was with us again and inquired about the change. "What's up?" I asked him. "Oh, the others wanted Peter to stay with them again tonight," Cole explained. "I think they're planning on cheering him up, since he's kind of bummed out about us leaving." "I see," I replied, and then let the conversation drop. I had a fairly good idea what they would be doing to cheer Peter up. Once they were alone in the other cabin, the three boys began trying to lift Peter's spirits a bit. "Okay, I guess were going to have to do something special to make you feel better," Little Ricky informed Peter, "and it will have to be something you'll always remember." "You don't have to do that," Peter offered, although he was excited about what he thought Little Ricky was suggesting. "We do," Graham stated, "and we've all agreed." Little Ricky and Sammy were nodding their heads in support. "So it's your choice. Which one of us do you want to make love to first?" "You're all willing to let me shag you again?" Peter asked, astounded. "If that's what you want," Sammy confirmed. "But I'll feel bad about having to pick one of you to do it with," Peter explained. "I really like each of you and don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, by not choosing him." "Then you can do it with all of us, one at a time," Sammy suggested. Peter's mouth dropped open. "I don't think I could do it that many times in a row," Peter gasped. "Oh, not one right after the other," Little Ricky explained. "Do one of us now, another a little later and you can do the last one in the morning, before we leave." "Do you mean that?' Peter asked astounded, and the three boys merely nodded their reply. "I'll give it a go," Peter agreed, "if you are all sure you want to do this." All three boys nodded again. "So who's first?" Sammy asked. "I'm still going to feel bad choosing one of you over the others," Peter confessed. "Why don't you decide who goes first instead." The boys agreed and played rock-paper-scissors to determine the order. It ended up that Sammy was going first, followed by Graham, and Peter would be with Little Ricky in the morning. "You guys can do it to me too," Peter stated. "You don't have to do that," Sammy told him. "We know you aren't into receiving, as much as you are giving." "Well, you three aren't either," Peter countered, "but you're willing to do this for me. Besides, I've discovered it's not so bad. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it the last time." "Hey, if you're down with it, then it's certainly fine with us," Little Ricky added. Peter nodded, without hesitation, so it looked as if everything was set. There was some discussion about which room they would use to do this in and the boys decided it might be best if they used the bedroom in the back for this purpose. This way, those still outside wouldn't easily overhear what the pair was up to, so it would cut down on the teasing about it later. The other pair would stay in the other bedroom or common area, and since they knew what was going on, nothing they heard would bother them. Peter went in with Sammy first and they quickly stripped down. Sammy had the condoms and the lube on the nightstand and it didn't take long for Peter to get hard. As soon as he was, he slipped the condom over his shaft and lubed it up, while Sammy did the same to his backside. Sammy then got on the bed, on all fours, and Peter got into position behind him. After placing the head of his cock at Sammy's rear opening, Peter applied a little pressure and slid in. Almost as soon as he felt Sammy's butt checks against his pubis, Peter began gyrating his hips back and forth, and immediately began to feel the pleasurable sensations running up and down his shaft. The boys went at it for quite a few minutes, and Sammy tried to match Peter's efforts as much as possible, to make it even more enjoyable for him. When Peter began to feel the hot lava churning in his midsection, he increased his pace, until his juices bubbled over and erupted into the end of the protective covering. Exhausted, Peter fell backward, almost off the end of the bed, and lost his connection with his partner. Once he'd recovered, Peter insisted that Sammy do the same thing to him, so Sammy complied. They got into the same position, only this time their roles were reversed, but it ended with similar results. When they finished, they took a quick shower and then went back out to join up with the others. After talking for a little while and rehashing some of their favorite memories for the past couple of weeks, Peter and Graham slipped off to the back bedroom, while the other pair went to the other. They had all agreed they wanted to take a quick nap, and then about an hour or so later, Graham woke up to use the toilet. When he returned, he noticed Peter was also awake. "Are you ready now?" Graham asked, while looking directly into Peter's eyes. "I'm not sure," Peter replied. "I'm still a little knackered." "Okay, then you take it easy and I'll do the work," Graham told him, as he reached down and began to work little Peter, so he could get him to stand at attention. Peter stopped Graham, almost immediately, and Graham looked surprised. That was until he saw Peter run off to the toilet. When Peter got back, Graham decided to use his mouth to get Peter erect instead. As soon as Peter's boyhood was standing tall and proud, Graham slipped a condom over it, greased it up and then positioned himself over Peter's midsection. Slowly, Graham sat down on Peter's firm mast and let it enter his body. After Peter's penis had slid completely into Graham's warm cavern and Graham's butt cheeks were touching Peter's pubic patch, Graham started bouncing up and down on the shaft. Slowly, he began working Peter towards his second orgasm of the night by tightening his anal muscles, each time he lifted upward. Then Graham would drop quickly downward, until he was once again firmly impaled on Peter's rigid shaft. Graham did this for many minutes and then Peter began to feel that familiar tingling building in his groin. When Peter began to pant and gasp beneath him, Graham quickened his pace, until Peter arched his back and thrust into Graham, as he filled the condom with his boy juices. Even after Peter had climaxed, Graham rose up and down a few more times, to drain Peter completely. When he felt Peter had relinquished all he had to give, Graham allowed him a few minutes to recuperate, before changing places. Graham was willing to forego his turn, since Peter was so worn out, but Peter wouldn't hear of it. Instead, he rolled over and lay, face down, on the bed, thus allowing Graham to do the same to him. Once Graham was ready, he slipped inside of Peter's warm cavern and began thrusting in and out, as he worked his way to his own orgasm. Although Peter seemed to be enjoying it, he didn't have the strength to do much to help out, so Graham continued on, until he unloaded all he had to give. Once he'd ejaculated, the pair cleaned up quickly and then returned to bed, looking forward to getting a little more sleep. Around 7:00 the following morning, Little Ricky slipped out of the room he had been in and entered the other bedroom. He woke Graham and Graham quickly left to go to the other bedroom, with Sammy. Little Ricky then lay down next to Peter and waited for him to awake. Once Peter had stretched, used the toilet and was fully alert, Little Ricky offered to do what the others had already done for him. Once he got Peter sufficiently aroused, Little Ricky got on his back and drew his knees up to his chest. Even though he understood Peter wasn't into kissing another guy, Little Ricky wanted to watch Peter's face as they made love. Peter was fine with this and crawled up behind him, so he could penetrate yet another one of his friends. Peter slid in without much difficulty and immediately worked himself into a nice relaxing rhythm. Both boys appeared to be enjoying this connection, as Peter ground his way in and out of Little Ricky's tunnel of love, and grunted, moaned and cooed in response. This continued even longer than when Peter had made love with the others, but then Peter began to feel the silent need to speed up. Suddenly, he began thrusting like a madman, as he raced toward the finish line. Even a rabbit would have been proud if he'd seen Peter's final sprint home, and then Peter stiffened, grunted and released his boy cream into the condom's reservoir. Within seconds after doing this, he collapsed on top and Little Ricky and they stayed that way for a few minutes, until Peter had the strength to lift off of him again. Once he did that, he switched places and took up an identical position, so he could reward Little Ricky for what he had done. Peter was actually beginning to enjoy doing this, although he would probably not do it with anyone else, other than the Curries. Having it done to him did fill him with another kind of pleasure and caused something inside of him to send out little jolts of electricity every now and then. This caused him to feel a warm sensation in his rectal area, which reminded him of when he scratched a part of his body that itched really badly. Peter was in no way sorry he did this for them in return, since he did receive both pleasure and satisfaction from the act. Once this pair had finished, they got cleaned up, dressed and then packed up all of their gear, so they could load it onto the mini-bus. We would drive over to Peter's house first and then go out for breakfast, after which we would follow Peter's parents to Sydney. This was so we could all spend a little more time together and say a final good-bye, before we returned home. When we reached the city, we quickly did the things we hadn't had time for when we arrived. We began with a quick stop at Finger Wharf, which is the largest timber-piled building in the world. It was completed in 1915, and during the first 70 years of its existence, the wharf was primarily involved in the exporting of wool. It also served as a deployment area for troops going off to fight in both World Wars and was used as an arrival area for a great number of immigrants. However, today it is home to a hotel, several restaurants and numerous residential apartments. The actor, Russell Crowe, owns a 14- million dollar penthouse here and the residential areas in this structure are now some of the most expensive and sought after locations in the country. >From there, we went to see the Hyde Park Barracks, which has been a significant feature in Sydney since 1819. At first, it was used to house convicts that had been assigned to work for the government. The prisoners were locked up at night and then sent out to work during the day, only to return to the barracks when their job was done. Once the building was no longer used for that purpose, it became an immigration depot for single females and then an asylum for destitute women. Then, for a ninety-year period, up until 1979, it housed law courts and government offices. In 1981, after being closed down for a short period, the building was restored and turned into a museum, which it is today. You can now visit it and see representations of what the lives of convicts and the other inhabitants of the house would have been like. There are models that show what the barracks looked like when it housed the men, who were non-violent and had typically been found guilty of theft. There had also been women and children convicts, but they were housed at other facilities, not this one. The majority of the convicts had been sent here from England, where the prisons were extremely overcrowded, and then were quickly forgotten about. Up to 600 convicts were crowded into this building at any time and forced to wear uniforms, so they would stand out as being different from everyone else. They were only fed twice a day, and those meals generally consisted of either a soup or stew, made up largely of vegetables and salted pork. The convicts slept in hammocks, which could be attached to a single hook when not in use, but they also took up less space when they were being utilized. In another area, we were able to see what it would have been like for the females that were housed there later. The majority of these women would have been between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, and also unmarried. They were either sent here or volunteered to come to do domestic work. Once they arrived, they were also expected to find a husband and have many children, to increase the non-native population of the country. This room contained artifacts belonging to various girls that had lived there and these items helped shed some insight onto what life would have been like for them. This turned out to be a very interesting and enlightening stop, and the boys talked excitedly about what we had seen, while we ate lunch. Once we finished our meal, I led everyone off to do the one thing Ricky had been dying to get us to try. We were going to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis didn't want to go, but I insisted, since they didn't go with Ricky and Peter, when Ricky had been staying with them. Reluctantly, they agreed, so we set off for the entrance. After paying the required fees, we sat through a safety lecture, took a breath capacity and breathalyzer tests, and then we had to put on this special BridgeSuit, as well as hats and gloves, since it was winter. We locked up all of our personal things in a secured area, because the only personal items you can take with you on this climb are glasses and hearing aids. We even had to go through a metal detector before we started out, just to make sure we had left everything else behind. We were also fitted with a harness and a communication device, before we were led to the point where we would start the climb. We had to split into two groups, because there were so many of us, so Jake went with Mrs. Dennis and half of the boys, while I went with Mr. Dennis and the other half. We had asked them if they wanted to stay together or split up, and they both agreed it might be more fun just to go with us. They explained they had done it together before, the first year climbing the bridge was allowed, which was some time in early 1999. You see, this climb has only been open to the public since October 1998, so it's a fairly recent addition to the sightseeing activities there. We started by taking some stairs and then going up a ladder, before crossing a catwalk to the archway. Once we were at an upper point on the archway, we then climbed to the top of the Eastern Arch. Jesse and Andrew had each opted to go with my group, and once we got out in the open, Jesse started to suffer from a mild bout of acrophobia. Seeing this, I quickly looked around until I spotted Brandon, because seeing Jesse's reaction had brought back memories of what had happened to Brandon at the Grand Canyon. Brandon appeared to be doing fine, but Danny was talking to him. I suspected Danny was offering Brandon some encouragement and moral support. Since Brandon didn't seem to be doing badly, I turned my attention to Jesse. "You'll be fine," I told him. "Just look straight ahead and try not to glance down. That way it won't affect you so badly." "But I might fall," he whined. "Jesse, you have the harness on and it's hooked to the rail, so that's not going to happen," I assured him. "Andrew and I won't let anything bad happen to you, we promise. I'm right here in front of you and he's behind, so everything will be fine." Once Jesse looked at me and then turned back to make certain Andrew was indeed behind him, he began to relax and was basically fine for the rest of the climb. It wasn't too steep of an arch, possibly because this is the longest single span bridge in the world. When we reached the summit, we were given a chance to look around and the view was simply magnificent. It happened to be a very clear day, so we could see miles in every direction. Immediately in front of us were all the high-rise buildings, but we could also see past them and note how expansive Sydney is. We could even make out the Blue Mountains in the distance, which reminded us of the time we'd spent there. We were also able to watch the boats travel around the harbor and had a very picturesque view of the Sydney Opera House. Now that we had reached the pinnacle of the bridge, pictures of the various climbing groups were taken. Unfortunately, we couldn't all get in a single shot and this was done in smaller groups. Since our harnesses were constantly fastened to the railing, we also had to have our pictures taken with those closest to us at the time, but only in groups of four to six for a single shot. In the end, we had a snapshot showing each of us standing at the top of the bridge, which would be priceless reminders of our time here in the future. At this point, we had to cross over to the Western Arch, so we could make our decent. Once we reached the point where we had begun the climb, we collected our things and thanked the staff for the fantastic experience. It was truly an enjoyable and memorable opportunity. I'm sure it will also be one the things the boys talk about for many years to come. Before we left, we looked at the pictures that had been taken of us on a computer and then I purchased four sets of each. This way I could give Mr. and Mrs. Dennis and Peter one set (especially since they were all in different snapshots), keep a set for the family scrapbook at home and then have a couple of sets the boys could take around to show their friends. It seemed the practical thing to do. I'm glad we had taken all of those other walking tours first though, because they actually helped get us ready for this. It still took a lot out of us, well at least out of Jake and me, and I knew we'd pay for it later with an assortment of aches and pains. For now, however, we'd merely enjoy the climb for what it was -- a wonderful and remarkable adventure. The climb had taken over three hours from start to finish, with another half hour to look at the pictures, make our purchase and then allow the boys an opportunity to pick out a few other souvenirs to remind them of our time here, so it was getting close to dinnertime. After speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Dennis about where we should eat, they suggested a place they knew and said it came highly recommended. We ended up going there, but had to endure a short wait to get seated. We also had to split up into several smaller groups, but it turned out to be well worth the effort. Once we finished eating, we began to say good-bye to the Dennises for the final time, because they were returning home and we were going to be heading to a hotel near the airport. We would spend our final night there, because our flight didn't leave until early the next morning. While Jake and I were saying good-bye to our hosts, Peter walked to the bus and collected his gear. As he was doing so, he was also saying so long to the rest of my brood, before spending a few teary minutes with Ricky. "I don't know when we'll see each other again," Peter said, "but I'll never forget you, mate." "Hey, come on," Ricky teased. "We'll get together again sometime and we'll see each other on the webcams. Cheer up. It's not the end of the world. Just think of it this way. Now, you won't have to worry about me pulling a prank on you." Peter laughed, hugged Ricky again and then went over to speak with Sammy, Graham and Little Ricky. After urging them to move to a spot a short distance away from the others, he looked up and spoke. "I want to thank you for what you did for me last night and this morning," he said, a bit teary-eyed. "I won't forget it, or you either. You have been great and I love each of you. I'll chat you up whenever I can, but I will never forget you." They all hugged after that and then Peter picked up his duffel and went over to speak to Jake and me. "Thank you so much for taking me with you to see all those places," Peter told us. "I really had a wonderful time and love you both." "Hey, we needed you as our guide and we enjoyed having you with us as well," I countered. "We love you too and we'll see each other again." I then gave Peter a hug, and then Jake did the same, after adding his own sentiments. After that, Peter followed his parents to where they had parked their car, but he waved back at us before he wandered out of sight. We got back on the bus and drove off, as we made our way to the hotel. We spent a very quiet night, since everyone was a bit down due to the fact that our vacation and time with Peter had drawn to an end. In fact, we all went to bed fairly early that evening and I didn't hear from any of the boys again, except those staying in my room, until morning. After eating a quick breakfast, we drove to the airport and I turned in the mini-bus. Then, we carried our luggage and checked in, before we began the boring wait to board our flight. Fortunately, we were in the air within the hour, thus saying our final good-bye to Australia and beginning the long journey home.