Aside from trying to cram as much into our time in the Northern Territories, the other reason for our pre-dawn departures has been to view sunrises. Admittedly we are early risers anyway but it's been worth dragging our tired bodies out of the tent and getting dressed under the beam of the head torch.
Today was no exception. After a short drive to the nearest road bridge we watched and listened as the jungle both came to life and went to sleep. As the light increased, so did the noise of the bird life, reaching a fever pitch as the red dawn gave way to proper sunlight. Pareots, bats, hawks and countless others looking for the first or last meal of the day. Flocks of birds, seemingly oblivious or uncaring about our presence, flew overhead, so close that you could almost feel the downdraft of their wings.
In animal terms, it was the equivalent of a shift change as the nocturnal animals give way to their daylight compatriots. All the while saltwater crocodiles patrolled the waterway hoping for an early snack. And under the surface, turtles and fish briefly surfaced to grab what insects have been foolish enough to get within reach.
It was a magical scene and the photograph below only captured part of it.
It very nearly didn't happen. There was some division within our small tour group last night over whether it would be worthwhile getting out of bed before sunrise once again, and that maybe a lie in would be a better use of our time. On a roughly 50:50 split, it would take an excellent piece of negotiation skills and reasoning to break the deadlock...
"I promise you, it will be something special," said our tour leader before adding, "and only a fifteen minute drive from here."
It certainly sounded like a good proposition but the debate went on and one of the group piped up;
"I'm sorry but I've seen a sunrise over the Nile and I can't see it being better than that so I'm not going to get up early just for that"
Hhmmmm, it would appear that the argument wasn't gong to be resolved anytime soon. My initial thought was to wonder how spectacular a sunrise over the Nile must be - and what a special place to see one but I could see that others were less than impressed by the opinion stated as fact. The discussion, however, was getting nowhere. Eventually a truce was declared and a compromise was reached - those that wanted to see the sunrise could get up earlier whilst those that stayed behind would get their lie in providing they organised breakfast for the sun seekers return. Sorted and peace maintained.
"If I'm awake, I might go to see the sunrise, but I'll not be happy if it's not worth it" said the Nile man.
"You might find you get a slap if you decide to do that," added another.
As it turned out, just three of us got up early whilst the rest slumbered on.
It was during the short drive to the viewing spot that something occurred to me - was the sunrise over the Nile truly special, better than all others across the planet, or was it given that status just because it was over the Nile? Are all sunrises over the Nile automatically given the top spot by default? Would those who class the Nile as their home agree, or would they cherish more a sunrise over say the Swiss Alps or where we are now stood? Jim Jim Billabong seems to me to be a most agreeable place to witness the birth of another day.
Surely they're all different and special in their own way? Just because one is over a notable river and the other over a less celebrated billabong doesn't mean one is better then the other, it's just that as humans we attribute a more elevated celebration to one rather then the other.
I have seen some fantastic sunrises on this trip but equally memorable ones from the mountains of the Lake District, over the skyline of cities and even the parks of Darlington and Auckland. Each and every one was worth seeing and more than compensated for the slight inconvenience to witness the spectacle.
Without getting too maudlin, we all have a finite number of sunrises in our lifetime so why not grab each one with both hands and celebrate the sheer joy of being alive. There is, after all, plenty of time to sleep when you're dead!
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