6/29-6/30: Last night in Muirella Park, Kakadu proved to be the night of the mozzies. After escaping Ubirr, and with dinner and ablutions complete, I crawled into my bivy sack. I knew it would be hot, so I was sleeping only within my cotton bag liner. I’d hoped to leave my bivy open; the sky was fairly clear in spite of the brush fires, and the moon was just past full. There was enough time to fall asleep before the lights came on, as it were. I listened to music for a while; it’s more relaxing than hearing to the other campers (the campground host was also laughing noisily to whatever was on TV). Sleepiness loomed. I turned my player off. Its sounds were replaced immediately by a chorus of little whines around my head. Mosquitoes. Bugger. I zipped up my bivy. Stuffy but tolerable. OK, the bugs could not get in and bite me, but the netting on the sack scratched my face. Bugger. OK, turn on my side. Hmmm, now my ear was up against the netting. There were at least five different pitches of mozzie whine. Different types? Different sizes? Bloody bugger all. I put in my earplugs.
The moon came up. It was light enough to read. Bugger bugger bugger. I put my sleep mask on.
And went to sleep, eventually.
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