And THAT'S Why They're Called Kanga Bangas....

I was 22 years old and going on my first big vacation after graduating from college. My friend and I decided to backpack around Australia for three weeks. We met in Sydney expecting to see all things uniquely Australian, as advertised in the travel brochures. We purchased a bus pass that would allow us to travel anywhere in Australia and were determined to see it all. From Sydney to Canberra to Melbourne and Adelaide; no sign of a koala or kangaroo anywhere. We were beginning to think we had been duped by that "throw another shrimp on the barbie" character.

Disappointed and desperate for assurance, we asked our bus driver if we would be seeing any kangaroos on our trip from Adelaide to Ayers Rock. "Don't you Jillys worry," he said, "there'll be plenty." We happily took our seats, watching and waiting. We sat reading and dozing as the scene outside changed from urban to sparsely populated to the great red heart of Australia. Then suddenly we spotted a kangaroo up ahead. We gleefully exclaimed, "LOOK, a kangaroo!"

The bus driver flashed his lights, and our joy turned to disbelief as the wheels of the bus went thump-thump. That's why the vehicles in the outback have huge grills called kanga-bangas instead of front fenders.

A moment later we realized that we were clutching each other and whimpering, and it seemed that everyone on the bus was staring at us. Our embarrassment made us giggle uncontrollably for the next 20 minutes. None of the other passengers seemed so affected by the event, nor did we make such a spectacle of ourselves when we ran over a few more later that evening. Our innocence shattered, we watched hopefully from the side windows for more pleasant sightings.

Contributor Marcia Tapp's travels in Laos appeared in the April 1999 Get Lost Magazine. No marsupials were whacked in that particular article, however.

Martha Jordan managed to photograph the kangaroo on her recent trip to Australia. It seems to be giving directions.