Darwin

So almost 2 weeks later and I'm still here! And that was totally unplanned! By the time I got here it was so nice to be in the one place for a bit that I decided not to get on my flight to Melbourne but to spend some time in Darwin see all the National parks and drive down to Alice Springs and see Ayres rock/Kings Canyon etc.

So I spend Thursday night sitting on the grass and watching my flight take off without me!!! All good!

Darwin has been pretty awesome. Its ridiculously hot though - temperature is above 40 degrees each day! And somehow I'm still white. Its not fair!

Have had quite a few nights out and met some really cool people. Highlights have been the fancy dress party last Friday night, where no one got chucked out of the Vic for sleeping (and for once it wasn't me - honestly!)or accidentally dropping bottles of beer over the balcony!


There is a deckchair cinema here which is pretty good too. Been there a couple of nights. Nothing more relaxing than sitting under the stars watching a big screen. Didn't like the amount of rustling in the trees though - was thinking some big salt water crocs were going to jump out and eat me!

Enjoyed sitting at Mindel beach watching sunset a couple of times too. Went down to the last market of the dry season and it ended with everyone sitting on the beach watching fireworks under the stars. Fireworks weren't a patch on the Edi festival ones, but the whole night/atmosphere was out of this world.


I decided to book a trip to see the jumping crocs and go and visit Litchfield National park. Again things don't quite go to plan. The night before, a group of us from the hostel decide to go to the Vic to use up some $3.50 meal vouchers. It's halloween night and therefore, there are outrageously cheap drink offers going on. In particular - $3.00 small bottles of peach and strawberry champagne! All good. First time I look at my watch it's 12am! (Am getting picked up at 7am the next day!!) Keep trying to leave the bar, but the dj keeps playing all my fav songs, so I don't end up getting in until 2am.... The amount of funky dancing was outrageous - Nick you would of loved it!!!


So I only get 4 hours sleep before my Litchfield trip. This trip started off slowly... firstly we headed to the croc park where we went out on a boat and watched the guide feed these saltwater crocs by dangling bits of meat into the water and making the crocs jump fully out of the water to get them. Quite scary! Then we head to Litchfield which is basically full of beautiful waterfalls. Manage to swim the whole 100m to get to the water fall when the loudest bang of thunder happens and scares the sh!t out of us!! We try to swim to shore but the rain is so heavy that you can hardly see in front of you! Eventually get back, but by this time its a full blown rainstorm and we are all completely drenched and filthy! So funny! Am meant to be camping at the weekend without tents, so the thought of a storm like that in the middle of the night is not appealing!


Tonight is the last proper night out before the tour leaves on Sat. And what a night its gona be!! Firstly getting some replayed Champions league action - Celtic v Benefica followed by Man U v FC Copenhagen. Then managed to get free tickets for Ministry of Sound in Discovery nightclub. Imagine how good the party is going to be if Celtic qualify!!!!


Leave Darwin on Saturday. Doing this tour in reverse (ie Darwin to Alice)
http://adventuretours.com.au/index.php/travel/nt/09_day_cloud_9_alice_springs_to_darwin/