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Published: August 26th 2007
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Me and my didgeridoo!
I was surprisingly good! Hello everyone! I am now in scorching Northen Terrority hiding in an internet cafe to escape the midday sun - temperatures averaging at 32c this week. I already have bad sunburn on my chest through regular applications of factor 30+ so I'm trying not to sit in the sun too long. I left Sydney 6 days ago after another week of socialising and a lovely roast dinner courtesy of Shaun and Flo the day before I left. It was hard leaving all my friends there but I felt it was time to explore somewhere new. The flight here was long and Darwin is 1/2 hour behind Sydney. Didn't have too good a start as I was sick after we landed and then at 2am in the morning my hostel told me they had let my booking go as it was so late, even though it had all been discussed. Fortunately they had another room available so I made up my top bunk in the dark at silly o'clock in the morning which I'm sure wasn't a good first impression. Spent a day exploring and had the whole day totally by myself, a first since I got to Australia which made me
homesick and Sydney sick! My Sydney pals sent me lots of texts and emails so it made me appreciate what good new friends I have made even more. The hostel feels more like a hotel, a kind of Spanish holiday resort where people aren't particularly sociable.
The next day I sunbathed and met Louise from Ireland by the pool. That night we went back to the pool bar where they bought around a baby crocodile called Angus who We had a hold off. The next day Louise went on a trip and Hayley rang me from Brisbane (one of the girls I travelled first week with) which was really nice and we chatted for almost an hour. I then booked a trip to Kakadu National Park which involved jumping crocodiles and a night camping which I was initially nervous about.
At 7am I joined the rest of my group in our 4WD. There was 8 of us including the driver Des, a british couple:Ash and Ali, a british teacher Mike, a software developer (involved in work with international governments and NASA) and two italians, Achyl and Mario. Our first stop was Adelaide River where we went on a
Croc Cuddling!
Me and Angus at hostel bar! jumping croc tour. I stood on the top deck and watched them dangle raw meat into the river to entice the wild crocs. We saw about 15 in total with about 4 of them coming over for some food. We were camping as a group so the jobs were shared including going out to collect firewood, I got a dead tree so they wer quite impressed. We went 4 wheel driving over rocky terrain which reminded me of Fraser Island. Everything was going great until we went to Jin Jin Falls. Since arriving in Australia I have started doing a lot of walking including some quite difficult ones. This was something else, it was a rocky road which turned into a big pile of sandy boulders which we had to negotiate ourselves around. I've never been one good at balance so it panicked me that I was going to fall. The heat didn't help as it was scorching hot and I ended up having a panic attack which isn't something I normally have. This happened as I had 2 men trying to pull my legs and 1 man pushing me so I'd jump from one to another and I do
admit that I ended up bursting into tears! The guide decided it was best to leave me there so he helped me onto a high rock, told me to keep an eye out for snakes and that he'd be back in an hour and a half leaving me with water and an orange. I stood there and could see the falls (which incidentally had little water in them) and I must have been metres away from the beach they were all swimming in so I had my first proper sob since I arrived here. I think it was a build up of home sickness and dissapointment that this was the first thing I hadn't achieved. I was thinking how I was stuck on a rock with potential snakes in the middle of the bush by myself knowing no one when Ash reappeared and asked me if I was ready for one last go as it was just a few metres away. I'd calmed down by this point and had actually planned my new route so we had a go and I got to the base of the falls and had a swim to cool down then a game of frisbee
in the pool.
As a group that night we made salad, coleslaw, stirfry and cooked buffalo sausages and marinated kangaroo steak on the camp fire. We also set up our mosquito domes which are tents just made of mozzy nets so you can see the stars. After tea we took aboriginal clapping sticks (just two pieces of sanded down wood made into instrument that you bang together) and a didgeridoo to a deserted road to watch shooting stars, I spotted one! The 8 of us sat in a circle and took it in turns for a didgeridoo lesson, I was one of the best ones which surprised me! A group of drunk Ozzies came and joined us with empty beer bottles and other homemade instruments and was a really random but amazing experience that I'll always remember. We went back and toasted marshmallows on the campfire then went to sleep in the tent I was sharing with Tamera and fell asleep looking for more shooting stars, it was surprisingly comfy, bug free (well too dark to see them) and it never gets cold.
I woke up with Des kicking my sleeping bag pillow to wake me up. We
had tea and toast on the campfire then drove to Twin Falls. We talk a boat 'tour' down to the falls which was actually only 1/2km long but it was because crocs had been spotted in the river. Another big pile of rocks and walking sideways along a narrow ledge above the croc infested waters! This wasn't as bad as had something to hold on to. After a few pics by the falls (which had water in them this time) we went back to camp to pick up the trailer, via driving through another croc infested river then onto lunch by a billabong used in Crocodile Dundee. As we drove along the red dust tracks we listened to aboriginal music which made me feel like I was in real Australia. We then went to Anbangbang which has original aboriginal rock paintings which are thousands of years old painted in red, white and yellow and depicting various aboriginal tales. After this we went to the Kakadu visitor centre, spotting wildlife at another billabong then to see the termite mountains. The one in the picture was over 7 metres high and made of clay and ant saliva to glue it and home
Sea vultures
Awaiting their opportunity to steal some meat to whole colonies of ants. On the way back we listened to Bob Marley and played clap sticks along to the beat - a great trip. I came home exhausted and so filthy that when I took off my socks my feet were a totally different colour to my legs with dirt. Got back to the hostel, receieved great news that Jayne is now a Mum to a healthy baby girl after little Lydia arrived on the 22nd August. I wish I could pop home for a day or two to see everyone then continue my adventure.
The adventure continues, tonight Louise and I are going to Mindil night markets then hope to catch some aboriginal music at the Darwin festival. I am also meeting Louise's friend to discuss a road trip / Ghan train to Uluru (Ayers Rock) before heading West. No definate plans yet but will keep you updated. Love to all xx
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Sian and Stu
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Ayers Rock?!
If that's the first time you've cried, you are amazing! You've been on your own for three months - well done! And how come you're thinking about Ayers Rock? You were totally uninterested before you left! Make the most of every minute. Love Sian and Stuart x x x x