Christmas - Finally in Australia

---

Arriving in Darwin was like arriving in a different world (planet Oz). Suddenly everything was airconditioned, clean, working, and efficient. And right from the beginning I felt that Australians (Ozzies) are quite friendly and helpful. For a start the other passenger on my flight from Timor gave me a lift into the city center. Here I figured out another major thing had changed, the speed you spend your hard earned bucks as a traveler. Staying a night at a backpackers is about 15-20A$, about eight times as much as in Indonesia. But the standart is usually quite different, too. In the humid nothern part of Australia a pool is what all backpackers are looking for. Just running water in contrast is what I had wanted in Kupang.
In my dorm I met the next friendly guy, he straight away insisted in sharing a beer in the moment I stumbled into the room and fifteen minutes later he had invited me for a fishing trip on Christmas Day.
Yes, I could hardly imagin it, but it was Christmas. Very different this year from the last twentyfive. I phoned my family, went to one of the churches, and on Christmas Day I went fishing with Joe. For me that was a very welcome alternative to all those ´Let´s get really smashed´ Christmas parties in Darwin's pubs where other backpackers drink away the day.
We went fishing with a net which was completly new for me. But it´s not so difficult as long as you know a good place where to throw the net. Joe knew one and we catched enouth prawn to have dinner.
In general, a thing I indulged in was the good western-style food. Just buying your potatoes in a supermarket, cooking them in a hostel kitchen, and having them with some fresh prawn can be a real thrilling thing to do!

Less thrilling and more sad was the sight of indigenous Australians, the Aborigines , usually roaming the streets in Darwin, city center. At first sight it seemed to me that their only way of living nowadays is that of alcoholics and bums constantly in trouble with the rest of society. For the cities in Nothern Territory, Darwin, Kathrine, and Alice Springs this impression is almost true. With all the little ugly consequences. Such as that in case of trouble people and the police suspects Aborigines first leading to strong racial discrimination. Liquor stores are not allowed to sell to Aborigines in some places which therefor try to make white people buy booze for them (including me). It is not allowed to drink alcohol or be drunk in public in many places in Australian cities which poses a huge problem for somebody that is an alcoholic, homeless at the same time, and easy to spot for the police due to his dark skin (Officer: 'Show me you´re not drunk!´ - Aborigine (barly able to get up): 'No, no I´m not!´ ...).
At the moment there doesn´t seem to be any way of improvement for the situation. The goverment deals with Aborigines the same way as with other wellfare cases. They get a wellfare of about 300A$ which is mainly transformed into alcohol and preserves the situation.
But one has to admit that the basic underlying problem is really hard to solve: A whole people has been robbed of their natural enviroment and culture and has to get along now with a totally different enviroment and culture. Due to the warm climate Aborigines have never lived in houses. They were able to survive in nature. I had the feeling that this is one of main reasons why they live 'on the street´ today, it´s still their urge of being outside. During a big rainstorm in Katherine I saw Aborigines walk strait to the rain soaking wet to the bone. Whereas whites wouldn´t send a dog outside in this weather, for Aborigines it´s not so uncomon to still walk around and go about their buissnes. Similar behaviour I witnessed near Yulara, the small hotel-village next to Ayers Rock. Here two Aboriginal communities still live in their traditional way and look after the holy places around Ayers Rock. Although this is a positive example of Aboriginal existence today, there are not many places left in Australia that offer a basis of living for Aborigines and do not have a white owner at the same time.

---

Photos

Christmas
This church I visited in Darwin. It was a very modern building. Once an older church had been in this place, now only the old entrace arc is left.

Wanna go fishin´?
Joe is throwing the net. Hope no alligator is advancing through the murky water...