Darwin

Down Under. So that’s how it looks here. Darwin is a tropical Paradise! It is not allowed to swim in the sea though, too dangerous. There might be crocodiles (they already caught around 200 in the harbour in 2012) and a special kind of jellyfish with meters of stingers. My host lives in Palmerston, about half an hour from Darwin, a quite little suburban area with wide alleys and comfortable houses. The first thing that hits me though is the prices. I was used to Asia, and even though Singapore already set the tone for higher prices, this is like Europe if not more. Cassie can’t pick me up before in the afternoon and I’m so tired from the trip that I cannot say I’m displeased with my little nap at the airport. The rest of the day goes by with shopping and sending Christmas cards to my family. I miss them so much; this was harder than I thought. It is the first time that I celebrate without them and it doesn’t help to see Christmas trees lined up with palm trees or girls dressed up with thigh-short Santa outfits. This is definitely NOT a Norwegian Christmas! In our house in Palmerston we are 4; two germans (Felix and René), Cassie (Aussie girl) and myself. Later on Patrick joins us and when I leave, Rod arrives. Chris is our host, but he is in South Africa on holiday and lends us his house. There is not so much to see in Darwin, but I do manage to find some nice spots. One of them is Waterfront, with Stokes Hill Wharf in the distance and a nice little beach protected against crocodiles. Big is my surprise when I stick my foot in the water and it is TOO HOT! I can’t believe it! I thought water was supposed to be refreshing.

Another Darwin attraction is the fish feeding down at the end of the Esplanade. It cost 15$, but I get to hand feed the fish with my feet in the water, the fish sometimes mistake my feet for food so there is some nipping at my legs too. Look, the fish are even quite big!

The Northern Territory Museum is also a nice place to visit, especially the exhibition on aboriginal art. Unfortunately it is not allowed to take any pictures in there, and there is no catalogue available either so I can’t share what I saw there. You can have a look at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian_art

but please bear in mind that the real stuff is much more beautiful than any picture. I also got an interesting insight in how aborigines consider the world. For instance, indigenous man does not see nature as white man does. To him, nature is sacred and has to be protected. He listens to nature and tries to be a part of it instead of trying to dominate it. We can learn a lot from him I think…

In the NT Museum, there is also a section about cyclone Tracy that devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974 and another one showing all the animals that inhabit the Northern Territory. Crocodiles are well represented, both freshwater and saltwater (the most dangerous ones). On display is the mounted body of Sweetheart, a 5 meter long saltwater croc responsible for a series of attacks on boats in the 1970’s, caught alive but drowned during transportation.

Remember I went to a crocodile farm in Malaysia? Well I couldn’t resist visiting one in Australia too. In this one I come in time for the feeding… which is quite a scary experience. Seeing these huge animals jump more than a meter up from the water to catch the meat gives me goose bumps down my spine. The pictures cannot render the extreme power with which the jaw closes over the hook and the meat. I am truly fascinated by these animals!

Felix has a boat and agrees to take us for a daytrip in Darwin Bay. The tour is going to be a little more dramatic than we thought. Read on for details of our adventure: danger, storm, fish attack and laughter are the main ingredients of this day. Cassie and I have done the shopping, at least one thing is certain, we will not die of hunger. Hummus, guacamole, chips, salad, chocolate and beer are only a few of the things we bring with us. Surprisingly, we even manage to eat almost everything! The weather is great, the boat is fast, what more can we wish  for? A swim! But what about the crocodiles, and the stingers? Cassie and René stay on the boat to monitor the water, Felix and I jump in, only for a few seconds though, who wants to be eaten by a crocodile! Then comes the storm, we flee back to the harbour and decide to stay on the boat to be closer to the events. It is truly impressive, the rain pours down in buckets and the sky is dark grey from all this water falling down. Cassie then decides it’s a good time to fish! Why not? Haven’t we all heard that fish are easier to catch when it rains? Or is it that the water is warmer when it rains? Nobody knows but she does catch a fish! As she pulls it inside the boat, the mean catfish wriggles its tail and sting, into Cassie’s belly! The fish is still moving and we are unable to move, we cannot believe our own eyes. Felix then draws his knife: “I will cut it out of your belly” he shouts. Cassie’s scream tells him not to. I grab the fish, but what to do next? Finally Cassie manages to draw out the fish from her stomach herself, while I’m still holding the fish. She’s so angry at the poor beast, she throws it back into the ocean where it belongs.

photos Darwin