Tuesday 29th June 2004 - Day 289/366 - Cairns, Queensland to Darwin, Northern Territory.

Bye bye East Coast

Had a bloody good spend up today. Booked an overnight tour to Kakadu from Darwin. I also booked a 3 1/2 day / 3 night trip down to Alice Springs, then a 3 night camping trip in the Red Centre. I then fly to Perth and then do a 4 day trip up the West Coast. It cost about $1600, but it includes pretty much all my accomodation, food and actvities up until the end of July when I leave for Singapore. The final 6 weeks in South East should be my cheapest of the trip, not least coz my parents are coming to Singa's and have sorted out the hotel.

Bye Bye to Brian and Carsten. See you at Carstens place for the 2006 World Cup. Also to Petra, Jim and the East Coast. Glad to be getting away from the East Coast. It is lovely, but I'm not sure my liver can take much more.

Had an 18.40 flight to Darwin. Not too many options of getting from Cairns to Darwin. The flight was $340, but the bus was $440 and would have taken 44 hours. You see theres a massive span of water between, namely the Gulf of Carpentia.

I have given in today. I had a Hungry Jacks (Burger King) and my first packet of extra strong mints since the 6 packs that Mum packed me off with in September. I didn't want to, but at the Airport I didn't have much choice. It was only a Whopper Junior with Cheese and Onion rings. I'm a BAAAAAD Man.

On the plane I was in the middle of 3 huge blokes. The guy to my right was slyly filing up his coke from his hip flask. He was clocked by a stewardness who told him that it was an offence to bring alcohol on board a plane and he agreed to it as part of the terms and conditions of purchasing his ticket. He had a bit of a slurring match with her, for a while I thought it could get a bit tasty, but fortunately it didn't. He just spent the rest of his time scanning all the fine print on his ticket and in the magazine to see if she was right.

Darwin is 30 minutes behind the East Coast. In time as well as appearance. There are so many old people here, but they are friendly and funny, if a little surreal. It's also noticable warmer. at 21.30 it's still 22c. The locals think it's cold and are in Jumpers. See in the Summer it can get up to 50c.

It struck me that I was on my own again and I have to try and make some new friends. For the last few stops, since leaving the Price's, I've always known that I was going to meet someone I'd seen before. Not too concerned as I could do with some quiet time. I've got some reading to catch up with and some test cricket to watch.

Quite excited about exploring Darwin. Somewhat overlooked by travellers and closer to Asia than Sydney it was heavily bombed during WW2 and is battered every year by clclones. On 24th December 1974 Darwin was flattened by Cyclone Tracy causing a mass evacuation and the rebuilding of the city. The storms drains are in evidence everywhere and take the bottom of every vehicle whenever they cross them.