That's a quote from Fern Gully. It's the scene where Crysta tries to return Zak to normal size. The film takes place in Australia (Mt. Warning), so it's very fitting. Here I am, in Darwin. Ahhhhhh-stralia! It feels great to be back here after more than a month travelling round countries with rubbish strewn all over every road. Australia is the country of my dreams and the place I'm calling home for at least the next six months or so. Despite a rocky start dealing with police when I arrived yesterday, Darwin and its people have treated me beautifully so far. Hitchhiking from the airport was a breeze, and an Aboriginal man with his aunt and uncle picked me up. Before dropping me near Palmerston (the nearest down to Darwin, and where Chris my CS host lives) he invited me to his home in the community of Maningrida in Arnhem Land. Most definitely I'm jumping at the opportunity! This morning I woke up at 4:30 AM but how did I wake up that early. There is no Islamic prayer call, roosters, or car horns, so how on Earth? As the North Australian sun slowly rose I made some brekkie of tea and toast. After Skyping my mum I was offered a short gig of cleaning windows at $20 an hour. The heat of Darwin makes its presence known quickly and I could feel it as I stepped outside for a deep breath and a sigh of "Ahhhhhh-stralia!" The plan for today was to go busking, yet after a view hours of chillaxing I made my way slowly. In New Zealand I was warned that it's a bitch to hitchhike in Australia but I got picked up very quickly today! After a short lift and stopping for a snack I was picked up by the lovliest lady! Her name is Christine and she's the mother of eight children (three adopted). She quickly picked up that I'm on the spectrum since she's worked with people with autism. She was heading into Darwin to meet a friend but that friend suddenly had to cancel, so she decided to run some errands but got my number in case I needed a lift back. Doing some poetry busking in the mall I made about $15; enough for a feed and some phone credit. In a place like Darwin during the day I can't expect to make much. As the capital of the Northern Territory (oftened called "the NT"), Darwin is home to more than half of the Territory's population. Darwin proper doesn't have a lot to see but Christine suggested the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.
Art has never been my interest or forte. A few years ago I walked rather nonchalantly through the Getty Centre, yet Aboriginal art nearly brings a tear to my eye. The colours and the styles are amazing!
The most beautiful postcard I've ever received is an Aboriginal painting of a kangaroo in the sun, and I have a T-shirt of a kangaroo dreaming. There are many different types of Aboriginal art and it's all northing short of fascinating! Aboriginal art is beautiful but on Christmas of 1974 an event occurred that practically wiped Darwin off the map: Cyclone Tracy. 80% of Darwin was destroyed and many residents were too traumatized to return. There's a gallery with the sounds of a radio and destruction during the cyclone. I wouldn't want to be in a cyclone! Many of the most beautiful places are outside Darwin. Litchfield and Kakadu National Parks are relatively nearby though it's best to bank on a few days in each one. It's important not to underestimate the sheer distances. They look next to each other on a map but Darwin and Kakadu are about a four hours' drive apart at their nearest point. Australia isn't quite Russia but close enough. Hitchhiking from Darwin to Melbourne or Parth will likely take a minimum of five days via hitchhiking. Australia's advantage (over Indonesia and many other countries) is that traffic is light and speed limits are high (130 kph in many area). Some areas of the Outback have no speed limit. A common sight on Aussie highways are "road trains," basically trucks pulling as many as four trailers and are as long as 54 metres. Christine's daughter and granddaughter joined us today; they live with her. Christine is originally from near Melbourne and moved to the Top End about five years ago. Most of her children still live in Victoria. As we drove back toward Palmerston, Christine asked "would you like to come to our place for dinner tonight?" and I gladly accepted the invitation. I was worn out after today and I needed an hour or so to have a rest and a cuppa. Whilst I got no sleep I chilled out for a bit. Christine picked me up at 6:00 PM or so and the sunset tonight was stunning! One thing I never forgot is Australian Outback sunsets. The sky is as red as the desert once the sun hits the horizon. Before tea tonight I took Christine and her daughter on a Geocaching excursion. As I don't have a Smartphone or iPhone I typically search for caches the hard way. After unsuccessful searches at two sites the third time was the charm. Underneath a park bench was a tiny cache. My first Geocache in the Top End! Nothing special, but my first find up here. Geocaches were few and far between in Indonesia so I didn't even bother, but this is Australia. Everything is different! North Australia, you're my home. I love you! I have this never-ending love affair with the world but even more so with Australia. Dinner tonight was absolutely divine: kebabs on the barbie, veggies, and rice with a glass of chardonnay. Wine, I missed you. Alcohol is so expensive in Indonesia that I hardly drank but the Lucky Country is a wine lover's paradise. As dinner was being prepared I was on the phone with Raphael (whom I met last night) to discuss plans on going into Arnhem Land. He is leaving Thursday and told me not to worry regarding permits and all that stuff. Although it's only about 350 km it's more than a 20-hour drive because the roads are in poor shape. As my friends would say, only Chris Farrell can pull off things like this. It seems that only I can manage my only hitchhiking experience in Indonesia when I need it most, and only I can be picked up by an Indigenous Australian and invited to his community.
In all my talking about Darwin and Christine, I haven't mentioned my CouchSurfing host. His name is Chris (the first time I've CouchSurfed with another Chris) and he's partially deaf. He's a nudist and has no qualms about walking nude around the house. That's OK, that's his prerogative. It's his home and his rules. Regardless, he's very helpful and got me that gig tomorrow washing windows! Despite Chris' generosity he's had a barrage of health problems the past couple of years including a kidney transplant and a devastating motorbike accident on Lombok. The general rule at his home is that each CSer cooks dinner for everyone on a particular night. Tomorrow night I was supposed to cook but a German couple staying here asked if I could postpone so they could go to a festival. It works out fine because I'm going to Maningrida in a couple of nights, so I'll make my signature vegetable tomato soup and zucchini bread when I return. At Chris' house I'm sleeping on a converted veranda. There's something really romantic about sleeping outside with no tent. Darwin turned out to be the most difficult place ever to find a couch to crash on! It took me 29 sent requests (compared to 23 in Singapore) and I'm glad I met Chris; it's also the first time I've been hosted by another Chris. In short, the search was worth it.
I'm goin to reflect back in some of my previous time in Australia. I've been to two states (Queensland, New South Wales) and the NT. Australia was my first big journey, back in 2004. I went again in 2007. Highlights of my first two journeys include Uluru, the BridgeClimb, New Year's Eve in Sydney, spotting crocs on the Daintree River, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, and holding a koala, just to name a few.
Australia, I'm back. I love you! Enough said! My next story shall be about Aboriginal art.
