Day 86 Fri 07/06/2012
Darwin Again
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| The Aboriginal Flag on the lead guitarists shirt |
“We arrived back in Darwin at the Frog’s Hollow Backpacker & there is an Aboriginal Concert in the park, so we had to go. We were the only three white guys out of a few hundred people.”
This evening when we got near the hostel we noticed Aboriginals in great numbers near the hostel. A work crew had set up a fence barricade around the entire Frog’s Hollow Park and now they were working on a stage. There was going to be a few Aboriginal bands playing tonight. It was most definitely worth going to because the bands were very good and the crowd was very in to the music. There was lots of dancing and everyone seemed glad to have us there.
Also once we got back into the city I checked my voicemail only to have a message from Clint’s boss, the painting company, with work. I immediately returned the call. The voicemail was from two days ago so the work was either done or he had found someone else. I had missed my shot. Telling the guy I was out in Kakadu the past week didn’t seem to matter. I did not expect another call for a painting job.
Day 87 Sat 07/07/2012
Throb
“Foosball at Globies with Frank, Roel, Luke, Bettina, & Liam. We played a fun dart game called “Killer”. Luke & Bettina have been sleeping in their station wagon for quite a while now. Later this night we all walked to meet up with Stefan at Throb. Frank, Roel & I were the only ones to go in & meet Stef. Good times. Stef spilled about eight mixed drinks all over the wash room. Yea he was pretty tanked by the time we met up with him. Kebabs afterwards.”
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| Luke & Bettina playing Killer |
Luke & Bettina are the English couple that have been staying in their station wagon out in front of the hostel. They have just come back from a trip to Bali where they had purchased lots of cartons of cigarettes. Cigs are very expensive in Australia, but they are dirt cheap in Indonesia. They would be living in the car until their tax returns came through.
The dart game of “Killer” was one I had never played before. Everyone get given a number by throwing with your opposite hand on the first round. From there you have to hit your own number 5 times. Once you close out your numbers you become a killer. Without getting to involved with the rules we got a good laugh because Roel was pretty good at the game or he got very lucky with his throwing early on. He closed out first and became the killer. However we somehow caught up to him and the game ended up being Luke and Bettina in a heated battle for the win. These two had posed very little threat early on so most of us had gunned for Roel. We ended up eliminating ourselves which allowed Luke and Bettina to stay in the game almost unnoticed.
Stef has been trying to get us to come meet him at Throb tonight. He has told me this is the best club in Darwin and also the only gay club. We finally decided to follow his lead on this one and check it out. The music was far better in this place than any other bar in Darwin. Stef was pretty well on his way to tanked when we got there and within no time we were all enjoying ourselves. If nothing else Stef was fun to watch. He somehow wound up in the wash room with eight mix drinks spilled everywhere. It was very wasteful and hilarious.
Day 88 Sun 07/08/2012
Lagoon
“We met some really cute Irish chicks today at the lagoon, but we never called them. Why? We have no idea. Went to the Sunset Markets again down on Mindil Beach.”
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| Sand Bubbler Crab makes great art on Mindil Beach |
Day 89 Mon 07/09/2012
Nada
“Backpacker Jobs for work inquiry again. Lagoon with Frank & Frenchies. Walked to McDonald’s.”
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| Botanic Gardens of Darwin, NT |
Roel borrowed my bike today. He was feeling fat and needed to go get some exercise. Frank & I chilled at the lagoon and went to get dinner plus a slab of OeTTINGER Biers. The back of the hostel has some very long picnic tables set up under the canopy of trees where everyone socializes and usually eats dinner. Most nights you can find people to talk with out here and we have had a few card games and maybe even a card trick or two. Hahaha, Frank loves my card tricks. Right Frankie????
When Roel finished up with his bike ride we had some cold beers waiting for him.
Day 90 Tue 07/10/2012
Clean the Eski?
“I’m pretty sure we have gone to our pool here at the hostel every morning first thing. All three of us end up finding a ball and playing with it until it is time to eat. CLEAN THE ESKI? TOMORROW. Our joke of the week. TOT at the HP (or HB) Bar.”
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| View from my corner where I've been writing at the Frog's Hollow Backpacker (The pool is over to the left where the light is coming from) |
I am staying in the original room I was assigned weeks ago when I first arrived at the hostel. It is the sixteen person room facing the road in front of the hostel. Frank and Roel have landed an eight share room on the back side overlooking the pool. Usually we all end up poolside first thing in the morning. The pool is in such a wonderful spot. No one seems to care though. We almost never had to share the pool with other guests. We really would not have minded having some ladies to play ball with, but it always seemed to be the three amigos instead. One of us would wonder of into the bushes and reappear with some sort of ball. One day it would be a tennis ball, and if it was our lucky day we found a futbol, rugby ball, or a football. After creating a wave pool and pissing off anyone walking with the splash zone of the pool we would figure out the plan for the day. Which as you have read was either the lagoon or Mindil Beach.
It seems one of us will remind the other two everyday while out by the pool “We need to clean the eski.” The eski is the cooler, cold box, or igloo. It still has the stink of everything that went into it from our Kakadu trip. Mince meat!
“Roel, shall we clean the eski today?” Frank would say.
“Tomorrow,” says Roel almost every day. There was nothing that couldn’t wait until “tomorrow”. I guess me finding work was the same.
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| Han Solo in the Botanic Gardens in Darwin |
Tonight was the night to go to the HP Bar in town. With cheap drinks and very good looking waitresses dancing all night it was the place to go on Tuesdays. I talked with an Aussie bloke who loves hunting. He was raving about the gun laws in the US and how hard it was for them to get guns here in Australia. I had to show him a picture of the 88 4Runner because I could tell he was a redneck Aussie and would love it.
Day 91 Wed 07/11/2012
My Fellow Americans
“More lagoon. Met Tyler at the hostel from Florence, Alabama. Neck! He was buying wine from other backpackers. I wish I had some to sell him. He was missing teeth too. Yup! Jake from Philly got thrown out tonight for being a shit brick. The Americans are really making it hard for me right now. Dumbasses! I met this very cute German backpacker girl tonight named Cathy. Holla!”
We are outside in the social area of the hostel again tonight where we meet Tyler. The second I hear him talk I know he is from Alabama. No kidding. He was a very nice guy, but he was a wreck. He was trying to buy wine from people and he had only change. I went halves on a bottle with him and for the most part just let him have it all. He had been working on some kind of fishing vessels around Australia, but I didn’t know how much of his story to believe. He had no money, but according to him he was making a killing with work. He was close to my age and had very few teeth.
We talked for a few and then I think he forgot I was from Tennessee and he was off at another table looking stupid. Frank came over to me and said “Mate, this is how I thought Americans were before I met you.” Hahaha, I had to laugh. He was dead serious. I had to tell him a few Alabama stories.
While all of this was going down I was getting the eye from this cute gal. We finally managed to get close enough to talk. Cathy was German who was also looking for work here in Darwin.
As I headed off to bed there is some drama out front near my room. The night manager, who we all disliked very much at first, was having some trouble from this kid named Jake from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I forget what he was doing to be a fool, but it was enough to be thrown out of the hostel at 2AM in the morning. Everywhere I went in Australia there seemed to be this funk about being American. I am sure if you have ever travelled abroad you get the same people that stereotype you because of people like this guy. Thanks Jake.
I haven’t met many Americans over here yet, but just to make it my views clear I have met more annoying nationalities besides Americans. People have a choice to act civil or act like a fool regardless of where they came from though. I was getting really tired of defending my fellow Americans though. More than once I would end the conversation about Americans with something along the lines of “If you met any of my friends back home you would automatically want them by your side for any adventure you get into.”
Day 92 Thur 07/12/2012
Sunset at Mindil
“We got a group together to go watch the sunset at the night markets again. Baila (USA), Cathy (GER), Nadine (GER), Frank, Roel & I took some pretty good sunset pictures. Cathy was way too cool to allow herself to be photo’d so I took some great pics with Baila. Uptight German chix. We then went to go watch the guy who calls his band “Drum & Bass”. I took some video of the Techno Aboriginal jams. I wanted a CD but what the hell am I gonna do with a CD? I cannot play it!
The crowd left to go get ready to go out. I ran back in to say HEY, & not knowing BYE, to Stef, Clint & Sky. Tonight would be my last night in Darwin. They wouldn’t let me leave without having a drink &chat on the blanket they had watched the sunset on. Good friends!
Get wrekt back at hostel. Monsoons for dancing where I quickly left after getting a very rude cold shoulder from Cathy.”
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| Drum & Bass |
The photo session down on the beach was great. When the tide recedes on Mindil Beach it moves fast. It leaves behind much real estate and a very flat beach. It is great for taking pictures. Cathy would not allow herself to be photo’d and did not want to participate. What a weirdo I thought, and I grabbed the other girls for pictures.
Drum and Bass was the outfit that played down here every Thursday and Sunday night. They have a wicked sound about them with some techno style drums and a guy on some didgeridoos amped up with some serious effects. I really wanted to buy one of his CDs, but with no way to play it and fearing I might scratch it up too badly before I found a way to transfer the songs I decided against it.
As we all left the markets I got ahold of Stef and found out he was down here as well with Clint and his girlfriend Sky. They were all sitting on a large blanket with a picnic basket and eski from where they had watched the sunset as well. After many thanks, hugs, stories, and one cider I split back to the hostel. Stef you took me in when I needed it bro. We had some hell of good times. Many of the stories never even made my journal because some days were just huge blurs. I can never repay you for your kindness and all of your help. I hope the few stories I shared here and the pictures can be part of my thanks to you for everything. Thanks Stefano!
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| Clint, giving peace, Stef & I with Clint's GF Sky & some of their lady friends after the sunset on Mindil Beach |
The plan was to go back to the hostel and get ready to go out tonight. This was our last night in Darwin. We had some beers chilling back at the hostel. The rest of the crowd including Cathy and her girlfriends all got ready to make way to Monsoons. Frank, Roel & I were not ready yet. We still had some beers we wanted to finish and were in a game of cards. Beer was much cheaper here than in Monsoons too.
By the time we got to Monsoons I was ready to find Cathy and attempt dancing. Our group was all there and Cathy had paired up with an Irish guy who was also staying at the hostel with us. No big deal, I knew when she saw me based on the talks and time spent together the past day or so she would tell this guy to take a hike. Well the song ended and he went to the bar or the restroom and I came over to say hey and what not. She gave me the look like I was a stranger who needed to shower and get away from her. “Hah, I’m outta here,” I thought. I told Frank and Roel I was leaving and I’d see them back at the hostel. We still had beers there and I was in no mood to do dancing now. Of course I would get the “where did you go?” text twenty meters from the club like she hadn’t just blown me off. "Pfffttttt."
Day 93 Fri 07/13/2012
Leaving Darwin
“Well the 3 of us woke up this AM & began to clean & re-pack the wagon. 2 surfboards & 1 mtn bike on the roof. We were off again. One the way to Wooly’s to resupply I spot something in the bushes out my car window. I jump out and what do you know it’s a TENT in the bag with it’s poles. The downside was it REALLY stunk. Still a score!
As we were shopping in Woolworth’s there was a lady handing out samples of cake. Roel gets the biggest piece & for the whole rest of the time shopping he is stuffing his face and dropping cake everywhere. Hilarious!
Our first stop was a quick one in Litchfield. The boys had already done the falls here but reckoned I needed to see them. We set up camp at Buley Rockhole. It was HOT as HELL in my stinky tent. We ate shark for supper. How awesome. We were camping in the outback of Australia eating shark. Good call Roel. There were howls & bushes rustling all through the night. It was not a good night sleep for me, but I managed. I’m broke as anything. Flip slops broken. Chair broken. I’m sure more things will become destroyed before I leave Australia.”
BULEY ROCKHOLE picture might spark stories
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| Frank, Roel & I loaded up ready to hit the Outback for a week or so |
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| A few of our friends at the hostel seeing us off. Good times at Frog's Hollow! |
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