Day 21: Darwin

We made an executive decision this morning. Probably more accurately, we made an executive decision to test a couple of hypotheticals to figure out if we actually can make an executive decision.

The longest we have ever stayed anywhere on this trip is 3 nights. 3 nights in Winton, 3 nights in Katherine (although we moved from one campsite to another campsite after night 2), and 3 nights at Litchfield NP.

And we have booked 3 nights here in Darwin. And then 3 nights in Kakadu.

But we are loving Darwin. It’s is very casual and laid back and has a certain Territory feeling to it.

It’s nothing like what we were expecting. And we think we’d like to stay longer, before moving on to Kakadu. Maybe 6 nights in total, because 3 nights means that we only really have 2 full days here, and that just doesn’t seem like enough.

And if we stay 6 nights, that means that we will be leaving on Monday, which means that we will be here for Sunday.

And if we are here for Sunday, that means that we can go to church and unburden ourselves from the guilt of not having been to church for the last 3 weeks. Why haven’t we been to church for the last 3 weeks? Because each Sunday that has rolled around, we have found ourselves in a tiny, churchless township, surrounded by heathens.

And we fitted right in 🙁

But Kakadu have a strict cancellation policy – not that we want to cancel, we just want to slip it to the right. Which oddly is a phrase that I regularly used at work when discussing my projects … that the schedule has “slipped to the right”.

We don’t want to pay a cancellation penalty, we just want to move it to the right.

And we have no idea whether we can stay extra nights here at Robbie Robbins in Darwin. Or if Kakadu can accommodate us later than planned.

So many problems.

So we texted Kylie (she is the lady that manages the place here in Darwin) and asked her a hypothetical … “if we said we wanted to stay an extra 3 nights …?”

And she said “no problem”. Or maybe she said “no bloody problem …” I can’t really recall, but I’m pretty sure that there was a “bloody” in there somewhere.

I’m also pretty sure that “bloody” is kind of like a term of endearment here in the Territory, so I’m feeling pretty bloo … um, pretty good about it.

So with that hypothetical sorted, we needed to do another hypothetical with the people at Kakadu.

And they too said that we could slip it to the right by 3 days with no problem and no penalty.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! We are here in Darwin for 6 fabulous nights.

We decided to do some more sightseeing today. Kylie – the lady from Robbie Robbins Equestrian Reserve (RRER) – told us that the RFDS Darwin Tourist Facility (RFDSDTF) was worth seeing. So we decided to go off to see it.

Had a bit of a lazy morning – sleep in, ablutions and breakfast out under the awning – and we got away about 10.00am.

Yep, I know that most of you will have done half a day’s work by then, but it is what it is. Nothing to do, and all day to do it.

Remember?

I’m finding Darwin a bit confusing. While Jolene seems to have an unwavering confidence in where we she is taking us, it often feels to me like we are going around in circles. I have to say that it really frustrates me when I’m feeling completely lost, and convinced that we are going in the wrong direction, and then MBW pipes up and says “there’s home, just over there”.

Grrrr. Women – they stick together.

Or to quote Maxwell Smart, “I don’t need Jolene and MBW to prove to the world that I’m stupid. I can do that myself.”

So off we went to the RFDSDTF.

We followed a baffling series of left and right turns, to finally find ourselves at the Stokes Hill Wharf, parked in a parking space that – frankly – scared the cr*p out of me.

We got our concession tickets (hey, there has to be some benefits to getting old …) and in we went.

The RFDSDTF is indeed an amazing facility that tells the story of the RFDS from an historical perspective, and show a “day in the life” from the point of view of both a pilot and a patient.

The centre is also home to an incredible WWII tourist facility.

They have some amazing Virtual Reality (VR) headsets that show you what it would have been like to be in Darwin – right at the spot where we were sitting, as it happens – when Darwin was bombed by the Japanese in 1942. And you get to see it in 360 degree, virtual reality horror.

It is very interesting, but also very confronting.

They tell the stories of various people who were directly involved in the conflict. Both US service people, and a Japanese pilot.

I mentioned yesterday that MBW has had a sore back, so she booked in for a remedial massage at a place that gets very good reviews. Somewhere. I have no idea where, but Jolene will get us there.

We had a bit of time to kill after the RFDS/WWII exhibits and before the massage, so we went for a wander down the wharf and bought a bit of lunch to share from a Thai place and had a peaceful time eating and watching the world go by …

… and wondering what it must have been like 82 years ago in the same place, under the same sunny blue skies, watching as bombs exploded and ships sank in this beautiful harbour.

Off for MBW to get her massage.

Did you know that in Darwin, their 40km/h school zones are in force all day from 7.00am to 5.00pm?

The massage lady got MBW’s sore back all sorted out. From the noises coming out of that little room, it sounds like that massage lady found all of the sore spots, and showed no mercy.

It was still about 36 degrees, so we decided to head back for a coffee (both of us), medication (me), and just poke around home for a little while. MBW still has some MasterChef episodes to catch-up on, it seems, and I was sinking into my post-lunch, caffeine-deprived, not really feeling 100%, and ready for an afternoon nap, sense of lethargy.

We got home from our day of sightseeing and massage/torture to find that we have had neighbours move onto site #3, next door. They are an old(er than us) couple who both … um … who both likely use a lot of soap. Not as much as Tim-Tim from Daly Waters, but a lot anyway. Certainly, easily twice as much as us. Maybe 3 times as much soap.

They are in a motorhome with a little Suzuki 4WD on a trailer on the back.

Unfortunately, rather than back it in so that everyone is facing the same way – like normal people do – they drove it in so that their awning is hard up against our awning and we sit outside our respective mobile homes looking at each other.

Grrrr.

And we get to enjoy the passive smoke that wafts over our way each time they exhale. And we get to enjoy the second-hand noise of their TV … something that I haven’t missed in the last 3 weeks.

And the little pink chair in that photo? For their dog.

Sigh 🙁

I wonder … if I was to slip into my mankini for breakfast tomorrow, would that be the encouragement that they need to turn that sucker around and point it the other way?

Tonight we decided to get some fish and chips for dinner and sit on Nightcliffe Beach and watch the sun set over the ocean.

We got fish and chips from a food truck that gets excellent reviews, and it was obvious why. Food was amazing!

And the sunset was even more amazing!

It’s been a great day.

For those of you have been counting, we’ve eaten out twice today. The boys’ inheritance is slowly slipping away. In fact, if you are speaking with any of them, ask them to transfer me a few dollars so that we can continue with this lifestyle.

We haven’t decided what to do tomorrow, but I can feel it in my water that I’m going to be back at BTC to do some browsing around.

Maybe we will go for a drive to look at a National Park nearby, or maybe not.

Maybe we will just stay at home and do domestic duties. It is Thursday after all – washing day. Kylie said that it is OK to give the car and caravan a wash here (many places discourage it), so I might do just that. Give them both a bath just so I can remember what colour they both are, under all of that dirt and mud.

Nothing to do, and all day to do it.

Remember?

Ciao

#Retirement2024

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