I walked ALOT today! What else is new? It's hot here, I can't even guess how hot, but hotter than I've probably ever experienced... which isn't really saying much! I knew I was in for a bit of trouble when everyone I came across kept asking 'where's your hat?' My answer, of course, was 'back in the room'! I actually did OK. I did the self guided walking tour thing, did some geocaching (thanks GeoWombats!), had a smoothie, checked out where Drew's ship is coming in (I'm not walking it tomorrow!), talked to a lady doing an archaeology dig, looked at some VERY expensive pearls... almost got out the VISA card!

Darwin is a fairly new town, since it was pretty much wiped off the map by Cyclone Tracy at Christmas 1974. It's a fascinating story, if you want to Google it. There are very few buildings dating previous to 1974, so the ones that are, are pretty historical. The history of everything here is 'bombed by the Japanese in 1942', and 'damaged by Cyclone Tracy in 1974'. That's it!!

Saw my second lizard today, just a tiny one. But that's enough for me to buy the lizard charm for my charm bracelet!

I treated myself to a pedicure this afternoon, and had a nice gal by the name of Haley. She's from Sydney, and I asked her what the heck brought her up here. "My husband is in the Navy"! So we had a fun chat for the better part of two hours! Her husband was in the Gulf, and is now in Sydney. In the last 18 months, she has seen her huband for a grand total of 6 weeks. And they have a 14 month old baby. Now that's tough. Makes my separation from Drew look like a slight vacation!! She got a good tip from me. And my feet feel great!

I went back to my room and rinsed out all the clothes that I was wearing. It's so humid here, so you're instantly sweaty when you go outside. Most of the shopping is in indoor arcades that are air conditioned, so you can hop from one to another. My young Danish roomies were unconscious... stamina wins out over youth every time! Hee hee!

I'm on my way right now to the Deckchair Cinema out on the beach. They screen movies at 1930 every night, and I hope there is food there! I understand that one of the better Moorish cafes has a kiosk there, so I'm looking forward to that. I hope they have beer!

The hostel in Katoomba doesn't have the legs to my zip-off pants, so I guess I'll buy a new pair tomorrow. They tell me you definitely need pants out there in the jungle or outback, or wherever it is we're going. Sand flies will eat you alive! Fun. I'll stay next to Drew. Everything eats him, and leaves me alone!

Off to the movies... and beer, I hope!

Cheers mates,
Marie