From Indonesia to Australia, Darwin it is!

Oh my goodness, how Oz is SO different to Indonesia. Things that clearly stick out are:
- Wide roads. Clean air, streets, pavements, clean things!

- Lack of noise (no hustle n bustle from the street)
- No stalls (food or souvenier) on the streets or elsewhere for that matter.
- The queens face on currency!
- The cost; I feel like a pourper, despite having saved my hard earned pennies for this trip!
- Food (and I can't belive I've only just put this down, I have changed so much since leaving!). I went into Woolworths (not our 'had to shut down due to economic crisis' woolworths, it's a supermarket out here, my favourite shop!!) and had several 'moments' whilst shopping for food - at the fresh fruit section (I'd not seen fresh fruit other than the banana or pineapple in my free breakfast pancake for the past 3 weeks) I started to salivate and I was literally struck by the selection, size, colour and smell, I still recall the moment now. Then I saw the cheese. Well! I'd not had dairy since leavig russia and had had a bit of milk here n there in Thailand, then in the UK, but since leaving again, I hadn't tasted cheese in AGES (I love cheese) but Asian countries don't get it and it's so expensive I never buy it! Anyway, I had a meltdown (excuse the pun) n literally had to make myself walk away from the isle. So on I went in the supermarket...to other products.
- Crocs; apparantly everywhere. But I only ever saw them in Captivity. Where they were either bred or used to make croc meat or croc produce (purses/bags) etc...

I cant quite believe i am here in OZ! It so like home, you cant believe - but HOT! The hostel i am staying at has a pool (although its so tiny lengths are difficult) and I have met some nice people here. My dorm room holds 4 beds and so far it is me and betty, a german girl who is working here. She is so lovely, I already feel at home here. I basically spent a week in Darwin, recouperating from my Indonesian ordeal of being frequently on the toilet ill, despite having a great time there.

Alice, a girl i met on the way to Elkes Hostel - lovely

I wet to the docs and got the strongest antibiotics I could get to kick my immune system into gear. Dissapointing i cant enjoy an aussie wine but theyre real expensive anyway...after the 7 day course I finally feel back to normal, ready to meet my mate from the UK; Laura, who i used to work with. She and her boyfriend are spending a year working here in the hope of extending their visa for a further year by doig agricultural work. So I am spending 3 weeks travelling from darwin with laura, picking up dave on the way to Alice Springs.

Darwin is smaller than Chesterfield! Has a main street that takes prob 20 mins to walk down, has a marina that u can swim in since the ocean has crocs n box jelly fish. I went to the crocasaurous centre yesterday and got to hold a baby croc as well as an olive python, a children python and two lizard things. Great fun! Also, I saw a black headed python eat a white rat which was really interesting to observe.