We flew north to Darwin from Alice Springs to have a full day to regroup and pack for a four day camping trip through Kakadu National Park. I did not know what to expect after small town Alice Springs, so I was pleasantly surprised by the sophistication of Darwin. However, its humidity matched its high temperature, which made getting around on foot a bit daunting. Good practice, it turned out, for the heat, humidity and walking on the camping trip. We stayed at Darwin Central Hotel, which we commend for its service and simple comfort. It is situated close to the foot of the street mall, where I finally found full-length light-weight trousers. We also picked up our last few supplies. At the end of the mall, we found the Tourist Information building and bus depot. Walking on, we came to an elevated walkway over the road to a building the faced the waterfront. Taking that route and an elevator down to a tree-shaded green, we camw to a long row of restaurants featuring different types of foods. It is not often that I find GF pizza palatable. Il Lido had great choices. We shared two of them, enough for a light dinner at the end of a long day, and drinks too, at our leisure. We watched swimmers in a closed-in cove, safe from sharks and crocodiles. Then, a large bat landed in the tree beside our table. Some little kids ran over to check it out. What an odd creature, climbing around, upside down, from one tasty cluster to the next.
August 28 began with a splendid breakfast at Eco. We walked around the shops and mall again, including a visit to the Information Centre. They confirmed that car rentals with unlimited mileage, as in Alice Springs, must be booked through them - good to know. The afternoon was spent at Darwin Central resting, doing laundry, and packing our small duffles and backpacks for Kakadu. That done, we caught the bus to Mindil Markets at Mindil Beach. A vast marketplace! There wasn't any chance we'd see it all. But our search for B's recommended paw paw salad was a success. We took our dinner over the dune to the beach where a crowd had gathered to watch the sunset. Glorious! With dinner over and the sun down, we strolled through the market again, watching the buskers and eating ice cream. Suddenly I became aware of the sky purple in the afterglow. Back to the beach we went to see the entire spectacle and take a few photos. But soon it was time to catch the last bus. We had an early morning coming.
August 29 breakfast was a comedy of errors. Way Outback Australian Safaris had confirmed pick up time for 6:30 a.m. Hotel signage said the restaurant opened at 6:30 so full breakfast was impossible. We could make tea in our hotel room, but I wanted a bite before we left. "Aha," thought I, "Room service!" When I was filling in the tag for our door, I saw an offer of a breakfast box we could share. Juice for JD, fruit for me (I imagined an apple), a muffin, cereal, milk. I wrote a note: "GF muffin or cereal if possible, please." And ordered for 5:30-6:00 a.m. We were up on time and got ready to go. No brekky box at our door. We were in the foyer by 6:30. No pickup van. But the desk had the box for us! OJ for JD - for later. An orange - pooh. I can't eat citrus. No muffin. A little bowl of rice krispies. Were they GF? Is that why I got them? A box of milk that the desk managed to cut open for me. One bite. GF? Did I want to be trapped in a van for hours with the consequences if it wasn't? Nope! I put the bowl on the front desk. Sigh. I dug one of the GF snack bars out of my luggage. We wondered when on earth Way Outback would arrive. A women came into the foyer. She was Denise, another camper. She had come down from the restaurant, which had opened at 6:00! Sigh, again. Our guide Kim finally arrived to pick us up. More a 4WD bus than a van, with a trailer for the bags. She had to deal with a flat tire before setting out. Better late than never. We are off!
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