Darwin, Australia...Snake lips and a side of chips

Welcome to Australia! The home of the friendliest smile and G'Day you'll ever receive. This was not my first trip to Australia, but I can tell you that I was thrilled to be back. This trip takes me around to some new areas of this great country, which I will write about over the weeks. I thought I'd add some perspective as to where Darwin actually is, so here is a shot from Google Maps. My time in Darwin was short and sweet. There is much more to Darwin and the surrounding area than I had time to see or write about.

Location of Darwin in Australia

To say that Darwin is remote would seem somehow unfair. However, it is a long ways away from the large cities of Australia, and I'm guessing that it's not a place that many Australians have been to. This is not a criticism of the town or people, but if you drove from Sydney, it would be about 2500 miles through the outback. That being said, I was absolutely ready to kiss the ground once I stepped onto the Darwin Pier. After months of traveling through amazing and beautiful countries in asia, I was well ready for a familiar language and some familiar food.

Port of Darwin Australia

I thought about putting a footnote by the word "food", because whatever it is, if it's breathing... and they can catch it... the Australian's will make it into a burger. But first, let me go back to my moment of bliss as I stepped off of the boat and into the customs area of the port. Yes, I thought about kneeling down and planting a big one on the concrete flooring, but instead I spotted a local lady dressed in something akin to a Ranger's outfit, who happened to be holding onto an unusually colored snake. It was pastel green and wrapped around her arm. It was love at first site. Not the woman... the snake. I hurried over in my excitement and asked if I could touch it. I watched in amusement as a few other people from the boat began to alter their course of direction away from the snake as they became aware of it's slithering beauty. Now that I had planted the idea in my head, it was time to fulfill my ground kissing obligation, but instead... I let the snake plant a slithery kiss on my check. I have never seen so many women "Clutch Their Pearls" in horror as I saw that day. It was totally worth it!

Port of Darwin Australia

In addition to the snake, there was a baby"Croc" that was being held by another person. It was maybe a foot long. These things are as cute as can be, but very rough to the touch. After I got my fill of this little critter, I stepped out into the open air. The familiar heat and humidity struck me, but it was okay, I was happy. There was a man in uniform who was standing outside of the small building. As we were looking around trying to decide how to get to town, he was kind enough to step over in typical Aussie fashion and tell us that we could get there in about ten minutes by walking along the sea walk and following the signs.

Darwin Sea Wall

If any of you remember the movie "Australia" from a few years back, it's based on this town and area. However, they really only filmed a small segment of the movie in Darwin. The pier to the left, in this next photo, is where they filmed the scene when Nicole Kidman was leaving the boy behind on the ship.

Darwin, Australia

As my travel partner and I walked along the beautiful sea walk, the sign turned us left and up to a building that provided an outside elevator. The elevator took us up to a small bridge crossing and there we were, right in town within minutes.

Darwin, walking bridge into town

Darwin, looks nothing like it did in the movie. Of course time and the magic of film making usually does that to most movies. Before I went to Darwin, I was expecting a dry, desert outback kind of environment. I figured that dust would be blowing everywhere, while we fought off random tumbleweeds blowing by. However, Darwin was the complete opposite. It was a humid, tropical environment with lush green trees everywhere. I know now that if you drive out of town a ways, that all changes, but for the town itself, it was different than what I had expected.

Christ Church Darwin Australia

We began walking down the street and saw small town buildings, churches and the like. After a few blocks, I felt that I had been transferred back to a small quaint town in my native Oklahoma. I don't want you to think that Darwin is behind the times or anything, as it's really quite modern with it's lifestyles, homes, stores and people. The sidewalks were immaculate and well manicured. Darwin takes pride in it's town and it shows.

Darwin Australia

I felt completely safe walking around and there were plenty of friendly smiles as locals walked about. A small promenade area housed some tourist shops and places to buy artwork. Speaking of artwork, one of the galleries I happened into had some interesting pieces that were created by "Real Aboriginal" artists. Okay, I like Aboriginal art, some of it is quite nice, but here's where I get skeptical. The gallery is trying to sell very simple designs on canvas for the ridiculous example sums of $16,000. They try to emphasize that the content is gathered from the natives in the outback, and it most likely is. However, I have a hard time believing that the artists are actually receiving anything even remotely close to that $16,000. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that those poor artists are being taken advantage of. They wouldn't let me take any photos of it, so I can't show you.

Darwin Australia

Anyway, we passed a number of nice cafes and restaurants as we walked around. We went into a few shops here and there, and I have to tell you, Darwin is pretty expensive. Darwin is remote enough that I'm sure having anything shipped there costs them a bundle, and that cost is passed on. So, I can't really blame them for that. Later that day when it was time to eat lunch, we decided to stop into a hole-in-the wall cafe. A simple lunch with no drinks or frills was about $35 per person. Now, another option was a nice little "Burger" joint which had an unusual menu. Camel or Croc or Kangaroo burgers..and more, but don't fret, they all come with a side of Chips!

Darwin Australia

I don't have any fancy, exciting photos of the city area of Darwin. It's possible to walk through the town area in about twenty minutest. However, there are plenty of things to do and see throughout Darwin proper, that I just didn't have time to cover. After having our fill of shops, we looked on the city map and decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens.

Darwin Australia

Even though the weather was going back and forth between rain clouds and sunshine, it had decided to get sunny the minute we started our journey to the gardens. If you've never been to Australia, it's important to know that the sun is unusually strong down there. In fact, the UV exposure is much worse than what we get in the states. You can really feel the difference in the sun and even with sunblock on, I still got a bit burnt.

Darwin Australia

We walked past the golf course on the way to the gardens, there were a few people out playing here and there. The grounds were nice, but not easy to photograph due to the glaring of the sun.

Darwin australia

Once we got into the shaded areas, the trees were a welcome comfort. The old trees felt as though they had been there forever. There was a nice long path that continued on most of the way to the gardens. The Golf course ran the length of it also.

Darwin Australia

There were lots of ducks, ibis and wildlife running around in the small park area that lined the course. The birds were funny, I called them the "Fifteen Feet Fowl" due to their habit of not letting you any closer than 15 feet. I tested this as I walked towards them for the better part of the next 10 minutes.

Darwin Australia

What was funny, was this man who roared down the street and zipped into the park on his motorcycle. The whole time, his unusual passenger stayed in one position. I wasn't really prepared, so the shot's a little blurry.

Darwin Australia

Before we arrived to the gates of the garden, I happened to notice a Australian Rules game going on in a field across the street. I don't really know much about the game, but I stopped in fascination and pulled out the telephoto to get some shots. After I uploaded the photos, I couldn't believe what I saw. How fantastic is this? I always knew that Australian girls were kind of tough, but now I know why.

Darwin Australia Rules Game

The entrance to the Botanical Gardens is right across from the field. I can't really give you all the in's and out's of it's history, but I'll give you a link at the end of this post to read more about it. The color of the leaves against the green lawns was beautiful.

Darwin Botanical Gardens

The grounds are beautiful, and have many, many species of plants and trees. The walk from town is not difficult, and took about 25 minutes, maybe less. It's a fine walk if you're in good shape and don't mind a hike, but if you're not comfortable with a long walk and the heat and humidity, then there is a bus line from town that's easy and cheap.

Darwin Australia Botanical Gardens

This old house has some history, I thought it was interesting how well maintained it was. In fact, it was one of the only buildings that survived the 1974 Cyclone, which destroyed Darwin. As far as the gardens go, I believe they are about 130 years old, so the plant and tree life are mature.

Cannon Ball Tree in the Darwin Botanical Gardens

There were some oddities, such as the Cannon Ball tree. I don't remember where this one originally came from.

Darwin Australia Botanical Gardens

I didn't do a thorough investigation of the gardens, but there are some wonderful forest like trails that run through the grounds. There are different areas that are grown for specific species of the world. If you like plants at all, then it's well worth going there. Also, it's free. Can't beat that.

Darwin Australia Botanical Gardens

Overall, Darwin is not your typical big city mecca, but it's quite pleasant. It's seems that a number of people have retired there and enjoy a leisurely life by the ocean and not far from some amazing National Parks. Apparently, during certain times of the year, the area becomes quite busy with vacationers who like to relax at the beaches and enjoy the town.  If you're there for a few days or more, then you can see the "Charles Darwin National Park", the "Litchfield National Park" and I suspect some nice fishing on some nearby lakes. There is an active sailing and water sports community there. You can even rent  boats to take out on your own. Also, if you like museums, HERE is a link to find out more.

Darwin Australia

I have to tell you that out of the many months that I've spent and the many places that I've been to in Australia, virtually anywhere you go there, you will find the people to be quite wonderful. Of course there's always a nut or two in the big cities, but Australians, by nature, seem to have a respect for each other and life that shines through. These people are generally kind, helpful and will look out for your best interest if you have questions or need directions. Even in large cities like Sydney, people are warm and welcoming. And my favorite... Australians have the best sense of humor. They love to laugh and seem to come up with the most brilliant observations of humor.

Darwin Australia

I wish I had a lot more to say about Darwin, but it was a short visit, so I didn't get the proper time to fully experience it all. There are a few more pictures of Darwin in my Flickr album HERE, and a link to the information on the George Brown Darwin Botanical Gardens HERE.

Bali, Indonesia...the good, the bad and there's always a chicken

Bali, is a large...well, an island that you can't just walk across. It can take hours to get from point A to point B...and not with ease. From what I've always read and seen, Bali is the magical, mystical island of enchantment. Go to Bali, and your life is complete, there's simply nothing left to live for. What more could you want? By now, I had spent a short while in Indonesia, and Bali seemed like a welcome dream that was coming up on my horizon. It was time to move from the hot crowded insanity of Java, the dry desert reptilian danger of Komodo..and onto a nice tropical beach.

Bali, Indonesia

I'm looking out of my boat and I'm seeing a lush mountainous terrain where a volcanic mountain is barely visible through the mist that magically appears... regardless of the bright sun that glares down from the sky. I loved it, breathing in lung-fulls of fresh air and watching as the seagulls fly past the small boat. It was nice that we were low enough that I could reach out and touch the clean ocean water as we speed towards the dock.

Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia

There were a group of us exiting the tender boat and we all poured up onto the dock. As usual, the typical smattering of law enforcement was standing around on the dock and watching us as we began our walk up the pier, into town. Before I go on any further, I feel that it is necessary to mention that we weren't arriving to the typical Bali destination where thousands of Australian college students flock to on summer break each year. Nope... we were walking into the town at Padang Bai, miles away from Ubud and hours away other popular areas. Why? Well, that just happened to be the itinerary and I didn't have time to do any further exploring of Bali.

Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia

My grand dreams of Balian paradise crashed into reality as we walked into the thriving mass of locals waiting for us at the entrance to the town. Unfortunately for us, we had to walk right through hundreds...yes, hundreds of local venders who decided that we were going to buy something from each one of them. I have to re-emphasize to new readers...I'm a nice guy, totally respect local customs, traditions and people when I travel...but the chaos of making your way through street vendors is never fun. It's so chaotic that I can never even pull the camera out and get a photo of it.

Bali, Indonesia

This time, I kept my hands on my pockets and held my backpack close to me. Why? Because there were stranger's hands moving all over my body and I was literally crammed into the middle of a crowd. I could barely move and what's even more fun is that sharp statues and fake plastic models of whatever nearby temple were being shoved into my face. The crowd was loud enough that no one could even hear you when you politely said "No thanks". A lady who was trying to give me a religious relic and was yelling at me about how it was "free" and would give me blessings...decided that scratching me from the top to the bottom of my arm was her best bet at getting my attention. AAAHHHHH!!! Okay, let's just say that for a fleeting moment...just a minuscule of time...I was ugly American, and got through the rest of the initial crowd rather quickly.

Bali, Indonesia

After dabbing blood off of my sweaty and stinging arm, I quickly walked off into the streets. The only thing that I could think of at the moment, was how sorry I felt for the locals who had to pressure-sell so much just to make a living. Going through that experience in these countries always brings up such a mixture of emotions to leave me dwelling on later.

Bali, Indonesia

The small town of Padang Bai, was...really small. There are a couple of little side streets which go off in either direction. One side moved off towards the hill and the other went into the few blocks of local businesses. As usual, it wasn't easy to walk down the street without having to watch for motorcycles flying by. Me and my travel partner walked up on the sidewalk and peered into the various shops as we passed by. Lots of glares and frowns. I smiled and nodded, but didn't have much luck with local hospitality.

Bali, Indonesia

There were a number of small temples that were built here and there. I found the carvings and structures to be quite fascinating. I was very respectful because a lot of people seemed to be meditating and burning  incense at these various places. I had a feeling that the town was very religious due to the many Muslim clothes that I saw on lots of locals.

Bali, Indonesia

I stopped at a group of older Muslim ladies who were selling home made soap on the sidewalk. I looked at them and smiled and wanted to learn more about the soap, but their reaction was to pack up and clear out immediately, all four of them.

Bali, Indonesia

After walking away and trying to see more of the small town, my travel buddy and I ran into some friends who were on our boat. He and his wife had had the same unfortunate experience with the locals being either overly aggressive or very unfriendly. I often wonder if it's just me and that I'm expecting too much out of people, so to hear that other people experienced the same thing made me feel a little better. 

Bali, Indonesia

It didn't take long to walk through the small town, so we decided to meander up a road that headed off into the hills. I was already sun burned from Komodo island, so I didn't want to find a beach to relax on. The humidity was pretty high, but manageable.

Bali, Indonesia Farm

We walked up the long hill, it was mainly just trees on both sides of the road. We finally came to a small farm entrance and saw a couple of cows hanging around. A young boy ran out and broke into a mischievous grin. He stood off to the side and was mesmerized at the strangers who were out at the road. His mother and sister were sitting off to the side.

Bali, Indonesia Moo Cow

The mom spoke up and offered to let us look at the cows up close for $5 U.S. Hmmmm...I grew up in Oklahoma...so although it was mighty tempting, I passed. The young boy was trying to ask us questions in English, but was almost too shy to be understood. His sister asked me to take his picture.. to apparently embarrass him...so here it is.

Bali, Indonesia, kid on the farm

As we walked on further, there was a man sitting on the side of the road with a small grill and some fish that he was cooking. It really seemed out of place, but I could see that there were some workmen around some hut type houses nearby and I figured that they were eating their lunches this way. The man smiled at us and then offered to sell us some fish on a stick. We saw some trash laying up against a concrete wall there at the place where the men were working. A completely horrified chicken ran behind it all and darted back and forth while we stood there. I had to photograph him sticking his little head out. No matter where I travel, there always seems to be a chicken in one of my photos.

Bali, Indonesia (Chicken in the clutter)

After walking up into the hills for a while, we decided that it was probably safer to go back to town. It became pretty jungle like at one point so we turned around and headed back down the hill. As we came back to the entrance of the small town, there was an interesting little side street which beckoned us in.

Bali, Indonesia

Maybe it was the wicker baskets full of chickens that were lined up against the wall. The alley was  somewhat of a narrow path with houses that pressed up against it on each side. The alley echoed with the sound of clucking. While walking up the little street, we saw a small store front that seemed to be carved out of someone's house. There were chips, sodas and more for sell. We were quite thirsty at this point and luckily a small family came from the back.

Bali, Indonesia

They were all smiles, and so friendly. It was strange seeing a little store like this up an alleyway that was practically devoid of life. We bought some drinks from the sweet mother and talked with the family for a while. They asked us all sorts of questions about where we were from, etc.. A policeman who was a friend of theirs came up on a motorcycle and joined the conversation. With all the laughter and talking, people started coming out of the homes and into the alley.

Bali, Indonesia

After we said goodbye to the family, we passed another family of seniors who wanted to talk with us. The wife was too shy, but the two older men were apparently fascinated with my camera and wanted their photo taken with it. I guess after seeing us talk with the other family, they trusted us.

Bali, Indonesia

We talked more, laughed more and took a few more photos. After some more goodbyes, we headed back down the alley and towards town.

Bali, Indonesia

When we finally reached the town again, we walked along and looked at some more of the small shops. I loved watching all the women carry baskets and things on their heads. I can't imagine how they manage it. My vegetables would end up all over the ground if I tried that. They must develope great posture from years of doing this.

Bali, Indonesia

After a few blocks, we ran across a school that was bustling with energy as young kids ran all over the school yard and street. They surrounded us and in a very friendly way, began to talk to us in English. The teachers were sitting on the benches and I looked over at them to make sure it was okay. The group of teachers smiled and nodded, so we spent some time talking to the kids. What a bunch of little actors...they all wanted their photo taken and crowded around in groups. In the states, we call this "Hamming" it up for the camera.

Bali, Indonesia

The teachers let us spend quite a while with the kids. I guess it helped them practice their English, and helped them to have a healthy interaction with people from other countries.

Bali, Indonesia

It was interesting how friendly and fun the kids were compared to many of the adults in the town. I was so happy that we were beginning to see some of the warmth and hospitality that we had heard about before arriving to Bali.

Bali, Indonesia

These boys were required to take out the trash as part of their chores. They made such a production of it and of course, made sure they posed for each dramatic step.

Bali, Indonesia

The kids played on the slide and stopped at the stop for their pose. Not one single kid asked for money during the whole time we were there. I was happy about that. They seemed to really enjoy the visiting. People often wonder why travelers take photos of children when they go to other countries. The answer is simple. When you travel to a foreign land, children are generally the only people who don't care where you're from, or who you are. They generally are too young to have or to understand prejudice, and they look at you with the same honest and kind fascination that we should all have for each other.

Bali, Indonesia

I spent a lot of time trying to keep up with various kids yelling "Me", "Me"...and wanting another photo taken. The teachers were always too shy and just giggled as they covered their own faces, so I didn't pester them.

Bali, Indonesia

There was a mother and his son or grandson who were sitting outside of one of the little stores by the school. I took a couple of photos of them (with permission). We walked over and ended up buying a lot of little snack packets of various things. I had no idea what most of them were, but the lady would point and say "Spicy" or "Sweet" or "Salty"... we took like...thirty packet of them. They were quite cheap, but I have to say it was a lot of fun eating through them over the next week. Some of them were snacks made out of Tapioca. I am used to only having that as a pudding, not a snack cracker.

Bali, Indonesia

We spent some more time in the town and ended up buying some gifts from various vendors. It's possible to get a good deal on silks and things if you bargain. Beware though, they will ask for lots more than it's worth, so you do have to bargain.

Bali, Indonesia

Padang Bai has a few nice hotels and restaurants. It's possible to spend a lot of money there. I wouldn't suggest going to Padang Bai as a single destination, but Bali, in general is beautiful. There is a lot of poverty in Indonesia, so remember that Bali is not all resorts and Hard Rock Cafes. Those fancy places are an unrealistic image of the way many of the people have to live and survive there. Bali can be dangerous due to scams and the occasional religious conflict. I've spoken to people who had problems there. Overall, we were okay, but things can happen, so always be careful and wise when you travel.

Bali, Indonesia

To be fair, thousands of people go to Bali every year and love it. I didn't explore other parts of the island like the popular destination areas, so I can only talk about what I experienced in Padang Bai. Indonesia has an incredibly rich culture of music, food and art. It's islands vary greatly from one to the next in scenery and sometimes climate.

Bali, Indonesia

Due to the large amount of poverty, the overcrowded conditions and internal conflicts, it can often be an uncomfortable experience if you wander off the beaten path. If you ever visit Indonesia, I would recommend a tour. It's better to be guided by someone who knows the islands and highlights. Many of the Indonesian people were kind and wonderful. I have also befriended a number of them from various travel ventures and have gotten to know much about their lives and beliefs.

Bali, Indonesia

There are some more simple photos of Padang Bai in my Flickr album, which you can access HERE.