Arrive in Darwin

The train is 1km long. We disembark and walk down the long platform. Past staff how smile and say: Goodbye have a nice stay.

Past grim smokers who don’t smile or say anything.

Suitcases are all lined up neatly in rows. A chorus line of suitcases. We wheel our suitcases through the station. We were told to board bus number one. We see a sign which says one, give our suitcases to the driver and board the bus. Find a vacant seat way at the back. Bus contains couples, hats, sunglasses, cameras.

The driver boards the bus, calls us out and says we have boarded the wrong bus. We stand and push our way down the narrow corridor and wait as the driver finds and retrieves our suitcases. We wheel our suitcases to another bus and board. We head for a few vacant seats at the very back. Past all the hats, sunglasses, I-phones and backpacks.

Arrive at our hotel. We wait at our reception in a long queue with other people from our bus.

Walk past the pool to our room. Key doesn’t open our door and then does.

Enter the room and turn off the blaring TV. We notice no bowls for breakfast.

What temp is the air conditioner set at. Got to adjust that.

Mrs. C. I will take this side of this bed.  You can put your stuff over there. Not there. I want to lie and read there.

I check the bathroom. Room on this shelf for my toiletries.

Mrs. C: We can get some bar snacks by the pool.

We order bar snacks then wait. Mine comes after about 30 minutes. Then nothing more until Mrs. C stands and says: I’m not waiting any longer. Let’s walk around town.

Walk down one of the main streets of Darwin. An aboriginal man is yelling, screaming and pointing towards a parked car.

He says: I heard what you said.

The car takes off and the aboriginal walks away throwing his arms in the air and yelling to himself.

We arrive by the harbour. Wide green grassy areas. Deserted. Devoid of anybody. Ideal place for families to picnic, gather. Nobody.

No cafes, pubs restaurants. Ideal spot for nothing.

Wide streets. Very few people lingering, wandering or relaxing by the harbour.

Return to hotel. We have to adjust the AC.

I attack the shower. Can I get the temperature right before getting wet?