Kakadu...or however you spell it

DARWIN, AU - -No, I did not get eaten by a crocodile but I did see HEAPS of them! In addition to being scary as shit, they're really beautiful (even from 3 feet away!) I took a boat tour and was in the midst of about half a dozen (that we could actually see in the murky water) of the man-eating creatures. Fabulous!
Things I learned today:

• This area is called The Top End, the NT or the Northern Territory (which is pronounced by EVERYBODY as 'Northern Territree')
• A billabong is a pond. But I really don't think the creators of "On Golden Pond" ever considered adding crocodiles, adders and poisonous snakes to their movie.
• Kakadu National Park should be spelled Gangaju but some stupid European spelled it wrong. Figures!
• When an Aboriginal person dies, his/her name and or likeness are not to be used for a period of time. Apparently, doing so prevents his/her spirit from moving on from this world.
• The white-breasted eagle (another beautiful creature!) is the animal that the Aboriginal people believes carries the dead person's spirit to the next world. Therefore, these are highly respected and valued animals.
• Another Aboriginal bit: in their lore, evil spirits have four fingers, good spirits have three. Just so ya know!
• Termites know how to live right. They build fabulous cathedral mounds.
• Electrical lines are strung not on wood poles, but on steel ladder-type poles because 1) aforementioned termites, and 2) when the annual burning is conducted according to Aboriginal tradition...um, oops! wooden light towers go bye-bye!
• How can you NOT love a country with a city (a small one) named Humpty Doo.

Oh, did I mention the tour guide wants to talk sports with me? Apparently, he'd love to go to a baseball game. I have his number.

The Top End

DARWIN, AU - - Tomorrow I'm off to Kakadu National Park. Wish I could tell you what I expect to see but I haven't the faintest idea. Which is a very much how I feel about Darwin so far. Haven't the faintest idea.
It does remind me of Perth (which I visited a few years ago). It's a small town with not much tourism and pretty much no sophistication whatsoever. Not to say it's a bad place. I mean, how can you dislike a place that has a bar called "Duck's Nuts"?
It seems most of the tourism here revolves around crocodiles (which are apparently all over the place despite the fact that I haven't seen one). I did see a fantastic shirt with fake blood all over it and read "I survived a croc attack in Darwin." Just lovely!
Oh, did I mention that it's hot here? Yes, it was hot in Port Douglas, but Darwin is missing the lovely tradewinds that kept things wonderfully pleasant and liveable in PD. Darwin is drink-tons-of-water and don't-worry-about-a-shower kind of hot and sticky. Deodorant manufacturers must make a mint here!
Oh, speaking of Port Douglas, it seems I'll be making a return trip. I've been checking the weather in Sydney (my next planned city) and it will be CRAPPY! We're talking about cloudy and cool pretty much EVERY day! I certainly didn't fly all this way to bundle up in long sleeves and jeans. No sir! I've been checking the flights and I can skip town (back to Port Douglas) for about $140 USD.
I'm soooo there!

Something to be said for presentation

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - - "Eggs and toast" was the listing on the menu at the Soul 'n' Pepper restaurant. Simple, but just what I wanted this morning after my birthday.
What arrived was much more than the basic greasy-spoon dish. A huge pile of fluffy yellow scrambled eggs decorated with a touch of fresh chopped parsley sat aside two inch-thick squares of raisin toast. Nearby was a tiny grape tomato split in two and a sprig of dill (?) for decoration. In the corners of my square white plate were dustings of paprika that illuminated the shape of the dish and drew attention to the food within its boundaries.
Maybe it wasn't the food so much as the view just past my plate (sorry, no picture yet). As I looked past the eggs, toast and my flat white (a mix of expresso and silky smooth creamy foam), I saw that what was just a few individual rocks dotting the beach a few minutes before became a rock-filled bay as the tide roared out. No crocodiles in sight, despite the sign warning of their presence (in English and German). A tour boat heading out to the Great Barrier Reef sent a fresh froth of wave into the tiny bay that formerly featured a tiny beach.
Sitting under the multitude of coconut palm trees and sail canopies that make up the eating area of this establishment and enjoying the plumeria-scented tradewinds, I felt no reason to leave...ever.
That is brekky as brought to you by the Soul 'n' Pepper restaurant in Port Douglas, AU.

Australia - -beautiful country and more ways to kill you than anywhere else!

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - - Christel (who, along with her husband, Wolfgang, owns the lovely little hotel where I'm staying) and Bronwyn (the housekeeper - -yes, they only have one) and I were sitting around discussing travel in Australia.
During a tiny break from her usual online work, Christel looked up the hotel where I'll be staying in Darwin when I leave Port Douglas on Thursday. "Very nice," was Christel's comment. She had traveled to Darwin years before ever meeting Wolfgang and has always wanted to go back.
"You know you can't swim up in Darwin," mentioned Bronwyn, very matter-of-factly. "Because of the crocodiles."
Ya gotta love Australia! Always something to keep you on your toes!
And, yes, the hotel does have a swimming pool.

Potential stowaway

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - - Okay, now I'm in one of my favorite towns in the world (even though it's changed some since Hollywood discovered it last year while filming "Fool's Gold.") It's been an unusual trip so far, I must say.
I'm having a harder time than usual down-shifting from 'work mode.' I still walk entirely too fast for a beach stroll and I can't help but think of what's happening at my office.
Another odd occurence will happen tomorrow. Okay, it's not odd that its my birthday. I've grown accustomed to that. What's strange is that for the past three or four years, I've been fortunate enough to be able to spend my special day snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and I might not be able to do that this year. I must say, though, that visiting the lovely rainbow-hued fishes doesn't suck. In fact, there aren't many better ways to spend one's birthday. Not in my humble opinion anyway.
The Wavedancer, the boat that usually transports me and about 50 other people out to the Low Isles, is out of commission (maintenance) until well after I leave Port Douglas. Strike one.
Sailaway, another tour offering to the Low Isles, is booked up with a private party. Strike two.
Tallahook, a third tour operator with a lovely 25-person maximum party size, accepted my booking this morning and confirmed that I would be picked up at 8:45 tomorrow morning. And then, at 4:15 this afternoon, they called to say that since they didn't have enough people (I guess it would've been a VERY private tour), they were cancelling my trip. Strike three...
Or is it?
I've decided that I'm going to pack a bag for a boat tour, stroll down to the marina, and jump aboard any boat heading toward the reef.
Wish me luck!