Americana

This weekend we are planning on attending a gathering of Ex-Patriots, Americans and their families who are residing in Darwin. Apparently there are about 30 or so. It is a pot-luck lunch, and we were asked to bring Americana fair. Some people are bringing "chili cheese dogs" and

"marshmallow" salads. David suggested Jenni get her mom's recipe for Special K Loaf (it is good and definitely screams America!), but we haven't quite settled on a dish yet.



Any suggestions?



By the way, David changed it so you don't have to login to make comments, but can post anonymously. This should make it easier to comment without having to sign up.



We happened to be walking home last night and caught sight of Basil chasing something in the yard (we were only gone for 15 minutes). We have been trying to discourage him from chasing little tree frogs, but it wasn't working. This turned out not to be a tree frog, but a Cane Toad! Cane Toads will release toxins if under stress, and pets are more often than not killed. So luckily we got Basil away before anything bad happened. Its strange that we didn't see a single frog during the wet season, but have seen several during the dry season...



Here is a photo. It passed on last night at the hands (or more accurately, feet) of our neighbor, but will live on in blog-infamy.

Greek Festival

Yesterday, we went to a mini-Greek Festival. It actually reminded David about Greece: lots of good food and lots of people. There are actually a large number of Greek imigrants in Australia, and particularly in Darwin. They were heavily tied to the pearling industry that thrived in Darwin pre-WWII. There is a big Paspaley Pearls shop on the Smith Street mall. It has this beautiful store front on ground level, with faux columns, and when you look up you find a three story tall typical example of neo-communist cement architecture. Kind of a stark contrast to each other.

Anyway, if you are interested check out this link.

Kakadu

Jenni's trip to Kakadu...

In early May my friend Karen (yes, finally proof we have friends) and I went to Kakadu National Park for the long weekend. We were joined by Karen's friends James and Josh. Hiking, rock art, vistas, waterfalls... made me miss Colorado.




Anyone care for a swim?




And, finally the last photo of Claude the Cane Toad alive. May he rest in peace.

Jealous?

Nightcliff Foreshore Sunset May 13, 2008

Little Lizard on The Inside of the Front Door

Crocodile Rock

Well, we finally received our shipment from the United States. It's bizarre having all this stuff that is so associated with our lives in the US, and now it is here Darwin, Australia. Basil thoroughly enjoyed having all the boxes to climb on and explore. The movers entertained David with conspiracy theories involving the United States, the Bush family, and the World Bank. Apparently, whenever the World Bank needs money, they send the US off to war, which causes them to borrow money from the World Bank, and then the bank intern receives money from the payments...or something like that. David resisted the colonial urge to say, "So...?"

We've also managed to get out and do some exploring. We spent a Sunday in Litchfield Park, just south of Darwin. It's the smaller of the two big parks (Kakadu being the other one). Our first stop was the Termite mounds near the park entrance. They have a special area designated to look at them, but really they were all along the road. You can play spot the Termite mound in the photos. They were very tall, at least 7 ft. We also did a little hiking, but most of the longer trails were closed, still too wet from the rainy wet season. Jenni did a little swimming at Florence Falls (photo), and then we hiked to Buley Rockhole (6 km roundtrip). Jenni swam at Buley Rockhole too. There was no one on the trail, but there were plenty of people swimming. Apparently we were the only visitors who hadn't thought to bring a case of beer.




Jenni "The Navigator" plotted our route back to Darwin, which involved going to the edge of the park in the opposite direction and then heading on a 30 km long dirt road. We got about 5 km into the dirt road, and discovered it was still closed, and there was no way the little CRV was going to go through it anyway. On the way back to the main park road, David spotted a rock that looked like a Kangaroo...and turned out to be a Kangaroo, because it moved and hopped away from the road.

Jenni's Story

So I've gotten to do heaps (My second favourite Australian word so far. First is "suss," short for suspicious) of traveling in the last four months, all for "work." I went to Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Alice Springs and the APY Lands (near Ayer's Rock/Uluru), and New York... uhm, near New Jersey. Completely exhausted from all the travel I was "delighted" to find out I needed to go to the Tiwi Islands to conduct literacy assessments (Will the fun never end?). But it turned out to be quite the adventure. The flight to the Tiwis is only 30 minutes, but it was all in a single engine prop plane with 8 or so seats. They seated us according to weight and I was happy to be in the back next to the short, skinny Tiwi man without any luggage.

We were meant to assess the Tiwi kids for two full days, but only ended up giving them tests for one because the Northern Territory teachers decided to go on strike. Instead, we went to the art gallery and hung out at the local club (Only open 4:00-7:00 thanks to the Intervention). One teacher said he was going to make a picket sign that said "Free Tasmania." A local joke about how Tasmanians aren't really Australians -- kind of like Texans in the US. David saw an editorial where the author described a recent day at a boy scout jamboree, and the Tasmanian troop was listed under the overseas visitors.

Anyway, the REAL adventure was the plane flight back. We stood around the plane listening to the pilot describe the "emergency procedures." One of the things I noticed about the Tiwi Island pilots is that they're all young. Apparently this is how new pilots get their hours before flying real airplanes like 12 seater twin engines. Our pilot was tall and looked mysterious in his mirrored sunglasses. His masculine confidence was palpable as he opened the luggage compartment and tossed our suitcases in as if they were light as pillows. He looked around to see if anyone noticed.

It was then that he said, "I'm going to need someone to sit up front with me." I bravely suppressed an urge to shoot my hand straight up in the air. Calmly I responded after at least a 2 second pause, "If no one else wants to, I will." He actually looked visibly disappointed. It was then I realized he'd been looking directly at the long-haired 15 year old girl with the short skirt and tank top when he made the offer.

So that was how I got to sit in the front seat of the plane. And I have to say it was worth it, although I'm sure I ruined a budding romance. Although, perhaps I saved the poor young woman from inevitable disappointment. The pilot's mobile phone ring was the theme song to Top Gun.

Big News
And now for the big news. After many months of deliberation, newspaper polling, media attention, the masses have decided... We want Elton John. That's right, folks, the Sultan of Song, Mr. Big Glasses or a whole host of other nicknames he doesn't have, is on his way to Darwin.

Finally, the world will recognize Darwin as the cultural centre that it is. There's even talk of a Duran Duran reunion tour. Did anyone say Blondie?

But seriously, if anyone wants tickets, the concert has yet to sell out. Apparently that's typical in Darwin. No one buys tickets until the last minute.

Sometimes you forget...

David here, Jenni is off to New York and I'm holding down the fort. She left at 1am last night and will arrive in New York at some point on Saturday. Potentially one of the longest days possible, although deceivingly short on the itinerary.

Nothing too new to blog about, but I thought I would share a short little story. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we live in the tropics, and that most things here are out to kill you, from parking garages to bus drivers. I went out for a run, and admittedly it has been a while, but the ol' stomach was starting to pop its head out again and decided it was time to start to possibly think about the potential of doing some sort of physical exercise. I did go for a short run along the sidewalk, next to a relatively busy road. Along the way, as I was gasping for air, I noticed this bright yellow blur out of the corner of my eye. It was headed straight for my foot, and instinctively (which is surprising) I jumped up and it passed underneath me. I turned around just in time to see a bright yellow snake with head up and mouth agape passing through the fence of a house. Had I held it by the tail, it probably would have been about 2 to 2 1/2 feet (wait till I blog about this again later and it turns into a 6ft long python). I couldn't find any pictures online, and don't have the slightest idea if it was poisonous, but for the sake of story I will say it was, and possibly belonged to a gang of some sort.

Sorry, I'm attempting to make the story of me jumping three inches off the ground over a little reptile sound more exciting. Nonetheless it is easy to forget where you are, and that there are plenty of wild animals around.

Making Friends

We just saw when our last post was. Has it already been a month?!? We've been very busy. Unfortunately it hasn't been busy traveling around Australia. We've been busy working. David perceptively noted - "When is this going to start being a grand adventure, and stop being our lives in another country?" It actually is a grand adventure, and we are learning a lot of new things. We just both want to be out doing more.

Part of the adventure has been trying to make new friends. Australia is a great country but the language barrier has been difficult. There is a type of speech down here that is called rhyming slang. It derives from the cockneys, and their desire not to be understood by anyone. Rhyming slang consists of a rhyme that has been so far removed from the rhyme that it doesn't make any sense anymore. A simple one is "septic," for Americans. Yank rhymes with septic tank, and hence you get septic. It is typical for the actual rhyme to be dropped. Now there are some friends here that only send us emails using slang. In response we only speak in Jive. For all we know, we could have started WWIII with Australia.

Communication remains key. Being able to share similar traditions is also very helpful in building a bridge. For instance, we have neighbors that have a 4 year old girl. We were talking to the dad, while the girl chased after Hugh. The dad decided to tease his daughter a little, and give Hugh a break. He said, "There is a spider on your back." The little girl giggled and said "Get it off!" A few seconds later, the girl said "There was no spider, it didn't exist." Jenni decided to join in, and said "Spiders don't exist, just like Santa Claus doesn't exi..." which was interrupted by the crashing sound of the dad's jaw hitting the ground. Luckily the girl didn't hear Jenni, or see his reaction and kept on playing.

To make friends, one needs to be open with strangers. Surprisingly, people have been very open with David, who usually discourages such frivolities with the permanent (non)expression on his face. But that doesn't stop the Australians from opening up to him. On one such occasion, David was about to add some hot water to his instant soup, when someone commented "That isn't a very healthy lunch. There's MSG in that you know."
"Oh is there?"
"Yah, you can smell it."

Good to know. On another such occasion, David was enjoying an afternoon tea. He is quite partial to strong sweet tea, and was in the process of adding his 2nd lump of sugar to his cup when someone piped up - "Is that enough sugar? You know sugar is bad for you! You shouldn't use so much sugar."

They are so helpful!

Even the cats are getting in on the action. Basil has made many friends in the animal kingdom. I think the lizards and he have signed a peace treaty.....which is probably about as effective as the Treaty of Versailles..Here are some pictures from a few trips to the beaches around here - Cullen Bay and Nightcliff Foreshore.

Cullen Bay, Wet Season.

The only time Jenni lets David take pictures of her is when she doesn't know he is taking pictures.

Spot the Parrots.

Kite Surfing at Nightcliff. The surfers come out when the water is rough, because it scares the box jelly fish off.

More kite surfing. If the wind and wave is just right they can fly into the air.

Wind and rain take its toll.

At the Northern Territory Wildlife park. These spiders weren't part of the exhibit, they were outside along the walkways. About the size of a hand.

These flying foxes were part of the exhibit, but take a walk around Darwin at night and you are guaranteed to see at least one. They are harmless, but come swooping overhead as they gain lift.

This dingo was hanging out in its pen. We did see one roaming the streets of Darwin early one morning.