Day Fifty Seven - September 1st, 2013
Darwin

Our days here have formed a sort of pattern. We stagger from the tent after a lousy night of sleep, too hot to stay in our heat filled cocoon any longer. We eat breakfast under the camp kitchen fans, which are really just blowing the hot air around, and try and keep our tempers even as we sweat whilst eating coco pops. We then slather on sunscreen, which goes much further here in the Top End, as it mingles with our sweat as soon as it touches our skin. We then walk our glistening bodies over to the pool where we sit until we are hungry again. We eat lunch, and the process repeats. It's not so much the heat, but the humidity which is a killer. Everyone in the site is like the walking dead - no body sleeps well and the day is too hot to function properly. Not pleasant.

We've looked around for other campsites in the area as even though this one has dropped it's price for the wet season, it is still over budget, and the people here are a little odd. Everyone looks like they are on drugs. Which they most probably are. The language is offensive and obtrusive around the pool. But there's nowhere else to cool off! However, I have been spoken to rudely on the phone by the only other campsite which we found to be cheaper, telling me that they have no camping facilities for us. Strange, as we are in a small hiking tent which only requires a small patch of land. Looks like we're staying in the crack den.

We headed out to the Mindil Beach markets again to give us a break in the monotony. A Nutella crepe and a freshly cut mango helped lift the mood. My parents arrive in Darwin tomorrow, which I have been looking forward to ever since the trip was booked! I can't wait to see them after almost 10 months apart. We have met some cool people here, mainly a couple who have been away for 6 and a half years, just returning home. They (Chris and Elaine) are Brits, but have been living in Melbourne for 30 odd years. They've really got some great stories to tell, and have told us about the trip around most of the world they have taken to raise money for an epilepsy charity, since Elaine is a sufferer. Fascinating people.

Off to bed now, the light on my phone is attracting mozzies into the tent which we have open a fraction to let in some air. There is no winning here!!!