6 - With 'Marcus' in Darwin

Darwin, Darwin, Darwin..

it's all the same again, slowly I'm getting homesick again and then the adventure comes right to my doorstep.

In the form of Cyclone Marcus, the strongest in about 20 years.

The devastation he caused in Darwin City and the surrounding area within a few hours is hard to describe.

Trees uprooted, some fallen on cars, roofs blown off.. the city was in chaos.

After the storm, I went through the city center armed with a camera - at home we call it a local reconnaissance drive.

Otherwise, there's not much to do right now.

Because we've been living without power for the past 3 days - at least we have running water again!

It's also an experience, but I'm also glad when it's all over.

Sleeping is better with air conditioning and functioning showers - the smell in the rooms is a disgusting challenge.

On the 4th day after the storm, we have power again!

Quickly charging the phone and laptop, because Marcus is reportedly on his way back to Darwin - just taking a breather at sea.

Now I'm sitting here with my 3rd coffee next to me on the terrace, working on these lines.

It's a very relaxed day, it has to happen once in a while.

Surprisingly, I am one of the few who hasn't been on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of the power outage.

It forces you to have a bit more calm, but that's exactly what I was missing last week.

Yesterday was jam-packed again day - wonderful!

In the morning to the Oil Storage Tunnels of WW2, a rather, well, disappointing trip.

Doesn't matter, after that we went for a beer, followed by a delicious noodle soup with seafood and then back to the Old Quarry with the rest of the gang.

Another jump from the highest "platform", this time there were even a lot of locals present, who threw themselves into the cold water with backflips, somersaults, or similarly crazy jumps.

They're all completely crazy - I'm telling you! Crazy! But it looks exciting..

The Art Museum is unfortunately closed today due to the aftermath of Marcus, so I continue to miss out on the last planned stop in Darwin.

The big question for the coming days is: new job or cheap car and get out of Darwin.

Because without a car, the only option is flying.

The public transportation options are - let's say - scarce and also extremely expensive.

I'm curious, right now I'm most in the mood for a longer road trip.

But buying a car would definitely put a huge dent in the travel budget..