Arrived in Darwin

Sooo, we've been in Darwin for 2.5 days now! And not much exciting has happened, which is why I'm only writing an entry now.

On Thursday around half past 2 local time, we arrived at the airport after a 3.5-hour flight and were amazed at how small it actually is. I've never seen such a short baggage carousel :D and it was in the middle of the one hall where the check-in counters and everything else are, because there's only one hall. Quite funny. We then booked a ticket for the airport shuttle bus because there are virtually no public transportation options here. It was a bit overpriced for the short distance, but what can you do. We had to find a way to get to the hostel. When we arrived there, we found a completely different atmosphere than in Perth. There were many people, it was loud, everyone was in a great vacation mood. We got a double room again, but this time without a private bathroom. Because of the tropical climate here, the kitchen, dining areas, and TV area are also located in a kind of loggia with an open-air feeling. We also have a spa deck with whirlpools, but we can also use the pool of the sister hostel next door. Pretty cool! Due to the tropical climate, we also have a variety of animal guests in our room. We have to regularly kill cockroaches and hunt down cockroaches. But strangely enough, I don't think it's bad or disgusting at all :D

Unlike Perth, we haven't heard any foreign languages here yet. It seems that Australians are on vacation here at this time of year. The hostel is located right on the pub and bar street near the beach, and there are loads of tourists passing by. In the evenings, there are also many people dressed up. There are also quite a few hostels and hotels. The residents of Darwin live in the suburbs, a bit further away from the city center.

In addition, there are also a lot of Aboriginal people here, who can be seen begging in the parks during the day and on the side of the road in the evenings. We have already read that Darwin has an above-average number of Aboriginal people, but we didn't know exactly how they would appear. Let's see where we can learn more about their culture.

In Darwin, we have now taken care of some organizational things. For example, we wanted to open a bank account, but unfortunately, the banks we went to didn't have any available appointments until the middle of next week. It's a bit annoying because we have to wait another week for our bank card. And we could have actually applied for the account online from Germany and just pick up the card here. But we didn't manage to do that anymore, and we thought we could do it online from Australia as well. But unfortunately, when we reached the last step on the website, we always received an error message that it's not possible. Quite illogical actually. But well, that's how it is now. We also have to wait for our TFN (Tax File Number). We received a temporary one when we applied online, which allows us to start working, but now we have to wait for the accompanying letter. And we ordered a prepaid SIM card because there was an online special at Vodafone. After that, we can load a certain amount of credit onto the card every month and then get free minutes and internet, depending on the price. Researching what is the best and cheapest option for us also took quite a lot of time.

Otherwise, we've been doing everyday things. For example, we washed our clothes for the first time, which is also easily doable here in the hostel because there are washing machines and dryers. But at 4$ each, it's not exactly cheap, and we're once again glad that we can split the costs. It's the same with daily groceries. By the way, there's something about Australia that I find super great: 1kg packs of cheddar cheese!! And so many different varieties to choose from! Amazing! Andi and I finished a 900g pack in the 4 days in Perth, and now we bought another one :D Overall, it's true that groceries are more expensive here than in Germany. You have to look for offers and be flexible. But because Andi and I are used to shopping in general, we should quickly figure out how to get the cheapest way :)

What else have we done? Oh yeah, yesterday we were active and went for a jog in the park between the hostel and the beach after breakfast. Unfortunately, the tropical weather is a bit unusual, and I didn't last as long as usual. But it feels like walking through a tropical greenhouse. Exotic plants and animals everywhere! Especially birds are abundant and loud here. Very cool!

We also strolled through the city and looked around a bit. But somehow, it's not so exciting. This weekend is the last one of the Darwin Festival, which lasts for two weeks and has many events and exhibitions. Unfortunately, many things are already sold out or just too expensive. But we checked out the main area and will probably go to 1-2 free exhibitions, some of which are still on display until October.

Tomorrow we want to go to the Botanic Garden and to the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. We're looking forward to it :)