After our Southeast Asian adventure it was back to Australia for a few days before our visas officially expired. We decided we would fly into Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory for a few days before parting ways. To get to Darwin from Bangkok we had to fly Malaysian Airways, possibly the most dangerous part of our trip (good thing we learned how to skydive first.) Surprisingly enough Malaysian Airways is one of the nicest airlines I have ever flown, with in seat entertainment (lots of quality movies to choose from), delicious meals, blankets and pillows, charging stations and the flight attendants had one of the prettiest uniforms I have come across, not to mention they were some of the friendliest as well. Minus a little turbulence due to storms over Singapore, we survived not one, but two Malaysian airlines flights (we had a layover in Kuala Lumpur) and landed safely at 4:15 am in Darwin (yay for comfy airport floors!). For being a small airport, Darwin customs was pretty intense. Maybe it was the fact that we were flying into Darwin out of all places in Australia and had noted on our arrival cards we were only staying in Australia for a total of 5 days which may have seemed a little suspicious, but the guards were friendly enough when we explained our situation. Unfortunately not friendly enough to extend our visas :(.
Darwin is known for its port, crocodiles and beautiful winter weather. After the cold of the south of Australia and the extreme heat of Southeast Asia, Darwin’s dry winter weather of 80*F, cloudless blue skies and a slight sea breeze was very welcomed. This is the Australia everyone dreams about; although, Darwin in the summer is not fun I hear. With not much of an agenda and only 48 hours we took it easy after our 3 adventure filled weeks of travel. We enjoyed sitting on the beach and watching the ships and tide come in while soaking up some sun and making our way down the many bars and restaurants that line Darwin’s main street, Mitchell Street.
The time finally came though when Diane was to head back to Sydney and I was to go back to Brisbane to gather all my other luggage before flying back to the States. We shared a tearful goodbye at 1 am in the Darwin airport, which was packed because apparently that’s when all the budget airlines schedule their flights. After 3.5 weeks of traveling together we still weren’t ready to part ways. I can honestly say Diane and I made the best travel buddies. Not once did we fight and our travels went smooth for the most part (minus our little incident in Bali.) We made all of our flights and managed to successfully not get on each other’s nerves. Luckily we are now only a short four hour drive away and hopefully will be reunited again soon!
The Best Travel Buddies Ever!
Au Pair Down Under 