Darwin, Australia - February 20th

Darwin is the capital of the Northern Territory of Australia and sits on the Timor Sea way on top of the continent.  I was expecting a much more rural area but the city was much more urban with a lovely, albeit small, skyline. 

Before we left for the cruise, we booked an excursion to see the “jumping crocodiles” but after watching a youtube video, Michael wasn’t all that impressed and so we cancelled.  Our waiter, Andrii, on the other hand, thought the tour was terrific.   Although there was a 75-minute ride to the river, the boat everyone was on had two levels; one deck was air-conditioned but the top deck was open-air with lots of flying thingies and such which didn’t make for a very comfortable experience.  However, from that top deck you got a much better view of the men onboard who suspended long rods out into the water with buffalo steaks at the ends to lure the crocs into jumping for their food.  Apparently, they did not disappoint.  

We opted, instead, to take a shuttle into town from the ship to visit the Smith Street open mall for a little bit more shopping to help the local economy.  There were lovely shops, including a very high-end store selling all things made of crocodile.  The purses were absolutely spectacular especially the suede ones that were made from the “underarm” skin of the croc.  Lots of belts, wallets, and jewelry – but everything was retail and you know, of course, that we hate to pay retail!  

The souvenir shops were lovely and we made sure that everything we bought was Australian made and stayed away from anything “made in China” – otherwise, we might as well have stayed home and why bother.

Michael’s observations:  Surprisingly sophisticated city.  I was amazed to see high-end boutiques in the downtown area.  I always think of Australia as sand and desert; definitely not true.  Very beautiful and the people were very friendly.  I enjoyed my visit there even though it was a bit hot at 91 degrees.