Before making my way into Asia, I had some unfinished business to take care of in Australia, namely, getting a proper Outback experience in contrast to the city and beach locales I’d relegated my first stint to. Darwin sits at the very northern tip of Australia, referred to as The Top End. Aside from being a military hub, Darwin serves as the gateway to Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks, home to Aboriginal cultures, an array of bird, plant, and creature life, 15-foot tall termite mounds, waterfalls, and the iconic red dirt I always imagined Australia being filled with.
Due to the wet season not quite being completely finished, and a lack of my own means of transportation, I ended up taking a couple overpriced day trips into the two parks. Rock and cave paintings hundreds of years old amidst a landscape that made me feel as though I was on the set of The Lion King served as just the contrast to my previous Australian experience I was looking for. Throw in some spear throwing, more giant spiders, salt water crocodiles, and some citrus ant-licking (I promise it’s a thing), and I’d say the trip was a success.
In Litchfield, the scorching heat was no match for the waterfalls and rivers that served as perfect swimming respites, well-earned refreshment if you ask me. I did leave semi-disappointed in myself, though, as I did not join in the small crowd of locals jumping off the cliff-sides surrounding the waterfall. One too many stories of tourists being air-lifted out allowed common sense to prevail, a trend I’m nervously noticing occur more and more often with my internal dialogues.
Perhaps I am finally getting too old for this Sh*t.
Nah.