van wyk journeys October 13, 2019 – Darwin
Arrival at 10:00 am – Blazing hot and humid +33C
We are closer to Indonesia than any other Australian city, Darwin is the capital of the “Top End” – the remote, vast Northern Territory. Home to more than half of the territory’s population, the city reflects the rugged endurance and individualism required to survive the Outback. Darwin also boasts a colorful history to add to that heritage. During World War II the Japanese bombed the city and threatened an invasion. In 1974, Cyclone Tracy cut a destructive swath through the region. In addition, man-eating crocodiles, tropical monsoons, searing heat and bush fires that burn for weeks are all part of everyday life.
Locals in the Top End consume over 60 gallons of beer a year. All those empties don’t go to waste: Each year Darwin residents compete in the Beer Can Regatta, a race with boats, rafts and other vessels manufactured out of beer cans.
Our goal today was to walk off the ship do a tour of the Darwin CBD, find some free Wifi and along the way acquire some less expensive booze. We accomplished these tasks with wild abandon finding Wifi in the town center “mall” and acquiring 12 large wine samples to take back on-board. Going through the pre-boarding screenings is interesting as the Security people call out “booze” whenever any is declared and then we are off to the clerk that handles the financial side of things. These events also created a gathering of other passengers who are pondering the same dilemma we encountered with a shortage of low priced wines onboard and what to do to substitute this shortage. We discovered the Thirsty Camel liquor store which only sells Australian wines and cheap. Once we cleared ship customs and paid the fees we are allowed to board with our purchases.
The evening entertainment was interesting and referred to in the Princess Patter as Folkloric Show: New Darwin Folkloric Show and boy was it ever folksy. The stories told via music were unique ballads of events experienced by the Darwinians that included tales about week-long camping that included naming everyone that was there included around 19 Christies or somewhere around that number. Then turning to the bottles or can of beer and bottles of whiskey consumed that hit the floor empty. When they ran out of supplies and fuel and stuff to throw on the fire it was time to go home and the ballad was over.
Next up was a ballad about a bar that is no longer there, it’s too bad I did not hear that ballad a day earlier as I might have spent a hot day looking for it. Anyway, it would be nice to have a video of the show as it would have shed a little more light on one of the supporting singers whose skills really needed to be seen and not heard. Her performance was one of a kind and truly a unique listening and viewing experience.
