Darwin: most laid back city in Australia?

6pm Wednesday April 20th. Sitting in kitchen patio area at my hostel in Darwin called Chillis. It's right downtown, but that's not saying much as downtown Darwin is quite small. Great nightlife though! Gone out and met a bunch of people last few nights, but going to take it easy now for the next few days. It's Easter weekend so there should be lots of people out and about! (said in an over exaggerated Canadian accent and people love it, eh? It's actually great - people ask where I'm from, I say Canada and mostly everyone is genuinely happy to hear it! "Oh Canada, cool! *big grin*") Another beauty day here today - it's the start of the dry season so the humidity is gone and it's not too hot - just perfect! Today I have done not much of anything, and tomorrow will probably be much the same. And the day after, and the day after that. Yesterday was a busy(ish) day - I got a fair amount accomplished. I sent out some mail and postcards - this required getting everything organized and putting stuff into the proper envelopes etc. I also sat at a cafe/bar for a few hours and played about on the computer over a couple cappuccinos. All very hard work as I'm sure you can imagine. Biggest event of yesterday was deciding what my next moves will be and the best way to see some of the highlights in the Northern Territory. Kakadu and Litchfield National Park are two must-dos I'm told, so I've booked a 3 day tour to see these areas. I leave next Wednesday morning on this tour, return Friday evening and have my last night in Darwin. Saturday morning the 30th I fly out of Darwin to Broome. I was looking into backpacking/camping tours for this trip but I just can't afford to do it all... the tours require you to dump a large sum of money down, but on a daily basis it works out OK I suppose. They've had a lot of rain and flooding here in this past wet season so apparently there are some roads closed between here and Broome so perhaps wouldn't be the full experience anyways. I'll be in Broome for 5 days (laying on the beach), and on May 5th I start my 10 day camping/backpacking tour from Broome to Perth. The tour company provides everything - I just need a sleeping bag. We make some stops down the west coast, but the one I'm most excited about is the Coral Bay/Exmouth stop. We're there for a couple days and have the option to go diving with the whale sharks so YES I'M DOING THAT!!! I've been dreaming of doing this for years - ever since Gordon showed me pictures of when he did it. It looks just incredible. The whale shark is the largest fish in the water, eats mostly plankton, and ranges from 5-7m in length. They are blue with white spots and are very tolerant of all these crazy humans going and diving with them! You can snorkel or dive so I hope to work something out so I can get a dive in or two. We'll also be able to do the Ningaloo Reef which is just off the beach in Exmouth and is exquisite. Another dream come true!! But, after all this fun and adventure I will be close to broke and have to work once I reach Perth. I know a girl there so hopefully she can show me around and/or know of a place I can rent weekly to save a bit on accommodation. Speaking of accommodation, because I booked my trips at the tour desk here at Chillis they gave me 6 nights for free and free internet so that helps A LOT! From Perth, once I've worked a bit and saved some money I'm thinking about flying back up to Cairns and working a bit more. Next will be a tour down the east coast to see Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Airlie Beach, Townsville etc. There's a wreck you can dive somewhere around there so that would be awesome! I'll try and time my arrival in Sydney around December since it will be warm there by then. Melbourne will be the next must-see after Sydney, and making it over to Tasmania would also be great. So much to do, so little money. Haha. I see an extension of my visa in my future... but who really knows right?
Being here in Darwin was challenging for me on the first day. I was feeling lost, confused, overwhelmed. I didn't know how long I would be here, if I would get a job, how much I liked the city, where I would go next and how I would get there. But, after looking into my options it was clear on what my best route was. Also, meeting people and making some friends makes you feel more comfortable and confident. This journey is so special - it pushes personal boundaries, and strengthens you inside and out. Truly spectacular. Even in times of sadness or stress I appreciate what I'm going through and push on, push through, back to the light. You meet people in all walks of life here; it is interesting to hear their stories.

Now a funny bit. Toilets. Kamar Kechil (small room) as you say in Bahasa. I have seen many different loos over the past 6 weeks - and let me tell you - they are all different. This is going to sound a bit like the shrimp scene off Forest Gump.

Public toilets in Canada are all the same - the water flushes the same way, some are just cleaner than others. In the States, the toilets were awesome. Very clean, always had paper towels and ALWAYS had toilet seat covers. Lovely. I get to Australia and the airport toilet leaves a lot to be desired - but did you know the vacuum cleaner company Dyson makes a hand blade type dryer? In the history of hand dryers, it is the best by far. All toilets on this side of the world have two flush buttons to choose from - a half flush or full flush. Great idea - saves water. So I'm in Australia for a while and everything's fine - but then I arrive in Timika, Indonesia and my hotel toilet has a bidet. Or "toilet shower". I see it, giggle, go turn it on and splash water all over the floor which would have gone on me if I wasn't standing off to the side. Gordon then mentions to me later that these toilet showers are everywhere in Indonesia, and they're actually more hygienic than just using paper. Well, when in Rome, right? Most of these toilet showers are just little hoses with sprayers on the end attached at the side of the toilet. Worst toilet ever was in Bali, Indonesia outside the airport. I walked in, there was water all over the floor (not sure how this happens), and NO toilet paper to boot! There was also a sign reading in Bahasa and English "No squatting - correct way to sit:" with a diagram showing that it was not done to stand on the toilet seat and squat. Really should have taken a picture, but I was too appalled by the bathroom. Culture shock #1. Out I walked. Since then I have proceeded to see more toilets. One was even just a ceramic hole in the floor (flush with ground level) that you just squat over! "What's THAT!?" I ask. Makes sense though, eh? I wonder what other toilets I will encounter in my travels. Gordon's experience in China with public toilets was that you basically just have a toilet warehouse. Squat, do your business, no flushing, just pits in the ground. Outhouse style. But when you gotta go, you gotta go right?

Well I'm exhausted talking about toilets now. Been sitting here over an hour, sun has gone down, light breeze. Really nice. Think I'll go find a book!