Sleepy Sunday morning in Darwin

Well it is a sleepy Sunday morning in Darwin, streets are quiet and weather is sunny and mild. I went exploring Darwin this morning by Taxi, which was nice as I think I have seen more now than in my previous 2 visits. We went around the old docks, now all Convention centres and hotels, along the coast of Darwin Harbour to Cullen Bay marina and sea wall, around the back of Parap and Fanny Bay and then back to town. Tonight I might try to head to Mindle beach market, which they were just setting up as we drove past today. Also, there is some Italian festival on,

A couple of Pics

Last night I had (at the pub) a Brazilian BBQ where you could eat as much as you were able, the food  was  delicious, but even I could not make it all the way through everything. It worked like this, they would give you some salad, chips, bread and sauces, the man would come around with selected just of BBQ meat and put some on your plate. Each had a card, if the card was up facing green, keep bringing food, if it was red, then stop, you have had enough,

The pool at the hotel

Overlooking Darwin from Fanny Bay.

Tomorrow, I have booked to do a Kakadu 1 day tour.

Darwin

Well I am back home, sort of, I arrived in Darwin this morning at 5.15 am. Glad to be out of Singapore, way too expensive. Made Norway seem reasonable.

I was last in Darwin 37 years ago and funnily enough, apart from a few taller buildings, the place hasn't seemed to have changed that much, maybe this view will change when I have seen more. Plan to be here at least 3 days.

Time to do some washing this afternoon. It is sunny, but cooler here than in asia where it was more humid.

LB

Singapore Zoo and Raffles

I woke up crook this morning, Hotel bottled water in Singapore was the cause and it is the first time I have had any trouble on this whole trip. I went to the Zoo as i had heard so much about it. It is a nice zoo but at the end of the day it is just a zoo. It was smaller than I expected but it is also broken into different business, e,g wild river park, Night Safari and one other, all are separate from the zoo. Which means it is over SNG$100 to enter all parts. It  was SNG$37 alone just to visit the zoo. SNG$/A$ about the same.

After the Zoo I caught bus and train back to city. That is the other thing that surprised me, Singapore Island is bigger than I expected, with a large parkland/jungle/zoo in the middle of it.  I ended up going to Raffles Long Bar for a G&T, it was very nice but outrageously expensive S$26 for one drink, a Singapore Sling was nearly S$30. The Hotel I am staying at wants nearly $20 for a draught Tiger beer. Ridiculous.

I shall get a taxi to the airport soon and kill time there tonight, it would have to be cheaper than the hotel.

Otters having fun

Yes Flamingoes are pink

He is a swinger

Polar Bear, yes that is right, Polar Bear at the equator.

Looked better under water

Singapore Architectural Point

Raffles

complimentary peanuts

The long bar

The fans, even move back and forth.

Outside inside shots

Arrived Singapore

Hi arrived Singapore, 2 hours late because Jetstar were 2 hours late arriving at Siem Reap, not once did they apologise or acknowledge they were late. Anyway, didn't see too much on the bus in, cannot recognise anything much from when I was last here. I did notice down by the docks this building with  three legs/pillars and a boat shaped structure sitting across the three pillars. Hopefully will have a bit better look tomorrow.

LB

Lunch at Sister Srey's

Today has been another relaxed day, I had lunch by the river at a cafe called Sister Srey's, apparently my local sources inform me, run by two girls from Geelong. Anyway the food and service was good, then wandered back towards to hotel, stopping in a pub on the way to get out of the sun and started chatting a to guy called Dave from the SW of WA. Several beers later we went our separate ways and I finished the afternoon off in the pool and reading my book. Meeting other Doug for dinner tonight then leave for Singapore tomorrow afternoon.

View from Sister Srey's toward all the tuk tucks gathered in the shade and the river.

Colonel Kurtz meets Three Little Pigs on their way to the market.

Today has been a fun day, it all really started last night when I met Doug South (an ex Telstra guy I know that lives here) and his partner. Actually a bit before that as I had a few mins to kill, i had one of those live fish pedicures, where you put your feet in a fish tank and all these little fish nibble away at any dead skin. Fish are happy, your feet are clean. Win Win all round. I only did it for 10 mins but it tickles and can be a bit funny, but it doesn't hurt.

We had a great dinner at a place called the Red Piano and today, Avvey (Doug's Khmer partner) organised for us to have lunch at a place a fair way out of town, which is  built over water and you lie around in hammocks. Water a bit low at the moment as it is the end of the dry season. The food was delicious, I had chicken, frog, prawns, fried rice and egg. I did not care for the fish dishes much, but they looked ok if you like fish.

Before going out there to lunch, both other Doug and I went for a haircut and at the last moment I decided to go the full monty and get a zero all round, so any hair and the beard all went. I think it has been at least thirty years since I last shaved the beard off, enjoy the photo for posterity, it probably be another 30 years until I do it again.

When I saw the results I could only think of Colonel Kurtz, the Marlon Brando character in Apocalypse Now. Especially with the shades, ahh the Horror, the Horror.

This leads me to the blog title, in the tuk tuk on the way back from lunch, I finally managed to see three pigs (alive) strapped on the back of a motorbike. One would assume on their way to market or just come from the market. Their little legs were dangling and kicking as the motorbike went over all the bumps, I bet they were having a great time.

After lunch, and a bit of a snooze in the hammocks, we went to a shooting range were you could fire AK47 and the like. I sort of regret not taking the opportunity to do this when i was at the Cu Chi tunnels near Saigon, especially since the price in Vietnam was $10 and here it was $60 ($US). Any way we did not know the price until we arrived 10 mins before closing time and it was a 20 min trip to get there so we said what the hell and paid the money.

We got to fire two rifles, an NKS (??) (pictured) and an AK 47. I am convinced we were only firing blanks anyway and it was an indoor range which was very hot and noisy, only the shooter got ear protection, everyone else just ad to put their fingers in their ears. I have done it now, would not spend the money again.

All the little fishes are having a feast.

At the Red Piano pub

Outside Barber shop

The Colonel Kurtz look

The old market (where I got shorts mended again)

Lunch spot with hammocks

weeeeeeeeee

Can Can dancing

Taken with Doug's phone as my camera battery died as soon as we got there.

And below, with noise

Another Lazy day

Today was fairly similar to yesterday, stayed at the hotel all day,, watched latest Game of Thrones episode and have started reading Graeme Green's "the quiet american" by the pool this afternoon, probably should have read it in Vietnam, but things happen. Tonight will be into town again for dinner, I had the best chicken curry last night, it was delicious.

still no more pics