My Top 3 Experiences of 2016. Darwin.

I haven’t posted much this year – I blame being busy, but really it was laziness. So to finish the year I am going to do 3 posts in 3 days. My Top 3 experiences of 2016.

Coming in at number 3 – was my solo travel adventure to Darwin.

I freakin loved Darwin. I loved exploring a part of my own country that I’ve never been to before.

Australia is so massive, just flying to Darwin felt like a real ‘journey’ I didn’t realise what the interior of the country looked like, so much colour, and water, delta’s, rivers, plains. I spent most of the flight just looking out the window!

The people are unique – I can relate. Nobody has any pretensions or expectations. It’s so hot that nobody cares what you’re wearing or look like. I had an amazing chat in the middle of the Botanic Gardens one sweltering morning at about 8am with a guy who had no teeth and wasn’t wearing any shoes. When I went to leave the Gardens – there he was sitting with a very posh looking group of people having high tea in the shade. No pre-tense. I bought a painting at the Mindil Beach markets from a woman and her mother who I also spoke to for about an hour after I already bought the painting. I can’t even remember what we talked about now, but I remember feeling like I knew these people and I wasn’t just another transaction.

The colours, smells and just the fact that everything feels like you’re in ‘the territory’ if it wasn’t for the baked potato heat, Ok I sweated so much I lost weight just via fat evaporation (if that’s even a thing). I could live there easily. All the photos in this post were taken on my iPhone without a filter.

The Museum and Art Gallery were amazing. I went twice, and could have gone back a third time.  There was a great modern aboriginal art exhibition on.

I spent a lot of time croc hunting. Even accidentally using my body as bait when I was on the beach and the tide came in faster than I expected.

I’ve always been a little apprehensive of travelling alone. The anxiety seems to bubble just under the surface and when I’m alone and in a new and unknown environment, it seems to just creep up to the surface in an unexpected way.  I decided to not give a f*ck what other people thought. If I was feeling anxious and wanted to hang by the pool and not do anything, or read a book instead of go out and mix with people, then I did it. I swam in the  wave pool on my own, surrounded by people in couples or families. On. My. Own. I had my own holiday and I think I ended up being less stressed and came out of my shell more because of it.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my second “top” experience of 2016.