These are all the fittings in out budget hostel… and they seem quite dated. To be honest Darwin, as a town seems a bit crap. Bit I’d say this is more a reflection of our tameness at this stage on the game. Like anywhere you make your own experience… I’m confident we will get better at it over time, picking better hotels, doing more research about out options, taking full advantage of the opportunities/moments, and meeting people.

Were trading out bar fridge and double bed in tomorrow for 4 x wheels and 300km worth of that carbon intensive, outdated liquid energy. I have reservations about loosing the beg as Litchfield National Park only has camping facilities.

We have been doing lots of reading, almost non stop… I’ve got like 4 books going at once.

Its amazing the proportion of indigenous mob to us whities up here, feels much more balanced. The mob seems happier up as well, based on my observations in passing. Also a lot of orientally and islander blood in the neighborhood. Along with the spice of Asia come the culture, food, arts & crafts.

Sweet dreams,

Nathan

We flew to Darwin last night. total cop out I know. this is supposed to be the “overland adventure” after all. But the ship to Singapore proved too expensive and the drive to Darwin a logistical nightmare. damn cheap airfares… we’re getting out of the country for less that $350 each! Hopefully the flight crazy-early on Tuesday to Singapore will be our last for a very long time – though we still haven’t planned how we’re getting home (mere details)!

It’s hot and we don’t have much time up here so I can see us writing off most of the 4 days we have. already most of today has been spent seeking out air conditioning. I’ve been saying that the past few weeks feel like the storm before the calm and finally I feel like the storm is subsiding… the nit picking details are almost all dealt with … and the holiday is beginning!

One of the biggest challenges for us both has been giving up our laptops for the 3 month trip. we sent them by sea to Germany to meet us there it’s a really weird feeling after depending on them for so long. We’re hopeless I know. It’s been hard… and it hasn’t even been 24 hours yet!

anyway I’m rambling. You can probably tell by now that Nathan and I have fairly different “blogging” (lol I’m trying to use the lingo) styles so I hope you enjoy and we’ll try to get some photos up soon.

Love
Ellie

Dear Blog,
What an appropriate place to start. Don’t you think?

It is one day, to the hour, before out adventure officially begins. Unofficially, it began the moment I dropped my pen, picked up my bag and headed home from my last exam almost a week ago. Even then there was a tantalizing sense of change on the tip of my mind as the weeks of cramming became seemingly irrelevant and were replaced by; anxiety, fear of the unknown and the more discernible tension about the isolation from family and friends. What will become of neglected friendships? Will they wane with the turn of time, as we diverge down the many different paths of life. What commonality will we have when we meet again? What will you show me of your path?

The weather reports for Darwin, a blanket of black plastic at 34degC and humid. Darwin will be our first stop (and last) in our home land before our flight to Singapore early next week (at 3am!)

As the time edges closer, the questions are endless and seemingly rise out of the most obscure corners of day to day existence; what will I find? What am I looking for? What am I leaving behind? What types of place will we stay? How on earth will we communicate in foreign countries? What lesions will I learn? Where will I end up? How will things be different to Oz? How effect does wealth have on peoples lives?

While Ellie (my partner of 18 moths) has been planning, working and saving for this trip for over a year now, for myself the decision is deeply rooted in my personality and expressed as a trait to jump at opportunities as they arise (compensating in some part for the rigorous logic that defines me). It was only two months ago I committed to the ambitious journey over land that will take us through South East Asia, Ancient (and modern) China, Russian winter then on to Eastern Europe before settling in Germany for some a crash course in the language. It’s a Journey of 20,000km or equivalent to half the circumference of the Earth – on trains, buses, automobiles, foot and hopefully bikes.

My motivations: to get out of my comfort zone, to challenge myself, to meet new people, laugh and cry, to do something unique, to understand the world as it is (not as it is shown to be). The journey could be summed up as a quest for relative truth, meaning and understanding, spliced with a desperately needed break from responsibility I have so often searched out, accepted and clung to for meaning.

Love, peace and respect,

Nathan