The Top End of Australia - Darwin, Northern Territory
Writing from Sanur, Bali, Indonesia
Our visit to Darwin was a stopover enroute to Bali. A one night stay plus a wonderful hotel allowed us to hang around on the lovely Espalade location with access to luggage, showers, pool for our 11 p.m. flight to Denpasar, Bali. And actually gave us free drinks. (Editorial note from Janet. This was a Holiday Inn. Can you imagine an American hotel allowing you to extend check-out until 2:00 p.m., after staying there just one night, free use of the pool and pool towels and showers until 8:00 in the evening?)
Darwin is a lovely city, a small capitol of the Northern Territory which is huge. The city itself was swept away by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, so many buildings have remnants of the Darwin of old, but over new structrures that have emerged. Our hotel along the Esplanade, a wide strip of greenery amid lush tropical flora, took us to one beach with the most multi-colored rocks and stones we had ever seen - reds, and purples, browns of various hues, the range of colors in startling luminecense.
The most spontanous moment was swimming in a wonderful pool in the humidity of the tropics when another person appeared in a T shirt that looked vaguely familiar. It turned out to be a Chicago Marathon 2004 shirt.
We talked - this person from Minnesota - he finished last year's marathon in 5 hours. I gave him a Marathon pen I had taken with me to give as souvenirs.
The most moving sight for me was directly across the hotel. Darwin was bombed by the Japanese in February, 1942, just a couple of months after Pearl Harbor. There are many war memorials dotting this park. This one had a gun pointed out to sea - a gun recovered from the USS Perry, an American warship in Darwin Harbor on that fateful day. The Perry was sunk, guns blazing even as its stern sank underwater, bow pointing upward. The memorial - and recovered gun by a private diver points to where the Perry's watery grave is in Darwin Harbor, just a hundred yards or so from where I stood. That day 91 Americans lost their lives, the most in Australian territory during World War II. Each year in Darwin in February there is a memorial service commemeorating the bravery and memories of those brave American sailors who fought and defended Australia and Darwin.
Now we are in incredible Bali. Janet will post our initial impressions.
Cheers - Mel
Our visit to Darwin was a stopover enroute to Bali. A one night stay plus a wonderful hotel allowed us to hang around on the lovely Espalade location with access to luggage, showers, pool for our 11 p.m. flight to Denpasar, Bali. And actually gave us free drinks. (Editorial note from Janet. This was a Holiday Inn. Can you imagine an American hotel allowing you to extend check-out until 2:00 p.m., after staying there just one night, free use of the pool and pool towels and showers until 8:00 in the evening?)
Darwin is a lovely city, a small capitol of the Northern Territory which is huge. The city itself was swept away by Cyclone Tracy in 1974, so many buildings have remnants of the Darwin of old, but over new structrures that have emerged. Our hotel along the Esplanade, a wide strip of greenery amid lush tropical flora, took us to one beach with the most multi-colored rocks and stones we had ever seen - reds, and purples, browns of various hues, the range of colors in startling luminecense.
The most spontanous moment was swimming in a wonderful pool in the humidity of the tropics when another person appeared in a T shirt that looked vaguely familiar. It turned out to be a Chicago Marathon 2004 shirt.
We talked - this person from Minnesota - he finished last year's marathon in 5 hours. I gave him a Marathon pen I had taken with me to give as souvenirs.
The most moving sight for me was directly across the hotel. Darwin was bombed by the Japanese in February, 1942, just a couple of months after Pearl Harbor. There are many war memorials dotting this park. This one had a gun pointed out to sea - a gun recovered from the USS Perry, an American warship in Darwin Harbor on that fateful day. The Perry was sunk, guns blazing even as its stern sank underwater, bow pointing upward. The memorial - and recovered gun by a private diver points to where the Perry's watery grave is in Darwin Harbor, just a hundred yards or so from where I stood. That day 91 Americans lost their lives, the most in Australian territory during World War II. Each year in Darwin in February there is a memorial service commemeorating the bravery and memories of those brave American sailors who fought and defended Australia and Darwin.
Now we are in incredible Bali. Janet will post our initial impressions.
Cheers - Mel
posted by Mel and Janet Muchnik | 3:36 AM
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