Nov 14 - Darwin

 Nov 14 - Darwin

Land again!   This time we are in Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory with a population of about 140,000.

Our tour was Jumping Crocodile Cruise.  From the pier we drove south to the Adelaide River, complete with running commentary about Darwin and the Northern Territory.   The drive was on paved highway through bushland and mango groves, through a few very small towns ( or settlements). We turned off the highway onto a dirt road through a cattle farm and a man made lake / pond teeming with water birds.

Suddenly we were at the landing dock for the boat cruise.  We had a lively skipper who knew where some of the inhabitants of the river would be and took us there.  It was interesting to see the plants along the shore of the river and how you could see the changing tides by the watermarks.

We saw a few saltwater crocodiles and were warned not to lean over the railing of the boat!!  The reason became apparent as we saw how fast a croc can move as one left his muddy resting place and slid into the water!!

He was there in a matter of seconds, leaving a trail in the mud! 

We learned lots of details about crocodiles - their size, they have 66 teeth, how there teeth are like a stack of inverted ice cream cones - when one breaks off, another is already there!  The very white teeth are the ones that have just emerged!   

They can survive without legs!   She has lost both front legs!

 

As they swim they use their tails to propel them and keep their legs close to their bodies.

They do actually ‘jump’ out of the water; we saw this guy jump up for the meat that was dangling on a pole!  he followed the boat, keeping his eye on the prize, and then suddenly leapt up to grab it.  The sound of his jaws snapping down on the meat was very loud! Another reason not to have anything dangling over the edge of the boat!!!

On the way back to the boat we stopped at a local pub, the Humpty Doo Hotel, for a snack (bag of potato chips) and a drink!  LOL

Further along on the way back to the ship one of the people on the bus was not feeling well and we made an unexpected stop in Palmerston where it was decided that she and her husband would take a cab back to Darwin!  

Then, as we got back to the city we came upon a car crash!  When we got to the site, there were three police cars, a fire truck down the block, and an ambulance.  One car had its front end smashed in, and another was on its side at the entrance to the intersection??  How would that have happened??

Because of the two delays, we arrived back at the ship just at dinner time, so hurried to our cabin to freshen up.  I was so tired!  I think it’s the heat and humidity!  We did go to the show and I caught my head bobbing several times during Nathan Sinclair’s Spain’s Guitar performance!  

It was a good day!  Not the very best tour we’ve been on, but interesting and educational.  I crashed at 9 PM while Mary went out to watch the sailaway and another medical evacuation!

Sea day tomorrow!

D & M