Darwin, Australia

I left Arizona in the middle of July – just in time to escape the bulk of the summer heat. That was pretty smart of me, wasn’t it? Yeah, I thought so. Then I voluntarily traveled through one of the hottest (and most humid) places in Australia…during its hottest time of the year. Not so smart of me, was it? No, I didn’t think so.

That pretty well follows my train of thought when I stepped foot off my plane in Darwin (Northern Territory) in jeans and a sweater. At least I wasn’t the only one going through a minor shock. It’s amusing people-watching at the Darwin airport. There will always be someone to walk outside, come to a sudden halt, run back in, shed as much clothing as possible, take a deep breath, and walk back out to what you can tell they think may be their impending doom. I wonder if people go through that process at Sky Harbor (the Phoenix airport). I’ve never thought to notice.

So why, you may ask, did I come to Darwin? Well, you see… After three months, I have experienced life in the city, working on the beach, and living out of a backpack on the East Coast. But the important thing missing from my trip to Australia thus far is, of course, the OUTBACK! From Darwin, I am joining up with my Adventure Tours group to see the Australian Outback with total strangers. Yeah mate! Since I’m on my own, I decided to go with a group in the hope of meeting some friends from all over the globe to travel with. As luck would have it, I sat next to a Dutch girl, Rieneke, on the shuttle bus from the airport, and as we got to talking, we realized we were going to be on the same tour! To celebrate our newfound instant friendship, we trekked to the Darwin markets together and watched the sunset at the beach.

Over the next few weeks, follow with me as I travel the Stuart Highway from Darwin to Adelaide, stopping for sights such as Litchfield, Kakadu, Devils Marbles, Kings Canyon, Uluru, Coober Pedy, barren and beautiful landscapes, wild roos and crocs, and pit stops in the middle of nowhere.

Now that I’ve a plan and a friend, watch out, Outback – here I come!