Day 1

So I am in Darwin after a long journey via Brisbane.  In Brisbane you have to catch the bus from the international terminal to the domestic terminal and so I when I stepped outside into the heat of Brisbane, which was 28 degrees, it was such a dry heat.  After being in the air conditioned plane and terminal it felt so amazing to feel the warmth of the sun. 
I guess unlike New Zealand, it must not be against the law to talk on your cell phone while driving as the bus driver talked on his most of the journey between the terminals.  It actually scared the crap out of me, as he swung the bus around the corners with one hand.

The plane was delayed getting into Darwin by half an hour so it didn’t arrive until 1am and with my body clock still on New Zealand time it was actually the early hours of the morning by the time I made it to bed.  Felt like I had just worked a night shift and then some.

When I stepped out of the Darwin terminal into the night air, which was also 28 degrees at that time, there was a really noticeable difference from the Brisbane air, just much more humid and harder to breathe.  However, I was quiet cold prior to that.  It seems because the Northern Territory is so hot everyone here lives in a fridge.  The plane trip here was icy cold, the terminal cold and the motel cold also.  In fact, I had to turn the temperature up when I arrived in my room as I’m not use to living like that.

Anyway, so far all is good.  I am off shopping with my friend today to buy and cell phone and other essentials so this will really be the test of whether I can handle the heat, currently 31 degrees out.

UPDATE:  survived a day shopping due largely to the wonderful air conditioning they have here.    I brought a cheap $29 Nokia cell phone with a $30 sim card (that has $30 credit also) with Optus.  It costs 4 cents a mintue to ring any New Zealand landline on it and 20 cents to ring any New Zealand mobile.  That is as 'cheap as chips' compared to the cost of calling from New Zealand.  It means I can ring home and talk for an hour on my cell here for only $2.40.  AMAZING!!  Though to be honest I am probably more likely to skpe the family for free as I have already done today :)