Hey there, !

Just came back from Darwin, here's a quick photo dump and notes on the trip :D

• Darwin is HOT. I think the average temperature while I was up there was like 33C - some days getting up to 36-38C, and others sticking around 30. I think lucky for us, the dry season was starting (which apparently is a thing), which meant there wasn't as much oppressive humidity to deal with. Lucky!
• Our humble abode for the trip - thank you to Amy for hosting us. A wonderful place which was literally 5 minutes from the airport. Super great for the badly timed flights (you can fly in at 12am, or leave at 1am - yikes!)

• We went to Parap Market to get a variety of really nice asian foods - I think this one was my favourite - the Laksa was SO GOOD - so sweet, so brothy, and so umami I just wanted to drink the soup rather than actually eat the food in it! Good job Mary :O

• We also went to get some oysters on one of the last nights at an oyster bar that was on the Darwin foreshore. They were DELICIOUS and well worth the spend; my favourite thing though was seeing that they had a record for someone who had eaten 10 dozen oysters in 35 minutes. 120 oysters, in half an hour? HO-LEEEEE!

  

• Out in the Darwin CBD there are a bunch of cool things to see - it's not a massive city (there's like...3 streets to walk) but it's alive! We went and poked through a few shops, though most were closed, and found some cool things - aboriginal art in museums, some nice ice cream, and zebra rocks (which were like...sanded down rocks that had cool patterns from Central Australia). I wanted to get a zebra rock but felt it would be weird to ship a rock back down to Melbourne? Also look at this dude eating ramen with...octopus tentacles around him? ~ vibes ~

  

• One of the most memorable meals was at a place called Peewees, which has the most wonderful view of water and sunset if you go at twilight. The food is on the finer / nice things side, and was just a really nice wholesome time.

  

• We of course got our share of the outback as well, traveling to places 3 hours out of Darwin to find Edith Falls, and Katherine Gorge. A lovely time exploring, swimming and clambering over rocks; as normal, as soon as you go to these places you think 'I should do this more often' and then you never do. I felt kind of like a kid again, where you just go out and explore things without a care in the world :D Katherine Gorge was a cool place to learn about too - very educational tour and also a good reprieve from some hectic days. Everything was just so AESTHETIC. Nature is wonderful.

  

Not much else to add - a fun trip, a great time unwinding, a nice place to visit!

Chat soon :)

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✔️Real Life Recommendations

1. Midori by Tao's - it's a plant-based sushi train - nearly everything is vegan (except for the tamago sushi I think), and it's situated in Bulleen. Honestly, it did exceed expectations - some of the stuff was really good, some not as good. When they tried to emulate something at a normal sushi train (e.g. sashimi) it didn't have the same texture or taste, which made it a little weird. But when they tried to make a whole new dish with like...tofu or beancurd things, it was actually quite nice. I had this cashew inari thing which was PACKED with flavour - and paired really nicely with the rice and seaweed. Recommended - but at the same time I would probably just pick a normal sushi train if I had the chance :D

2. The Thing (1982) - trying to keep churning through some classic movies - this one is kinda great? It has a LOT of really gruesome practical effects, but they aren't weird enough to make me gag or anything; the story is really tight, and heightens the paranoia of 'what is happening' and 'is everyone human?!' really well. It's simple, tight and just a great sci-fi horror film. Highly recommended!

🚌 Adventures on the Information Super-Highway

1. FAIR Animated Drawings - people make the coolest things - someone made an algorithm / app that allows you to animate drawings by making them dance and move around! Really cool stuff.

2. Caravaggio Lost At Sea - I follow some of these things because I read that Caravaggio really only came into his own in his 30's and 40's - more of a late bloomer than a young prodigy. This was a fascinating tale of tracking where these monumentally valuable Caravaggios had gone, and how they could come to be found at a backstreet shop in France!

3. Quit your bucket list - an interesting read. Familiar experiences feel nicer than new experiences, but like anything, moderation is key.