Discovering Darwin

For the past two nights we've been staying at the home of our Servas hosts - Margi and John. They're originally from the southern city of Adelaide but moved to Darwin with the intention of staying for only 6 months. They liked the town and area so much that they've lived here ever since.

Our first night together John cooked a popular local fish dish of barramundi. It was very delicious. We sat out on their balcony overlooking the nearby marina and enjoyed our dinner with a sweet South Australian white wine.

Yesterday afternoon, Megan and I went to the Darwin Museum and Art Gallery. They had lots of interesting things on display - aboriginal artwork, an exhibit on the effects of Cyclone Tracy that completely leveled the city of Darwin on Christmas Eve back in 1974 and a (stuffed) 17 foot saltwater crocodile named "Sweetheart." The mueseum was well organized and the exhibits seemed quite modern.

Last night Megan and I were in charge of preparing dinner and decided we'd treat them (and ourselves) to a Tex-Mex dinner. We served nachos with refried beans, fresh spinach, guacamole, sour cream and homemade salsa as an appetizer. For the main course we had vegetable and chicken fajitas. The local liquor store recommended Taylor's Shiraz, another South Australian wine that went nicely with the spicy Mexican food. After dinner we sat out on their balcony enjoying the warm evening air and talking about Australia's past, present and future.

This morning we said goodbye to Margi and John just before they left for work. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and hope they'll come to the U.S. someday so we can return the hospitality.

Megan's aunt and uncle - Chris and Tilde - arrive in Darwin today. Henni flies in tomorrow and then we're off to Kakadu national park for a week. We should have lots of great photos when we get back.