Day 149 - Friday 26 May - Hanging around town

Day 149

Friday

26 May 2017 – Began The Bourbon Kings by J R Ward. I think this one will be a bit trashy as it was an apple freebie, but I will give it a go.

Darwin

So the alarm went at 7 this morning but we were awake before it went off, guess we have accustomed ourselves to the early rise. We got out, had breakfast and then took the car to the mechanic in Palmerston for it 90000km service. They needed the car all day, which meant we would be relying on the bike to get around today.

Once back at the van, we put through our washing before taking the electronics to the pool area so I could actually connect to the park internet and load a few bits on. There was a cool breeze blowing which made it quite pleasant to lay around on the chairs.

We did eventually go for a swim, taking advantage of the fact we hadn’t seen anyone else. There had been a steady stream of vans leaving today and the park had thinned out considerably.

Just after 11am we returned to the van, changed and then jumped on the bike to head in to town. We parked near the waterfront and then proceeded to just walk. We made it to Survivors’ Lookout, so named after the gathering of townspeople following the bombing of the harbour.  We then wandered the streets, walking through the civic gardens and on to Bicentennial Park.

It was beginning to warm up so we made our way down the main pub street passing a poster advertising a free Garrmalang Festival concert for tonight. We wandered into Six Tanks and ordered a drink, happy to sit out on the front deck and take in the view.

When we had finished, we walked back to the bike and returned home to have lunch and bring in the washing. We then sat outside and to enjoy the weather and read our books.

Just after 2pm we jumped back on the bike and drove out to Palmerston to check on the car before we did a quick grocery shop and stopped in at the movies to watch the latest Pirates of the Caribbean move. It kept us entertained for a couple of hours, but wasn’t that fabulous. 

By the time the movie had finished we were ready to collect the car and return home. We didn’t stay long as it was already 6pm and the free concert had started. We were back in the car and on our way to the city once again.

After finding a place to park, we walked to the Entertainment Centre where the concert was occurring in their outdoor courtyard. It was already packed and I struggled to see much. They had Aboriginals showcasing traditional dances along with singing.

We saw a little of it before making the decision to find somewhere to eat, opting for Thai in a restaurant opposite the very busy and noisy Shenanigans. The meal was very good and more than I could eat. I was glad to get moving again when it was all done.

We returned to the van, happy to kick back. I had more mozzie bites bothering me despite being lathered in rid. I used some soothing gel, but they were still calling out scratch me.