Darwin

The last part of our trip was all so bitter sweet. I was so excited to show my parents my city and my home but it also meant our time was slowly ending.. Right away, my parents both went into culture shock. They were not scared nor intimidated but enjoyed the diversity and aboriginal culture. The aboriginals choose to live on the land and it was neat for my parents to experience an independent society and culture. They realized that Darwin is not like Sydney at all.. where everyone looked like models and had everything done up, Darwin is very laid back and relaxed. They loved the nature but as Americans, were not used to people living naturally which includes not wearing deodorant or showering everyday.. guess I should've prepared them a little more for that. To spend our last few days together, we adventured through one of Darwin's popular National Parks, Litchfield. I knew Darwin contained so much nature and beauty but Litchfield expanded that view. We seen huge termite mounds which was kind of gross but also unique to see. Then we drove further down to the waterfalls that were breath taking.. and yes they are crocodile free so we hiked down and went for a dip! How often do you hear someone swimming under a waterfall in Australia.. you'd think I was in Hawaii. Similar forrest, similar heat, similar beaches just with a few more animals to keep you out of the water. Cant forget the huge Banana spider that we saw on our hike down to the waterfall.. was only about the size of my entire hand! Next up was a lookout of the park and the views of a thousand acres was purely just a sea of trees. Nature is the prettiest view and it's nice to see there's still so much out there that us humans haven't destroyed yet. After filling our eyes with beauty, we headed home and into the city. It was Friday night so all the clubs I typically go to were active. Got some delicious Indian food, a drink and people watched for the rest of the night. We then got to hangout around my side of town where the uni is and where I live. Showed them how cute and compact my place was and introduced them to all 6 of my Chinese roommates. Also had to show them my beach and take them on the bike ride to Nightcliff to watch the amazing sun set. Did quite a lot of window shopping at Casuarina mall and in downtown! We even went to the Sunday Markets where my mom and I slurped up the best fruit smoothies we've ever had. Shopping with my mum is always a pleasure that we bond over. Though I have already been, I wanted my parents to see the Darwin Museum which they loved themselves! Darwin was very hot for my parents as they come from 40ºF (~4ºC) so we spent some time in our pool and lots of time in air conditioning. Then, on one of our hottest days here, we heard a random special guest was coming so we stood out in a lawn full of people (no shade) awaiting Prince Charles as he came to visit the people of Darwin!! The boob sweat was worth it and you'll truly never know who or what you can see if you don't just get outside! But as our time came to an end and the tears began to fall, it was time to say 'see you soon'. Thank you mum and Doug for coming all the way out here to explore Australia with me. We made a lifetime of memories within one trip and seen things I never thought I would ever see for myself. I love you both endlessly and will see you again soon in Seattle!