Sweetheart versus Hannibal

The first night in Darwin a huge storm passed by. I tried to count lightnings which averaged around 25 per minute. The ocean was falling down to us.  This is what they call the rainseason.  But it was a great relief to sleep in a real bed in a room with airco! I suddenly met Victor and Anja on the street again after splitting 2 weeks earlier and had a reunion drink in the night. We did some sightseeing the first day where I met Gui again, the Canadien guy I met in Perth and Broome. Flo, me and all the reunion class went to the atmospheric evening market. There we were amused by two guys who played didgeridoo in a drum and base version.  A special concert which brought the tourists and the aboriginals together.  

 

The day after we did two surprisingly interesting museums together with Simone, a dutch girl we met before on the way to wolf creek. The first museum showed us sweetheart: the body of a 50y old, 5.1m long and 870kg heavy and aggressive crocodile who attacked a lot of people in the 70’s. The war museum showed us on an interactive way the attack of the Japanese on Darwin in 1942.

Since there was not so much to do in Darwin I booked a spectacular jumping crocodile tour.  One hour driving from Darwin we stepped into a small boat in the 180km long Adelaide river with thousands of salties (a sweet sounded name to refer the deadly salt water crocodiles). The engine was not yet running or the first one came around. After the first two crocodile jumps we got treated by a spectacle of 2 white sea eagles. The guide throw some food in the air and one of the eagles left his tree in a race to catch the meat right in front of me.  I was never so close to such a bird in the wild. Our luck was not finished cause in one of the holes of the swamp we saw the tail of Hannibal the Cannibal, yes that’s his true name. A 6m long, 1 ton mass male saltwater crocodile came out of his cave to catch some meat.  This is the closest you can ever get to the most dangerous predator in the world. This kitty can and will kill you if you come any closer.

(jumping crocodile)

                                       (Hannibal the Cannibal)

(kite)

(sea-eagle)

 

 

Back on land another  surprise was waiting for us. Mat, a 2m long carpetsnake wanted to greet me and give me a hug. It felt so great to hold a snake and feel his rubber skin and strong muscles.  At night Victor invited me to join the sunset on east point.  I felt so satisfied. I saw already so many beautiful creatures of nature, and probably the best is yet to come.

                      (carpet snake)