I'm now in Cairns, it's raining outside, and dark. Not cool. Here's a run down of my trip down here.
I left Darwin pretty late, well, later than hoped (16.30) and while I was driving out, I saw that my engine was about to explode from overheating. Something that got my attention very quickly. I pull into a servo, and see what's up. Take a rag, pop the hood, and from a safe distance, unscrew the radiator cap. I knew what was going to happen, radiator fluid went everywhere it was fantastic! Like a ghetto water fountain going off in some sort weird celebration.
Quickly fill it up and hit the road (thinking that was the end of it).
I end up going to Litchfield National Park (NP) which was really nice. It had a bunch of pools where I could swim and cool off. Something I had been dying to do for a while while being up in Darwin. I stay there for two nights, and on the day I leave, I meet a Dutch guy who drove his motorbike from Holland, all the way to Australia, quite the accomplishment if you ask me. He was working with pearling in Darwin with someone who I also knew, random.
Next stop, Edith Falls. "Big" lake with a small water fall, filled with fresh water crocs. Swim there, and then leave. Nothing amazing (I think I've seen too much at this point).
I then make my long drive to Katherine, where I check out the Katherine Gorge and do a 19km return hike in 40 degrees heat. I, no joke, almost collapsed. It was really tough. And, really random, when I was walking, my right hand swelled up a little bit. I had trouble closing it, and my finger tips felt harder than my left hand. When I reached the water, and swam around a bit, it went back to normal, but swelled back up when I was back on the track. FUBAR. The gorge was ok, nothing mind blowing, but the water was great! It could of been a little bit cooler, but you can't have everything. There I met a French guy who had been growing up in Tunisia who helped me with getting my camera over the river to get some photos of Aboriginal art, which, sadly, was a bit disappointing.
When I got back to my car, I decide to fill it up with water, and see how much it sucked up. It took up about 4-5L. I was loosing fluids quick. I go to an auto parts store in Katherine and try to get the gasket I'm missing. It was all the way on the East Coast. I had it organised for it to be sent to Cairns where I would pick it up and have it fitted. Oh, it only cost 3.99 AUD, but since it wasn't in Cairns, like a days drive south, the freight would cost me only 20 AUD, about. Sweet.
Leave Katherine, and start on the hardest part of the journey. Just getting to Cairns as quickly as possible. I had found a Finnish girl who was looking for a ride down south to Sydney, and I knew there was nothing between Katherine and Cairns.
On average, I was covering 750km a day. I ended up getting fuel from a small...uh...hmm...station? called Daly Waters, and the Pub there was pretty awesome! It just had a bunch of random things left over from people passing through, and it had a lot of character.
That night, I slept like a dream. It was cool in the car, and I didn't feel like I was turkey in an oven. Splendid! However, I did lose a filling and my right ear somehow got damaged from all the wind hitting it, so now it sounds a bit funny from the right side. Awesome.
Everything between Daly Waters and Normanton is nothing special. Ok, the last 140km to Normanton was pretty neat, because it felt like I was driving in the African Savana. I was hoping to just fly through Normanton, before refueling of course. Sadly, it was all closed. My engine was pretty hot too, so I had to just wait and let her cool down before making my next move. I see another backpacker rock up. A few minutes later, we start talking, and go to the pub where we enjoy a few cold beers, and I chow down a delicious barramundi (fish). He was from Germany, and a cupboard builder. The one occupation I have never encountered before. We have a few laughs, and then find a camping spot together. Oh, almost forgot, on my way up to Normanton, some sick bastard thought it would be funny to place a wild pig/boar on one of the road signs. It was very random, and funny in it's own way, but some how just wrong....yeah.
Next morning, make the last leg of my trip. Fill up the fuel, and radiator coolant (which has started to leak a lot faster).
During most of the driving, I was in a weird limbo zone in my mind, pondering a lot of random things, and just realising that I didn't remember the last 100km of the trip. A bit concerning. Well, this was the worst of all the days of driving. There are a lot of blank spots.
When I reached Atherton, the town reminds me of NZ in a many ways, the green foliage, the light drizzle, and rolling hills covered by clouds. I take a right turn, and Voa dies. OH! Forgot to mention that when entering Mt. Surprise, you have to put your car through a high pressure wash to rid it of any weed seeds (no, not marijuana seeds, just normal weeds), and after that Voa really started to suffer. She lost all of her umph, and the rear differential became even louder. This really bummed me out.
So there I am, sitting in the rain, side of the road, looking like an a$$hole. I call the Road Side Assistance, and see what the deal is. After some tinkering, the conclusion is that my points are out of whack, and need to be fixed. And maybe the water pump is buggered, and not the actual gasket. I thank the mechanic, and drive the last stretch to Cairns through some windy roads which really reminded me of NZ, bit time! It was great, without a doubt.
And so, here I am, sitting in air conditioned room of the Golden Arches writing this blog to you people.
Oh, another point. I try calling this Finnish lass, wanting to tell her there might be a set back, no reply. A minute later I get a text, saying she was sorry for missing my call, and that they were now two people, only wanting to go down to Townsville (3-4hrs drive) for work, and wonders if that's a problem. My reply: "Yes, that is a problem, only have space for one person, and you can hitch hike to Townsville in a day. And my car is broken down 2hrs outside of Cairns"
Her reply: ok tnx and good luck with your reliable car.
Which for me tells me she read my reply as: Congratulations, you can get f$%ked!
Yeah, didn't mean that, and so I sent a message explaining what I meant, and wishing her the best of luck.
I get really tired of people sometimes, really. Ok, fine, I take responsibility for writing that text, maybe wasn't clear enough in the first place. Hmm...
However, makes you wondering how people ask if more people can come when you clearly state in your ad that you can only take/fit ONE more person in your car. Yeeeeaaaah.
So, in conclusion:
I have lost a filling, my right ear is buggered, rear diff is stuffed, and the engine needs some work.
You can guess how I'm feeling (hint: not the greatest).
And, I might not be going to Asia, I might be going to the States instead or Canada to meet some people from my inter rail trip in Europe and maybe some people from Hungary and Mexico and if all goes well, maybe some people from NZ or Oz.
Later.
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