Here we go again...

Katherine, 08.10.2014

The screen of my laptop is being rattled by the hot, dry wind, my own reflection and that of the red earth behind me bouncing up and down, as I try to gather my thoughts and put them on paper – something I haven’t done in a very long time.

I find myself back in Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia. Back on the Manbulloo Ltd. Mango farm. Back to “where it all started” four years ago – when looking at it from “our” point of view. Back to work. Back to the beginning of something new.

Saying bye (again) to the city I have grown to love and call (yet another) home, saying bye to the friends who have filled the last years with forever-cherished memories and finally, saying bye to my little sister, roommate and best friend, whom I cannot thank enough for the shared time, space, life and love… It is never easy to close the book on one chapter and this time was only different in the sense that it was even harder than the last time.

But once those little thoughts start to develop into ideas, evolve into dreams and finally turn into a plan… there is no turning back. And the excitement and anticipation takes over.

Mo and I left Berlin in April and spent 5 wonderful months in the Philippines – at home – in the company of family and friends. From the remote islands of Palawan to the mountain villages of Kalinga,  the everyday life in Manila, a sleep-deprived Football World Cup and day trips to Tagaytay, the underwater world of Anini-y and waves crashing ashore Siargao island – I was once again confronted with the beauty and magnificence that this country has to offer and was proud and excited to be able to share it with Mo and the friends and family that made the journey to the islands to visit us. We experienced the hospitality that Filipinos are famous for with every fiber of our bodies and felt the honesty in the warm smiles welcoming us to our next adventure.

After 8 years of being oceans away from my family, it was comforting and relaxing to feel the nearness and warmth of just having them there. I reconnected with my home in a way that no 4-week vacation leaves room for and am already looking forward to tend to my roots in the future.

And then, just like that, our time there came to an end. Our applications for the Second Year Working Holiday Visa were granted, our first and much needed job was approved and, quicker than expected, our flights were booked and more teary-eyed goodbyes said.

We landed in Darwin at 4:30am on the 16^th of September. And that’s when the rollercoaster up ups and downs, highs and lows, luck and misfortune started… After almost no sleep, the very early check in at the YMCA was heaven sent. Our room resembled a prison cell – bare walls, an iron frame bed and a whirring ceiling fan – quite the change from the comfort we experienced in Manila. But hey, we are backpackers again! Darwin itself was still familiar, so the walk to the supermarket and down to the man-made lagoon felt more like revisiting a former well-known holiday destination instead of the start of a new adventure. Not wanting to spend a lot of time and money in Darwin, we got right on it and within the first 24h we had re-opened our bank accounts, re-activated our tax file numbers and re-adjusted to buying only things on sale and living mostly off pasta.

After 48h we had looked at a handful of camper vans for sale and after 72h we had bought one.

The first night in our ’99 Mazda E2000 was involuntarily spent on a free campsite by the “Window to the Wetlands”. After driving out of Darwin, happy to be checked out of our 75$-a-night cell, we didn’t realize that it was too late to check into a caravan park and had no choice but to drive a few more kilometers. We were greeted by screeching bats and an uncomfortable amount of flying, crawling and stinging creatures. Tired and grumpy about the long drive back into town the next day, I climbed into bed and had a short episode of claustrophobia. Was it just me, or was this bed really close to the ceiling? It must have been, because that night, I had a vivid dream of being locked into the trunk of a car and  woke myself and Mo up because I heard myself say aloud “I don’t want to be in here”. After calming down, curing disorientation and shortness of breath, I meditated myself back to sleep.

For those to whom we haven’t bragged yet – the van is equipped and decked out! Roof rack, bull bar, water tank on the roof with a tap next to the trunk, a second battery system, an electric cool box, a nice little pull-out kitchen filled with new and complete cooking set, loads of storage space and a little commode inside next to the bed – and many more goodies that we found while cleaning. Felt a bit like those “Wundertüten” (surprise goodie bags) I used to buy as a kid, where you never know what you might pull out.

However – and here’s the downside – it needed a bit of work done. We knew that and had bargained with the seller (who was desperate to leave the country and ended up going down over 1000$). So we took it to the mechanic to get the little quirks evened out. It cost surprisingly little and we were elated! After our second stint in our YMCA-cell, we were itching to hit the road. After all, I missed Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks (due to fixing my car, btw) last time around.

But it just wasn’t meant to be. After only 40km or so, the needle of out temperature gauge started climbing and shortly after that we were standing by the side of the road – the engine red hot, the radiator bubbling over and us with our heads in our hands.

And we crawled back to Darwin with our tails between our legs. The receptionists at the YMCA didn’t know if we were checking out or checking in. Luckily, a friendly Aussie staying at the Y, had seen us come and go and heard about our car troubles, offered to take a look and found the problem – a broken thermo fan and the entire grid stuck up with mud. So we bought a new one, hosed everything down and our jolly friend helped install it. Yay!

We still had time for one national park…

Or not. This time, the heat came a bit later, but it still came. Back into the cell.  Back to the mechanic.

Apparently the thermostat was stuck. Easy fix.

By then, time had passed and we had to get to Katherine. Thinking we were finally good to go, we hit the road with a record-breaking 80km/h, only to have to slow it down to 60km/h after an hour due to a rapid increase in temperature. Damnit! This time, we did not/could not turn around. So, we cruised to Katherine. 300km in 7h. Overtaken by everything but our own shadow.

We brought in our van to the mechanic today. Set up a large tent and moved us and everything we own into it. Fingers crossed. This is our last resort and if Darren, the only mechanic in Katherine who even agreed to take a look at it (apparently all workshops here stay away from backpacker cars), can’t find and fix the problem, we will crawl back to Darwin after the season and hopefully sell it to the next poor sucker. Sounds downright evil, I know, but I am not ready to accept that three weeks in Australia and one unlucky decision will cost me a good amount of my savings for this journey.

So now here we are, camped out in front of the Manbulloo shed, our home and workplace for the next 6-8 weeks, waiting for the mangoes to ripen. Luckily, we got here early and set up under a beautiful tree that gives us the much-needed shade for most of the day. Surrounded by very relaxed neighbors we have enjoyed many fun conversations with. Starting a well-paid job in the next days. Watching kangaroos dart in and out of the many rows of mango trees at sunset. And having witnessed a full moon lunar eclipse last night that took my breath away. Life could be worse.

There is no kitchen here and the bathrooms are stalls of corrugated steel, that we share with cane toads, tree frogs and snakes. The toads clumsily jump into the walls and make banging noises that can make you jump yourselves. The tree frogs serenade you from within the toilet bowls, in which they are sitting 5 or 6 at a time, enjoying the cool moist atmosphere. I felt really bad, literally having to pee on them one morning. And then flushing it down with 4 more little green buggers. But if I were a frog, that’s where I’d be spending my time as well. It is getting hotter by the day. 43degrees today. And dry as a bone. My skin drinks oil like a sailor his rum and no matter how much water you drink, that parched feeling in the back of my throat just doesn’t go away. Everything is covered in a fine layer of red dust and the strong gusts of wind blows leaves and branches into our camp all day and night. (Which the little OCD in me sweeps away every morning and afternoon.) It is so hot and dry, your towel becomes superfluous and you can only tell that you are sweating by the strong salty taste left in your mouth after licking your cracking lips.

We are looking forward to working. To being productive. And earning some of the money that will take us one step closer to our trip through Asia.

Training starts Saturday and once the season really gets going, we will be going at it for 10-12h a day. We are excited about the prospects of “real” jobs after this little sentimental and need-for-cash-driven stint…

And with that, I finish this first and next attempt at writing with the words of a song that has been keeping us going… Cause every little thing, is gonna be alright!