Have you ever had one of those days where the seconds meld into minutes, the minutes into hours, the morning gives way to afternoon, which gives way to evening and then night, all without achieving anything of note? If so, you would know how we feel, because that was the kind of day we had today.

We suffered through a typical outback night, during which the temperature dropped substantially from its daytime maximum, seeing us reach for the comfort of an extra blanket or two. At least the fireworks were short lived in the immediate vicinity of the caravan park, although a constant low pitched drumming could be heard from the pyrotechnics being sent skyward down the road in Katherine. Thankfully the noise wasn’t so brutal that it bothered Bethany and she settled down nicely.

That was more than I could say for Bec and I, as we sat up for hours watching TV. It would seem that while the drive from Darwin had been mentally exhausting, it was far from physically fatiguing. It was almost 2:00AM by the time we eventually turned the lights off and turned in for the night. It felt like we had been snoozing for barely a few minutes, when the ringing of Becs phone rudely awaked us though. She had left a message yesterday for a massage therapist to get back to her, and he had decided that 8:30AM this morning was a suitable time to return the call. Well, I guess we can’t all be on holiday can we?

Still feeling relatively cool and extremely tired, not to mention suffering yet another throbbing head ache, I rolled over and went straight back to sleep. Bec was not far behind me, as the dogs looked on, most likely wondering what was going on. They have become accustomed to being allowed to jump up onto the bed once we are awake. It no doubt crossed their minds that since we had technically been up, then they ought to be allowed to join us. They were both swiftly removed to their own cribs, as Bec and I fell back into a deep sleep.

I’m not sure about Bec, but it was only the stodgy heat that later roused me from my slumber. I was surprised to see that it was already almost midday, and our first day here in Katherine was quickly slipping away from us. I also woke though, feeling like I’d been run over by a bus, the symptoms of my cold coming back with a vengeance. I was physically wrung out, like a dirty old dish rag, ready to be tossed on the scrap heap. Every possible muscle ached, and I was moving about with a pained lethargy.

I felt terrible, wasting away a day during which we could instead be out exploring, but there was nothing for it. After breakfast, I curled back up into bed, where Bec was happy to join me, as we watched the final ever few episodes of ‘The Shield’.

Feeling bad on account that the dogs had been cooped up all day with us, with nothing but a quick lap around the van to relieve themselves, we decided to take them for a walk down to the nearby river. We’ve been warned to watch out for fresh water crocodiles, which apparently only inhabit the deeper holes and billabongs. At least the big man eating ‘salties’ are not known to reside in this area, although I would hazard a guess that even the smaller ‘freshies’ would find a feed of dog very attractive.

Down by…

…the river.

So, keeping Alvin and Bethany on a short leash, we sidled through the back gate of the park to the river. Far from the narrow trickle I had been expecting, we were confronted with a wide, fast flowing channel, although you could still see how high the water level would reach during the wet season. The soft sandy banks we walked along would evidently be under water during the height of the wet. It was hard to imagine the power that would come with such a torrent.

Bec meets a couple of the locals.

Back at the van following our short walk, the only one worn out was me. I felt like I’d run a marathon. As a result, it was back to bed for a bit more TV, although I could not even tell you what we watched. I was pretty wasted by that time. Before tending to dinner duties, I went over to the amenities block for a shower. While I generally prefer the ease of showering here in the van, I didn’t think the 20 litres our hot water heater holds would last too long, as I turned the pressure right up, and let the scalding hot pin pricks of water wash relaxingly over me. In fact, I don’t know for how long I stood beneath the steady jet of water, but I do hope that the park has a somewhat better hot water system than our van, or else there might be a few unhappy people enduring a cold shower later tonight.

Back at the van, feeling somewhat more akin to being human again, I made the effort to cook us up a feast for dinner, because despite my better judgment, my stomach was still making all the right noises and feeling pretty empty. It wasn’t too long before another wave of exhaustion washed over me though.

The view from our kitchen window.

It’s early days, but I might yet have to break out the dreaded ‘man flu’ expression again if this keeps up, while Bec has been asking me about mozzie bites today. I think she secretly hopes I have some exotic disease like Dengue Fever, because that would make for a much better holiday tale than just a boring head cold. Whatever I’m suffering, I just want rid of it so that we can get back on with our scheduled activities. Time is of the essence, and I certainly don’t want to be frittering away too many more days, doing nothing and lying about idly.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.