The Top End

Mindil Beach Sunset

Mindil Beach Mob

Mindil Beach Fireworks

I arrived in Darwin on cracker night – a freedom that most other state governments the world over have thought too risky to allow their minions to choose. For this one day of the year families can have their cracker night, and on Mindil beach there’s a big mob of revellers, and a stunning tropical sunset.

Wangi waterhole

While I have a coffee and wait to be picked up for a bush tucker tour I have a few hours and the chance to put up some news. I’m in Kakadu national park and have been camping in the remote north of Australia with my sister and family, and their friends for the past week.

Wangi Waterfall

This is Wangi waterfall again – close up and with my mob…

And here is Ian and Janelle and the girls crossing the Reynolds River, in Litchfield National Park.

Reyolds River

Vipassana

I’m back from meditation boot camp! Who would ever have thought sitting doing nothing could be so tough.

No wonder they keep checking at every opportunity before you actually move in – are you sure you want to do this?

Only two didn’t finish and I got the impression it can often be many more who don’t make it.

The vipasssana meditations which start about day three are the toughest. Three each day for an hour each. Sit without opening hands, legs or eyes.

I’ve decided to spend one day each week on work, and the others on boat projects or other interesting things. I think I could enjoy this – it means that this week I’ve been able to some more boat projects.

99cents for a recumbent bike… sounds like a good deal huh. I’m selling my bent bike on ebay, starting at 99 cents, so I sure hope someone bids more than that! It cost me $4250 so I’m hoping for much much more. The auction will start on Tuesday 15th May and go for 10 days. So if you know anyone wanting such a bike, let them know.

Back to painting…

Chris

[later. a few years later. since that time i have become more aware of feeling my body and its clear to me now that vipassana is not helpful. it requires that you sit in an uncomfortable position and ignore the pain and other messages of discomfort that your body is trying to tell you. this just makes the disconnect from our bodies even stronger. I now know that contentment comes with connecting your body and taken notice of what it is saying.  your body is a sacred place and should be treated with love and respect and the vipassana meditation is far from this. its quite deliberate in setting out as a purpose that you ignore the pain and discomfort that your body is in, seeking to somehow “rise above” the carnal state. this creates disharmony between body and soul and you can just feel that that is not a good purpose.

i have found that 15 minutes of gentle breath meditation a few times a day is all that is needed to form a strong connection with the innermost. there is no need for ascetic practises.]

*bleep* expensive batteries

This is the reply I got…

This is something that we could probably do but would cost several hundred
thousand dollars I should imagine.

So back to the drawing board you’d think huh.

But wait – there’s more. I also got another reply from _ www.accuwatt.fr _ about an alternative supply of Lithium batteries sourced from Asia (rather than France) and the price of these could be around 15k Euro. Despite what you might first think, this is close to my budget of $15k Australian… So the project might be back on track again.