Back in Darwin!

G'day!
Yes, we have made it back to Darwin after 4 years spent dreaming of it... We are back in the Northern Territory of Australia, and it is raining. No surprise there, as it is the wet season. We wanted to see Darwin under the rain, having enjoyed its lovely dry season last time we were then, and we have not been disappointed!
We landed on the 13th at 5:30 am, under torrentiel downpours, in total darkness. We were lucky to land at all, as they closed the airport as soon as we landed. The flight was meant to carry on to Cairns but was grounded as it was too wet.
The slight problem was that my rucksack didn't arrive with us in Darwin, and now 48 hours after arrival no one seems to know where it is.... I would just be nice to have a change of clothes, but it looks like I'm gonna have to stay smelly for a little while longer....!
So. Over here the weather forecast for the next few days is "monsoonal showers", which means raining cats and dogs one minute, and baking sun the next. We were hoping to visit some friends here but they have been cut off by the rise of the water so we will just have to wait for it to go down and keep our fingers crossed!
We are both really pleased to be back here, as we spent a few months around Darwin last time we were in Australia, and people are as relaxed and philosophical as we remembered, and the bay is still as beautiful (although it looks very different under black storm clouds), and it is quite nice to have a clean bathroom with a sitdown toilet after three months in Asia!
We weren't too sorry to leave Kuala Lumpur, especially after we found out that our hotel was renting rooms "by the hour" to a special type of customers...
We went onto the port of Melaka, where half of Singapour was spending the long week end of the Lunar New Year. It was rather entertaining for the onlooker, as you watched people take rides in cyclos with side-cars, decorated with multicoloured plastic flowers (the tackiest were the most populars) and flashing lights at night, each one with its individual soundtrack. It seemed to be an essential part of a visit to Melaka. We'll try and get the photos to you soon, and I shall forewarn you that you may need to wear sunglasses to look at them!
We enjoyed our last meals of rice and rotis, and visited the local Chinatown, which is quite old and well preserved, and all lit up with a red glow at night due to the numerous red New Year lanterns.
Then we took a bus to Singapore, and after passing through strict immigration procedures (chewing gum is a "prohibited" item!) we arrived on this strange island. It seems filled with trees and brand new high rises, and looks like it had just sprouted out of the sea.
We hopped on the air con and immaculate metro which got us to the airport in record time, and we waited the afternoon there for our flight in the evening.
So that's all for Asia! There are a few things we won't miss : open sewers under the tropical sun in Malaysia, pushy tuk-tuk drivers, always having to be careful not to unintentionally offend someone by showing them our feet or pointing our chopsticks at them, hosepipe showers and dodgy hotels. And there are a few more things we will miss : the great kindness of people, the delicious meals for 30p, the best bananas in the world, the colourful houses, vehicles, outfits and plants, the macaques nicking our breakfast, and the potential for adventure at every street corner, the surreal bus rides, and the piles of luggage strapped to the roof (including motorbikes), the magnificent temples, so in the end, there is much more positive than negative!