I have a Van, and when nobody was looking, reconfigured JJ's Car Hire's firewall to allow ssh out so I can update my blog (James If your reading this - don't worry I put it back.

 
Me Van, couldn't get any bikini clad Models
so used the Fai Tira boys instead

I'm in the YHA in Darwin, for a couple more nights. I am the proud owner of a Toyota Tarago Van. The Tarago id a Previa in the rest of the world. The old ones were vans made into (in mines case) people cariers. The later version were people carriers from scratch.

Mine had its own ants nest and everything. Its regod (tax/third party). Has NT plates. Which is cool. Its only just run in at 20 years old and 390000 kms.

 Well its running. syncro on second isn't brilliant. other than that its ok.

I'm working on it in JJ's in Darwin. Which is run by 2 brothers in law, James who does the car hire, and the mechanic John. They're both fabulous people. They're workshop outbuildings and car park are full of backpackers, living in van's offices cupboards with a tent in them you name it.

 
Fixing the Jacobs Brake

Today I've built a bed base and fixed the broken water level sensor in the engine. Its now connecting and telling me there's no water in it. It didn't tell me that when it was broken. Slight snag. There is water in it.

I've been hanging out with the fabulous people here. Martin and Chris, bought a job lot of prawn vans. They converted both to backpacker vans and sold one on. They're rolling south tomorrow.

I've been trying to pay my way here. John is off on a major road trip to NSW on Tuesday in 2 road train tractors he's been doing up. I did the headlights in and the Jacobs brake in one. And mouthed the CB for them. The irony is they fixed my brakes.....

 He's taking Scotty, a Scottish mechanic with him, in the other tractor with a total of 3 trailers, Scotty's licence wasn't translatable into a full road train licence. His bed on the trip is a metal coffin they found out the back. Normally he lives in a shipping crate at the back of the workshop, John wanted to wake him up and was throwing bits of metal at it when I came out the loo. Nearly took my head off.

 More later, probably in the form of a Photo Gallery.