Missed Tours, Housekeeping and Retainers, Booked Up Opal Oasises, and Free Sausages..

Ooooops... so my day started in quite an interesting way. I had earplugs in and thought I heard the distinct sound of someone knocking on my door. Twice. But I was in the stage between sleep and wake, and wasn't too concerned because I didn't see open flame, so I passed it off as being someone knocking on one of the door on either side of me and returned to dreamland. Fast forward to around 9 am, and I shot up suddenly in bed. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach about the tour I had scheduled for tomorrow- that was the knock at the door for my tour, it was scheduled for today! I quickly turned on my computer- I was right. I had scheduled it for the 30th, tomorrow, even having to make the change several times during the booking (the computer kept changing it to the 29th), but I hadn't checked the confirmation closely enough. It was scheduled for today. To be fair, they didn't send me the true confirmation voucher until last night at 9:30, so I didn't see it until this morning (I am supposed to have a printed copy of this to present when picked up). So today, I have been trying to see if I can reschedule tomorrow or sometime a week from now when I am back in Melbourne. The tour wasn't cheap, and I doubt I will be allowed to reschedule at no charge, but I did really want to go on this tour, and I guess I would be willing to pay double for it (of course, I would prefer not to, but if there is no way around it, I do want to experience the Great Ocean Road).

I decided not to let it ruin my day, so I got up, got ready, and set out in the opposite direction on Carlisle Street. I walked into town. As I walked, I began to notice something very distinct about the majority of the town people around me- they were Jewish! I knew this because of the yamakas on almost every head, the distinct dress and hairstyles, and the fact that many of them were speaking a completely different language- Hebrew or Yiddish or something, I don't know enough about it to tell you for certain. I began looking around- Kosher Bakeries, Kosher Butchers, "Jerusalem Gifts," all around the shops told the story too. It was really cool- I walked right into a micro-community without even realizing it.

I picked up some cheap post cards and followed a sign that said I would be going to the St. Kilda Botanical Gardens. I found a nice place in the sun and wrote some post cards, then strolled around the length of the gardens. Continued my journey back to the grasses around Luna Park, and decided to stop for lunch. I got some Singapore Noodles (it's official, I'm addicted) and a Coke Zero. After consuming a half pound of noodles, I thought it was time for those siestas I have become so fond of. I walked back to my room and discovered the housekeeping had been in. They have been dying to re-sheet my bed all week (I don't know why), but each day when they've tried, I have been in bed sick. So I guess today they got their chance. I looked around to make sure everything was where I left it. They had given me new towels too and cleaned my bathroom. But my toiletries were missing... I looked around, and finally discovered them hanging under my towel. They had zipped up the bag and hung it on the hook. I turned around and discovered- my retainer! They had for some reason moved my retainer and set it on the top of my lamp beside my bed. I felt confused and kind of violated- why would anyone want to touch my retainer? And why move it to the top of the lamp? I quickly returned my retainer to the ledge above the sink, righting the wrong. I spent the rest of my afternoon on the phone or the internet. It turns out that I will have to completely re-book the Great Ocean Road tour since they held my seat. I hope my empty seat enjoyed it's day.

I also found out my room at the Underground Hotel is booked for the day I wanted to arrive. I only had to push it back by one day, but it just seems to fit in with the theme of the day. I also sent an email to a contact I have in Adelaide that offered me a place to stay a while back. Hopefully, the offer still stands, because I am bleeding money. I will still have plenty for the rest of the trip, I just seem to be spending large amounts at an alarming rate. Before the trip, I probably had never spent more than a couple hundred dollars in one day. Now, having to book planes and tours and things, and doing it all at one time, I am spending much more, and it freaks me out. I'm trying to decide if I should go to Coober Pedy by plane or Greyhound. The only advantage of Greyhound is it is cheaper by a couple hundred round trip. The plane has a better flight times (Greyhound I arrive in Coober Pedy at 5:30am, and cannot check in until 2pm), and the flight is of course shorter (a few hours as opposed to an overnight drive). I suppose I will book next week, I can't think about spending more money today. I did manage a free dinner tonight, my hostel is having it's weekly free BBQ, so I didn't have to pay for my food tonight- yay! I have lots of fun stuff in Tassey booked for next week, and now I am checking and double checking to make sure I know what days are what. Tomorrow I will probably sleep in again, and then pick a different direction to walk in. I may accomplish more by having some general goal, but I like just wandering too, and I will have plenty of goals next week.

Lovely Morning at the Beach, Followed by a Siesta, Followed by Sushi and Cakes...

Today was my first really productive day in Melbourne. I got up, got ready, and set out on a mission to DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING! I was still coughing, but not enough to keep me inside another day. I went to the pharmacy first, to get the next five days of my prescription filled. After turning it in, I went to find brekky. I found a little shop right outside the pharmacy and ordered a crepe with ham, cheese, and tomato, and a hot chocolate. It was glorious. I picked up my antibiotics after brekky, then grabbed a couple of things from the Coles nearby. My next stop was a post office. Thinking I remembered seeing a sign up the road, I walked back up to find the post. I dropped my post cards from Brisbane (yes, I know, I'm behind) in the post box, then went inside. I found a box on the shelf and filled it with various gifts I was sending home because I had gotten tired of carrying them around. It was 36 dollars in shipping! But I suppose it was worth it, not to have to carry the stuff around anymore. When I walked out of the post office, I was in front of the amusement park, and I sensed that the ocean was nearby. I had been here almost a week, and not walked around. It was a sin. I walked up the parkway, and could see the edge of ocean over the horizon. I sat on the edge of the cement, let my toes curl in the sand, and snapped some shots of the views. It was very chilly, and I could tell by the way the clouds looked that there was a small rain storm out in the ocean not too far off. After sitting a while, I walked over to the pier. I was taking pictures right as the rain cloud rolled in. Cold rain fell in the wind for about 5 minutes before the cloud had moved on. I stood with my umbrella sideways, the only way to shield the rain without the umbrella turning inside out. Before leaving the pier, I saw a huge, dead jelly fish, one of those that can cause you to go into cardiac arrest. But it couldn't get me, because I was on the pier, and couldn't be paid to set foot in this frigid water. I spent a few more minutes on the beach, then walked back to town. I went by Luna Park, and took a look inside. It looked like lots of fun, but not something I would want to do by myself probably. Plus, the median age was maybe 14, so I just felt out of place. I went back to my room and took an afternoon nap (I think I would really fit in in Spain with the siestas over there.)


It was COLD and WINDY at the beach!

This afternoon, I decided I wanted sushi for dinner, I had spotted a couple of places that looked good. I went and ordered the sushi and sushimi platter (I have been much more adventurous with my sushi lately, going for less mayo and avocado, more raw fish, haha). It was glorious also, glorious meal number 2 for the day. I decided to negate my semi healthy dinner by stopping at one of the three ridiculous looking bakeries on the way home and ordering a small box of cakes- a chocolate layer cake, a pecan tart, and a chocolate twist. I sampled a small amount of each before deciding I had been thoroughly gluttonous for the evening.


I think crepe + beach + nap + sushi + cakes = great day.
I think anyone would agree with that math.



I have been thinking, well, actually, I started thinking about it last night, and was encouraged by my Aussie partner in crime, Matt, that I needed to figure out some way to explore Western Australia instead of hopping a plane in Perth to be dropped safely in Darwin. There is so much in between those two towns, so much desert, so many little towns with their own personality, so much to miss if I don't try to see it. Well, this idea started scratching. And then, I decided I would rent a camper by myself and drive it in 2 weeks. What??!? Drive a camper, by myself, across 1/3 of the country, in land area that many a more equipped and fit explorer with the actual job title "explorer" has failed miserably and died? "Yes!" Matt said. "Do it!" Excited by the idea, I did research. Financially, I could probably swing it, but I think I am too much of a chicken to do it, at least by myself. Not to mention my parents and grandmother would have to know nothing about it until I was safe in Darwin, because they would be just as likely to kill me as the heat and the dingoes if they knew I was attempting to do it by myself. So what now? Hope I find a group of semi-sane people in Perth that I think I can spend 2 weeks in a small metal box in over 100 degree heat? Maybe... But I also considered looking into Greyhound to transport me from town to town. Yes, I will still see less than if I was in charge of the driving, but being by myself, once again, has ended up limiting me in my choices of what I can do. But if it's the only way I can work out to see real 'Stralia, it's what I have to do!

Fairy Bread, Cherry Ripe, and A Debilitating Coughing Fit

Today was a less than productive day, though it's original intent was no for that. I slept until about 8:30 this morning before I started waking up. I ended up having a coughing fit that lasted about 2 hours, including showering and blow drying my hair. After this, I was too exhausted to do anything but collapse back into bed. I ended up sleeping until around noon. When I awoke, I was breathing easier, so I decided to re-start my day. I did research online as to when I would be doing something besides being an expensive hermit in Melbourne, and tried to book some activities. None of my cards were working to be booked, and it was still Sunday in America, so no answers to this would come until tomorrow anyway. I submitted for the website to contact me to book on the phone (after I called and was on hold for about 10 minutes). I ended up not running any of the errands I planned on running today, not getting anything booked because of my card, but at least I had a plan.

Something I need to bring up and educate my American friends about: Ok, the first week, well actually, the first day I was in Australia, I was at Coogee Park with my hostel having a barbecue on the beach. There was a class of children nearby, and they had snacks they were running back to eat between games. I noticed one of these snacks looked like white bread with sprinkles on it. I dismissed it as me being uber-jet lagged, I mean, I know I am in a foreign country, but who would feed white bread with sprinkles to children? I didn't think about it much again until about a week later when I was at the South Bank in Brisbane. There was another group of children, these were older, around middle school aged girls, but I noticed they also had a stack of what looked like was sprinkled bread. Maybe this was a real dessert after all? I mean, I couldn't still be jet lagged and imagining, although, I was beginning to get sick, maybe I was hallucinating? Anyway, I kind of forgot about it until today. I saw a bread commercial on TV. And the last frame of the commercial was a small girl eating a slice of bread with sprinkles on it. What the hell is going on!? Deciding I would finally get to the bottom of this, I did what I always do when I have questions about the world- I googled. What do I type? I hesitated, then typed "bread with sprinkles." I clicked on the Wikipedia page about sprinkles. I saw they had an entry talking about fairy bread. I clicked on this entry, and it explained than in Australia and New Zealand, children eat bread with butter or margarine spread onto it, then "hundreds and thousands" (what they call sprinkles) covered on the top. This is a real food. I am not losing my mind. Ok, this is very strange to me. For one, I can't imagine that being very appetizing. Sprinkles don't have that much flavor, so I just don't think it would be that good. Also, I thought my Nilla wafer sandwich cookies I used to make with canned icing and sprinkles was a ghetto dessert. But no, this is ghetto dessert. I just don't see it getting any lower class than using white bread, butter, and sprinkles, and calling it dessert. But I won't completely condemn it until I try it. I mean, I gave Vegemite a chance, right? (**shudder**)

I did have something today that was rather good. I had gotten this candy bar back in Sydney because it was called "Cherry Ripe," and me being the sweet sister I am, I thought Nathan Cheek would love it, if it was a cherry flavored candy bar. I hadn't gotten around to trying it until today. As it turns out, I think it is more a candy bar for my mother than my brother. It is basically a 'Mounds' bar, but it is flat and has slight cherry flavor and a couple of slices of cherry throughout, but the overwhelming flavor is coconut, not cherry. It was good though, but I do think I would name it "Cherry Ripe." Anyway,I guess I am done criticizing Australian desserts for the day, haha. It was good, just mis-named, I think.

Footy Draws, Stolen Tram Rides, "Ozzie" Vanilla, and Skyping Chicken n' Dumplings...

So all this build-up, all the anticipation, the thousands of people flocking to this city, the parades, the parties, all for the grand final, has resulted in a... DRAW?! I watched the grand final yesterday, the clashing, both metaphorically and very literally as well, of two Melbourne footy teams. I watched these men crash and run and kick and fight for several hours, blood resulting in several plays, lots of muscle cramps needing to be massaged out. It was looking like it was the Magpies' game, but without notice, the final quarter, the Saints very quickly started racking up points. The teams tugged back and forth on the lead for several minutes. Before anyone could figure out what was happening, the game was called, and neither team had scored more than 68 points. It was a tie. Players collapsed on the field, children in the stands cried, the roar of the crowd fell to an eerie silence. No one really knew what to do. The rules stated a new game had to be played in a week's time. It was 2 hours of blood, sweat, and tears resulting in another game next week. I just felt sorry for the exhausted players. Melbourne, I am sure, doesn't mind in the least to have another grand final next week. It means more money, in so many ways, for their city. But it's just weird to watch such a bitter fight result in no winner.

After the surreal footy experience, I got ready to go to dinner with the Melbourne girls. I was meeting them at an Italian restaurant named Topolino's, and I planned on taking the tram, which is like the trolleys in San Francisco. I went online and figured out the stop I needed and the tram to take. Online it also said I did not need to purchase a transport card ahead of time and that I could pay for my ride on the tram. I then went downstairs and waited patiently at this stop for my tram. Even though I had plenty of time, I was getting nervous because taxis kept passing by me and I had to keep resisting the urge to hail one and be carted away to my destination in certainty and security. I was just being paranoid, I knew I was waiting for the correct tram, and I knew it stopped at the street I needed it to stop. Finally, tram 16 showed up. I climbed aboard hesitantly, and turned to offer money to the driver. To my confusion, the driver was behind black plexiglass (a sure sign of 'do not disturb'), and there was no automated computer or anything to input my ride and pay for my trip. Bewildered, I sat down quickly, because she was pulling away from stop (I'm pretty sure it was a 'she,' I really never got a sure look). I observed other passengers to try and see what I needed to be doing to pay for this ride. All other passengers seemed to have the prepaid card that was easily scanned when they boarded and departed. I did notice one girl deposit coins in a scanner at the back of the bus, but I never got the chance to make my way back to investigate. The next stop was my stop. What do I do?! I need to get off here, but I haven't paid! Without a whole lot of thought, I got up with several other passengers and stepped off the bus at Fitzroy Street. I kept my head down, knowing the tram driver was probably taking down my description right now and calling the police. My tram finally pulled away from the platform and I had done it- I had stolen a tram ride! It wasn't my intent, nor is it anything I am proud of, but it happened. And now I am kind of scared of riding another tram, for fear that their should be some sort of "Wanted" poster with my picture plastered somewhere inside the tram.

Anyway, I arrived on Fitzroy Street and located Topolino's. I was early, so I sat outside and watched people. Most people were at least slightly drunk (it was, after all, grand final day) and I spent my time being entertained by grown men who took turns seeing who could jump and spin in the air the best (no one was really winning). The girls arrived a little later, and we got our table. We each ended up ordering a different type of pasta, and we spent our time talking about the game, my future plans for travel, and what the status of my sickness was. One girl works for the Magpies, so she had been drinking most of the day and was coming down via her meal of gnocchi. After dinner, two of the girls departed with kisses and the remaining three wanted to find ice cream. They were talking about somewhere called Cold Rock. When describing it to me, I said we had Cold Stone, and they said it was probably the same thing. We walked down to Cold Rock, and it was the Aussie version of Cold Stone, except they didn't have much of a menu to choose from, you had to make up what you thought would taste ok. The girls laughed and said that one flavor with peanut butter and chocolate would be what I would like because I was American. I said "Is that like an American stereotype or something?" I looked at all the flavors of ice cream and asked what makes "Aussie Vanilla" different from regular vanilla. One girl, rolling her eyes, said "Nothing I don't know why they call it that." Another of the girls said, "I like how you say "Aussie." We say "Ozzie." I repeated it, "Ozzie," like a child learning a new word. I laughed and said, "yeah, I guess I am just saying it how it is actually spelled." They agreed, they should spell it with an 'O' if they want it to be said that way. We each ordered, I ended up getting "Ozzie" vanilla with "Freddo" and banana. Well, I wanted vanilla ice cream with plain chocolate candy and banana crushed into it. Someone advised "Freddo," which I was pronouncing "Freido" until corrected, would be a plain chocolate candy I would want. But the banana requested ended up being kind of a banana taffy- bleck. Ice cream probably wasn't the best choice for a chest cold, because I ended up coughing a lot, and just eating the Freddo out of it. The girls offered me a ride back to my hostel, since they were 2 people lighter now. Seeing as I didn't want to chance an arrest or at the very least an ID by using the tram again, I accepted their offer. It was my first Aussie car ride! I was in the back seat behind the driver, in what in America would be the passenger seat. It wasn't so different, once you wrap your mind around driving on the other side of the road, which I have been trying to get used to in public transportation and not getting squashed when looking to cross the street. They dropped me off, and I had to make my way through the weirdly very different looking environment the hostel entrance becomes at night. There is a fenced off smoking area (they are quarantined like lepers like they are here in America too) and the automatic doors didn't do their automatic thing when I approached. I noticed another entrance to the hostel bar, and I had to swipe my card to enter the hostel. I, as per usual with this cold, collapsed into a fit of coughing on my bed from having to climb a story to get to my room. I fell asleep watching the classic American treasure "Tropic Thunder" (they do not censor movies on Aussie TV at all- hope everyone noted the sarcasm on "classic American treasure").

This morning, I knew mom wanted to skype with me at my aunt's house because my grandparents and all her sisters would be there. The only problem was, we hadn't discussed what time this was to occur. About 7:30 this morning, I began waking up and thinking about this. Like the nerd I am, I began having dreams about starting my computer and turning skype on. I do this when I am concerned about something- I dream I am doing it, when in reality, I'm not doing anything. So after dreaming about it and waking up several times, I decided to just get up. I turned on skype, and after several failed attempts with the webcam, I was in Raleigh. I got all sorts of advice on what I should be telling my Aussie doctor to prescribe me, as well as advice on how to avoid getting a yeast infection from the antibiotics I was taking (which would be just the cherry on top, wouldn't it?). I spoke to each member of the family, and my dad decided he needed to show me a plate of food I was missing (while I chewed on my granola bar). It was the first time I skyped and got to see a picture on the other end, which so far has just been a question mark face, so it was nice to see faces with voices. I had begun to get self conscious because they could always see me, but I couldn't see what they were doing. You know, skype is pretty amazing. Especially for being free!

I need a... Hug!

I am usually not one for hugs. I use them in greetings when people are more familiar and it feels necesary, but to tell you the truth, there are probably less than five people in my life that I hug because I want to hug them. I'm just one of those people who likes my space, you know, the "stay out of my bubble" feeling of personal space. Which is what makes it so weird that I WANT a hug now. It might be because I am sick and having to take care of myself and feeling bad that I am wasting day after day in the hostel trying to feel better when I need to be exploring and taking advantage of being in Australia, but I need a hug! And I've really never thought I'd feel like that. Even when people use that expression, in scenarios when one would like to have a hug, I rarely want a hug. If I am upset, I usually do not want hugs. People want to give you hugs when they think you're upset, but it doesn't help me at all. But I, right now, sitting sick and alone in my private hostel, for the first time in my life, want a hug. And I am out of luck, most likely. I might get a hug tonight at dinner with the girls, but I might not. I might not get a hug until Matt gets here on November 23rd! I really doubt it though, because I have gotten quite a few hugs since I have been in Australia from various people I have met, but I could, especially if I made a concisous effort, go until late November without hugging another human being. That is a cold thought. I don't know why I am trying to have cold thoughts. I'm not actually trying, but like I said, stuck inside with this awful cough and 5 channels on TV, including 2 with pre-footy all day commentary, one with music videos, and one with an Australian robotic dog, I don't have much to do but become resentful of the things I am missing out on out there. Since I don't have anything to do until tonight at 7pm, I decided to channel my energies and plan what I am going to be doing once I am well. I am not doing anything major until next week, maybe Tuesday. This completely knocks out almost a week of what could have been fun in Melbourne. I was planning on staying here longer than a week though, so I will just stay a little longer before departing for Tasmania (which I am very excited about! but need to be completely well because it will be COLD down there.) I guess this hug realization is just another way of saying I am alone on the other side of the world. That fact itself doesn't even bother me, but it's kind of a weird thought that the people that would hug me daily are the ones that are so far out of reach.

Sideways Man in the Moon, Antibiotics, Black Leggings, and Footy Rivalry

I can't believe I forgot to tell you about how amazing the skyscape looked as I came into Melbourne a few days ago. I took a taxi from the airport because the next shuttle wasn't leaving for an hour and I was sick and exhausted. We drove for what seemed like forever, me in the backseat with my bags piled on top of me, watching the fare tick by, literally 10 cents each second. We came upon a bridge that was an overhang to the city, and all of sudden- there was Melbourne. Lots of large buildings laid out below a full moon that shown down from the sky, as if a spotlight announcing it's arrival in my life. In the full moon, the man's eyes were cockeyed, as if he was laying on his side, instead of greeting me sitting up as usual. I'm sure this is because I am in the southern hemisphere- I keep forgetting until something like this snaps me back to reality. I would have taken a picture, had I thought a camera could have adequately captured the scene. But moon pictures, no matter how grand and lustrous the scene was in real life, can never be fully captured in snaps. It always ends up being this small white dot in a picture and people wonder why you took it. So I left the picture in my mind, and you will all have to use your imaginations and hope it's close to what I experienced, haha.

Today was my doctor's appointment. I had a little trouble finding the place, mainly because I was still tired and struggling to breathe and not paying attention to what I was doing. I finally arrived, snotty, sweaty, coughing, early anyway because I thought the appointment was at 8:45, when it was actually 9:15. I filled some paperwork and spoke to the doctor. He asked if I was prone to lung infections. I explained the last few times I've gotten a simple cold, if it goes to my chest, it will stay there several months and become pneumonia if I don't do anything about it. He checked me temp, my pulse, and listened to my breathing. He said I didn't have a fever, but I did have an infection in my left lung, and he would prescribe me some antibiotics to take. He gave me enough for 10 days and told me if I wasn't feeling better after the first 5, to fill the next 5. I then paid (only $60) and asked directions to the nearest pharmacy. I spent some time in town eating and shopping while I waited for the prescription to be filled. I then went back to my room and ended up napping for about 2 hours. Maybe it's the placebo effect, but I felt a little better when I awoke. I decided I needed to get out again- I wanted some leggings (I have so not fit in not having a single pair here in Australia) and I lost my sunnies (sunglasses) in the airport on the way to Melbourne the other day. One of the ladies in the shops actually thought I was an Aussie (I have been answering people in one or two word answers, using as much of an Australian accent as possible, haha). She noticed that the transaction was converting into USD, and she looked at me. "But I didn't notice you had an accent!" she said. I laughed, and said, "I try to hide it when I can." She said she liked American accents, and that she had noticed my card had my picture on it, and she didn't think Aussies had cards like that. So I finally got confused for an Aussie!
I finished shopping, and officially giving up on my "no American chain" pledge (now I guess my goal is to conduct quality control and make sure that they have the same standards as America- so far, every place I've gone, it's actually better here), I went to Mackers again (there is always one like 10 steps from where I'm staying, they're evil, I tell ya!). So now I'm back in my room. I noticed a huge difference between America's Deal or No Deal and Aussie's- America's is dealing with much, much more cash than Aussie's. The highest amount is 200,000. In America, it's 1,000,000, and lately, they've been having games that have like 13 chances of picking 1,000,000. Anyway, just noticed.

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Tomorrow night is grand final in footy, as I explained yesterday. It's Collingwood Magpies vs. St. Kilda Saints. I am actually staying in St. Kilda, and they are the underdogs it seems, so I want to pull for them.





I'm not sure where my friends from Melbourne allegiance lies, but to give you an idea of the feeling around here, it's like it is the National Championship in basketball, and the teams playing are Dook and UNC (Ohhhh, it's my dream!). It's like what is going down here, since these are both Melbourne teams, and there is a close rivalry. I don't know how to be cheering, I will probably just be taking it all in.

The Aussie Ebola and My Scheduled Exorcism...

I think I finally have all my blog posts up to date, so yes, this is the actual blog for September 23rd, all the other ones are lying. I am in Melbourne, in a private room (with a TV and private bath), desperately fighting off this Aussie Ebola or whatever I have caught. I called several medical centers within walking distance of my hostel this morning, hoping for an opening. No one had availability today, but I have an appointment first thing in the morning down the street. Let's all cross our fingers he or she will prescibe me something stronger than the herbal fluff I've been taking!

I did the laundry (from Brisbane) this morning, then ran out to get lunch/ dinner. I really hate I am not feeling well. My neighborhood looks very interesting and very close to the shoreline. I may have some pics for you later this week, if I can get exorcised tomorrow morning and continue to be a normal human being. Also, I can't believe I was here when the original crocodile hunter, Malcolm Douglas, died. He died this morning in Western Australia. And he died, like Steve Irwin, not like everyone would expect, which would be fooling around with crocodiles. He died when his car was run into a tree. I don't think he was yet 70. I'm also in the middle of footy fever. The two Melbourne footy teams are playing in the Grand Final here in Melbourne, and everyone is excited and drinking and getting ready for it, and I am struggling to breathe. But hopefully I will be feeling better soon. My Melbourne girls have proposed dinner for Saturday, so I am shooting to get feeling better by Saturday evening. I am being kicked out of my private room on Saturday morning for more important footy fans to stay here, but have been told if I am still feeling horribly, I can move back in Sunday, haha. Also, more good news, my ear finally popped from yesterday's flight! So, since I do not have so much experience flying, I did not realize, or probably didn't even think about, the fact that the pressurization during the descent would be affected by being sick and stuffed up. My ears seemed like they were going to explode, and my sinus area was burning, it was actually kind of scary. My right ear never popped yesterday, so all afternoon and evening, I only had hearing out of my left ear. But yay, it just popped a minute ago, things are looking up! Also, one last random thing- I think I could fly every day if I could listen to Russell Brand's radio show. They have been playing clips on one of the stations I listen to. Yes, he's a big mouth,and a kind of a rough character (find me someone in Hollywood that isn't) but that cockney accent he has is infinitely entertaining to me (and he's has lived through some rough stuff, Wikipedia him). I've heard the same little clip 3 times on three different flights, and it's the accent that makes me chuckle everytime, I love it!

Lots of Koalas, Some Roos, and a Platypus on Red Bull

September 21: So I ended up doing nothing at all yesterday. The only time I ventured outside at all was to call to place a delivery order for pizza which would serve as both my lunch and dinner. I went online and booked my hostel for Melbourne (I'm going back to Base) and my plane ticket. I took 2 naps throughout the day, but the cough and fever doesn't seem to want to let up. Today I got up enough energy to make my way to the Lone Pine Sanctuary. The weather was awful, that kind of misty rain that can't decide if it wants to rain or not, the kind that rains into your eyes. I, of course, was still feeling horribly, sweating a lot, so my hair stayed soaked the whole day in a combination of mist and sweat. I did see a lot of really great animals though, it actually made me feel like I might be in Australia (that is the issue with these big cities I have been visiting so far, they could be easily confused with any American big city I've been to. Don't get me wrong, they've been beautiful and enjoyable, but I don't think I will feel like I am really in Australia until I am standing in the middle of the desert in shorts- which it has been too cold to wear yet- and my boots and a hat, eyeing the expansive and overwhelming distance of deadly nothingness. That's the Australia I am looking forward to!) Anyway, the highlight of Lone Pine was, of course, the koalas. Everywhere you turn, there are 4 or 5 more trees filled with koalas cuddled in together, sleeping or eating. I only really saw one that seemed kind of lively, and he was a male and seemed to charge at me (as much as a koala can charge). The platypus was my favorite though. He was adorable. I didn't get a good picture because he was so energetic, but I got three good videos of him swimming around like crazy. There were also tons of kangaroos (it blew my mind that they were just standing and laying around me, occasionally hopping by like "What's up?"), a few wombats, lots of birds, some lizards, snakes, and crocs. When I really started feeling bad, I decided it was time to go. I didn't escape without doing the cliche Australian thing though- cuddling a koala. I caught my bus back to town and picked up stuff for dinner so I wouldn't have to leave again. I was kind of wishing that I had booked my room in Brisbane for one more day, just to give me one last day to sleep in a room by myself and maybe get over the cold, but what's done is done.

I've been thinking some more about this medicine stuff. I just don't understand not having any powerful over the counter medicine. Is it because they think it is bad for you? Well, they have been pushing those energy drinks every where I go like it is milk or something, and that stuff is some of the worse stuff you can put in your body. I don't know, maybe I'm just jaded, or so sick and ready for relief, but I don't understand why my cousins to the south push the booze, the pokies, and the energy drinks, but can't give me a nice cough syrup or nyquil??? ***COUGH, SNEEZE, BLEAK!***

HASN'T OZ HEARD OF NYQUIL?!?

September 19: Today I am officially sick. I got up this morning with plans to Skype my parents and grandparents at 8am. I was drenched in sweat, I was having chills and fever, and continually coughing. They suggested I move to a hotel where I could have some privacy to recuperate and just sleep and watch TV. After doing some research, I couldn't find prices or locations I was happy with. It occurred to me to just move to a private room within my hostel. I wouldn't have a TV, but I would at least be by myself, on a bottom bunk, where I wouldn't have to be climbing up and down. I asked the receptionist (I had been harassing her all morning for sets and replacement sets of headphones for skype and Internet time, I know she was like "what now?") if there was an open private room that I could move to. I explained that I was very sick and wanted to have some privacy to recuperate. There was no double room available, but she offered to give me a four bed room, that would be the same price. And I wouldn't have to eat the nights I had already purchased, just pay the difference. I paid and went to my new room. I was glorious and spacious and... HAD A TV!!! But did it work? I pushed the button, expecting nothing, but was surprised to hear the high pitched sounds of a TV starting up and a picture appear. Success! Yes, there were only 5 channels, but they were all clear, and I would have something to do while coughing my brains out. I went to my old room to retrieve my things, all my roommates still asleep because they had gone out the night before when I was sick. I pulled the bags off my bunk and my sheets. I dragged my bags upstairs to my new room, then gave the sheets to the front desk. I decided to go to the transit center pharmacy and get some drugs, plus I was starving and hadn't eaten yet. I caught the 11am shuttle after a shower and arrived to find that the pharmacy was closed- it was Sunday. Starving and now upset, I decided to break my rule- I got McDonalds. I had been craving Bojangles for a could of days, so this McDonalds didn't hit the spot, but it was an attempt to soothe. I caught the noon shuttle back to the hostel, without medicine. I spent the next 5 or so hours in a combination of sleep, coughing, and throwing up twice (from coughing too much), which I guess almost negates my rule breaking, haha. Realizing it was getting late, I pulled myself together enough to venture out in search of a pharmacy in my area. Reception (thank goodness, a new girl) didn't have much confidence that a pharmacy would still be open at 5pm, but gave me directions to a Coles farther down the street if it wasn't. I trudged through the streets, trying not to look like I was dying as not to be an easy target, and located the pharmacy. Closed. I turned right at the light as instructed and continued on. I found myself in the middle of a festival. It was the Brisbane festival, which I didn't realize even occurred at this side of the river, but forced my way on through the crowd, on a mission for some powerful medicine. I finally asked someone directing traffic for the festival. He directed me to the other side of the bank, completely invisible, and there is no way I would have found it without asking. I went in, fearing it was closed too, and eventually after going through twisted hallways, found it. I located the medicine aisle and began scanning for powerful medicine with warnings about not driving heavy machinery when using. To my utter dismay, all the medicine sounded herbal and was non-drowsy. Where is my high octane, knock me the hell out, NyQuil? I find someone who works there and ask if there is any other this medicine that would make you drowsy. "I'm sorry?" she asked, not understanding why I would want this I suppose. "I am having trouble sleeping with my cough, so I want medicine that will, you know, knock me out." She looked kind of startled, and explained there were sleep aides on another aisle, but they were all herbal. She offered a box that was both day and night formula. "This won't make you drowsy, but it won't keep you awake either," she said. I thanked her, disappointed, and took my wimpy, herbal cough suppressant to check out. Ok Australia, what's the deal? I want warnings on my medicine about liver damage and not driving heavy machinery while taking, not medicine where the ingredients are white willow bark, horseradish, garlic, and zinc?!? Come on! Anyway, I popped one immediately, praying for some relief. I was exhausted, and not sure I wanted to walk all the way home. I stopped in a deserted restaurant to order Singapore noodles and hot and sour soup (I could live completely off Asian and Mexican foods, I swear) and began considering taking a cab home. Once my food was ready, I saw one nearby and snagged it. The cabby asked if I was Canadian or American, I said American. He even claimed to know where North Carolina was and asked if we were affected by the oil spill. I explained that was more the gulf coast. It was a short ride, costing six bucks, but worth every penny since I didn't have to drudge my way home. I got in, running into some of my former roommates, and explained I was still very under the weather. I purchased a ton of drinks and filled my water bottle up, not wanting to leave my room again until morning. I devoured my noodles (they were glorious) and fueled up on liquids. Maybe the herbs worked a little, but I was still coughing a lot, and still had a fever because I was sweating continuously. I watched their equivalent of a 60 minutes type of show, then X Factor, their American Idol. I just took a night pill, its purplish instead of yellow, and smells sweeter. You're supposed to take it an hour "before your retire," so I figured it was a good time. I was planning on going to the Koala Sanctuary tomorrow, but seeing as I am still dripping from my nose and every pore on my body and coughing continuously, I may postpone it. Also, they are calling for more rain tomorrow than on Tuesday, so I will just go my last day in Brisbane. Tomorrow I will wash clothes, and maybe venture to the library for free internet if I really start feeling better. Anyway, I will now I try to sleep un-Nyquiled up. I swear, if I ever do end up moving here, I would have to have that stuff shipped in my the case. It is a necessity when I am sick. I neeeeeeeed it.

Night Ferries, Ferris Wheels, and Vietnamese Noodles

September 18: The more time I spend just shuffling around Brisbane, the more I like it. Last night, while I had resigned myself to a jug of beer at the hostel bar, watching what must be the world's most interesting elderly couple splitting a jug at the booth across from me (I mean, it takes a special kind of person in that stage of their life to actually chose to be in the presence and live among young, hooligan nomads), when my Netherlands roomie came over and asked if she could sit with me. "Of course," I said. She had a salad that she ate while I finished my beer, and she asked what I was doing tonight. When I told her I had nothing planned, she invited me to come with her and ride the ferries at night to see the night scape of Brisbane and take pictures. Of course, I was down.
We started walking from my hostel, and I was concerned about this because I don't feel the best about the neighborhood around me, but she explained her sister has lived in this are forever and all the houses look like this. We got down to the riverfront in about 15 minutes, and I was amazed at what I saw: there were shops, and what looked like a live market happening. There was a street performer and lots of fountains spraying and pools and a man made beach. I had no idea this was down here! We go to find the ferry entrance, all the while I am angling to get the best shot of the city lit up. we boarded our ferry, rode up to Kangaroo Point, then got off to take some shots of the bridge. We circled the park, then waited again for another ferry to pick us up. This time, we rode and got off on the opposite side of the river- the city side. We took some shots of South Bank- and the Ferris wheel!- all lit up. We then walked back across the bridge and back to the hostel. We did encounter a screaming fight, well, it was one girl angrily screaming at three people. It was kind of funny, because they weren't responding to her at all, but she was screaming her head off! Anyway, we got back to our room to find 2 of the roommates had decided to go to bed before 10pm, so we woke them up coming in. I changed into more comfy clothes and went downstairs for some Internet time before bed.

The next morning, I had decided to see South Bank during the day, since I had been so impressed at night. I set out around 10 am, since I had read online that the market opened at 10am. I was able to find it fairly easily, despite the fact that I had only walked it at night. I walked through the market, got a couple more gifts for people, considered a purse for myself, but couldn't rationalize spending that much for a purse. After I wandered through the market several times, I bought a wicked banana- it was a banana that had chocolate injected through it- brilliant! I then walked the park. It wasn't too crowded yet, so I was more able to enjoy the scenery without people. I finally made my way to the Ferris wheel. It was expensive, but I knew I had to ride it, I mean, when would I ever again? Plus, I needed to practice not being a weenie for my hot air ballooning experience in November. I did alright. At first, I said, "I'm going to die," but then I decided it would be a pretty good way to go, so I got over it. And isn't that what overcoming fear is about, making peace with certain death? Well, at least for me.

After the Ferris wheel, I cycled back around through the park. By now, there were tons more people around, in the water, in the market, in the food area. I stopped and got a fast food chicken kabob, two prawns (shrimp), and a spring roll. Mistake. Way too greasy and I only ate about a 1/4 of it after spending all that money. I watched a bunch of teenagers doing flips and cartwheels and acrobatics on the lawn nearby. Teenagers are the same everywhere- just trying to do something, anything, to stand out. Also, I was watching the aggressive birds. The Ibises were out, along with the typical worldwide annoyance- pigeons. I watched as a huge Ibis jumped up on a table and snatched an entire fish right out of an older lady's basket. They all gobbled the fish up quickly, and all the woman could do is sit and watch her probably over $10 meal be devoured by birds. I later got frozen yogurt, but it being different from American frozen yogurt (I think it was literally yogurt that had been frozen), wasn't happy with that either and only ended up eating a small amount of it. After resting a while and people watching to my liking, I headed back to the hostel. I was not feeling so great, I knew I was working on a cold, and since the hostel didn't have a real communal area, and I didn't feel like trying to climb up to my top bunk torture chamber of a bed, I sat on a disgusting, lumpy futon in the lobby for a few hours and watched people go in and out. I had decided I was going to eat Vietnamese food tonight, one because it would be soothing to my throat. I found a place online called Huang's, it said it was amazing, though up a sketchy stairway. That sounded promising, so I searched the place out. I ordered noodles that came with beef and prawns and spring rolls. It was amazing, and I almost finished it all. I walked back home and read in bed until time to go to sleep. I had a rough night of tossing and turning and coughing.

Exploring Brisbane, Botanical Gardens, and a Plead for Love from your American Cousin...

September 17: I got up this morning and decided today was the day to walk around Brisbane. I caught the 9am shuttle to the city and it drops off at the transit station. I had decided I would be grab breakfast somewhere, and saw a small shop selling coffee and muffins on special, so that's what I got (making sure not to get short black!). While having breakfast, I noticed one shop had a sign about Vodafone in their entrance. Hoping maybe this is where I could purchase vouchers to finally get my phone working, I went to the counter and inquired. Success! I got a voucher, called from my cell, and managed to set up my account. I then called Grandma and my parents to say "Mr. Hammond, the phones are working." (Jurassic Park, sorry, nerd here.) I then decided I would just wander in the direction of the Botanical Gardens. I was caught by several nice courtyards on the way where I stopped to take some pics. I spent about 2 hours wandering around in the gardens and along the waterfront. When I came out the other side, I was kind of suprised to end up back way uptown. I then walked through the mall area, where I was a little overwhelmed at the number of people darting about. I don't think I've seen that many people in one place the whole time I've been in Australia, even at the opera house. I was getting a little paranoid about being pickpocketed, so I sat on a bench a while and people watched. Kids (meaning ages 15-25) sure do have some crazy fashion statements to be making. I think these types of people are everywhere though, although I have noticed a dramatic drop in the number of black leggings I am seeing, so maybe that was a Sydney fad. I walked a little more, by both Base hostel locations in Brisbane, just for curiosity (and they both have amazing locations, of course, damn it). It was around 2pm, and I wasn't ready to catch the shuttle back, so I continued walking up the way. Another courtyard emerged, right as it began to sprinkle rain. Deciding this was a sign that I needed to stop for a beer, I found a little open air cafe to sit in. I realized this courtyard is the one that will have the live music at for Bribane Festival until September 25. I was considering attending this, but I have a few days to decide I suppose. I ordered a James Squire Amber Ale. The glass says "Never Forsake Flavour." I want to steal it, just since it is a Australian beer glass, but I doubt I can get away with it at 3 in the afternoon. I ordered another and a Margharita pizza, figuring I would make it an early dinner. Brisbane is pretty cool. I think I was just let down after Sydney, which sets some high expectations. I'm really excited about the Koala Sanctuary, but I think the city is a pretty decent place as well.


Ok, but one thing that is beginning to bug me (well, wasn't really an issue until last night when Canada decided to bring it up, although the Andrew guy in Sydney has hinted at it), this whole hating America thing. I'm getting a little peeved about it because it's such a hypocritical hate. I mean, there are some things I do not like about my country, and I will admit, we made and continue to make bad decisions, but being a superpower isn't all it's cracked up to be. We became the world police (yes, much of the reason, due to our own types of policies), and whenever there is conflict, famine, destruction, the entire world looks at us like "ok, what now?" It's a lot of pressure. I don't think I would mind as much if it wasn't, like I said, such a hypocritical hate. Hate us because we continue to spread brands and fast food chains like viruses all over the planet. Hate us because we continue to turn a blind eye to certain attrocities while fighting other ones. Hate us for our music, which now is mostly club music that seems to be making it down here. But don't sit here and hate me while eating a Big Mac and singing Katy Perry's "California Gurls." Don't you see how insane that is? Even as I write this, a remix of Alanis Morrisette's "Uninvited" (who is Canadian, I know, but work with me here) plays in the background. America has it's hand in so much over here, I really don't know what country I would have to go to to completely escape the globalization, maybe some really dangerous one in Africa. Blind hatred for any nationality is just kind of insane though. I mean, how do you assume to know a single thing about me? And one Aussie said Queenlanders hated Americans because of WWII. I don't know enough about Australia's part in WWII to understand what he meant, but what I read in Rusty's book before I got here was that they supposedly like Americans because we are the only reason Australia wasn't fully invaded by the Japanese back then! But whatever reason for WWII hatred, am I supposed to still be carrying a grudge for Germans because they let the Nazi party get in charge and created WWII?! Let's all be a little reasonable about this and have some perspective. If you automatically hate me because I am "'Merican," then you are a hater anyway, and I don't really want a part of that. Get to know me and find out I am a lot cooler than even some of your Aussie friends, I promise. (ok, soapbox off)

Krispy Kremes Down Under, Baby Vomit, and US's eternal conflict with... Canada?

September 16: Today certainly hasn't had too many horrible incidences so far, but I wouldn't say it has gone off without a hitch. I have managed to laugh my way through it all though, which I suppose is a good thing. It started off this morning when I got up. I got up a little later than I meant to, for the first day, I actually could have slept in (for some reason, every morning, I have been waking up around 7). I had already packed most everything and planned to just use the small towel provided by the hostel for the shower so that I could cram my towel into my packing. I got up, gathered my clothes, and went to take a shower. Almost at the end of it, I realized I had completely forgotten to get this smaller towel from the hanger in my room and was now down the hall from it without any way of drying off. Being resourceful and ever vigilant not to freak out when I have lots of things to do, I used my clothes I had been wearing to the shower to dry off with. This, of course, isn't ideal and wasn't the most pleasant shower experience I've had, but I got dry enough to put my other clothes on and make it to my room to sop up my dripping hair. Dressed and packed, I went downstairs, leaving behind some of the food I had bought that was not easily packable for my new roommate (who was the sweetest one I've had, from Korea, and has been offering me food and Korea candy since she moved in last night), as well as two boxes I bought at the post that totaled 7 bucks (I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't need them yet, and there was no way to fit them in anything). I grabbed my bags and pillow case and went downstairs to check out. I was a little early (as usual), so after check out, I had to hang around for the shuttle to pick me up at 10 minutes after 10am. I have the ticket out in my hand so I will be ready. As usual, with idle time, my mind begins wandering, and I begin to question if I remembered to pack things like my converter or my phone. I begin rummaging through my carefully packed and basically spring loaded bags, having to repack after my neurotic self identifies each thing that I knew I had already packed, but was second guessing. After doing this about 4 times, I realize I now do not know where my shuttle ticket is. I looked on the ground and the couch around me, then I begin again rummaging through bags. I locate it wadded up in some carry-on clothing. I decide to stop doing this and instead watch the circle of French and Norwegian smokers blocking the entrance to the hostel outside with a cloud of smoke and hipster clothing. Finally, the shuttle arrives about 25 after, and I am loaded on an almost completely full van. I am sad about leaving Sydney. I have to admit that besides the Koala Sanctuary, there is not a lot I am looking forward to in Brisbane, and I also have several other things I want to do in Sydney when I return in December. I supposed I could have stayed a few days longer in Sydney, but everything is already booked, and like I said, I will have about 5 days at the end of my trip to become reacquainted with Sydney. The bus stops one more place and we pick up a family with a daughter and son going back to Brisbane. The children had to sit in the back behind me and the parents sat up front. I listened to the children play "I spy" in the back seat and remember doing stuff like that with my brother. Again, I am a little sad. I shake it off the best that I can, and watch the scenery of Sydney flying past me. At the airport, I am told my flight is delayed by 25 minutes and offered to get another flight. I tell them it is ok, after all, I don't have anything else scheduled today, and I cannot check in until 2pm anyway. I walk around the airport a while, openly laugh out loud when I see they are selling NC's own Krispy Kreme in the Sydney airport (I'm not so far from home after all), and locate the food court. I see a Hungry Jack's (their version of Burger King), but this is a no-no, so I grab a sausage roll and a hashbrown. I also spot this fabulous Australia delight, it was delicious! Grandma had warned me to be drinking my milk, and since this has the equivalent of calcium, it's the next best thing. After eating (and spotting more amazing M&Ms- have I mentioned this before? For some reason, Australia has better M&Ms than us, or at least more variety. There is a "mix-ups" bag that has three different kinds, and they also have orange and I picked up a crunchy mint today, it's excellent), I find a spot near my gate and begin people watching. The family from the shuttle is here too, but I find out they are boarding the flight before me. While that flight is boarding, a woman walks by me with a baby whispering "please down spit up." I look at the baby, who is salivating profusely, and like some skilled sniper, is able to time her move and accuracy with expert skill. A la Ben Stiller in "Meet the Parents," the baby vomits right as the mother is walking past me, hitting the seat next to me and marking one of my carry on bags as hers forever. "Oh, no," the woman says, as she continues walking. She doesn't even noticed that her little darling has upchucked on my bag, but continues to line up for the plane. I laugh at the ridiculousness, grab my water bottle, and do the best I can to scrub the nastiness from my bag strap. I am currently still waiting to board the plane, schedule for boarding in about 10 minutes. I will let you know if the rest of my day is as delightfully comical as the first...


(later on) September 16: I am here is Brisbane, and trying to stay positive. I had booked a mixed dorm, but found out from the other girls in the room that it is all female (not that is really matters, but I was trying to experience something different. The girls kind of looked at me weird when I acted confused about their not being dudes in the room. Well, when I got there, it looked messy enough for them to be dudes!). One girl is from Sweden, the other is from Canada, and they tell me there is also two French, one Denmark. The Canadian said we were supposed to be enemies. With Canada? I hadn't heard this. Not the greatest first impression of the girl, but whatever. This hostel, at least compared to Base, is very crappy. But I am trying to stay positive and friendly. I finally did meet some Americans on the shuttle from the airport. They were middle aged ladies from North Dakota, and when I heard them talking to one another, I knew. I asked if they were from the states, and the lady hesitated, probably fearing some unwarranted retribution or remarks like Canada gave me, but I explained I was American too, and we began talking. They seemed to like me and were jealous of my trip. One of the ladies gave me $20 dollars before we parted and told me to get a nice dinner. It was only about 20 minutes, but it was kind of a recharge for me to see Americans (well, until Canada smashed it tonight- positive thoughts, Courtney. Positive thoughts.) I am trying to plan out my time in Brisbane so I will know what I am doing each day so I will have a countdown to Melbourne (and the Melbourne girls!) I think that tomorrow is going to be spent exploring the city. One (and maybe the one) good thing about this hostel is it has a free shuttle. Of course, if it had a better location, it wouldn't even need the free shuttle. Base Brisbane is smack in the middle of everything, but no, I wanted to branch out from Base (positive thoughts, huuuuuuu). Anyway, my general plan: Friday 17: wander aimlessly, make sure I make my way to the Botantical Gardens, find anything free that I can do. Saturday 18: XXXX Bar Tour and cookout (even though it's a Queenlander beer, according to people in Sydney) Sunday 19: Cat Ferry or dinner cruise Monday 20: Koala Sanctuary Tuesday 21: maybe squeeze in something quick in town, wash clothes and pack, reflect and plan Wednesday 22: Leave for Melbourne. I have enjoyed talking to the one French girls about her plans. She is going to rent a camper to drive up to Cairns and see the rain forests and such. She gave me some tips on tours to take to see the Blue Mountains when I come back around to Sydney. Anyway, I'm going to bed soon. G'day.

Lonely...

For the first time on my trip, I felt lonely today. I don't know if it's the fact that I was going on 3 hours of sleep, that I spoke to my parents this morning, or that I have been gone about a week now (maybe all three), but it crept up on me this afternoon packing my bag for Brisbane. I felt the horrible sinking, sad feeling in my stomach. It was inevitable, I think, and even when I go sit in the lounge with about 20 people around me, it was still there. I haven't met single other American yet, which might also be aiding the feeling, and I've watched the 6 girls I bonded with leave yesterday, and the 3 Scottish guys, who were more familiar to me than really bonded, leave this morning. And I will be leaving the familiar hostel faces tomorrow- Jessica, who first took the step to talk to me when I was clearly by myself in Coogee, and Mario and Sam, who I've spent a couple nights in the past week partying with. It's not like we are all big buddies or anything, but I have been living under the same roof with these people for a week, and it's a strange feeling to be moving on. I know I will probably feel the exact same way in the new hostel and the one after that, it is an inevitable thing though. I took a break from packing and had a good cry, which actually made the feeling go away. Sometimes I think crying can have that affect, maybe that's why it's ingrained in us to cry when we have this feeling. Don't worry about me though, this is a normal occurrence in this type of situation. And it's not something I won't be able to overcome by tomorrow, it's just something that was bound to happen, and may happen several more times throughout the trip. But writing about it a little helps too. I will talk to you all again in Brisbane.

Sushimi and Chop Sticks, and a Gaffe Night

I don't want anyone to misunderstand the title, I have used chopsticks before. But usually, it's for like the first 5-10 minutes of the meal. I end up getting frustrated or tired of eating tiny bits and give up and ask for a fork. Today would be different.

Today was the first day of non-perfect weather in Sydney. It was overcast when I got up, and it started being rainy later on in the day. I ran out around 10 to find a post office to buy stamps and boxes to send stuff in. On the way back, I spotted several places I would be interested in eating lunch. I got back to the hostel right as it started raining. I wrote 6 postcards and put stamps on them, hoping I would find a post box at some point in the day. I decided I wanted to go to a Japanese place for lunch, craving some sushi. I found this little hole in the wall place (literally down steps and crammed in a very small place. It was also slam full- which I thought was another good sign.) I ordered my food, teriyaki chicken and sushi combo and a ginger beer (much to my dismay, turned out to just be ginger ale, but was bottled and very good).


My food came and was amazing. I had never had the full sushimi stuff before, usually getting the sushi rolls packed with avocado or some other stuff, and I didn't really know what I was ordering would be that, but when it came, I wasn't going to not eat it. As you can see, I finished most everything but my rice. It's probably the first time I have been really full since I've been here. A strange combination of nerves, no time, and trying to save money has led me to eat only two meals a day, and sometimes not come close to eating a whole meal. Everything I've ordered out, I've tried to eat most of, but I have only tended to buy one meal a day and eat other stuff in my room. It probably is saving a lot of money doing this.



My clean plates!

Last night I went to a club called The Gaffe with other people in the hostel. Andrew, an Australian I met and was talking to at Scary Canary before we left for The Gaffe, told me the Black Eyed Peas song was an omen- that I would have a good night. Andrew was right. I talked to lots of people, did a little drinking and dancing, met a guy from the Netherlands named Rob, and the only hiccup of the night was that I ended up missing the hostel bus back to Base. No worries, I caught a cab. I got in about 4 am, and could only sleep until about 7am today. It's cool though, because I will probably have an early night tonight since I have to checkout tomorrow and catch my Brisbane flight. I plan to spend my last day in Sydney on the harbor again, and maybe splurge for a nice meal at one of the restaurants on the harbor, even though I definitely spent quite a lot of coin last night, haha. Next time you hear from me, I will be in Brissy! G'day!



IMAX up the road from my hostel.



View of my hostel (Base Sydney) and Scary Canary from across the street.

Experience Vegemite...

At my most recent stop by Woolworth's, I decided to look around a little more and found some pretty unusual stuff. Chips of strange favors like ham and chicken, and candy bars I have never even heard of. I decided to pick up some of this stuff, and I will report on the candy bars as I try them. Today, I gave the chicken chips a whirl...



My reaction: they are decent, but do not scream chicken to me. They are more herbs than chicken flavored. I guess it's like when you get chicken flavored rice and stuff like that. None of that stuff actually tastes like chicken.



Up next, the big contender, every Aussie's pride and joy: Vegemite.



Clearly, I am not expecting too much from the initial smell, I haven't heard great things from Americans who have tried it, but they got so many other things right so far, how could Aussies screw up on this one?



Do I dare combine these to flavors? Am I tempting some cataclysmic event to occur? I thought I remembered chicken flavored chips and Vegemite as one of the signs of the Apocalypse.



DU DU DU! Moment of truth...



Maybe I will just touch my tongue to it first, just to get a hint of the flavor...



Mistake! Bad Mistake! I toss the whole chip in my mouth to chew...



Ack! NO!



HUHHHHH!



Help me, raspberry schwepps!






Well, in conclusion, I am not a big fan of Vegemite. Maybe it's one of those things that has to grow on you, I mean, a lot of people hate beer when they first try it. And this is essentially leftovers from brewing beer, with lots of salt added. I guess I will keep the jar in case I am stranded somewhere, in desperate, and I mean desperate, need of sustenance. I suspect it will also ward off thieves and small children, unless those thieves and children are Aussies.

Hyde Park, Night Cruise in Sydney Harbor, and Manly

I didn't write yesterday because what I thought would be an afternoon harbor cruise turned into an all night dance party and drink-fest. I spent yesterday morning at Hyde Park quading and trying to plan out what I would be doing next week in Brisbane. I spent most of my time watching a group of goth-ish high school aged kids messing around in the grass. I really hope they were drunk- the girls were wearing very short dresses, and kept falling down and rolling around showing their underwear. They would shriek and run around and push each other down. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or if I'm not giving them a fair chance, but I have observed an disproportionate number of girls that do anything to be the center of attention, even if it is insanely annoying or childish, even girls my age. Another side note- Australia, or maybe it is just Sydney (I will let you know) is very environmentally conscious. Every toilet I have seen has a half flush function, just in case you do not require extra water. And their buses have printing on the side, explaining how environmentally friendly they are. And when I bought a ticket for my Qantas flight, I was give the option to pay 98 cent more to offset my carbon footprint created by my flight. How nice for them to be so environmentally aware and conserve natural resources, without ulterior motives or political reasons- just do it because it's good for the world. After my afternoon in the sun doing planning and social observation, I ran by Woolwirths again to pick up some stuff and got back in time to get dressed for the cruise. I went down to Scary Canary, the meeting point for the group going to the cruise. I bought a beer, and took up my usual position watching the boys play pool. We got a group together, and walked down to the harbor around 5pm. We met at a restaurant called pontoon and pushed together 3 tables to make room for everyone. We went around the circle and introduced each other, telling where we were from. I, of course, was the only one from the US. There were 6 girls that knew each other, and they were on a girl's weekend from Melbourne, who invited me to sit with them. There were 2 guys from New Zealand, 3 guys from Scotland, and Mario and Sam and Jimmy who all work at the hostel. We got a free drink at the bar and the girls ordered wedges, which are eaten with sweet chili sauce and sour cream. We spent about an hour there hanging out and talking, then when the boat was ready, we walked back down the harbor. The sun was setting, so I got some amazing shots of the opera house and the bridge all lit up for the night. There was a cash bar on the boat, so everyone was ordering drinks. There were 2 levels- the bar level and the dance floor. The dance floor had loud, loud music, and strobe lights, it was intense. We circled the harbor and drank and danced, it was lots of fun. When it was over, we walked back together as a group to continue the party at Scary Canary. Sam, from London, and has been here 5 months but hasn't left Sydney or this hostel yet (and is now employed there) insisted I wear his sailor hat for the walk home. I danced with all the Melbourne girls some more, then we watched TV in the common room, and went to their room for cake. We ran into the french guys that I met the other day, and to prove I had learned from my previous experience, I forced a 2 kiss cheek greeting on the person I had met the other day and he laughed. They were carrying around a bottle of Jack Daniels, apparently drinking it straight from the bottle. When I told them it was my favorite, they offered me a swig. I then went to Mackers (McDonalds- my 2nd trip since being here, they love their Mackers) with 2 of the Melbourne girls and Sam. They all ordered food, but I refused, saying that it was my goal to not each American food (or chains) while here. Sam ending up force feeding me a nugget and fries (he was feeding everyone at the table) so I guess I broke that rule (I think there is an exemption that says if it is fed to you by an Aussie, it doesn't count). We then walked back to the hostel and called it a night. I rode the lift with Sam, and he requested not one, but two good night pecks. I went into my room, realizing I had a new roomie, and that her first impression of me would be me coming in at 2am. Whatevs. I went to bed, then a few minutes later, the person in the top bunk climbed down. I realized it wasn't my normal roomie, and although I wasn't sure because I was watching through closed eyes, I think it was a dude. He grabbed something from the drawer under his side of the bed and left. He wasn't in the bed with the new roomie, just in the top bunk over my bed. I guess they thought it was going to just be the two of them, so he could sleep in the room too, but I ruined that plan I guess, haha.

Anyway, fast forward to this morning, I am a tired from last night, but for some reason cannot sleep anymore past 7am. I get up and take a shower. My roomie is still asleep around 8:30am, so I am on the computer a while, then go downstairs to call my Grandma. I am meeting the Melbourne girls at 10am to go to Manly. I meet up with them checking out, and they store their luggage in my room. Everyone is dragging this morning, after all, they were right there with me last night. We start walking toward the harbor and stop at a place called Vivo to get brekkie. I have an open face sandwich with amazing bread and ham and tomato with melted cheese on the top- maybe it was more amazing because I was hungry, but it was great. We continue walking and stop to shop a little. We get to the harbor and ride a ferry to Manly. Manly is a little town with shops and restaurants and a tiny beach area. We sit on the shore a while, then go get fish and chips, they tell me this is a very Australian thing to do at the beach. We also have a cheesecake for Beth's birthday, one of the girls. We ride the ferry back and walk back to the hostel in time for them to catch their shuttle to the airport. I got their contact and will be visiting them again in Melbourne, because my Melbourne girls know how to party. I'm trying to decide what to do this evening. I plan on writing postcards because tomorrow I am going to seek out a post office, but I don't know if I want to go to the Canary for dinner or not. Now that I was part of a group for a while, it will be harder to become the loaner again, haha. I am sitting in the common area near the bar and they are pretty much DJing for me- Chili Peppers, The Killers, and now Foo Fighters- maybe it's a sign. Cheers!

PS- Hulu cannot stream in Australia- can I make it 3 months without my TV or Arrested Development? At least allsp.com still works...