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!