Alright, I'm sitting in an internet cafe after a day of walking through Melbourne. It's a great city, and I've got a bit to say about it, but I'd better start with last night.
I arrived at the Melbourne airport around 11pm, so I had to book it through customs to catch the last bus into the city. Australia, by the way, has the toughest customs regulations in the world. It didn't help that I had to do a little tap dance to explain that the large, unmarked paper bags that I was carrying contained an acceptable chopped green herb. (There was no way that I was going to leave Fiji without a bit of Yaqona.)
They did eventually let me pass with almost all of my possesions. I used the airport info desk to find a hostel, and then I took the bus into town.
The hostel that I stumbled upon didn't seem that bad. I figured that there was only a 50/50 chance of waking up with mysterious skin bumps. Not bad odds, compared to some of the places that I've stayed.
By that point, it was a bit after midnight, so I crept in as quietly as I could. I found an open bunk in the back. I unpacked a few things, and then left the room to brush my teeth. I came back a few minutes later and continued to arrange my area, until I heard a very soft voice in the darkness.
"Excuse me"
Now, I had been moving around like a ninja on cottonballs, so I thought, "No way, is she really going to tell me to be quiet!"
"Excuse me"
"Hi," I said.
"Hi. I think that this is a women's dormitory."
"Great. Good night."
Well, actually I used my conversational muffler to curb that response. It does work occassionally. But I did say that I'd go downstairs and find out. Turns out, it was. The clerk felt really bad, but I told him that this wasn't the worst predicament that a traveller could be in.
My second room assignment was with Rocky, a young Chinese architect, and Shawn, a South Korean on a work-holiday visa looking for farm jobs. They were friendly, and most importantly, didn't steal my stuff while I slept!
Ok, on to Melbourne. It's another green city that has great public transportation, and a lot of city parks. It's an interesting blend of Victorian and modern architecture, that will probably be clearer through pictures.
I'm going to head out to a coastal preserve tomorrow, and then meet Tim in Sydney on Wednesday. I'll probably check back in again after the preserve.
