I’m Getting Too Old for This

Photos: Australia: Melbourne and Around

Note: I’ve added a link to Martin’s blog to the right. Take a look, he’s got a fabulous camera and is a pretty good photographer! To find out who Martin is, read this blog post. :)

• Monday, 20 Dec: Wandered around Khao San Road area, visiting bookshops and trying to barter a good deal to sell or trade my old books (SE Asia guidebook, Millenium book #2, and a language book for SE Asian countries) so that I could get a good price on Millenium #3 and a guidebook for Oz and/or NZ. I ended up paying about $10 for Millenium and $8 for a 2010 NZ guidebook. Woo! Otherwise, puttered around, played on computers and peoplewatched; at dinner, an older woman named Ingrid asked me to sit with her, then help her on the computer, then walk her back to her hotel; she was a trip! Resisted urge to cut my hair super short and dye the stubble bright blue. Also attempted to sink wash clothes to get the stench out.
• Tuesday, 21 Dec: Slept in; street food breakfast; read book; did last computer chores; bought an airport minivan ticket; at a huge late lunch; left for airport at 5pm, arrived at 7:00pm due to traffic; bought some treats and water, the latter which was not allowed on the plane due to Australian restrictions; boarded flight, finished my book after two hours, went to sleep. Annoyed that JetStar charges $3 for a cup of tea, $8 for a blanket and $12 for meals, and keep the cabin ice cold.
• Wednesday, 22 Dec: Arrived Melbourne feeling groggy and dehydrated; spent an hour and a half at the airport clearing customs (had to declare my food, which consisted of a bag of dried mango chips and some herbs) and then hanging out at the information desk to figure out a place to lodge; finally decided on Melbourne International Backpackers (MIB) and bought SkyBus ticket to city; made transfer to a free bus to my hostel; arrived, checked into a 6-bed dorm, ate at a Malaysian place for lunch and then took a three hour nap; went to Queen Victoria Night Market with some dorm-mates and had Middle-Eastern for dinner; fell asleep at 11pm.
• Thursday, 23 Dec: Slept very well! Availed myself of free breakfast – cereal for the first time in almost three months! Then set out to explore local Melbourne area: free City CIrcle Tram, saw Dockside and some cool city streets; meandered around for most of the day; met a Couchsurfer interested in renting a car to explore the Great Ocean Road; bought food to cook for dinner/lunch; ate at hostel; developed a major headache and went to bed.

 

No, I’m not too old for traveling. I’m too old for dorms. I’m too old for the girls hooking up with guys in the top bunks, pretending to be asleep when you walk in unexpectedly. Too old for the girls whose best friends are insanely jealous and shoot adoring looks at the guy with whom their friend is hooking up. Too old for clambering into the top bunk and waiting for the lower-bunk girl to stop squirming around.

I never thought I’d feel too old for this!

It’s not all bad. I don’t mind the laundry that is currently hanging on jury-rigged clothesline across the room. And the guy causing all the trouble is actually a fairly nice-seeming guy from London. It’s just the drama that seems a bit much, is all. Girls who haven’t outgrown high school and college level emotional turmoil and tendencies get a bit annoying, but hey – they are just out of “uni” as they call it, so I suppose I should give them leeway.

Melbourne is a hoppin’ place! It’s so modern and clean and lively! It must be said that I’m suffering severe stickershock, and it’s well justified. Not only is it difficult coming from Asia to Australia in the first place; Australia is also just really friggin’ expensive! A big bottle of water cost me $3.20 today (and AUD=USD at the moment). In Cambodia it would be $0.50. Oy. Internet at my hostel? $3 an hour. In Bangkok, it was about $1 an hour. And my half a bunk bed here costs $26 per night. An ensuite double, by myself, cost at most $10 per night in Asia. Ouch!

The weather is quite cool but also very sunny. From what I understand, I seem to have brought the good weather with me; it was apparently rain and even cooler temps before. The streets are paved evenly and the sidewalks are good for walking upon. It’s quite the contrast from Cambodia’s dirt roads and decimated sidewalks when they even existed. Oh, and the showers! Sure, I’m using shared bathrooms, but the showers are hot and have great pressure! I’ll admit I was not eco-friendly this morning as I reveled for twenty minutes in the fabulous heat.

There are many beautiful parks in Melbourne, which I fully intend on taking advantage of by reading, napping or wandering through them. There are a few free things to do, although the things that cost seem to cost a lot (like $20 for entry to the aquarium). I found a couple of streets that were filled with beautiful graffiti, which was fun to peruse like an art gallery. I found two places so far with free wi-fi: the state library and Foundation Square. I love the feeling of a clean, smoothly running city.

My plans for my time in Melbourne include attending a Christmas Eve BBQ on the beach with the local couchsurfers here; a three-day trip with a German couchsurfer named Martin, up the Great Ocean Road and back, to include Phillip’s Island; and that’s about it so far. Tomorrow I will explore the area some more, particularly to buy some gifts and souvenirs and maybe some warm clothes, if I can find anything affordable.

Oh! And I love how friendly Australians are, and that they call me “love” or “darling” as a matter of course and not in a weird way.

Sticker shock? Yes. Culture shock? Of course. Still happily traveling? Absolutely!

--Z