Melbourne and back...

Including the joys of public ground transportation...

Friday

The bus ride was long and boring down there... We left Sydney around 7:15pm and arrived in Melbourne around 6:00am. That is just way too long to be on a bus. The bus stopped twice for breaks on the way, but that still didn't help with my need to want to walk around.

Saturday

The arrival...

We arrived into a rainy Melbourne. The place looked like a gloomy place to be. We walked to Nomads Industry (the hostel that we were staying at). Showered and got ready to go on our Great Ocean Road Tour.

The tour...

The tour was great. I was able to see the 12 apostles (8 of which remain), some awesome beaches and views, wildlife, and some small towns. While we were stopped for lunch, the bus got a flat tire. However, this only delayed us for 30 mins and gave us a chance to walk around the town some more.

The night...

After coming back from the tour, the four of us decide to go out. We go to the Crown Casino, only to find it has cover charges at all of its clubs and is packed because the Sydney Swans (Footy) are in town and won the game. The casino was awesome, but not too much to do without paying a fair amount of money

Sunday

After arriving back at the Hostel around 3 and getting to bed around 4, I decided I was going to sleep in... However, god had other ideas. I was awaken by the Fire alarm going off at 11:30 am (early as I was still sleeping to make up for the bus ride and being out late). There was no fire, but they are building a bar in the Hostel and the contract some how set off the alarm.

That afternoon, I go down to St. Kilda beach to see the beach and explore the little beach area. While I am down there, I run into some more people from BU's program that are also in Melbourne for the weekend. That was cool.

Sunday night we go back to the Casino... Some people gambled, but I just watched the Craps game. The table was hot, but got stone cold very quickly.

Monday

This was the day of exploring. On Monday, I went to Parliament, Chinatown, a few parks, the Botanical Gardens, the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG), and more. In one of the parks, there was a random memorial of JFK, but not an explanation for why.

That night, I caught the train back to Sydney. The train ride was great, very relaxing and I was able to get up and walk when I wanted to do so. I would take the train again.

Tuesday

I arrived back on the train. The day was productive as I was up early and able to start getting things done for the week. I have two papers due this week and two exams... Fun... Fun... However, I am also excited as my trip to Cairns is on Sunday. So this week maybe hell, but it will be worth it after it is over.

How I almost died in Melbourne
1. Squished between two busses
2. Hit by a Tram (they have street cars... aka Trams)
3. Fire in my hostel
4. Secondhand smoke in the Casino
5. Nasty Hungry Jacks meal