Melbourne

Melbourne is an amazing city where arts, culture and business meets.

Probably the most unplanned trip and most shaky of all, the ultimate independence with nobody to rely on (except a small meeting with Raad) and no planning done before hand. This trip was inspired because I want to meet my old JC friend Cheryl Tan, who was 'too tired' to meet up with me. People who actually helped me plan (while I was already in the trip!) were Lauren de Waal (met from ENGN4420, told me everything nice!), Karen (basic information, public transport), Andy (basic information), Anna (shopping streets) and Aman (food!). Through this trip, I also realized that the white stuff in the sea I always see were actually wavefronts, not sails. It is just wonderful that I stopped here before flying back to Singapore and ending my exchange.

7 July 2014 Clear, Sydney > Melbourne CBD, Planning Day

Woke up early to catch the flight to Melbourne Avalon. It delayed half an hour due to fog in Avalon... Seems to me that  flight delays is a rather common thing, haha. Landed safely afterwhich I arranged the only (expensive) transport into Melbourne CBD. I have a really hard time trying to figure out the public transport in Melbourne, when many people say their public transport is good. I think I am just stupid, or it was just because I relied on Google Maps too much. After very long, I finally figured out a path to get to my accommodation, but that took me 40 minutes of walking with all my luggage! When I reach the place, I wasn't very happy with the place. Its location is very bad. I guess it was a mistake to book here, Pint on Punt doesn't suit me. I quickly cancelled the booking for the next 3 days and changed accommodation to one in the CBD. Used computer for the entire afternoon. Dinner was at a Punjab cafe, was a disappointment as well. Determined to improve the trip for the next few days, I went ahead and planned for the next few days before sleeping.

8 July 2014 Clear, Shop/Eat Day

Woke up to the free breakfast. Really making my money worth it even when I made a bad decision to stay away from Melbourne CBD. Met a new friend called Mark Duffield, who travelled the world. I'll listen to his advise and go China for my next destination. Went to the post office to send a parcel to my dear friend. Saw Melbourne outside of the CBD. Pretty unique. Grabbed my luggage and went off to CBD! This time, I knew exactly how to move around and got to the CBD cheap and fast. Had KFC for lunch, wanted to see how it is here. It is amazing, it improved so much! Wandered around Melbourne CBD without worrying about getting lost, free and easy. I found the legendary large H&M outlet and it was super crowded. Ended up in Queen Victoria Markets, walked around and bought souvenirs for my dear friends. To my horror, they close at 2 PM, when I am not even done! I decided I was tired and went to check into United Backpackers. I kinda like this hostel better. The feeling is great, how you can shop till you're tired, then just walk back to your hostel and rest. I met up with Raad for dinner, but have to wait 2 more hours for dinner. What's more, I have to say no to him asking me to go to a strip club. Was rather awkward and bad. I live by my own rights and rules. There is only so much I can do for my friend. So, I went back and rested for the night.

9 July 2014, Cloudy, Eat Day

Slept in till 9 AM to recover my strength and alertness but to no avail. After breakfast, I visited the post office to send out postcards and a letter. On the way, I actually ran into John Zhang, like, what a coincidence! Took a picture and went ahead on our way. Lunch was at Don Don, pretty awesome for its price. I then went to Max Brenner chocolate bar for chocolate brownie sundae. It made me very happy! Well, it was super sinful too. I really wonder how they can make liquid milk chocolate taste so good! Bought more souvenirs, concluding all the gifts that I will buy back. Still yet to buy are more chocolates and alcohol, which I should be able to find at the airport. In the afternoon, I visited Fitzroy Gardens. No regrets. They have an amazing conservatory.

I sunk into complete relaxation as I stepped into a paradise of plants, flowers, soothing music(!) and marble statues. I guess I am a sucker to beautiful soothing music. I then moved on towards Royal Botanic gardens, where my phone died, and hence no more pictures, and navigation was done using only a map. It relives the old days without proper technology. I am glad I was still able to do it without getting lost, since it is foreign ground. While getting there, I also discovered many major landmarks such as William Darak Bridge, King's Domain, Sidney Myer Music Bowl (no spelling error). On the way back, I saw the Shrine of Rememberance, Queen Victoria Gardens, Victoria Barracks, and many other statues in between. It was another great solo walk, but no pictures to remember it by. Did the walk in the rain. On the way back, I sheltered a random stranger going to a conference. Poor her to get wet before a conference. I actually helped her find directions even when I am a tourist myself! Dinner was at The Meat and Wine Co. I was after Kangaroo meat. It feels strange going to a posh restaurant to eat alone. I am sure I got some weird judgement from the waitresses there. The meat tasted really unique. Kangaroo meat haha, nowhere else in the world. The chef did a really good job with the spices and flavouring.

10 July 2014, Rain, Travel Day

It started off with a cloudy morning. According to the tour guide and driver however, the Great Ocean Road is a road of four seasons. Sure enough, the clouds cleared as we passed by Geelong. The Great Ocean Road started its construction in 1919, took more than 30 years, and extends about 200 km.The tour is a small group tour in a van. I soon realized that most people in the group were Chinese, with one korean and two Ukrainians. We stopped by a cafe in Torquay. I had my last Flat White in Australia. Saw a rainbow along the way when we start the Great Ocean Road. It is also amazing how in each wave, a mist is made, and it has the colours of the rainbow. We made another random stop where we fed very colourful birds and saw a koala sleeping on the tree. They are all wild! Lunch was pretty little. The 12 apostles are not exactly 12. 4 are already missing, some have collapsed. This was caused by the strong waves which toppled them over. On the world map, the south side of Australia is bent in (Great Australian Bight). This is due to constant erosion from the strong large waves from the Southern Ocean.

When I was there, there was a storm going on, raging wind and rain. That did not stop me and other tourists from going in and getting beautiful pictures. I wore my 4th layer, the raincoat windbreaker and went into the storm to take pictures! It would have been nicer if it is a clear sunny day though, but I would settle for this. Totally worth the trip. Next stop is the Loch Ard Gorge, named after the shipwreck here. It is stunning as well. Foam bubbles get blown up the cliffs, creating a dreamy effect. On the way back, we stopped by Colac. Reached Melbourne CBD and went to Shanghai Street Dumplings for dinner. The waitress warned me about me ordering too much haha! The meal was great, the xiao long bao actually had soup inside. At the end, she asked me if I was full. I replied, yep, I am quite full. Satisfied with my last meal in Australia, I went back to my hostel and rested early for tomorrow's flight. Talked to some people in the backpacker hostel.

11 July 2014, Clear, Homecoming

All good byes said are instant messaging, reducing the impact of actually feeling sad that I am about to leave Australia and not come back for a long time. However, I still appreciate every little of them. Flight delayed for an hour and a half, again.