Trip to Melbourne... or should I say "Melbin"?

Like many other words, Aussies have their own distinct way of pronouncing things, such as the city of Melbourne (pronounced Mel-bin). Melbourne is one of Australia's major cities located at the southern tip of the country in Victoria. The city reminded me of the atmosphere similar to New York. We travelled there for our Easter break because we got the Friday and Monday of Easter weekend off of class :) Melbourne is located about an 8-hour drive from Canberra, so we took an overnight bus to reach our destination. We were lucky enough to stay at a high school friend's dorm who was studying there for 2 nights-- Thanks Kristy!

Day 1: Thursday, April 5
We arrived in Melbourne bright and early at 8am after spending the night on the bus. Since my friend's uni was quite a bit outside of the city, we had to get a train, then 2 buses to get to her dorm. After this weekend I gained an extreme hatred for public transportation. It took us twice as long to get anywhere, and we were always relying on several different train/bus/tram routes to get anywhere. Not to mention, I got the door shut in my face twice. We got to Kristy's and settled in and gathered some recommendations of things we should do in the city. We decided to check out the Queen Victoria Market this afternoon and take a walk around the city. So we bussed and trained back downtown to the market, which had everything from fresh fruit to fish to cheap souvenirs. Then we walked around Federation Square where part of the international comedy festival was taking place. We decided to end our day early after hardly sleeping the night before and head back.

Day 2: Friday, April 6
We made plans to get up early and head to Saint Kilda beach for a laid back day in the sand and check out the amusement park, Luna Park. Since it was considered a "public holiday" admission tickets were abnormally expensive and we decided to pass on paying for any tickets. We got at least 4 hours of solid beach time though, and walked around the fun beach side boutiques and shops. As it started to get dark we headed back for a shower before deciding to hit up the casino for the night. I played the slot machines, because I didn't know how to do anything else, and ended up winning $16, which I'm pretty proud of for my first time gambling. I decided to stop while I was ahead and go back to the train station to make what we thought was the last train back, but it turns out we were 30 minutes off and missed the train entirely. My $16 winnings quickly went towards our $60 cab fare back to where we were staying...

Day 3: Saturday, April 7
A day of shopping was definitely in order for our trip, so we bussed to the Chadstone Mall nearby, after missing the bus by 30 seconds and waiting 45 minutes for the next one (once again- public transport problems). The mall was huge and after spending 3 hours and still not covering the whole thing, we decided to call it quits and head back. Little did we know, we had an eventful ride home in store for us. An older man got on and proceeded to harass a few of the passengers for the duration of our ride-- ranting about disrespect to our elders, no knowledge of Australian culture, and treating women with respect... all the passengers stayed quite and we tried our best to ignore him, as he was obviously not in clear state of mind. Yet another reason I despise public transportation. We then packed our bags and headed towards the hostel we would be staying in for the next two nights. Unfortunately, we took the wrong bus and went 30 minutes in the opposite direction of our destination, altering our intended schedule. Once we finally arrived at our hostel we sought out a Mexican restaurant for dinner, something very rare to find in Australia. The hostel was fun and hosted a lot of young travellers such as ourselves-- we roomed with a girl from the UK and another from Ireland. However, the cleanliness of the bathrooms and hallways were disgusting. The hallways reeked of smelly feet and the showers were dirty and covered in hair. I guess you get what you pay for?

Day 4: Sunday, April 8
Finally the Great Ocean Road tour! This road is 263 km and follows the southern tip of Victoria, starting in Melbourne. This road is said to have some of the most beautiful views in Australia and is notorious for it's amazing rock structures, gorgeous beaches and massive waves. We took the one-day bus tour (they also offered 2 and 3 day tours) which covered 90% of the length of the road and made stops at the majority of the famous ones. We skipped over the Bells Beach stop due to an international surf competition that was going on and went straight to the Memorial Arch, which is a popular photo spot. We stopped at a few beautiful lookouts before stopping at a destination notorious for wild koalas and native birds. For lunch we ate at a local restaurant at Apollo Bay along the way. Next we went on a  bush walk through the temperate rain forest to look at some of the tallest trees in Australia, almost comparable to the ones I remember seeing in San Francisco. Then we got to move onto to the coolest and most miraculous sites-- The Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. All of these destinations included magnificent rock formations creating beautiful views. The London Bridge was especially beautiful since we arrived to this spot just at sunset. Finally we embarked on the 3 hour drive back to Melbourne and went straight to sleep after a long day.

Day 5: Monday, April 9
Our last day in Melbourne, but we made sure it was a busy one. After checking out of the hostel and storing our bags, we went to seek out a district called Prahran, where Emily's cousin used to live and opened a restaurant. It was a cute, artsy district with lots of cafes, boutiques and shops. Unfortunately since it was the day after Easter a lot of the stores were closed, including the restaurant we went down to eat at. After spending the morning in Prahran we headed back to the city to take the free tourist shuttle bus tour around the city which showed a lot of the historical sites and other tourist attractions. We stopped at the Eureka tower to get a look of the city from 88 stories up. After returning back down to Earth, we hopped back on the shuttle bus and went to the Bourke Street shopping district complete with high end stores way too expensive for my budget, but window shopping was entertaining nonetheless. For dinner we decided to go to a pub for $5 pizzas and ended up making a much further journey than intended. Finally we sprinted (it was so cold and windy at this point) back to the hostel to collect our belongings and make our way to the bus station for our trip home. 4:00 AM we finally arrived back in good old Canberra... Home sweet home!

Melbourne was a beautiful and exciting city, with some of the most fascinating architecture I've ever seen. However, I don't think I would enjoy living in the hustle-and-bustle environment of such a big city. I'm content with the atmosphere Canberra has to offer and have enjoyed calling this place my home for the past few months. I leave this amazing country in a little over a month now, so I hope I can make the best of my time remaining here.

Here are some other words that Aussies have a special way of prounouncing...
Oregano = oh-ray-GAN-o
Aluminum= al-oo-MIN-ium
Idea= Idear

New Zealand... Churr Bro!

I just returned from the amazingly beautiful New Zealand and wishing I could go back. 8 international students from the US and Canada packed into 2 campervans to travel the south island for 7 days. The campervans were definitely the right way to go as we could move at our own pace and jump out on the side of the road for some impromptu photoshoots. The sleeping arrangements were quite cozy but surprisingly comfortable. Everyone got a chance to drive on the left side of the road which all went smoothly until I hit a one-way bridge.... literally hit a bridge. Thank goodness for insurance! :)

Day 1: Saturday, March 24th

After spending the night on the concrete floors of Christchurch International Airport, we get our vans and hit the road! The first part of the drive was as windy as western Kansas, which made our first driving experience a bit challenging. As we approached Arthur's Pass it started to rain which put a damper on our travels. Unable to get out and explore we drive through Arthur's Pass and find a camp site to spend the night in Hari Hari.

Day 2: Sunday, March 25th

After a relaxing morning we headed towards the Fox Glacier for our glacier hike that afternoon. We got suited up in rain pants and jackets with huge hiking boots and "crampons" for walking on the ice. The first part of the hike was on normal terrain until we reached the glacier. Once on the glacier we got to drink fresh glacier water which was absolutely freezing but very refreshing. There were a couple manmade crawl spaces we could explore and the scenery was beautiful. After the four hour hike commenced we settled in for some dinner at a restaurant in the nearby town Frans Joseph. That night we indulged in some outdoor hot pools which felt great after a long, rainy day. 

Day 3: Monday, March 26th

After considering an 8 hour hike to some natural heated hot pool, we decided we weren't prepared for such an extreme hike. We decided on a simple "3 1/2 hour" hike which ended at a beach with a "seal colony". Unfortunately most of this was false because it took us 5 hours and the only seal was saw was pretty much dead. But we did get to see a lot of the beautiful rain forest and a stone beach which was completely deserted. The path proposed a few challenges as well considering it had rained for 2 days before the hike and the once dirt path had turned into a mud puddle in many areas, ultimately turning my pretty white tennis shoes brown. After the exhausting hike we hopped in our vans and headed towards Queenstown where we stopped at a campsite on the way to enjoy some spaghetti and place to sleep.

Day 4: Tuesday, March 27th

Finally in Queenstown! Shortly after arriving we all rushed to the Information Station to book our adrenaline rushes of the day. 5 members of our group booked a bungee jumping trip, while I settled for the less exciting Shotover Jet. It is a jet boat ride that takes you up into the canyons and crevices of the Shotover River while getting dangerously close to the canyon walls and completing thrilling 360 degree turns. It was a lot of fun and an exciting way to see more of the scenery. While the majority of our group was bungee jumping I got to walk around and explore the main area of Queenstown. The shops and atmosphere reminded me of Breckenridge, Colorado or another touristy ski town. The shops, restaurants and bars proceeded all the way to the water at the foot of a beautiful mountain. The group got back together for a hearty meal at the famous burger joint, Ferg Burger. After enjoying one of the largest burgers I've ever eaten, we headed back to the vans to relax and get ready for a night on the town. We were able to check out a few of the cool "pubs" in the area and experience some of the nightlife.

Day 5: Wednesday, March 28th

After deciding to stay in Queenstown for another day and skip out on Milford Sound, we park our vans at a park and head back down to town to walk around and explore. Little did we know that our time in Queenstown would be unexpectedly prolonged. Turns out putting unleaded gas into a diesel powered vehicle doesn't work out too well... After a slight 2 hour delay we made our way to Invercargill to spend the night..

Day 6: Thursday, March 29th

Bright and early we hit the road on our way to Dunedin with some scheduled stops at various waterfalls and scenic views. The scenic drive was absolutely beautiful. Before heading into the city of Dunedin we stopped at Sandfly Beach in hopes of seeing penguins and seals, but were unsuccessful yet again. But the view was worth the drive regardless. That night in Dunedin we parked our vans outside on of our group member's friends apartment who was studying abroad in New Zealand for the semester. We got to meet some other students studying abroad and a few "kiwis". 

Day 7: Friday, March 30th

Another early morning. We make our way back to Christchurch to return our vehicles on time, this time with no scenic stops or nature hikes because we were clearly too worn out after a busy week. We said goodbye to our campervans and settled in for another slumber party in the airport in preparation for our early flight at 7am the next day.

Overall, it was an amazing trip and I wish I could have spent more time there and even made my way up to the north island. Unfortunately I did not run in to any hobbits while exploring New Zealand, but we did see a few of the destinations filmed in the Lord of the Rings movies. Now I am off to Melbourne for the long Easter weekend. It's hard to believe I'll be back home in 2 months... time sure does fly!