When I arrived in Melbourne and cleared customs Joe was waiting for me ready to get me started on the adventure. The first order of business was to get and Australian SIM card for me phone. It cost 20 AU$ and it is good for 28 days and has 3.5 GB of data and unlimited texting. What a deal. Finished with that we made our way to the Sky Bus pickup location. I had purchased a 5 trip pack before leaving, so it was a snap to get on the bus. It took is to the Southern Cross Station.. Arriving there, Joe had be my a MyKi pass that allows you to use the trams and busses. It works like the Oyster card in London. Just have to add more money as you need. After that was just a few feet to where we picked up a transfer bus that took us close to Kevins. From there is was just a 3 block walk to the apartment.
It was good to finally get there so I could stop handling luggage and relax. Joe and I visited for a bit and then headed out to the Central Business District where Kevin works. The walk took us down to the river. The area is very nice. It has restaurants, street performers and entertainment facilities. We walked across the pedestrain bridge to Flinders Station. From there we grabbed a tram down a few blocks to a big mall, mostly restaurants, next to the building where Kevin works. The plan is that Kevin is going to meet us there for drinks after work.
Since Joe and I hadn't had lunch we stopped for a quick bite at a pizza restaurant. The pizza was very good, I had the salami one, just the way I like them. Spicy with a crisp crust. From there we walked around a bit. The center part of the mall has an old building in it. It used to be where they made pipes and lead shot for guns many years ago. It is called the Shot and Pipe. They used to drop the lead from the top and as it fell it cooled a bit and made a perfectly round shot...or so Joe says.
We then went to the "Melbourne Central Lion Hotel' where we were going to meet Kevin. Since we were a bit early we had a glass of wine while we waited. Kevin got there aournd 4:30 and he had a Coke. We visited for a bit and watched a cricket game. Kevin explained the scoring rules and how the game is played.
From there we went to the Wood 'n Chimney and had dinner. Kevin's friend from work joined us for a while. After dinner we went home and just relaxed until bed. I was tired and ready to sleep in a real bed.
