Our last stop in Australia has been a long one, just over a week in Melbourne. Nearly halfway through my three month trip, it has been nice to spend enough time in one city to really get to know it; to find my favorite spots and even a few small elements of routine.
Our first stop was returning the rental car, which I was proud to have done in one piece - and after only having been called stupid once while driving through the insanity of Melbourne! The transition to walking was welcome. As we were trudging around with our backpacks and maps upon arrival, I had a strange sensation of familiarity - though in a new city, I realized I've repeated this same scenario, this same lost feeling, so many times across the world - and something about that brought a sense of comfort and ease.
Having arrived without plans, the task at hand was to find a hostel that both had available rooms and didn't smell like feet - which in the peak of summer was harder than it sounds. We ended up in the Hotel Discovery, a hostel whose lobby resembled a Chuck-E-Cheese for adults: circus-like primary colors, loud music and lots of people people milling about. In other words, the kind of hostel that is starting to make me feel old.
Settled near the city center, we went out to experience a Friday night in Melbourne. We'd heard about a bar called Shit Town, rumored to have an '80s dive aesthetic and whose name intrigued us. An hour later, we gave up on trying to find its obscure back alley location, realizing maybe we weren't quite Shit Town material anyway - after all, we'd Google mapped it and walked around with the printout in our sandals and traveler attire, basically in circles. Everyone else around was dressed up all trendy in that new '80s kind of way - and all of a sudden being on day three of the same outfit felt less OK than it had before.
Overall, I like Melbourne. It has ingredients of a great city - both well-preserved historic and innovative modern architecture, plenty of green space, and constant events and festivals. It also has decent public transportation but more importantly, the ability to get generally anywhere you want to go without having to use it.
Geeky as it may sound, I think my favorite place in Melbourne is its library. The Victoria library is a giant stately stone building, where people gather on the front lawn to eat lunch, hang out, read, or stage protests. Allie and I use it as our meeting place any time we need one, and come here almost daily for the free internet. It also has galleries of historical and art exhibits, including one of incredible rare books. My favorite is the giant reading room with rows of old heavy wooden desks and balconies full of books leading up to its four-story glass-topped dome ceiling. An ideal journaling spot, or if nothing else a place to escape the ozoneless Australian sun for a while.
Library aside, I've had a pretty diverse week. I celebrated Chinese New Year in Chinatown, saw some hilarious Aussie stand-up comedians, took an impromptu hip-hop dance class at the St. Kilda beach festival, learned more about the heartbreaking oppression of Aboriginal culture, bought fresh produce nearly every day at the Victoria Market, and tried every possible variety of Tim Tams (dark chocolate and caramel are both favorites).
I'm definitely feeling as though I'm in the midst of long term travel - I have Chaco sandal tan lines, recently couldn't remember my own phone number, and just gave myself a haircut in a hostel dorm room. But there have also been times I've had to remind myself I'm in another country, as in many ways Australia is not all that different from home.
However, tomorrow I will say goodbye to low humidity, $7 beers, and western culture to board a plane to Kuala Lumpur. Asia will no doubt challenge me, amaze me, and perhaps make me even more homesick, but I'm feeling ready for the next adventure.
