Return to Oz
Thursday, January 29th, 2009G’day!
Im sure the news has hit you that Melbourne is melting. I can vouch for that – Im here in Australia and I dont think I have ever had to drink so much water in my life!!! We are talking temperatures of 43 degrees and ma ybe some more, its crippling and today public transport is free to make up for all the problems there have been with train tracks buckling and trams consequently being rammed with people. But Im still having a great time besides, am currently staying with my friends Fiona and Nick up in Brunswick (thank you guys xx), but I was in St Kilda for a bit and am spending a lot of time wandering around, and have been to Brighton. A lot! Yep there’s a Brighton here in Melbourne for when you want to feel closer to home, haha!
So, second time around I wondered if they were actually going to let me into the country. Melbourne Airport, 2.15am or so, march up to passport control, passport stamped, I walk away a little before flicking it open to reveal my new stamp, ha haaaaaa! Im in!! And no questions about how long Ill be staying or anything! I took a flight 1.40pm on Friday, direct via a change in Dubai (Starbucks coffee in Dubai works out at about £5!!!) and then a short one in Singapore. Emirates. They were good but no new films so I watched some of my old faves, All About Eve and An Affair To Remember. And they are pretty old, eh??I had a pretty rough time with20jetlag when I arrived. I finally got to my hostel around 5am, Id jumped on a bus to the city (I was the only person on it!) and was really lairy with a cabbie (girl travelling alone at 4am – you have to be!) who did take me to St Kilda from th ere and thank goodness the hostel had my reservation and stuff. Went to sleep as soon as I got in with thoughts of cockroaches on melatonin but woke up at 9 the following morning (still 10pm at home!!) so I got up and showered but felt so depressed and just exhausted so I went back to sleep at 10. As I fell asleep, I told myself that it was OK if I wanted to stay in bed all day. This was my time so I could do what I want, ha! I did eventually wake up at 4 in the afternoon! At that point I really had to drag myself out of bed and get with the programme so I grabbed a bottle of water, stepped out and as soon as I got into the sunshine and heard the tinny click-click-click of the pedestrian crossing, I remembered why I was here. I spent my first day refamilarising myself with St Kilda – this is where I stayed when I first came to Melbourne backpacking 4 years ago – went to the beach, busy, busy, walked around, then I got on a tram into the city and walked around there too. Not much going on there, everywhere was quiet. Headed back to St Kilda when it got dark around 8.30pm or so and stopped off at an ice cream place and noticed a Canadian girl also on her own buying ice cream. Now, usua lly as a backpacker you can just go up to people and start talking shit and I thought I should make at least one friend today to alleviate this gloom of having flown direct but you know what? I just couldnt be bothered. So I didnt. And that was OK. I think that ice cream and a banana was all I could eat that day.
Headed to the hostel – St Kilda Beach House btw – and thought Id quickly check emails. As it turned out I needed to get some kind of code from reception – some bloke on a computer told me – so I went to get one, came back, and the mood I was in, I could have just not told helpful bloke that I had managed to get a code, but I did and conversation was struck! Guy from Brighton (the one in England yeah yeah), my guardian angel! In 5 minutes we went from talking about logging on to jetlag (he had just flown in from 5 days in Thailand so was still a bit shaky) to how long we were staying to life back home. I liked him already, we had lots to talk about, and then he invited me out for a drink! We talked and talked and talked and I was so grateful that somebody so cool had turned up at just the right moment. I even went to sleep happier although the jetlag sleep pattern continued for at least another 3 or 4 days. And as all stories like this go, after that first night, I never saw him again…
The weekend I landed was a party weekend as Australia Day was celebrated on20Monday 26th, and being a public holiday, everyone goes out raving. That day there was a massive gig called Big Day Out with Arctic Monkeys, Ting Tings, Prodigy and loads of Aussie bands Id never heard of. I walked back into my room aft er a shower on the Monday to find a new room mate, a Kiwi guy who was also a Neil Young fanatic. He offered me a ticket for half the price – still $100 – and said I HAD to see Neil Young (really???) but despite all the advice everyone has given me about taking up every opportunity that comes my way I thought about it and decided not to. And instead I went to Brighton Beach and hung out there and then spent some time listening to my iPod and reading at St Kilda Botanical Gardens. Which was a lovely way to spend the day.
Yesterday was really nice – I met up with a friend from home, Ben (Larry you are a diamond) and a cousin, Feriel – Ben has just arrived so it was cool showing him the ropes and suggesting places to stay and places to see and Feriel has lived here for 8 years after moving from London so it was interesting getting her take on working here (she works in finance, oo-er) and what its really like to live here and stuff. Im due to meet up with an old friend, Katie, who I met in Bangkok some years ago so that should be cool too. I do have some long-lost cousins here but having trouble getting in touch!
So, for the past few days the temperatures have=2 0soared into the 40s so I have been seeking shelter at every opportunity although the shade isnt even that much cooler. Its crazy going to sit on the beach in this weather (the Aussies might not agree with me) but actually I have to say, the girls on the beaches are looking fiiiine but have not noticed any nice men. Where are the hot guys? So, I went to an open air cinema at the Royal Botanical Gardens the other evening – www.moonlight.com.au and there they all were, running in the park, hubba hubba, sorry I wasnt looking really, no. hahaha! I also went to Brighton to see Slumdog Millionaire – OH MY GOD!!!! YOU MUST SEE THIS FILM!!!! I have a stupid big fat grin on my face whenever I think about it. Brilliant film! It did cost me $16 to see though which is nearly £8. Things are actually not so cheap in Oz. Water is a big expense. A small bottle can cost £1 and if you’re after Evian, good luck. I think I really will have to make use of my working visa if Im going to spend some time here without coming home penniless. But with 20,000 backpackers looking for work in Melbourne, earning $13/hour as a shots girl in a nightclub could be the way to go….!
Lotsa love,
Farrah
PS. By the way Shireen – I think you are lying about Golden Gaytime aren’t you? You just want me to get my head bashed in – I cant find it in any sweet shops! And yeah, by the time I post the Havaianas, its cheaper for you to get them online!
PPS. My tremendous chums who emailed and texted when I needed you most – NW, LC, BA, LZ, RH, AK, MM, AA, LW – you are truly special xxx
PixieDoux