MELBOURNE: Worth fearing for my life….twice
Saturday, August 13th, 2005Ok. I really dont know where to begin this entry so I’ll just start with the scratchy feeling in my throat that appeared out of nowhere on Wednesday night (it will soon play a huge role in my weekend). So by thursday night(when I’m set to take the greyhound bus 12 hours from Sydney/Melbourne) this little scratchiness has worked itself into a beautiful sinus/head cold. Determined not to let it ruin my weekend, I armed myself with dayquil, cough drops and tons of kleenex and set off for my 12 hour journey to Melbourne.
Despite getting less then two hours of sleep on the bus, the bus ride wasn’t as horrible as it could have been. I sat next to a friendly women from India who chatted with me for a bit and on the other side of the isle were two Jamican men who were fascinated with my Ipod and drank literally 6 Pepsi’s a piece on the 12 hour bus ride. I arrived in Melbourne on schedule (8:00am), and despite being loopy from a sleeping pill i had just taken 4 hours earlier, I managed to wander the 10 plus blocks to my hostel (following my little map of course) Flinders Station.
Flinders Station was hell on earth. For 20 bucks a night, my room was smaller then a college dorm, and included four bunk beds, a dresser and a light. No phone, no closet, no towels, no little mini travel shampoos. Nothing. (Good thing we did not spend much time there!) Literally five minutes after I arrived, My roomate Bree, our friend Rachel and her 16 year old brother J.R (self-proclaimed future president of the united states) walk in–they flew (smart). We quickly left the hostel and roamed around melbourne for the day/evening, capping it off with a TERRIBLE dinner in China town (the chicken in my cashew chicken was unrecognizable)!
A 630 wake up call the following morning began our 13 hour tour on “The Great Ocean Road.” Still feeling like hell, yet pumped for the day, I dragged myself out of bed only to be slapped in the face by the misty rain and freezing temperatures with nothing but a fleece. But “No Worries” as we were greeted by our friendly tour guide, Matt (who had a hilarious Australian sense of humor) and a bus load of 20 foreigners.
The best way to describe the 13 hour tour is by pictures (www.snapfish.com username: tlswartz@wisc.edu password: missyou). There are no words to explain the beauty of what I witnessed. There are 60 pictures, but stick with them, because they get better and better as the day goes along. Some of the highlights of the tour included: a walk through a koala park, journey through a rainforrest, a helicpotor ride with my friend Bree over easily one of the most beautiful landmarks in the world (the 12 apostles), the london bridge, and the bay of martyrs at sunset. Other then not feeling 100 percent it was truely an INCREDIBLE tour.
If anyone is still reading at this point.. it is from here on that I had a brush with death.. twice. So, being the thrifty (or shall I say cheap) person that I am, I decided to book a 7:15 flight out of melbourne b/c it was cheap. Problem was, our hotel was a good 40 dollar cab ride away from the airport, and the free shuttle from our hostel didn’t leave until 600 which wasn’t early enough for me to get to the airport on time. So, 10 blocks away from my hostel is a sketchy bus station that has shuttles on the hour to the airport for 13 bucks. My only option, obviously, was to catch the 5:00am shuttle.. meaning a 4:00 wake up call to walk 10 blocks in the freezing cold. .. but lets set up the scene a little better.
Our hostel was in downtown melbourne. Not only did I not get one wink of sleep due to incredibly clogged sinuses, but the shouting of the drunkards out at all hours of the night, followed by a massive fight that broke out right around 3:00 right outside my window, followed by the sound of not one but two squad cars blazing onto the scene, was just about enough to deprive me of any sleep I would have gotten. After hearing all of this, I decide it’d probably be wise to have the front desk call me a cab so I dont have to walk the 10 blocks to the bus stop at 4:30 am. So I wander down to the front desk with my comfortors, sheets and towel (25 dollar deposit for all of that) and im informed that the person who is supposed to be working there is “next door cleaning up from the fight… there is blood all over…” So after waiting all the time I possibly could before missing my bus, I ran the sheets back up to my room and told my friends to drop them off for me and collect my deposit (they are flying out monday morning) before setting off on foot.
It is now 4:40 and little Traci is wandering down the streets of Melbourne with her huge travel backpack and purse in hand to find this sketchy bus station. I truely have never been more scared for my life… not because anyone tried to come at me.. but just feeling alone and vulnurable in a foreign city at 4:30 am. (dont worry mom and dad.. I knew I’d be ok b/c i had St. Christopher on;)). Also, the route the people at the hostel gave me to the bus station involved walking past three “gentlemens clubs” that just happened to be clearing out as little Traci is walking past. Wonderful. But to make a WAY to long story short.. I got to the airport and on my flight just fine.
This is where near death experience number two comes in. I’m on my flight feeling SUPER congested, but hanging in there. The flight is only 1 hour and 15 min from Melbourne to Sydney… so I’m like.. NO PROBLEM! But, as the plane starts to descend, the pressure to my head/sinuses was excruciating. My ears are trying to pop.. but probably due to my congestion, they wouldn’t. So all of a sudden I start feeling this splitting pain over my left eye…It literally felt like every single vessel in my eye was popping one by one and I truely for a second thought my left eyeball was going to pop out of my head. I’m not lying… it was that painful. So i just let the eye tear up, rubbed my temples and prayed until the plain finally touched down. Upon landing, I inspected my eye-still there thankfully;) but one of my ears is still plugged! Then, I had to find out how to get home from the airport without paying 40 bucks fo the cab! But I was SO proud of myself. I took the train (13 bucks) downtown to the Circular Quay (somewhere where I have taken the bus home multiple times), then walked right over to my bus stop and swipped my bus pass for the $2.50 ride! How do you like that problem solving!
So all and all, it was a very exciting weekend. I really learned a lot about myself. I am a lot stronger then I thought, a lot braver and can fend very well for myself thank you very much.. even when not feeling well. However, traveling through life is much more enjoyable with someone at your side….and from here on out.. I’d prefer not to be alone again;)
Traedogg