Australia at Last!!!

While I understand why I've been getting all the flack for the poor job of posting I've been doing, people gotta understand... I've been having too much fun! So here is my trip to Australia in a nutshell!

I started off in Melbourne (37°49'4.74"S 144°58'6.50"E) after nearly 24 hours of travel - 3.5 hours by train to Seoul, 2 9 hour flights to Singapore and finally Melbourne, 2 hours for the plane transfer and 2 hours to fix a "10 minute" mechanical issue. It really is funny, though, how amicable you are when you're on your way somewhere sunny. Vacations bring out the best in people... well, me anyways. One of my flights sat me next to the "disgruntled and this country" ex-ESL teacher, on his way home after 2 years abroad. While he looked a little like Russel Crowe, unbalanced in his own right, my new friend seriously believed that his staring out the window, directly at the wings, was somehow keeping the plane from plummeting to the ground. He left the job to me when he was forced to answer nature's call; an honour which I promptly scuttled by burying my head in a magazine and imagining dive bombing planes engulfed in flames. Take that Russel Crowe!

Melbourne is a sprawling city of 3.7 million people centered around the beautiful Yarra river. It boomed during the the gold rush of the late 1800's, and still maintains a awesome mix of old and new architecture that is well blended throughout the city - except for the new development in the Docklands to the west that is, which I don't much care for. The downtown hugs the Yarra with street cars dominating the roads and coffee shops with their own $10k cappuccino machines are slotted absolutely everywhere... making this a very walkable and compact downtown area.

Melbournes Botanical Gardens (37°49'44.53"S 144°58'50.52"E), War memorial and slew of nearly free museums were unbelievable. Federation Square is an great meeting spot at the core of the city. Unfortunately, the Aquarium was a stinker as was the entire restaurant experience; food, service and price... which really hurts because I was definitely indulging. Korea obviously doesn't offer the same eating options as you get back home, but the fact that servers give indifferent service for a high price and mediocre quality is pretty well documented.

Near the end of my stay in Melbourne, I took a tour along the Great Ocean Road to see an Australian rainforest and the 12 Apostles (38°38'56.17"S 143° 4'5.73"E) (there are only 9 left) on a day 20 degrees C colder than the day before (I froze my rear off). What an incredible place! On to Sydney!

Check out my pictures and movies.