First Day in Melbourne 11.9.2012

First day and first meltdown (due to flu and sleep depriviation), I should say. The day started off okay. My bus arrived at Southern Cross Station just before 6am. I was in no hurry and took my time to freshen up while the city started to come to life. The first stop of the day was Starbucks for a hot chocolate and some free wifi, because I needed to do some online banking and check out hostels, since I had not made a reservation and was starting to panic. Afterwards, I went for a stroll along the waterfront and got a glimpse of one of the AFL stadiums; very impressive. A player of Port Adelaide died in Vegas, which was big news here all day. All museums and galleries open at 10am, and because the backpack is very heavy, I went back to the Station to have breakfast (garlic bread, due to the flu food has to be very spicy to have any taste at all).

I then went to Batman (not as in Bruce Wayne, but as in founder of this city) park for some fresh air before I found a hostel and booked a bed in a big dorm for four nights. There’s free pasta, rice, tea, and coffee included which is okay. Both room and bathrooms, kitchen etc. are clean and people are nice. They don’t have free wifi, and since I refuse to pay for internet access, I walked to the State Library with my fat old laptop and went online there, making reservations for dorms in Sydney and Surfers Paradise to avoid another meltdown. After I had something to eat I felt better, although the flu has progressed to the runny nose, runny eyes, and fever stage. Later in the afternoon, I took the City Tram, which is free and takes you in a loop around downtown Melbourne. At least now I know where which sight is and have a more precise plan of what I’ll be doing in the next couple of days. I’m also going to be at the State Library from 6-9pm every day, when it’s getting dark outside. This way, I don’t waste daylight but still get my internet and writing time in.

I met some cool people in my 10-bed dorm who I went out with the first night and got drunk on bubblie (it was Ladies’ Night -> free champagne). Of the other people who stay in my room I have only seen parts of the heads, but that’s fine because it means they are quiet enough not to wake you up when they get in after you.