Melbourne Day 2

So! I managed to find a wireless hotspot in downtown Melbourne that does not require a password or a credit card. Unfortunately, it is extremely slow which makes it sort of hard to upload pictures. Well, internet is internet... I should not be complaining. It's in a food court area with restaurants and stores. It's very hard to resist the delicious smelling fast-food... the french fry smell is truly universal.

Today we woke up and went down to the continental breakfast which cost A$12.00! (the 'A' denotes Australian dollars.)What kind of hotel charges for the continental breakfast? Batman Hotel has lost points.

After that, we walked down Collins Street and into a random tourist-booking place. After talking to the very nice travel agent lady, we decided that we wanted to go to Tasmania. Why Tasmania, do you ask? Well, it has extremely nice beaches and day hikes, and it's relatively cool compared to mainland Australia. I think we spend about a week in Tasmania and then fly to Ayre's Rock, where, much to Dad's dismay, you MUST have a guide to show you around (apparently, it's a very environmentally and culturally fragile area). Somehow, I do not think this will stop Dad.

An odd statue by the Yarra River

Ah! My battery is at 73%! And there are no electrical outlets in sight!

The tourist office lady told us that it might take a while for her to make all the reservations, so Dad and I spent a couple more hours walking around to random places. Again, we found a cricket ground that Dad REALLY wanted to get into. It was empty and dark inside and this time I really thought he was determined enough to find a way to get in. We circumnavigated the entire arena. Fortunately, he did not and we were not arrested by local authorities.

Dad really wanted to get inside the cricket grounds.

I think the Australian accent is quite sexy. It is taking every ounce of my willpower to resist talking in one. I've almost done it inadvertently at times, but the fear of making an idiot of myself usually snaps me back into my AMERRRICAN speech (said with a thick American accent).

This bridge plays funny music as you walk on it.

Sorry Louise, I have not gotten in contact with Gala Darling yet. It's going to have to wait a while, though, as we will be nowhere near Melbourne until the 16th. Gala Darling does not seem so unusual after seeing all the other strange Melbournians.

I have no idea if I will have access to internet in Tasmania. Knowing Dad, we will probably be staying in a group hostel without internet... so, if I do not, I will post on the 16th!

Until Next Time,
River