My 2014 Adventure: Travels to Singapore, Australia & New Zealand: Introduction to Australia

I arrived in Australia yesterday morning to a balmy 80-something degrees; somewhat disappointed the runway wasn't littered with koalas and kangaroos like I'd hoped. I was very proud of myself in that I managed to purchase a Myki (reusable public transport card), take a tram with a couple transfers, and walk to find my friend Nikki's apartment. I had mixed up Palmerston Street and Palmerston Place, and I was lucky that a bunch of Aussie construction workers on their lunch break confirmed that, "Oh yeah, a bunch of girls have been in and out of that apartment all day...I think it's a hostel or something!" Indeed it turned out to be my friend's apartment, and yes it is quite like a hostel: five bedrooms (plus one living room squatter) with only one toilet! I've heard rumors that there's an extra toilet but it's an outdoor one on the back patio and I'm sort of afraid to check it out.

My friend works every day so I've been in exploration mode these past two days and then we meet up when she is finished with work. Last night I went with her sister, Millie, and some of her friends to a rooftop bar. We had some drinks in the sunshine and I almost forgot the ruthless winter I came from in the US. For dinner we went to a place called "Lentils As Anything." It's a sort of self-sufficient non-for-profit organization that relies on donations as well as volunteers to cook and serve the food. Patrons are asked to contribute what they feel their meal is worth as well as based on their financial situation. It was a delicious array of vegetarian food including salad with coconut dressing, rice, potatoes, fried cabbage, lentils (of course), and many other things I wasn't quite sure what they were.

Today Millie and I went for a cappuccino in the Italian district on Lygon St. It's very cool today because rain storms are headed this way, so we enjoyed our hot beverages in the outdoor seating area. I also took a tram down to the National Gallery of Victoria, just past the Yarra River. It was a great view of the city plus a nice walk around to see the shops. There are pedestrian lanes here called "arcades" where shops, restaurants, and urban art are accessible as you walk. Sometimes they are down an alley from a main road or even underground by a train station. I'm also getting excited to meet my friend Tessa tonight for the Queen Victoria Market. I plan on sampling a lot of food and checking out all the different goods they have for sale!