Melbourne Zoo

15 full days in Australia and I STILL had not seen a kangaroo…koala…or anything that us Americans think of when we hear “Australia.” To validate that I was indeed on the right continent, I hopped on a tram for the first time and traveled north of the CBD. 20 minutes later, I found myself at the Melbourne Zoo – the oldest zoo in Australia. It was there that I saw my first kangaroo, wallaroo, wombat, and koala in person. They were all laziest things I had ever seen! In fact, the most active of the bunch was the koala (yes, the animal that spends nearly its entire life sleeping)!

Week 2 Observations:
Fashion style is very European - for women, leggings with every outfit is very popular!
Water conservation is big
Many restaurants allow BYO wine or beer, and charge a small corkage fee
Sydney is where the great beaches are at, not Melbourne (but there apparently is a beach 15 minutes from the CBD)

Heaven's Door Night Club

Almost two weeks into my stay, and I hit my first night club in Melbourne - “Heaven’s Door.” The Australia Kilimanjaro Trekking team was hosting the event to help raise money to fight HIV / AIDS in Africa. The club was located about a 10 minutes drive outside of the CBD on what I would describe a semi sketchy looking road (maybe it just looked sketchy because it was night time). It usually draws a predominately gay/lesbian crowd, but that night it was just Accenture and/or Telstra folks.

I was happy to discover that my drink of choice (red bull vodka) was being served on the other side of the world. The atmosphere was not the typical night club, but more of a “dance bar” atmosphere. There was also a drag queen (“Anita Mann”) that hosted the event, and ended the night was two dance/lip synching performances to two popular sing-a-long songs whose titles escape my mind.

Tragedy Hits Virginia

The tragedy that hit Virginia Tech was heard even on the other side of the world. My condolences go out to those who lost loved ones in this heart breaking event.

Melbourne from the Top of the World...Almost

Weekend two in Melbourne brought me to the Melbourne Observation Deck, which sits at the top of Rialto, the tallest office building in the southern hemisphere (253 m/830 ft). It is a part of the World Federation of Great Towers which also includes The CN Tower in Toronto (553 m/1815 ft), The John Hancock Centre in Chicago (444 m/1455 ft), and The Empire State Building in New York (443 m/1454 ft) amongst 22 other towers in the world.

To the right, is an aerial view of the area known as the Docklands. Situated near the Yarra River, the area is quickly being expanded, primarily with residential buildings. The Telstra Dome is a prominent building which the popular sport of "Footy" or Australia Football is played in.

Below are pictures of the South Side of Melbourne. The pedestrian bridge across the Yarra River is where one of the scenes from Ghost Rider was filmed! I actually haven't seen the movie yet, but that's what I was told. =) The tall building in the picture is the Eureka tower, a residential building with what I imagine to be an awesome view.

To the left is a view of the CBD or Central Business District. I believe my office building is roughly in the upper left hand corner...somewhere!

Chinatown

Only two blocks from the Marriott is Chinatown. Let me say that prior to this trip, the most Asians I have ever seen congregating in one place may have only been at family reunions! (J/K) There is a mix of Cantonese and Mandarin speaking people – I’m not sure if there is more of one or the other just yet. There's a bar called Mai Tai, too - so there must be a strong Thai population here as well. It’s a new experience for me to hear people speaking Chinese on a fairly regular basis outside of the home. I’ve considered taking some Chinese language classes while I am out here since I’ll be able to apply it on a more regular basis. Chinatown consists mainly of restaurants – all which serve “dim sum” or as they call it here “yum cha” on a daily basis, a few electronics/internet stores, several small grocery stores, and a small theater that shows Chinese movies with English/Chinese subtitles. I was a bit disappointed that it lacked the street market styled shops which you can often find at other Chinatowns like NYC and Toronto. However, I guess that is also what helps to keep Melbourne so clean.

In Melbourne!

I arrived in Melbourne on Sunday morning (Saturday evening for those on the East Coast), exhausted from flying for 20+ hours. Although I must admit that there was a great selection of movies, and I watched 5 on my way over (The Illusionist, The Prestige, Blood Diamond, Night at the Museum, Stranger than Fiction, and part of Borat).

After one week in Melbourne, my body is finally getting adjusted to the new date/time zone. The Marriott Melbourne, my “home” for the next 57 days, is located downtown close to many restaurants and shops. I took advantage of the great weather during the first few days (~25 degrees C), and I walked around the downtown area visiting the Queen Victoria Market, Federation Square, and Yarra River. Queen Victoria Market opened in 1878, and is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere! While I did not buy any thing, I was a bit shocked to see kangaroo skin for sale. Federation Square on the other hand just opened in 2002, and is one of the most significant Australian architectural developments. Along the Yarra River, Fed Square houses various restaurants, museums, art centers, and street performers.

Currently, I am working on the 21st floor of the building to the left. It's got a much nicer view than the basement that I was working in for the past 3.5 years! The commute is also fabulous as the hotel is literally across the street.


Week 1 Observations:
Aussies drive AND walk on the left side
Prices quoted already include a 10% tax fee
Tips are really optional, and not widely expected (although I read that at nicer, sit down restaurants, a 10% tip signifies a good service)
Most reality shows (e.g. the Biggest Loser) are remade with an Aussie cast, while syndicated shows (e.g. House) are a week or two behind the US
7-11’s are extremely popular and can be found almost on every corner downtown

Packing for 2 Months in 1 Week

It was just last Friday (while on vacation) that I found out I would be flying to Melbourne, Australia for work! I will be heading out there for two months, before returning to the States to get my long term Visa, and then temporarily relocating to Melbourne for a year with the hubby. I decided to start this blog so that friends and family can occasionally check in on me, and make sure I am still alive. If I do not post something within two weeks of my last post, it can only mean two things:

1) I've been attacked by a kangaroo, koala, box jellyfish, poisonous snake, killer ant, and/or great white shark; or
2) I've been working at the office for the last 14 days straight

Hopefully my fate will not end in #1 or #2!