We landed in Melbourne after a late flight from Bali. We got our inflatable mattresses out and camped in the airport until the sun came out. In the morning we took a van to our first destination in this big continent. We arrived in Geelong around 9am where our Colombian friend Juan Guillermo Saavedra picked us up to show us around this beautiful part of the world. Did we mention that Juan and his wife Yin had just had a baby a few days before our arrival? It was very generous of them to welcome us in their home considering the circumstances. True friendships are not built overnight and the fact that Juan and Henry knew each other since they were 8 years old probably weighed on the decision process when they got our email asking for a place to stay for a few days.
We took our time discovering Geelong, a beautiful quiet and clean costal city in the south of Australia. The region is famous for its wines, beaches, forests, great food and cafés. We had a good time catching up with Juan while we enjoyed some good wines and great food. One day Juan took us on a coastal road trip on the famous Great Ocean Road. The views along the coast are impressive. We ended up doing a small hike in one of the many local natural parks that allow everyone to get out of civilization very quickly. We loved our time there among friends in a family environment. http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Destinations/Geelong
We took the local train to go to Melbourne where we stayed with a new Australian friend that we met through Couchsurfing. Greg Colman opened his home to us very kindly and generously. We have a few good Australian friends that we love very much but it is now easier for us to see why. Australians are smart, funny, happy, generous, kind, and soft-spoken (when there is no beer around) and plenty of fun. Greg gave us many tips to complement the list of recommendations that we got from the Saavedras for discovering Melbourne.
We took the time to explore Melbourne at our pace. We hired some bicycles to get around taking advantage of the good weather. The city is fantastic; it has everything you might like in a place to live. Good public transportation, a developed culture and art scene with appropriate spaces and venues to get everyone interested in learning and getting involved in something; a vibrant downtown area where things move at a fast pace from 9 to 5; an excellent local food scene, beautiful beaches and more. While we were visiting the city we got together with Henry’s friend Helen C. They meet in London and worked together in the US. What a small world! Fun times with HC!
Melbourne is getting noticed on the international scene and it has been awarded as the best place to live in Australia in recent years. We took advantage of the local free walking tour company that offers a daily guided tour in the downtown area. We visited the Art Museum and at dusk we went to see the penguins by the ocean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne
The funniest part of our time in Melbourne was on our last day while we were getting ready to fly to Sydney. We had an afternoon flight so we decided to take it easy that morning. We packed and left Greg’s place early in the morning to have some local food in one of the many local cafes that can be found everywhere. We took the train into the city to connect with a bus to the Melbourne Airport where we had camped a few nights back. Things were going well, even though we missed a station and had to change trains on our way in things were fine because the weather was great, we had a fantastic brunch and we had time on our hands. When we were getting off the bus at the airport we realized that we were at the wrong airport. Our flight to Sydney was leaving from Geelong Airport not Melbourne. Fuck! That was the end of our good day. We had two hours to make it to the Airport check in and get onto that flight. We had to hire a taxi to take us there that cost an arm and a leg but we made it. Now it is funny! Not so much back then. Anyway, we made it on time to fly to Sydney.
We cannot wait to visit again. We are not moving there permanently for two reasons. We are sure the winter there is no joke and it is far far away. Otherwise the perfect place to live.
Flying into Sydney with good weather is a fantastic experience. The airport is in the middle of the city so the views of the harbor, the bridge and the Opera House are unbeatable. Without planning it we ended up landing there twice in one month, but that is a story for later.
We stayed in a dorm at the University of Sydney. Finding affordable accommodation in this popular cosmopolitan city is a challenge for everyone traveling there. It does not matter what budget you may have. This is a popular place for everyone for good reason.
While we were in Sydney we met Juan Carlos Calderon, Henry’s cousin. He is living there so it was fun to have some family around to show us the hidden places in and out of the city. We did not waste any time starting to explore the city. Taking advantage of the good weather we made our way to downtown to take a ferry to Manly, perhaps one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the city of Sydney. Gorgeous beach houses and breathtaking views of the bay and the open Tasman Sea are part of the experience. We walked all over Manly and it was amazing. We ended the day in the city exploring the area by the Opera House and the public gardens.
The harbor of this city is one of the most beautifully developed harbors we have seen. Sao Paulo and Cape Town could beat Sydney but it is due to their natural topography and not how they were developed. We spent many hours walking the different areas of the city: The Rocks, Hyde Park, the financial district, etc. It is a very walkable city so we took advantage of the good weather in the mornings. The evenings were characterized by heavy rains with lots of thunderstorms that we got to enjoy from the roof patio of our university dorm.
While we were in Sydney we took a couple of nice day trips with Juan. The first was to see Kangaroos in the wild two hours from Sydney. We took some carrots to keep them entertained while we got to pet them. These animals are interesting because they are very different from other marsupials. They are fast and strong. We all got scratched and Henry even got kicked by one fussy Kangaroo that was not fed fast enough. It was an interesting day trip getting out of the city by the local commuter train, walking to the park and having a nice homemade lunch by a beautiful lake. Our second excursion was to the Blue Mountains. It took close to four hours to get there but it was worth it. The weather was not cooperating very much at our arrival but soon cleared up so that we ended up along the park trails hiking under a hot humid sun.
We also loved Sydney and Australia in general. It is beautiful and sophisticated with an infectious laid-back beach culture that could be easy to fall in to. From Sydney we flew to Wellington. New Zealand to explore our last international destination outside of the US territory.
One Step Forward RTW 