Melbourne

Currently, we are in Melbourne and 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
I honestly think that it's much easier to get over jet lag when you cross so
many time zones. We've had no problem at all adjusting. Mainly we are just
tired from being out and doing stuff all day.

Before I write my review of Melbourne, I thought I'd write about our last
day in Perth.

We decided to make this a beach day as there are many beaches in the area.
We managed to see a lot of beaches. All were pretty much the same. It was
pretty windy the day we went so there were lots of surfers and kiteboarders.
One beach actually had a warning that there were venomous snakes living in
the dunes (not right on the beach, but close enough). I really didn't need
to see that sign - I'm paranoid enough already. I was positive one was going
to jump out and bite me. Luckily, no sign of snakes anywhere.

On the way home we went to Lake Monger. This lake houses the famous black
swans of Perth. There were plenty of them and a couple of pelicans too.
Well, it's official - swans in Australia love me! If you guys could only see
the pictures. At one point, there were about 10 surrounding me and they
weren't attacking me. They were eating right out of my hand!

A little about Melbourne:

It's a city of about 3 million and it has a very different feel from Perth.
In retrospect, we really like Perth! Perth was very laid back. It had lots
of palm trees and green space around the city. Melbourne is very much like
Toronto, or at least it feels that way to me. It is much more rushed and
dirty. Even though you won't find much garbage around, it's still dusty and
dirty and can tire you out quickly. And it's very expensive. Luckily, Mark
has a friend here and tomorrow we are going to stay with him. We did a lot
of exploring today seeing a lot of the city. They have a neat city circle
tram that can take you around. It's not the most frequent, but it is nice to
have. Tomorrow is their labour day so we plan on catching a parade and
playing a round of golf with Mark's friend. Just our luck - last Monday was
labour day in Perth and this Monday is labour day here.

Well, that's about it for now. Hope everything is doing well!

Love,
Nicole

P.S. Thanks for those of you who are sending me emails! Even though we don't
get to check email that often, I really enjoy getting your messages. Even
though this is an exciting trip of a lifetime, I still get a little
homesick, so hearing from friends helps.

Pictures from Melbourne (March 12-17, 2005):

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nicoleella10/album?.dir=b547&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nicoleella10/my_photos