Melbourne, Australia

We're officially touring Oceania! 

Our first (accidental) stop was in Melbourne. Originally meant to be just a layover, the Australian government makes everyone get a visa who are in transit in the country for over 8 hours. We had a full 13 hour layover, so forced to hand over the last of our baht we paid for the visa. On our pauperish budget, this was a significant gash, so we were determined to make the most of our time

in the city.

Both Jaz and i really liked it there. Much more than we expected. The city was very walkable (a nice change from Asia) and we wandered down some of the famed store-lined alleyways, and finally parked ourselves in a beautiful park by the river where we could watch boaters and cyclists go by. 

We spent all our money for the day getting into the city, so we did all the free tourist activities! Jaz with the federation bells.

The city seemed to combine our favourite parts of Montreal and Toronto. We eventually made our way to a brew pub that was uncannily similar to Bellwoods in Toronto. The beer, the decor, the food was all of the same ilk. 

Bellwoods down under (alias Little Creatures)

At the end of our 13 hours in Melbourne,

we boarded the skybus back to the airport, collected our bags from storage, and went to check in. I checked in no problem, but Jaz was over the deadline. Due to inclement weather in Christchurch, our first destination in NZ, they had to carry extra fuel. The result was that they capped the number of passengers permitted to board at 167. I was number 167, while Jaz was unlucky 168. Deciding it was better if we stuck together, I gave up my seat to some desperate looking man. And were we in for a treat! Jetstar airline rebooked our flight for the following day, booked us a hotel for the night, and gave us free dinner and breakfast!

I can't even tell you how nice the showers in the hotel room were. There was not just a barrier, but a door between the toilet and the shower faucet! Imagine that! 

A bathtub! That you could fit into! Amazing!

Our room + free room service. Both jaz and I got what we were really craving. Jaz was talking about milkshakes for weeks, and I had my first sparkling water since leaving canada. I think you can probably tell by Jasmine's face how happy we were by this turn of events.

We just loved the atmosphere of Melbourne and are both filled with schemes of how we could get back here for a proper visit.