Koalas & Greyhounds

Koalas: Ever since I was a little girl, koalas have been my favorite animal. Not for any particular reason, I just always loved them. And going to the Sydney Zoo totally reinforced that fact! I went completely soft for them. Now, I don't consider myself particularly girly, but get me to a zoo and I go gaga over the baby animals, especially the baby Asian elephant that was just born in July! *sigh* I had always assumed Koalas slept around 18-20 hours a day because eucalyptus leaves had something in them similar to tryptophan in turkey, but turns out eucalyptus leaves are just so low in energy and so hard to digest that there is nothing left for the koalas to use! Maybe that is why I love them, they are freakin adorable and love sleeping as much as I do :) I had a wonderful time hanging out with Lucy and Pepe Ninja for the day, it was his first time at the zoo! After I said goodbye to them, I caught another ferry up Manly Beach and spent some wonderful time in my swimmers (another great Australian term) on the beach in the intense summer sun.
On my way out of my hostel that night to catch my bus, they were having trivia night. The question was who was the voice of Darth Vader. Duh, who doesnt' know that?! Well, apparently the team sitting next to me didn't know, so I helped them out and dropped some movie trivia on them about how the original Darth was actually played by 3 different actors. *Nerdily adjust my glasses* The next question was to name two states that bordered Oregon (again they were clueless, they were from Denmark), so I helped them out again and headed out. I hope they won!

More koala stories to come, but for now:

Greyhounds: Ah good ol' Greyhound buses. Actually, Greyhound Australia buses are much nicer than their American counterpart, quite comfortable and safe (which has not been my experience at home). Now taking an overnight bus SOUNDS like a great idea. I mean, I hate the idea of wasting a whole day traveling (it is 12 hours from Sydney to Melbourne) and it does save money on a hostel, but there really is no way to get good sleep. So I have safely arrived in Melbourne, pretty worn out, although I have gotten pretty used to surviving on little sleep this trip, so it is not too far from the norm. I did completely fall in love with the woman who sat next to me. Her name was Puuja, she was originally from Northern India and had moved to Canberra (Australia's capitol) about 6 months ago. When I asked her if she missed India, her response was "Too much!" She gave me her contact information in case I am ever in Canberra or if I go to India. She wants to show me "Her India" and introduce me to the Indian tradition of treating their guests like Gods. My hostel here in Melbourne is called the Greenhouse Backpackers and has won all sorts of awards for being environmentally sound, and I really like that. The walk here from the bus station was past King Street, Elizabeth Street, Queen Street and William Street...I am having quite a hard time figuring out who the original settlers were!

I had a wonderful time in Sydney, but was ready to move on. I was really hoping to take a day trip down to Berkeley, which is about 45 minutes south of Sydney and home of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the Southern Hemisphere, but there is always next time! Melbourne is an incredible city and I am COMPLETELY in love with it already. I was pretty ready to be out of the city and into the wilderness, but Melbourne is smaller than Sydney and full of so much art, culture, art deco buildings, theatre and film. I have had some incredible adventures here already (including a tour today of the Great Ocean Road which stretches west from Melbourne along the coast) but alas it is very late so you folks will have to wait for those stories until next time! Sorry if these posts are long and boring, but there is just so much going on out here!
It is kind of strange to think about actually because, of course this trip has gone by quickly, but at the same time I feel like I have been gone forever! It feels like a million years ago that I was boarding that plane in SF and that so much has happened since then, but then I realize it has only been about a week and a half!

Hoping you are all happy and healthy out there!
Sanje

# of times mistaken for a local: 4. I love it when people ask me for directions in a new city and I am able to give them! Makes even me feel like a local.
# of instantaneous friends I have made: At least 6, I LOVE meeting people from all over the world! Although a lot of them are on 1 or 2 year Visas here and that makes me very jealous. Maybe Camp wouldn't notice if I just didn't come back...

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Part of trip: Australia & Tasmania

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