Melbourne, Tasmania

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From Vanuatu I went to Melbourne and flew again with Air Vanuatu. The funny thing was that we departed one and a half hour late because the check in went according to ‘Vanuatu time’. The people at the check in were checking their screens, adding a label to some luggage, looking around and taking it all very easy. It was the only plane leaving the airport that morning so you think there should be no reason for a delay. They didn’t bother about it at all and the captain of the plane told that the reason for the delay was uncertain. Well, for everybody the reason was clear: ‘doing it all by Vanuatu time’. But I didn’t mind, eventually the plane departed and with a ‘Vanuatu smile’ of one of the crew everything is all right.

I really enjoyed Melbourne. It is a very fashionable and cultural city. I was surprised by it and enjoyed looking around. One of the days there was a ‘walk for harmony’. There were people from different cultures walking together. Nice to see how people are willing to unite and set aside cultural boundaries to live together in harmony. Later on I went to the art Gallery of Victoria. I liked the Egyptian and Maya sculptures they have. I made me realize that these are things I would like to learn and experience more about. After that I continued my walk around the city. Melbourne has lots of nice alleys where you can walk through with a great atmosphere. Lots of places to eat or have a good coffee. People are very fashionable and you can sense it has a big cultural and sophisticated vibe. It is like a European city, very different from Sydney and Brisbane. The trams riding through the streets ad up to this effect.

From Melbourne I went by boat (the spirit of Tasmania) to Devonport. It went by night and took around twelve hours. They had good folding seats to sleep on and some movies at the theatre on board. At arrival in Devonport I met a Taiwanese girl and spent the day walking around with her. I liked learning about her culture and the things she said. The next day I went to Launceston, another town in Tasmania. I walked around a wild river and enjoyed the walking and the amazing views. Some parts were quit steep, but a good test for my new walking boots I just bought in Melbourne. They passed the test. After that walk I went to a museum and learned about the history of Tasmania and Launceston. After one day discovering Launceston and the surroundings I felt I had seen it all. So I took the bus to Hobart and walked around the city the first day. Because of walking a lot the last days I felt like relaxing a bit and not to do too much. Although I think I walked that day again more kilometers than planned. I must find a meter to put on my shoe, if they exist, so that I can count the distance I am walking every day.

The second day in Hobart I walked up Mt. Wellington. I took a local bus to the beginning of the mountain and walked up from there. It was a really nice walk with amazing views. The slope was quite steep and at the end the path was slippery and covered with snow and ice. My new boots were absolutely necessary and walking on them made me even more grateful wearing them. The temperature outside was around zero degrees Celsius but walking on the steep track made me warm. At first when I decided to go up the mountain I thought: shouldn’t I prepare more? But when you have the thought of going, than you just have to go and it will turn out right. Like it did. My cappuccino in the morning and my enthusiasm about the surrounding nature and amazing views were enough fuel to walk up the mountain. When I was at the top and decided to go down I saw a car just on his way down and got a lift back down to Hobart. In the evening I saw a Japanese cartoon movie with some children that were staying here in the hostel. The walk made me sleep very well this evening. I just had to close my eyes and fell immediately in a deep sleep.

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