When I Grow Up I Want to be a F1 Driver!

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This is going to be a long one folks, this site was down last week so I couldnt do an update until now.

Getting up to leave Sydney at 4am was just as painful as we thought it would be. Pretty groggy on the shuttle to the airport until a spider the size of my open hand crawled down the side of the van. I prayed it was on the outside but it didnt stop me from discreetly putting my feet on the seat...WIMP!! Virgin Blue turned out to be a great airline and we arrived in Melbourne in only 1 hour (supposed to be 1 1/2 hours). Secured seats on a shuttle which seems to be a standard price of $16 per person no matter what city you are in or where you are staying. We must look closer at public transit in future. In looking for the cheapest ride into the city, I befriended a young Brit Mark, doing the same. We had an hour to kill before the shuttle left so he joined us for a coffee and muffin in the airport. He was fresh from Thailand and Indonesia and was very excited and jealous when we told him of our plans in SE Asia and Thailand saying we would have a fantastic (and cheap!) time. He was also a huge F1 fan and was quite giddy over today's race. Kerry had second thoughts about going to the race as the cost is pretty high but I talked him into it as it was too good of an opportunity to miss. I planned on going as well. Arrived at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in St. Kilda way too early to check in. We grabbed a change of clothes and asked them to store our packs until we returned after the race. Off we went to Albert Park which was easy to find as you just had to follow the throng of F1 badges everywhere. Got there at 11am and the race started at 2pm which gave us alot of time to wander around. Kerry bought our general admission tickets ($98 each) and we set out to our gate. This was a great opportunity for people watching as I didnt realize F1 fans were so fanatical about their cars. Full on red Ferrari outfits, people warpped in flags (the best was a group of guys dressed in full on gladiator outfits (hats and all) carrying a huge Ferrari flag between them). Although I can see how great it would be to have an actual seat for the event, general admission had a real festival feel to it with tons of food, beer and merchandise booths littering the park. People were having a great time sitting around having a beer or a picnic or just wandering around looking for a good vantage point. They had a great collection of vintage F1 cars as well as different generations of European sports cars (the Ferrari's were amazing!) on display. Also open for viewing was a Porsche paddock of recently raced cars. Lots of pictures taken. It was an hour and a half before race time and hot as hell out so we decided it was time to find our spot for the race. We ended up almost against the fence that was about 25 feet away from the track (ground level). We also had a Jumbotron next to us so we could watch the festivities and race feed. I started to feel the anticipation the closer the race got and the buzz around us started to grow. As soon as they announced the drivers were starting their practice and formations laps any space that was between you and the person next to you was instantly occupied by an eager fan. I really cannot express the feeling you get when the first car drives by you. Almost all your senses are affected. That unbelievable sound of the engine and popping of I dont know what (brakes maybe?) when they take that first corner, the sight of the speed at which they are driving and the smell of the tires on the hot track. the feeling of these cars driving by actually pierces you. I have a whole new respect for these drives, what incredible athletes they are. Kerry and I looked at each other with silly grins on our faces. After the formation lap they were all ready to start the race. i didnt want to miss videotaping it so I shot my camera up in the air to make sure I got as much of the track in as possible. Funny enough, about half the crowd was doing the same. Perfect timing though as I got all the loud speaker announcer's excited voice introducing the race and all the cars driving by for that first lap. Despite burnt shoulders, sore knees and back from standing so long and empty stomachs, we were routed to the spot with no intention of moving. Everytime they drove by us I giggled like an idiot. So I now officially take back every smart ass remark I've ever made to any F1 fans (and you know who you are) as I am now officially hooked. Kerry on the other hand is more of a fan than ever. Finally decided to go get something to eat and find a new spot to watch. We both laughed as we originally thought that all the people walking around with earplugs were wimps but later wished we spent that whopping dollar on a set. Although in future I would never wear them for the beginning of a race (that experience is way too awesome in full sound), I certainly would later as many times today I was sure my eardrums were bleeding. Left alittle before the race to beat the transit rush but got lost looking for the bus stop and didnt find it until the race was over! Stopped along St. Kilda for a bite to eat on a patio (every restaurant there has a patio) then made it back to the Cosmo to check in. We were staying in the "Petit" room as it was the cheapest. Petit was no lie....this room fit a bed with 2 strategically placed closets (one for clothes, the other for a bar fridge, kettle and cups). It was small but clean and was perfect for us. That 4am morning and the exciting day hit us hard so we crashed early.
Next day was beautiful and as we were a 10 min. walk to the beach, we deemed today Beach Day! It's a gorgeous beach with a great seawall for walking and bike riding. There is also upscale swim/spa/restaurant facility as well. It was a quiet day and we found a spot no problem. Three hours later, thirst and hunger led us back to the street and to Prince of Wales Hotel for a beer. We sat along one of their open windows and enjoyed some people watching. Went to Greasy Joe's for a burger/fries and a beer (it was a hot day afterall!) then back to the hotel for our daily siesta. Heard a weather report that the next day was on the crappy side so we thought we would do some shopping.
Turned out the weather report was true so off we went on a tram to Chapel Street. We had driven down it on our way from the airport and noticed not only how long it was but how it changed quickly from high end shops to more cheapie/dodgy dollar type stores. Walked into the Apple store to see if they could help Kerry with his IPOD. Bad news and strike two on electronics for Kerry, the clerk said it would need to be restarted and he would lose all his music. Needless to say he was not a happy camper and not even my second near wipeout on a wet sidewalk made him crack a smile. Reached the nicer end of the street and grabbed a sandwich for lunch to wait out the rain. Due to the humidity, I now looked like Monica on Friends when they went to Barbados.......good look. Decided we would walk back to the hotel instead of the tram. On the way we saw hands down, the best shop name EVER!! It was a called the Dick Whittington Tavern but the best part was the bottle shop attached to it. It said Dick in huge letters and next to it was LIQUOR in even better letters!! DICK LIQUOR!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....i'm totally sending my picture to David Letterman!!! An hour later we were back at the hotel and had a relaxing evening.
Another beautful day in Melbourne so we headed to the beach again. This time it was alot busier as the FINA World Swim Championships had kicked off. That day they were running the Men's 10km Open Water swim. St. Kilda Beach was a hub of excitment as they had areas roped off for athletes getting medals / media and the commentary for the race was piped through speakers ontop of the aquatic centre. Lots of fans hanging around for the end of the race. I'm sure you know what comes with swim fans at the beach....Speedo's! This is not always a bad thing. In some cases though, it is more wrong than I can say. Hung around for about 3 hours and found out the race was won by the difference of alittle over a second which was a record for this race. We sure hit Melbourne at a great time, lots going on! Grabbed a bite that night take-away and went to the beach to eat during the sunset. Finished up and walked the esplanade towards the pier. It was starting to get dark which brought out all the fisherman. My favourite was a father and son team where the boy was having more fun playing with the beam of light from his flashlight than fishing. Walked out to the water break then headed back.
Next day turned out to be our hottest day yet in Australia and we decided to head into the city to check out the Docklands that we had read about. Not knowing what tram to catch we were armed with the confidence of an all day pass and jumped on the first one that came by. Lucky enough it took us to Finders St. and we jumped off there. A canal of sorts split the area up so we walked the park side first then crossed the bridge over to the busier restaurant/shop side. We decided to hop into what looked to be a mall for some welll deserved aircon. I had to blink twice to make sure my eyes werent deceiving me....what was this?? A CASINO!!!! Needless to say, Kerry didnt share my excitment and 15 minutes later I finally plied 20 bucks out of his clenched fist. As per our usual casino routine, I dumped him off at the Sportsbook and went in search of a winning machine. I had promised I wouldnt gamble if I couldnt find an old school one-armed bandit (I cant stand electonic slots) and was crushed in my failure to do so. It was a beautiful casino though and part of a very high end hotel complex. With the twenty dollars burning a hole in my pocket we left in search of lunch. Walked to length of the esplanade and hopped a tram back home. Stopped at an internet cafe to secure our hotel/air to Cairns for Saturday (we had extended our stay in Melbourn another day). Found a great last minute deal and booked it. After siesta we grabbed a couple of burgers and headed off to our bench to watch another sunset and walk the seawall after.
Friday was our last full day in town was to be spent at the beach. It was also to be the hottest and windiest day yet. 37 degrees!! First stop was to the Post to ship back unwanted clothes to lighten our packs. $87 for air shipping and $54 for sea mail (the package was 4.6 kg). Of course we went for the latter and found out it would take 2-3 months to arrive in Vancouver. By what boat I wondered.....canoe??!! I was off to the beach and Kerry to the internet cafe to try and download pictures. Once there I settled into a spot only to be greeted by a wicked sandstorm. Great. Covered in sand, I trudged over the the "grass" area. I say grass lightly as it was really a hay-like grass covering sand. Not sure what was worse. Kerry showed up with great news, his iPOD works now! Spent a couple hours there and left in the grimiest state ever covered in stand, straw, you name it. We decided once a month we would spend max $50 for dinner, yes we are cheap skates now but it's alot of money to spend on one meal when you are on a pretty tight budget. Went to a lounge called Fringe and pigged out on tapas. Great meal. There is an INXS concert at the beach tonight so the neighbourhood is super busy. The weather quickly changed to black clouds followed by pouring rain but it's been so dry lately, people were actually happy to see it. It definitely did not damper anyones good mood. We walked back to the hotel and started packing for our departure the next day. Our excitement over our 8:45 am flight was quickly squashed when we realized that the only shuttle we could catch to the airport came by at 6:45am. As we were watching TV that night, i was thinking about our experience in the 2 big cities. While Sydney will hold a special place in our hearts as it was the first stop in our world tour, we both agreed we enjoyed Melbourne more. Just as cosmopolitan as Sydney, people were much more laid back here and while they were just as active as people in Sydney, it seemed more social here and more individual there. Patios are everywhere here and always packed with friends getting together to enjoy a drink, talk about whatever sporting event is on or enjoy the beautiful weather. While I felt I could easily spend more time here, my sadness in leaving was brushed away by the excitment of our next stop....Cairns.

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