my first Australian run & other stories

It took a bit of trial and error, but I successfully took the tram to the Tan Track for my first Australian run yesterday! It was a terrible workout, mostly because everything around the track is so gorgeous that I had to keep stopping to admire everything (it's right by the Royal Botanic Gardens - even though I'm not a huge garden-lover, these plants are pretty spectacular)... and also because I am kind of out of shape. But nevertheless, it's a great spot that I'm looking forward to showing Ben in the near future.

The transit here is generally easy to navigate, especially compared to Seattle transit. The v-line trams run every ten minutes, and the stops are clearly marked and numbered in order, taking the guesswork out of how far away your destination is. There are also busses that use the same fare card, but we've been told by locals that the bus is unreliable and not worth taking. Locals have also expressed some discontent with their current fare card, the Myki. It's been around since 2009, replacing the previous Metcard, and has taken quite some time to roll out and adjust to. There are reports of overcharging, issues with phone and internet "topping up" (adding money to the card), faulty machines, and overall inconvenience. Hopefully we won't have any issues with our cards - but if we do, we won't be alone!

Between transfers, I was able to catch a tiny glimpse of downtown Melbourne. Lots of shops, people wandering about, street musicians, smells of great food, and gorgeous buildings everywhere. There are tiny alleyways crammed with more restaurants and stores and people hanging out, which reminds me of places in Europe. Also, there are Asians everywhere, both local and from nearby countries. Seattle is pretty diverse, but I still got harassed pretty often with racial slurs and offensive eye gestures, whenever I walked around downtown. Somehow I don't think this will be as much of an issue here in Melbourne (even though there are weirdos in every part of the world), and it's nice that I'll sort of be able to fit in. Until I start talking, of course.

Ben and I have begun the search for apartments online, checking out areas recommended by his new coworkers. Because we're not really planning on settling down just yet, we're looking at fully furnished apartments, which are actually pretty common here. Of course, this might mean settling for some floral grandma-ish furniture, but it would take the hassle out of finding everything at a decent price, and later getting rid of it if/when we decide to move elsewhere. Everything in Melbourne is very expensive. Work salaries are also higher to even things out, but we've had to adjust our expectations for living expenses. We crunched some numbers and bookmarked apartment listings ranging from a comparably moderate $450-$600... per week. The Australian dollar isn't that far off from the US dollar - and I thought paying $700/mo. in Seattle was a lot! Anyway, we've contacted a few real estate agents about apartments, and hope to venture over to the city this weekend to check out the areas in person and see what $500/wk actually gets us.

Also, I had my first Australian latte at Percy's Aeroplane Cafe. It was amazing. And this is coming from a girl who lived in Seattle for four years. I'm very glad that there's at least one good cafe in town (and I'm sure it's not the only one). Plus, coffee just so happens to be one of the few things that is cheaper in Australia!

But it probably won't offset the rent.

CK