Umamiblog

Oh my goodness it was hot today. We knew it was going to be a scorcher because they had forecast 35′C the day before. But even still nothing really prepares you for the heat which I swear is multiplied by all the tarmac and concrete in the city. Its the kind of hot that sucks everything from your body, your fluid, your energy, your will to live and yet people were continuing on, business as usual.

We took our time getting up this morning, Phil who had just flown in from NZ yesterday had been up for 22 hours so he was stuffed and the first to drop off. We got up and got moving, even just waiting for the bus was too hot to stand in the sun. We made our way into the city with the bus and then found a crammed tram out to St Kilda.

The beach at St Kilda was busy with all the city dwellers trying to cool off in the heat. We contemplated taking our togs but then decided against it – we should have taken them in the end, it was way way way too hot.

We had lunch out there and this is where I met the Melbourne fly. Bloody hell, they just wouldn’t leave you alone. I spent the whole time doing the Aussie wave just to keep the buggers off my face. They were so persistant, I’ve never seen anything like it. They know you are going to give them an obligatory wave of your hand so they just fly back. You have to give atleast 4 to get them off you. Arhhhhhh! They haven’t been like that at all in Sydney. They seem to go straight for your eyes, mouth, nose or ears. It has severly put me off Melbourne.

After lunch we took the tram back into the city where we had a go at mini ten bin bowling. It is kinda of a cross between ten-pin bowling and lawn bowls but a lot more enjoyable (than lawn bowls).

Then we took off deeper into the city with the sweltering heat in search of some air-conditioned paradise. We wound up at the Queen Victoria center (I think) which is a cool shopping center. One shop I went into, called y.d., I found a cool looking top that was marked down from $90 to $20. I quite liked it so I thought I would try it on. I decided to buy it and went up to the counter.

The lady was treating me nicely, I thought maybe that was just the type of person she was. Anyway, as I go to pay for it, she asks me “Where do I know you from?”. Well, I don’t really know so I just say she must be thinking of someone else. Then for some unknown reason she asks me if I’m a celebrity. Now, I find this really amusing, almost flattering and I politely say no, I’m not a celebrity.

Not content with that, she looks at Russ and Phil (who must be my minders or something) and asks them if I’m a celebrity. They laugh their asses off and reassure her I’m telling the truth. Still not content, she asks if she can see my ID. So I show her my NZ drivers license, she obviously didn’t notice it was a NZ one and doesn’t recognise name. Still not content she asks if she know me from work or something a little less exciting than a celebrity. So I say “Only if you’re from the deep south of the South Island of New Zealand”, which with her thick Aussie accent she obviously isn’t. At this point she is ready to concede defeat but she still isn’t sure and continues to look at me until I leave.

At first I thought it was some silly sales ploy but all three of us walked out of there with the distinct impression that she actually thought I was a celeb or some such. Even then, does a celeb walk into a shop and quite literally by the cheapest most discounted top in the whole shop? Her constant “Are you a celebrity? Are you? Are you sure? Is he? He is, isn’t he?” made us laugh and then made us think who the heck I might look like. Anyone know? I think I look like Tom Cruise, just like JR (Sarah’s dad), LOL

Anyway, we all got some shopping done and then took off back to the place we were staying on an non air-con bus (big mistake) during rush hour. By the time we got home, we had to leave again. Me to the airport to fly back to Sydney. Russ and Phil to go to the quarter final of the Aussie Open between Federer and Agassi. I don’t know who won though…

Catching the flight back was a bit of a mission and I must have checked in last or second to last but I made it so that’s all good. I had been told a lot of good things about Melbourne and in general it lived up to it, BUT, no one had told me about the flies…

Tomorrow is Australia Day which means it will be absolute chaos if we try to go anywhere. The beach will be absolutely packed I am told. Tomorrow is also my last day so there are some last minute things I need to do before I come home. Hopefully some of the shops will be open

Bye people, see ya in the next exciting installment.