Everyone who I talk to about Melbourne raves about the coffee, so I thought I'd take a trip and see if the reality meets the expectation. I went to a place called Brother Baba Boudan, a tiny shop on a tiny alleyway off of a small side road, right in the middle of the city center. The place was really cool. I wouldn't say it was terribly inviting, as it was sort of a only-those-in-the-know kind of place, but I enjoyed the vibe anyway. There were chairs hanging from the ceiling, random things on the walls, and odd table settings. Who cares about any of that though, because the coffee was incredible. I had a double espresso black, also known as a short black, and it knocked my socks off. Great coffee.
Now that I was awake I went in search of food. For breakfast I went to one of the hundreds of Vietnamese Street Food shops - ironic name, as these were sit-down places with kitchens, but oh well. The food was great. I had a pair of Bahn Xeo crepes with chili sauce and enjoyed it thoroughly.
A note on food in Australia: it is expensive. I guess compared to Alaska or any other big city it's not so bad, but coming from Peru, South Africa and even Japan, it felt very pricey. I was hard pressed to eat a good meal for less than $15-$20 US. And a light beer will set you back at least $5-6, a decent beer $7-8, and its not unreasonable to have to pay $10 for every drink at a bar. Ugh.
My mission for my first day in Melbourne, as a way of seeing the city, was finding a jacket. I had three criteria for the jacket - warmth so I can snowboard with it, lightweight so I can pack it, and at least decent-looking enough to fit in with the uber-trendy Melburnians. I had a good time wandering the city looking for a good store, and this was the only shopping I did my entire trip so I felt good about that.
Practically the entire city center is a gigantic network of malls, shops and stores, so I spent most of the day walking up and down streets and alleyways just seeing what was there. The stores were not very interesting to be honest, but what I was taking notes for were restaurants and bars, and I kept my eyes open for cool artwork and graffiti. I found a bit here and there:
I also found some politics and social discourse as well:
Making my way North I ran into the Melbourne Museum, so with time to kill I thought I would check it out. It was actually a pretty great museum. I spent a lot of time looking at the most boring things - rocks, fossils and insects. Running out of time, I also went to the exhibits I should have gone to first about the Aborigines and Melbourne's history. All in all I saw quite a bit of the museum in the three hours I was there.
On the way back I stopped in a camping/hiking store called Kathmandu, which was actually a New Zealand outfitter. They were having some kind of huge sale and so I grabbed a nice fleece jacket there. The guy working who was helping me was also from New Zealand, so I talked to him for quite a bit about the country, what to do and what not to, etc. Happy and warm, I left the store and began a search for dinner.
I looked online for something really out of the ordinary, and picked an Afghan restaurant nearby. I ordered a meal with a good price tag that looked good, and when the food came out it covered the table. Bang for your buck this meal was amazing. The food was pretty good, but I'm sure two people could have eaten this and been completely content. I, of course, ate the whole dang thing myself. Fatty pouf!
I went back to the hostel for a few minutes to see what was going on, and met a few people in the social area, but decided I was having more fun out in the city. I walked back up toward the museum to check out the huge IMAX theater, but they were closed by the time I got there. On my way back South I stumbled into Chinatown - jackpot! I wasn't hungry, but the restaurants looked great and there was no shortage of them. The place was decorated well and true to its name there were few people on the streets who weren't Chinese.
On my way back toward the hostel I saw what looked like a craft beer store, so I went in to check it out. It was just a run-of-the-mill liquor store, but they had an ok selection of beers so I grabbed a six-pack of White Rabbit: Dark Ale and headed back to the hostel. Giving away beer is a great way to make friends, so my strategy was sound.
At the hostel I went up to the social lounge and it was FULL of people. I picked a mostly full table and sat down, introduced myself, and started talking. Turns out though it was trivia night, so everyone was in the middle of fiercely and secretly sharing information. Those lucky guys at my table :) We didn't win, but had a good time and finished off the beer. I met a couple guys who I would talk to throughout the trip, but overall the scene was young and very few people ever left the dorm. When I travel I like to have a base, but every night I spend inside is a night I could have been out exploring the place I'm visiting. But everyone can have the trip they want!
When I went to my room I met my roommates, who were not sound asleep this time. The guy on the bunk below me was from Dublin, had moved here with only what could fit in his bags, and was looking desperately for a job. Across from me there were a brother and sister from Finland who were very excited to get out and see the countryside. On the other bunk was a guy named Alex, who I believe was from Perth or Cairns, and another guy looking for a job who had moved from an island near Papa New Guinea. Lots of people I met were looking for jobs - the market must be good, or the city is that impressive. I loved being there, it was an incredibly "livable" city, so I don't blame them.
I was done going out, so I spent some time talking with my dormmates and looking up things to do in and near Melbourne, then went to bed relatively early. Lots more to do and see, and definitely more coffee to drink!
No comments:
Post a Comment