I’m here to tell you, the future rocks.
I wanted to start writing the minute we landed in Sydney but I couldn’t really see straight. Although I was emotionally unphased by the 20+ hour flight(s) to get here, my body was tired and my eyes were bright red from being open for way too long. On the plane I started and finished the novel “Dry” by Augusten Burroughs, I watched “Barney’s Version,” most of "Cider House Rules" and a few episodes of "Bored to Death". I slept for awhile and stared into space for awhile. All in all, it was a neat way to spend 24 hours of my life, and I’ll do it again to get home at the beginning of May...
Leading up to this trip, people kept asking me if I was excited about coming here. And though on a cerebral level, I knew I was going to a new place for a long-ish stretch of time, I never did get “excited” about it -- that is, until we landed in 24 degree heat and smelled the perfect, fragrant, rainforest-y air.
After landing in Sydney, we gathered our belongings (that were first sniffed by airport police dogs) and the proceeded to our next gate (we had to board one last flight from Sydney to Melbourne before actually getting to go outside and see Australia.) And what a wonderful surprise to see two other Canadian bands touring down under: "Hey Rosetta" and "City and Colour." After such a long flight, it’s incredibly comforting to see people from home.
The flight to Melbourne was uneventful, but for a funny steward on the plane who started joking with us about how much better Canadians are than Americans… ha. He spoke just loud enough to irritate the people in our cabin and to make us some new *friends*.
We landed and waited a long time for our bags, but they all came. We grabbed a taxi downtown to fetch our rental car. We got our car, packed it tight with our stuff and hit the highway for Apollo Bay. Caroline took the first stab at driving and did very well.
It’s strange to be seated in a car on the *wrong* side and watch your friend drive in the left lane. This was made stranger by the fact that by the time we started to drive, we had been traveling/awake for more than 30 hours.
We drove into Geelong for dinner on our way south, and I found a sushi place that was cheap. I ate vegetarian rolls and they were AMAZING - probably the best sushi I've ever eaten. This might sound like hyperbole to you, and maybe I was a bit over-excited by the sushi considering I’d been eating airplane and airport food for the last day and a half, but seriously, the avocados were fresh, the rice perfect and the seaweed not too seaweedy. I was full (and it was cheap… something we’ve learned is a rarity here.)
Mostly, it’s the fragrant air that I can’t get over. Everything here smells incredible. The air is thick with the fresh and natural aroma of plants and vegetation and I find myself breathing it in like it’s the last time I’ll ever smell anything like it. When a guy sat down next to us yesterday while we were having lunch on a patio and started smoking, it took all of my strength not to spit at him. Why, oh why, would he even want to fill the air with any other smell than fresh, natural awesomeness that was surrounding us?
On the note about prices here, when Sue went to buy two bananas the other day, the price came out to $6.00. And the following morning when she and Caroline went into town for breakfast, one restaurant boasted a $16 breakfast sandwich. The prices here are high and it's taking some getting used to... The good news is we're being very picky about what we're eating and making incredibly healthy choices... the downside: fewer presents for our siblings and parents. :)
I am eager to explore more. There are mountains to climb, animals to see, beaches on which to linger and many shows to perform... This is going to be a great month.
And I cannot believe the view from our motel this weekend…
Our reception here has been amazing. Our shows have been packed and the people have been singing along with us.
I may not have been excited leading up to the trip, but I'm here now, and seeing the water, the trees, the people and the possibilities of fun and adventure in front of me, I am bubbling over with excitement.
xo/ko
