058. chil

27th November 2012 ;

I booked a tour to the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne for some sight seeing the day before because mom really wanted to go to a winery whilst she's still here. We set out in the break of dawn and got on the bus that would drive us all the way out into the hills on Eastern Victoria. (For those of you who didn't know, Melbourne is in the State of Victoria)

It was raining heavily that morning, I normally hate it when it rains when I tour, but the rain that morning had this calming effect on me and I love the cold so much, I don't even care about the rain pouring down on me and getting sick the next day.

It took about an hour or so drive to get up to the hills, we passed by many tiny and cute towns and forests, I felt like I was still in my dreams, the trees were so tall it made it seem like I was lost but still felt so safe. Listening to THE NOVEMBERS suited the mood so well, I can't wait to listen to them in winter. I've always thought that they'd be a perfect band to listen to in the cold and quietness.

The stopped somewhere along the way for breakfast, initially, we were supposed to feed some birds but since it was raining, mom and I just decided to hide inside a little cafe and have something warm to drink. We had no choice but to get an umbrella, we settled for the smallest one with cute koala prints on it. We spent about half a hour there and got on the bus again and continued driving to Puffing Billy. Again, we passed by some cute towns.

The rain lightened a little when we arrived at Puffing Billy, we had to wait for another half an hour before getting on the steam train. The guides were filling us in about the history of the railway and train and all that jazz, so we were actually going to get on a train that started operating as far back at the 1900s. It was nothing special but well, it's for the experience right? 

The train ride was about 20 minutes, there was nothing much of a view but trees and more trees and lamas? I couldn't tell if they were lamas or alpacas. We got on the bus again at the end of the train ride and had another hour drive to Yarra Valley for lunch. 

The rain cleared up and the sky was in a nice shade of blue. One thing I hated was how bright and strong the sun rays were. I never liked the sun that much, I think everyone knows that by now, even if it's for the better, I still don't like that ball of heat. 

We had roast beef with some salad and a glass of red wine for lunch. I always love how fresh the produce are in Australia. It's just something that makes me a little happier inside. After lunch, I accompanied mom for a little wine tasting and she bought two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, we both agreed about how much we love how the taste of this wine rested in our throats.

It wasn't before long that we had to get on the bus again, we headed to the final stop of the tour that was Healesville Sanctuary. I was most excited for this stop because I wanted to see platypuses for as long as I can remember. They are cute, weird little creatures, don't you think?

At Healesville Sanctuary, the first thing that greeted us were koalas, I've seen a lot of koalas in my time, obviously, because I am an Australian. I love holding them though, their butts are all warm and smooshy.  There were Echidnas (little things that look like hedgehogs), Kangaroos, several species of birds, snakes and lizards, Tasmanian Devils, Dingo Dogs and Wombats (which were sleeping, they are nocturnal).

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Sanctuary, the weather was nice to us that day, it cleared up right in time. When we arrived at the Sanctuary, it stopped raining completely but I got a little annoyed because of the heat. We left the animals at about 4 in the afternoon and arrived back in the city an hour later, just in time for dinner. The bus dropped us off right outside Taco Bill, so we settled for Mexican. We were both lazy to find and think of something else to eat, plus we didn't want to walk anymore.

I had enchilada and dip for dinner and mom had the mixed platter. I forgot to take photos of my food again, it's rare that I have mexican food. We didn't do much but eat and eat and went straight back to the apartment after that. All I can think about in Melbourne is the food. They have the freshest produce and nicest pastries and coffee. I swear I am going to grow fat in this town.