Melly

So, down to business. I finally reached the land of plenty. Plenty of poisonous animals that is. ;) Kidding, kidding, Oz is nice. My first stop is Melbourne, supposedly one of the top 5 cities to live in in the world. The big question is - is this true?
At first I hated Melbourne. Ok, hated might be a bit rough, but I disliked it for sure. Later on I realized why. It is big, enormous (for a Slovenian). It is expensive. It is crowded. I am a countryside girl, a child of wilderness (lol), thus Melly at first didn't seem like my cup of tea.
Later I chilled. Relaxed. Started breathing. And finally I realized Melly is kinda cool. The city is a lovechild of the vibrant, restless New York and a laid-back, chillaxed beach town (imaginary Aussie surf spot). It is big without being overwhelming. It is cosmopolitan without being impersonal. It is hip without being pretentious. Truly a nice place.

The whole reason my spirit was up is naturally because I was socialising with people. At first I couldn't get a couch to surf, spent a lot of money on internet, hostel, transport and alike, so no wonder I was pissed. Later situation improved dramatically. My friend Lachy agreed to meet me and we had a truly wonderful conversation over a truly wonderful Japanese dinner. The next day I also got an invitation for couchsurfing, which turned out to be a great experience. The guy that is hosting me is Egyptian, living with his equally Egyptian friend. At first you would think what have I gotten myself into, couchsurfing with Middle Eastern male strangers. I was a tad sceptical myself, I have to admit. But life full of prejudice is a life wasted, so I decided to give it a go. And how glad I am to have done so! Ahmed proved to be a super nice guy, very forward-thinking, relaxed, and generous, so my anxiety disappeared within seconds.
As I was celebrating my twenty khm birthday, the guys took me out for a Middle Eastern brunch, which included fava bean falafel, yummy bean stew, feta cheese, olives, AND, halleluyah, Turkish coffee. Last part was pure heaven, naturally. In the evening I insisted on baking a cake, since it was the day of my birth, and the guys put a candle on it and sang happy birthday. Thus even though I was miles away from my friends and family, I felt loved and respected. Yes, couchsurfing is amazing.
Today we were sightseeing a bit more and when we got hungry, Ahmed suggested a place called Lentils as anything. This is a 'pay what you feel' restaurant, where you contribute as much money as you wish after the meal. The restaurant is vegetarian, with a self-service buffet of yummy food. Today's menu: shredded salad, coconut thai curry, baked pasta, baked polenta with sour cream and cardamom cake. Yum, yum, yum! The atmosphere is fabulous, food delicious, prices.... customised. We paid the fair price of 13$ each, so no freeloading here!
Before the nightfall I managed to catch the sunset at St Kilda beach, which is the-beach-to-be in Melbourne. Locals gather there for an evening kitesurfing practice, to walk the dog, play volleyball match with friends and strangers, throw frisbee, or just catch the last rays of sunlight.
Another great day in another great city, I say.
Yet, my conclusion always comes in 50 shades of grey:
Negative
- people leisurly strolling down a busy avenue, obstructing more active folks
- internet insanely expensive, free wifi a dream
- prices (hostels cost on average 35$ a night, that is rouhly 25€)
- people's personal style. Now this could be an entry on its own. While Kiwi girls generally copy the style of Lorde, which I am not crazy about, but at least it is a style concept, here everybody wears what they want. Leggings as trousers. See-throughs and cut-outs. Leggings with patterns. Vintage pieces from 3 different periods. Crocs. Birkenstocks as businesswear. Shorts shorts with camel toes. Nothing is too much. When you are not feeling underdressed as a tourist in sweatsuit and sneakers, then you know something is wrong.
Positive
+ food culture (yummy food and fantastic markets)
+ über-friendly people
+ man buns
+ weather
Overall, thumbs up. Would come back.

Yours truly,
Ajda