For today's uncomfortably inefficient check-out/check-in cycle, I decided to be productive and go to the state library to begin making arrangements for my trip to Japan. I was slated to fly into Osaka which, as I soon realized from the already fully-booked hostels, is yet another extremely popular place for travelers to visit. I managed to book my first five nights at a homely looking hostel, and decided it would be a good idea to also book at least the end segment of my Tokyo stay. Choosing a hostel to stay at in Tokyo was incredibly difficult, as there were nearly a dozen hostels with 9.0+ ratings on hostelworld. It took me a while to decide who to give my money to, but I eventually booked my last 4 nights in Japan at the hilariously named "Hostel Bedgasm". After agonizing over Japanese accommodation and transportation options, I hopped on the circle tram, cruised by the Docklands, and hopped off across the Yarra River from Southbank.
Southbank is noticeably more upscale than the spunky shops and restaurants of Fitzroy and Carlton. There was a festival along the waterfront that featured Australian Grand Prix booths on one side of Queens Bridge and Korean cultural booths for the Korea Week Festival on the other. I crossed back into Melbourne CBD via Sandridge Bridge where they have a really cool art installation called "The Travellers". It features 10 abstract scultures along the length of the bridge, and below them a collection of 128 glass panels. Each glass panel corresponds to a country, and have written on them the primary occupations of immigrants from that respective country during different time periods. It was interesting to see ethnic groups initially migrating to Australia as manual laborers, then 100 years later as students and skilled professionals.
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| Looking northeast from Sandridge Bridge |
From Melbourne CBD I took the circle tram as close as I could get to my hostel and walked the rest. I'd been meaning to visit the nearby jazz bar ever since I became aware of its existence. Being my last night in Melbourne, I dressed up, put shoes on for the first time in weeks, and walked to the bar for dinner and drinks.
I arrived in the middle of a set, and after a $20 cover charge, $10 tiny beer, and $12 8-pc sushi rolls (actually not a bad price), I emerged from the bar a mere 40 minutes later. Shortly after I arrived the band had taken a 30+ minute break (I didn't stick around to find out exactly how long), and, at risk of sounding too Catcher-in-the-Ryeish, the crowd seemed like a bunch of stiffs. (Not to mention my train left at 8:30 the next morning and I had almost nothing but soul-crushing isolation to keep me company during the drawn out intermission). I slept lightly that night in anticipation of my 7am alarm.
I arrived in the middle of a set, and after a $20 cover charge, $10 tiny beer, and $12 8-pc sushi rolls (actually not a bad price), I emerged from the bar a mere 40 minutes later. Shortly after I arrived the band had taken a 30+ minute break (I didn't stick around to find out exactly how long), and, at risk of sounding too Catcher-in-the-Ryeish, the crowd seemed like a bunch of stiffs. (Not to mention my train left at 8:30 the next morning and I had almost nothing but soul-crushing isolation to keep me company during the drawn out intermission). I slept lightly that night in anticipation of my 7am alarm.
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