Shanewilson's travel blogs:
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Multicultural Melbourne
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I love the multi-ethnic flavour of Melbourne. Melbourne appears to be less Asian than Sydney but does have an array of people from all over the world. As I was walking along the St Kilda coastline yesterday, I noticed Africans playing football on the oval (in WA we also have many families coming from war torn African countries such as Somalia... educators in schools have a challenge in front of them in managing these children and their families). I've also come across Iranians, South Africans and a Malaysian. Melbourne also has a large Greek, Italian and Chillean population which makes for an exciting atmosphere.
Dean and I went to a modern cafe on Bourke St, Camberwell last night after taking a visit to his shop. The service and food was world class... I had a gnocci dish with my favourite dessert (chocolate mousse) with Western Australian Evans and Tate Chardonnay. A lot of work has gone into Dean's shop and I put my hat off to him for entering small business with such ease. The business is in its early stages of development and is clearing upto $1700 a week in trade, but with further advertising and improvements, this is sure to increase. I was really impressed with the creative flare and neat and well organised floor space. Dean's creativity has extended to his use of signage and marketing techniques such as discounting etc.
I'm staying at Base Hostel in St Kilda until Thursday. Given that I've accessed more money than I actually need to last me until the end, I've decided to live it up in one of Melbourne's best hotels, the Rialto on Collins for 4 nights, including Xmas Eve. A sensational end to what has been a superb trip around the world. I scored an excellent deal off wotif.com.au for $139 a night. The hotel, 5 stars, has its own balcony and is smack right in the middle of downtown. Photos to follow.
Base itself, is a friendly hostel with all the amenities you need but is damn noisy. I'm staying in an 8 bed dorm, and I attempted to get a bit of rest yesterday afternoon but couldn't. Every 5 minutes, a door would slam and I had one rude girl who entered my room and slammed the door shut. I held my words. I don't mean to be sexist here (sorry girls reading this), but I have found most younger girls to be the most difficult to share with. They are noisy, messy and hog the shower if you have an ensuite. The girl this morning, for example, spent 1 HOUR in the bathroom. In 3 days, all of this will be history and I sure won't miss these negative aspects of travelling. For round the world travellers reading this, aim for a balance in your accommodation types to balance out the positive and negative aspects of sharing with fellow travellers. This has made me last the distance.
This afternoon I plan to go to the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Centre.
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