Monday in Melbourne
Cold and fresh, undeterred by either tiredness or the chill factor I went with Kepsibel into the city where we had a great breakfast at Captains of Industry a most unusual, hipsterish cafe. Industrial in design it used to be an old shoe factory and is now retro fitted to accommodate an airy cafe staffed by faintly bearded young men who look vaguely Amish and pale. The food was wonderful soda bread with mashed avocado and a pear, almond and saffron chutney.
Sufficiently fueled we went to collect the items on my first part of the shopping list, which was fun, if not a bit overwhelming to be amongst such choice and retail affluence. We found bargains in David Jones, where I was also mistaken for a sales assistant, which I didn't mind so much so I did my best.
We went to ACMI and spent a brilliant afternoon amongst the exhibits in the free Moving Pictures event.
Afternoon tea was taken in DeGraves at another hip coffee place, Melbourne does eating really well and this was borne out again at dinner which we had in the Retreat Pub in Brunswick with Severen, Lyndon and Af. After cider and nachos Kepsibel and I took the train back into the city and then out to South Yarra where I got a tram to the hotel and she continued to Balaclava. On my own I found the emptiness of the streets a little daunting as I waited for the tram, and pondered the subtle shifts that get made in the subconscious mind through altered environments.
Da Nang Kids and Farking Aussies
Along the River Khahn of Danang Kids Da Nang Kids Day Out This clever organisation calls itself a club and what it does is provide volunteer tour guides to visitors so they can practice their English. All you have to do is pay for their expenses, like petrol and food, and they don't eat very much. I think it is good to give extra , even though they say you shouldn't you can find a way.. Today my Da Nang kid Khanh took me all over the Hoi An area, into back road, off the beaten tracks, down a side street to a wedding, onto the beach and along the river.. We had a great day speaking English and making jokes..Khanh's English is good and he is studying at University majoring in business. Da Nang Kids is a very good idea, especially when you see how much Hoi An is tourism driven it is great to be somewhere without a lot of others... Which by the way Australians..some of you need to wash your mouths out with soap, the 'f' word is not a common adjective in other languages!...
http://www.acmi.net.au/timeslice/Timeslice.htm?file=ts-20111010-0cc210e7a25bfcbe1fe1ec5e905c09f5.flv
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