Finally arrived in Oz!

Hey Hey - I have finally arrived in Oz and very happy to be in Melbourne. It's great to be with Tally, despite my extraordinarily long trip and encounters with a number of strange but interesting people. I suppose that most people appear rather strange after not sleeping for 30 hours, and when they haven't slept either...

Thursday was rather frantic as I had a scholarship interview an hour before I had to be at the airport, but I managed to catch my flight and was picked up by Em at the airport. After a whirlwind tour of her garden, with house attached, we headed off to Greenside for a yummy dinner and a crash course in antibiotics. I will now be able to save myself from deli belly and amoebic dysentery thanks to Em's prescription scrawled on the back of the waiter's pad.

I spent Friday, being bossed around by Jack in his shop, having tea with Fran and driving around Joburg trying to find Indi in Cresta of all places. Dinner with the Joburg crew in Melville in the evening and it was great to catch up with Dr Phil, Kenjamin, Kirst, Crazy Cath, Paula etc. Lots of wine, delicious Thai food and a drink at Tokyo Star, but the music was horrendous so we headed for home rather early.

Indi dragged me off for a shopping spree like only India can on Saturday morning. Most of which was spent in downtown Jozi in the Chinese supermarket and fireworks store where we bought presents for the Medics Christmas party happening that afternoon. We finally escaped after buying half of China town and chatting to the shop assistants who were threatening to toy-toy if they were not let off early to go and watch the soccer, only to be caught up in the Pirates/Chiefs taxi jam, a fire at the train station, one body on the road and narrowly missed being killed by a bus driver speeding and talking on his cell phone. Oh, the joys of Africa....

The first leg to Dubai was difficult as I had a man on steroids with the largest biceps I have ever seen sitting next to me and he needed two seats, but we arrived safely at about 4:30 am. You have no idea how many people are shopping in duty free at 5am, though I am sure that the neon lights and them pumping in oxygen has a lot to do with it. But that is the point, as they even pick you up in a golf cart and whisk you off to your boarding gate from duty free if you are too busy swiping your credit card to make your flight. The airport is enormous and the frightening thing is that they are extending it even further.



















I arrived in Singapore only to be accosted by reindeers leeping through banks of orchids, Visa having sponsored Christmas and clearly the gift of giving, 30 degrees and George Michael singing carols.... I quickly fled to the traansit hotel and passout for 12 hours. The next morning I spent drinking coffee in the orchid garden which was beautiful. As I was making my way to me boaring gate I narrowly avoided being killed by the police (who are armed with AK47s, pistols and huge knives), when a group of American tourists flocked around them. "We sure love you alls outfits and your hats are so cute!" The police were not impressed.

Finally arrived in Melborne at 2am on Tuesday morning, having been the only person not over 50 and visiting there greek, cypriot or italian relatives. Did you know that Melbourne has the largest Greek community outside of Athens? Collected my bag and headed to the taxi rank where I was collected by a Somalian, who made me read the map, broke the speed limit and spoke on his cell phone. So you see, Australia isn't so different from Africa after all!

Rudolf, looking pissed off in the orchids...