Post numero uno!

I'll start at the beginning...

First stop was Singapore to visit the wife. It was so cool to finally be visiting her there, after all this time and talk about doing it one day. Jet lag was a killer but I think the adrenaline from finally being on the start of our big trip kept us going.

I really liked Singapore. I wasn't really sure what to expect, Kuala Lumpur being the only other South East Asian city I've been to. Also, most people I've spoken to about Singapore have said that there's nothing much to do there, it's boring etc. I had a brilliant time though, perhaps because we were staying with friends and therefore had the inside knowledge? And saw a bit more of the normal side of Singapore than you normally would?
As a city it's quite small but it's clean, spacious and practically crime free. I get the impression that you could live there on a little or live there on a lot. We drank cocktails in Marina Bay and chugged jugs of Tiger Beer at Lau Pa Sat market. And of course, we had to have a Sling at Raffles bar. We also had a day out at Universal Studios, where Neesh and Patrick enlightened us to the efficiency of the Single Rider queue!
Other than that it was really nice just hanging out. We had a BBQ, the first one in about a year for Ciaran and I, thanks to the great British Summer. And in case you ever run out of tin foil just before you decide to use a shisha pipe, we'll have you know that the bottom of a Tiger can and the foil from a pot of cream both make very good alternatives. Unfortunately there is no alternative for coal, which we also ran out of, but we made a valiant effort for those few puffs on the pipe.

After a whirlwind two days in Singers it was time to get back on a plane for another long-ass flight, this time en route to Melbourne. G'day Melbourne!!! And the Great Ocean Road! ROOS, ROOS!!! And koalas! Koalas are sooo cute but are also masters of devastation. If on the hunt for koalas in the wild, all you need to look for is a forest of dead eucalyptus trees - guaranteed there are koalas about.
Other highlights included visiting Deakin UNIVERSITY(!) and the lighthouse from Round The Twist, watching the surfer dudes down at Bells Beach, the actual home of surfing, and supping a schooner on the beach in Port Campbell after checking out the Twelve Apostles, which were also very cool. In fact the whole drive was just bonza beautiful, it was definitely worth taking two days to do it.

Back in Melbourne and it was Aussie Open time, whoop whoop!! Obviously I can't help but compare it to Wimbledon and obviously I'm going to say that Wimbledon is better but going to the Aussie Open was still totally awesome, especially given the top class match of Djokovic vs. Berdych. What a match! And who to support? I finally made my mind up at match point but by that time it was too late!

Another essential stop when in Melbourne is Pinoak Ct, or to the rest of the world, RAMSAY STREET!! Everyone needs good neighbours, that's when good neighbours become good friends. We visited the set, got a wave from Dr K and met Kym Valentine, which was slightly strange.

I also met my favourite Aussie in Melbourne - Richard at the Victorian Parliament. What a dude!! His tour was super, full of loads of interesting facts and funny anecdotes. At the old Treasury I also found out why there's a Deakin University and why Aussies love a Deakin. Alfred Deakin was the second prime minister of Australia and it was in his office at the Treasury that they decided to create Canberra and have it as the capital. Go Deakin! Now all I need to do is trace the ancestry and get me my Australian citizenship!!

After mooching around the City for a couple of days we headed down to St Kilda on what felt like the hottest day ever. Apart from the free City Circle tram, paying to travel in Melbourne will cost you and arm and a leg. My advice to any other touristos would be "don't pay!" It costs 6$AUD to buy the myki card, which is the Melbourne equivalent to London's Oyster Card. Even if you're a tourist, maybe just visiting for the day, the myki card is the only way to pay to use the trams and the it's non-refundable. That would be fine except the first tram we got on was packed, with no AC and broke down halfway to St Kilda. Oh and the myki reader didn't work. And half the people getting on the trams don't tap in anyway. In summary, don't bother! Or borrow mine, it still has $7AUD loaded on it.

St Kilda and Melbourne in general were cool, I really wish we'd had a couple more days there. But as we keep on saying, "next time"!