Melbourne, Australia

I found out that my Brittish friend Natalie was making a living in Melbourne as well and we met up for the first time since our travels in Cambodia and Vietnam 1,5 year prior. I saw her lovely face at flinders station that evening, beeing 30 minutes late. Nothing has change. We hit the bars catching up and chatting the night away. I missed the last tram and ended up walking all the way back to st Kilda. 

Meeting Natalie again was lovely, even if she had dragged herself into a lot of drug-related problems lately. Something I wish for my life to stay away from. 

I kept seeing her a lot, and she became a very important part of my life during this time. I did my best to support her, which in the end would have to mean for her leaving Melbourne. So she did. But being Natalie she ended up forgetting her passport on the plane that went all the way back to Melbourne. 

That same weekend our friend Emma came to visit us before flying home. She and Stef was traveling together but went separate paths after fruitshack. After a lovely weekend I followed her to the airport Monday morning to say goodbye and to get Natalie's passport back. 

The story with the tram fine 

I ended up a bit unlucky with my valuables during my last weeks in Melbourne. Or just stupid. One night I simply decided it was super funny throwing my phone at people (?) and woke up without it the next morning. Remembering that Natalie gave me an old broken iPhone before she left, decided to see if it's working. Now when I didn't have one. For beeing a person who's never had an iPhone before I just simply assumed that you have to take off the back to put the SIM card in. It's been broken already and the corner of the back was already unhooked. I grabbed it and peeled the whole back off. It made a funny notice, as it does if you brake something or do something completely wrong. I was so confused. Still couldn't figure out where to put the damn SIM card in I took the battery out. Standing there with the phone in one hand, battery in the other and the back of the phone on the table Stef walked into the room. 

'What are you doing' she simply yelled out

'I'm just trying to put the SIM card in', I explained quite desperately

'Thats NOT how you do it!' 

Learn from this everyone. And do never ever ever give me an iPhone!  

It doesn't end there. The very same week I as I was heading home from one of my regular 7am gym classes, I managed to leave my wallet on the tram. Which leads to a funny story about me getting caught on the tram for not having a ticket.  I just had a lovely breakfast with Stina before heading off towards my last rock climbing session. As I sat on the tram I realized the massive storm of fully custumed ticket polices coming in from every door and every angle of the tram.  Usally I'd always travel with a tramcard that I'll top on in this cases. Or I'll simply run off. There's no way escaping this time .. 

'Ticket miss?'  

'Umm.. Sorry, don't really have one. Wallet got stolen. Know that's not a reason but ..' I suddenly felt like the smallest person in the world. He described that I have failed showing a valid ticket and can choose to pay $70 on the spot or get a $218 send home. 

'I pay the 70' I said eagerly looking for money in my pocket. Realizing I only had a 50 I tried to agociate the price. No succes. They don't even take cash. We've come to the point where they needed my personal details and address. I suddenly remembered last time this happened when I fist got to Melbourne and I got I $212 fine sent to my old work. People kept asking me why I didn't just lie about my identity. If they wouldn't be able to find me they will simply give up and let me go right? Saying this, I'm the worst lier in the world. So told them my real first name. I said my last name. I told them my date of birth. But that's when something went crazy inside my mind and by a reason I could never explain I've head myself telling them the wrong month. Crap. What did a do that for? This is not ending well .. 

I obviously couldn't proof my identity as I didn't had an id. And I couldn't confirm my address either. What normal kind of human being walks around with their bills in their pockets? I'm not even the one paying my bills. When they asked to call my friends I had to apologize for the fact that I have lost my phone as well. They stared at me as I was completely stupid. There was about 3 of them around me now. All starting to get really annoyed saying that if I don't prove who I am they have to call the police. 

I emptied my bag showing that I actually don't have any phone or prof of identification in there. Looking at all my climbing gear they asked me if a was a member of a gym. They googled the number to the 'hard rock climbing' and talked to a poor little boy who had no idea what was going on. Hearing him confirming my details it occurs to me that this is going to be the wrong date of birth. Or the right. Shit. They drag me off at the next stop to call the police as I still couldn't give them proof of my address. How can they have the energy going throught all this trouble? I'm overlooking the station I'm at. it's pretty busy. What changes would I have just running off? Probably not very good, specially not with the police on the way. And I have put myself in enough trouble already. Tried to explain that I'm leaving in less than a week and there's no way I'd be able to pay the fine anyway.  Finally they asked me where I was working. Finally. You think that would be one of the first questions to ask? Using their precious google again they found the number to the deli, and ended up deciding to send the fine there. They let me go. With a $218 fine, and more than an hour late to my climbing session. 

The end 

My last weeks in Melbourne went a bit mad. I became really close friend with Eric and I ended up spending to much time with him. I had good fun, it's just not good for my health.  His friend Ashleigh just moves to Melbourne and in to the hostel across the road, and every other day we would end up there for drinking. And when it came to the weekend it got pretty intense with full hours working shifts on top.

I felt a bit sad leaving in the end, just as a got so many new friends at the hostel. Mainly backpackers thought, so none of them would be staying for much longer. But also as I really liked it at my work. I felt appreciated and knew what I was doing. But for all we know I might actually end up back there agin. Stef was leaving just a couple of days before me, and for her last night we went for a nice dinner with our flatmates Cam and Chelsea. On our way home i ran into Eric on the street outside the hostel where they where having a party. As Stef was heading home for packing I ended up staying with them as well as it was my last weekend before leaving. We had so much fun that I simply forgot to go home and suddenly realized I had to go straight to work. I'm never doing that again. I struggled with reading my own handwriting and towards the end of my shift I was so tired that I found myself falling asleep (for only a second) as I was behind the counter taking order from a costumer. 

Eric to the left, with a bunch of people from the hostel.

Anyway, my time in Melbourne had come to an end. I had to face tearful goodbyes to Stina, Stef, Chloe, Eric, Will, Ashleigh, flatmates, coworkers, climbing buddies and everyone. I've had an amazing time in Melbourne and couldn't be asking for better friends than the ones I've met, or the job that I've been giving, or simply the beauty of st Kilda!  This was a goodbye, but not a goodbye for ever.