When riding the Melbourne trains at night, steer clear from the seats at or near the end of the rail cars.

That’s where the teenagers converge, drink beer, swap obsceneties and a spit or two.

Unless you want to join in, of course.

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With the Internet, it’s so easy to look and book for accomodations for your trips. However it can be a double edge sword: with the rising number of hostels going online and hostel review sites up, it can get quite hard to pick which one you’ll book with.

These are the things I consider when picking a hostel:
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If you’re going to be in Melbourne in the next couple of days, head on to the Royal Exhibition Building at the Carlton Gardens for the 12th Adventure Travel & Backpackers Expo.

The Expo is the fun and festive way to find out where to go for the time of your life -around Australia and overseas, the best, friendliest places to stay, what to do, how to get there and how to get jobs.

Whether you enjoy adrenaline-charged super activities or quietly experiencing the indigenous cultures of remote tribes, night-life festivities or the art galleries of the world, don’t miss your annual opportunity to cut through the information overload and get personal answers to your interests from nearly 200 exhibitors.

The expo will be on February 23 – 25, 10 am to 4 pm. Admission is $5.00.

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Last night was the first night I went out to the city. I met up with a group of Pinoys who are visiting Melbourne from Canberra. It was funny how they’ve seen more of the city than I have. Must venture out from the libraries sometime.

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I’ve always loved the library. Since I’ve graduated, I haven’t been inside one until this year, when my sister dropped me off at the nearby library.

It was love at first sight: high ceiling with lots of natural light, a courtyard where you can have a snack while reading, Pilot Guide and Lonely Planet DVDs, lots of music CDs, a great collection of books and yes, graphic novels.

It’s love, love I tell you!

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My sister forwarded me the link to the See Melbourne Card website. It looks interesting, but of course, the big question is, is it worth it?

In my limited Googling, I found this verdict on a similar product, the See Sydney Card:

The Verdict Thumb Down
Not worth it. With the one- and three-day plans, you’d have to cram in four or five museums just to make the card pay for itself: While the Opera House and Taronga Zoo—at $17 and $23, respectively—are pricey sights, others, such as the Chinese Garden, charge only $4, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Botanical Garden are free. On the other hand, if you have enough time to take advantage of the Blue Mountain attractions (worth about $75) and to visit several Sydney sights, you might make the Smartvisit Card pay. Whatever you do, don’t buy the transportation option: Unspecified “administration fees” mean you’ll pay about $8 more than if you purchased a transportation pass separately.

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My travels last year didn’t really change me much. I’m still pretty aloof and anti-social, but I like to think that travelling solo made me believe more in myself. Maybe one day, after a longer trip, I can have a “success” story like these people.

“I was freaked out before my first trip, too. On the plane ride over I kept thinking, “Why am I going to India?” I ended up having the time of my life and returned two years later. The key is to just go with the flow. Actually, don’t just go with the flow — embrace the flow.”

Read more about their stories over at Fodor’s.

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I haven’t been able to go online for almost two days and the first thing to welcome me in my inbox is two notification of airline seat sale, from Jetstar and Cebu Pacific.
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