It’s been quite memorable, these two Australian trips. I was able to live in a different country for almost 6 months. On the first trip, I was so excited about being overseas once again. Homesickness set in about after a month after my arrival. On this trip though, the homesickness set in nearer to my departure date. It was Christmas you see, and Christmas is usually spent with family and friends. I did get to spend Christmas with family and friends in Tasmania (and had a blast, actually), but it’s still diffferent. Not that it’s bad, but Christmas in Manila is something I really missed.

I feel my heart racing with anticipation; in less than 10 hours I will be back to the city I so love. I am looking forward to seeing her again, to discovering the changes that happened while I was away. And maybe see how the Manila Peninsula looks now.

I also feel a twinge of sadness though. Melbourne has been good to me. I spent my last two days in Melbourne buying bilins and pasalubongs. Coming home from overseas without gifts is a big no-no. Though while I was in a hurry to complete my errands, I didn’t run. I want to savor every last moment that I spend walking through Melbourne’s streets.

I don’t know when I will see Melbourne again. A part of me wishes it to be soon, yet another part yearns for Manila. I would like to see more of the Philippines, so Melbourne will have to wait. But I know I will come back.

We started out late, leaving Melbourne at 6 o’clock in the afternoon on Sunday. Ballarat is a little over 100 kilometers from Melbourne, and driving there takes about an hour and a half via the Western Highway. Though it was a Sunday, there were plenty of people on the road. Probably families headed for their country homes or students enjoying their holidays (and their new licenses).

I’ve always loved driving (or in my case, riding) around Melbourne and the outlying countryside because of the great condition of the roads, and the seemingly lack of traffic. Australia is almost the same size as mainland USA, but unlike the United States, the population of the entire country is only at 21 million (Metro Manila has about 11 million residents). This means less people in the streets, less people on the roads, just less people, period. When I first came here, I told my sister I’d love to drive in Australia, since the roads are pretty empty. She was quick to refute my argument, saying that it’s much more dangerous here. Emptier roads meant people tend to drive faster. The higher the speed, the higher the chances of a car crash, which in Manila would just mean bumping the car in front of you. I realized what she meant, when I saw a car grazing the rear bumper of another on the road to Ballarat, during the first trip we made there last February.

We were driving along the side road, looking for a fish and chips shop to buy our picnic lunch. As we wait at the intersection for a break in the traffic to go back into the main road, one car going over 100km/h grazed the left rear end bumper of another car going over 90km/h. The first car only swerved a bit, but the second car tipped to the side. Luckily for the driver, the car didn’t topple over and soon righted itself. The driver only got some minor bruises and possibly some broken bones.

Now on our second trip to Ballarat, there was another accident along the freeway. We didn’t actually see it, but it was a bit unnerving to hear about it, seeing as we passed the same stretch of road just minutes before. According to the reports, four teens were inside the car that careened of the highway, hitting a tree by the side of the road. The car burst into flames upon impact. Police and witnesses says that the car must have been travelling at 160km/h.

Road accidents aside, it was great to drive back into Ballarat. I greatly enjoyed the time whe spent there last February, albiet a short one. There were no concrete plans for this Ballarat trip, just a stop at the local Rivers branch, where we went shop crazy and bought a trunkload of shoes (well, just half, really) during our last trip. Another highlight was to check whether Lake Wendouree has dried up again (it was completely dry last February and almost full at the end of July).

After a drive around the city, we emerged from one side street, right across our home for the next two days, Lake Wendouree Tourist Park.

Coming up next: our day in Ballarat, review of Lake Wendouree Tourist Park, and driving off to our next destination.

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There are three or so companies offering balloon rides over Melbourne and the surrounding countryside in Victoria. My brother-in-law picked Global Ballooning. The starting and ending point of the balloon ride was at the Hilton Hotel (Hilton on the Park). We met up at the foyer around 4:30 in the morning. Passengers were asked to fill in a form and sign a waiver. Afterwards, we were broken into groups, and assigned to a pilot. We boarded an SUV, towing the basket, balloon and propane tanks.

We drove to a field 15-minutes away from the Hilton. We were told that the take off and landing fields change every flight, as it is dependent on the direction of the wind. As stated in their website, hot-air ballooning is a hands-on activity. Passengers are asked to help with setting up the balloons for flight and packing it up afterwards.

There were six balloons in the field that morning, three of which are from Global Balloons. It was amazing to watch as the balloons inflate, and eventually lift off the ground. Nick, our pilot, said that ballooning is all about the landing. Landing requires concentration and precision in managing the hot and cold air to get the balloon to land in the target landing field. Taking off, on the other hand, was so gentle, we hardly noticed that we were already off the ground.

Once you get over the initial excitement of being several hundred feet above the ground (and several hundred pictures), you find yourself just taking it all in: the view, the experience and just drifting wherever the wind takes you. Unless you have a terrible fear of height (why go on a hot-air balloon ride if you’re scared of heights?), ballooning is quite relaxing when you’re up in the air.

We flew high and we flew low. On the highest ascent, we reached about 4,000 feet (I would guess what’s when my ears started hurting a bit). We dropped altitude a couple of times, low enough to shout greetings to people on the ground, and hear their response.

After one-hour, we were instructed to go into our landing position. The landing position kept us balanced, preventing us from toppling all over the basket. The basket absorbed most of the impact, but you still feel it as the basket touches the ground. Once we have scrambled out of the basket, we were given new directions on how we can help pack up the balloon. First, the basket was lifted unto the trailer while there was still enough hot air inside. Then the pilot opens a flap to release all the air inside, deflating the balloon. We take up position along the lenght of the balloon, squeezing out the air and folding it in. Once the air is all out, we line up again, carrying the balloon and stuffing it back to its bag. Once everything was packed up, we head back to the Hilton for breakfast and champagne.

The balloon ride costs AU$350 for adults and AU$245 for children ages 6-12 years. It includes the ride and the champagne breakfast. It’s pricey, yes, but it well worth it.

More pictures after the jump, or if you can’t get enough, head on to my flickr.

We try to cram everything in a day or three, because we don’t want to miss anything. After all, who know when you’ll be back in that place again?

Unfortunately, there are times when you’ll miss something — a concert of your favorite artist, performing just before you arrived; a festival that wouldn’t start until after you’ve left; or in my case, missing the chance to see Marcus Schenkenberg in person gah

That’s why this time, I made sure I know what’s happening in Melbourne, and I take careful notes to the events I want to join. I purposely gave the Melbourne Cup a miss because even though it’s the biggest event here, I find that I’m not really interested in it (the Flemington Racecourse is just 10 minutes away, whereas I flew 800 kilometers for the Mardi Gras). One thing I didn’t pass on was the chance to attend the WordCamp Melbourne, and a chance to meet my favorite travel writer, Peter Moore.

Initially, I planned on attending the formal launching of his latest book, Vroom by the Sea, but schedule conflicts meant I’d have to stay home that night. Luckily, Peter invited his readers to join him for drinks at the Espy, along with fellow travel writer, Brian Thacker.

I was actually hesitant to go at first, fearing that I’d feel ill at ease, but Peter and Brian were a couple of really nice guys. They both have travelled to the Philippines, and I am so ashamed to admit that they’ve travelled to more places around Luzon and the Visayas than I have. I was glad that I went to the Espy instead of the book launch, because it was more informal and I was able to chat with my favorite travel writer.

I remember my friends lining up, just so Neil Gaiman can sign their books last year. This year, Anna found out that he’s coming back, but the book signing this time would be at Subic, and it would only be limited to a hundred or something. And me? I just went for a chat over drinks and steak burger. Now, don’t you wish more author-reader interactions are like this?

WordCamp is a gathering of WordPress users talking about (you guessed it) WordPress and blogging. Among the speakers were Alex Shiels of Automattic (who quite succinctly told us how big WordPress is), James Farmer of Edublogs (who organized WCM07 and quite a jolly person), Darren Rowse of Problogger.net (how can this be a blogging event without Mr. Rowse? He’s a very nice, down to earth guy, by the way, and he even granted my odd request of posing with my Pinky St doll), Christine Davis of Neato.co.nz (developer of the Ultimate Tag Warrior, which I’m currently using), and Alister Cameron, the self-proclaimed blogologist (who was wearing a TinTin in Vietnam t-shirt, which had me racking my brains whether TinTin ever went to Vietnam).

Darren Rowse mentioned in passing that Melbourne bloggers have been talking about having one of these gatherings for a long time, and this is the first time it has pushed through. Also, when I asked him if he gives talks on blogging a lot, he said he gets invited to talk overseas, but hardly in Australia.

Apart from the talks given by the speakers, there were also round table discussions, where in participants get to talk among themselves regarding a topics pertaining to WordPress or blogging. Topics like choosing a blogging platform, selling plugins, online reputation management, themes, and blogging as new media. I joined the plugins table, reputation management and new media.

The online reputation management discussion was facilitated by Gerry McCusker, a Public Relations Analyst. We discussed how organizations can optimize blogs for better public relations. I found myself drifting off at certain points, thinking of how certain individuals can hurt their reputation through online self-publishing.

When the time came for the last round table, I eagerly headed to the table set for the new media discussion. Disappointingly, there were only three of us there. Hmmm, as I told Gerry, who was also at the table, this table would’ve been full had it been in Manila.

Overall, it was a great, enlightening event. I was able to see the “blog culture” in Melbourne, and how people are utilizing it. It was great to meet people with such passion for blogging. Oh, and Lucio, too bad you left early…you could’ve won a WordPress shirt :P

Pictures from WordCamp Melbourne

Darren Rowse talking about how to make money by blogging

Alister Cameron telling us about all the fun to be had with Sandbox

James Farmer sharing his trick for increasing your multi-user blog from 1 to 1,000

Christine Davis differentiating between tags and categories

The panel of speakers with Alex Shiels answering question from the audience

Apart from clothes for men, women and children, Savers also sell accessories like bags, scarves and shoes. There are household items like cups and saucers, plates and serving dishes, couches and chairs, even draperies for your windows. Inside the bins at the cashier’s booth are DVDs and videos in VHS. There’s also a number of music CDs available for sale, starting at 0.99 cents each.

My favorite section at Savers though, is the corner where all the books are. I’ve bought more than a couple of books from Savers, priced usually at $2.99 or $3.99 each. Today was no exception. Amongst a stack of coffee table books, I see one Loney Planet title:

Time and Tide by Peter Bennetts and Tony Wheeler, like new.

Inside are a beautiful collection of pictures, and quite possibly, a nice collection of words as well (I’ve yet to start reading it). On the title page though, I find this:

The best bit? The price.

Oh yes, only $2.99.

It’s still technically spring here in Melbourne, but summer is starting to make its presence felt. Last week, these figures were certainly different. I think the highest maximum forecast for the week was 26C. And now, we’re looking to have a 30C weekend.

Odd that a person used to living in constant 30C+ weather is complaining about a mere 30C, eh? Dang it, I am beginning go get used to the cold! Bring the cold weather back!

I suppose I would regret it later on, but Melbourne’s weather shifts so often. It could be sweltering hot one moment, then dropping after 10 minutes. The air can feel so warm, but a sudden gust of wind from the Antarctic can leave you shivering.

Now I’m getting why they say Melbourne have 4 seasons in one day.

While the whole of Melbourne was looking forward to the Melbourne cup last November 6, I was looking forward to the day after: the day I watch Priscilla on stage.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert Musical was in everyway the opposite of Avenue Q, a Broadway musical I saw before I left Manila. Where Avenue Q has a very simple set and a handful of cast, Priscilla was a grand affair. The stage was filled with lights, with towering speakers on the sides. An orchestra plays at the foot of the stage, and while there were only 3 major characters, there are several minor characters and a dozen or so extras.

Avenue Q in Manila and Priscilla in Melbourne is the same in one aspect though: they’re both great. The songs, the choreography, the acting… all superb!

Priscilla is the story of three gender illusionists, Tick (Mitzi), Bernadette and Adam (Felicia), who drove from Sydney to Alice Springs to perform. Tick went on this journey to meet his son for the first time, Bernadette to get over the death of her partner (asphyxiated on peroxide), and Adam went because… well, it was his dream to be a cock in a frock on a rock

Here’s what you can expect to see on stage when you watch Priscilla the musical:

If you’re in Melbourne, why not watch Priscilla on stage? The musical will run until Janaury 27, 2008 at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre.

Okay, so it’s big. It’s not as humongous as I thought it would be. Or maybe it would be more impressive if I was closer to it :P I don’t think there wouldn’t be any problems with the A380 landing in Manila. Vince (haha, feeling close), pointed out that bigger planes have already landed in NAIA before.

The MSN009 test aircraft will be in Melbourne until it leaves tomorrow at around 8:00 am, bound for Manila. Melbourne Airport’s observation deck at Terminal 2 will be open to the public on Wednesday, October 10 (9 am – 8:30 pm) and Thursday, October 11 (7 am – 10 am).

Now that I’ve seen the A380, my next target is the Beluga. Haha, wishful thinking.

The first flight out of Melbourne on November 23 is flight TT 7402 Melbourne – Gold Coast at 7:00 am. Other scheduled flights for the day are two other flights to Queensland from Melbourne: Rockhampton & Mackay.

Other Australian domestic destinations include Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Launceston in Tasmania, and Perth in Western Australia. Gee, I wonder why they aren’t flying into Sydney.

How much would flying via Tiger Airways to Australia cost?

I tried a test booking departing Singapore on November 30, and flying back from Melbourne on December 18. Both flights are via Darwin. On the flight out of Singapore, the fare I got was SG$239.99 plus SG$140.30 tax. The flight back to Singapore is SG$199.99, and taxes are SG$185.81. My total fare is SG$766.09. That’s about Php23,046.38 (based on xe.com’s exchange for July 28, 2007). Not bad, eh?

So say you’re flying to Singapore via Tiger Airways or Cebu Pacific, that’s another Php8,000+, bringing your grand total to Php31,046.38. That’s four different flight segments, totaling to approximately 12 hours one way.

On the other hand, you can take PAL, pay the same amount for an 8-hour flight.

Australian domestic flights are terribly cheap though. Return tickets for Melbourne-Gold Cost can be as cheap as AU$99 (Php3,800) inclusive of taxes. That’s a far cry from the AU$342.00 I paid for the same flight I took last March.

Melbourne-Perth-Melbourne is also terribly cheap: AU$269.90 (Php10,200). The same flight costs AU$378 via Jetstar and AU$458 via Virgin Blue. The biggest difference though is that Tiger Airways’ Melbourne-Perth route is a red-eye flight. But still, not bad, eh?

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

Unless you want to join in, of course.

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.

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.

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!

Sometimes, when travelling, you get a longing for something that reminds you of home; something akin to a comfort zone to ease the pangs of homesickness.

Like craving for the feel of denim on your legs after weeks of wearing travel pants, or a taste of cuisine close to your mother’s cooking.

So it is while in the middle of a city that offers you cuisine as diverse as its population, that I get a craving for, yep, instant noodles. Nothing like a bowl of [tag]Mee Goreng[/tag] to get you through your day. Next time, I’m buying me some instant ramen.