Got up really again to catch a flight. I like the early morning flights - it means getting up really early, but I still get most of the day in the new city.
Because it was so early, the shuttle to the Skybus wasn't working, so I had to walk the 8 or so blocks. It was pretty quiet, although I did have to run the sprinkler gauntlet by the park. I won!
The flight was uneventful. I flew Tiger Airways, and had a hard time finding their private terminal. I started wondering what I was getting into. In the end, it was fine, and one hour later I landed in Hobart, Tasmania.
A quick last words about Melbourne before I move on. I love the city. It was my favorite this trip. The town is small, quiet, but active at night (but not annoyingly so). I'm not sure the streets are ever completely empty. Also, there's lots to do in the area, from hiking to beaches, shopping to restaurants. I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to southern Australia.
Now about my hostels. I stayed at the YHA in Melbourne. It was clean, helpful, and offered lots of opportunities to socialize with others. It reminded me of a hotel, except I shared a room and we had community bathrooms. I lucked out in Melbourne, with great roommates. the Sydney hostel was so-so, but the distance from everything really hurt it.
In Hobart, the YHA was filled, so I'm staying at City Backpackers. This hostel is built in an old building, so there's lots of quirkiness. Wi-Fi is free (for the first time this trip), as is coffee. That's the plus side. On the negative, the place is really dirty, furniture very old, and I have a roommate who likes to keep the windows open, even in the current 50° weather. She puts a blanket up on front of her bed, which means she is likely getting less air, but for me, in front of the window, I freeze. I told her I needed to close the window to sleep, and spent most of the evening in the common room where there is Wi-Fi anyway.
When i arrived in Hobart, I decided to just walk around. It was only 10 am, so I had coffee and a REALLY good tiramisu at a restaurant on the wharf (one of my two favorite desserts). Then I walked a road along the waterfront. The Salamanca Market had a bunch of shops and restaurants on the waterfront. I grabbed some food for dinners and breakfasts at a grocery. After storing most of it in the hostel refrigerator, I grabbed food for a picnic and headed off to the Botanical Gardens
I took my own, unique way to get to the gardens. The front desk at the hostel said I could go through the short underground tunnel under the busy street , and get there that way. But it's not as straight forward as she implied. I walked between an aquatic center and stadium, up a hill, across a remote walking path, down a tall grass hill (there was a vague path through some some of the parts ...), across a street, down a waking path, and eventually I found the gardens. I saw several lorikeets in the trees of one of the fields I cut through, but I didn't bring my long-distance camera, so just had to enjoy them.
In the evening, I got situated on my room, talked with some people, and had an early night.
Tomorrow I take a boat cruise around Bruny Island. More then.
Random Thought Of The Day: Okay, not so much a random thought, but a realization - I'm staying one day later than I thought. I leave Monday instead of Sunday. Still getting home Monday, but not until evening. Guess I'll have one more day in Sydney.
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