The ship had been on the East Coast of Australia for a good
two weeks. Toward the end of the
itinerary the ship docked in Melbourne for one day, and one day only. Like the title of the blog implies, I did not have
much time to explore Melbourne. It has happened before, and it happened again; I left the
port wanting more than the fraction I had seen.
This is an uncommon occurrence for me. 95% of the time circumstances favor
plenty of time for exploration.
Yet the day in Melbourne was not good for me. Here’s the thing: every five days I cannot get off the
ship. That is, unless one of my
colleagues with similar emergency station duties takes my position for the
day.
The lone day in Melbourne was my day, and I had a hard time
finding somebody to replace me.
Once I finally found someone, I could only get off after noon. I was to start work at 5:30pm. I had just a few hours to walk into the
city, explore, and come back. It
was not ideal.
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, and is
considered the cultural capital of the country. The music scene is large, vibrant, and full of
creativity. This alone is
something that really draws my attention.
The city boasts numerous museums not only of art but also of many other
fields. The restaurant scene is
quite the highlight, offering a great variety of different food from around the
world. Naturally, a place such as
this requires a few days to explore
thoroughly, not a few hours.
I mean...I tried to cram it all in at once...
After seeing all of this, I felt as if I scratched the surface of something immensely
valuable. A part of me was left
unfulfilled. Melbourne was
brimming with a massive amount of opportunity for discovery. The city wanted me. I wanted it, too. I still do. I could live and work in Melbourne. Something tells me I could, even though
I only scratched the surface. That
something was better than Sydney, but I don’t know why. I don’t know because there was not enough time to find out.
As soon as I could get off, my heart jumped. Everything I’d heard about Melbourne,
via friends and research, seemed to rush at me like the heat of the day as I
walked off the ship.
Soon afterward, by chance I met up with some good people from the ship, also
heading out to the city. Suzie,
Georgina, and Lee were making their way out of the terminal. This will be an even better day, I
thought to myself. I like going
out by myself more often than not, however it’s nicer and more fulfilling to go
out with people once and a while. We all need that.
Some shots from the port town. |
Though we looked for transportation, the decision of the group turned out to favor walking into
the city. The trams into the city were out of
commission, and the buses required a re-chargeable credit card for their
fees. We were hesitant to
find out which cafes and liquor stores sold these “myke” cards. I guess it was too much trouble for a
simple ride into the city. So it
was that we ended up walking the “road less traveled” toward the city
centre.
Traversing the “road less traveled” is important to me. I like to see the things most other
tourists might not see: the local
cafes and restaurants, the dirt road leading up to the secluded house on the
hill, the small street that winds its way toward the statue of a town hero or a
pretty park. These things always
pique my interest more than the main streets and tourist hubs, and certainly
more than the tourist-trap stores and stands.
At any given moment I may gravitate toward the anomalies in travel, for
they show you more reality.
some shots from the walk toward the city centre:
I was happy with this unfolding of events. The time constraint was being used
wisely. I was able to immerse
myself in more sights, especially those of the “road less traveled.”
Eventually we did grab a taxi…but the driver went up only one block before coming into the city
centre!
From inside the taxi |
Southern Cross Station |
Ha! Nicely done, nicely done. |
Outside Southern Cross Station |
We had walked much
farther than we’d thought! Once at
Southern Cross Station, we crossed the street and stopped at this Japanese café called
“Purple Peanuts.”
It had a wonderful selection of noodles, beef,
pork…something for everyone. I
chose the beef curry soba. It was
perfect.
Check it out here:
Another friend of ours joined us for a while. Ashley happened to walk right past us! That’ll happen in port
occasionally; serendipity is a good thing. She sat down with us as we enjoyed our meals.
After lunch, we walked to the river, and there the group split up.
Lee exclaimed, "Jordan! LOOK at that..." I didn't see it at first.... HOW did they get that in the ground?! |
Ashley and I chatted for a bit. We wandered back towards the downtown streets before I went off on my own.
By then I had only an hour left before needing to make my
way back. My mind was bombarded by
multiple decisions: which direction to take, which way to go at the next
intersection, landmarks that may or may not be seen. …aaahhhhhh! How
could I experience the grandeur of the cultural capital of Australia in an
hour?!
![]() |
Look at that skyline... |
![]() |
...and there's also the highway system, among the most extensive in Australia. I can't see NEARLY enough of this place in one day without a car, too! |
Look; people in my position sometimes lose perspective of others’
lives on the ship. I have loads of
free time and am prone to take it for granted. I lost perspective that day. Only after the day was done did I think about Suzie, Lee,
Georgina, and Ashley. Georgina
generally has a lot of free time, like me. But the others? Suzie has a demanding, time-consuming job that usually
leaves her with a few hours of free time on a good day. Lee’s job consists of numerous responsibilities and gives
him little free time. Ashley’s
free time is marginally better than Suzie’s or Lee’s.
I was aware of
none of that during the excursion into the city. I was dominated by
the need to experience Melbourne. Part
of me wanted to sit down at a nice coffee place and talk to some locals about
Melbourne. The other part of me
wanted to wander as deep into downtown as possible in order to see as much as
possible. I don’t know what was
making me more anxious: those two options, or the minimal time mocking my
attempt to do anything at all.
some shots from my solo wandering into downtown:
Underneath the metro railway. |
I finally decided on a plan. There was this beautiful little street that oozed an artsy,
sophisticated vibe, but was enveloped in a casual, local comfort.
I chose a coffee place called “Naked Espresso.” Australia’s coffee culture is high and
mighty; there is amazing coffee to be had in any part of Australia. Naked Espresso was quite small, and had
limited seating. These are the
places to which people should go, the places of great quality.
I hit it off well with the guy behind the counter. Daniel was his
name. The ice coffee was quite
good; very rich yet not overpowering, almost subdued. Once I was finished, I went to pay at the counter. Daniel was genuinely interested in
where I came from, and he even took the time to explain some directions to me
regarding landmarks near the coffee shop.
I thanked him kindly, telling him I’d love to come back someday.
I’ve seen this before: more often than not, an Aussie will
take time to help someone without hesitation. Two weeks ago in Darwin, I struck up a nice conversation
with a father. Almost every person
whom I met in Sydney was kind and engaging, a rarity in huge cities. A good buddy of mine lives in Brisbane;
he’s a truly colorful, charismatic person who would give priority to those
close to him at any time. Heck, my
boss, also from Brisbane, is a really
great guy too when he wants to be!
(haha, I’m sure he’ll be glad to read this. “Shots?”).
We’ve known each other a long time. He definitely has that great warmth which I’ve seen
everywhere in Australia.
“Yeah; this really is one of the best cities in the world to
live in,” Daniel’s colleague told me as I made my way out.
“Oh, I believe it!” I replied. A city that possesses a thriving culture, music, and art
scene, good weather (though Melbourne can get four seasons in one day), very
high living standards, and wonderful people is everything I could ask for.
And yet I left unfulfilled and disappointed. As I made my way back toward the port,
Melbourne kept calling to me, saying, “there’s so much more!”
…YEAH, I KNOW!
I wish I had time to hop onboard the tram or the metro...would've been a great option short of renting a car.... |
I’ve been studying Buddhism for the
last year. For Buddhists, this is
a classic example of giving in to desire and attachment. Sure, I was attached to the notion of seeing more of Melbourne, and that desire was understandable given it was a
place both new and wonderful to me.
However, dwelling on that
attachment and that desire creates negative thoughts and feelings. Letting it get to me—or reinforcing
those wonderings—therefore created the disappointment.
All in all, letting the disappointment get to me was the true disappointment….
All in all, letting the disappointment get to me was the true disappointment….
I was due to leave the ship on March 1st. I had been onboard now for seven
months…. That’s a long time. The main culprit of my negative
feelings was the anxiety of being onboard for so long. If this day had happened earlier in the contract—say, two
months into it—my positivity would not have wavered. The later a contract goes, the more my anxiety grows; thus
the more my positivity is prone to wavering. This happens to the best of us. I’ve seen people get very—hmmm, let’s say “interesting”—as
their long contracts near the end.
It took a while to cross all the roads underneath these overpasses. At this time I decided to put some good music on. |
One last look at the skyline before heading toward the shore. |
NOTE: It is always good to have a map, either tangible or on the phone. If I had taken the right of the fork in the road, it would have taken MUCH longer to get to the shore! |
This tune by Jim Black was playing as I neared the shore and
caught my first sight of the ship since noontime. It was Jim Black’s “You Were Out,” off of Splay.
https://play.spotify.com/track/7EhY1UIwqkKV4xjQgNzckP?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open
There are several different emotions in this piece: angst,
contemplation, comfort, ignorance, reluctant acceptance…. That last one hit home for me as I
finally reached the shore. Once I
stopped to look at the ship, I suddenly noticed how heavy and tired my body
was. It was a good-tired though, a
nice productive workout. To be
sure, I continued to “reluctantly accept” the reality of things…and the song
turned into something bittersweet.
But, it was more sweet than bitter. Because overall it was a fine day. The sound of the end of the track seemed to emphasize that
fact. It was a satisfying end.
Once back onboard, the burden of time was gone. Suddenly I could see; I could consider
my friends who have much less time than I do. Lee.
Suzie. Ashley. Their time is precious. They do what they can to experience a
place for what it’s worth. I then stretched
that fact further to the waiters and the bartenders, some of who are good friends
of mine. They have much less time
off than Lee, Suzie, and Ashley….
I did see
Melbourne. It was a fraction of
the city, but I can say I have seen it.
It is a beautiful city, a desirable place to live, and on the top of my
list…. I’m still fighting through
the fog of attachment and late-contract anxiety, yet through that fog I can see
my true joy in being unbelievably well-traveled at such a young age.
Disclaimer:
I do not intend to speak on behalf of Azamara Club Cruises. As an employee of Azamara Club Cruises, I hereby state that all views and expressions of opinion I hold are solely my own, and do not reflect or represent the views, values, beliefs, opinions, or company policies of ether Azamara Club Cruises or Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.
Additionally I neither own nor claim any legal rights to the links provided in this post.
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