A Long Manila Layover

I never pictured myself going to the Philipines. Not for any specific reason, it was just one of those places that I never developed a desire to see. Well, a week before our trip to Australia I realized that the layover that I thought was just a couple of hours turned out to be a full day, plus those couple of hours. The international date line messed with me, but I took it as a challenge. 




In our relatively short time in Manila, we only managed to make our way to Intramuros; a historic walled city built in the 16th century as a defense for government in battle. Now it's buildings act as a college campus, and the walls, churches, and other historic barricades act as a tourist destination. Unsurprisingly, the Philipines in early summer is hot, muggy, and mostly un-airconditioned.

While I can't say that I'll be heading back anytime soon, the experience was welcomed. We got to take in a little bit of history and a way of living that is new to me. We played frogger with cars because road signs and lights are apparently just suggestions to drivers and got a taste of urban life in the most densely populated city in the world.







Brisbane: An Interview with Rachel



As the third leg of our trip, Brisbane proved to be a bit of fresh air after our time in Melbourne. In order to get refreshed on what all we did there, I decided to interview my sister and travel companion, Rachel.


Off the top of your head, what was the most memorable thing about Brisbane? 
Well, the koalas obviously, and the whole experience of being able to interact them like we did. Also, when we walked to breakfast that one morning we got drenched.

I apologize for that, but it was a good breakfast, right? 
It was a good breakfast! But we were drenched.





Other than the koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, what did you enjoy? 
I guess it was the atmosphere, the fact that everyone was so friendly; you know that. Oh, and the little wifi bloggers nook. That was cute. I felt like it had a really good aroma...

Aroma?! 
I feel like that wasn't the right word.

No. 
Okay, what about Brisbane the city - is there anything else that stood out to you?
Every single guy was wearing a blue shirt.

Oh yeah, I forgot that! 
Every single one in blue. And it was business central. People were really dressed up. Maybe it was the time of the week we were there, Monday and Tuesday, but people were moving.







In my next blog post I'm going to go over our time in Manila, what's something I should mention?
I didn't like Manila, but that's because I was really out of my comfort zone. It was a whole different culture from the way people interact on the street, to the insane traffic; it was all kind of insane. It made me really grateful for everything that we have and all of the modernization.
You almost got your ice cream stolen from you!

By a child! Right out of my hand.
And someone tried to snatch my wallet. It was interesting that the mall was the same as the ones we have at home.

I go on a tangent about the Westfield Group because I can't help myself.

Okay, last question: what are the best and worth things about traveling with me? 
The worst thing is that you walk so Goddamn fast because you want to do so many things. Like, so fast. But, in contrast, it's awesome that you wanted to see so much because if  I was with anyone else we wouldn't have seen that much, or experienced so much cool food. Because I'm not into as coffee or food as much, I wouldn't have stepped outside my comfort zone.






Day Guide:
Ate at: Riverside Kitchen || Ginger & Green || Hello Please || Claude & Corbet
Drank at: Nodo Coffee 

Melbourne: Dillon Recommended



Leaning carefully against the frame of the sliding glass door for stability, I try and take advantage of views that the 33rd floor of a tower provides. Overlooking Flagstaff Gardens and the Queen Elizabeth Market there's a constant stream of people and cars that parade in and out of the city. There's no better reminder of being in a new city than to wake up and look out over it.... or to spend your last night in it, on the floor, devouring a pizza from UberEats; too tired from traveling to go back out for dinner.






Our last day in Melbourne took us to the suburbs of Fitzroy for flaky pastries and coffee poured through gold. The pour-over filter was gold. The coffee was very good. Dillon recommended.

It also took us to jail. Sorry, gaol. The Old Melbourne Gaol, a penitentiary and watchhouse was built in 1845 and has been out of service since the 1920s. In 1972 the jail reopened as a museum, which is weird. Each of the rooms that used to house inmates now houses informational boards about early Australian criminals and of course as someone who now works in a studio that occasional designs detention facilities I couldn't resist taking a peek. Overall, not Dillon recommended.






Going around and taking pictures of buildings? Definitely, Dillon recommended.







The afternoon took us to St. Kilda, which was Rachel recommended. This beachfront town was a fairly short ride from the center of the city and bustling with activity. There was a promenade along the water that lead to an old theme park, the main road with stalls selling artisan goods, and shops and restauraunts.




Day Guide:
Ate at: Lune || Queen Elizabeth Market || Trippy Taco St. Kilda
Drank at: Industry Beans Fitzroy

Melbourne: "Not Pictured"


Social media -this blogging platform included- allows us to share only what we deem acceptable to share. So, for the most part, you've seen my favorite photos filled with all of the things my sister and  I saw during our time in Australia. While I won't torture you with bad photography, I figured I would share some of the experiences that happen behind the scene.

Day 2 in Melbourne, Not Pictured: 
-You know when your skin gets hot and it turns red? Well at one point the sunlight did that to us because the ozone layer is weak down under.
- Even though we'd been in Australia for almost a week, we still struggle to grasp the concept that you go up to a register to pay after your meal, even though you are waited on the rest of the time.
-Us, walking around a giant parking lot until we realized we were surrounded by highways after getting off at the wrong tram stop.
- Rachel eating an entire cantaloupe with a spoon for lunch that we got from the Queen Elizabeth Market.
- Me, trying to enjoy the National Gallery of Victoria while my sister sits in the lobby, clearly miserable. Just enjoy the art Rachel!
- The hoards of humans that load the 4 blocks of shopping on the North Quay. Forget about cars, it's an oversized shopping bag that will knock you out.
- Also, "quay" is pronounced like "key".
- My bleeding heels, from the shoes I decided to wear all day even though I knew we'd be walking a ton.
- The smell of cigarette smoke that filled the area after getting gelato, and both us of jogging, spoon in hand, to find fresh air.


















Day Guide:
Ate at: The Kettle Black || Queen Elizabeth Market || Shanghai Street Dumplings || Nitro Gelato
Drank at: Archies Collingswood
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