Day 18: follow the leader

So I woke up with a lot on my mind this morning & had to get out of bed & get things done so I could relax.

Took my meds with a famous Farmers Union Iced Coffee & banana bread, neither of which were enjoyable in the least. Didn't finish them. Applied for my tax ID number. Checked the status of a disputed (duplicate) charge on my credit card. Checked my bank account (better than I expected by this stage in the trip) & my phone bill. Checked my voicemail. Checked the status of my kangaroo island tour tomorrow & chatted with teeter on fb (which totally brightened my morning!!).

Then I checked in with the boss of me: gut, what should I do now?

My gut wanted a hot tea & a big, hot meal (its been a few days of just sandwiches & granola bars), and it urged me to go the opposite direction from where my brain wanted to go. So I went. Found a cute little cafe where I had a full aussie-style breakfast (eggs, toast oh so buttery, mushrooms, tomatoes, and thick slices of ham -mmmmm), tea, and even read a free magazine while I ate. It was exactly what I wanted.

Then I said ok gut, what next? It wanted more tea, which I got, no charge, and to walk over to the adelaide central market, which I did, and the sun broke through along with my smile.

I love markets in foreign places. I always think about the one on La Rambla in Barcelona & I have a framed pic at home of my mom in front of a meat stand in one in Paris. They're always full of colors & life & weird sights & smells. This one was no exception.

After walking past all types of sweets & fruits & every conceivable way to prepare kangaroo, I picked up 2 oranges & an apple for 70 cents (!!) and then stopped by a bread shop to pick up tonights dinner & tomorrows breakfast.

The girls working there asked where I'm from & were full of questions when I told them LA. They wanted to know all about the US - is it expensive? Is it stressful? We must seem really country to you... And what do you think of Australia? It was really fun talking to them & when I said bye my smile had widened. I feel like I'm getting back to my happy-solo-traveler self.

Then a quick stop off in my room to drop off my goodies & my sweatshirt (which, although coffee-stained & lookin' grey-ish, my gut has told me itd be a waste of money to wash it here), and felt like I wanted to take a spin on the free city bus.

Rode around the city & to the museum, which is supposed to have the best aboriginal exhibit. I had looked at it for about 10 mins when the museum closed. Waa waah.

I felt sneaky wandering around an empty museum as they slowly turned off the lights. :)

Side thought... Sometimes I think I still do want to be an archeologist, math or no math...

Caught the free bus again & realized that I'd stumbled across the main shopping district after seeing the Dr yesterday & enjoyed the window shopping - even got myself a cheap pair of shorts for the red center (weather's supposed to be 40+ C which is 100+ F) - but didn't include it in my blog. Tsk tsk. So yesterday wasn't all bad TV & bed, there was a bright spot. :)

I like adelaide. Its flowery & not too big, with beautiful old churches & buildings next to modern high-ish rises. Its a shame I haven't been able to see it til now, but better late than never.

The local theater is doing Steel Magnolias - I'd like to hear what their accents sound like!

Back at the hostel & after watching Neighbors (aussie soap) & my new fave aussie show, The 7pm Project, I was thrilled to see that Glee was next! AND the Aussie Beauty & The Geek! Aww its almost like I'm home with my girls!

...Except I'm drinking emergen-c, not wine, and I'm alone in a stinky hostel room. Ah well. :)

Ps- a couple days late but the last pic is for AB: my race hat for the Melbourne Cup (the holiday Tuesday) - fabulous!!

Today I'm so happy & grateful for:
~ meds working
~ inet access
~ letting go of the reins & giving my instincts control

Xo! n.