Thursday, November 5, 2009

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.

4 comments:

  1. so glad to hear that you are getting better...you are actually more caught up on American TV than I am right now! xo

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  2. Great effort with the Melbourne Cup hat... hope you didn't burst your budget!! And hope you have seen sealions, KI Kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and penguins down on Kangaroo Island... and I hope it was smooth crossings on the ferry for you ;-)

    You can have all of the 7PM PROJECT, GLEE, BURN NOTICE, HEROES and CASTLE you want when you get to Perth... and we have plenty of bubbles, wine and beer stocked up and chilled for your arrival ;-)

    Don't worry Michele and other worrying girls, we will make sure she is extra-well fed and accommodated in Perth,
    Ron and Amanda

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Ron And AB
    We do a "controlled angst" when she is out on her own and gets sick.
    Poppo

    ReplyDelete

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