Farewell Australia--see you, Mates

Chapel Street

"For a start, get rid of those shorts,” our editor announced gruffly,”and while you’re at it, your stylish hat, too.”
“Oh, no. Not the hat, surely,” we protested strongly. What triggered this assault on our wardrobe you might wonder? It is all about Chapel Street in St Kilda, Melbourne. We have rented an apartment close to that street for five days and have discovered that it may be the ideal place to live. The internet brochure advertising the accommodation was a work of art. Any similarity to the actual apartment is purely coincidental, though. But we really ‘appreciate’ the slick approach. Yeah, right! We have arrived as the saying goes. What made you decide, you might ask? We’re pleased you’re inquisitive. Chapel Street, particularly at night, appeals to us because it’s for the young, hip, the with-it, tattooed, heavy smokers, drinkers, semi-nudists and other upstanding citizens of society. We just feel it’s our kind of town.

We strolled along the sidewalk and were nearly smoked-out. We note the sidewalks are just that—sidewalks—not elaborate boulevards. The main one is filled with smokers and beer swillers at tables and chairs hemmed into narrow gaps. The restaurants are ‘smoke-free’ so the public domain is smoke-smogged. If the smoke does not get you, the beer hops will. It is bureaucratic policy working perhaps a little differently from that intended—'bless them'. Then there are the tattoos. It’s like being at the movies—all one sees are moving pictures. So many people are covered with them, some from head to toe.

We are such a ‘square’. However, we look around at many of the young women and think of the parents of those girls and wonder how they might feel seeing nose rings, tattoos, tongue rings, exhaling smoke from bodies that are barely clothed but often heavily painted. Whew! What a square—you’re so right when you think that. None of this is new to us unfortunately; perhaps our expectations for Australia were different. Anyway, as Fagan of “Oliver Twist” fame might say, “We’re reviewing the situation”…maybe we’ll move on after all.

We leave Australia tomorrow and head for Singapore. We feel safe about flying from Australia because there are no mountains for the pilot to negotiate in flight. (That was somewhat of a low blow to our hosts.) Below, we set out a few of the critters we came across in the country whose behavior was somewhat better than late-night Chapel Street revelers.

1. We have all our Pelicans in a row—now we are working on the ducks.
We watched a woman feeding chips (french fries) to the Pelicans with disappointment for obvious reasons. However, the cruelest part, we thought, was in not providing ketchup or at least salt and vinegar. Who ever ate fries without ketchup? We ask you.

2. The mist came in strongly, covering the view of the mating kangaroos. What’s a person to do. Some 5 hours later the mist lifted and we “mist” the rest of the action.
Perhaps if you look at the photo long enough you’ll see what we witnessed or missed.

3. Snakes they have in abundance. In fact, some of the most venomous reside over here.
Black Tiger
Eastern Brown

4. There are an abundance of signs warning motorists to be cautious of kangaroos springing across roads.
The closest we came to seeing a kangaroo in Australia is as shown above. We think the 'roo might be a myth.

5. "If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs...Rudyard "Kipper"


Cheers,

Jenni and her "Cute Critter"