1) BENTLEIGH - The neighborhoods of Melbourne look like suburbs in many American towns. The grass is green, the hedges are trimmed, and fragrant flowers bloom everywhere.

2) BENTLEIGH - the Melbourne homeowners seemingly all plant rose bushes in the front yard -- a gardening tradition passed down from Mother England.

3) MELBOURNE - So many parts of Melbourne remind me of America -- like this Boston-like park in downtown.

4) MELBOURNE - I'm drinking water straight from the tap. Hallelujah! I haven't been able to do this since Japan!

5) MELBOURNE - Despite all the similarities to America, the Aussies insist on watching cricket on TV! Live! And get this...they enjoy it!

6) MELBOURNE - This is an Aussie toilet. Note that there are two flushing buttons. One is for a half flush, and the other is for a full flush. I guess this is a water-conserving strategy for Oz, but for me it's too many decisions to make when going to the bathroom.

7) MELBOURNE - I saw the stage hit "Mama Mia!" and it was amazing! The entire musical is based around the music of ABBA, which I just love. Hopefully it comes soon to Denver because I can't wait to see it again.

8) MELBOURNE - Having lunch with traveling friend Adam (of "Adam & Paula" from the beaches of Krabi.) I wrote about them in Week #8, and both are still together despite the huge Pacific Ocean that separates them. Adam is back in Melbourne to resume his medical career, and Paula is back in the States with her film-making. Both are looking forward to seeing each other soon... very soon.

9) YARRA VALLEY - I'm traveling by car through northeast Victoria just outside of Melbourne. This is where I saw some of the most extraordinary forests. It's hard to tell from the photo, but there are huge ferns everywhere, and the tall eucalyptus trees make the landscape look like a scene from the Ewok Village in "Star Wars - The Return of the Jedi."

10) YARRA VALLEY - The eucalyptus trees are huge! They tower hundreds of feet overhead hiding the cute koala bears who feed on the leaves. The air smells fragrant very invigorating from all of the eucalyptus. And I honestly expected to see Ewoks running around when I hiked through the area.