MELBOURNE - Clowning around with dear friend Georgia after a delicious meal in the funky beach neighborhood of St. Kilda. Georgia lives in Melbourne, and I've known her for nearly 18 years since our senior year at Fort Collins High School.

Week 12
January 13, 2002 - Australia
"Rest and Recovery"

Dear Thor:

I wish I could tell you that this week has been exciting and thrilling and amazing. But I can't.

In truth, it's been boring. Actually, it hasn't really been boring. It's just been rather uneventful from a "gosh isn't that sexy" kind of perspective. I think I've kind of needed a week off to just chill for a while. (Perhaps Asia took more out of me than I first thought.)

Even though I'm in a brand new country, I didn't feel like exploring it this week. I just wanted to sleep in, "vegg," and be a couch potato for a while. And amazingly enough, I've found the perfect place to do that - my dear friend Georgia's flat in Melbourne.

This place has hot water, clean towels, and electricity. And there's a kitchen too, so I can actually cook. And my bed is so soft! Wow, when was the last time that I had Downy-fresh linens? And I've gotten to eat things like cheese. Yum! Asia was wonderful with all the fresh fruits and veggies, but they really didn't know how to do cheese. Even better I finally ate some Mexican food! I have been craving Mexican food for three months, and Georgia's friend Rhonda happened to be visiting from Denver when I first arrived, so she cooked homemade beef carnitas on my first night in Melbourne! It was awesome.

Maybe the weather had something to do with my need to nest. It's summertime here in Melbourne, but it's been very chilly with temperatures hovering in the low 50s instead of the 90s. It's been so cold that I've been snuggling down in my thermals and polar fleeces. (Thank goodness I still have all of my cold-weather gear from Nepal!)

I did get out a bit when it wasn't raining. In fact I have lots of neat photos to share with you, so please check them out. And I'm well rested now, so I'm actually excited to start exploring my world next week. I'll be checking-out Australia's TV and Film acting scene, and I have tickets to see the Australian Open Tennis Championship. And the weather is supposed to be more seasonal, so it'll be nice to walk around in shorts again.

Anyway, I hope you have a great week, and I'll write you again soon (hopefully with more exciting stories!)

Be well, be present. And Namaste!
Scotty