Melbourne

We got up this morning all excited to head back up the hill for our paragliding. We had been told to call at about 9:20 AM since paragliding is weather dependent. When we called at 9:30, we were told that the clouds were still around and that we should plan on reporting to the top at about 10:30 AM instead of 10. We finished our packing, checked out of the hotel, and drove to the city centre where we walked around a bit and grabbed some breakfast at a local bakery. For some reason the baked goods we have tasted in New Zealand are fantastic. Almost all the bread is perfect - crispy on the outside and unbelievably soft on the inside. So, even dinner rolls seem to taste better here.

When we reported to our paragliding spot at the top of the mountain, we were told to wait in the cafe for 15-20 minutes for the weather to clear. 20 minutes later, we were told to wait another 20 minutes. When this happened a third time, at about 11:30 AM, we decided to call it quits and head back down. We sadly cancelled our paragliding plans. Of course, almost as soon as we got back down, the air around the mountain seemed to magically clear and by 12 noon, the entire mountain area had blue skies and bright sun. By then it was too late.

Waiting to see if we can get on the plane.

We headed to the airport, returned the rental car, and went to the check-in counter. The automated check-in would not work and so we had to stand at the counter and wait to be helped. I had booked the flights on Virgin Australia, but these segments were operated by Air New Zealand on a code share agreement. Of course, as Virgin Australia customers, we were the low priority people and were told that due to "weight restrictions on the aircraft," we could not be issued boarding passes until they knew that the weight would be okay. I kept checking back at the counter and it was only about 2:30 PM (our flight was at 2:55) that we were cleared and given our boarding passes. It was a bit nerve wracking to wait in the security line, but the gates were all very close by and we managed to get on the flight without too much trouble.

I was sleepy and fell asleep soon after take off. I woke when the beverage cart came around. When I asked for a Coke Zero, I was told that fizzy drinks were extra and had to be ordered through the on-screen ordering system on the back of the seats. Only water, tea, and coffee were free. And this is on their international flight. I pity poor domestic Air NZ customers.

Great views from the sky ...

We took a shuttle from the airport to the city, but will probably just take a cab to the airport on Friday. it isn't that much more expensive and definitely less effortful. Our hotel is the Hilton on the Park, right by Fitzroy Gardens and across the street from the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The room is relatively small and I had to ask for a rollaway bed to be brought in as the two twin beds in the room were way too small to hold the three of us. Not very impressive. Again, the Internet deals suck. For $30 per day, I am only allowed a single device. So, no iPad, iPod, smartphone, or anything. Just the laptop. Silly.

After resting a little bit, we walked towards the Flinders Street station and settled at the "Desi Dhaba" for dinner. The decor of the place was fantastic with signs like "HORN OK PLEASE" and "AA GANPAT, CHAL DAARU LE AA" on the walls. Very unique and dhaba-like setting. The food was relatively inexpensive (our meal cost us about $50, which is CHEAP by Australia standards) and was really excellent. I let the kids pick the items - butter chicken and chilli garlic chicken were selected, along with lots of garlic naan, a small amount of rice and yogurt - and it worked out well.

We walked back to the hotel, checked on trips to Ballarat, Healesville, and Phillip Island with the concierge and finally just decided to rent a car and head to these places ourselves. I'm quite confident of driving on the wrong side now and the drive there and back should be an adventure in itself. Let's see how it goes. The three places are all in different directions (one is south, one east, and the other west.)

The plan is to pick up the rental car at noon tomorrow, go to Phillip Island and then do Sovereign Hill (Ballarat) and Healesville Sanctuary over the following two days. Quite a busy schedule, as several people have pointed out.