CUE - Cory U Experiments

I only JUST found out before coming here that there are actually penguins in Australia but I didn’t realize how close they’d be to where we were staying. Just a little west to us, the St. Kilda harbour is home to thousands of these cute little guys. They spend their days out feeding & in the evenings you can watch them come back to their homes in the rocks.

It’s cute watching these disoriented penguins search for their homes by waddling around the rocks & sometimes crossing your own path. The conservation of their homes comes with strict rules including the lighting of the entire pier in the evening. Penguins are very sensitive to white light & so taking flash photography will give you a good scolding. Only red lighting is allowed.

You can read a little more on these penguins HERE

-Cory U

After a few days settling in & adjusting to the time difference we were ready to see some sites. We had already had a taste of authentic Aussie Barbie accommodation a couple nights before but hadn’t seen much outside the neighborhood. In comes Dana’s extended relatives with an invite to a horse & wine tour!

A rather strange combination; “Let’s ride down country roads to wineries, guzzle back a few tastings, & hop back on a horse!” Guess there’s no drink & ride rule here…

Joking aside, it was a great way to see some of the peninsula’s surroundings & experience a bit of Aussie flavour.

-Cory U

Hey Mum, what do you think of me changing my citizenship to Australian?

I really wanted to send out an email tease with the top left photo saying how much I loved it here & that I was never coming home, but decided to just include it in this instead. To get our tax numbers & officially work here we had to travel to the immigration offices. The weirdest part was seeing tv adverts inside of people that got scammed with visa services by third parties. Can’t believe it happened so much to have warning videos. Always go through proper government channels!

This tax number will be my third! I feel a slow collection of Countries building up. Canada, then the United States, now Australia. What’s next?! (I think I just put shivers down the spines of everyone I left at home.)

The rest of the day we ended up getting familiar with the transit systems & walking by so many familiar & unfamiliar shops. Being a regular Toronto transitor I’m already starting to favour the Aussie system. We’ve got a long way to go from here.

Ate at a cute food chain called “Pie Face” where every pie evidently has a face. It’s not easy eating something so cute you know.

-Cory U

PS Loved seeing a transit sign saying “no offensive language or behaviour”. Say what you want, but in a public place I’ll fully agree with this rule.

Our flight to Melbourne was a whole day affair. Even waiting at the LA airport was a little bizarre as most of the passengers waiting to board had Aussie accents. A little after 10 pm Sunday we were boarding the plane only to realize how long the trip would be. Our seats were tiny, the plane was packed & our electronics would need to be used sparingly to last the entire 18 hours of travel.

Things to note:

• The seating was so confined that the active girl in front of me hit my head moving my seat back. It only happened once, but the incident was close to being repeated at multiple times. 

• Requesting a vegetarian meal seems like the safer bet. Your food arrives quicker, they make sure they have it & you don’t get served creepy looking meats. I was jealous of the traveller beside me each time her meal came & her creepy veggies looked better than my dried up chicken. 

•  Unless you’re drugged, there is no way of sleeping on a flight like this. First they served dinner, then drinks, then snacks, then drinks, then sold duty free products, then breakie, then drinks. When do you sleep?! (& why didn’t they serve another round of coffee in the morning?!) 

After a quick transfer through Sydney, we were flying over beautiful views of Australia before arriving in Melbourne at 11am Tuesday. Skipping all of Monday & still with an entire day to work through, we fought to stay awake for far too long. Felt like I was still flying the entire day!

-Cory U

One last LA entry & I think I’ve covered it all…

The same day as our flight was the day of the Golden Globes & Dana was more than excited to go on a celeb hunt. We ended up standing outside The Beverly Hilton with a giant crowd of cheering fans (& some protestors) shouting at the tinted limos requesting to “roll down the window!” to see who’s inside. Saw a few Modern Family cast members, Gerrad Butler, & an inconspicuous Chris Lowell walking by. All the waiting & annoying shouting made Amani & I less than happy.

We did get to walk around a bit & find a few interesting homes in the area. Also stumbled across Sprinkles cupcakes for some yummy s’mores & red velvet treats.

After fighting through tons of event traffic, we ended the night with stomachs in knots but also lots of excitement. Goodbye LAX & hellllooooo MEL!

-Cory U

PS LOVED having you with us Amani!

I’ve been a little delayed pumping out our Aussie adventures so far but I couldn’t let this one fall behind. I just have too many stories to tell (& LA was a busy few days too)!…

Yesterday was Australia Day. For some back home it’s still Australia Day. Weird, right? Anyways, us two Canadian girls headed into the city to check out the festivities & see some good ol’ fireworks. It’s odd seeing fireworks that aren’t a Disney production now. Where’s the music? Where’s the suspense? It’s just not the same. Still fun though!

I have tons of videos (when I find free internet to upload with) & lots more stories before & after this moment to tell; but I just wanted to say “Happy Australia Day!” before it was much too late.

-Cory U

Hey look! I’m still alive!

More on these stories soonish…

-Cory U