Melbourne

I took these pictures in May of last year. It was my first time to go to Melbourne to attend a conference. The first thing i noticed when i arrived is that its deserted. It was midday, but the roads are almost devoid of cars, as well as pedestrians. It was creepy.I thought the weather had something to do with it. It was the end of autumn, and the chilly temperature was really bothering me. But it wasnt. Melbourne is the 2nd most populated city in Australia, yet the population is only 3.8million.

I wasnt able to roam the city on my own. I had to depend on our tour guide Ross to bring us to the places which he thought is somewhat symbolic or representative of melbourne. Guess where he brought us first thing from the airport? A souvenir shop.

Most of the other places we went to were indeed popular, like the Rod Laver arena where the Melbourne Open is held every January, and the Shrine of Remembrance, dedicated to the soldiers who fought and died during the War of 1914-18.

We saw the koalas along the road, in an area full of eucalyptus trees. At first, Ross was teasing us about how he placed those toy koalas the night before. We almost believed him because the little creatures were stationary, until one of them grabbed a eucalyptus leaf and started chewing it.