The Melbourne Cup

The Elephant Monster - JDM Media

Every year Melbourne gets a public holiday so that everyone can dress up and go to the races. Since I am a poor traveler and not a Melbournite (or Melbournian or whatever) I was both too poor and too unaware to take part. Because of this, I thought going into to town would be the best way to go 'cause during such a big event I assumed there would be lots going on.

I was wrong.

I don't know what it was, but I think the rain just forced everyone indoors which made the day far less eventful than it should have been. However, we still managed to make the most of it and had a pint in the Asian beer cafe. It was really nice with sofa and stuff to just lounge around on. I tried to get a good picture, then Eric moved.

We also went exploring Melbourne's vast maze of graffiti laden streets and found another bar at the end of one. The only half decent pictures I got today were there, other than the one above. That was just in a parking lot we passed.

Graffiti Alley Pictures - JDM Media

So, we made our way home after being disappointed with the weather and the Melbourne cup. I said I would make sushi. We got everything we needed and my flat mate suggested I make the sushi rice with his rice cooker. I thought it would work, but for the second time today I was wrong.

I attempted to make sushi which just resulted in soggy pieces of scrunched up sea weed with rice and sliced vegetables stuck to it. To save myself I poured the rice into some bowls, put the vegetables in fancy positions then played the meal off as sushi acting as if nothing was wrong. I think no one noticed. Enough soya sauce makes anything sushi.

Anyway, today's walks down graffiti alleys reminded me of some surfer dudes we met a few days ago. They were coming down from the Gold Coast in a camper van they hired out from Wicked. Here's the Potp (Picture of the post).

Surfer Camper Van - JDM Media

Basically we found them in a parking lot. Disregarding all we'd been taught as children, we got in when they asked us if we wanted to chill. We had a pretty good conversation (or yarn as Cameron calls it) until they found out about Cameron's talent with fire poi. Luckily, the kerosene was just around the corner.

Me and Cameron went back to the hostel room and bought down his poi and a container of highly flammable liquid (very un-suspiciously) and went back to the surfers. That's where I came up with the idea to make a mini fire dance video. I got some shots and the surfers oohed at the flames.

I'm not sure how much they remember of the evening. Actually, I don't know how much they remember ever.

- James