This morning we slept in – all the way past 8:00, but our little internal clocks are so miscombobulated that we really didn’t know what time it was, anyhow. There’s a 2 hour time difference from Perth (backwards) which means that 4:30 Saturday afternoon here is 12:30 a.m. Saturday in Charlotte or 11:30 p.m. Friday in Oklahoma.
It’s very confusing.
I was online asking about what day tours we should do. We were supposed to be doing a hot air balloon ride over Melbourne, which we were both looking forward to. Unfortunatley, high winds and the weather conditions grounded the balloons. We then immediately went to look for a walking tour, only to see that it’s the Cruise season and everything is fully booked. No further availability.
Not to be stymied, I started asking people online for recommendations.
The response was about the same as if (in Oklahoma) someone had asked in mid-August, “Where should we walk around outdoors today.” It’s just not done. We’re tough, though, we’re not going to let a little weather stop us.
Opening the door was like stepping into a gigantic E-Z Bake Oven. And this was at 11:00 in the morning. We followed the directions to the train station and were wringing by the time we’d traversed the 4 blocks. Figured out our tickets (full day pass for $7.00 AU) and climbed on the blissfully air conditioned train to ride 2 stops to the downtown area.
The station is pretty cool. Historic building that’s been nicely retrofitted. No landing 9 ¾, though, so we didn’t make it to Hogwarts. We got out of the station and were looking for a vintage trolly that circles the downtown area. It’s got a loop that plays informational tidbits that’s very good, telling you to walk one way or the other for particular interesting things.
The loop tram is free. It’s free because there’s no air conditioning. After we got back and did the calculations, we determined that it’s 107 degrees F out there today – with a heat index of 113. You could barely keep enough liquids on board to survive.
Add to that wind gusts to about 40 mph, and you’ve got an exact replica of Oklahoma in August. (My apologies to those who live elsewhere, but it’s the best analogy that I can find). Oh, and all that garbage about, “it’s a dry heat”. HORSEFEATHERS. When it’s that hot out, humidity is irrelevant. It’s so hot that it hurts to breath.
So we did the sensible thing, came back to the hotel and took a nap during the heat of the afternoon. It’s supposed to break later today - a low of about 61 tonight toward Midnight, and then the high tomorrow is only about 75. Once again, the parallels to Oklahoma are unmistakable.
One thing we found is a new ready-made career for Eddie. These are apparently like Gamestops in the US. I'd intersperse the commentary with the photos, but can't figure out how to do that. If someone has any hints, please feel free to share.
Right now it’s time to go grab a shower and think about finding some dinner. Once the sun goes down, even though it’s hot, it’s bearable. Fortunately, everyplace here seems to be uber-casual, and thus shorts and T-shirts are appropriate even in upscale restaurants.
