Greetings from Down Under!

It was an early start on Monday morning as we traveled cross country to LA to catch our 15-1/2 hour flight that evening to Melbourne. We arrived on Wednesday morning and I was quite surprised at how well Bill and I felt after traveling all of that distance.  We both managed to get some sleep on the plane, thank goodness.

We made it!

After checking in to our hotel near the airport, we decided to venture out and do some exploring.  We took the Skybus which is an express bus from the airport down to Southern Cross Station in the CBD (commercial business district). The trip can take anywhere from 25 - 40 minutes depending on traffic. From there we set off on foot.  My first impression was that Melbourne was very much like San Francisco (with no steep hills of course) but instead of cable cars, there is a series of trams.  We stopped for a bite to eat down one of the Laneways (narrow side streets) where the cafes and shops are located.  Within the CBD the trams are free, but if you go outside of a certain range, you have to purchase a MYKI card.

Today (Thursday), we relocated to the apartment we rented through Airbnb and were able to unpack and get settled in.  The area we are staying in is a suburb east of the city with many many restaurants and shops located up and down both sides of the main street that also has trams running through the middle. After doing a bit of exploring we settled on a fun open air restaurant and yes, I did try a bite of a Wagyuroo burger (yep, 30% kangaroo meat - yikes!). That very well might be the most adventurous thing I do here...

Unfortunately all of the 5 croquet venues are spread out and located on the outskirts of the city, so logistically much of our time has been figuring out the best and most economical way to get around.  For now we are using UBER and so far it has worked out well and is less expensive than a taxi to get outside the city center.

This afternoon I participated in a doubles match with compatriot Mohammad Kamal in a special event called the Ramsis Cup.  This year's competition is between players from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.  We won our match 7-5, 7-6 and tomorrow at the players' meeting we should find out the final tally from the other matches that were played.  Friday will be a practice day and then it's the main event starting Saturday morning.

Tomorrow's goal is for me to figure out how to load some pictures onto this blog from my IPad - I'm stumped at the moment but am motivated to figure it out!