funkytown

My move to Melbourne seems to have coincided with the "in a funk" stage of this trip hitting. It's pretty common - and it may be because I seem to be a bit under the weather, too, so I'm trying to allow myself some time to rest and take it easy without making myself feel guilty about it. That can be a challenge. Regardless, it's better to have this happen now than during Mardi Gras or even while working in PyeongChang, and hopefully I'll kick it soon. My first night here I made myself hit up the Night Market. The travel had wiped me out and I procrastinated long enough that I thought I might be walking in to just a few empty stalls wrapping up their night, but boy was I wrong. I've been to similar events in LA, but this has to be 20 times the size of those and it went full force right up til closing. I was immediately delighted to see a booth serving Pimms Cups (a favorite drink of mine - though I've since noticed them to be almost everywhere here) and tried to survey hundreds of food booths to decide what to go for. My first choice (a greek chicken dish) looked amazing, but was meh. I opted to try a sushi donut, too. Clever idea, though nearly impossible to eat; but it tasted good. Since then I've mainly just wandered a few neighborhoods: the edge of downtown for a haircut (yay), and Fitzroy, where I stayed the first couple nights. Fitzroy is known for its laneways (alleys) covered in street art, and if you spent the time, you could probably find cool murals in any direction you turned. I got a taste, but I know there's more.