So, you want to read a crazy tale about drugs, sex, and rock and roll. Well my friends this is not the blog for you today. Life has been pretty much as I expected it to be as I got older over the last week, routine with little in the way of surprises (still waiting for when the time comes to where adult diapers). Definitely the highlights of the last week for me have included purchasing a new watch battery, doing my laundry, getting my haircut, losing money yet again in a poker tournament, and buying a bunch of shit/souvenirs to send home when I leave Melbourne. Yes, folks it’s been that kind of week. In related news though, the countdown is on, as it is officially t-minus three weeks until Leeanna and I hit the road and head west. We have not officially decided where we are going to go from here, although I have it pretty set in my mind that I want to drive all the way to Perth (about 3500km, I think). We shall see though, as it is all tentative at this point, and let’s be real here the boss lady makes the final call on any decisions.
Although not too much has gone on lately (Leeanna’s now working full-time and our schedules are quite different), we did manage to get away for a day a couple of weeks ago thanks to my parents and grandmother back home. They gave Leeanna and I some money for my birthday and instructed me (from the other side of the world mind you) that I had to use the funds for something productive. Apparently paying bills and buying overpriced groceries doesn’t count as productive. So we used the money and arranged our own self-guided day trip to the Mornington Peninsula.
The Mornington Peninsula is about an hour and a half south of Melbourne, and is a popular spot for daytrips from Melbourne. I got up bright and early (by my standards, this falls between 9am and 11am) and headed over to the car rental place to pick up my super-economical car. I was instructed quite thoroughly by Leeanna to make sure I got a GPS system, as our last trip I decided to forego this and we got lost numerous times. Naturally, by the time I got there, all the GPS systems had been loaned out for the day, which resulted in the nice man behind the counter lending me a map book for free. Quite the helpful fellow he was and was definitely a classy Aussie as he told me two great Canadian things he had recently discovered; “Trailer Park Boys” and “The Tragically Hip”. I did not have the heart to tell him that he was a few years behind the curve on both of them. Anyways, we set off and made it down to the Peninsula without any real problems (except for almost crashing the car). Our first stop of the day was at the Ashcombe Maze and Water Gardens, a place that had all of these huge garden mazes and crap like that. It was mentioned in all of the guidebooks, but ended up being pretty uneventful and overpriced. I mean, fuck, how many hedge mazes can one man go through in a day!? From there, we drove over to a pick-your-own strawberry farm. It was the first time I can ever remember taking part in this activity, which is really ironic as I worked at three farms over the course of a few years that all had pick-your-owns. After a solid half-hour of picking, we retreated to the gift shop/restaurant for the best snack ever, chocolate fondue with strawberries (apparently the fine art of fondue still exists in this part of the world)! I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, me or all the 5-year olds around me eating the same thing. Next up on the whirlwind day tour was the Port Schnack Lighthouse and park. Basically we walked around the beach and cliff boardwalks, took some nice pictures and then headed on our way. I also can say I finally saw some totally wild kangaroos today, although they were both the victims of automobile accidents, and one was fairly decomposed. Not sure if this counts as a wildlife sighting, but I’m chalking it up as a score regardless. After driving around the area for a bit and grabbing some pub fare for dinner in the booming town of Portsea, we took the Brent and Leeanna show over to the Peninsula Hot Springs. The facilities at this place were amazing, featuring a ton of different geothermal pools, ranging in temperature from freezing cold to an unbearable +45°C. Most of them were in the 36°C-38°C, range which is ideal tubbing temperature (believe me I know, my friends and I used to think of hot tubbing as a sport). The whole place was beautifully landscaped, and the pools/spas were very spread out, which allowed for a good level of privacy/quietness. There was even one bath that reminded me of the grotto at the Playboy Mansion, although instead of smoking hot models it featured middle-aged Asian men taking pictures of themselves. You can’t win ‘em all. I would most definitely recommend this place to anyone who travels to this area, as it is a great way to unwind after a hectic day. From there, we drove home with only minor detours, and the day was generally considered a success as I only almost got us killed one time in the car!
Anyways, all you Canucks enjoy your forthcoming summer and remember, hot tubbing and beer equals a way cheaper way to get drunk than just straight drinking. Science my friends.
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