Just Get Up And Go

SOMETIMES, it is a terrific learning experience when one ventures beyond one's own country. Recently, I had the opportunity of wandering the fair city of Melbourne, Australia for a couple of days.
It is always fascinating to wake up in the morning, popped into the street and get blasted by a rush of cold air, quite unlike that of one's own country. At 22 degrees, the atmosphere is simply exhilarating.
One of the positive effects of such climatic conditions is that a person doesn't sweat so easily even hours of walking. Melbourne's weather is generally cooling. The sky is always clear. Well, it is spring afterall, and not even summer yet.
The sun is bright most of the time but it is not humid and it is dry. I reckon all the humidity we get in the tropical region activates our sweat glands and thus the surface of our skin is always moist.
A friend advised me to apply moisturiser on my skin before my "whole face falls off". Fortunately, I didn't stand long enough in the beautiful city to get the full effect of the dryness of the place.
Nevertheless, Melbourne being a foreign city opens up a vista of visual delights. Motorists are surprisingly well mannered. I thought...shame on those I find on our own streets. Pedestrians are always given the right of way. What a wonderful experience, just by walking on the streets.
There are quaint little lanes that offer respite in the form of tiny cafes and charming stalls that sell memorable souvenirs. Strangely, there are no many elderly people walking about. Where did they all go? Probably, at home reading or resting.
Young people throng the streets at all hours of the day. They walk fast, talk fast and generally seem to be in a hurry all the time.
If you are an Asian who are used to spicy food, Melbourne will take some getting used to. The food here is oriented towards the Western palate. Not that they are not good but they are just different. But Melbourne is diversifying in the culinary sector.
There is a profusion of cuisine from different cultures due to its expanding cosmopolitan personality. There is also the mushrooming of fusion food. That means Japanese sushi goes together with Aussie kangaroo meat and king prawns cooked Chinese style all on the same table, served together with red or white wine or green tea.
Perhaps it might not be wise to order all those dishes at the same time. One might have to make an unscheduled visit to the Gents room.
Social behaviour comes as a bit of a cultural shock. Shop assistants are constantly enquiring as to your desires and wishes but you know that they have been programmed to talk like that. At certain places, they sound almost like a tape recorder.
However, there are other places where the workers are more down-to-earth and friendlier. City tends to make people a bit more impersonal. I guess it's the concentration of so many people within a given square kilometre. But people are generally the same everywhere, if you smile or crack a joke, they will respond accordingly.
For example, at the Melbourne airport, the airport check-in officer was a jovial chap. He must be delighted by my choice of Aussie cowboy hat because I was one of the few guys around donning a genuine leather hat made in Australia. He asked how was my day, and I greeted him heartily with a "very good" remark. We exchanged some pleasantries and parted like old friends.
Melbourne is definitely one of the better cities around the world. In fact, last year in a survey of 130 cities, Melbourne received the thumbs up as the No. 1 city to stay in the world. Now, that's quite an honour.
It was my maiden voyage, so to speak, to the State of Victoria's finest city. The pleasure was all mine. I am glad someone almost gave me a kick in the behind to push me on this journey of a thousand delights.
Sometimes in life, one has to wander outside one's boundaries to discover the loveliness that abounds beyond one's shores. If I can, I will make a return visit to this city of 3.5 million people. It has an excellent mix of people, many of them are quite colourful.
I didn't feel the tension or the stress that exists in some other cities. It has a relaxing air of an easygoing metropolitan. Australia is proud of Melbourne in so many ways. No wonder Asians who are able, make Melbourne their No. 1 choice outside their own city.
G'donya, you Aussie mates. I will be keeping my fingers crossed for a return visit soon. What a marvellous city you have got there. Well done and keep it up.