The biggest thing I have missed so far on this trip has been some good ole Texas chinese food, and the first night here in Melbourne they all took me out and I had the much awaited honor of gorging myself on some fantastic chinese, and then while leaving Tony tossed me the keys to the car and told me to give it a go... and it was in this moment that 2 fundamental problems arose in my mind.

1. I have not the slightest clue how to drive a stick shift.

2. I have not the slightest clue how to drive in Australia on the opposite side of the road. So what did I do?

Well the first thing was walk to the wrong side of the car to get in to drive, and then remembered that the driver's seat is on the right, but after this was sorted in my mind, the jouney began. Since last Wednesday, it has been one adventure after another as we have basically taken a daily road trip somewhere, and I lost track of how many busy intersections I have stalled in because I am too focused on not pulling into oncoming traffic in the right lane. But alas, I have survived the test and now am just another local commuter, who's car occasionally dies at red lights, nonetheless just another local.

We took a drive to a town called Torquay which is home to the Great Ocean Road, along which we stopped and caught an amazing sunset on the beach and enjoyed a scenic drive getting there. This weekend we are going to an AFL game, Aussie rules football, so that should be interesting to see, a little more fast paced than American gridiron.

Other than that, just enjoying seeing my face again after a 2 month break from shaving, getting my nose pierced, and finding my latest reason to love this country...the fact that Cuban cigars are legal Down Under...life just keeps getting better.