ADELAIDE

Thursday, 14th March 2013

Woke up at 5:30am on Thursday to get a train to Adelaide at 8:05am. Waking up at 5:30am was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Maybe because I went to bed early the night before and had a good 7 hours sleep. Checked out of the hostel, got a Krispy Kream donut from 7eleven, and then got a tram to the station. The Overland train I was on was nice. I had a seat with plenty of leg room. It felt like I was on a site seeing tour because each time we stopped a women would describe the area we were in and what it was famous for. Also i've never been on a train with a dress code before. I had to be attired in neat, clean casual clothing.

11 hours later I arrived in Adelaide. When I got there I thought Adelaide looked boring. It was the complete opposite to Melbourne. Even the hostel I was staying at was a bit boring. Everyone would just be sat around in silence, brainwashed by the television. After I said hello to my roommates I went looking for food. There wasn't much choice. Couldn't find any takeaway places in the area I was staying at. I ended up going to the pub and paying $18 for a burger and pint of Cider, which was lovely.

On Friday morning I walked to the Zoo. On the way there I stumbled across what seemed like an abandoned amusement park. I've never been to an amusement park in the morning before. It felt really weird as no one was there. Took some photos and quickly left. Walking through the parks in Adelaide reminded me of walking through the Promenade in Cheltenham. It all looked very similar. One difference here is the type of birds. I just thought of the birds as types of Pokemon. Instead of Pidgey (English flying rats a.k.a Pigeons), Adelaide has Pideotto birds (a nicer looking Pigeon with spiked up hair).

Got to the Zoo and paid $22 for entry. Would have cost $31.50 if I didn't have a student card. Not sure if it was worth it really. Just gave me something to do. I did get to see a sleeping Giant Panda, a sleeping Kangaroo and a sleeping Lion. Exciting stuff.

After the zoo I'd planned to walk back to the hostel but half way there I found the city centre and some civilization. Before finding the city centre, Adelaide felt very isolated with no sign of life. I finally found something interesting to look at... Random people and shops!

After walking through town I came to the conclusion that Adelaide is weird. There was a weird 'derp' looking statue, an old man with jet black hair and the biggest comb over I've ever seen, an elderly women who dressed  like she was in her 20's and a night club that had the comic sans font for its logo!? Even the street performers were weird. There was a man from Europe that dropped his pants for money (well actually he escaped from cling film and chains and his trousers fell down at the end). Another bloke who was in this 'performance stage' was at first walking around the crowd shouting at people. He then notice me on my iPhone and sat next to me and hugged me. When I started to walk away he shouted pleased don't leave. So I went back, took a photo of him about to crowd surf and then left. Just weird. Really really weird.

I also saw a big issue seller wearing a Mario hat, which I thought was pretty cool. I asked him if I could take a photo but he said no because he wanted to protect his privacy. After eating Nandos at night I started walking back. Once again I stopped half way to watch more street performers. This time it was for Adelaide Fridge Festival. The first performer I saw was a bloke called Tony Roberts. He put his head and shoulders through a tennis racket and then was chained up. He escaped in 2 minutes. I was impressed so I give him 20cents. Generous I know. After Tony, a women appeared dressed as a Canadian. She just ran around shouting go Canada (did I mention that Adelaide is weird?). Spent a good 12 hours walking around before I got back to the hostel. Was a good day.

MOSQUITO'S!!! Instead of flies there are Mosquito's in Adelaide. Fucking Mosquito's! While staying in the hostel I woke up on Saturday morning with about 30 bites on me. Bastards. They've officially made it onto the things I hate list.

After checking out of the hostel I was picked up by a women called Gaynor. Gaynor is married to Keith and Keith is an old friend of my Dads. They were kind enough to let me stay with them until Tuesday. Didn't do much for the rest of the day. At night I ate Kangaroo for the first time. It was really nice and just tasted like beef. Saw some wild Kangaroos on the way home as well.

I found out that Oz Comic Con was happening over the weekend in Adelaide. Couldn't have come at a better time really. Keith an Gaynor dropped me there on Sunday morning. Before we left, Keith made a full cooked breakfast and Gaynor also made me a packed lunch, which was really nice of them.

Oz Comic Con was amazing. Spent $20 to get in and then spent $40 on 3 Adventure Time Vinyl figures, $20 on a Legend of Zelda Triforce cap, $10 on a Vegeta poster, which I got signed by Dragon Ball Z Voice actor Christopher Sabat and a Street Fighter 2 & Venom comic for $1 each. Money well spent. In the afternoon I went to the Jason Momoa, a.k.a Khal Drogo from a Game of Thrones, panel. He was really funny and was wearing a Pantera Cowboys From Hell shirt which was cool.

Walking through the main area I was using my phone to check internet prices and I heard this bloke say "I fucking hate people using their phones here" I looked up and said sorry mate. He was walking back to his wife and two kids. He clearly didn't want to be there and was obviously made to go by his children. I walked away and he gave me an evil look. Prick.

William Shatner was a special guest here. I didn't get to meet him but I did get to see him from about 20 metres a way while he signed autographs. It would have cost me $80 to get a photo with him!

At the end of the day I sat down and watched some Cosplay. Wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry when I saw this over weight guy dressed up as Mario walking onto the stage alone. He must of been about my age. When he got onto stage he said 'it's a me Mario' in a fake Italian voice and left... Palm to face.

Got a lot of great photos and had an amazing day. Makes me want to go to San Diego Comic Con even more now.

Today I had a nice and relaxing day at Maslin Beach. Apparently it was Australia's first ever nudest beach. When I got there it was just me. Saw a few people walk pass occasionally, but other than that the beach was empty. It was lovely. White sand and crystal clear sea. Could have stayed there all day.

Fun fact #2: Australia has an Emu and a Kangaroo on their Coat of arms to symbolise a nation moving forward, reflecting a common belief that neither animal can move backwards easily.

Tomorrow I will be leaving Australia and flying to New Zealand.

More extremely fun facts and updates later.