About a week and a half ago I was pretty damn happy to be out of the United States. New York seemed to be in a state of panic and Australia seemed so far away. I didn’t think it would be touched by the virus anytime soon. But just like most people I underestimated how fast this thing was going to spread.
It doesn’t seem that Australia is panicking nearly as much as Europe and the United States have been. The Australian government has closed down most of the sporting events and other public gatherings. From my understanding schools and most places of work are still open. But it might be a matter of time before they are also closed.
Understandably a hostel might not be the best place to be during the outbreak of a contagious disease. I am not scared of catching the virus but every day it gets a bit scarier. Everyone I meet has something to say about it. I’m talking about it all the time, understanding how other people’s plans are being affected.
It’s been a mess for some of the people that I’ve met. They’ve been on a work visa in Australia and they are finding it extremely difficult to find a job. Since tourism has been brought to a standstill there isn’t as much hospitality related work available. Not all of them have the savings to survive overseas without a job. So if they can’t work it out they’ll have to leave.
I’ve been frustrated by the way things how gone down in the past week. It’s hard not to feel frustrated. But when I see things from another person’s perspective I can’t help but feel that I am lucky. Imagine planning a year abroad and having to go home a few weeks into the trip? That is the reality for some people over here.
I have a three-month tourist visa here in Australia. So worst case scenario I can stay here and do more traveling. My original plan was to do the east coast all the way up to Darwin and fly out to Bali after roughly six weeks in Australia. But if things develop in the wrong direction I’ll be able to take my time and explore the west coast as well. Not the worst thing in the world.
Anyway, I arrived in Sydney today from Melbourne. I was seriously considering staying in Melbourne for another week just to see how things developed. But after thinking more about it I felt that if I was to stay in Melbourne I would be committing to at least another month there. And I wasn’t ready to do that. I’ll do the week here and then move on to smaller towns along the east coast. I think that is a good plan.
I didn’t really do all that much today. Got into the city around eleven o’clock and dropped my bags off at the hostel. Then I decided to take a walk around just to get familiar with the layout of the city. I started off in the Botanical Gardens and got all the way to the harbor after maybe an hour. I look to my left and without knowing it I ended up right by the famous Sydney Opera House.
Unfortunately, it is closed due to the coronavirus fears but at least I can take pictures of it from the outside. The harbor area around the opera house and the bridge is extremely cool. It reminds me of a nicer Southstreet Seaport.
Afterward, I just walked around the downtown area with no particular plan in mind. It definitely has a bit of a New York feel to it. The city reminds me way more of an American city than a European city. But on first impressions, I definitely feel that I will like Melbourne more when all is said and done. We will see what happens over the next week.