35, Hot & Humid...

well yesterday it was. Today it was still humid but with heavy rainfalls, which was probably great for the locals, but it didn't do much for my hair.

The days here have already begun to mesh together. Last week Emily and I checked out the South Australian Museum located next to Uni. I can't recall everything I saw, because something about the lighting and the quietness makes me feel like taking a nap. It was pretty good though, and free so great for us! Some of the exhibits we took a look at were the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery, World Mammals, the Pacific Cultures, and the South Australian Biodiversity Gallery.

Boomerangs! Used for thousands of years by Aboriginal people across Australia for fishing, hunting, fighting, playing and for ceremonial purposes.

After having a walk though the museum, it was between the Rundle St. Mall or the Art Gallery of South Australia. We decided to save the Art Gallery for another day.  The Rundle St. Mall has fast become one of our favorite destinations. With over 700 retail stores, most fronts are located off of the pedestrian street or within the malls or arcades which can also be accessed off of the street. Yes, we occasionally make ourselves feel better with a bit of retail therapy ;)

On Friday, Emily and I attended an international students pizza meet and greet. Something about being thrown into a room full of strangers without any cheesy quizzes or games makes it a little awkward. But hey! We met a few other Canadians, as well as a couple of Chinese students, and we filled up on free pizza. So, I guess you could call it a success. While waiting for the train that evening, we decided to watch the sunset over the Torrens River.

 

Prospect-refuge & large, but scarce garbage bins

On Saturday, Emily and I took the 1 hour bus ride to Mount Barker. Our first impressions were not good. We were dropped off on the side of the road accross from a large parking lot, it was hot and there was no shade. As we walked around the town, our impression barely changed. Aside from the attractive main street (due to there actually being trees), the areas we saw were broken side-walks with the odd tree for shade, no pedestrian friendly crossings, no bike lanes, and alot of hard surfaces where there could be beautiful gardens. This is the area where the growth for Adelaide is to be concentrated in the next 30 years, and it could use a more welcoming feel.

Mount Barker Streetscape

Yesterday, we made our way to the beach. By the time we got there we only had about 40 minutes before we needed to rush back to catch the train so we wouldn't have to use 2 passes. But 40 minutes was plenty enough as the weather was almost uncomfortable and there was a pool and air conditioning waiting for us back home. We will have to go back again soon when the weather isn't quite so hot. But, after rushing to get back to the train to only watch it rush by as we ran from a distance, it turns out we could have stayed longer anyways. Instead we waited at the stop in the shade for the next train home.

Tomorrows forcast:
light rain and a high of 24!

Emily at the Semaphore Beach