Leaving the Outback I woke up the next morning in a bus station.  This time it was a genuine bus station, with a roof and a garage and everything, as opposed to the service stations with motels that one passes through going down the Stuart Highway.  It was Adelaide, a city with more people in it then any place I had been through in the past few weeks.  Add to the fact that there were buildings, trees, water, and greenery, and it was immediately clear to me that this is an entirely different part of Australia.  After sidestepping puddles and ducking under awnings to avoid the early morning rains, I made it to my hostel and settled in for a few days.

Unlike the major centres of Sydney and Melbourne, Adelaide is relatively small, a quiet city of few starred attractions but one that is pleasant enough for exploration and, after which, seems a lovely place to call home.  For my part I was off to tour through the free museums clustered around the University and later going through the city.  Whilst riding the tram I heard a girl speaking Mandarin on her mobile and asked her afterward, in Chinese, if she was Chinese.  That I, a bearded white man, spoke the tonal speech was a great shock to her and we chatted for a little.  It was a nice relief after a while away from China to be able to see and speak Chinese again.  When I went to Chinatown later and bought noodles I was disappointed and a little at odds to eat them with a fork.

The final day I spent in the city consisted of exploring North Adelaide, a pleasant, green, and ‘historic’ (by Aussie standards) area that carries over a nice British influence in architecture and in more than a few ways reminded me of Victoria, BC.  After that I caught a bus, backpack in tow, up into the Adelaide Hills to begin my second stint of WWOOFing.  The home was set out over a few acres of bush in covered in gum trees and rolling hills and my quarters were a large so-called dojo, separate from the house; my private kingdom.

Mostly the work has been weeding, gardening, and a bit of maintenance and planting.  Every morning my day starts with some Weet-Bix (I recommend it) and then a walk of the incredibly sweet lab around the neighborhood.  Past that, I spent a lot of time making friends with the other WWOOFer, Song-Kook from Seoul.  He is a nice guy and I hope that I get a chance to see him should I get to Korea some day in the future.  In my downtime I have resumed voracious diet of books and once Friday night rolls around I stick near the telly to watch footy.  I’ve yet to decide on a club to go for, but I’m narrowing down my list.  After over two weeks I am off to Perth, the final leg of the trip down under.