Jan 10th - 11th

Melbourne

I've had 2 days of chilling and sorting out my future short term plans in Melbourne. As I was finishing the Great Ocean Road I was feeling under pressure to decide how to continue the trip. It was supposed to finish at the end of January but I decided to make some changes. With New Zealand being so close and from all the feedback people have given me I thought that I would give it one shot and get myself there while I'm this side of the world. The worst thing would be to go home and look back in anger at a missed opportunity. I would be telling lies if I said that New Zealand had been on my radar when I set off  but as with travel sometimes, well most times, you go with the flow and tend to not stay on a set route.
Before I go to New Zealand though I'm taking the night ferry over to Tasmania to spend 10 days cycling from Devonport to Hobart. One of my hosts was explaining how good Tasmania is for riding. Whether you are absolute beginners or experts Tasmania is perfect. Cheap camping, beautiful scenery and friendly people. It only costs $80 for a one way ticket straight into Devonport. The same host also said "wild is the wind" on the island and when the wind blows it makes you feel like your cycling up the hill backwards. Still while I'm my golden years a few hills and a bit of wind shouldn't give me to much trouble. My trusty legs have never let me down so far. Little wonder though I've heard tell of some strange animals to look out for on Tasmania. Devils are the most famous of them but you never know in this region whether there are some scary monsters hidden away.

I had a great day in the city again and spent most of it at the Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei art exhibition. Some of the pieces are real classics   from the style of modern. Love the Elvis, Marylin Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor pictures. So many heroes from pop culture but i always thought Edie Sedgwick was his prettiest star. Warhol really liked to create a mixture of sound and vision pulling in faces that are instantly recognisable. He was able to take someone famous but present the picture so it was the star. Man I bet some of the big names he pictured were not quite sure what they let themselves in for, but the pictures live on and the gallery was packed. It was very impressive to see so many different nationalities all enjoying his subtle take on fame and fashion. There was more than one China girl and a lot of young Americans. The other artist is Ai Weiwei. Not someone I had heard of but I was very impressed with his art. He is Chinese and with most artists had suffered a bit in his homeland. From what I could see of his story, by the authorities he was classed as a bit of a rebel. Rebel may not be the word he would use, more, expressionist. So with everything booked for Tasmania and then New Zealand I'm able to ride, enjoy, experience and compose. Let's Dance..........