I checked out of one of the Canberra Australia hotels and caught and overnight but to Melbourne. It only cost me about $60. When I arrived, my friend was waiting at the bus terminal to pick me up. She seems well, and she saw my grandmother, who had her 92nd birthday the other day. My friend told me that my grandmother was looking really good for someone her age. She drove me to see her brother, Eli, he’s been one of my best friends since we were in elementary school together. He was sleeping when we dropped by, apparently, he’d been studying all night; he just started at the University and wants to be an engineer.

My friend’s boyfriend was away, he was visiting Vietnam and Malaysian Borneo. But, I did get to see Brian, James, Will and Bill, all are doing just great. Will has a baby and Bill in engaged. It was so great to catch up with all of them.  I haven’t seem most of then since I left here, right after high school.

My friend took me walking around Melbourne. It was good to be with her, walking and renting a bike to go along the paths faster. I used to be her boyfriend back in high school, but now we are just really good friends. It’s really great to see her so happy. Her boyfriend must be treating her well. It was nice to see too that Australia has managed to retain some of the native bush land and have linked up these area’s with the paths we’re on. Ever since I left, I’ve noticed that Australians becoming more and more urbanised and are becoming more cut off from the natural beauty all around them. It’s nice to know that my friend is aware of this and does her best to enjoy Australia’s indigenous aspects.

It was nice to be back in Australia and to hook up with most of my high school buddies, but know it’s time for me to head back to Bangkok, where I have lived for over 5 years now.

Columbus, Ohio was founded in the year 1812 on the banks at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers. Although this is what we now know as Columbus there is evidence of ancient mound  building civilizations in the area. These mounds are evidence of an ancient people who once populated the area and now there story is lost to history and run over and covered up by the European settlers in early times. Early European settlers encountered numerous native tribes in the area when first arriving. They encountered people of the Miami, Delaware, Wyandot, Shawnee and Mingo nations to name a few. In 1797 a young surveyor Luis Sullivant from Virginia founded a permanent settlement on the west banks of the Scioto River. This settlement was wiped out in 1798 by a flood, however subsequently rebuilt. In 1816 the town of Columbus was officially formed with the election of its first officials. In 1831 the National Railroad connected Baltimore, MD to Columbus, OH thus completing its connection to the Ohio and Erie canal fostering the early population boom. In 1834 Columbus’ population had grown to the size warranting is official charter as a city.

Today Columbus sits in the heart of Ohio among the green rolling hills of its abundant farm lands. When staying in a Columbus luxury hotels i always like to ask where the closest farms, farmers markets and farm produce stores are. The freshness of locally grown and produced goods is the best and I always like to know I am supporting local, small growers and private farming enterprises as opposed to the corporate farms.

Driving through Ohio in the summer time one comes across fields of corn stretching out as far as the eye can see. In late summer the corn is so high as to prevent any views of the distant hills and farms except when upon a rise. Ohio is a state rich in history with several metropolitan cities to boot.