We arrived in Brisbane, and I found it quite different from Sydney. Brisbane was more humid and dirtier than Sydney. It lacked the magic and youth that Sydney radiates. Brisbane seemed old, tired, and mundane. Where I was fascinated by watching the Sydneysiders commute to work, I was annoyed by the commotion in Brissie.
In wandering around the city, Kearse and I found some lively spots around the city's outdoor mall and along the river by some of the hotels, but otherwise Brisbane itself was quite plain. There was also no noticeable trace of the terrible floods that Brisbane experienced just weeks before our arrival when the Brisbane River banks completely overflowed. That's one thing about Australia- they deal with danger and destruction very very well. It comes with the territory.
We took an afternoon trip to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where I paid and arm and a leg to hold a koala- but it was totally worth it! One of those life-changing experiences :) The koalas were so cute, and much bigger than I imagined. Holding a koala was like holding a big ball of muscle! They are heavy, but so cuddly! Haha the one I was holding even pooped on me, apparently it's good luck. Who else can say that they've been pooped on by a koala??
We also wandered into a kangaroo reserve where I was able to befriend some roos and get some pets, photos, and kisses. It was magical!
Our second day in Brissie was Kearse's birthday! Happy birthday, travel mate! Since Kearse has a winter birthday in the States, I decided it'd be awesome to spend his birthday at the beach (it might be the only time he gets to go to the beach in February!). Sooooo we signed up for some surfing lessons! Woooooo!
We ended up being the only two signed up for the day, so we pretty much got one-on-one surf lessons with once Pro-Surfer and Billabong- sponsored Scott Dillon. Scott is the prime example of a surfing beach bum. He grew up in the lifestyle and loves to teach it to others. After his pro surfing career, Scott worked as a surf instructor for his friend's company. Scott decided he didn't like the way his friend wanted him to teach, so Scott started his own business less than a year ago- Beach Bum. Basically this means that Brandon and I got really good surf lessons, it was exciting!
Before our surf lessons, Scott drove us out to the Gold Coast, a city outside of Brisbane (I had no idea that Gold Coast was the name of a city... they even have their own airport). We visited the Queensland and New South Wales state line, saw the setting up for the Quiksilver Pro about to start in a week, and drove by some of the pro surf champions' favorite spots to surf (the names of these beaches escape me now, but I remember seeing the Snapper Rocks, which is a legendary surfing spot)!
Then we had our surf lessons at Fingalhead, a beach that is protected on both sides, so it's got nice waves most of the time. We learned about rip currents and how to identify them, and we learned how to spot good and bad waves, and that every wave is different. We did some skills on the beach and then hit the water. Brandon and I both stood up on our first try! It was really fun and a lot harder than I imagined. I have a newly found respect for surfers.
The hardest part of the day was getting back out to the ocean. Once you catch a wave in, you have to grab your board (ours were huge and heavy because they were beginner boards), and walk back out into the waves that are repeatedly pushing you backward. After two hours, this was exhausting. So at the beginning of the day I was so excited and thinking of signing up for a three day surf camp, and now I've changed my mind... Surfing was way fun, and the best part is definitely when you're standing up on the board, but by the end of the day, I had happily had enough. Waves and the ocean kind of scare me.
After our surf lesson, We had some chill time on the beach at Surfer's Paradise (another city), which I loved! It was pretty neat seeing the tall sky scraper right next to the sand. Unfortunately, the sea was really rough here because of the high tide today, so there were no surfers to watch. But that's ok- we got some yummy gelato! On the way back to Brissie, Scott let me have one of his CD's of Aussie surf tunes. Sweet!
For dinner, we went to an awesome BYO Thai restaurant in Brisbane's Chinatown district. We brought a bottle of wine and had some penang curry and coconut sticky rice (yuuum! It made me want to go back to Asia!). The restaurant's name was Bow Thai, which was perfectly fitting for Kearse on his birthday.
For our final day in Brisbane, Kearse and I took a day trip to Moreton Island, which is right off the eastern coast. Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world, with the two largest sand islands located on Australia's east coat as well- Fraser Island and the Whitsundays. So yeah Moreton Island is made completely of sand, and it has forests of trees that have grown on the dunes and in the valleys.
While on the island, we went sand boarding down one of the dunes (which was super fun but also kind of scary- haha the slope was so steep, and you just lay on a piece of plywood and hold up the front! Make sure to keep your sunglasses on and mouth closed)! After sand boarding, we cooled off in the ocean and then went for an ocean kayak. It was my first time trying out a kayak, and it was pretty neat and very enjoyable getting into a nice rhythm. Oh yeah, there were heaps of huntsman spiders all over the kayaks when we took them out of storage. Most were about the size of a half dollar (sick!), but there was one that was bigger than a tarantula! It was disgusting! Apparently they're poisonous, but not deadly, so I guess that makes it okay?
Moreton Island also has some ship wrecks that were purposefully sunken to protect the beach from waves and wind. These wrecks have become habitats for fish and other aquatic life, but since it was high tide, we were unable to go snorkeling here- the rips were too dangerous today.
Our guide Ian had an awesome saying of "Top Stuff!" He said it ALL THE TIME. Ian's parents came to Australia in the 1960s, and it only cost them ten pounds a piece because England was begging people to go colonize the continent. Ian also had a desk IT job in the city. He tired of the lifestyle and his weight gain, left the job, and is now a tour guide exploring all of the west and east coasts of Australia.
Overall, the trip to Moreton Island was slow-paced and not that exciting. It was more of a relaxing time I suppose. The fun part was meeting three Aussie girls from Sydney. Two are engineers (aeronautical and civil!), and the three of them now work for local TV stations. These girls were hilarious and fun to hang out with. The three of them were born in Australia but are all Egyptian, and they grew up together through their Egyptian school and church. It was nice talking with them about my recent travels to Egypt and the current politic unrest in Cairo, as well as getting some good recommendations on bars and pubs in Sydney.
One of my favorite quotes from these girls when we were sand boarding on the dunes- "They say no one touches these places for years... Spread out guys! Touch as much sand as you can!" Absolutely hilarious.
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