My first taste of Australia was unfortunately tainted by an awful
flight from Singapore.
Sitting behind Lydia
and I were two children who obviously didn’t get enough exercise and saw our
seat-backs as their personal gym. So between scowling at them and watching
films there was little time for sleep. Meanwhile Lydia found refuge on my lap, and
got some shut-eye for a few hours on the flight.
With one of us fresh off the
plane we navigated the metro system and made our way to the hostel.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to check in for over two hours, so we napped
on the sofa in the lobby, with the plan of dumping our gear once our room was
ours and exploring Brisbane.
However we found the bed first and ended up sleeping until nearly 3pm before
guilt made me wake up to introduce myself to the Australian culture.
The following days were spent
wandering around seeing the sights of Brisbane.
We walked along South Bank where they were preparing for Christmas, including a
boat/sleigh with six white ‘roos pulling it. We also took a ‘half hour’ walk to
a restaurant Lydia
knew, which ended up being around 75 minutes. The meal was good although the
same could not be said for the service.
The following day Lydia and I
spent our first full day apart in 7 weeks when she had her hair coloured and
various other cosmetic touch-ups, ready to see her family the next day. I took
this opportunity to sleep in very late, deal with our mountain of washing and
take some pictures which will be available online at some point.
Early the next morning I was
bullied into wakefulness by a very excited Lydia, eager to see her family, and
we took the metro to the airport in preparation for a 1 hour flight north to
Rockhampton. All was not meant to go smoothly however, and when we tried to
book in we were told that the reservation was for a flight the month before.
While Lydia
had kittens I arranged for another pair of seats on the flight we were supposed
to be on, and she pulled herself together long enough to board the plane.
Coming in to land over
Rockhampton the tear-fairy struck again, and by the time we were in the
arrivals hall with her family Lydia was all red-eyed.
What else is there to say?
Rockhampton is warm but dry compared to Asia.
The people are very friendly. The hospital is good (that’s another story…). And
there’s another adventure waiting just around the corner…
