I’ll recap with you my 7th full day in my return to Aussie Land. After falling sleep early last night, I got up at 8:30. Kyle and Jessica had already left for work. I made the bed and put my pack in the closet, making sure to leave behind no trace. It is very nice of them to let me stay at their place. I gave Carey at work a call, and I also talked to Nelli and Nick. I wanted to talk to Merle, but she had just left. Well, I decided that I wanted to visit Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary because I knew that you could hold a koala there. I’ve gone around to 4 wildlife parks (3 in Sydney and one near Cape Tribulation) and I could only pet them. I left Jessica’s house at 10:00 and started walking. I got a Red Bull at the IGA store (kind of like 7-Eleven) and got an all day ticket for $18, which is similar to the DayTripper in Sydney. On the bus, I was talking with this pretty girl named Chelsea. We both got off at the Nerang train station and I helped her carry one of her bags. The train showed up shortly afterward and we got on together. I was going to Roma Street in Brisbane and she was going only a few stops ahead of where we were then. After about 15 minutes I gave her a hug goodbye and my journey continued. The train ride is an hour long, but I don’t complain because I’m in Australia and I’m having a great time. I got to central Brisbane and began looking for a way to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I heard there was a ferry to the sanctuary, but I couldn’t find it. So, I stopped at a youth hostel and found out where the bus was to go there and then I started walking. Brisbane is a very lively city and there are heaps of people walking everywhere. I stopped at the ATM and then got a Diet Coke. I saw a sign at a tour place for a trip around Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) for $295, but it didn’t include the flight from here to Alice Springs. I looked at flights last night and they were outrageously priced! Anyways, I walked to the bus stop and only waited for a few minutes before the bus showed up. I jumped on excitedly! It was about a 40 minute ride and we crossed the Brisbane River. I couldn’t get a good picture of downtown Brisbane. The bus kept going and I got dropped off at the sanctuary at 1:30. I used my student ID card to get in at a discount (it really comes in handy) and cashed a traveler’s check for some spending money. Then I ran straight to the koalas! The girl was talking about them and what the dangers are to them. Cars and dogs are the biggest koala killers. Habitat destruction has also contributed greatly to the loss of these very cute animals. I paid $15 to get a photo holding a koala and then got a photo with my own camera. I was so happy because after visiting 5 different parks, I finally got to hold a koala! What a special feeling! I went over to the shop and picked up my photo and then went to the kangaroo area. I saw the emus first and one emu walked right up to me because I had chips in my hand. There were heaps of “roos” as Aussies call them. I got a photo with all of them in the background and then got a video of one hopping. When they hop, they look like they’re going to fall on their face. I was walking with this girl named Lisa from Denmark. Together we walked and this cockatoo actually said “hello.” It was so funny! Lisa told me that another one had said “goodbye” to her earlier. Next up we saw the kookaburras. They were being fed mice for lunch! We then saw the dingoes and the baby koalas. I’ve never seen this many koalas before. There’s got to be at least 100 koalas at the sanctuary. I said goodbye to Lisa and then walked through the reptile enclosure. I came too late and missed the snake show. It would have been nice to have another snake photo, but oh well. At 3:00, the rainbow lorikeets were being fed, so I went over there. The keeper poured this milky type food into dishes and the birds started coming out. The lorikeets were everywhere. I got some pictures of them. They are very strikingly beautiful birds. They flew back into the trees after about 15 minutes. I left the park at 3:30 and took a photo of the various signs telling how many kilometers it is to the major cities around the world. I caught the bus back to central Brisbane. I took a photo of myself strolling around in Brizzy and then stopped at the tour place that I visited earlier. I found a 4 day, 4 night trip in Uluru, but the flight wasn’t included and I had to find it myself. I searched and the cheapest flight was like $700. I then stopped at this travel place next door and asked them to find me a flight. They found me one for $716. I ran to the ATM, but I couldn’t withdraw that much money. So, they reserved a seat on the plane on the 18th for me, and I promised I would be back tomorrow. I’ll come back to Brisbane on the 23rd, so I’ll have four full days in the Australian Outback. The theme for my trip now is reef, rainforest, and rock: the 3 R’s. From traveling, I have learned so much! I’ve seen and done things that many people never get to see or do, even if they’re twice my age. Traveling has helped me improve as a person and has made me feel happier; even my grades have improved sharply. After booking my Outback excursion, I got McDonald’s for lunch. I hadn’t eaten all day. At 6:00, I decided to head back to Jessica’s house, but I lost my all day ticket and they made me pay full price for a ticket to Nerang. I was upset because I had to basically throw $9 out the window. But, I have to stop complaining because I’m in the Lucky Country. The train trip is an hour long and I sat there just thinking of what it would be like to live here. I got to the Nerang station at 7:30, but I just missed the bus and the next one wasn’t due for an hour. I could have called a taxi but they’re too expensive, so I decided to walk. I got lost along the way and I stopped at a golf course for directions and a soda. I tried to hitchhike, but no one picked me up. On the way I saw a couple of bats. They’re cool to see in the wild. I made it back to Jessica’s at 9:20, but they had already gone to bed. I really wanted to share my day with them, but I’ll do that tomorrow. I showered and then called my Mom and talked to her for about an hour. I sat outside on the grass and just gazed up at the Southern sky before calling it a night. Well, I have another day tomorrow, and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow night. Good Night.
