Today
marks two weeks (referred to as a fortnight) since my arrival
in Australia (oddly known as Oz - makes no sense to me either). It
truly has been the greatest experience thus far, and it hasn't even
started completely yet. This post is my attempt to regurgitate
all that I've done and some of my first impressions of the big island. Read
on...
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| Dinner on Plane |
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| Flight Path on Quantas |
From the top. I left out of Charlotte and headed for Dallas before catching the direct flight down to Brisbane. The entire flight and airport experience getting here wasn't that bad at all. I got to met plenty of were of nice Australians before I even landed. Each one of them seemed to be very genuine. The people that I spoke with took an interest that I was traveling alone and wanted to tell me where I needed to go while here. The elderly lady made sure to tell me not to be nieve about the "safeness" of Australia. "Bad things and bad people are everywhere, so don't be fooled." - pretty much what I got out of that conversation. I had great entertainment on the plane, interesting food and good company. The 21hrs combined flights did get long only for a sec though, then I remembered that I had a camera phone...
Once landed, it started the whole surreal feeling of being in a dream or watching a movie. I still can't believe that I'm actually in Australia! When you want to do something so bad for so long and it works out, it truly is a blessing and I'm grateful. Back to the story. I got off the plane and was met by my boss who I had only previously met over lunch back in the states once.
First "American" thing I did was walk to the wrong side of the car. (after two weeks, I'm no longer messing that up) Not only do these Aussies drive on the opposite side of the road, they also walk on the other side of the aisle/hallway as well. Crazy! Driving through the city, I was blown away by how beautiful and clean everything was. Before arriving, I would often go to sleep looking at photos on Instagram of Brisbane. Driving through the city from the airport I actually recognized quite a few things. However, pictures didn't do them justice.
Moving on. We arrived at his home where I met his family. They're a really nice bunch. I feel like I'm one of them after being here for this short time. The Mrs. is an awesome cook and a pleasant conversation holder. The Jr. and his Mrs. to be are my age and very artsy. Interesting to get their opinion on things. And their dog is a ball of joy that reminds me of my dog from a year ago.
First day, I got a new phone SIM card because it was most important. The next day I opened up a banking account and toured the city's CBD and Southbank areas. One word - beautiful. How did I get there you ask, on the public transport ferry called City Cat! Riding on it felt more like an attraction rather than a means of getting around.
That same weekend, the Mr. and Mrs. took me to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary not far from their home. It had to be like 100 degrees outside, but it didn't matter because I was able to hold a koala and pet a kangaroo! The damn koala pooped on me, but we got some cool pictures. The kangaroos were surprisingly gentle. They just let you walk up to them and pet them. Who knew!?
That night the Jr. and his soon to be Mrs. took me out to their friends' house further outside of the city. There were a couple of other people there around our same age just kicked back under a porch that looked onto the tennis court where everyone had their turn. It seems like a odd thing for a group of people in their twenties to do on a Saturday night, but it was actually rather fun. It was neat to get to meet more locals and get a feel for the people here.
The very next day, all of us minus the Mrs. went sailing off of Manly Beach to Peel Island. Again everything was really nice to look at. Before actually going out on the boat, we stopped to get lunch at IGA. (I didn't know that they were actually international.) Blue jellyfish were everywhere near the marina. Fortunately, they weren't near the island and we took a quick swim. The water was nice to look at but VERY salty. Good experience though.
I've realized that this post is rather long, it probably could have been split into a daily blog. Oh well. Read the next one for the rest of what happened during my first two weeks in Australia.
Kind regards,
Kyron S. Whitfield