Day 166 - Brisbane

Everyone keeps banging on about how travelling is not about places - its about the people you meet. Right, this is almost completely true. Almost without exception the last 6 months of travelling have been littered with stories of wicked people. No matter how great a place is, it only becomes cool when we meet good people. Brisbane is a typical example. Honestly, its a bit rubbish. Nothing much special about it. Until, that is, you meet Roger.



Now, before I get onto that stuff, a quick recap of the last couple of days. After rafting, Sam, Anthony and I drove back up to Port Douglas. Sam and I were so stoked (for non-australian speakers, that's 'impressed') with the snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, we decided to do it all again. So we donned some more snorkels and got wet in the sunshine all day again. A different reef this time, and loads more to explore. Pretty much the same sort of this as before, but with different sea conditions and more sunshine, we tanned like mad between swims and came home rosey cheeked and very happy (and on that note, I'm actually the brownest I think I have ever been right now. I love it)



In the evening we drove back to Cairns for a big night out, where Sam and Anthony went wild in a routy bar that played horrible party music. Sam's turned well routy these days (sorry sam - its a fact). And old anthony was dancing like a 15-year-old. But that aside, it was kinda fun. And we finished the night off in the weird, out-back-style gay bar where anthony worked his magic on the aussie boys.


[note what Sam is taking a photo of...]





Hungover like dogs, we spent the next day chilling out. I got my beard trimmed. I walked with anthony to drop the van back. we kinda did nothing all day, which makes a change from our otherwise hectic social calendar. And in the evening I went for a final pint with anthony to wish him farewell as he returned to england. gutted.

In the morning, at 5am (who's idea was it to book 6am flights, Sam?), we went to the airport and, like the international jetsetters that we are, flew the 2hr journey (30 hours overland) to Brisbane. Now, Sam used to work with a dude called Roger, who has offered for us to use his place, but I'd only met this guy in a nightclub so had no idea what he was like. Nice guy to offer his place though, so we took the bus out of town to his pad and let ourselves in. While I checked my emails, Sam ironed all his shirts to say thank you (she's a good girl), and we waited for Rog to come home.





Whch he did. And what a dude he is. Right, he's such a good lad. Properly funny. Totally a dude. I thought he was wicked. And he's invited us into his house. and is so nice about it. hospitality like this is so unique. even in the UK, people are nice and everything. but this is different. he's telling us to trash the place and its ok. a proper nice bloke.





anyway, he left us to it and we watched an episode of "tripping over" and the australian music awards (the Arias) where the veronicas and bernard fanning stole the show. Anyway, after a rough night's sleep (I never sleep well when I share a bed with sam - dunno why), sam and i hit the town. We met rog for lunch then wandered through the botanical gardens, expo site (which was cute) and managed to blag free entry into the museum because I told the woman on reception that we had no cash. sweet.





All in all, brisbane is pretty nice. Its high-rise, but it looks good. The river gives it loads of character, and they seem to be looking after it well and making it pretty where they can. I dunno - its just a city and nothing special, but maybe having free accomodation and guide round town meant I thought it was better than it really was. I dunno.



Anyway, in the evening, host-of-the-decade Roger took us out for a steak dinner at the Paddo Tavern, then we hit the sack. Tomorrow would be a massive day - we're off to Australia Zoo to meet Bindi Irwin...