Hello people of the UK!!!
It's been a while since my last update (I've been so busy), so I thought it was about time I told you all what I've been up too!!
So on Saturday, I ventured into the city centre and decided to have a cultured day, where I visited the Cairns regional art gallery, which has some intersting work, such as 'Pisatols and Pavola', where an artist had grown up in a gun cultured family, so her artwork was about mixing the harshness of guns, with the more sweet things in life. With the aim of trying to give out the the message that even with the sweet, guns are a dangerous thing, so it was putting out a positive message. I also visited an Aborginal Arts centre, where aborginals from the local area had displayed their work and it was for sale. There were awesome pieces of artwork such as handmade boomerangs, didgeridoos (hard to spell). The aborginals paint about dreamworlds (which are stories about their tribe history, how they live or animals in their area); the work was totally stunning and I could have bought alot of the paintings (But the joys of being on a backpacker budget stoped me)!
So do you guys feel like a history lesson?! I thought I would explain a little about the aborginals, and how they have had a difficult life in Australia, and what has happened to them. Basically.......
The aborginals have been living in Australia with nature in harmony, for roughly 30,000 years, long before Captian Cook found the country. Since the 'white folk' entered Australia, aborginals were persecuted, and were killed for many centries, which people got anyway with, as there was no law to protect the aborginals and it shows how the aborgianls were viewed more as cattle then people. In the ealry 1900s, they were excluded from voting, pension rights, all these basic privalges citizens should have, so they were treated as second class citizens in their own country. It wasn't until 1949 they had the right to vote; now aborgianls are treated better by the country, but are still seen as being at the bottom of society and they have had very difficult lives; and now many now have become alcholics, which I see regulary in Cairns. This is only a very basic history of the aborginals, but it is intersting (I think) to find out about the lives of the first people to inhabit Oz and how they become persecuted by the whites.
On Sunday I went to the Great Barrier Reef, starting with an early start of 5.30, oh the joys, I'm such a morning person, with my cheery persona and great bed hair; but it was totally worth it!!! I went to Port Douglas, which is North of Cairns and snorkeled at the Agincort Ribbon Reef, visiting three barrier reef sites in the area. This reef, was an outer reef, which means it's less polluted and less harmed by humans, it's more untouched, so it's a more beautiful site. The company I went with, Silver Sonic, where the only company who had exclusive rights to visit it, so there weren't too many people, which was great! At first I found snorkling quite difficult, as whenever I went underwater, I instinctively held my breath, whereas the snorkel allows you be able to breathe underwater easily, so after quite so time, (lol), I finally manged to relax and do it properly! This allowed me to stay in the water for long amounts of time and look around the reef, without having to come up for air; and the snorkel allowed me to see the reef with perfect clarity. It was just such a magical sight; there was a whole diferent world down there, which you definalty wouldn't expect from looking at the surface. I saw soo many amazing fish, of all varities, colours and sizes; unfortuanlty I didn't manage to spot any turtles, but on the last site I managed to see a reef shark!!! These fellows aren't particulary big, or too dangerous, so I manged to keep my distance and watch it as it swam around, it was just awesome. So after a full day of snorkeling/swimming, meeting some cool people, I was exhausted but so happy to have been there. It was also (I think...) the first time I've swam so far out in the ocean, and it's just amazing how powerful the current is, I would be snorkeling underwater for a while, and then when I lifted my head up, I would be somewhere, totally different, which made me aware of how powerful the tide/ocean is! Being at the Great Barrier reef was just such a different experience, as you see a whole different world, and it's great to say I've been to one of the seven natural wonders of the world one down, six more to go!!! Going snorkling really opened my eyes up to nature, and how important it is we perserve it, as well as giving me to the bug to try suba diving at some point for sure!!
On Monday I had a two day trip to Cape Tribulation/Daintree world heriatage rainforest, and this has to be my favorite place I visited yet by a long shot. First we went on a river cruise on the Daintree river and went croc spotting!!! The crocs that lived in the Daintree river were salwater crocs, we manged to see two, first was Nelson a fully grown mature male and an 18 month croc, which was rather small, especially it's body, but it had a large tail, (unfortunalty it wasn't the best time/season to see crocs, mating season is soon, so we just missed out). New born crocs have a very low survival rate, as they are very vulnerable when they are young to many birds of prey, so their first two years of growth is very tough; and the majority don't surivive. Many people think that alot of people are killed by crocs, but there is only one death a year. One funny fact is that at alot of the beaches and places near water where crocs inhabit, they have signs, written in English saying 'warning crocadiles are in this area', so bascially don't go for a swim or you may have a surprise and loose a toe or something, but it is also written in German, as 80% of croc attacks are on Germans (so either crocs have an appetite for them, or the Germans are just silly and a bit too curious!!!) After this we headed onwards to a boardwalk of the rainforest, which was just WOW, it felt so sureal to be in a rainforest, it was a very magical place, I'm telling ya! I saw a huge number of plants, and trees, which were just beautiful, and so differenrent to what we have back in the UK. Most of the trees are very talll, as they are fighting upwards to get sunlight, and then you have plants which gow all along and up the trees, and basically live off the tree, very clever things! I also saw my very first spider, a hunter spider, which was small, but had long thin (creepy) legs and packs a powerful bite! On the tour we also managed to see a dragon lizard, which was very well camflouged on the tree and so still; which allows it to avoid attacks from predators such as snakes. Our guide, Deb, also told us about green rainforest ants, which you can eat; and their bums taste of an acidic lime zingy taste, which some people tried, I was going to, but wigged out at the last second! After this, the tour group went their seperate ways depending on where we were staying for the night. I stayed at the Ferntree hostel, which was so awesome, very secluded and quiet. What made it awesome was that I only shared the dorm room with one other person; Meredith, (an amercian girl, who was studying a semester in townsville), but visiting Cape Trib as she was on holiday, she was really cool and we went for dinner together later that night at a funky restaurant and had a good cooked meal! So basically it was a luxury as a packpacker to be sharing a room with just one other person and having an en suite, happy days!! But before that, I ventured to the Myall beach, which was so beautiful, white soft sand, a blue sea, which was around 26 degrees. But I didnt go in for a swim, as there are jelllyfish in the sea at the moment, and the box jellyfish season is approaching, these jellyfish have very poisonous tenclaes, and they can cause excruciating pain, one of the worst pains imaginable I have been told, so I deffo wasn't rsiking that! I then went to a more secluded beach, were there were very few people, it was so peaceful, and I was just in Heaven!! I also went to the look out point, where you could see the whole beach and the surrounding rainforest, I could have stayed there forever, ha!
The next day I decided to really push myself into uncertainty, as I decided to go horse riding for the first time, crazy I KNOW!!! Our tour guide, told me about it and really recommened it, and I thought you only live once, and just had to have a go! I was slightly nervous and apprehensive, being a total novice, but the guys paired me up with Billy, an old timer, who was an easy ride for a beginner! So on the ride, we went through parts of the rainforest which were privatly owned, so I wouldn't have been able to see them otherwise and, seriously words cannot describe how amazing it was!!! Later on we headed onto the beach and I cantered for the first time along the beach and then again in the rainforest! It was such an amazing feeling, riding a horse fast along the beach, it was such a rush! So I was so glad that I pushed myself to do something, very out of my comfort zone and, it was probably my favorite experience so far!
The next day we left Cape tribulation (to my sadness, it was such a beautiful, secluded place in the world, were I could happily live forever), and headed onto Mossman Gorge. This is a part of the rainforest and is protected, and looked after by a local aborginal tribe and has many laws protecting this special area. The Mossman river flows through here and there are huge boulders in the river, it's a perfect place to swim and cool down (which I did, the water was a bit chilly at first!!). In the summer when it gets very hot, many aussie's come to places like these (waterholes) which are safer as the sea becomes full of dangerous stingers (jellyfish).
We then headed to Port Douglas, which is a beautiful port town, north of Cairns and has a 4 mile beach, happy days!!! Unfortunalty I only had half an hour to explore it, but it had a great vibe to it, and I will definalty try and go back some time for longer. After that we headed home, back to my hostel, which I really love, the staff are awesome, and really friendly, there's a pool, and hammocks to chill under, it's going to be difficult to leave as I've really settled in, but I feel I've done everything I want to, so it's time to move on. Tonight is pizza and beer night at the hostel, woo, so it should be a fun last evening at Tropic Days with everyone!
So that sums up what I've been doing for the past few days! Yesterday and today, I'm just having lazy days, reading in the hammock (The Girl with the Drago Tattoo), which I'm enjoying much more than I expected, and going into town, which I have now become much more familar with and don't get lost as most, I really have no sense of direction (but it's getting better.....) I've also resisted the urge to go to the casino and gamble!!! I've basically been waiting till Friday morning, where I'm getting on the Oz Experience Bus. For those of you who don't what it is, bascially it's a bus catered for backpackers with a tour guide, which takes you to different places all over Aus, and they help you to arrange things to do on your trip; the great thing about the bus pass is, that it allows you to jump on and off at different stops, for however long you want! I've got the Cobbler pass which takes me all along the east coast, from Cairns all the way down to Adelaide. So tomorrow morning, I'm getting up at dawn (half five, YUK), catching the bus, and heading to my first stop Mission Beach. Misson Beach is a few hours drive south of Cairns, and I'm staying there for just one night, as it's quite a small place, so there isn't a huge amount to do. Then the next day I jump back on the bus and onwards to Townsville and Magnectic Island, where I planning to stay a wee while, and who knows maybe stay longer if I like the place, and possibly get a job?! Just going with the flow, is one of the many joys of being a backpacker! So I'm really looking forward to the next stage of my adventure and seeing yet more sights!
Until next time, Angus x
PS, sorry I haven't put up any more photos, many places don't allow it, like the hostel (because of virus etc), so it's very difficult to upload them, which is so frustrating as I've nearly maxed out my space (300/400 pics) and I really want to show you guys all the amazing sights I have seen, as it's so difficult to put them into words! So please bear with me!
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Friday 24 September 2010
Hello Cairns and HELLO 30 degrees!
Good morning everyone (well it is here!)
So I arrived in Cairns on Thrusday night after a delayed flight, and was straight away, hit by thewarm weather, its just under 30 degrees! Although today it's very humid, so it feels even hotter!! I have now been staying at my first hostel for the past two nights! It's called Tropic Days and is actually really great, I'm sharing a room with 2 others, but the people who stay each night changes frequently, I've got a good comfortable bed and a toilet and shower near me, lol! The hostel has a swimming pool and hammocks, so it's all very relaxing and chilled. My hostel is a bit further out then most from the CBD, but it's worth it as the place is great and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I have to say it has been a weird leaving Mary and being on my own in a city where I know no-one, so I've had alot of mixed emotions from excitement and seeing new places to argh, I can't believe I'm here all by myself, lol! But I've meet some cool people, I've met quite a few Irish people, who are all really nice and friendly! There is such a diverse group of people from Germans (they seem to be alot), French, Russia, the list goes on, so it's great to interact with so many different people!
I'm really starting to embrace the backpacker lifestyle, it's just awesome, as you have so much freedom to do whatever you want, whenever and there are so many sights to see, I'm very spoilt for choice! Since arriving in Cairns I've explored the CBD, been to the lagoon, which was soo very beautiful and tranquil, and I have been to Rusty's Fruit market, which had the most delicious fruits such as mangoes (my favorite fruit) papayas, pineapples, you name it they had it, all freshly grown produce! I bought some apples and they were so tasty and fresh, very refreshing in the heat! Cairns is very much a backpacker city, there are hostels and backpackers everywhere, so it has a very party feel to the city, especially at night, which is great fun! Although saying that, I'm not sure Cairns is my kind of place, I think you can usually feel a place and whether it's suits you or not, and I'm not grasped by Cairns, I think Sydney and Melbourne will be more for me! I was planning to try and find some work in Cairns, and I think I will still browse about for work, but I not sure I want to stay here to long term; one of the joys of a backpacker is you can get up and go at any time!
Today I'm off to explore the Cairns Museum and Cairns Regional gallery, so something a bit cultured! But tomorrow, is what I'm looking forward to, as I'm going snorkling at the Great Barrier reef, cannot wait!!! I'm heading to the Port Douglas area, and visiting the outer reef areas, which are meant to be more beautiful, as they have been less touched and polluted than the ones nearer to the shore! I'm also thinking of booking a tour to head into the Dantee rainforest and spend a night there, so we will see!
Until next time, Angus x
So I arrived in Cairns on Thrusday night after a delayed flight, and was straight away, hit by thewarm weather, its just under 30 degrees! Although today it's very humid, so it feels even hotter!! I have now been staying at my first hostel for the past two nights! It's called Tropic Days and is actually really great, I'm sharing a room with 2 others, but the people who stay each night changes frequently, I've got a good comfortable bed and a toilet and shower near me, lol! The hostel has a swimming pool and hammocks, so it's all very relaxing and chilled. My hostel is a bit further out then most from the CBD, but it's worth it as the place is great and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I have to say it has been a weird leaving Mary and being on my own in a city where I know no-one, so I've had alot of mixed emotions from excitement and seeing new places to argh, I can't believe I'm here all by myself, lol! But I've meet some cool people, I've met quite a few Irish people, who are all really nice and friendly! There is such a diverse group of people from Germans (they seem to be alot), French, Russia, the list goes on, so it's great to interact with so many different people!
I'm really starting to embrace the backpacker lifestyle, it's just awesome, as you have so much freedom to do whatever you want, whenever and there are so many sights to see, I'm very spoilt for choice! Since arriving in Cairns I've explored the CBD, been to the lagoon, which was soo very beautiful and tranquil, and I have been to Rusty's Fruit market, which had the most delicious fruits such as mangoes (my favorite fruit) papayas, pineapples, you name it they had it, all freshly grown produce! I bought some apples and they were so tasty and fresh, very refreshing in the heat! Cairns is very much a backpacker city, there are hostels and backpackers everywhere, so it has a very party feel to the city, especially at night, which is great fun! Although saying that, I'm not sure Cairns is my kind of place, I think you can usually feel a place and whether it's suits you or not, and I'm not grasped by Cairns, I think Sydney and Melbourne will be more for me! I was planning to try and find some work in Cairns, and I think I will still browse about for work, but I not sure I want to stay here to long term; one of the joys of a backpacker is you can get up and go at any time!
Today I'm off to explore the Cairns Museum and Cairns Regional gallery, so something a bit cultured! But tomorrow, is what I'm looking forward to, as I'm going snorkling at the Great Barrier reef, cannot wait!!! I'm heading to the Port Douglas area, and visiting the outer reef areas, which are meant to be more beautiful, as they have been less touched and polluted than the ones nearer to the shore! I'm also thinking of booking a tour to head into the Dantee rainforest and spend a night there, so we will see!
Until next time, Angus x
Thursday 23 September 2010
The Outdoor Life
Hey all!
So since my last post I have been enjoying the weather even more and making the most of it, by spending my time in the great outdoors!
As my profile picture shows, I've been kayaking, along the Brisbane river! Which was so awesome, it was my first experience kayaking, so it took me a little bit to get used to, and to handling the paddle! It was hard work on the arms, and I'm a bit weedy, so it took a while! But I really enjoyed it, and will deffo be going again; it was so great to be on the water and admire the view as I paddled!
So yesturday I went to the Australian Zoo, which was founded by Steve Irwin, the Crocadile Hunter!!!! This was such a great experience as I got to encounter Australian wildlife hands on! I held a koola, so cool, I was warned they are quite smelly, but the chap I got didn't, which was good and he was a very docile, chilled out dude (so cute); although they had sharp claws, ha! I also saw my first kangeroo, or kangers, and I got to feed them, which was so wicked, they held my arms, as it ate from my hands. These kangers were very used to being around humans, so they were very releaxed around people and they were quite happy if you petted them, which I did! Roo's are definalty my favorite animal I have encountered so far! I have some good pics with both these animals which I will upload soon! I also saw some elephants, and got to feed them too, these guys were pretty old and so big, they seemed like ancient animals, (lol) and there trunks were awesome, as it used this to eat the food you gave it, although when they got lettuce and celery, they didn't eat it! I then saw some tigers, which were just beaut, they gave off vibes of power and were very sure of themseleves! After this I saw a croc show, which was super awesome, it was great to see one go for food, they are very quick when they jump towards their prey, blink and you miss! It really educated me on how powerful these creatures are, lets hope I don't see any :O They are supposedly quite fast as well, so I would have no chance, ha! There has been much history written about people who have been killed/eaten by crocs, as they hide by banks and jump out at the oblivious prey! So they are very dangerous, but are mostly in northen Oz, I'm not really travelling in this area, thank god! I'm also saw a bird show and finally got to see the Aussie bird, cookerburra, which was very quite and nosiy! I also saw parrots, soo cool, they even flew over my head!
So my adventures are now coming to a close in Brisbane, with Mary, its been great!!! Thanks Mary, you rule! I've really aclimatised to Aussie land, and I'm ready to head out by myself (I hope), so now the adventure really begins and I think the next week is going to be a big learning curve! I'm heading to Cairns tonight, which is at the top of the coast and is currently around 30 degress, yes mon!!! I'm hoping to sky dive (don't freak out Mum!!!), maybe learn to scuba dive and visit the Great Barrier reef! So tonight I will be staying at my first hostel, it's meant to be a good one, as it was recommended in the Lonely Planets, so we will see!!
Until next time, Angus x
So since my last post I have been enjoying the weather even more and making the most of it, by spending my time in the great outdoors!
As my profile picture shows, I've been kayaking, along the Brisbane river! Which was so awesome, it was my first experience kayaking, so it took me a little bit to get used to, and to handling the paddle! It was hard work on the arms, and I'm a bit weedy, so it took a while! But I really enjoyed it, and will deffo be going again; it was so great to be on the water and admire the view as I paddled!
So yesturday I went to the Australian Zoo, which was founded by Steve Irwin, the Crocadile Hunter!!!! This was such a great experience as I got to encounter Australian wildlife hands on! I held a koola, so cool, I was warned they are quite smelly, but the chap I got didn't, which was good and he was a very docile, chilled out dude (so cute); although they had sharp claws, ha! I also saw my first kangeroo, or kangers, and I got to feed them, which was so wicked, they held my arms, as it ate from my hands. These kangers were very used to being around humans, so they were very releaxed around people and they were quite happy if you petted them, which I did! Roo's are definalty my favorite animal I have encountered so far! I have some good pics with both these animals which I will upload soon! I also saw some elephants, and got to feed them too, these guys were pretty old and so big, they seemed like ancient animals, (lol) and there trunks were awesome, as it used this to eat the food you gave it, although when they got lettuce and celery, they didn't eat it! I then saw some tigers, which were just beaut, they gave off vibes of power and were very sure of themseleves! After this I saw a croc show, which was super awesome, it was great to see one go for food, they are very quick when they jump towards their prey, blink and you miss! It really educated me on how powerful these creatures are, lets hope I don't see any :O They are supposedly quite fast as well, so I would have no chance, ha! There has been much history written about people who have been killed/eaten by crocs, as they hide by banks and jump out at the oblivious prey! So they are very dangerous, but are mostly in northen Oz, I'm not really travelling in this area, thank god! I'm also saw a bird show and finally got to see the Aussie bird, cookerburra, which was very quite and nosiy! I also saw parrots, soo cool, they even flew over my head!
So my adventures are now coming to a close in Brisbane, with Mary, its been great!!! Thanks Mary, you rule! I've really aclimatised to Aussie land, and I'm ready to head out by myself (I hope), so now the adventure really begins and I think the next week is going to be a big learning curve! I'm heading to Cairns tonight, which is at the top of the coast and is currently around 30 degress, yes mon!!! I'm hoping to sky dive (don't freak out Mum!!!), maybe learn to scuba dive and visit the Great Barrier reef! So tonight I will be staying at my first hostel, it's meant to be a good one, as it was recommended in the Lonely Planets, so we will see!!
Until next time, Angus x
Friday 17 September 2010
Life in Brisvegas
Yo yo mofo's!!! How are you all?!
So I've been living in Brissie for a while longer with my crazy aunt, Mary, and its been a fun packed few days in the sunshine state of Queensland!
On Wednesday, I headed into Brisbane, into the South Bank area, which is the cities culutral backbone of the city; full of art galleries and performance arts, museums and the state library. South Bank is also a big recreational area, where lots of individual sporting activities take place eg running (there are so many runner's, as the climate makes it great), kayaking (which I hope to do soon), rock climbing and alot of personal training sessions occur, we saw one, and it looked pretty hardcore :O and a manmade beach, awesome!
To get to South Bank we caught a City Cat, which is a ferry that goes all along the Brisbane river, and is just such a beautiful journey, where you are travelling along the river combining nature, man and technology with high office skyblocks, companies situated along the river and very wealthy people who can afford property right by the river, amazing homes (lucky bastar....., lol). Many people use the City Cats to travel to work, so its kind of like the tube system in London, but instead of the underground, it's on the river (which is so mucher better and so serene, as well as less croweded and sweaty) I couldn't think of a better way to start the day, the water makes me feel very at peace!
After the very enjoyble journy, we arrived at South Bank, where we went on the Wheel of Brisbane, which is like a mini London eye; allowing us to see all the sights of the city such as the Gabba (cool name, huh?!), which is a big sports stadium where cricket and aussie football rules are played! Mary and I then did a very long walk, around 6km, along the Brisbane river, which was, oh, so beautiful with the sun shining and the calming presene of the river with various plants and fauna along the way, such as weird birds with hook like beaks, called Australian white Ibis' and some form of creepy lizards, ha! We continued up some smallish cliffs, to the top of Kangeroo Point (no kangers are around the area, so it a kinda random name for it, lol), where there is a spectular view of the city, overlooking the Brisbane River, towards the CBD, looking at skyscrapers, and the many bridges which connect the city around the river. South Bank also has the Griffins University, which is such an amazing location to go to uni, so there were lots of students about, why couldn't Oxford Brookes have been there, lol!!! Mary and I then continued on and walked over the Storey bridge, which was breath taking, although cars go over it too, which causes the bridge to viberate alot, which makes the bridge feel like its moving/!
One part of Aussie life I'm still adjusting to, is how dark it gets, so quickly, by 6pm, its pitch black, this is because Queensland don't do daylight saving, like the UK, which I really appreciate alot more now! This also makes Oz people to enjoy the sun more, so alot of people are active early in the morning eg running/doing sports before work or after, before it gets dark early, and making the most of the weather. Not having daylight saving does have its advantages though, as when it gets really hot in the summer above 30 degrees, by 6pm, when it gets dark, it get much cooler! So the Aussie's are a bit smart that way!
So on Thruday Mary and I went to the local RSPCA, as Mary wanted to get a dog! And wow, I have a never seem so many goregous dogs (apart from Lottie, nothing can beat her)! They all seemed so lonely and desperate for human companionship! There were so many we could have taken home! Unfortunalty we left empty handed, as alot of Australian dogs, epecially, the kelpie bread and cattle dogs, have very strong legs; and are likey to jump over high fences easily; and to be never been seen again by there owners. Hence why there are lots of dogs at the RSPCA, so its required to have fences of around 6 foot which we didn't have :( So unfortunalty we couldn't take home Odie (we soo wanted him) or Maggie, Jack or Gizmo, sad sad times! But Mary is now on the hunt for puppies instead (as you can train them not to jump over fences), fingers crossed we find some very cute ones-and soon!
Thrusday afternoon we headed into Brisbane CBD, and explored the city, which is a very busy, lively place, full of cafe's, coffe shops, restuarants and lots of shops! Sadly I didn't spend anything :( We then explored the Botanic gardens, which were so peaceful and elegant, which such different plants and trees than the UK, obviouly because of the climate (pics to follow)
In the evening we headed to Fortitude Valley, known as the valley, which is the place to party (we didn't do that though.....) and instead ventured to China Town for dinner. Thrusday night we stayed at the Treasury hotel in the centre of Brisbane, a five star hotel baby, living in luxury!!! A huge hotel, lots of space, beautiful furnishings, top service and top notch food! If only I could live there, keep dreaming eh?! Ooo, not to mention the grandest and most comfortable beds ever, was sooo hard to get up this morning!
Next door to the Tresury Hotel is the Old Tresury building, which was the former treasury building (hence the name, clever, huh) for the government, and is a very old builing in Australian terms, a very grand and impressive historical architeture of the city! But the most exciting part of the building is that it is now a casino, open 24 hours a day, woohoo! So I had my first experience at gambling. I played on the slot machines first, called pokies over here, and won a bob or two, whlist drinking a vodka and coke, oh what a life! It all seemed rather alien at first, but as I got used to it and won some money, I got more into it, maybe a bit too much.... No wonder why so many people are addicts, ha! I then went into the main room and played roulette, where I bet 2.50 bucks on my lucky number 2, and won 100 bucks, so now 2 is even more my lucky number! So I had a rather awesome first gambling experience and went home around 150 bucks richer (Mary won 3 three time more than me), drinks on me, or should I say on Mary, ha! But remember guys, gambling is addicitive, and you don't always win, so be careful...... HA!
I've been trying to put pics up here, but have been struggling to at the moment, and Mary's laptop isn't helping, as it's a bit crappy :O Shhh, don't tell her I said that..... So hopefully you will see some up soon!
Until next time, Angus x
So I've been living in Brissie for a while longer with my crazy aunt, Mary, and its been a fun packed few days in the sunshine state of Queensland!
On Wednesday, I headed into Brisbane, into the South Bank area, which is the cities culutral backbone of the city; full of art galleries and performance arts, museums and the state library. South Bank is also a big recreational area, where lots of individual sporting activities take place eg running (there are so many runner's, as the climate makes it great), kayaking (which I hope to do soon), rock climbing and alot of personal training sessions occur, we saw one, and it looked pretty hardcore :O and a manmade beach, awesome!
To get to South Bank we caught a City Cat, which is a ferry that goes all along the Brisbane river, and is just such a beautiful journey, where you are travelling along the river combining nature, man and technology with high office skyblocks, companies situated along the river and very wealthy people who can afford property right by the river, amazing homes (lucky bastar....., lol). Many people use the City Cats to travel to work, so its kind of like the tube system in London, but instead of the underground, it's on the river (which is so mucher better and so serene, as well as less croweded and sweaty) I couldn't think of a better way to start the day, the water makes me feel very at peace!
After the very enjoyble journy, we arrived at South Bank, where we went on the Wheel of Brisbane, which is like a mini London eye; allowing us to see all the sights of the city such as the Gabba (cool name, huh?!), which is a big sports stadium where cricket and aussie football rules are played! Mary and I then did a very long walk, around 6km, along the Brisbane river, which was, oh, so beautiful with the sun shining and the calming presene of the river with various plants and fauna along the way, such as weird birds with hook like beaks, called Australian white Ibis' and some form of creepy lizards, ha! We continued up some smallish cliffs, to the top of Kangeroo Point (no kangers are around the area, so it a kinda random name for it, lol), where there is a spectular view of the city, overlooking the Brisbane River, towards the CBD, looking at skyscrapers, and the many bridges which connect the city around the river. South Bank also has the Griffins University, which is such an amazing location to go to uni, so there were lots of students about, why couldn't Oxford Brookes have been there, lol!!! Mary and I then continued on and walked over the Storey bridge, which was breath taking, although cars go over it too, which causes the bridge to viberate alot, which makes the bridge feel like its moving/!
One part of Aussie life I'm still adjusting to, is how dark it gets, so quickly, by 6pm, its pitch black, this is because Queensland don't do daylight saving, like the UK, which I really appreciate alot more now! This also makes Oz people to enjoy the sun more, so alot of people are active early in the morning eg running/doing sports before work or after, before it gets dark early, and making the most of the weather. Not having daylight saving does have its advantages though, as when it gets really hot in the summer above 30 degrees, by 6pm, when it gets dark, it get much cooler! So the Aussie's are a bit smart that way!
So on Thruday Mary and I went to the local RSPCA, as Mary wanted to get a dog! And wow, I have a never seem so many goregous dogs (apart from Lottie, nothing can beat her)! They all seemed so lonely and desperate for human companionship! There were so many we could have taken home! Unfortunalty we left empty handed, as alot of Australian dogs, epecially, the kelpie bread and cattle dogs, have very strong legs; and are likey to jump over high fences easily; and to be never been seen again by there owners. Hence why there are lots of dogs at the RSPCA, so its required to have fences of around 6 foot which we didn't have :( So unfortunalty we couldn't take home Odie (we soo wanted him) or Maggie, Jack or Gizmo, sad sad times! But Mary is now on the hunt for puppies instead (as you can train them not to jump over fences), fingers crossed we find some very cute ones-and soon!
Thrusday afternoon we headed into Brisbane CBD, and explored the city, which is a very busy, lively place, full of cafe's, coffe shops, restuarants and lots of shops! Sadly I didn't spend anything :( We then explored the Botanic gardens, which were so peaceful and elegant, which such different plants and trees than the UK, obviouly because of the climate (pics to follow)
In the evening we headed to Fortitude Valley, known as the valley, which is the place to party (we didn't do that though.....) and instead ventured to China Town for dinner. Thrusday night we stayed at the Treasury hotel in the centre of Brisbane, a five star hotel baby, living in luxury!!! A huge hotel, lots of space, beautiful furnishings, top service and top notch food! If only I could live there, keep dreaming eh?! Ooo, not to mention the grandest and most comfortable beds ever, was sooo hard to get up this morning!
Next door to the Tresury Hotel is the Old Tresury building, which was the former treasury building (hence the name, clever, huh) for the government, and is a very old builing in Australian terms, a very grand and impressive historical architeture of the city! But the most exciting part of the building is that it is now a casino, open 24 hours a day, woohoo! So I had my first experience at gambling. I played on the slot machines first, called pokies over here, and won a bob or two, whlist drinking a vodka and coke, oh what a life! It all seemed rather alien at first, but as I got used to it and won some money, I got more into it, maybe a bit too much.... No wonder why so many people are addicts, ha! I then went into the main room and played roulette, where I bet 2.50 bucks on my lucky number 2, and won 100 bucks, so now 2 is even more my lucky number! So I had a rather awesome first gambling experience and went home around 150 bucks richer (Mary won 3 three time more than me), drinks on me, or should I say on Mary, ha! But remember guys, gambling is addicitive, and you don't always win, so be careful...... HA!
I've been trying to put pics up here, but have been struggling to at the moment, and Mary's laptop isn't helping, as it's a bit crappy :O Shhh, don't tell her I said that..... So hopefully you will see some up soon!
Until next time, Angus x
Tuesday 14 September 2010
G'day from down under!!!
G'day from down under guys!
So, after 25 hours of travel, 3 or 4 movies later, enduring some screaming children on the first leg (fun... I love kids so much....) and and a few vodka and cokes on the flight, and I've arrived safety in Brisbane and I'm in Aussie land, hurray! The weather here is amazing, stepped off the plane into 25 degrees baby!
I'm staying in Brisbane at the mo with my aunt, in the Manly area, which is an awesome water bay village!
Its been my first full day in Brissie/Brisvegas (as the aussie's call it); and I went into town and walked along Morton Bay, which is soo beatuful and has a wicked cool harbour. I had lunch at a fish restaurant, I ate Mahi-mahi, a popular Australian fish, delicious, overlooking the habour! I've been soaking up the atmosphere of Australia, which is very different to the UK: the building are very different, eg some homes are made from timber with tile/tin roofs, this is as it keeps the homes much cooler, everything is priced in Aussie dollars, so I'm getting used to a new currency and the people are very chilled out, the roads are very americianised, which is slighlty strange, and the widlife is very different eg mangrove tress, which grow in the sea, and parrots and kookaburra's (anyone heard the kookaburaa song? I'm sure I was taught it at lower school, ha)!
I have done some boring adult stuff today (unfortunalty) such as setting up an Oz bank account, getting a medicare card (in case I'm ill, fingers crossed I'm not) and a phone, so I can contact you guys! Its been strange without having one for a few days, I felt less connected, lol!
My body clock is still adjusting to the new time zone and getting over jet lag, urgh, and I'm already getting used to the weather, its going to be 25 degrees tomorrow and its only spring, bring on summer, ha!
Tomorrow, the plan is to head into the CBD (central business district) of Brisbane and travelling to South Bank, and catching the city cat, which is a ferry up Brisbane river and then maybe on to the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary or maybe going on a Ballon ride or a theme park, so much to see and explore! So we will see what we are feeling tomorrow!
Until next time,
Angus x
So, after 25 hours of travel, 3 or 4 movies later, enduring some screaming children on the first leg (fun... I love kids so much....) and and a few vodka and cokes on the flight, and I've arrived safety in Brisbane and I'm in Aussie land, hurray! The weather here is amazing, stepped off the plane into 25 degrees baby!
I'm staying in Brisbane at the mo with my aunt, in the Manly area, which is an awesome water bay village!
Its been my first full day in Brissie/Brisvegas (as the aussie's call it); and I went into town and walked along Morton Bay, which is soo beatuful and has a wicked cool harbour. I had lunch at a fish restaurant, I ate Mahi-mahi, a popular Australian fish, delicious, overlooking the habour! I've been soaking up the atmosphere of Australia, which is very different to the UK: the building are very different, eg some homes are made from timber with tile/tin roofs, this is as it keeps the homes much cooler, everything is priced in Aussie dollars, so I'm getting used to a new currency and the people are very chilled out, the roads are very americianised, which is slighlty strange, and the widlife is very different eg mangrove tress, which grow in the sea, and parrots and kookaburra's (anyone heard the kookaburaa song? I'm sure I was taught it at lower school, ha)!
I have done some boring adult stuff today (unfortunalty) such as setting up an Oz bank account, getting a medicare card (in case I'm ill, fingers crossed I'm not) and a phone, so I can contact you guys! Its been strange without having one for a few days, I felt less connected, lol!
My body clock is still adjusting to the new time zone and getting over jet lag, urgh, and I'm already getting used to the weather, its going to be 25 degrees tomorrow and its only spring, bring on summer, ha!
Tomorrow, the plan is to head into the CBD (central business district) of Brisbane and travelling to South Bank, and catching the city cat, which is a ferry up Brisbane river and then maybe on to the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary or maybe going on a Ballon ride or a theme park, so much to see and explore! So we will see what we are feeling tomorrow!
Until next time,
Angus x
Saturday 11 September 2010
Lift off approaches!!!
Hello people!!!
So it's twelve hours until I arrive at Heathrow to check in with Mary (for those of you who don't know, I'm travelling over with my aunt who lives in Brisbane and staying there for the first part of my travels, Mary has been in the UK for a few weeks, so it will be great to travel with her and have some crazy aunt company), and lift off is at 11.55! I'm flying with Singapore Airlines, which I have been told are a great airline to travel with, providing lots of films and entertainment systems, which is right up my street! I'm sure the first leg of the journey, 13 hours, will fly by...... (Pun intended, ha!) which will arrive in Singapore for refueling for a couple of hours, then continuing on to Brisbane! I'm travelling for around a total of 25 hours (oh dear), and arriving around 7.30pm Oz time; so its gonna be a longgg flight; and I'm sure I will arrive in Brisbane looking great, ready to take on the world........
I've said most of my farewells to family and friends already, and its been emotional! Thanks for all the great send off's people, you are all awesome and I'm going miss every one of you, :( ,sad face ! It's feels strange that instead of packing for uni, that I've been packing (much lighter, may I add) to go to Australia!!! Weird!!!
Everything feels rather surreal at the moment, after all the planning and dreaming of going, I can't quite believe its actually happening; and I'm off to the other side of the world, crazy times!!! I'm full of excitement, and becoming more hyper each moment, as I write this, so I don't think I'm going to get much sleep! I've recorded X Factor, so I'm going to get my last fix off it, before I head off, bring on the auditions and crazy people!!
Until next time,
Angus!
So it's twelve hours until I arrive at Heathrow to check in with Mary (for those of you who don't know, I'm travelling over with my aunt who lives in Brisbane and staying there for the first part of my travels, Mary has been in the UK for a few weeks, so it will be great to travel with her and have some crazy aunt company), and lift off is at 11.55! I'm flying with Singapore Airlines, which I have been told are a great airline to travel with, providing lots of films and entertainment systems, which is right up my street! I'm sure the first leg of the journey, 13 hours, will fly by...... (Pun intended, ha!) which will arrive in Singapore for refueling for a couple of hours, then continuing on to Brisbane! I'm travelling for around a total of 25 hours (oh dear), and arriving around 7.30pm Oz time; so its gonna be a longgg flight; and I'm sure I will arrive in Brisbane looking great, ready to take on the world........
I've said most of my farewells to family and friends already, and its been emotional! Thanks for all the great send off's people, you are all awesome and I'm going miss every one of you, :( ,sad face ! It's feels strange that instead of packing for uni, that I've been packing (much lighter, may I add) to go to Australia!!! Weird!!!
Everything feels rather surreal at the moment, after all the planning and dreaming of going, I can't quite believe its actually happening; and I'm off to the other side of the world, crazy times!!! I'm full of excitement, and becoming more hyper each moment, as I write this, so I don't think I'm going to get much sleep! I've recorded X Factor, so I'm going to get my last fix off it, before I head off, bring on the auditions and crazy people!!
Until next time,
Angus!
Thursday 9 September 2010
Welcome!
Hey guys :) and welcome to my blog!
Here to keep all you lovely people update with all my crazy antics down under and to keep in contact with you!
My blog is pretty basic at the moment, but I will start to, and continue to update it along my travels in many internet cafes, I'm sure!
Enjoy (hopefully........)
Here to keep all you lovely people update with all my crazy antics down under and to keep in contact with you!
My blog is pretty basic at the moment, but I will start to, and continue to update it along my travels in many internet cafes, I'm sure!
Enjoy (hopefully........)
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