The airport in Brisbane is quite large, not as big as Sydney but still quite complex and it was just as hot there as it was in Sydney. Cameron's friend drove from the Gold Coast to come pick us up, which I didn't realize was actually around an hour drive just to get to the airport. He originally was waiting at the international terminal, whereas we were at the domestic, so as we waited outside for him to arrive I got the opportunity to just experience the environment and look around. There were palm trees scattered along the lawn, interesting little birds, and one thing that I thought was really interesting was the license plates on all the cars. Everyone around me had an Australian accent, and it was quite different to feel like I was the odd one out and maybe to everyone else I was the person who had an accent.
Cameron's friend Brad eventually arrived with his girlfriend, packed our stuff into his car, and we began the drive home. Brisbane is gigantic! I noticed when we flew over it that it seemed huge, but it took what felt like half an hour just to leave the city and it's different suburbs. There are so many different businesses and companies and food places I've never seen before in my life. Red Rooster is apparently a popular fast food chain and they could be seen in more than one place, but there was also familiar places like McDonalds and KFC as well. One EXTREMELY odd thing was the fact we were driving on the left side of the road. When cars passed by us on the right hand side I was very nervous at first, it kept feeling like they were close to hitting us and we were driving into oncoming traffic. It took a few minutes to get used to the weird traffic flow, and although buses still freak me out when they're facing me, I feel a lot less anxious now. Another really strange thing I saw along the way to where I was staying was a large bridge that went over some river or chanel and it was basically in the shape of an upside down V. Basically, you go up it on one side and down it on the other, and in the middle there's a peak. It's hard to describe, but basically it's not a flat bridge like we have. It has to be curved like that so that boats are able to pass under it. It was the strangest thing to drive over though, I've never gone up and down a bridge before.
The scenery on the ride home was quite pretty. Cameron said, "This part of the ride home is pretty boring there's nothing to see" and I said, "What are you talking about? All there is is things to see!" We passed by 2 of the amusement parks I want to visit as well. The trees were beautiful and so unique, very thin trunks and thick dark green leaves. Lots of little sections of trees, like a mini forest, that they call 'bush' lined the road we were taking. Cameron said it could be filled with animals or snakes, and that it wasn't common or a great idea to walk through them. That's definitely something I'll remember! Another part of their scenery are these small hills in the distance. They aren't anywhere near as big as mountains, they're just covered in trees and reminded me of the hills you can find on the trip from Alberta to BC. They also have cliffs, which are just rocks that jut out then end abruptly. The city itself isn't very close to these, however, they can just be seen in the horizon.
When we did finally get into Cameron's suburb, I noticed there are quite a few traffic circles. Almost every block or two there's another one you have to use to get where you need to go. I definitely thought about my mom and how much fun she would have just trying to go grocery shopping and having to go through 4 or 5 traffic circles to get there. They call these 'roundabouts' and Cameron doesn't seem to have a problem with them, considering how fast he went through them. Then again, Cameron loves to drive fast through everywhere so that's no surprise.
When we finally arrived at the area he lived in, I was completely amazed at how beautiful it was. The complex is just the most amazing thing I've ever seen. The landscape and architecture of the houses is something I have never seen in Edmonton, and it definitely made me feel like I was some rich celebrity driving up to the house I'd be staying at. I didn't take any pictures, but that's because it turned into quite a rainy day and I will get some later when it's a lot nicer outside. I'll just say there were trimmed and shaped shrubs, trees, flowers, and plants all along the paved road up to his house, which could be found at the very top of a hill. You even had to have a key to get past the gates protecting the homes.
When I arrived I met Cameron's Mom, Dad, and Nan. They were very nice and made me feel welcome in their home immediately. Once I saw my room I pretty much realized that I was no longer at home and I wouldn't be for quite a while. It made me a little bit upset to think of being so far away from my mom and dad, but after I talked to my parents on skype and finished unpacking my stuff and making myself at home I felt a lot better about it knowing that I was at least staying somewhere with a family and not in some hotel or hostel. Afterwards I had a shower and sat down for dinner with Cameron's family, which was nice. His mom made lasagna and salad, a rival to what Mom made the first night, and it was neat to see how they compare. Both were delicious.
After dinner Cameron and I weren't totally tired yet and we had a few hours to spare before bed, so we decided to go out for a drive in his car and he was to show me around the Gold Coast. It was about 6pm by then, and already COMPLETELY dark out! There sun actually goes down around 5:30-6:00pm in Australia, and where Cameron lives they don't have daylight savings time at all. We ventured out into the night with Cameron in the driver's seat and me sitting on the left hand side of the car. That in itself was completely bizarre. I was sitting where normally the driver would sit, and occasionally I felt like I was meant to be driving.
The area he lives in is lovely at night, we drove from Robina to Broadbeach to Surfer's Paradise and finished at the Spit. Robina is just outside of his suburb, and has a large mall called the Robina Town Center which we visited briefly so I could find a pair of sandals to wear around the city. The people dress SO different here, extremely beachy. Girls were walking around in belly-baring tops, and there wasn't a single person wearing pants or jeans. I also noticed that almost everyone shopping could pass for a model, everyone was extremely attractive and I can understand why some people consider the Gold Coast to be the 'California of Australia'. The mall itself was 3 levels, with so many stores I can't wait to explore and shop in. Everything is a few dollars more here than it would be in Canada, but I assume with the exchange rate it would be quite similiar in the end. There was barely ANYTHING in the clothing stores that was black, it was almost all completely pastel colors for girls, bright and light hues, tank tops and shorts... I don't even know where you'd find a hoodie, and there's absolutely no spot to get yourself a jacket! Outside the mall they had a fountain that shot up jets of purple water and it looked amazing in the evening. Also, the mall parking lot had these neat lights handing above every single parking spot that lit up green if it was available or red if it was taken. It would make it so much easier to find a parking spot, I don't know why every mall doesn't have that!
After we finished visiting Robina, we drove to Broadbeach, which is similar to a downtown area. It has lots of large buildings to pass by, all with quite interesting architecture. It is where their huge casino is located, there are some resorts, and Dracula's Theatre, which is a dinner-theatre spot I hope to go to. None of the buildings were just straight, plain, square buildings with windows so they were all fun to see. Surfer's Paradise was definitely one of the highlights of the drive. It was crowded and Cameron has said it's the most popular spot on the Gold Coast, especially for tourists. I could completely see why. There were so many shops lining the street, none of them had doors leading to the street they were just open so you could walk in and out easily. The area itself is RIGHT beside the ocean, it would take less than 5 minutes to walk from a shop to the water itself. There was a variety of hotels, and it's where many of the spots I want to visit are located. The actual road from Broadbeach to Surfer's Paradise is currently being converted to a racetrack for the Armorall 600, which is a car race of Holden (Australia brand car) versus Ford for the V8 Supercars. Basically, Surfer's Paradise gets turned into Hollywood for the time period it's on. It takes place in a couple of weeks and they are setting up now, and it's pretty neat because when you drive down the street between the barriers, fences and stands you almost feel like you're part of the race. If we can, we are going to get tickets as it's a very popular event in Australia and so close by.
Finally, after we got out of Surfer's Paradise, we drove down to the Spit. That area is basically a lookout point where the ocean meets the river, near the breakwall. You can see several buildings in the distance past the water, and it's extremely pretty. At night time you can just see the lights in the distance. At that point in the night, the jet lag finally hit me and I think I just passed out in Cameron's car as he drove. Not that I wanted to, as I was enjoying the drive, but the plane rides finally hit me. We drove back home and it was nice to climb into bed and fall asleep.
In the end, I had a pretty good first day in Australia and I did enjoy my flight a lot more than I had expected. It was a good start to what should be an amazing holiday, and I just can't wait to see and do even more. :)
At the Edmonton Airport before my first flight
Arriving in Vancouver
On the flight from Vancouver to Sydney
On the flight from Sydney to Brisbane
Brisbane Airport
An Australian License Plate
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ReplyDeleteNo-one likes a show off Joeline =P
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame the weather has turned shit for you Christina, hopefully will clear up soon. Also, that parking lot at Robina is the bestest idea ever, WTB every parking lot being like that one.
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