I spent the last week of 2006 in Brisbane enjoying the sun and the sight of green lawns. We stayed in a friend’s place. I have never met her before coz she’s my friend’s friend but funny enough I have heard a lot about her before our first meeting. Don’t get me wrong, she’s very nice and friendly but it was an eye-opener in some ways to see a very different way of living. Her house is just amazing. The grand entrance took my breath away but the backyard was like a paradise for me – it has a full-size tennis court with a basketball ring! How can I seize the opportunity but to shoot some hoops? To say the least, the house itself has sufficient space for a family but I was more surprised at how “empty” it was. Take the kitchen for instance, the pantry was full of books instead of food; the fridge was abnormally spacious; we couldn’t find more than 4 cups to drink from; actually we couldn’t find the kettle to boil water with in the first place! I described the house as a perfect “display home”.
We spent our first day out to Gold Coast. Instead of taking a coach we planned our day around the public transport system. From the friend’s place, we took a taxi to a close-by train station, took 2 trains and a bus to finally arrive at Surfers Paradise. I actually enjoy taking transport instead of just hopping on and off the coach, it allows me to see more of the locals and in a way reminds me of my younger years taking public transport. Yes, it can be a little time-consuming but I took pleasure in working out the route and time of each trip, it feels like I am in control where I want to go and how. I have been to Surfers Paradise a number of times, it is always crowded and of course sunny with white sandy beaches. Point to note – great ice-cream at Royal Copenhagen!
We joined a tour to Sunshine Coast the following day. Just to clarify, Gold Coast is south of Brisbane and Sunshine Coast is north of Brisbane. What’s in Sunshine Coast? The (Steve Irwin) Australia Zoo and the great holidaying suburb of Mooloolaba. I took many photos of the animals in the zoo and also videos of Teri Irwin hosting the crocodile show in Crocoseum. It’s been awhile since I have been to a zoo and visiting the animals are great but seeing the faces of the kids are just fantastic – their innocence, their cute questions to their parents, their astonishment, and their pureness – just fantastic! Mooloolaba is a small town consisted of canals with expensive houses and yachts. We took a short relaxing cruise around these canals and took in sights of these amazing establishments. The cheapest house there costs $5 million. The most expensive? Well, the price is undisclosed and somehow, I don’t really want to know! The day was capped off with a nice Japanese cruise dinner at Hanaichi.
Our last full day in Brisbane was New Years Eve. We decided to spend the day around Brisbane city and just take it easy. We went to the Story Bridge, which is relatively small compared to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We walked to the empty Chinatown and relaxed in a park in the middle of the traffic. On our way back to Southbank (where people gather for NYE fireworks), we took the city ferry across the river. As the night developed, stages were set for various entertainments for different interests – fire performances, swing dancing, break dancing and a super-screen showing family friendly movies. We settled down at a spot on the lawn and just lazed around anticipating the fireworks. I lay flat and stared up the peaceful night-sky and contemplated what a year 2006 had been.
We spent our first day out to Gold Coast. Instead of taking a coach we planned our day around the public transport system. From the friend’s place, we took a taxi to a close-by train station, took 2 trains and a bus to finally arrive at Surfers Paradise. I actually enjoy taking transport instead of just hopping on and off the coach, it allows me to see more of the locals and in a way reminds me of my younger years taking public transport. Yes, it can be a little time-consuming but I took pleasure in working out the route and time of each trip, it feels like I am in control where I want to go and how. I have been to Surfers Paradise a number of times, it is always crowded and of course sunny with white sandy beaches. Point to note – great ice-cream at Royal Copenhagen!
We joined a tour to Sunshine Coast the following day. Just to clarify, Gold Coast is south of Brisbane and Sunshine Coast is north of Brisbane. What’s in Sunshine Coast? The (Steve Irwin) Australia Zoo and the great holidaying suburb of Mooloolaba. I took many photos of the animals in the zoo and also videos of Teri Irwin hosting the crocodile show in Crocoseum. It’s been awhile since I have been to a zoo and visiting the animals are great but seeing the faces of the kids are just fantastic – their innocence, their cute questions to their parents, their astonishment, and their pureness – just fantastic! Mooloolaba is a small town consisted of canals with expensive houses and yachts. We took a short relaxing cruise around these canals and took in sights of these amazing establishments. The cheapest house there costs $5 million. The most expensive? Well, the price is undisclosed and somehow, I don’t really want to know! The day was capped off with a nice Japanese cruise dinner at Hanaichi.
Our last full day in Brisbane was New Years Eve. We decided to spend the day around Brisbane city and just take it easy. We went to the Story Bridge, which is relatively small compared to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We walked to the empty Chinatown and relaxed in a park in the middle of the traffic. On our way back to Southbank (where people gather for NYE fireworks), we took the city ferry across the river. As the night developed, stages were set for various entertainments for different interests – fire performances, swing dancing, break dancing and a super-screen showing family friendly movies. We settled down at a spot on the lawn and just lazed around anticipating the fireworks. I lay flat and stared up the peaceful night-sky and contemplated what a year 2006 had been.
2 comments:
Post some of your awesome pics up! Show off your camera taking skills :)
What an awesome way to end the year! Hope 2007 is very sucessful and happy for you
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