No Worries!

Well, the time has come for our ambling ways to take us past Cairns and down south into the city of Brisbane. It was tough to say goodbye to paradise because….well, it was paradise! But that’s the beauty in these rambling ways of ours: we get to explore all over the east and southern areas of Australia. Have I mentioned that?? Sometimes it still hits us smack on the head. Here is the map….here is DC…..WAYYYYYYY over here is the happenin Aussieland. Baffling!

So this morning we enjoyed our last breakfast overlooking the mountains and coastline and ventured back to the lobby to check out and all that jazz. But when we did, we saw our shuttle driver waiting there for us, and granted he was early, but we got so caught up in the view that we lost track of time! (You know us and food, that *may* have had something to do with it too). In a mad dash to get out of the hotel, Sabrina went up to get our luggage while I checked out. But as the minutes ticked away, the driver’s foot began to tap even faster. The absolute best characteristic of Australia I have found so far though is that the national slogan seems to be “No worries!” The driver was hurrying us, but he was making conversation about the weather, Cairns, and even politics, and following each segment up with, "Eh mate, no worries!" And what got a hearty chuckle from him was when poor Sabrina, outnumbered by my suitcase as well as hers, tried unsuccessfully to load all of the luggage into the elevator so she could escort it to the lobby. Instead, the door slammed shut and her purse, suitcase, and carry-on arrived on the ground floor for me to pick up. What a team we are, even if it’s unintentional!

The flight to Brisbane was a quick 2 hours, and frankly anything is quick compared to 37 hours of travelling! The flight attendants here though operate under more stringent airline policies, and demand full attention of passengers instead of America where it is “yeah, yeah…I know where the exits are, yep there’s the oxygen mask…so anyways as I was saying...” The flight attendant was right next to Sabrina and I, who ironically turned to quietly comment to me that after all of the flights we have been on, we know this whole spiel backwards and forwards. That’s when we got a harsh, “You need to pay attention to this.” Louise filled us in later that even she herself had gotted shh’d at times, and it wasn’t a typical “loud American” instance.

Other than that, it was a pretty uneventful flight- just some good conversation and mini-nap. We got into Brisbane airport and made our way outside to meet Adam. How did we know who he was? He was the bloke standing on the seat across the street, decked out in some sweet sunnies who immediately yelled out Sabrina’s name as we walked through the doors, knowing her from pictures on what else? Facebook. FB-stalking does come in handy, ya know? We hadn’t been in a car really, just buses and shuttles since getting into Australia, and so it was a bit of a shock as Sabrina went to get into the passenger seat…only to realize, nope! That’s the driver’s seat over here, and trust me, we do not want Sabrina (or I for that matter!) driving here.

That brings us to meeting Adam and Louise. This is truly one phenomenal couple! Jenn and Leif met them the Feast that they spent out here, and they graciously took us two travelers in during our stay in Brisbane. Sabrina and I both were amazed at how warm and incredibly easy they were to talk to! It’s been nothing but stories and laughs since we walked in.

They both had a few things to take care of this afternoon, and so Sabrina and I took the opportunity to walk around their neighborhood and see what we see. Down the road we came across a little fish and chips shop where we decided to split an order for a quick snack. But unlike the ketchup packets in the States, these were funky! Two plastic squares of ketchup with a little kink in the middle. You have to pop the little kink, fold the two squares together in order to squeeze out the “tomottoey” goodness. Well, as I make a dive in for a chip, I hear a “pop” and “pplllllllllt” as ketchup sprays across the fish, chips, table, and my arm! Sab over there though, had no idea where the ketchup was coming from and goes, “Kristin! You’re getting it everywhere!!” Ahh, these tricky cultural differences….


After the great ketchup debacle, we walked around a bit more around the parks and made our way back to the Jennings’ place. By this time Louise was back, so as we were standing in the kitchen talking, Adam walked in “with a few treats for us girls.” Boy did he ever! Vodka-guava fizzy drinks were under his arm, and soon in our hands. We had a blast sitting in the kitchen talking, and had to remind ourselves to leave so we would eat dinner at a decent hour! We headed downtown and were treated to some pizza and delicious cappuccinos at this little cafe, and then our two amazing tour guides gave us a drive-thru of Brisbane, including the Story Bridge, and the botanical gardens where these two got hitched. The absolute best moment though was when they took us to Mount Cootha Lookout. It is absolutely breathtaking!! No wonder it’s such a hot spot for all the lovebirds! It was a bit of a chilly night, but the panoramic view of the city lights sparkling was incredible.

There were these two spot lights waving around from the center of the city, just like a movie premiere or something. What was it? Some famous site that we overlooked??? Naaah, that's just Stefan, the famous hairstylist guru. At his salons, you can "Discover Yourself" and in true epic adventure, full-circle fashion: Louise starts working with Stefan in her shopping center TODAY! Maybe she will find herself...

Who knows what the next few days of Brisbane exploration hold, but eh mate…no worries!