I'm not exactly sure how Brisbane earned its nickname of Brisvegas, but that's not to say that this city has nothing to offer! In fact, I found it to be one of the most livable cities that i'd come across in Australia. Perhaps this was due to my fabulous hosts: Natalie Stigwood and John Rose, soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Rose! (woot woot!!)
Nat first obliged with taking me out for a great thai meal and then over to the high school where she works for a taste of normal life (something I often yearn for while travelling): a school play about the plight and perserverance of Australian women through the years; fitting for a production put on by an all-girls school. The play was very entertaining and the calibre of acting was high. I also learned a bit about Oz history....Fair dinkum! :P
Nat and John live in teh West End, and with its bohemian/hippie-ish vibe I felt right at home, like I was back in Kitsilano. I began to really miss home but told myself that I was holding out for that ultimate euphoria of travelilng which was just around the bend; to which I scolded my thinking and revamped this thought: the euphoria of life isn't something you wait for, it is NOW! (thank-you, Eckhart Tolle!)
So I took a ride on one of the super-savy City Cat boats which glide up and down the river; the river which winds its way through the heart of the city, a river which is the lifeblood of Brisbane and its mortal threat (as seen from the legendary floods of this year). However, the aftermath of this catastrophe not a few months later is little to none due to the hard work of Queenslanders. All that I saw that are left as a reminder are quite a few construction sites around the river and, in the West End, a line of plastic bags all tangled in the trees...10 feet off the ground!
I also enjoyed a photography exhibit in QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Centre) by Reina Irmer titled " A View From the Sixth Row": a collection of photographs from the dress rehearsals of famous musicals, as seen from the view of the audience. An intriguing concept, and I even saw my Lambchops character from FAME! I then cruised through the Modern Art Museum with my friends, Aine and Orla; a museum which we discovered was more like a funky, eclectic playground for adults and kids alike! That night became a menagerie of dining and drinking with Nat and her family, starting with 'conveyer-belt sushi' with delicious lychee-vodka drinks on the fantastic Queen Street, Fat Yak Pale Ale at Jimmy's on the Mall, German blonde low carb beer at the Bavarian Beer Cafe on Riverside (with a spectacular view of the Story Bridge litup a light blue), then across 'Europe' to the Belgian Beer Cafe for a passionfruit lager (mmmmm...delicious burps! haha!). Soon the tiredness set-in, and after surviving on terrigying taxi 'rally race' home, we settled in to sleep.
After a much-needed sleep-in, I sampled my first Australian latte at the much-recommended Alberto's Cafe, and was soon addicted to that creamy goodness in a glass. Tea is mere 'pennies' less than lattes here, so I have given up on hot drink for another...for the time being ;) It was a Saturday morning so I mosied on down the river to the West End markets where I regrettably realized that I did not have enough time to truly relax into the bohemian vibe and sample the tasty treats and musical talent scattered amongst the stalls of trinkets. That nigh tI went ou twith Andrea and Tom (the two 'Brisbanites' I had met on the plane over from Fiji), and some of their friends and family. I was hospitably entertained by Andrea's mom, Jill, a loveable lady, in Cleveland (a suburb of Brisbane), and then the group drove to the ocean in Manly to enjoy an evening picnic of fish and chips, burgers, wine and beer.
The next evening I was a dinner guest at Nat's parents' Queenslander home (a style of house with high ceilings and open windows to allow a continuous breeze through the rooms). Here we enjoyed a REAL Aussie BBQ and I was obliged to coin the cliche phrase of "Let's throw another shrimp on the Barby!!" (who can resist the temptaion??) I was pleasantly surprised by such delicious combinations as prawns, pineapple, and banana on a skewer...who knew?
As Nat and John drove me up to Kangaroo point to look out over the city lights, I knew that the hospitality of my hosts had opened my heart to the vivacity of 'Brisvegas'.
No comments:
Post a Comment