07 May 2010

Australia 1

The trip begins in Salt Lake. We flew from Salt Lake to LA to Brisbane to Sydney. Everything went off without a hitch except that our carry-ons were too large for the Qantas flight from LA to Oz, so we had to check our bags. This wasn't too much of a hassle because we were tired of lugging them around in the first place, and - let's be honest - I only packed shoes in my carry-on. If it got lost permanently, it was probably for the best.

Day 1
We arrived in Brisbane, skipped Monday and jumped right into Tuesday morning. All our baggage came on a different flight so we had to wait around for it. Finally, after two hours of waiting in the airport, we got onto the shuttle toward our hostel, Wake Up! It was a funky little place with a cafe, a movie room, a bar and nightclub, computers, and a laundromat. Mum booked us a private bunk room for 3 days. What a lady! The first day there, we fought jet lag by walking all over the town. We went for an hour-long walk from the hostel to the harbour. We saw the Opera House and the Bridge. It was spectacular. There are hardly words to describe things you've only seen in pictures and movies. When they come to life, you have to pause and really savor the moment. Then search for the next thing to fly off the pages of your dreams. That's why I can't wait for heaven. It's gonna be better than anything anyone has ever imagined, described, depicted or interpreted. Everything in this harbour was much more grand, big, and real than I could have imagined. After that, we came back down to earth by grabbing our first meat pies. This was the defining step, the initiation, the icing on the cake, it meant we were truly in Australia and here to stay for a little while at least. Meat pies, sausage rolls, cream buns, etc. are a trademark of Australia. You can find them everywhere for less than $4. They fill you right up. After a delightful evening in the city, we made it home and indulged in some much needed shut-eye.

1 comment:

kelly said...

jess i will be following along on your trip. i know your mom was really excited about this so be sure to tell her you love it! have fun and take lots of pictures!