Brisbane

I've spent the last few days in Brisbane with my old roommate Lindsay, who moved here last year to do conservation research.

Brisbane has been terrific. It's been great to hang out with Lindsay, her boyfriend Andrew, and all her friends. We did a bunch of things - a went out a few nights with her friends who are all scientists (which made for some fun conversation), had breakfast at the farmers market, went on a bushwalk (hike), and visited a wildlife park and the Australia Zoo where I got to see the crocs, kangaroos, and hold a koala! I also spent a day by myself on Queen Street Mall doing errands and some shopping.

It was nice to get here and "sit" in one location for five whole nights. I stayed at Lindsay's and had a whole room to myself, and got to unpack my backpack and shower without flip-flops for a few days. Lindsay's place is in a neighborhood called West End, which is close to the University, laid-back and slightly hippy-ish. Her place has a great backyard patio which gets visits from possom and wild turkey, and also has a chicken coop in the backyard.

Australia is turning out to be as jam-packed as New Zealand. I booked four mini-tours: Fraser Island safari, Whitsunday Islands sailing, Great Barrier Reef dive certification with 9 dives (including a night dive!), and an Outback safari with Ayers Rock. I finish in Sydney where hopefully I'll get decent weather for a harbor cruise before taking off for China.

Traveling in Australia is like traveling in the U.S. It's so huge that it's impossible to see everything, particularly in the short time I'm here. I've met tons of travelers who are in Australia for 3 months-1 year, financing their trip with a working visa and odd jobs like berry-picking. The way I'm traveling is definitely in the minority for backpackers, but I'm OK with that. =)