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| Of late, people have been asking us how we're going to be able to lead a normal life when we get home from this trip. When asked, we looked blankly at one another and proclaim that we basically don't have a clue! And, we don't! So far, this trip has been absolutely amazing. We've seen and done things we could only have dreamed of and right now we're not going to even think about a 'normal life'. We've got at least six months before we even have to consider this and we're planning on leaving it till the very last moment!
When we left you last we were still heading down the Queensland coast and still are. One especially pleasant day was spent at the Billabong Sanctuary where orphaned and injured animals are looked after. This, I think, was one of the highlights of Australia for Sue because she got to cuddle a big fat wombat called Angelica. Angelica is a 2 year old hairy-nosed wombat and sat on Sue's lap merrily having the soles of her feet tickled. Next on Sue's agenda was a koala called Bonza who climbed into her arms and looked straight into her face - almost nose to flat nose. Very cute! A little later I did the manly thing and volunteered my wife as a helping hand for the snake keeper. She had to put her hands in a sack and take out the diamond python which lay within. This she did to a loud round of applause and with no hesitation whatsoever. Rather her than me! I saved myself for a short lesson on the didgerydoo from a half Aborigine, half Italian chappy called Nappy. After a few puffs I made a noise which sounded something like it should've. I can't really say that I became 'at one' with my instrument. I think it'll take a lot more practice before I equal the mesmerising talents of Rolf Harris. Perhaps I'll just take up the wobble-board instead!
Then it was on to my Aunt and Uncle's place in Palm Beach on the Gold Coast for a week of relaxing, home comforts and fattening up (although Sue assures me that I don't really need it!) Pat emigrated out here 25 years ago and this is the first time that I've properly met her Aussie husband, John. We had a real nice week with them, relaxing by their pool, strolling along the beautiful beach just down the road and hanging out at the surf club. The surf club was truly an experience out of 'Home and Away' - surfers on the beach, fellas downing tinnies at the bar and life-saving courses being run. We half expected Alf and Ailsa to pop their heads around the corner! One night we entered their trivia quiz, but came dismally last as the questions were mainly about Aussie rules 'fudy', sheep shearing and famous Australian prime ministers (going on then, you name some!)
We had a few trips out on the Gold Coast. Firstly, a visit to a themepark called Dreamworld where I plunged 38 stories at 160 km/h in the Tower of Terror. Sue declined this experience which in hindsight I think was a very good choice! We also spent a day at the Conrad Jupiter's Casino where we tried out the roulette wheel and the pokies (pokies are a national past-time here - they're basically slotmachines with more flashing lights than usual). And also a trip out to Tyalgum, John's childhood village. Tyalgum is a lovely place set against a backdrop of mountains and trees. He took us around pointing out the sights like the dairyfarm where he'd grown up and the creek he rode his horse along to school. Our favourite was the green in front of the pub. If fellas had a 'blue' at the Saturday night dance it was good etiquette not to fight it out there and then, but to meet the next day on the green to settle their differences.
On our last day with them we went down to Surfer's Paradise to have a look around and to visit 'Ripley's Believe it or not' museum - quite an amusing place, full of all sorts of things Ripley had picked up and seen on his travels around the globe. Shrunken heads, a photo of a man in Manchuria with a horn ('See for yourself - the wonder of the human unicorn') and all sorts of pictures of people with horrific injuries who survived to tell them tale - 'Jack on Friday was impaled with this wooden stake which missed his heart by a mere half an inch and pushed his lung aside. Miraculously, he walked twenty miles to the nearest hospital in this condition and was back in work by Monday'. A bit suspect this one! Later, we came to a photo exhibit which stated 'Only one in a thousand people can roll their tongues, believe it or not!' and then urged you to see if you were one of the chosen. So, we stood in front of a mirror for quite a while contorting our faces. Twenty minutes later we walked past a window through which we could see people desperately trying to roll their tongues. We laughed and laughed - a two-way mirror - and then we realised... Wandering around we came across a camera crew who were filming because a vampire killing kit had been stolen the previous night. We were asked to walk slowly past the exhibits while being filmed. Sue was later on Gold Coast TV news - fame at last! I, on the other hand, was unable to star due to contractual differences and a disagreement about my daily rate! | | | | Previous Entry: | Next Entry: | | 5 Nov 2001 : Cairns to Airlie Beach - Australia | 31 Dec 2001 : Queenstown - New Zealand | | The Sunshine Coast | Kiwi Country |
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