Landing in Brisbane Airport seemed all too easy. There were no touts screaming for our attention at the exit terminal hoping to whisk us away in their tuk-tuk. There were garbage cans placed at appropriate intervals and the restrooms smelled more like lemon-fresh Mr. Clean than amonia fresh urine. Mika got excited because she could actually put the toilet paper in the toilet as opposed to the waste basket. We calmly talked to the Budget rental car guy, who understood our questions and answered them appropriately. Our car had a full tank of gas (unheard of in Asia) and get this, there were lines on the road and signs posted that all the other drivers seemed to obey. There were even street lights. Culture shock is one way to put it. However, as beautiful and clean and comfortable as Australia is, we were going to miss the unbridled insanity that is Asia. But while we were here we were certainly not going to miss out on the small luxeries!
In our never ending planning and adjusting of those plans, we somehow managed to book our flights such that we only had 5 days in Australia. Unfortunately, with funds running low, New Zealand just a short hop away and the incredibly high prices of Australia ($2.80 for a small donut) we had to make due. We decided to take the Gold Coast by storm. We bought a tent (which the store owner kindly gave us a 20% discount on because we asked - a habit formed in Asia), a map and started driving South. The beaches of the Gold Coast are know the world over, and for good reason. The waves that were made specifically for surfing and the sand is so fine that it makes that squeaky sound when you walk on it. The weather, however, was being a little temperamental. Now coming from the unbelievable hotness of Cambodia we should not be complaining, but what else are we going to do.
We drove from the airport directly to Byron Bay. After 2-1/2 days of traveling (mostly due to the Phenom Penh debacle), we were ready for the warm salt waters of the Pacific. Byron Bay is beautiful. It's seems to be a hippy turned yuppy haven with a dash of backpacker. The motto always seemed to be, "No shirt, no shoes, no problem." Mika's interpretation was "It's like Venice Beach, but replace the buff, meat-head actors with hippy, deadlocked tattoed surfer dudes." I think that sums it up. We sat on the beach long enough to go for a swim and settle into the warmth of the sun, when it started raining. Luckly it rained for 15 minutes and then stopped for 15, then repeated. We decided to start driving and hope for better weather. We didn't make it to far. The towns and beaches along the single laned Pacific Coast highway are almost all picturesque and we stopped frequently! We decided to stay outside a town called Ballina. Here, the site of our first major sticker shock...we paid more for an unpowered campsite (basically a 4'x4' patch of grass) here than we paid for a beach side bungalo in Vietnam....hmmm. This would not be the first time and I guess we'd have to get used to it at some point. After settling in we headed into town for our first Hollywood movie in 6 months, Avatar in 3D! We walked through a mall, marveled at the new music CD's and the pure simplicity of it all. It was amazing how fun normalcy could be. Everything had a newness to it and, deservedly, a new found appreciation.
The following day brought more tempermental weather. We headed inland toward the Dorrigo Rain forest. If it was going to rain we might as well be in a rain forest. The drive was stunning and took us past some vineyards so we had to stop! We pulled into the Two Tails Winery where the onwer was mowing her grass. Upon seeing us her husband came over to finish the front lawn while she attended to her new customers....our kind of place! Dorrigo is a quiet town to say the least, even though it did win Tidy Town of the Year in 2008. However, it was hear that we realized the incredible differences in our new destination. The portions of the dishes in Australia are enormous. I guess they have to be because the people are proportionally as big. Wow!
We woke early and did a stunning walk through Dorrigo. In the middle of rolling hills and green pastures sits this pristine rain forest. The clouds were still lying in the valley when we began and it gave the whole trek a mystical feel. We also learned the incredibly strange, almost computerized, call of the Magpie. It literally sounded digital.
*on our hike:
Leeches. We were warned by the camp office that there was a good chance we would enchoner a leech on our body at some poiunt during the hike because it had been raining. I carefully covered myself with long pants, socks and hiking boots. I am happy to say that Alan and I finished our hike leech free! We walked over the tree canopy walkway to an outlook of the valley below and as we walked back toward the car I was surprised to see that some how a leech had made it onto my arm. How did it get there? I had been so careful! But there it was, a long black leech on me, quickly I flicked it off, while Alan was yelling me to keep it on for a picture...sorry, only this story remains as a memory.
Keeping to our schedule, it was then back on the road. The farther south we got the better the weather. We got to Booti Booti National Park (you gotta love the Aussie names for things) and stopped for another swim on another gorgeous beach. A couple things we began to notice along this drive. First, there are what seems like millions of round-a-bouts in Australia. I guess they are more energy efficient than traffic lights but what a pain - especially when you are driving on the left hand side of the road, from the opposite side of a car. Second, the Aussies are serious about safety. There are more signs and advertisements about speeding and the implications of speeding than you can shake a stick at. They take "Safety First" top a while new level.
After a third day of driving, we finally arrived in Sydney. It's funny though, because even though we were there, we never actually saw the city. We headed straight for Manly Beach, spent the day picnicing and sunning ourselves and marveling at the idea at having a beach inside the city limits. Very San Fransisco-esque. The next day was all Bondi Beach. We had every intention of seing Sydney but it just didn't work out. Every time we tried to leave we just couldn't justify it. Why would we leave this to go walk in a city?
It seemed as soon as we got to Australia it was time to leave. We left with a good taste in our mouths and a promise to return. For now we were off to explore New Zealand.
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