Sunburnt and embracing the life of a tourist

I apologize for not updating sooner as these few days have been a bit crazy with a lot of running around to get some essential errands done with sightseeing in between. Bought a used road bike yesterday and finally secured a place to live today! From all the walking around, I've come to learn that Brisbane is extremely hilly and none of the streets are straight which makes it very easy to get lost.

Currently we're staying in this place called North Lakes which is a neat and quiet residential suburb on the outskirts of Brisbane city with hosts Jenny and Dave who have been wonderful in getting us everything we need.

Here are just a few things that I love about Brisbane so far:

• The long days. It's light from about 5 each morning which makes waking up a million times easier. I swear there is something about the sun that makes you need less sleep as I've been able to get up without effort at 5:30 every morning despite going to bed at the same times that I normally do.
• The different little suburbs and how each has its own style. For example, the city (what we would call downtown) area has the metropolitan buzz with all the shopping arcades and glittering windows, but  right next to it is an area called Paddington which is filled with these quaint little antique shops that occupy what were once cottages that people lived in.
• The diverse wildlife in urban areas, such as brush turkeys, magpies, geckos, cormorants, snakes... I haven't seen any wild kangaroos or koalas despite the numerous signs but I'm watching carefully and you will be the first to know once I do.
• Did I mention the sun yet?

 
Today we went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where they have many of the animals that are native to Australia like wombats, koalas, Tasmanian devils and of course kangaroos. Did you know that kangaroo youngs are called joeys? I paid $16 to hug a koala for like 20 seconds but it was so fuzzy and cute and worth it! We also went to an area called South Bank, site of the World Expo in 1988, across from the city where there is a beautiful riverfront promenade. Situated along it are, amongst many other things, a mini rain forest, a manmade beach, and the Wheel of Brisbane.



Sleepy koala



Streets Beach

I went to the university campus two days ago to get some school stuff sorted out. Walking around in circles with a map in hand definitely made me feel like a first year again. The campus itself is beautiful though. My favourite part is the Great Court which has these distinctive sandstone columns that surround a grassfield.

Uni

My first run in Australia turned out to be a race (sort of)! As I was running around Lake Eden (in the middle of North Lakes) early last Saturday morning, I noticed a group of runners gathered around a tent. Turned out that it was the North Lakes Park Run, which is a free weekly 5km timed run open to every and anyone. Park Runs are a great idea because they bring the simplicity back into running, without all the expensive frills of shirts, medals, etc. I am surprised there are none in Canada yet. Anyways, despite the 5k being extremely painful and the slowest I'd ever done (having come from running in 4 degree weather to 34 degrees) I still somehow came in third amongst all the women.

Some Australian lingo that I've picked up:
chemist = pharmacy
trading hours = opening hours
capsicum = bell pepper

It is very strange being on the other side of the road. Too many instances have occurred where I almost walk into people because I stand in their way or try to pass on the wrong side. Today when I went for a bike ride there was one moment where I forgot to stay left and almost ran into an incoming car.

Oh and in case you were wondering about the floods, nothing has happened since I arrived and nowhere that I went did I see any evidence of flood damage.