Brisbane

I arrived in Brisbane late on Monday night. Most of the hostels were packed full of people, but thankfully I found one that had an opening. Sadly, it was a crappy one. It did have air conditioning, which was a definite plus. It was also across the street from the nightlife hub for Brisbane. On the downside, it was dirty, uncomfortable, had a unhappy atmosphere, and only 1/10 showers actually worked.

Brisbane, at first, just seemed like another city, with nothing too special about it. I came here for work, but after meeting many people who'd been here for weeks and have found nothing. I quickly started planning my mistake. The big reason for me to move on is my RSA certification. It only applies for New South Wales, so I would have to take a course if I wanted any work in hospitality. My planned escape was to Byron Bay, but it is such a popular destination this time of year, all hostels were booked until the end of next weekend. Thus trapping me here for a week.

It turned out to be not such a bad deal. Jess's brother and his girlfriend had just moved here from Broken Hill, so I spent a couple evenings with them. On both Wednesday and Thursday night, I hit up some karaoke and had a blast. Upon exploring the town and its many parks, I found it to be quite pleasant in the end. The botanical gardens were beautiful!

Today, I explored the many free museums the town had to offer. The Gallery of Modern art was fantastic. Often, much modern art can turn me off, but they had many works that I really enjoyed. The main gallery was a bit disappointing. The Queensland museum (combination history and science museum) was also entertaining. I also finally purchased a new camera!

For the last three days, I've been staying at a different hostel. It is nicer, but the rooms have no A/C. Since I've had a cold for the last three days, the no A/C hurts. I moved mainly because I wanted to be closer to the train station for my 6:30 AM departure. The other one was a 30 minute walk away. This current one is only 5.

I know I will be stopping back through in a week, so I'll be able to get more photos then. One of the things I still need to do is take the ferry from the ocean back to city, which apparently has a spectacular view of the city.