Celebration x2

After visiting the hyperactive Gold Coast, Roman & I continued our exploration of Brisbane on foot. The only difference was that we were scouting potential dinner restaurants to celebrate two important events: my brother’s birthday & the swearing in of Barack Obama. Both happened to be on the same date: January 20^th. Although it was the right day in Australia, we would be celebrating a day early because at the time, it was still January 19^th in North America. Nothing wrong with a two-day celebration.

While scouring the northern side of the city, we also visited & photographed some famous sites such as city hall, Customs House, and the gate to Chinatown. Since this was uncharted territory, at some points I felt lost & didn’t know how to get back – even the city skyline looked confusing. The northern side of Brisbane is mostly residential & to me, the bungalow trend isn’t as established as it is in Middle Earth. On the way, we also spotted a corporate guard dog on duty.

The weather was still hot & humid, but not like the current heat waves, so Roman & I did our best to stay out of the scorching sun. If its one place that could really use a solar shade, it would be Australia. India too.

The lucky restaurant for our celebrations was Pig & Whistles, a traditional British restaurant/pub not to far from Customs House. Even though it was a Tuesday night, the place was quite active – the outside portion was completely full with chatty customers. We had no choice but to eat inside but that wasn’t a problem. Being meat lovers, we went all out & ordered juicy steaks with drinks. To mark both events, I had two beers. I had been fasting all day so the steak & Pure Blonde beer tasted euphoric. Surprisingly, my stomach wasn’t satisfied until I ordered garlic bread after steak.

When Roman guided me back to the hostel, night was firmly established in the sky, and the cityscape & streets were brightly illuminated. Large bats flew over our heads looking for their evening meals.

When I think about it, Barack Obama isn’t the first Black American President – that title should be reserved for Morgan Freeman who played the role of president in the movie Deep Impact. Obama is the first real Black President because Morgan Freeman didn’t have any actual control over American government policies. As I mentioned in a previous post, I always knew there would be a Black American President in my lifetime; I just didn’t expect it to be so soon – 138 years after slavery & at the end of the first decade of the 21^st century.

The election of a Black President in a nation built on slavery sends a powerful message to the world that true change is possible. I think it sends the strongest message to the Vatican. The Vatican has been around for more than two millennia and it has yet to have a Black Pope. When & if it happens, I hope he wishes to be refereed to as Pope Daddy – the establishment could use some comic relief.

To Be Continued . . .