Enter Brisbane

Our flight to Brisbane was scheduled to take off in the early afternoon, thus letting my brother & I sleep in. When it was time, the Stunt Brothers drove us to Sydney International Airport where we exchanged our thanks & goodbyes. Since Roman checked us in over the Internet, all I had to do was hand in my suitcase for stowaway. Virgin Blue (but the planes are painted red) was the lucky low-cost carrier to be servicing us, but you still have to pay for food, drinks, and entertainment. The flight was uneventful but when we arrived, we were allowed to walk on the tarmac before entering the terminal. I always get a kick out of that because I grew up recognizing the tarmac as off limits and only accessed by VIPs.

We caught a train to the Transit Centre and then walked to the YHA hostel to claim our room reservation, and to drop off our baggage. We rested for some time before venturing out into the city on foot. Downtown happened to be experiencing a growth in commercial development with several high tower buildings being constructed at once. Like Ottawa’s Sparks Street Mall, Brisbane has 2 pedestrian street malls that intersect under a large artistic canopy surrounded by shops, restaurants, and nightclubs. If you're looking to party under the watchful eye of bouncers & the police then this is the area to be! Roman & I visited 3 bars during our first night in Brisbane, and I have to say that Pure Blonde is a really good AUS beer.

We had to wait until the next day to take a tour of Queensland Parliament. The architecture is from the 19^th century and the building had undergone major renovation several years ago due to a massive termite infestation. We were shown the Legislative Council & Assembly, the Library (unfortunately no Harry Potter), and the backyard green that’s used for private parties, ceremonies, and cricket.

What I found surprising is that next to Queensland Parliament is QUT – Queensland University of Technology. Should there be a labour dispute or student protest, I’m guessing parliament & its MPs will be hearing a lot about it. The campus appears similar to the University of Ottawa except it sits near the Brisbane River, which runs through the city.

The Botanic Gardens are also nearby, letting QUT students & MPs get away from the bustling city life for lunch. The gardens are home to tall palm trees, ponds, fountains, many fields of grass, and happy singing birds. Roman & I managed to photograph a happy goanna trying to catch flies for dinner. Large bats roam this area at night, preying on insects.

We crossed over to the other side of the river via a modern looking pedestrian bridge where it’s perfect to snap photos of the evening skyline. On the other side is South Bank Parklands, a large rest & recreation area equipped with large public pools, restaurants, an outdoor theatre stage, digital screen for movies, and many walkways. An artistic metallic fence (reminding me of the movie Jurassic Park) covered in green & purple vines, follows & encloses one of the main walkways. Even though night was upon the city, Parklands was filled with people swimming, enjoying the evening views, and having family dinner picnics.

While walking back to our hostel, Roman & I passed the modern looking State Library of Queensland. I felt very lucky to be visiting Brisbane because the library was holding a gaming exhibit called ‘Game On: Play Your Way Through The History of Videogames’. I eagerly paid the $12AUS admission the next day when the library was open. There were two rooms displaying hundreds of classic & modern games as well as character memorabilia, gaming consoles, and posters. My mind flooded with happy childhood memories as I played the classics such as Pong, PacMan, Tetris, Asteroid, and Gallactica. The only disappointment was being forbidden to take pictures; I really wanted to take a photo of the actual Max Payne clothing that was on display!

To Be Continued . . .

The Tower & Northern Sydney

I feel that many cities that dot the world have jumped onto a specific tourist trap bandwagon: an observation tower. Just build a high altitude structure that gives 360-degree views of the surrounding area and let the money flow in. The Sydney Tower is one such structure.

Downtown Sydney happened to be crowded with shoppers, venders, and several buskers when Roman & I chose to visit the tower which happens to stand near a large street mall similar to Ottawa’s Sparks Street.

Bundled with a standard $20AUS ticket is a 3D virtual ride called OzTrek where you explore the nature & culture of Australia. Just don’t get motion sickness when the chairs start moving. For an extra $40AUS & called the SkyWalk, you step onto the roof of the tower and get over your fear of heights. There’s also an expensive classy restaurant for those who enjoy high dining but you have to make reservations first and ride in a separate elevator.
The OzTrek ride was alright and the panoramic views were worthy of photographs. I always get a kick when seeing entire cities from the sky; they all look like giant termite mounds. If the tower had a glass floor, the experience would be even better. I would only avoid buying snacks and drinks up there because of inflated prices & not much of a selection.
For our last full day, Roman & I decided to study the Sydney Harbour Bridge (SHB) closely before exploring more of Northern Sydney. Construction on the steel arch bridge began in 1923 and completed nine years later, officially opening in 1932. It's been nicknamed 'the Coathanger'. The bridge is an important transportation artery, catering to pedestrians, vehicles, and trains, while commercial & passenger ships pass beneath it every day.

If you’re travelling across the bridge via car, be prepared to pay a toll – I’m guessing the money goes towards maintenance costs. For thrill-seeking tourists, there is the option of partaking in a Bridge Climb – tramping up to the very top of the steel bridge to get an amazing panoramic view. Originally, I was planning on doing the climb but the $189AUS per person price made me reconsider.

Northern Sydney is mostly filled with condos & apartments, especially along the waterfront. If I were living in this city (and have $1 million AUS), my residence would be in this neighbourhood along the waterfront. That way, I could just simply hop over to the opera house via boat for an evening performance. The neighbourhood sits on several hills, with narrow streets moving up & down, and snaking around large tropical trees. Despite being close to the city centre, these residential areas are surprisingly quiet.
One of the main attractions on the northern waterfront is LunaPark, a family fun centre built in the style of an early 20th century fair. Delicacies such as hot dogs, Coke, and hamburgers are hidden behind loud ragtime music & coloured murals from the past. The park reminds me of the Ex that comes to Ottawa every August except it is smaller. Roman & I just walked around and let the hyperactive kids enjoy the rides.

For the evening, we decided to thank our hosts by ordering locally made pizza from a restaurant called DaVinci’s. The pizzas were devoured within an hour and we shared some of our experiences with the brothers. Before going to sleep, I packed my suitcase because we would be flying to Brisbane the very next day. Sydney certainly is a fun place in the southern hemisphere.
To Be Continued . . .

Taronga Zoo

On January 14^th, Roman & I decided to spend the day at Taronga Zoo, located in northern Sydney. Taking the ferry is the best method of transportation because you avoid traffic congestion, only costs $10.40AUS in total, and the boat drops you off near the zoo gates. As well, you receive a beautiful panoramic view of the city, especially the Sydney Opera House.

The zoo sits on several plateaus so when you disembark, you have to choose between walking up to the rear entrance or taking a free bus ride. Student admission costs $23AUS. The zoo was bustling with many schoolchildren on summer vacation. Since we arrived at around noon, Roman & I decided to eat before exploring the exhibits. While we ate pricey nachos & pizza, a smart & curios Ibis bird walked around the eating area, cleaning up any left over food that fell to the floor.

Taronga Zoo is divided into four sections: Australia/NZ, Africa, Asia, and Antarctic. Each section then divides into several enclosed enclaves for the animals from that part of the world, as well as preventing the predators from eating the vegetarian exhibits. Should you have extra money-to-burn, the zoo offers visitors to photograph you feeding and/or holding giraffes, koalas, and small penguins, just to name a few.

Lions, tigers, zebras, giraffes, kangaroos, mountain goats, emus, cranes, deer, elephants, fish, seals, monkeys, chimps, meerkats, hippos, ostriches, crocs, gators, lizards, pelicans, ducks, bats . . . there’s more but that’s all the animals I can remember seeing at Taronga.

On a more descriptive level: the tigers & lions were sleeping; the kangaroos were hopping all around except for a loner in a corner; hundreds of ducks were bathing in water; pelicans were trying to look pretty; the hippos needed toilet paper & air freshener; a mountain goat posed on a makeshift plateau; the crocs lied motionless in their pond; and the penguins annoyed my brother by never staying still for a photo. (That has to be the longest BLOG sentence I have written thus far).

In the late afternoon, Roman & I attended a short spider demo where a zoo staffer talked about common & dangerous spiders found in the Australian outback. The demo would have been better if he had talked less & showed more than 3 spiders. Before the demo began, a rather large emu sat nearby in the shade. I was able to snap a lucky picture before she somehow disappeared without me noticing. I’m guessing she got up and walked away while I was paying attention to the demo.

Roman & I photographed the distant Sydney cityscape before being asked to leave the zoo – it was closing time. In total, I had taken 45 pictures. We caught the ferry back to the city centre and headed off to a pub for a beer break. After that, we headed back to Lewisham for a proper dinner.

If you happen to be visiting Sydney in the future, pay a visit to the city’s zoo and enjoy what it has to offer. Be prepared to walk because there’s a lot to see and best to visit on a sunny day.

To Be Continued . . .

Flight Of The Kiwi

Catching an international flight at 0700 hours is a challenge, considering you have to wake up at 0330 to shower & get dressed, catch a cab at 0430 to the airport, and get through the tedious lines of check-in, security, and boarding. Due to overestimating, I made it to the airport with more than 2 hours to kill. I don’t think I truly woke up until the plane was in the air and I thank my sub-conscious again for not boarding a different flight.

My Air New Zealand flight from Christchurch to Sydney lasted 3 hassle-free hours and my suitcase arrived in one piece. I still think it would be better for the flight crew to teach passengers how to land the plane instead of how to fasten our seatbelts. I met up with my brother Roman, who had bussed from his hometown of Canberra to show me around. His appearance hadn’t changed since I last saw him – still has the long European soccer hair look. After paying $14AUS each, we caught a train to Lewisham station, located in a suburban area near the city centre. The airport train line is privately owned, explaining the high ticket price.

The rail system sacrifices appearance for performance – the trains run smoothly, passing by security walls decorated with graffiti, dirty industrial buildings, and stations that could use some paint & renovation. These picky details don’t bother established citizens who hop between trains, hoping to get to their destinations on time, and away from the hot summer sun.

For the duration of our visit, my brother and I stayed at the place of his university friend, Alex. The house accommodates him, his two younger brothers, & father. Getting along wouldn’t be a problem for me because the brothers were all heavy gamers, immersing themselves in the worlds of Warcraft III, Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Duty 4, and Mirror’s Edge, just to name a few. As for occupations, the two older brothers are professional stuntmen.

Roman & I hopped a train ($3.40AUS for tickets) to the city centre the next day. The weather was hot & humid. The industrial scenery slowly disappeared, being replaced with commercial & luxury residential buildings. We disembarked at Circular Quay station, standing above the ferry terminals, and sitting under a main highway. Ahead of us in the distance were the two most recognizable landmarks: the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

This area of Sydney is teeming with tourists, buskers, and merchandise sellers; in short, a tourist trap. Roman & I navigated our way through the endless crowds towards the Opera House, a project that took 17 years to complete, and was designed by John Utzon. The Opera House is not one structure but three: restaurant, theatre, and opera. While photographing this 20^th century wonder, my thoughts reminded me of the racing game Need For Speed II – there’s a level where you race around the Opera House in an exotic car of your choosing.

From the Opera House, Roman & I tramped through the Royal Botanic Gardens, enjoying the lush green flora & animal life. For some reason, there were a lot of runners that day; I was tempted to run alongside one mass & ask why was everyone running? The Gardens are also home to hundreds of bats.

The last place we visited for the day was the New South Wales Parliament building – the Canadian equivalent being provincial parliament. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get a tour of the place and one of the chambers was off limits to the public. Nevertheless, we photographed what we could and enjoyed the contemporary artworks on display before heading back to Lewisham for much needed R&R.

To Be Continued . . .

Packing

Near the end of the film, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, the Elves emigrate to the West because Middle Earth enters the Time of Man [and Woman]. In my case, I’m not emigrating but paying a two-week visit to the West, which in this case would be the continent of Australia. I doubt I’ll meet any Elves but you never know.

Back in October, my older brother Roman visited my Christchurch residence for 10 days, so it was decided that I would do the same and see his place in Canberra during the summer months. However, Canberra will be the last city on my Down Under visit – the first two will be Sydney & Brisbane. This will be my first time in Australia (my family have already been there twice) & my first overseas trip in the last year of the first decade of the 21^st century.

When it comes to counting decades, I count the right way: 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, and so on. The 1980s were the years 80-89, the 1990s were the years 90-99, and the 2000s are 0-9. I find it laughable that there are people who still discriminate & deny the existence of zero, a number that was created by Indian scholars in the 9^th century CE [source: Wikipedia]. I wonder if they also deny the existence of their children during the first 12 months after birth because they are 0 years old.

Although I’m having high hopes that my trip will be a success, I’m not taking any chances and have prepared for the worst. Airline travel in the post 9/11 world may be the safest but it is not the most efficient and/or enjoyable. (My flight to Sydney takes off at 7am meaning I have to be at the airport at 5am – go figure). Gravol to prevent vomiting, ear plugs to drown out crying babies, a book & MP3 player for entertainment, and an extra change of clothing in my carry on bag if my suitcase someone gets ‘lost’. I don’t want to suffer a lost baggage crisis like the one London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 experienced in March 2008. I’m flying after the regular summer holiday rush and the flight is scheduled to be 3 ½ hours long but the spiteful duo of delays & cancellation may make a cameo appearance. Preparing for the worst also prepares you for the best.

While having fun & snapping plenty of pics in the Down Under, I’ll do my best to find an Internet café and keep you, the BLOGing public up-to-date because a two-week blackout sounds too big & damaging (similar to the 31-day transit strike that’s plaguing my hometown). I may be only to publish texts and have to forgo the addition of photos until I get back.

Until then, I have to get back to packing and order a very early taxi to give me a lift to the airport.

The New Year

The last year of the first decade of the 21^st century began four days ago and was greeted by worldwide celebrations. A miniature bottle of champagne & some white wine received much needed attention that night. I wonder how many tons of fireworks were detonated across the globe to mark the event? It’s an odd but fun tradition – celebrate the beginning of a new year by blowing stuff up! Unfortunately, campus residence only offers students five television channels and none of them covered the party at New York’s Time Square.

The striking transit workers in my hometown of Ottawa have beaten their old record of 24 days and are now on Day 26 and counting. This calls for another celebration! Well, it’s easy for me to say that considering I’m in Christchurch and not having to suffer citywide gridlocks in winter weather. Now the federal government has gotten involved in the matter because the urban transit system is the only one in the country that falls under federal legislation. That and both sides are being stubborn and won’t talk to each other.

In a week I’ll be travelling to Australia to visit my brother Roman, who’s studying law in Canberra. The flights shouldn’t be a problem because the bulk of summer travelling is done in December. My Down Under destinations will be Canberra, Sydney, and Brisbane, so a lot of pictures will be taken. Also, we’ll be celebrating the swearing in of America’s first Black president, and my brother’s birthday so that’ll be something. My trip will last 10 days meaning there may be a BLOG blackout during that time but after will come a flood of posts.

Following the old calendar, Ukrainian Christmas is on January 7^th, and unfortunately, my parents will be celebrating it without the presence of their sons. Usually at this time, I’d be helping my mother make ear dumplings for the traditional beet soup (called borsch) because of my natural talents. No humans and/or animals are harmed in the production process – they’re made of dough and mushroom stuffing. We call them ears because they appear as such during the early stages and our hands paste around 100 dumplings every year.

Aside from a fierce thunderstorm two days ago, the weather has remained clear & sunny. I’ve almost used up my bottle of SPF 45 sunscreen and I’ll have to buy some more before heading off to AUS. Like in all summer weather, there are people who sit outside and BBQ themselves for reasons I’ll never understand. Although . . . it does give me a good excuse to ask the ladies if they need sunscreen and/or tanning oil assistance.

Gotta run!