I had my first sip of Toohey's New last night in 2 years, and it was Heaven in my mouth. I'M BACK IN AUSTRALIA! Have I mentioned that yet in the past few entries?
I have had the pleasure of meeting Alex, another soudreton water polo player who is also visiting the boys here in Australia. And I think I may have found my female soul mate, as we have been attached by the hip for the past 6 days and nights, and just in fact finished watching "The Lovely Bones" together in Reid's bed. Which was, by the way, one of the worst movies of all time. But since it is Alex's first time in the wonderful land down under, I have taken it upon myself to introduce her to some of what Australia has to offer. We went to a wildlife reserve where we did the standard kangaroo petting/photograph session, we paid 18 dollars to have our picture taken with a half-stoned Koala bear, and we ooh-ed and ahh-ed appropriately at the massive Salty Croc floating lazily in his enclosure. But he was absolutely huge; 2nd largest in captivity, and over 3 meters long. 3 METERS. Imagine that thing popping up in front of you as you're going for a swim. We actually did learn heaps at the reserve; like that kangaroos have the capacity to postpone their pregnancies if facing a draught or food shortage, and they are capable of producing two types of milk at once to cater to the different aged joeys they are rasing. And that Koalas are so lazy because Eucalyptus leaves, the only thing they eat, have about 2% useable energy, and the leaves contain toxins that basically make the Koalas very, very stoned. Alex and I then went to Kirra point where we attempted a surf lesson in ankle high waves, she got stung by a blue bottle jellyfish, and then by a spider, and then she was introduced to her first Tim Tam slam and 50 cent ice cream cone from Maccas. Overall, fantastic introduction to Australia, I reckon.
Coming here from New Zealand has given me a really interesting view on both Australia and New Zealand. When you walk out to the beach in Coolangatta, just a few kilometers up north, the giant, ugly, sky scraper-laden metropolis of Surfer's Paradise looms in the distance. Coolangatta its self has been quite built up with resorts and hotels, heaps of shopping and cafes and pubs, and people EVERYWHERE. In Raglan, it was miles upon miles of undeveloped coast. The only thing you could see beyond the small town of Raglan was green mountain, black sand, and turqioise water. a "crowded" day at Manu bay was 50 people, crowded at Kirra is about 350 people. InAustralia, you can't tramp in the bush without the strong possiblity of getting killed by spiders/snakes/Dingoes/Tasmanian Devils/Northern Queenslanders; in New Zealand, bush tramping is Death-free (unless you fall off of glaciers/mountains/volcanoes). The heat of New Zealand, at least in Canterbury, was dry and HOT, and in Queensland, the humidity is so oppressing that backsweat and swamp ass occur before you leave your driveway. And then like clockwork, it thunderstorms in the afternoon, much like florida in the summer. And today, we were graced by a rainbow, which appropriately formed over Rainbow Bay. It's still wetsuit season in Raglan, and here in Coolie, the water is a balmy 30 degrees celcius, perfect for sharks, box jellies, and other deadly sea creatures. But both places produce Tim Tams, and that is a very important similarity.
It has been great relaxing and hanging out with my American friends for a bit; it has brought me a taste of home and familiarity that I was definitely missing. But I also really enjoy meeting fellow backpackers and local people from the places I am in, and I am quite keen to get back to that. But I first detour in Sydney, the homeland, and I think I might burst into tears when I walk down Coogee Bay road again.
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