Heading Home

I haven't blogged here for a while but just noticed I never really posted about coming home. And I'm someone who likes conclusions and happy endings...On our final night at Long Island Resort, we took advantage of happy hour before dinner (see photo) and then after our meal, took a stroll on the peaceful beach...the moon was glowing and surrounded by a hazy, milky sphere. It was just beautiful. A band played typical wedding reception covers (Mustang Sally, Brown-Eyed Girl, etc) while people hung out by the bar. On September 23, we traveled from Long Island Resort to Airlie Beach, then to Brisbane and on to Melbourne, retracing our stops during the two week vacation. Upon leaving the Long Island Resort, we actually met a staff member from Eugene, Oregon! Of all places, I least expected to talk to someone about 'the Ducks' on a tropical resort in Queensland, Australia. It's always meaningful to find those connections when traveling.

We left Melbourne on September 25 and arrived just fine on September 25 in Portland. (I love time traveling!) Three days later, I drove to Seattle for my last library school residency (yep, I graduate with my MLIS in December!). And now we've been home in Portland two months. We had a wonderful party last week in which about 18 friends came over and ate mini-cupcakes and drank wine from Tasmania and Australia, and viewed our Aussie DVD slideshow. V won a miniature koala bear and $5 AUD for answering our trivia question. People ask us how it is to be back. And both of us feel "mixed"...our home in Portland is wonderful, but we miss Australia. Hopefully we'll get to return someday.

Long Island Resort

Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

We went from Airlie Beach to a 50 ft. sailboat for three days/two nights. We got stinger suits (as you can see in the photo) to ward off the thumb-size, slightly visible stingers while snorkeling. We were there with three other couples plus five others, including our skipper, Steve, and decky, Suzy. It was an international group- two from Melbourne, one from Hong Kong, two from Newcastle, U.K., one from Scotland, one from Switzerland, one from Ireland, one from Wales...then Steve was from Sydney and Suze from the French Riviera. Steve and Suzy are opposites in looks. He is a middle-aged big, burly, tough man while she is short and petite, dark, and soft-spoken (but also strong). They get along well. He steers the boat and she helps with ropes and things on deck, cooks, cleans, and hangs out. Words can't describe how incredible it was to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. We learned the GBR is the only living thing that can be seen on earth from outer space. It was very surreal. Unfortunately, these photos I took with my waterproof camera don't really show the bright colors and variety of life under the water. When we returned from our first snorkel outing, Steve offered to take some more experienced people out for more, particularly to dive with snorkel gear on. I surprised myself by asking if I could go and they let me- as we were reaching the spot in the raft, Steve told us "Now, there are bities here" and I laughed nervously, not knowing whether to believe him (I chose not to at the time, and never saw any, but believe he wasn't joking because there are sharks in the area). I tried learning to dive but it was hard without filling my snorkel tube with water so after a while, I just delighted in snorkeling more. The whole experience was amazing and one of the best things I've ever done. That night, we could see the Milky Way from the deck of the boat as we talked with each other about our home countries.

Relaxing in Airlie Beach

We arrived at Airlie Beach in Queensland with no problems. The airport was the first we'd ever seen with a grassy outdoor waiting area! Our place was up a big hill but thankfully not as high up as some of the luxury resorts, since we were on foot. Airlie Beach is built around tourists with lots of little shops bursting with trinkets, sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, surfer brand clothing, and skimpy swimwear (or "swimmers", as they call them here). The place we stayed was a mixture of families, retirees and hip, young couples. It was comfortable but definately not modern- the decor was "grandma-esque" with wicker furniture, floral cushions, faded framed posters of beach scenes and parrots. But it had a big balcony looking out and down over the main street and toward the water where four dozen or so boats of different types floated all day and night. A few islands could be seen in the distance. Palm trees were everywhere and many loud birds, including a group of cockatoos that regularly visited our balcony (usually before dinner) to say hello. The town has a man-made, fairly large lagoon area just beyond the shops where tons of beachgoers lay out in the sun or swim (some topless). We also had a pool and hot tub at our complex so we used that more- less crowded. Mark got a cold so we lounged close-by a little more than originally planned. I found a large bead store and went several times during the week- bought several ocean-inspired beads for centerpieces for necklaces. We found ourselves wearing swimsuits, tank-tops, shorts and flip-flops all day. Very relaxing. It was tempting to check email, but we mostly managed to ignore it. I read Mark Twain's travel book "Following the Equator" which Mark had read before me. We both find his observations about Australia very accurate. His writing is so witty and humorous and delightful.

The days merged together and soon we lost track of time. One day I went to the grocery store and got sidetracked when I stumbled upon an arts market with local produce, art, jewelry and hippie-style clothing. Five or six camels with saddles rested on the beach, waiting to give rides to curious tourists. Our last night in Airlie Beach, we dressed up (which meant putting on something other than swimmers) and had a nice dinner at a seafood place called Shipwrecked. Then when we got home we watched a film on tv called "Candy" starring Heath Ledger as part of a heroin-addicted couple trying to make things work. It was a good film, although predictably depressing, but my major complaint was Heath and his lead actress Abbie Cornish looked like Calvin Klein models for most of it (despite what the user review says on IMDb). They appeared slightly sweaty and ragged while trying to get clean. Anyway, that night, the moon was a beautiful silver sliver in the sky and I tried to capture it with my camera.

The following day I did something I'd always wanted to do, and laid in my bikini by the poolside, slurping a fruity strawberry daquari and relaxing. (I recommend it). That night, in the bathroom, I discovered a big black bug that appeared like a cross between a beetle, grasshopper, cricket and cockroach. I found it as I flicked on the light...actually I heard it first, crawling on the wall, which freaked me out. It is an unmistakeable sound. I told a sleepy Mark about it and, aware that he was half-asleep, put a sticky note on the door warning "Beware of Bug!". It seems silly now, but at the time I was imagining The Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka- except the bug and I were clearly separate beings. And I'm glad it stayed that way.

Snapshots of State Library of Queensland

Photos from my visit to the State Library- I am happy to report that either I was sneaky about taking these, or they have a more relaxed policy on photography. The poster image is interesting- trying to convince people to take less showers due to the drought in Australia. It was hanging in the foyer of the library. The second from top photo is an outside view of "The Corner", an appropriately-named space for children.

My Day in Brisbane

On September 10, Mark spent a full day at the Brisbane office meeting with people, so I was on my own. After sleeping in, I got up and walked across the Goodwill pedestrian bridge to the City Botanic Gardens, made in the early to mid 1800's. This garden flooded for the eighth time in 1974 - after that, a newer, bigger botanic gardens was created on Mount Coot-tha (a flood-free site, see yesterday's post for photos). I spent the entire morning at the City gardens. I saw a mangrove area along the first path, then walked up to the cafe and sat down for a latte and orange-poppy seed muffin. What a wonderful morning! A group of a dozen older ladies were all dressed up and exchanging gifts and having 'high tea'. I enjoyed reading at the cafe, then exploring the rest of the gardens and taking lots of photos. Near the pond area, I saw several ducks and more of the bearded dragon-lizards up close- they freeze when approached (although they look like they could bite your toes off quite easily) so I was able to get some very good shots. Near lunch time, I walked to Alice and Edwards St, and discovered a bookstore in a large basement...of course I found books I couldn't resist buying...two on Aboriginal tales and myths. I found a lunch spot at Picasso's (across from the bookstore) and had a garden salad and sparkling wine. The afternoon was more wandering around, along Queen St, stopping to look at St. Stephens Cathedral, and window shopping. Toward late afternoon, I went to Brisbane's City Library and was immediately chastised by a security guard after snapping a photo. I decided not to risk them taking my camera but I wish I had more photos...the spaces seemed very well-designed, extremely modern, and reminded me a little of Seattle Public Library on a smaller scale. Neon-colored ends on bookshelves, lots of blonde wood, clear windows, flat screen monitors, escalators, and a transparent meeting room that seemed to "float over" the first level. There was a reference area where people take a number then chat with a reference staff member while seated in a comfortable chair (a great idea!). I walked over to the State Library of Queensland next but by this time, I'd walked around for seven hours and was tired (I should've visited earlier in the day). I mainly saw the "Information room" with groups of computers. It seemed very modern as well. I think both libraries were fairly new, which helps them to feel modern (the Central library in Portland has an older, classic look to it, with marble, fancy rose carpet, big, dark wooden tables, etc and a rich history). I like both modern and older styles- I think they each have things to offer. After going back to the hotel, I went down the street to the Batavia teashop, where I sat outside at one of the wicker tables with wide, cushioned wicker seats. I ordered a vanilla chai, which came to me on a wooden tray with a pitcher of chai, a pitcher of soy milk, and a spoon with honey so I could create my own tea, mixing in the right proportions. It was very relaxing, sitting and sipping chai out of a generous round cup, watching people pass by. Later, I took myself to dinner at Ahmet, a Turkish restaurant, where I had Turkish bread, a glass of shiraz, rice, a dish with potatoes, lamb, peppers, eggplant and more. The decor was stunning- multi-colored transparent cloth draped across the ceiling and down along the walls; rich, shining fabrics on each table along with a fabric-covered low bench seat, and vivid paintings of Turkish women hanging in various spots. For dessert I had some sweet and crispy baklava.