After traveling a total of 22 hours we have arrived safely in Brisbane! Jason was able to sleep a little bit on the plane but I unfortunately was unable to. We arrived in Brisbane at 7:00 AM on Wednesday 20 January 2010. It was absolutely beautiful when we landed, 80 degrees and sunny! We arrived at our hotel and were unable to check into it until 11:30 so we walked the warm and crowded streets of Brisbane. We were slightly delirious but our excitement over shadowed the sleepy feelings. We window shopped and saw some beautiful government buildings.
We walked to the popular Queens Mall which is a pedestrian promenade. The Mall ended at the Brisbane River and we watched the boats and enjoyed the bright sunshine.
One of the many things we have to set up/find is an apartment. When we checked into our hotel the concierge gave us a list of apartments that were available in the area. We decided to go visit one of the apartments while we waited for our room. We arrived at the apartment complex office and we arranged an apartment viewing for the following day – referred to as an “inspection” in Australia.
After the brief apartment hunt we came back to our temporary home. We are living in a complex that is a hotel that has temporary housing for rent as well. It seems like this is quite popular here in Brisbane. After throwing our 6 bags of luggage in our rooms we were adamant about staying up the entire day so we can try to get used to the time difference as soon as possible. Therefore, we decided to stroll around our new city. Here are some of our observations so far:
1. There are coffee shops EVERYWHERE – it is ridiculous! We found out that coffee here isn’t percolated. It’s either espresso or instant coffee.
2. Vegemite - a popular spread for toast and crackers and just about anything you can think of the Aussie's put it on. It is loaded with Vitamin B and it tastes terrible
3. Mate - Everyone is called mate. I thought it was used towards guys but they call girls here mate too.
4. Clothing - It's a little hard to describe. It's a little Euro but with a Caribbean feel. The shoes are amazing (no heels but really cool sandals) and their clothes are very cute, flowy and light for the hot weather.
5. Men love gel - spikey hair with lots of gel is very popular here
6. Booze is expensive - really expensive. We went to the liquor store (known as a bottle shop) and within two minutes we were asked how long we've been here. Didn't know we stood out that much! They may have heard us talking and from what we've been told there aren't many Americans here. Anyway, liquor is ridiculously expensive, about $50 for a handle or fifth of anything and beer is second most expensive of $60 for a case.
7. Think Left - Not only do they drive on the left side of the road they also walk on the left side of the side walks. We continue to bump into people awkardly
8. Ibis birds - equivalent to the pigeons of the US. These birds are everywhere and they have a crazy beak.
9. Phone/Internet/Living is expensive - For phone and internet they pretty much have a monopoly. On the news today they said that Australians pay the most for cell phones and internet in the world. For cell phones calls it's 45 cents a minute and 35cents to connect the call. Needless to say most people just text.
10. Calories are known as energy - We went to a grocery store and found that the food labels are a little different. They refer to calories as "energy."
We walked to the popular Queens Mall which is a pedestrian promenade. The Mall ended at the Brisbane River and we watched the boats and enjoyed the bright sunshine.
One of the many things we have to set up/find is an apartment. When we checked into our hotel the concierge gave us a list of apartments that were available in the area. We decided to go visit one of the apartments while we waited for our room. We arrived at the apartment complex office and we arranged an apartment viewing for the following day – referred to as an “inspection” in Australia.
After the brief apartment hunt we came back to our temporary home. We are living in a complex that is a hotel that has temporary housing for rent as well. It seems like this is quite popular here in Brisbane. After throwing our 6 bags of luggage in our rooms we were adamant about staying up the entire day so we can try to get used to the time difference as soon as possible. Therefore, we decided to stroll around our new city. Here are some of our observations so far:
1. There are coffee shops EVERYWHERE – it is ridiculous! We found out that coffee here isn’t percolated. It’s either espresso or instant coffee.
2. Vegemite - a popular spread for toast and crackers and just about anything you can think of the Aussie's put it on. It is loaded with Vitamin B and it tastes terrible
3. Mate - Everyone is called mate. I thought it was used towards guys but they call girls here mate too.
4. Clothing - It's a little hard to describe. It's a little Euro but with a Caribbean feel. The shoes are amazing (no heels but really cool sandals) and their clothes are very cute, flowy and light for the hot weather.
5. Men love gel - spikey hair with lots of gel is very popular here
6. Booze is expensive - really expensive. We went to the liquor store (known as a bottle shop) and within two minutes we were asked how long we've been here. Didn't know we stood out that much! They may have heard us talking and from what we've been told there aren't many Americans here. Anyway, liquor is ridiculously expensive, about $50 for a handle or fifth of anything and beer is second most expensive of $60 for a case.
7. Think Left - Not only do they drive on the left side of the road they also walk on the left side of the side walks. We continue to bump into people awkardly
8. Ibis birds - equivalent to the pigeons of the US. These birds are everywhere and they have a crazy beak.
9. Phone/Internet/Living is expensive - For phone and internet they pretty much have a monopoly. On the news today they said that Australians pay the most for cell phones and internet in the world. For cell phones calls it's 45 cents a minute and 35cents to connect the call. Needless to say most people just text.
10. Calories are known as energy - We went to a grocery store and found that the food labels are a little different. They refer to calories as "energy."
We will continue to document our observations of the land down under! For now, we still have to settle in and find a permanent place to live.
I am so happy that you both arrived safe and sound! I am so jealous of you guys! It looks as though I'm going to have to start saving my money to come and visit the "Land Down Under" within the next two years. I cannot wait to hear about all your adventures and good luck!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Kate
Good news for cell phones - free incoming calls, and calls to the US are about $.23/minute - cheaper than calling each other! :)
ReplyDeleteYay! Love you both
ReplyDeleteVegemite is the most god awful substance ever created by man.
ReplyDelete