The Boys of Brisbane

I scribbled in my spiral notebook on the YHA Drifters‘ patio, taking notes on my day’s adventures. My foot was propped up on an empty chair with a small bag of ice on it. I looked at it and smiled. What had been such a crippling injury in Cairns was almost insignificant now. But I still was staying on the safe side and icing whenever I had the chance.

Tonight was poker night, apparently a weekly tradition at this YHA. And while I had planned on showing all these gents how to really play a game, I had arrived back too late from my day out at The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. I felt my heart beaming from the memory of holding a koala. Well worth it, I thought.

A shaggy man in a baseball cap strode out to the patio. He lit a cigarette and walked around examining the couples sharing drinks. I didn’t pay much attention to him until he gestured toward me with his cigarette and said, “You sure know how to take up a table.”

A Guide to Feeding Kangaroos

So as much as I loved cuddling the koalas, I think I preferred interacting with their bouncy marsupial pals.

Why?

While you only have a limited amount time with the koalas (I think they belong to a union), the kangaroos roam the reserve freely. You could literally spend all day feeding the hoppers. To spend time with the koalas you have to pay for a photo. But you can walk into the kangaroo reserve at no additional cost. They do charge for food but kangaroo pellets are inexpensive.

Most importantly, there are HUNDREDS of kangas. So if one seems snobby, aggressive, or flips you off, you can walk five feet and meet a new one.

Koala Cuddling- The Movie

Thanks again to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for arranging such an awesome day of awesomeness! If you hadn’t guessed, I found the experience pretty awesome.

This is for all those koala fans out there who want to see what the experience is like in action… And please don’t judge me because of my incessant and incoherent rambling. My mind turned to goo from all the cuteness. If you would, however, like to judge my choice of outfit or hairstyle, I have no qualms with that. =)

A Koala Kind of Day

“We’re going to hug koalas. We’re going to hug koalas. We’re going to hug koalas!” My third grade schoolyard chant wasn’t amusing anyone on the bus. I didn’t care. I bounced up and down in my seat.

I was on my way to the Lone Pines Koala Sanctuary located outside of Brisbane to have an intimate moment with one of the world’s most beloved creatures (or should be, according to my book). I was convinced it was going to be the most warm-and-fuzzy-make-your-heart-melt kind of moments I’d ever have.

Getting Down (Under): The Australia Playlist

Yeah, I know. I haven’t updated recently. I’ve been a little distracted watching the Olympics and exploring Australia while I can. Sorry about that.

I was planning on posting about all sorts of awesome adventures today, but my inbox is flooding with requests for more playlist posts. And normally I would read the e-mails, take them into account, and then just post what I feel like anyway. But since I’ve been neglectful, I’ve decided to give the people what they want.

So by popular demand, I bring you…

Music to Get Down (Under) To: The Australia Playlist

How A Year of Blogging Changed My Life

Here I sit in a coffee shop in downtown Brisbane marveling at the artwork that is my cappuccino. I absolutely love foam artwork, probably because it’s both beautiful and delicious. This is such a perfect moment.

As I survey my surroundings, I start thinking of all the steps I’ve taken to get to this particular place, at this particular moment, in this particular region of the globe. It’s been a long journey and isn’t anywhere near done. But really, how did I get here?

I mentally rewind the moments in my head, backing them up through the preceding months. I watch myself walk backwards on the plane, unpack my suitcase, repack my suitcase, fly backwards in time to the Northwest, skip my way down the steps of Montmartre, slide up the side of a volcano, and perfectly seal all the rejection letters from the psychology graduate programs and place them back in the mailbox. Wait. Play. I watch myself cry and use the envelopes of the letters as tear-catchers. I watch myself log onto WordPress and write my very first blog post. Wait. Pause. Has it really been a year since I began this unconventional journey?

Dancing Under the Sea: A Great Barrier Reef Romance

I sat across of Deedee in the ultra-hip café, Brew, in downtown Brisbane. My gaze vacillated between my new friend and my sandwich. I was hesitant to eat it. It looked so enticing it could have been a work of art. Plus I had something I was dying to talk about.

“Deedee,” I started slowly, “Can I tell you something?”

She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “Of course, Hilary! Tell me anything.” I returned her smile. Gosh, I had lucked out with my meet-ups so far on this trip.

One of my Australian followers had put me in touch with Deedee after hearing I was headed to Brisbane. She had so graciously offered to show me around her city and we had become fast friends. But what I wanted to share was pretty personal given the amount of time we’d spent together. And here I was, about to verbally vomit up some intimate stories in this very public venue.