A Day in Brissy

Caught the 8am train into the city and headed straight for the downtown shopping. I stopped in at the first hair salon I came to and asked for help. It was definitely a hair salon for the younger generation, and I offered the girl an out. But she said she didn't like to back down from a challenge, so she took on the job. I am very pleased with the results, and made plans to come back again in 6 weeks or so. We really had a great time visiting while she helped save me from my grown out grays.

When that job was finished, I made my way to the Cinema in the Queen Street Mall. The movie I wanted to see had just started, so I made a note of the time and went to lunch instead. I had a tasty chicken wrap with chips (fries), then took in a bit of shopping. When movie time rolled around I headed in to watch 'Inception' with Leonardo Di Caprio. It was a great flick. The only problem was that [you'll probably have to see the movie to understand] when I left the theatre, in a city where I know absolutely nobody, well, let's just say it was a bit surreal. To cap it all off, I missed the last train out of the city (to the station where my hotel is) and had to 'wing it'. Other than the fact that the Brisbane streets are slightly spooky after dark, what with people ducking their heads as they walk by in order to avoid speaking to you and all (yes...just like in the US), I did okay getting back to the hotel.

To finish off, here are a few things I noticed about Brisbane:

• There are a lot of Asians there, but very few people of colour. After Houston, it seems a bit, well, weird.
• Everything seems so very expensive. A regular size bottle of make-up is $25-35. A movie is $16 (matinee). A can of Diet Coke is $2. Crazy high as far as I can tell.
• People don't avoid eye contact so much, but they don't speak to you on the street. Wouldn't have found this 'strange' but for the fact that I've been living for months in a place where everyone speaks to me on the street--everyone.
• I still like the fact that I can get around the city with a Go Card and the bus/train routes. I found that I don't enjoy travelling around town by myself after dark, however.
• I forgot all about it being winter down under. I was comfortable all day with a light shirt and no jacket, but was surprised at how many people were wearing coats and sweaters.
• I also forgot that the further south you go, the closer you are to the cold weather of the South Pole. So here, South = colder.
• I found that I like Brisbane a lot better when I have someone along. Can't wait for Rebecca to come for a visit!