Currently on the train out to North Stradbroke Island (Straddie as it's called), and I can finally feel myself getting out of the funk I've admittedly been in the last few days.

When I got to Brisbane on Sunday, at first I loved it.  But then I spent the first four days here waiting on some money to come to me, and my days were spent wasted/extremely hungover, and by Thursday I still had none of the cash, I was very bored of getting drunk, and I didn't feel particularly comfortable at the house I was staying.  On top of all that, every time I'd think about doing something cheap, like a beach or a forest walk, the sky would break open and it wouldn't be possible.

Well I kinda got so into the swing of doing nothing it was even hard to push my lazy ass out of bed this morning, and in fact I slept through the first train I'd planned to take, which was up the Sunshine Coast to Noosa.  Too bad, if I'd caught the 8am train I could have spent my day wandering around Noosa Park and checking out all of the wildlife there.  When I realized this morning I'd slept in, I got all waaaah fuck this blah I'm just gonna sleep.  Instead I then looked at my options:  I could still go to Noosa, but taking a 3hour train from 11am-2pm wasn't very appealing.  I could grab a train down the Gold Coast to Surfers Paradise, but it's an extreme tourist haven and the weather is still overcast so a place that just has a beach isn't great.
So I decided on North Stradbroke Island.  I'll probably be getting there too late to join any snorkel tours for the day, but hopefully by the time I get there the sun will be out and I can lay on the gorgeous beaches (seriously, google image search that shit it's incredible), and hopefully see some dolphins and turtles.  I'm too early in the year for whales unfortunately, but oh well!

This week has been interesting in a lot of ways though.  Shown me how both bad planning (spending all my money), and things you can't control (weather), can have such an impact on not only what you do in the day but your overall feelings on everything.  It's also made me think that six weeks may have been too long for my first solo trip.  Even though I've made friends along the way, it's not the same.  You can be independent all you'd like, but not having the opportunity to see someone who truly cares about you for such a long time period can be hard.  Hopefully D actually gets his passport and does come to Thailand with me in November, that would RULE.

Grrrrrr the sky has broken, its raining now and I forgot my rain poncho back at the hostel.  30 minutes til I'm off this train, fingers crossed the sun comes back out!

No matter how independent you are, sometimes it can be really hard to be alone.  It's Friday night, and I'm on my own tonight.  Staying in a hostel, and right now I'd love to grab a burger and a beer.  But as it's Friday night, every place is packed, and I'm tired and not really up for flying solo in a packed place.  It's weird.  I'm on my own so much.  I've been independent and have taken care of myself, 'just me', for over fifteen years now.  But since I don't feel up to making conversation with strangers in a pub tonight, and since I'd feel like an idiot bringing my netbook or a real book out with me on a Friday night, I'm currently thinking of just grabbing fast food and coming back to my room.  Seriously?  FUCK THAT.  That's not who I am.  I can't let myself take the easy way out, it's just dinner!  I'm gonna do it.... soon.  I promise.

The weather here in Brisbane is so frustrating.  Woke up this morning and it was nice and sunny out, so decided I'd head to the beach after breakfast.  Then the sky became overcast and looked like it was going to break open into pouring rain any second.  So I didn't leave.  Then it looked sunny again. Then overcast.  Now it looks like sunny. Maybe.  ARGH!  Oh well.  I'm broke as fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck right now so if I don't do anything today the next two days, my last two in Brisbane, will be more enjoyable.

Tomorrow we're heading up to Mount Coot-tha, a mountain where you can look out over the entire city, with botanic gardens and waterfalls and stuff.  Should be gorgeous.  Saturday, my last day here, I'll hopefully be able to afford to grab a bus and head down to the Gold Coast, to Coolangata, to spend the day on one of the prettiest beaches around.

This week has been a little annoying, as I'm too broke to really do much and there isn't a whole lot to do in the city itself, all of the interesting things require a bit of cash and which I just don't have.  Blargh.  Got some cash coming to me from peoples back home in the next couple of days, and my tax refund should hopefully be deposited in the next few days, and then I'll be back on track.

Brisbane is awesome so far.  I don't think I could have picked a better place to spend my week of being broke as fuck.  Heading out in a few minutes to meet up with J, the British boy from the Belizean sandy beach adventure.  The people who live at the house I'm staying with are amazing.  Should spend time up at waterfalls in the hills and on beaches on the Sunshine Coast at some point this week.  Then by the end of the week I will hopefully have a bit more money in my bank account and I can party hard here before heading to Alice Springs on Sunday.

OH! And there is a KITTY at this house! First cat I've seen here, and he's so handsome.  Like my Mr. Pawsborne but older and more distinguished.  Yes, I called a cat distinguished :D

I'm going to like it here in Brisbane. Fuck yes.  Just arrived at the fucking beautiful house I'm staying in (thanks to a friend of a friend of a friend), immediately was offered a drink of vodka and I can hear the people who live here jamming downstairs, and once they're done we're heading to someone's birthday in a park.  Ahhhhh life is good!

Goddamn I love free wifi.  I'm currently sitting on the curb at the Brisbane airport, waiting for my bus into the CBD (That's Central Business District, my Canadian friends, that's what it's called instead of downtown), and while I wait I'm using the airports wifi to figure out how to get where I'm going, and also to download episodes of Modern Family.  Got off the plane with no idea how to get where I'm going.  Asked the shuttle bus lady and she said i could get out at the Convention Centre and take a bus from there.  But OOOH thanks to googlemaps, I now know it's only a 20 minute walk from the CC to the place I'm staying. Aaaaaaah.  I love teh intrawebs.

Friday in the rainforest

What an incredible day.  I am so in love with life right now.

Part of why I came to Cairns was to spend time in the Atherton Tablelands, so thats where I headed today.  Took the Kuranda Scenic Railway, an old steam train, up the hills into the rainforest.  Stopped to see the Barron Falls, it was beautiful.  I joke on this trip about 'how did people travel before digital cameras and wi-fi?', but more and more I realize it's not a joke, technology has overtaken everything.  When we stopped at the falls, almost every person stepping off the train already had their camera up - like they couldn't miss a second of this being recorded.  I don't understand, because if you're always more concerned about taking photos, that's the only memory you'll have.  You wont' have an actual memory in your mind about how it felt to be there.  I did take photos of course, but I also just stood there and drank it in.  The cool breeze coming off the water, the mist in the air, the power of the falls. Beautiful.

Got off the train in Kuranda and fought my way through the hordes of tour groups, and went up the stairs - to the left, the town. To the right, the river.  I am literally the only person who turned right, which meant I had the rainforest all to myself!  There are a bunch of self-guided trails that take you along the river and through the rainforest, and since it was just me I could go at whatever pace I wanted to, and just stop and listen to the trees.  It was incredible.  Technology was also there, of course - just as I was thinking 'last time I was in the rainforest was with Ashley, I miss her', I got a text from her! HA!  Texting from the rainforest.  Love it.

From there I headed into town where I went and handfed some kangaroos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Also saw a bunch of crocodiles, koalas, wallabies,and even a wombat.  EEEEEEEEEK!  My timing for the day was perfect, cause I got all my outdoors stuff in, and just as I sat down for lunch the sky broke open and it started pouring.  I asked a lady in a shop for a plastic bag to put my purse in, and she gave me a rain poncho - and wouldn't let me pay her for it! So nice.

My day ended with a ride down over the rainforest in the Skyrail Cablecar.  Floating in my own little car over all the trees, with another stop (and a different view)) at Barron Falls.

So many times today I just looked around and thought about how lucky I am to be here.  I'm so happy I came.