"THEY KNOW IF THERE ARE BEANS IN YOUR POCKETS"

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Temperature: 33 Degrees Celsius and HUMID
Track of the day: "Fall for Anything," Blue Monday

"That's them," I say grabbing Alecs' arm excitedly, "Mom, Dad and Sam - over in the corner." After a 9 hour flight to Bangkok, a 12 hour layover, 2 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur and a 1.5 hour wait for them to arrive they are finally here. I hold up my handmade 'Green Family' sign and start feeling jittery all over. An emotional reunion and about 20 minutes later and we are all headed in a taxi van towards Heritage Hotel. Alecs and I have been awake for nearly 39 hours at this point (stopping for a 4 hour nap at the transit hotel in the Bangkok Airport) but a second wind of excitement has me wide awake. We chat the whole way to the city - a 45 minute drive from the airport and before long are checked into our gorgeous hotel. Okay - gorgeous needs to be elaborated on a little bit. The outside is stunning - a converted railway station with gorgeous detailing - a tourist attraction in itself. The inside however - well it leaves a little to be desired as we all examine the less than desirable carpets. "It's only for 5 nights and the hotels get nicer as we go along," Mom says almost apologetically. "We're not here for the hotel anyway," Alecs says, "we're here to see Malaysia." We wander over to Chinatown - a short skip and a walk from the hotel to find a little place to eat. Settling on a quaint candle lit eatery inside the central market we talk some more exchanging travel stories and catching up on nearly a year apart.
"You up?" Alecs asks nudging me awake the next morning. "I am now," I say yawning and stretching. "We should get ready if we're planning on making it to the Petronas towers this morning," he adds already showered and dressed as per usual. Arriving at the massive twin towers an hour later we quickly find out they are in fact closed on Monday's to the public. Content to spend some time shopping in the mall, catching up, hitting the large underground aquarium and walking around the outside of the towers we easily fill up the day. "A Christmas Carol in 3D is playing," I say, suggesting we might all go to it. A quick consensus is drawn and we are now donning goofy looking 3D glasses watching the marvels of Jim Carey. "This is perfect," Alecs whispers over my shoulder, "we always watch A Christmas Carol at Theater Calgary at this exact time of year for your birthday - at least we're watching a version of it this year." The movie ends we book a couple tours grab a delicious pizza dinner and head back to the hotel for the night. "We're finally here," Alecs says the next morning after a long bus ride out to the ancient city of Melacca, a UNESCO world heritage sight unto itself. Melacca sits opposite of Sumatra about four hours from Kuala Lumpur. We are led down the twisty roads of China-town past a Buddhist temple and a mosque before reaching the Red House area which was so named for it's red colour. We visit Christ Church before Sam decides to have a photo taken with a white and fairly large snake. Then we are off to the Francis Xavier Church, a Gothic church built by a french saint back in 1849. It's a far hike up the 200+ stairs to the top but the view is well worth it. Sweeping across the ocean and showcasing the city in all it's glory we take a few moments to reflect on the fact we are actually here in Malaysia. Lunch, a couple more sights and a long 4 hour bus ride has us tucked away in our beds once again.
"Happy birthday to you," Alecs sings the next morning moments after I wake up. Indeed today is my birthday and it's sure to be one to remember. We spend the morning at the Kuala Lumpur bird park which proves to be quite an interesting endeavour. Aside from the vast array of colourful birds, there are plenty of hands on opportunities. I follow Alecs into the parrot enclosure where we purchase a cup of milk to hold in the air for the parrots to swoop down and feed from. Suddenly however every bird in the enclosure frantically flies screeching to the corner of the enclosure and begins flying back and forth over our heads. A park employee tells us an eagle just flew overhead causing the parrots to panic. It's quite the entertaining moment until Alecs looks down to his shirt to find a gooey white stain. "I don't think that's ice cream," Alecs says, his face distorted. Once we're all cleaned up we grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the hotel where Alecs promptly changes his shirt. By the time we have all cooled off sitting under the a/c a knock on our door informs us that our tour van is ready to go. A couple hour drive out of the city has us at our first destination perched high atop a mountain, surrounded by lush rain forest, overlooking the great ocean we depart the van as our guide continues to explain about the monkeys. "They know if there are beans in your pockets," he says like a father would a child, "if they jump on you bend down to let them off, don't push them." After the lengthy warnings from our guide Dad heads over to a stand to buy bunches of green bean to feed the monkeys. There are droves and droves of monkeys, peeling off the trees and the moment they see us with bundles of beans they swarm us like ants at a picnic. A monkey grabs Sam's leg and as Sam bends to hand him a single bean the cheeky little monkey leaps up to snatch the whole bundle. Everyone tries their hand at feeding the monkeys which seem to come at us from every side. I offer Alecs some more beans but he reluctantly shakes his head. "I don't like monkeys," Alecs say, "Apes, chimps, orangutans - those I like, but monkeys, monkeys are just mean and mischievous." Just as he says this we look back to see Dad walking down the street with an entire bag of beans. The monkeys start leaping from their trees and heading straight for him. There is nothing any of us can do except watch as he struggles to get them off his shoulders. Sam, Alecs and I laugh while mom shouts out the instructions she remembers from the guide and before too long the hilarity ends and the monkeys have left with all the beans. Some dark clouds come rolling in and moments later (quite literally) it is pouring buckets down on us. We all hop back in the van and head to our dinner destination, a wooden restaurant on the river where we are served a variety of Chinese and Malay food as well as some fresh seafood. The rain subsides and a calm silence washes over the water and we are then whisked away to our final destination. Donning life jackets, we board a small boat and silently make our way up the river enclosed on all sides by bushes and trees teeming with fireflies. The boat captains turns off the engine and lights and we silently drift through the water at millions of twinkling firefly's glisten off the trees. A single firefly lands on Alecs' shoulder and the light of the moon filters through the sides of the boat. "This is amazing," I hear Mom say in front of me. We all nod our heads, silent as the faint sound of crickets fills the air. "That was by far the best thing we've done in Malaysia so far," Sam says as we drop our life vests off and head to the van. "I agree," says Alecs, "I've seen fireflies as a kid in the Philippines but never like that." We drift in and out of sleep for the duration of the trip back to the hotel where I get some birthday presents including a lovely necklace, a great book, some American $$ for Cambodia, Thai Bhat and a swimsuit from Victoria's Secret that I had been eying for quite some time - a perfect end to a perfectly unforgettable birthday.

Until next time so long,

Alecs and Meg (and family) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ps. Unfortunately there are no photo's to upload as we somehow managed to loose our camera at the airport. Luckily we had a spare waterproof camera and Lorrie/Kevin also had a couple camera's and of couse took photo's so we were still able to steal theirs.

"OFF ON ANOTHER ADVENTURE"

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Temperature: 29 Degrees Celsius
Track of the day: "All kinds of time," Fountains of Wayne
"It can't believe it," Alecs says moments after I open my eyes, "we're off on another adventure." Indeed, this morning is our last morning in Australia for the next several weeks. At 2:20PM today we will be on a plane bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - a place we have yet to visit. "My mom emailed," I say sitting at the computer, "there's a big snow storm in Calgary and their flight might be delayed." My Mom, Dad and Brother should be arriving in Malaysia two hours after we arrive if all their flights go as planned, but for now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that they arrive safely. Alecs folds the pizza box from the night before and I wash out the celebratory beer bottles before packing the last few items on the list. Within the hour the apartment is clean, our backpack is packed (yes we managed to fit everything into one bag) and we are ready to go. Our travels will take us through Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand, at which point my family will head back to Canada and Alecs and I will continue onto the Philippines before returning to Australia at the end of January. We are looking forward to another epic journey that is sure to produce a plethora of stories to come! So stay tuned as we will be continually updating this blog in the days and weeks to come!
Until next time,
Alecs and Meg leaving Brisbane

"A THIRTIETH TO REMEMBER"

MORETON ISLAND (TANGALOOMA RESORT), AUSTRALIA

Temperature: 34 Degrees Celsius (and H-O-T)

Track of the day: Forever Young, New Zealand Ad Campaign (click here to watch the ad - trust me you'll want to book a flight there by the end.)

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Alecs, happy birthday to you," I sing bright and early in the morning as we wait for our taxi. Today is Alecs' 30th birthday - or as he likes to call it - his second 29th birthday. We are heading to Tangalooma Island resort for the day - some 75 minutes from Brisbane. Our taxi arrives promptly at 6:25a.m. and we're quickly on our way to the Holt Street Wharf. Within fifteen minutes we're at the wharf and waiting to board the cruise ship to the island in the distance. "I'm really looking forward to today," Alecs says smiling, backpacked filled with snorkeling gear in hand. We patiently wait our turn to board the vessel, taking a comfy seat up front watching the morning show as we depart. We cruise through the mouth of the Brisbane river and before we know it we are in the Pacific Ocean, passing fisherman and outrigger boats along the way. Before long the boat is docking and with a spring in our step we make our way down the dock (known as a Jetty in Australia) to the beach. We pass the 'pelican feeding area' along the way where several impossibly large pelicans crowd an area on the beach waiting for their breakfast. Looming palm trees line the shore next to quaint nipa huts and a variety of manicured foliage creates a tropical paradise. The expansive beach stretching as far as the eye can see is made of the most powdery sand imaginable. "I can't wait to get in the water and use our snorkels again," Alecs says removing his sandals and wading into the water. Although it's considerably more cool than the Asia seas we've become accustomed to - water is water and we're happy to be back.

In hopes to book a desert safari tour we head to the tour desk but soon decide to forgo the safari and book a tandem parasailing tour. "We're actually going to go parasailing," Alecs says excitedly, "that's on my bucket list," he adds. Since our tour doesn't leave for a couple hours we decide to grab some milkshakes and sit on the beach - soaking up the sun which continues to get hotter and hotter by the minute. Watching the waves lap against the shore, our toes squiggling in the sand, sun beating down on us we can't help but think of our fellow coworkers back in Brisbane stuck in the office! Time flies by and before long we find ourselves on a speedboat picking up pace and being debriefed on safety tips. Tethered to a hand tied rope we sit on the stern of the boat and moments later are sailing upwards into the sky. The exhilaration of the flight has the biggest of smiles spread across our faces. As we reach the maximum height high above the ocean we try and spot sharks and dolphins but to no prevail. The view from above is incredible - the colours magnified and it puts everything in perspective. "This," Alecs says smiling, "is a thirtieth to remember." Our flight takes us over the three sunken shipwrecks just offshore from the resort and the aeriel view offers the best of sites. Soon the speedboat pulling us slows down and we drop quickly from the sky. Knowing what's about to happen we both brace for the shock of hitting the water. The driver allows us to plunge into the water for only a moment before jolting us back up into the air. We are now ice cold as we zoom full speed ahead soaking wet. A few minutes later we are pulled back into the boat landing with both feet on the stern. "See anything up there?" the Captain asks as we carefully maneuver our way back into the boat. "We saw thousands and thousands of people," Alecs says mimicking my grandfather in another one of his many 'Glenisms', "there must have been at least five hundred." A few minutes later has us dopily skipping down the beach to our locker. Stopping in at the beach cafe we pick up a quick order of fish and chips and down it quickly before heading to the shipwrecks. We walk some 20 minutes down the beach to the site of three purposely sunken ships. The wrecks consist of 15 hulks, which were scuttled by the Department of Harbours and Marine to provide an anchorage haven. The first vessel was sunk in 1963 and the scuttling of dredges and barges continued until 1984. Today, the wrecks provide a great habitat for a diversity of marine life, making the Tangalooma Wrecks a great spot for snorkeling, which of course makes us happy. The sun is now at it's highest point and having decided to forgo sunscreen in hopes of getting some colour I am starting to feel the burn. "Told you so," Alecs says with a sly smile, "but let's get into the water." The wrecks are a seemingly short swim from the shore but as we soon find out the current is working against us making for a long and very tiring swim. The visibility is quite low but as we get closer to the ship we start seeing a myriad of fish. A resident and harmless wobbegong shark takes residence in these wrecks but we aren't fortunate enough to spot him. We spend some time exploring the old iron ships before making our way back across the waters. Exhausted from both the heat, difficult swim and long walk along the beach we walk the 2KM back to the resort, change into some dry clothes and grab a delicious dinner. "You know what's missing," Alecs says as we sit on a wooden table alongside the ocean, delicious food in front of us and a setting sun in the distance. "Beer," he says, "we need a XXXX Gold to make this moment complete." Picking up a couple cans of the Brisbane brew we dig into our meals as the sky turns a brilliant shade of orange and red. We laugh and reminisce about the day and about the year and about the upcoming trip to Asia.

After the sun has set we head to the jetty (port) where a pod of wild dolphins will swim up allowing us the opportunity to hand-feed one. The wind has picked up and the waves beat hard against the shore. "This is a dolphins playground," says one of the marine biologists who will be guiding us, "dolphins love the waves". Just as he says this a beautiful grey bottlenose dolphins appears below the dock - her dorsal fin peeking above the water. There are 600-800 hundred dolphins around Moreton Bay but only a single pod comes to the feeding here at Tangalooma and not all of them show up everyday. Once the sun has fully set 4 more adult dolphins and 2 calf's swim in from the ocean (they base the arrival time on the sunset). As the dolphins wait for us to arrange ourselves they surf the waves, socialize with one another and entertain us all immensely. Being wild dolphins these guys still hunt and we watch one of the dolphins chase a fish underwater, flipping onto her back pushing them out of the water and then jumping after them to catch it in mid air. Alecs and I stand mesmerized by the elegant intelligent creatures seamlessly flying through the water before us. We gather on the beach and wash our hands (being wild mammals the dolphins can catch diseases from us like the common cold) and we then take a single fish (the food received from everyone accounts for only 20% of the dolphins daily diet ensuring they continue to hunt in the wild) and wade into the water with one of the dolphin workers jumping with every wave to keep our heads above water. Once instructed Alecs dips his hand below the water and a sleek dolphin swims up close and gently takes the fish right from his hand. Next it's my turn and the gorgeous girl swims carefully up and sweetly pulls the fish from my hand. We are told her name is Shadow and her calf who is still nursing and therefore does not participate in the feeding is waiting just behind her. "Shadow," I say to Alecs, "what a perfect coincidence," referencing to the fact our dog's name is also Shadow. Shadow swims past us before we head back lying on her side to have a look at us - truly magical! Since dolphins are sensitive to light only resort staff (standing behind the dolphins not in front) could take photos and since the waves were so high the one we received wasn't the best as you can see - but it's the memories that matter. When the lights on the dock go out the dolphins take their cue and return to the open ocean. With the perfect end to a perfect day we board the boat back to Brisbane where a birthday cake and presents await an unknowing Alecs.

Until next time so long,
Alecs and Meg on Moreton Island

Ps. The first video is us parasailing, the second at the wrecks and the third is some of the wild dolphins. The video of the dolphins demonstrates the hunting technique I was referring to where the dolphins flips onto her back and forces the fish in the air - although it was at night and therefore the video isn't very clear.

"BRISBANE'S REALLY STARTING TO GROW ON ME,"

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Temperature: 27 Degrees Celsius
Track of the day: "All night long", ACDC

"Is goofy a dog or a bear?" I ask Alecs early Saturday morning as I finish my oatmeal. "We've been over this before," he says shaking his head, "Goofy's a dog." I stop for a moment. "Why would a dog have a pet dog?" I ask. Alecs shakes his head again turning off the Saturday morning cartoons. Today is Brisbane Riverfire, a festival of events to celebrate the river that the city thrives around. Tonight at 7:00 there will be fireworks shooting off all over the city and we've got a nice picnic dinner planned and a perfect little park to watch it all from. Until then, we have plenty to do, including a quick trip to the riverside market. This farmer's market happens every fortnight (which coincidentally falls in line with payday for both of us) and the 45 min walk each way is more than worth it. We head out early to beat the sun and are soon enough wandering through the crooked stalls, Moreton Bay Bugs (a small type of Lobster) crawling around their little aquariums, juicy mangoes spilling over the stand and the smell of fresh cinnamon buns fills the air. "I'm going to get some beets for dinner," I say to Alecs squeezing past a large German Shepherd 'accidentally' reaching out to pet him on my way. We pick a delicious array of fresh fruit and veggies before venturing home to prepare for tonight festivities. Living in the city centre has it's perks and watching the flocks of people flowing in and out of the train station brings a smile to our face. 'We're lucky we can walk to the place people have to commute into," Alecs says as a particularly packed bus heading to Southbank passes us. Our plan of beating the rush of people to the park failed miserably and as we crossed story bridge to Captain Burke park it becomes very apparent that despite being four hours early - we are in fact late. "We need to get some of those fries from the fish shop on the corner," I say to Alecs excitedly. We stop in at our favorite fish and chip shop for some beer battered chips that have yet to be rivaled. Chips in hand we head to Captain Burke park. The buzzing sound of people chattering gets louder and louder and as we turn the last palm tree lined corner into the park. A young boy flies past us followed by a little rugby ball. Skidding across the grass a young boy dives to catch the red rugby ball his brother threw his way. "This likes as good a place as any," Alecs says removing his pack and spreading out on an empty bit of grass. Our superb self-control shines as we manage to wait a whole two minutes before digging into the tasty fries. "I forgot how good these were," I say relishing each piece in my mouth. We sit and chat, listening to the buzz of families around us for the next few hours. The more healthy side of our picnic includes some fresh strawberries, a chicken pita wrap and some sliced veggies which all prove to be delicious in their own right (but cannot be compared with the infamous beer battered chips). The voices of several children shouting to their parents in unison fills the air. "The jets are coming, the jets are coming," we hear one little girl shout. We turn our heads to the sky and sure enough five fighter jets shoot overhead in formation - the booming sound following moments later. They soar through the sky twirling about, plummeting to the ground before swooping back up for dramatic effect. Before long the jets disappear and the sky begins to get darker and darker. Moments before 7:00 the crown starts cheering, the radio station who has set up in front begins counting down and the first firework screeches through the air ending with a loud pop and a burst of pink fills the air. Little kids with glow sticks stop fidgeting and look to the sky, older ones climb trees and playground equipment for the best vantage point and I pull out a little bag of popcorn. Leaningg up against each other Alecs and I settle in for what is to become a 45 minute long festival of fireworks. The centrepiece of the light show - the story bridge - suddenly shoots off a consecutive burst of fireworks from one end to the next. A steady stream of larger more colourful ones continue next to it and we find ourselves frantically trying to decide which ones to look at. The many different colours, sizes and sounds fill the air and we can hear the sound of the other fireworks around the city going off in between burst of ours. The reflection off the river is magical - each pop of light reflecting in our eyes and on the water. "This rivals the Disneyland Fireworks," Alecs says leaning over to grab some popcorn, "it might actually - dare I say it - be better," he adds. The grand finale arrives all too soon and last for much longer than expected. An F-111 Jet zooms overhead and a booming almost deafening sound fills the air and resonates through our entire bodies. Moments after passing the last string of fireworks ignites and it's all over. We hang around as the crowd disperses, admiring the city lights before walking home after a fun filled night to remember. The streets of the Valley (community we live in) are alive and kicking as we shuffle down Brunswick Street. Live music plays at centre stage, pub goers enjoy a nice XXXX Gold on the patios and I can't help but have a skip in my step. "You know Brisbane's really growing on me," Alecs says as we turn onto Alfred Street. "Me too," I say smiling...."me too."

So long for now,

Alecs and Meg in Brisbane.

"I THINK WE'VE ACCLIMATIZED WAY TOO MUCH"

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Temperature: 20 Degrees Celsius

Track of the day: Sleeping to dream, Jason Mraz

"Are you sure the 451 bus stops here?" Alecs asks as he scans the timetable at the bus-stop. We planned to leave for the Gold Coast early this morning, but an 8AM departure soon became an 11:00AM departure as sleeping in seemed like a much more favourable option to another early morning. So after spending 45 minutes on the train we arrived at the last station – Robina and now find ourselves waiting for the bus to Surfers paradise. We soon realize this bus does not stop here and despite out better judgement grab the next bus we see – despite not knowing it’s destination. “I figure we hop off as soon as we see water,” I say, feeling more and more anxious as the bus moves further and further from the coast. Fifteen minutes into the ride Alecs sees the crystal blue ocean, queuing our departure. We find ourselves in the seaside town of Burleigh Heads. As we head towards the water I spot some surfers riding the waves to the east while sunbathers soak up some rays on the expansive sandy beach while a young lifeguard keeps an eye out in true Aussie style. It’s winter here on the coast, and for a banana bender (Queenslander) that means staying inside, bundled up and away from the water. Still, tourists and the occasional Aussie have come out for a day in the sun and +22 degree weather. “I think we’ve acclimatised way too much,” Alecs says, zipping up his hoodie as we walk down to the beach. “I know what you mean,” I reply, burying my hands into my pocket. Despite the cool sea breeze, we both can’t resist shedding our sandals and sinking our feet into the powdery sand that brings back scorching beach day memories from the Philippines and Cambodia. “It’s really quite pathetic” Alecs says staring out into the open ocean, “it’s been less than three months since we were in the Philippines, snorkeling and swimming in a paradise of archipelagos, but I’ve missed it so much.” Nodding my head I roll up my pants and walk closer to the shoreline testing the temperature of the water. “Yep,” I shout to Alecs behind me “it’s cold.” The beach stretches as far as the eye can see, which means we are able to find our own piece of unimpeded beach where we can splash around like fools, kicking water at each other and genuinely enjoying the afternoon. A few kilometres up the beach is the seaside city of Surfers Paradise, but neither of us are disappointed having ended up here. “We would have never come here if we hadn’t taken that bus,” Alecs say as a large wave sweeps onto shore, soaking the bottoms of my rolled up jeans. “I know – and we’ll get to Surfers soon enough. I reckon we’ll end up liking this place more anyway – Surfers Paradise is quite commercial from what I’ve read.” It is our continual desire to find our own bit of paradise that has us in love with places like El Nido in the Philippines and Don Khon in Laos. Still it seems only right that we should explore the city with ‘paradise’ in it’s name one of these days. After spending quite some time on beach, our stomachs drive us back to the small seaside town for some grub. Spotting a couple sharing some wedges (fries) on the beach – we set off in search of some seafood. We find a quaint little shop with an outdoor patio and order a Fisherman's basket to split. “Alecs they have mango shakes,” I say as we wait at our corner table scanning to drinks menu. As always, Alecs finds it impossible to pass up anything with mango’s and we happily split one of those too. Our lunch arrives – a heaping serving of fresh calamari, prawns and halibut nested in crunch fries. “Good thing we only got one eh?” I say, practically drooling over our food. In an attempt to save as much money as possible for travelling (opting to pack PB&J sandwiches on our outings), Alecs and I have eaten out on only one occasion prior to this since arriving in Australia – so fish and chips and a mango shake is more of a treat than one might imagine. We savour every last moment before walking past the lawn bowling club before catching the bus to the train station and then back home to our apartment.

Until next time so long,

Alecs and Meg in Burleigh Heads

"CRICKEY!"

SUNSHINE COAST, AUSTRALIA
Temperature: 23 Degrees Celsius

Track of the Day: "Fire and Rain,"

"Someones calling us," I say hearing the sound of our apartment phone alerting us we have visitors. Pausing for a moment to decide whether or not to answer it Alecs picks up the phone and buzzes someone in. "You have a package," Alecs says as I scramble to put something that doesn't resemble a paper bag on, to sign for the rather large and heavy box. Dragging it back into our room we tear it open to find an elaborate care package from my mom. "Eatmores," Alecs says excitedly grabbing the four chocolate bars, "Kraft Dinner," I squeal with even more enthusiasm, caressing the boxes of pasta like a mother would her child. We continue to pull item after item out of the box, working our way to the bottom. Make-up, Avon cream, shower gel, maple syrup soap, popcorn, nail file, post-it notes, stationary, place mats, measuring spoons, Tupperware containers, sponges and so much no. Alecs reaches in for a package of fruit flavored honey sticks with a note saying my little cousin Maddy bought these for Alecs with her own money, a touched Alecs immediately opens one while boiling some water for the gourmet hot chocolates mom sent him. Near the bottom of the box is a pair of work shoes under which I find a pair of black dress pants, a suit jacket, and four wonderful work shirts. Only a few days before this Alecs received a package from his best friend Mike containing a dive knife and a few days after this we received a package from Alecs' parents containing some of Alecs' medication and some Claritin for me - something you cannot find here in Oz! "Now I have clothes for work," I say excitedly, walking around in my new very comfortable shoes, breaking them in. We spend the remainder of our day playing scrabble on our new board game and eating Kraft Dinner. Thanks to everyone, we really appreciate everything.

"Ready to go yet?" Alecs says impatiently as I finish tidying the apartment, "you know no-one will know if the pillowcases are straight or not," he adds, anxious to get going. Today we are heading to the Australia Zoo and we're both quite excited about the trip. We lock up the apartment and spend almost a whole two minutes walking to the train station only to realize our train just left and the next one isn’t arriving for another 35 mins. “We might as well do our grocery shopping Alecs says,” walking to FoodWorks and grabbing a basket. After managing to kill about 15 minutes we make our way back to the train station and wait at the platform. Having never taken the train this far before (about 1hr outside Brisbane) we are pretty excited about seeing some new scenery, a nice break from the urban scene that we are now accustomed to. About 45 minutes into the journey we pass by the Glass Mountains, something we both pictured to be more glass like, but nevertheless proved quite beautiful. Lush green farm land lines the railway tracks to our right, while the concave mountains tower over us on the left. Moments later our train pulled into the small unobtrusive, rather deserted Beenleigh train station. From here we follow the massive “CRICKEY” signs directing us to the Australia Zoo shuttle coach. The coach proves impossible to miss and as we turn a corner we are presented with a long bus plastered with the late Steve Irwin holding a crocodile. “I’d say this is our shuttle,” Alecs says, climbing on board taking a seat a few rows back. We arrive at the Zoo a few minutes later and having prepaid for our tickets online manage to jump the queue and head straight through to the other side. The Australia Zoo, owned by the Irwin family and obviously made famous by Steve Irwin himself is more than 70 Acres of land, with over _ different species and more activities than you could shake a wallaby at. We wander over to the massive crocodile enclosures where a few of Steve Irwin’s croc’s spend their days lapping up the luxury of their expansive enclosures. “I could take that croc,” Alecs says gesturing to one of the smaller reptiles lazing in the sun. “No you couldn’t,” I say walked further afield to the camels. “Ya, you’re probably right,” Alecs finally agrees, following me over to a large Australian camel. We continue our tour, trying desperately to stay away from the hordes of people watching the 11:00 feature show in the ‘crocoseum.’ “Dingo’s” I say excitedly, walking over to the adorable wild dog-like animals. Dingo’s have and always will remind me of my uncle Rob and I can’t help but say “Dingo stole my baby!” After fully exploring this part of the zoo we head over behind the ‘Crocoseum’ to the Kangaroo enclosure. When Alecs and I first arrived here in Australia we decided to give Kangaroo meat a try after being encouraged to do so by a young Ozzie couple in Cambodia. I wasn’t particularly fond of the meat, while Alecs didn’t have any problems with it, but we would both soon question ever eating it again. At the entrance to the massive, forest like enclosure there are vending machines filled with bags of ‘Roo Feed’. Thinking there might be a small area where we can give a couple Kangaroo’s some food while being supervised we buy a couple bags and head down the path deep into the forest. There are no walls or fences aside from the exterior chain link fence covered in leafy foliage keeping the Kangaroo’s in this multi-acre enclosure. Amidst trees we spot our first Kangaroo lazing in the sun and we suddenly realize we are allowed to simply approach these marsupials and feed them. Still a little reluctant, we venture ahead, over a wooden bridge where a young roo drinks from the creek below. Following the bend in the pathway we approach a massive clearing and upon seeing the two of us, a dozen Kangaroos come leaping across the clearing to greet us. “Wow,” I say to Alecs unable to form any other words. “I know,” he replies as they bound towards us, scattering around, waiting for us to feed them. The Kangaroo’s are lazy and we carefully approach them, following the signs telling us to kneel, stretching our hands out ever so slowly and to both our surprise the Kangaroo simply turns its head towards us and gently nibbles the food from our hands. “He takes food like Shadow,” I say incredulously to Alecs, “so sweet and gentle." Alecs follows suit and we quickly notice an extra pair of feet hanging from his kangaroo's pouch. "Oooo, there's a Joey in there," I say pointing to the tiny little kangaroos head. We spend quite some time with mom and Joey before we make our way to the Koala enclosure. These slow, sleepy fur balls sleep for more than 3/4 of the day and today is no exception. Clinging to Eucalyptus trees, we spot several gray teddy bear like creatures sleeping the day away while families buzz about, kids in tow, snapping photos, chowing down hot dogs and enjoying the warm weather. Making our way to Southeast Asia we find Asian Elephants in a massive enclosure that really puts the Calgary Zoo to shame and the Tiger Temple further afield makes me want to live in the zoo. "It's almost time for the show at the crocoseum," Alecs says excitedly as we meander back through the manicured parkways past tempting ice cream stand after tempting ice cream stand. Wanting the best seat in the house we arrive 45 minutes early and get centre stage to the famous crocodile show, waiting for the show to start. Time flies, as it almost always seems too and the show begins with a bang - well actually a squack. Dozens of birds are sent racing over our heads, a bald Eagle, Parakeets, Vultures, Toucan Sam's (you know the one from Froot Loops) and many more. Once that's wrapped up we get introcuced to a few lizards before the ultimate reptile is goaded out - a great big croc! The show proves to be a ton of fun, educational and very entertaining - ending with the croc scrambling out of the water and onto land snapping a chunk of meat from the trainers hands. "Quick," Alecs says once the show has ended, "I wanna get in Steve Irwins Jeep before the little kids get to it." Thoroughly bemused by the safari like Jeep built to withstand a flood of water rushing through it - Alecs giddily explores the inside longing for such a vehicle. I finally pull him away not wanting to miss our chance to cuddle with a real live koala - they're soo cute, simply irresistable. We wait our turn and when it finally comes our time to shine, the trainer helps me position her on my shoulder and the moment she settles in - the koala is fast asleep. "It's fur is so soft," I say, petting the grey and white coat, not wanting to give her up. Alas the time comes for me to return her, and I begrudgingly allow the trainer to peel her off my shoulder. "Don't you think a koala would make a great apartment pet," I say to Alecs as we make our way to the exit, "I mean they sleep more than 3/4 of the day," I add. "And where do you suppose we get the eucalyptus," Alecs asks, "or are you proposing we start our own grow op of the leafy koala feed." It's nearly 4PM and we've been here the whole day and seen and done everything we wanted to so we agree to head home. Unfortunately the journey home proves to take much longer than we had hoped as our train was delayed almost 1 hour on top of the hour trip back into the city. "Let's grab pizza for dinner," Alecs says as we pass our local Sub-Boy shop, which surprisingly turns out some delicious and cheap pepperoni pizzas. Nodding my head in agreement, we place our orders, wait a few minutes and practically run home to veg out and eat!

Next week will be a trip to the gold coast, something that's been a long time coming!

Until next time so long,

Alecs and Meg on the Sunshine Coast

"CRAZY WEATHER"

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

Temperature: 17 Degrees Celsius and pouring rain

Track of the day: A to Z, Jason Mraz

"Are you watching this?" Alecs says glued to the T.V. as we watch report after report of the life-taking floods sweeping over Queensland. "At least one man has been killed in the Sunshine

Coast" says a channel 9 news anchor "and thousands of Brisbane and Gold Coast residents are stranded as flood water climb up their homes." Looking out our apartment room window we can see water levels rising but nothing like the reports are showing. It seems the rain isn't going away anytime soon and the government has already declared the floods a natural disaster. Reading the online newspaper, the headline 'Residents Warned of Croc's and Snakes' catches my eye. "Alecs listen to this," I say skimming through the article, "Brisbane residents are being reminded to exercise caution when walking outdoors as crocodiles and snakes are moving into residential neighborhoods as flood levels rise." Alecs gives me a surprised look, "wow, now that isn't something you hear everyday," he says. Having recently

cooked plenty of meals we wait out the next few days indoors, listening to reports and boring ourselves to near death. Feeling the need for rice, Alecs decides to cook some and despite my objections eats it right out of the pot trying to convince me this is how students are supposed to live - even though we bought bowls for such things. After a few days hiding out in our bunker - I mean apartment - the sky clears up, the waters recede, citizens are rescued from their rooftops and the crocodiles and snakes return to their original hiding places. As I lay in bed thinking about what we can do now that we are no longer stuck in our apartment our cell phone buzzes as we have received a text message. 'If a stranger knocks on your door answer it - Dad" I read aloud, puzzled and thoroughly bemused. We spend the entire day trying

trying to figure out what this mystery stranger has as both my parents will not give even the smallest clue about it. Convinced my dad has bought us some sort of cotton candy machine or something of the like we wait and wait until it arrives. Alecs and I excitedly go outside to meet up with Michael - our mystery man, both curious and wary of what he might bring. However the moment we step outside the building doors we know what the surprise is. Michael stands beside the door holding a guitar case and I can hear Alecs heart beat quicken to an audible pace. Michael tells us quickly about the guitar, heads to work and Alecs nearly runs down the hallway back to our unit. By the time I reach the room, he already

has the guitar out of the case and is playing some Jason Mraz. "This is better than anything I could have imagined," Alecs says between strums, "and it's an awesome guitar.`` The next couple days are spent applying for jobs and listening to Alecs play the guitar over and over and over again - but I`m certainly not complaining, in fact I love it . "Let's go for a walk to the city gardens by the river today," I say to Alecs on Saturday after the city has had enough time to dry up. We pack up a couple peanut butter and jam sandwiches and some water and set out - the river as our guide. "I know it's along here somewhere," I say as we near a wharf filled with swanky expensive yachts. Moments later we round a corner where a

vast lush green park spreads out in-front of us, a cross between Hyde Park in London and Bouchard Gardens in Victoria. Broad sweeping manicured fields with canopy trees and quaint little wooden benches are the centre to the dark woven rain forest-like paths surrounding them. A group of college students play a scrimmage game of rugby while three pale blonde-haired children chase each other through the many colourful gardens. A border-collie leaps into the air catching an orange Frisbee while a young couple sits on a blanket sipping red wine. "I could see myself living here," Alecs says as we meander along the many

paths, through the dark rain forest area and into the mangroves, "there are so many places to just chill out and enjoy the sun." Mangroves are trees that have adapted to living in the shallow-part of salt water and are home to many creatures and insects. A wooden boardwalk winds through the mangrove forest as birds sing to one another from the tree tops and yacht owners cruise alongside us. It's nearing dinner time and I have yet to prepare anything so we call it a day and walk the 45 minutes back to our apartment, leaving the city behind.

A few trips to the sunshine coast, Moreton Island, the outback and Warner Brother Movie World are in the works but we`re waiting for the state to clean up the beaches after the floods before heading to them.

Until next time so long,

Alecs and Meg in Brisbane

Ps. Thanks for the guitar Dad, we love it!!!!!