Briefly Brisbane

Stopped over in Brisbane for 2 nights. Some cool stuff:

1. Went to Dreamworld theme park with the whole family and it was unexpectedly pretty fun *ok I know I'm negatively biased towards family holidays, but it's just because in my family we really do have very different characters and hobbies*. Kudos to Mom for trying out this thrill ride called "The Cyclone" that..well... spins you around, basically.. Went on a ride called the "Tower of Terror" with my bros.. supposedly one of the fastest thrill rides in the world.. Let's just say it was surprising, and if you want to experience being catapulted from 0 kmph to about 120 kmph in several seconds, this one's for you..

2. I understand now why Gold Coast is called Gold Coast... We arrived there nearing the evening where there weren't so many surfers, and well.. the place is basically a long, long, long stretch of soft, beige sand..as far as the eyes can see.. combined with aquamarine waters and cool rushing waves.. I had my doubts about visiting Gold Coast because I thought it would be just like any other commercialised beaches.. but even Skeptic Shiela admits that it's beautiful..

3. For the first time in my holiday I experienced the Australian summer..haha.. because in Melbourne and Sydney the weather was like autumn in Europe..brr!

Aside from those, Australia has unexpectedly diverse and great food.. Arguably better than Singapore.. According to a friend from Melbourne who've stayed in Singapore, it's because a lot of immigrants who come to Australia open eateries, and do all the cooking and serving themselves.. True enough, when we went to Korean restaurants, all the waitresses are Koreans.. Vietnamese restaurants = Vietnamese waitresses, sushi outlets = Japanese cooks and waitresses.. This is where Australia wins hands down, since in Singapore the cooks / staffs who prepare the food will not be the "authentic" nationalities.. Still kinda searching around for authentic 'Australian' fare though.. you have the typical kangaroo burger and steak, crocodile meat, baramundi (a type of fish), and drinks and desserts made from bush plants.. but I think Australian food is not really Australia's selling point..

Brisbane city is very walkable (though hot), and the City Hall - a rather nice building - is now a free museum chronicling Brisbane's history. Now, if you ever go there, I think there's one thing absolutely worth seeing: go to the toilets, because they use huge solid marble slabs as.. the cubicle divider.... Easily one of the most lavish public toilets I've seen!