100th Post!

This marks the 100th post of the Two Jays Away Blog.  It started out as a way to let our friends know what we were up to on our two-month trip to Europe in Spring 2010, and has now turned into a way for us to keep in touch with everyone now that we have moved to the other side of the planet.  It has been a great way for us to provide updates, especially during times of crisis.  We had more hits on our blog during the floods than ever before.
Our blog has been seen by more than 1500 readers in places like Canada, the US and Australia, which we would expect, but we have also had readers in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Russia, Romania, the Philipines, Malayasia and the UAE. 
We started out by blogging about the start of our two-month European trip being disrupted by the Icelandic volcano (Eyjafyallajokul...or something like that).  We travelled through Greece, Italy, France and London, and realized that a two month trip was barely scratching the surface of what we wanted to do and see.  Now, eight months after the end of our European trip we are living in Australia and realizing how much there is to see here.  We won't stop blogging until we have seen it all!

Cheers!

6 months!

Today, February 24, marks six months since we arrived in Australia.  The time has really flown past and it is hard to believe that it has already been half a year.  In our time here we have seen floods, torrential rainstorms and cyclones in Australia, plus two devastating earthquakes in New Zealand, volcanoes in Japan and the Philippines and multiple tropical storms that have hit all over this area.  We think of it as the Old Testament coming to life!
We feel like we have adjusted really well to our new home.  We know which way to look when we cross the street, we don't need to peer closely at each coin or bill before we pay for something, we know shortcuts and how the city transit works.  We still call the dollar coins "Loonies" and "Toonies", but even Australians admit that it's pretty catchy.  We have not yet adjusted to the high heat and humidity but, having spent more than 40 years each in a cold and dry climate, we think that a longer adjustment period is forgiveable.

There are so many highlights from our time here.  The River Fire display was amazing, the life and lifestyle that involves the Brisbane River is fantastic.  We have loved our day trips out to the coast, especially going to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, and exploring the city.  We were amazed by how quickly the city got together to help people and businesses get back on their feet after the flood.  The community spirit in Brisbane is something every city should envy.  We are enjoying our jobs and the people that we work with, who have really made us, and all of the other Canadians who have inundated Brisbane as part of the "Canadian Invasion", feel welcome.  We have no regrets about coming here and look forward to the next 6 months and however many years that we end up staying here. 
Who knows, we might even grow to enjoy the spiders...not bloody likely!

Will NEVER embrace!

Wicked Weekend

This weekend, February 19 and 20, has been the hottest weather that either of us have ever experienced.  The day-time temperature on both days was in the low 30s, with a "feels like" temperature in the mid to high 30s.  Right now it "feels like" 37.4C.  That is about the same temperature as a hot tub.  Imagine walking around in one all day...just sitting still causes us to break out in sweat!
The hot temperatures are definitely the hardest thing for us to adjust to.  The humidity right now is fairly low at only 53%.  We have had days of 30C, but with humidity in the 80% range.  It is like living in a sauna!  We know it is hot when even the locals start to complain. 
There are a number of similarities between really hot weather and really cold weather: most of the time it is far nicer being inside, normal activities are really difficult to get to and it always lasts too long.  The benefit of hot weather is that it won't kill you as quickly as cold weather...it is easier to be outside for half an hour in +30C than -30C.  Cold weather, however, is easier to dress for.  There is always room for one more sweater.  It doesn't matter what you do or don't wear in the hot, it is always too much!  (Having complained about the hot weather, it is still far better than the cold...sorry Canada!)
In addition to the wicked weather, we also saw "Wicked" the musical (see?  there is some logic to the title of this post!)  This was our first experience seeing anything in the Queensland Performing
Arts Centre (QPAC).  It is an immense structure on the south bank of the Brisbane River.  There are 5 different theatres, 3 restaurants and connections to all of the museums and galleries that are part of the same big arts complex.  There is always something to suit anyone's taste, from raunchy comedians to ballet (Here's an interesting thought: what if these two events were combined?  Whatever it is, we would pay to see it!)  For all the things to see and do at QPAC we think the best thing, after this weekend, is that it is air-conditioned!

Political Games

As tax-paying non-Australians, we feel like we have now earned the right to complain about politics and the politicians.   So here goes our fifth-month-of-residency opinion.
As most people know, Julia Gillard is the Prime Minister of Australia.  She is the leader of the Labour Party, a position she has held since June of 2010 when she lead a caucus revolt against then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.  She was voted in as leader of the party and promptly called an election.  She was elected by the populace as Australia's Prime Minister in August of 2010.  The August election was a tight contest between Gillard's Labour Party and Tony Abbott, the leader of the Liberal Party and the opposition coalition.  (Interesting side note: neither of these two was born in Australia - Gillard was born in Wales and Abbott in England...we are still a British stronghold!)
Julia Gillard is sometimes seen as a bit wooden in her speeches and in her interactions with the public.  She made strong gains after the flood when she became very emotional in Parliament while relating the flood damage in a speech to the House.  She doesn't hold a lead in the polls, but right now no one in her party is calling for her to step down and there is no real threat of an election being called in the immediate future.  Overall she is seen as doing her job in an acceptable way. 
Tony Abbott, however, can't quite seem to catch a break.  He does not seem to be a natural in front of the TV cameras and doesn't have a "warm and cuddly" side.  During the summer election he was widely portrayed as Bible-thumping, iron-pumping and leaden-tongued. While we cannot say anything about the Bible-thumping part, we can certainly agree that the iron-pumping has some validity to it.  We can now see how the "leaden-tongued" part of the equation came to be.

"Ironman" Tony in his budgie-smugglers (aka Speedo)

In the past month Tony Abbott has been called out on three major issues.  The first issue is that he was opposed to the flood relief levy that all tax-paying Australians will be required to pay.  This wouldn't have been a problem if it was only opposed to the new tax, but he asked all those who didn't want to pay a tax to make a contribution to his Liberal Party to support them in fighting this tax.  When he was questioned about being anti-tax but pro-fundraising, he just said that it was party policy to always ask for money from supporters.  Then, when questioned about how he would pay for the necessary flood repairs, he suggested funding cuts to industries that support low-income earning Australians...this one baffles us.  Potentially the final nail in his public relations coffin is his commentary on an Australian soldier recently killed in combat.  He was speaking with a commander in the soldier's unit and when he asked about the circumstance's of the soldier's death, he was told it was not caused by poor equipment or any kind of bad decision.  After hearing this, Tony Abbott said, on camera, "I guess sometimes sh*t happens".  This may be true, and it is a valid opinion, but a new widow and anyone concerned about the military doesn't want to hear it.  His party said that he was taken out of context and a TV news reporter interviewed him about the comment and asked him what the context was.  And Tony answered with silence...an uncomfortable, lip-clenching, toe-to-heel rocking, darting-eyes silence from the man who was seen as the person who just shrugged off a soldier's death.  The party had really nothing left to say and even his supporters are silent about it right now.  Politics are all about opinions, and image is everything.  He has no choice but to hope for a Gillard melt-down and a quick election.

Having said all of that, it seems like most politicians specialize in poor decisions, and a spin doctor can only administer so much medicine.  Just to keep things fair, review the photo of our illustrious Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, below.  Five years on and he is still our leader.  We are not so high and mighty.

There are too many comments to make about this!

Koala Sanctuary

Having seen enough of giant spiders lurking everywhere we went, we decided to visit the Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane and see some cute and furry animals.  It was completely inundated during the flood and has just reopened.  It is not completely functional again, but all of the animals are back in their shelters and they seem to be pretty relaxed about the on-going repairs.

There were a few lizards, snakes and crocodiles, but we were there for the cute factor.  We started out in a paddock with what we thought was one emu and a couple of kangaroos.  There were actually about 10 emus and 100 or more kangaroos and wallabys.

Lounging Kangaroo

Thoughtful Wallaby

The kangaroos were in large groups, mostly gathered in shady spots under trees.  We saw a couple of wallabys hopping around but the kangaroos were all in full lounging mode.  Only one was moving around and that was just to get food.  She had a pretty sweet deal going.  She would stand on her hind legs and pose for a picture, then a tourist would give her a handful of food.  Good times for the kangaroo!

Posing Kangaroo

We also saw wombats, a tasmanian devil and a golden possum, all sleeping in little tunnels in their enclosures, birds of prey, a platypus and dingos.   And, of course, koalas.  Many, many koalas, all sleeping in their trees.  We only saw one that was making any kind of movement at all, and we think he was just after a new place to sleep. 

Napping koala

There were 6 or 7 different koala enclosures for the different groups and ages of koalas, there was even one called a retirement home!  We suppose the older koalas need a quiet place to sleep and get away from all of those other younger koalas...who are also sleeping. 

For all of these cute and cuddly guys that we saw, the coolest animals were the bats!  The night skies over Brisbane are teeming with bats.  They are very large and graceful and swoop all around tree tops and buildings.  Last night, after seeing bats up close at the zoo, we actually saw two bats landing in the trees and hang upside down from the low hanging branches.  Hopefully they were snacking on the big, gross spiders that live there.

Tangalooma

We have now settled in to some beautiful late summer weather, and yesterday took advantage of the sunny day with a day trip to Moreton Island.

Moreton Island

Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world (we were told).  It is located about 40km from Brisbane, across Moreton Bay.  Access is via a 75 minute ferry ride from Brisbane.  The island is a national park and heavily regulated.  The Tangalooma resort is the only game on the island and they provide all services, including restaurants, groceries and all recreational.  All beach activities and nature activities (snorkeling, sand toboganning, fishing) are associated with the resort.  There is a man-made reef for snorkeling, created by scuttled boats. 

Mad-made reef

The Tangalooma site was formerly a whaling station but has now been converted to a resort (the old flensing sation, where the whales were hauled out of the water and processed, is now a covered games area.)  There are a few private residences, but they were all on the cusp of the resort property. 

For all of the commercial aspects of the resort, it really is a quiet natural area.  In the height of summer it could be a different story, but we were able to find a section on the beach where there were only three or four other people, there were no sea-doos or loud boats.  The only activity we saw was a group of about 4 dune buggy vehicles travelling along at about 1km an hour and a few people trying to learn how to use a Segway.  We really felt like we had the entire resort to ourselves.

Quiet beach (we weren't lying!)

The beaches are beautiful white sands in a very quiet harbour.  We were able to walk out about 200m from shore and still stand with our feet on the sand, the water no higher than our shoulders (mid-stomach for Jim).  The water was like a tepid bath and the sand was hot enough to cook an egg (an interesting concept but, like having a floor clean enough to eat off, not necessarily practical).  We spent a couple of hours swimming and relaxing in the sun and were still home by six.  We were expecting a crowded and commercial resort, but it was a very pleasant surprise and we will definitely be back.

What next?!

Here we sit, three weeks after the "flood of the century" in Brisbane and we are once again battening down the hatches.  We are now officially in cyclone season.  Tropical Cyclone Andy, a category 2, hit the area around Bowen on the weekend, about 1000km north of Brisbane.  This is in the area that was hit by flooding back in December.  Cyclone Andy brought wind gusts of up to 120 km/h and torrential downpours which caused some localized flooding.  Andy was just the precursor, as he has a looming big ugly sister called Yasi which is striking much fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned Queenslanders.

Radar photo from the US Environmental Satellite Service, the coast of Australia is on the left hand side with CT Andy showing up as a green circular object.  The behemoth red bull's eye in the centre of the photo is Tropical Cyclone "The Big One" Yasi

Yasi, potentially a category 5, is expected to make land fall in the same area as Andy on Thursday morning.  The winds will be more powerful than what was seen with Andy and this could also demolish ports and beaches, cause massive flooding (just what we all need), destroy buildings and infrastructure, and rip up trees.  Residents in the area have been told to have food and water supplies and expect to be without power and water for up to four days.  On a positive note, since the 1960's, architectural design has vastly improved so most buildings of that era and newer were built to withstand cyclones, and these homes are not being evacuated.  Brisbane is much further in the south from Yasi's eye and should get off lucky with only more rain and wind than usual, but cyclones have ventured this far south before.

There are some rather graphic headlines on news and weather sites, such as "Residents Urged to Flee Monster Cyclone", "Cyclone Yasi Sets its Evil Eye on Cairns" and, our personal favourite, "Flood Escape Turns to High Drama for Cyclone Virgin" (we didn't really read that one, but it is well worth mentioning!)

Now we will have seen flooding and a cyclone, as well as a locust cloud in New South Wales that was so large they could track it by satellite. 

If all this wasn't enough to make you think the world has gone mad, yesterday morning we found a gecko in our dishwasher!  And that wasn't even the worst thing that we found in our house yesterday, as we had to unload a massive amount of bug spray on a spider the size of a doughnut!  That was our home-version of "the big one" and we will be perfectly happy not to have to deal with one ever again.