Blogs from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 11

Geo: -27.4676, 153.028Our last stop in Australia before heading to the islands was Brisbane, the 3rd largest city at 2.5M. The City was named after the Brisbane River, which in turn was named after the Governor of New South Wales before splitting off as part of Queensland.The evening prior to arriving in Brisbane, we had dinner in the Compass Rose Restaurant on board. I selected the Canyon Ranch meal in an attempt to stem the probability of me becoming the average cruise passenger and gaining between .5 and 1.5 pounds per day! The main course was Kangaroo, so I asked the waiter if he had ever had it and what it was like. His response was classic - "Well, it is a lot like ostrich!" My reaction was thanks that helps me a lot - LOL!I ... read more

21.01.2015: stayed at Heathrow Ibis Hotel. Nice meal. Good room. Comfy bed and no airport noise but so warm we hot next to no sleep even with the air con on all night trying to chill the room down! Up at 0600 and transfer to Heathrow for 0700 to do the bag drop then breakfast. Fly at 1055. Excited ? 20.01.2015: bag packing finished. Amazed that we are such lightweighta for this trip!! 30kg international flight allowance, down to 23kg for the internal flights so we aimed for 20kg . My rucksack weighed in at a lowly 12kg and Lesley'starting at 15.5kg . Get in. National Express coach to Heathrow. 19.01.2015: Bag packing day today! the rucksacks have been cleaned, the piles of clothes and a huge pile of 'must haves' are mounting up in the ... read more

Geo: -27.4676, 153.028Why do I write this blog............ simply for the memories which we both tend to forget over time.Well we have been home for 3 weeks now and our trip is but a blur so I thought it timely to reflect on the worst and best of our once in a lifetime holiday.Would we go back, hell yes but only if we won the lottery.Worst: - Air New Zealand - bad experience (since when do you have to pre order a meal on an international flight and have to pay for your movies)- Tahiti - first impression is; don't bother, its run down, the hotels are more three star than four and its expensive (this may be a little harsh given to short exposure we had)- No connecting flights - its a chore to get ... read more

Geo: -27.4676, 153.028We got away reasonably early - 8.45am, and after a brief visit to St Andrews Hospital to visit mum, we were on our way to Sydney by road. It must have been ages since we have been to northern NSW, as we hadn't ever been in the new road across the border! We made good time, arriving in Byron Bay by midday (NSW time). We were very fortunate, as the town was very crowded - we got a carpark right on the beach - but quickly assessed that meal service at the Byron Bay Hotel would be slow as the crowd was large and it appeared that they hadn't closed at all since last night...So a beach picnic of sushi/kebabs in the shade on the beachfront was a much better option. We then went ... read more

14 decembre 2014 : Socorro toujours malade reste au lit. Je vais lui chercher a manger a Toowong Village. Je me prends un Yakitori. Nous n'avons toujours pas d'internet. Nous en profitons pour nous reposer. 15 decembre 2014 : Socorro va un peu mieux. Nous allons a Indooroopilly a 8h30 apres le petit dejeuner. Nous prenons des photos de Ryan avec le Pere Noel puis nous allons chez Coles. Caprice de Ryan. Nous nous apercevons un peu plus tard qu'il a perdu une chaussure (une Crocs). Nous cherchons unpeu partout, y compris chez Coles, mais ne la trouvons pas. Nous retournons a la maison a 12h30 manger des pates que nous a preparees (des pates au thon). Je n'aime pas du tout, et je vais me chercher un Terriyaki a Toowong Village. Nous passons le reste ... read more