From City to Jungle.

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After being downgraded to the 20 bed dormitory, our days revolved around meal time. By waking up late, we were hunting for food all day and Woolworths supermarket solved all of our problems. Pasta became our staple diet in a bid to save money. Looking at my family, you would expect me to have some knowledge of the culinary world. However, I can cook very little and would not dare cook for others. I can happily tell you if your equipment is good quality and lend advice on what equipment is best for the job. But thats where my talents in the kitchen stop.

Everyone has to start somewhere and soon I added, pasta, hard boiled eggs, dippy eggs and salad necoise to my short list of culinary triumphs. On my last night in Brisbane I cooked myself a steak and jackets potatoes with salad and as yet have had no side effects. I can't help but feel I'm shooting myself in the foot here, by boasting about my new found skills Mum and Dad are bound to make me cook something once a week! I will reiterate, I'm a critic, not a chef!

Brisbane doesn't really have the tourist scene that Sydney does and there isn't really a single major attraction. This didn't stop us from having our own fun in the day time. We sampled the local parks and played football until the heat forced us to stop. Sadly, the fitness of Alex and Oli has once again defeated myself and Zach! I can't help but think my time in Brisbane may not have been so good if it wasn't for out hostel, Bunk. The hostel was lively and we could immediately see why it was one of the best in Australia. The rooms were good, cooking facilities great and the entertainment brilliant. We settled ourselves well and I would happily go back! The bar was also a good place to start a night out. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we went out in Brisbane to sample the nightlife, which was really lively. On Saturday night, we went to Oli's friend Amy's house party for her 19th Birthday, which was a really good night out. We were paraded round as the 'Poms' and had many heated arguements with our male counterparts about sport. We managed to get a taxi home and get a few hours sleep before check-out at 10!

For the first time on this trip, we checked out on time (our record still stands at 3 hours late). We then used their facilities one last time to make a cup of tea and made our way to the train station, some of them finding it tough being extremely hungover. We paid $15 for our train from Brisbane to Robina, a journey taking well over an hour.

We arrived to see Oli's Uncle Keith outside the station with a 4x4 ready for the mountainous drive back. We twisted and turned up the steep roads, deeper and deeper into the jungle. We eventually reached the sign for Jacaranda House and drove up the narrow drive with thick jungle on either sides. After the brief introductions, we were shown around the house and the surrounding land. At the bottom of the jungle/garden, was a small creek making the area even more picturesque. I had never seen anything similar, the trees where so strange and all of the wildlife was either brightly coloured or abnormally large. As we sat down outside for a lunchtime banquet, it was hard to absorb everything. The ants invading the dinner table were roughly 1 centimetre, the cobwebs measured in metres and parrots flying overhead frequently. However, there was a major concern rooted in the back of my mind eating away at me. Spiders. Most people who know me, know that I am petrified and borderline phobic. So as you can imagine, I was constantly on edge on my first day. Routinely checking everything. It wasn't long before I came across my first nemisis. A spider by the pool with a body larger than a fifty pence piece. I brought it to the attention of Keith who simply laughed and left it to annoy me! I quickly found spiders in every corner of the house, some larger than others but there was nothing I could do. Keith took us for a beautiful mountain walk, surveying the local jungle area and wildlife. We reached the summint of the small mountain and looked down to see the Gold Coast from range. A city spanning 22 miles along the East Australian Coast. the views were beautiful and the weather comfortable enough for a brisk walk.

We returned home to an unfamiliar sight, an Australian take on the roast dinner. We were stunned at the quantity and quality of the food and quickly came back for seconds followed by desert. Although there is nothing like my parents roast dinner, it made us feel right at home and comfortable in our surroundings. The fresh air had done us a world of good. After 3 weeks of intense city living, our lungs were once again clean. We were assigned rooms and I managed to get a room with a coupels of holes in the wall. I devised a plan using my flip flops as guards against a spider attack from the gaps in the wall. Guilt got the better of me and I felt extremely rude patching up their walls, so I dealt with it like a real man. God only knows what I shared that room with.

The next morning I was woken by the sunlight filtering through the gaps in the jungle forest and seeping into my room. The sound of Kookaburas and Lorikeets eased me into the morning. We also had the pleasure of fresh croissants and non-budget cereal. Keith then took us up to Springbrook National Park to see some of his favourite natural sights. We walked along the mountain sides and up waterfalls like jungle explorers. The National Park was completely untouched and we didn't see a single tour bus which is always good! Keith explained to us the history of the area and we had a great day out. We returned to the jungle house and Keith showed me a fishing rod of his sons. With my usual impatience, the rod was out of the cupboard, cleaned and rigged up within the hour. While Oli was discussing heritage with his Aunt, I had taken Alex and Zach on a 'father and son' fishing trip which was great fun. We had to cut our way through to the creeks edge where I dug for worms. I sensibly went in full tracksuit avoiding being eaten alive by the bugs while Zach was attacked. Although we had a fruitless trip, we did manage to see a metre long eel saunter past, an amazing sight. We returned for a chicken curry, yet another meal we have missed. On my return to my room, I had a great surprise in store. A spider spanning over the palm of my hand had crept through the hole in the wall and taken up residence. After calling Alex in for a second opinion and being laughed at over my fear, Keith came to the rescue. He used my flip flop in an attempt to slay the beast. Sadly it was too fast and it returned to its hole. I managed to persuade him to nuke it with bug killer and stuff the hole, leaving the heathen beast entombed forever more. My fear is basically conquered and I managed to get a full nights sleep without worry about the spiders.

The next day we woke again to the peaceful sound of jungle birds and fresh produce from the bakery. Keith kindly took us to the beach and then for another walk to a great vantage point before it poured with rain. We haven't been especially lucky with the weather on this trip and we have got used to showers occuring at any minute. We persevered and had the sunshine returned, allowing Keith to cook us our first Aussie 'barbie', we weren't let down! The format for the evening was the same as usual, great food and relaxing with a tv and computer to ourselves! Our chauffer Keith took us to Burleigh Beach the following day and treated us to a lovely day relaxing on the beach. To the Aussies it was probably freezing cold as winter is fast approaching, we were the only people sunbathing long the massive beach and it was wonderful to catch the sun we have missed in the cities. We returned in the evening and got a fairly early night. Not before I discovered a spiders web outside my window diametre of 1 metre and an inhabitant of collosal proportions. He didn't phase me and I managed to get yet another great sleep.

That leads me nicely onto today. A sunny day on the outskirts of Mudgeeraba. We had the house to ourselves and managed to get a substantial amount of washing done which was much needed! I was also lucky enough to have Alex (Team Hairdresser) to give me a trim in the bathroom with a pair of kitchen scissors and a set of clippers. After letting him trim his own, Zach and Oli's I was able to see his results and I wasn't disappointed. He has managed to win me around to home hairdressing and will be called upon in the future after todays successes. Tomorrow we are back on the road after 3 days of not spending a single Aussie Cent. We are heading to Gold Coast to sample the beaches and from there deciding whether to head north or south. Probably the nicest dilemma I have ever had! All in all we have seen a lot of natural beauty and discovered parts of Australia I never even knew existed. I am looking forward to the safety of suburbia again but theres something I love about the way Dee and Keith live, peaceful in the jungle. However, our tans need some love and attention and the Gold Coast is calling. I hope all is well in England and you are enjoying your sunshine.

Love Jonathon

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