The zoo, surfers and hippy town!

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Hello!

Our second day in Brisbane, vicki and I got up nice and early and joined the commuters. we got to the train station (not hard, it was across the road) and got our tickets. we then had to find the right platform (thank god for vicki who actually bothers to read the signs). Then we promptly fell asleep on the train back up the coast for a few hours. we arrived at beerwa where we caught a bus to take us to Australia zoo, the home of steve irwin.

This has to be the best zoo ive ever been to. I dont like the idea of animals in cages like they are in england. This was totally opposite. we got to see the otters being fed then we went for a wander. I got to feed the elephantes (it happened very quickly) and I got covered in elephant drool. ugh. It was compltly empty as all the children are at school still. The bird averiry part was amazing. It was like walking though the rain forest. you could walk around the cage which was massive. there was so much room you wouldnt think that it was surrounded by a net and we saw some amazing birds. After that we saw a thing being walked. I cant remeber waht it was called. It was like a giant guiney pig with rather corse hair. and it was being walked around the park. then we got to just go up to the trees if we saw one and stroke a koala. And the kangaroo bit was really cool. lodes of space, massive fields for the roos to run about. but all they were doing was sleeping so I went and lay down next to them and gave them a cuddle. Up close they look like bugs bunnys face. All the animals had lodes of space and were very happy. And the people were great too. Their was a show about looking after animals bla bla bla but I was one of the people chosen to stand up as they flew a bird to me and I got on the big tv sceen. go me! But the birds flew off so I got a free voucher to hold yet another koala and get my photo taken and sent home all for free. And the food there was really yummy. we both had massive burgers which we were grateful for as we were staving. We got back in the evening and had rather plasitcy tasting lasanya. ( we put the plastic container in the oven and I think it melted a bit).

The next day we were ready to catch our bus at 1.30. by 3pm we were getting quite annoyed. So I gave them a phone call and it turned out our bus had broken down. When it finally got here it promptly broke down again round the corner. the driver was called Diesel and was quite nice. When we finally left at 8pm we were all getting a bit tired and fed up though. This is where me and vicki left each other 😞 she went down to byron but I stayed at surfers paradise for a few days. Its really wierd being on your own after being with someone for so long. My hostle was ok and I was shattered so I went straight to sleep after watching a film.

The next day I met up with two lovely ladys mel and rachel. We went and had muffins and milkshakes for breakfast and then had a lovly day of wandering around and looking in shops. This place is like miami. Tall sky scrapers, lots of jazzy shops and millions of surfer boys and beaches!!! There was a crazy Elvis impersonater and giant puppet shows. Me and mel had great fun being the only two girls on a whole beach of boys! the waves and under current was so strong though that we didnt stay there long. Just standing still you could almost be knocked over in the shallow bit! I went home to watch neighbours only to find it was a saturday. Silly me. I met the girls later and we went out for dinner as a treat. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was really cool. And the food was Delitious. Much better than the orlando ones food. After feeling adiqualty full and far far poorer we went for a walk and went to watch the people in the adrianlin park fair. This was a fair ground with bungee jumps and other crazy adreinaln rides. I had done most of them at other places before anyway. It started to rain which, being the gold coast, it never normally does appently. trust me to be there when it does.

The next day I met up with the girls but they had no money so I made freinds with a nice family of two girls 24 and 29 and there mum (as it was mothers day) and we went to a thing called infinity. This was a series of maze rooms linked together. you had to go round and try and find your way though. But they are crazy rooms fulll of lazers and opitcal illutions. and one really scary room where it was dark and you could feel things brushing against you. Im sure people for miles could here me scream as I was getting freaked out hahaha. And there was a bouncy castle room with crasy lights and music and stuff. it was good fun and it passed a few hours. I then had to head back to my hostel after going past the amazing Ice cream shops and trying all the tasters which were really crazy as well! I then caught a transfer bus to the transit center. And caught the other bus to Byron bay.

I made frieinds with yet another maths student, a guy from suffolk called matt. We went for a wander around the village but it was dark and all shut but looked cool. We played killer pool for a while with the whole hostle and then everyone watcheed a film. Its quite a cosy place here. I had a yummy supper of minestronie soop out of a tin and lodes of cheese. yum.

The next day After a really bad nights sleep as the hostle didnt give us sheets so it was really chilli. Me and matt after breakfast and a wander and did our laundry (finally) we went down to the sea side where we had booked to go on a sea kayak thing. It was great fun and we actualy canoed for miles. The surf was massive and you could surfe the kayak if you hit the wave quite right. We went out near the light house (the most easterly point of oz) and we were officaly the most easterly people in oz, how cool is that!? And then we saw dolfins. about thirty metes away from us. First we saw jsut the fins but then some jumped. It turned out that a few couples were mating and they liked doing it infront of an audiance and making a show out of it! there was a lot of splashing! and we also saw some baby ones. Some sea turtles popped there head up as well to say hello.

Matt and I managed a long surf of about 6 seconds going really fast on the way back. It was awesome and really fun. And as we were getting really good and big headed at catching the waves, we capsised! HAHAHA oh well. It was a fun day though. We got given tea ( I had hot choc) and TIMTAMS wooo Ive been waiting to eat timtams for ages as I couldnt be bothered to buy any. For those who dont know, they are like penquin bars and you bite off each end and suck a hot drink though it like a straw and they melt in your mouth and your filled with choclatly goodness! yum! We headed back drenched and I had the longest shower ever. And then got given free vouchers for the internet so yeah thats why im here now! This place is like hippy heaven but were going to even hippyer heaven tommow so I shall tell you what its like soon.

Till then.... Send me lots of emails!

Love from
Katharine xxxxxxxxxx

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