Australia, How I love thee..

It is difficult to explain what is inherently intangible, so trying to describe what I felt in Australia is going to be nearly impossible. Here goes nothing.

There’s a sensation one feels the moment that foot touches land after being on the ship for so long- and no, I am not talking about the kind of feeling you get after being on a trampoline for an extended period of time and the Earth feels like it is bending and shaking underneath you. I am talking about the feeling you get when you arrive somewhere and you just know whether or not you will like it; whether or not you feel safe, happy or even if you know you will hate where you are. It is almost as if every location has its own energy coursing through its pavement.

In Dubai, the energy was unreal. And that is probably because it was just that; unreal. It was a lot of bright lights, lots of fireworks and razzmatazz without a whole lot of substance. It was a show without heart. But that is not a bad thing. Dubai is a place where the super-rich go to escape from reality. They are not paying through the nose to have to face whatever had already been left behind, so the un-realness is exactly what Dubai needs.

On the other end of the spectrum, Alexandria was almost too real. The city unapologetically stayed the same and did not alter itself and put on a façade to appease the thousands of guests who trampled the city littered in trash and debris every year. It is almost as if it said, Here I am, this is me. Take it or leave it. In its own way, that was pretty beautiful and brave to be so genuine with reckless abandon and without compromise.

Australia, however… Australia was something unique. The night before docking in our first port, Darwin, I was so excited I literally didn’t go to sleep. I had to find ways to occupy my time before docking at 6 in the morning other than pacing back and forth because my roommate started to think I had issues. It has always been my dream to go to Australia and I was finally here. I was like a kid on Christmas who had been given a thousand dollars to go to a candy store and then told I was going to Disney world. Yes that excited.

Once daylight broke I ran to the porthole closest to my room and pressed my nose up to the glass to watch the shores come in closer and closer. Once we finally laid down our anchor, my heartbeat spiked and I got even antsier.  Around 10 o’clock I met up with some Americans and we set off to explore Darwin, our first stop in Queensland, Australia. After swiping our cards to leave the ship, I stepped out into the Australian sun- which, by the way, I feel like was a heat lamp that God forgot to turn off over top the country- and took a deep breath. I immediately felt at home.

Walking around the city the energy felt electric and inviting but somehow still very relaxed, but not lazy. It is almost as if the people of Australia do everything the rest of the world does, but does not find the need to stress out about when it gets done. It is a very calming feeling.

We wandered to the Crocosaurus Zoo, which, unsurprisingly, was home to crocodiles. Terrifying, monstrous, ugly, gnarly crocodiles. You remember Steve Irwin? Remember how he used to wrestle these things? Well now I know why he was famous for doing it- these things have jaws that are so powerful they have the bite force of 44k. And they live in the water here- both salt and fresh. However, baby ones are actually kind of cute and cuddly! We met one named fluffy and did the normal tourist “oo-ing” and “ahh-ing” that we are expected to do. We took many photos and pointed at things that probably don’t even faze the typical Aussie. One should note: they drive on the left side of the road and the toilets do flush the opposite way.

Getting back on the boat was sad for me; I didn’t want to leave so soon. But I was even more excited for the next port of call, Brisbane, to meet up with my dear friend Ash who graciously agreed to show me around his city while I was there!

Ash has been a good friend of mine for a couple of years now. I met him in New York City while hanging around and lollygagging with Matt. Ash back then did what Aussies do best; talk to strangers. He came up to Matt and I and asked if we were local and was wondering if we could show him around the city a bit. We have been friends ever since. Ash has been back to New York City since then and kept telling me to come to Brisbane ASAP because I would love it. I constantly told him I would get there eventually, never really believing it myself. All of a sudden, here I am on the Solstice traveling 22 knots and hour, barreling towards his home city. It’s all very surreal.

Brisbane is part of the Gold Coast, which is famous for its rum, its beautiful beaches and Steve Irwin’s zoo, among other things. I can attest to the fantastic rum and its absolutely astounding beaches. We took a trip from the port of Brisbane to a place called Surfer’s Paradise, which is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. The beach had crystal clear waters, the air smelled only of salt, the sand was free of trash and the people were friendly and slightly less obese than I am used to on New Jersey shores.

We enjoyed a nice lunch by the beach and caught up. Having an extensive conversation with an Aussie always plants an idiotic smile on my face because I love the accent and the lingo. My favorite of their colloquialisms is I think what perfectly exemplifies the Australian spirit; No worries. There is no single phrase that could characterize them better No worries, what a perfect saying.

After spending my day in Brisbane, all I can think dream about is going back to the city on a slightly more permanent basis. Till we meet again, my dear city.