| Myrons Daily Journal - Page 13 April 24, 2004 You meet interesting people at the hostels. This morning this middle aged woman was looking at my bike when I was ready to unlock it and ride to the bike store to see if I could get my bike box early. She was getting ready to do a round the world tour. She had cashed in all her travel points. She said she would be visiting her sons in London and Denver. Knowing Denver, I asked what her son did there. Without batting an eye, she said "a stripper." Found out he had been a fitness instructor with a cruse line, but earns a lot more money with a group of dancers touring the US. I said he must be with the Chippendales. She said that was a couple levels up from his group. He is trying to get into an all Australian group with a name that escapes me. She said some document, I think it was his passport, list his occupation as "exotic dancer." Out of curiosity, I asked what her other son did in London. Again, without batting an eye; "he is a financial advisor with a London bank." She is going to meet him in Moscow on her trip. Last night I met a guy who wants to try out my bike today. He is on total disability due to a surfing accident. He hit his head while surfing and now has developed seizures; sometimes many times a day. I am a bit concerned about his riding my bike. He says he still surfs and rides a bike. I asked if that wasn't dangerous. He said he is not going to curl up and die. Seems like a likable bloke. I am hanging around waiting on the camera. I am at a coffee shop next to the bike shop that supplied me with my bike box. The beach across the park seems to go on forever in a sweeping curve. Off in the distance is something that looks like the New York skyline. It is surfer’s paradise about 30 clicks away. May take a ride and see the town; hear so much about it. ----am here in surfers paradise at Mc Donald’s getting a shake and a filtered cup of coffee. While biking to SP a group of triathletes passed me obviously on a Saturday training ride. Well, can't let that happen. Pulled in behind them for about 20 clicks until I found out they were heading inland. Have never seen so many high rise apartment buildings in one place. Row upon row of 30 to 40 story buildings, all looking like they were built yesterday. The only place that holds a candle to this is the east cost of Florida. Also saw at least 10 high rise cranes working on new buildings. It is interesting, but are all these apartments for people escaping the big cities where they work? I would rather go to the Blue Mountains outside Sidney to refresh. Some of the towers come in pairs as twin towers. One tower blocks the ocean view for the other tower. Would think the same problem would arise here as it does in the little town of Del mar in California. You must erect a stick outline of a proposed house to determine what obstruction it would cause to surrounding homes. Could you picture 40 floor high sticks at the sight of a proposed high rise? Suppose it could be done with a computer program. It is a 4 day holiday with lots of traffic, but I see vacancy signs on motels. April 25, 2004 Rode my bike back to Surfers Paradise and then inland to Robin. This is the end of the line for one leg of the city train into Brisbane. It was about a 75 min ride. I picked a good day to ride with my bike. It is ANZAC day here. Same as our memorial day. Got caught in a parade in surfer’s paradise. Since it is Sunday and a holiday, the train was not crowded, making it easy to take my recumbent onboard. The station platforms are one level up from street level. My bike fit the lift (elevator) at Robina, but didn't at central station in Brisbane. Had to put myself and my long recumbent on the regular type escalator. That was a ride. Am staying at the palace backpackers. It occupies the heritage-listed people’s palace which was once a tee-totaling working man's hostel. As soon as I arrived I took a walk in the nearby queen's street mall. Considering it is Sunday, this big pedestrian mall next to large historical buildings in central Brisbane was crowded. That wasn't what really surprised me? Although there were hundred of people in the mall, more than 90% of these people were under the age of 25. I don't know why this is. Why are there so many young people traveling here in Australia? Carlsbad, near my town of Encinitas, has nice weather, nice beaches, some good surfing area and a spirited night life; but never do you see the masses of young backpackers you see here. To someone from Europe, I can’t see what is more interesting about Australia than California. I can't tell the difference. Maybe it is the money exchange rate or the US doesn't want to cater to backpackers. I see many of US stores here. Stopped for a sandwich from subway. This is my alternative to Thi food. I don't know which there are more of here, McDonalds or subways. You also see quite a few 7/11 and target stores. A block away from the hostel there are 7/11's on opposite corners of the same intersection. They are small compared to those in the states. As I said before Woolworth is very big here. One corner next to the queen's mall shares a McDonalds and a Star bucks. It is the first Star bucks I have seen in some time. As quite a few Aussies have told me: we always try to copy the states. You are fat; we are getting there. Tomorrow I will discover the city on my bike, much like I did Sidney. Before I leave, I will also visit the Australia zoo and maybe see Steve Irwin, the crock hunter and his wife Terri. April 27, 2004 I called JP Shelburn this morning. He is a good friend of Tim and Kelly Sobolewski and at one time lived in Cardiff by the Sea near Encinitas. He also has been a chef on a small private island in the Fiji group. Kelly manages Park Plaza Executive Suites and is my daughter's girl-friday. Tim and Kelly will be traveling to Brisbane in July to attend JP's wedding. Rode my bike over to see JP at the house he and his fiancé are renovating. They were pouring cement and JP was manning a wheelbarrow. I felt like a job superintendent (super) because I was standing around drinking coffee watching everybody else work. They are doing a great job upgrading a house built in the 1800's to modern standards. JP plans to take homes like this and upgrade them and put them on the market. JP invited me out to dinner. Will bike over to his fiancée’s parent’s house in the suburb of Chelmer to meet him and his fiancée. They are living there during the remodel. I went back to the City Gardens Cafe for lunch in the rainforest. Again, what a neat setting for lunch. A correction for yesterday's statement that you can't bike in Sidney’s botanic gardens; that should have been Wellington’s gardens. Maybe you remember me exclaiming about the number and height of the apartment towers in surfer’s paradise. Remember seeing one tower that I thought was built out at 40 floors. They had a "38" banner a few floors below the top. JP informed me that tower is only half built at 40 floors. When finished it will be the tallest apartment building in the world at 80 floors. I guess I underestimated what was happening in surfer’s paradise. Too many people in one spot for me. Another thing I failed to mention yesterday is the rock climbing being done along the south bank of the Brisbane River. It was quite impressive and even after stopping to watch it was still hard to keep your eyes on the bike trail while biking by 100's of meters of cliff with scores of people practicing! With safety ropes hung from the top of what I estimate to be 100 meters high. It reminded me of biking into Diablo Canyon in Boulder Colorado, except it is much higher and you would need to be an expert to climb Diablo Canyon. Here the rock structure is more like a climbing wall. Thursday I will bus to the zoo. Was first going to bike there, but learned it is 90 clicks away. Maybe I will get to see the crocodile hunter's famous infant while I am there. |
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