Me on the plane as I write my first update

I have a 6 hour layover in San Fransisco any ways so it’s not the end of the world.

I’m going try to update this at least once a day and write two things but we’ll see how well I stick to that plan.

If anyone has any questions or any recommendations for the particular place that I’m in, please don’t hesitate to let me know (or message my parents/sister and get them to tell me). Alternatively, you can also make an account for this website and leave a comment and I’ll make sure to read them and respond if I have time!!

Peace, love, and all the above

Got an 11 hour flight ahead of me! Arriving at 5am local time and I cross the international day border so I’m going into the future!!

Plus I got a funky pillow and blanket

Also this is a thing!! How fun

We got sweet and sour chicken and a lady in the back said “What’s Sweden chicken”

I ended up chatting with the lady beside me who was from Fiji and gave me some recommendations on what to do while we’re here which is a win.. and she gave me a piece of gum so double win!

Drinking Fiji water in Fiji of course

Just waiting for Scott, Devon, and Jake to get off their plane and we’ll head off to our AirBnB where we’ll be for 2 nights

Still gotta wait 3 hours to check in to our AirBnB

We all took our shirts off right away to cool down, it’s around 30 degrees and super humid

Jake loves his Fiji water

Walking back from the grocery store

We got 2 loaves of fresh bread for about $1 canadian

My bed for the first night

The weather here is super bipolar, it’ll be sunny for 30 minutes then downpour for 15 minutes then be back to sunny again. We haven’t been caught out in the rain yet but I’m sure it will happen soon enough.

The rain was coming down so hard last night it woke 3 of us up but it died down fairly quickly and we went back to bed no problem.

When we got up this morning we ate some breakfast, played some cards, and listened to music.

We’re about to go for a walk to see what’s around here. Tomorrow morning we’re planning on taking a bus to Suva (the capital of Fiji) where we’re gonna stay for 3 nights because there’s more to do around there for excursions and nicer beaches. It’s about a 4 hour bus ride so we’re going to figure out where to catch the bus and tickets today so we don’t have to scramble tomorrow when we leave.

Having a sun hat is pretty huge cause we don’t have any sunscreen yet

On the way back we stopped for food at Sunny Pizza and Grace Kitchen

After this we’re gonna stop at a grocery store to finally get some sunscreen so we don’t get burnt as hell

Fun fact Fiji is the only country with a $7 bill!! They made it when Fiji won the bronze and gold medal for women’s and men’s rugby at the 2020 Olympics

The money here looks like monopoly money.. but people probably think that about Canadas money too

We’re back playing cards for beds so wish me luck!!

Look at how happy he is!!!!

On da bus

The only speaker that was playing on the bus was the one above Scott and Jake and it was playing fairly loud so Devon and I found it amusing

We’be somehow managed to avoid walking in the rain our whole time here even though it downpours sporadically throughout the day

Our Airbnb in Suva

We’re gonna go out and eat at a restaurant that was recommended by our hosts son in an hour or so and I’ll probably have another update by then

Devon chillin in the rain

We’re probably going to go out for food again with our Airbnb hosts son in a couple hours but for now we’re just gonna hang out and relax after swimming for 3 hours

Scott ordered a coke (shocking) and Jake was feeling saucy too

Devon and I stuck to water cause we’re classy

The restaurant is Italian so we ordered some pizza and pasta dishes!

It’s another 4 hour bus ride back and once we get back we’ll probably have to taxi since it’s about a 10 minute drive. Tomorrow should be a lot of fun and might be the first chance to take a good amount of photos assuming it doesn’t rain and I don’t have to worry about my phone getting wet.

Zayid and the boys

Once again our timing was really good because the bus left 20 minutes before it was scheduled to leave, so it’s a good thing we’ve been pretty prepared in advance.

Back on da bus

Scott approves of the sleeping situation

We don’t plan on hanging around the hostel too much because we have a big boat/swimming/sun day ahead of us tomorrow but if we have energy in the night we may do something with the people we met!

After living out of a backpack for a week, I feel like we have all gotten a pretty good grip of things. We haven’t had any issues travelling so far because we have all been pretty responsible. We’re just getting used to the fact that everybody drives on the left hand side of the road. When we got our first cab at the airport I instinctively went to the right side of the vehicle to get into the passenger seat but the cab driver was like “What are you doing” and joked that it would be an extra $50 to drive the vehicle. We also feel pretty adjusted to the humidity, heat, and jet lag, so all and all things are going quite smoothly!

Devon is always taking business calls #nodaysoff

It seems fairly overcast today but that could be because it’s still early in the morning. Hopefully it will clear up later.

While I was making this update the bus came and we all loaded on, so we’re on our way to the Denarau port where we’ll be picked up by the boat.

The scenery on the island

While we were there we swam, played volleyball, played keep up with a soccer ball, and chatted with some locals. We played volleyball with a Fijian that had been to 291 out of the 333 islands of Fiji but has never been outside of Fiji! We didn’t get a picture with him but he was very nice.

A little video of me Scott and Devon playing keep up on the beach

The water was super blue and the scenery was awesome

A quick self timer photo

The boat ride there and back took about an hour and it was smooth sailing. We sat in the captains lounge and I taught the boys how to play euchre. Dev and Jake caught on pretty quick but Scott was on the struggle bus. One of the perks of the captains lounge was that we got free alcohol and snacks so we had some wine and Fijian beer and chips. The lady that was working in the lounge was super nice and interested in what we were playing so she watched and cheered us on!

All of us in the captains lounge

We’re now on the bus back to the hostel and we don’t know what we’re going to do tonight but we might head to the beach and hang out.

We’re heading out tomorrow and had a long day in the sun so it wasn’t a very late night. I’m sure we’re going to have a bunch of late nights ahead of us and we’re travelling tomorrow so we wanted to have a good sleep tonight.

The pancakes were unreal and I even ordered eggs (shocking) because I wanted a bit more nutritional value

We’re heading to the airport in about an hour because my flight to Sydney leaves in 3.5 hours and we don’t have much time for anything else. We might walk around to kill time until then.

Me at the Nadi International Airport

Since I’m here super early I’m going to check my bag then probably hangout and play cards before going through security.

All checked in and ready to go!

My flight is the only one that is delayed. Classic.

While sitting and passing time my legs got itchy and I just realized how many bug bites I have. Not really sure when I got them but they feel like a bunch of mosquito bites. I know Devon also got bit a bunch and he’s pretty itchy too. Hopefully they’ll go away soon.

Less than ideal. I can count at least 7 distinct bites in this picture alone. My other leg is just as bad and it’s all over both my feet/calf as well

I got a window seat on this flight so I might take a picture or two if I see nice scenery

First selfie in Sydney

The sky at 9:30pm

The itcheness on my legs/feet is still brutal so I’m really hoping it passes soon. I’m going to go find some food because I slept on the plane when they brought food around.

Safe and sound in Sydney

The guys haven’t eaten yet so we might get some food after we check in to our Airbnb.

Big ol thumbs up

My feet feel a little bit less itchy after taking my shoes and socks off but they certainly don’t look too great.

After a little google I think it could be flea bites but I’m not positive. Devons feet look pretty similar but Scott and Jake are totally fine.

Devon and I are thrilled to have these goodies

My right foot got it the worst for sure and it’s hard to tell if it’s getting better or worse but hopefully the meds will help.

I got a Beef Kofta and it was delicious

Since Scott and Jake are still watching football Devon and I decided to walk around and we’re going to go to the Anzac Memorial which is about 15 minutes away.

Devon on Devonshire

Then we made it to the Anzac (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps) Memorial which is a memorial for World War 1.

The Anzac Memorial from the outside

On the inside it had a bunch of ground samples from different areas in New South Wales.

The center of the building

On the ring on the ground there are more samples from other countries that were significant battle grounds from the war

A closer look at the samples

Devon and I are now gonna meet up with Scott and Jake because they’re done watching football!

The Sydney Opera House

It’s super busy here because it’s Summer and the weekend.

pt 2

We were looking at some places to get food around here but everything is super jacked up because of the tourism.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge

There’s a massive cruise ship currently docked here. We googled the max occupancy and it can hold about 5000 people which is pretty nuts.

We ended up walking around the harbour and are currently stopped at City Extra for a beer

Tonight we’re probably going to get some pizza because we want something cheaper that will fill us up!

Scott loves the coffee here

Jake can’t wait to eat!!!

After we eat it’s about a 30 minute walk to a ferry which will take us across the Sydney Harbour to our beach.

We’re probably gonna stay here for a couple hours so we’re on a quest to find a ball to play with.

The pool beside the ocean

Everybody that was jumping off was like 13 years old and we thought it was deeper than it was. I jumped off first and skinned my ankle on the ground. I warned Scott so he jumped off injury free.

My feet are really going through the ringer

It honestly hardly hurts so nobody worry too much. Scott and I only jumped off once because I didn’t want to put my bloody foot back in the water so we walked back to meet up with Jake and Devon. When I got back to them I realized my watch fell off though so it just have fallen off when I jumped. Scott and I went back to check if it was anywhere near where we jumped in but couldn’t see because the water wasn’t very clear. Scott grabbed a pair of goggles that were lying nearby and swam around but couldn’t find it. He gave them to me to see if I wanted to try and within 30 seconds of looking I found it right around where I jumped in!! So all is well around here now.

Reunited and it feels so good

I’m lucky I was with Scott because he’s notorious for losing things and then finding them somehow. He’s been pretty good on the trip so far though!!

A view on our walk to Bondi Beach

Another little view of a smaller beach nearby

Bondi Beach!!

We’re going to do a big day at Bondi Beach some time in the next couple days when we’re at our hostel so we decided to go for a drink nearby at Hotel Ravesis because it was recommended by our Uber driver.

Us at Ravesis

After we have a drink or two we’re going to head back to our Airbnb and make some food!

Masterchef Jake

While we were getting some groceries Devon and Scott went to check out liquor prices and you can get a 4L bottle of wine for $11 which is nuts.

On the move

It’s about a 5 minute walk away but we can’t check in quite yet so we’re going to drop our bags off and go get some breakfast somewhere nearby. We’re staying at this hostel for the next 4 nights and they have some activities like trivia night. Once we check in and have breakfast we’ll probably have a better idea of what we’re going to do today.

Jake can’t wait for a burger

We can check in at 12pm so we’re going to take our time eating!

The food here looks so tasty

The beds are nice and clean and ready to go

The security here is quite good and there’s lockers for our bags but my lock doesn’t quite fit so I might have to get a new one.

We tried to stick to the shade as much as possible

Scott made a good sliding catch but he wasn’t wearing a shirt so he’s probably gonna be super itchy now. Despite his efforts, Jake and I were victorious and won the game 7-3. Im sure we’re gonna have another match soon now that we have a ball.

Big win for the good guys

We’re gonna head back to the hostel and shower then head to happy hour at the bar in the hostel at 5pm. At 7pm there’s trivia night going on so we’re going to go to that too and see if our hostel roommates want to join because we’re in a shared 8 room dorm.

We love our ramen

Once we eat we’re going to go down for happy hour and have a drink or two before trivia!

We were there pretty early so it was empty

We got 26/33 which I think is pretty good for 4 people. The winning table had about 10-12 people and got 32/33. The place was fairly busy when trivia started and after trivia finished a DJ came on and started playing music and the place turned into a club. We didn’t really feel like drinking tonight so we left to find a little snack and go for a walk. We ended up stumbling across a grocery store so we got some things for sandwiches for the next couple days.

Dev Scott and Jake are ready to go

Once we bus to the beach walk we’ll be walking for about an hour or so in a similar place we walked yesterday!

Some cool ribbons. No idea if there’s any significance.

The walk looks similar to the pictures yesterday but this time there was a crowd walking with us.

It kind of felt like we were back in elementary school on a little field trip.

Don’t mind my sweaty forehead, it’s hot out

We walked about 5-6km in total so it wasn’t too crazy and we started chatting with another Canadian from Toronto who’s been here since August so he gave us some recommendations on other places he’s been to in Australia.

Another good view on the walk

Bondi Beach from a distance

Now that we’re at the final destination of our walk we’re going to set up our towels, throw the ball around and swim for a bit!

Starting to tan a little bit

Now we’re on the hunt for some food so we’re going to go to a wing place called El Camino that Jake has been to because they have a deal for drinks and wings on Wednesdays!

Of course Devon gets his food first

They’re definitely not the best quality but they’re actually not that bad so it’s still a sweet deal

A little cheers! Scott was late to it so we got a head start.

After about an hour or so we went downstairs to the bar/club called The Side Bar. We didn’t feel like drinking so we went to a table and played some cards. We met a 32 year old from Argentina and taught her the game we were playing. We’ve met two people from Argentina and Devon has been super quick to ask them about the big World Cup win to which they’ve both replied that they were ecstatic. We had a pretty early night because we’re going to a place called Blue Mountain tomorrow at 8am!

Inside the Central Station

We found our train pretty quick and we hopped on with about 4 minutes to spare!

Devon loves his trains

We’re get off at the last stop so we’ll be on the train for the next hour and a bit!

Scott is still sleepy so he might take a nap

Once we get off the train we’ll be hopping on a bus for about 30 minutes and start our 7km hike up the mountain to the top of the mountain!

On a completely unrelated note, both my and Devon’s feet are feeling way way better.

The redness is still a little there but the itchiness is completely gone at this point.

My heel looks way better too

I’m glad that it’s going away cause we’ve been walking quite a bit and it wasn’t super comfortable to walk around a couple days ago. We’ve walked around 15km three of the last four days and are probably gonna top that today. I’m also super glad I found a good supportive pair of shoes because my feet don’t need any more problems.

The 4 of us starting off our hike

As we were leaving the hostel we met 2 people (Anders and Maria) that happened to be going to Blue Mountain as well so we’ve all being travelling together!

The start of the hike

There was a super light rain so we all had our rain jackets

We started our walk by doing the Giant Stairway which is 998 steps down and about 300m of elevation

A little view of the steps

Once we got lower we could actually see the ground but it was still quite foggy

There were some steps where you could see a steep drop below

A fun tree we saw on the way down

Some steep steps heading down further

Once we got to the ground level it was more flat which was a nice break on the knees

We had to keep our eye out for small leeches that snuck onto our shoes and socks! This one was a bigger one.

Some small waterfalls!

Another little waterfall

One of the bigger falls of the walk

Then we had our climb back up! The waterfall on the left in this picture is where the picture before was taken

In total we walked about 7km with a 400m elevation change. There were quite a few switchbacks up and down so it was rarely flat ground. It was a nice workout on the quads and calves for sure!

By the time we finished we were all very ready to eat

We just so happened to catch the bus as it was coming which was unreal timing! We had to wait no more than 20 seconds.

Now we’re going to find somewhere to eat before we head back to Sydney!

Some hungry hippos

I ordered a falafel bowl because I wanted to eat something healthier for once

We catch our train in about an hour and a half so we have plenty of time to figure out the route home.

A little view of the line behind us

After getting in the place was pretty packed. It was fun but drinks were $12 for a single highball and $20 for a double which is just absurd. We didn’t want to spend too much so we mostly just chatted with random people.

Inside Ivy

There were two floors so that picture is just a little snippet of how big it was.

We didn’t stay too long and left at about 12:45pm because we had such a long day and we’re getting tired. We all went to bed and don’t have too much planned for tomorrow as of yet.

Devon and Scott hanging out while we wait for our laundry

Our flight to Byron Bay leaves tomorrow at around 3pm so we will have plenty of time in the morning to gather up our stuff and head to the airport.

So far Sydney has felt pretty similar to Vancouver since it is a bigger city but it’s quite a bit nicer and warmer here. I think all of us are excited to get out of Sydney and experience what it’s like outside of the city.

All nice and rolled up and ready to pack away

We still don’t really have any plans for the day so we’re just going to hang out and relax for the most part.

Playing cards for about the 15th time

We played for about an hour or so and the area we were sitting closed at 10pm so it was perfect timing for when the game ended.

The final score of the game

Devon and Jake are pretty tired so they’re going to head to bed and Scott and I are going to go downstairs to the lobby and hangout cause we still have a bit of energy.

I beat Scott 2-1 in the best of 3 but it was really close each time

While we were playing the music from the club was booming through the floor and we could feel and hear the bass easily. If there’s people that sleep on the first floor I find it hard to believe they can’t hear it at all but maybe where we’re sitting is right on top of the speakers.

All packed up and ready to go

Now we’re going to go for some breakfast because we won’t have another opportunity to eat until we land in Byron Bay since we don’t want to pay extra at the airport. Our flight leaves in 5 hours so we have a little bit of time to kill anyways!

We can leave our bigger bags at the hostel which is huge cause we don’t want to lug them around while we find somewhere to eat

Jake and I both got salads and they were pretty tasty

Devon and Scott ended up going to a cafe nearby and ended up ordering a vegan smoothie bowl.

We took the train to the airport because it was way cheaper than taking an Uber and we had plenty of time

We don’t leave for another hour, so we’ve been tossing the ball around playing a little made up game for fun.

We called our game “Fun trivia rock game”

We get in to Byron Bay at about 4pm and we might try to go to a beach or go for a bike today. Tomorrow we’re going to have a big beach day because we get free surfboards at the hostel we’re staying at!

Devon is sitting all by his lonesome so he wasn’t able to fit in the photo

So sad (he’s joking don’t worry)

The airport is super small here

Tarmac selfie!

I wasn’t supposed to use my phone on the tarmac and a worker told me not to but I still got the photo anyways.

We have about a 1 hour bus ride to get into Byron Bay

Once again our timing was impeccable and we had to wait no longer than 4 minutes for the bus. Once we got on it stuck around for 5 minutes so we wouldn’t have missed it if we were a bit later but the next bus comes in 2 hours so I’m glad we caught it.

Juggling on the beach

After playing around for a good hour and a half, we were real hungry and decided to grab some food! We ended up going to a place called Treehouse which is right by our hostel.

Jake showed up a little late so we ordered without him but his foods on the way

Devon outside the yoga tent

It sure makes me realize how much more flexible other people are but it was a really good start to the day! After we finished both Devon and I felt very relaxed and ready to take on the day. Scott and Jake are still watching football so Devon and I are going to head into town to get groceries because we’re going to make our own dinner tonight and get breakfast for tomorrow morning.

Devon and his groceries

It was only a 20 minute walk into town and we challenged ourselves to get to the grocery store without google maps. We ended up having to ask some people for directions and they were super helpful. One person we asked happened to work for a tour guide company and she is going to give us some free vouchers to kayak with dolphins because it’s the end of the week and she has a surplus. She also talked about her experience backpacking the east coast of Australia and gave us some suggestions. She strongly recommend checking out Fraser Island. While Devon and I were in the grocery store we were talking about how we could plan out the next couple weeks and a local also really recommended we check out Fraser Island and that it was his favourite place to go, so there’s a really good chance we end up going there.

Scott and Jake are done watching football so we’re going to meet them at the beach now!

A little view of the beach

We’re all sunscreened up and ready to go

Carrying our boards to the water

The boards the hostel had weren’t the best quality which isn’t surprising considering they were free. We met one of our roommates named Layton from California and we invited him to come along with us! We threw the football around for awhile then went into the water.

Ready to surf!!

Jake and I have surfed before but both of us aren’t the most experienced. This particular beach wasn’t very good for surfing so we weren’t really able to stand up but it was good experience having the board in the water for next time we go!

Yummy

Devon couldn’t wait to dig in

We were all pretty tired so after we ate we just went back to our room and crawled into bed. There’s a sunrise walk to a lighthouse tomorrow morning at 5am and Devon and I signed up for it but Dev isn’t feeling super good so he would rather get his sleep. I think I’m still going to go on it but I might re-evaluate after when I wake up at 4:30am. Tomorrow we’re doing a kayak with dolphins because we got those free vouchers and that starts at around 10am as well so I might be running on fumes if I go for the walk as well.

A view as the sun just peaked through

The water and waves looked so nice in person

The lighthouse

The coastline nearby

Jake prepped and ready for action

Devon showing his rowing technique

Devon and Jake were in one kayak and Scott and I were in the other. Jake and Dev struggled to get out initially and fell out a couple times but were smooth sailing after that. Scott and I got our first try but we capsized halfway through the tour, so we both had a nice spill. We did see a few dolphins but they weren’t the most active so it was mostly from a distance. 3 dolphins did swim right underneath Jake and Dev though and they were worried the dolphin was going to take them out somehow.

After 2 hours of being out in the water, I definitely had enough and my stomach did too. Dev and Jake saw someone throw up during the tour but I managed to keep it together. By the end of it Devon and I were so tired we just went back to the hostel and Jake and Scott went to go eat some food at a burger place!

I didn’t take any photos after kayaking since it was a lot of lounging around so here’s a selfie before bed.

A bonus picture of Scott

Packed up once again but this time we’re more tanned

I got some crazy tan lines going on from kayaking yesterday

Scott’s thighs are just as bad

Jake practicing his surfing

We’re staying in a hotel room here for the next week until the 31st then we’ll be heading to Brisbane. It’s a hotel room but we found it on Airbnb so we aren’t really sure how it works but it’s only $41 a night per person which isn’t bad at all.

We got to our room nice with no issues

The room also has some amenities like a hot plate, toaster, and other appliances so we’re going to try to make our own food for most of the days we’re here.

Our view! We’re only about a 5 minute walk from the beach

A view of the city as well, not as crazy

We made some tacos for dinner tonight!

Since we weren’t doing much today we decided to just have an early night and watch a movie. We settled on watching The Dark Knight Rises because we all haven’t seen it in so long.

Go Batman

We don’t have much planned for tomorrow yet but we will likely do something a bit more engaging!

The pool area at our hotel

We went in the hot tub and it was more of a warm tub cause it was probably only about 90 degrees fehrenheit. It definitely didn’t need to be super hot though because it’s already 25 degrees celsius out at 9am.

Lounging around

Scott and I are going to dry off in the sun then walk around a little bit to explore!

A picture of the beach right near our place

Since there’s nobody playing volleyball I headed back to the hotel because Scott is at the pool and Jake might head down soon too. Devon is still getting as much rest as he can because tomorrow is Australia Day and we might be drinking a fair amount.

Back at the pool with Scott! We’re probably going to throw around the football

Nice and sweaty

Now we’re going to go for wings at El Camino again for the cheap deal because it’s Wednesday!

Scott got a head start and is already asleep

Ready to rumble

The view from our friends apartment

This place turns into more of a night club when it gets dark out so we went a little early to get food

Here’s a picture of the view after we got back from the beach. That smaller white building near the water is the pav!

The aqua park

We were on it for about an hour which was more than good enough because it was pretty tiring running around on it.

The boys and Abby (our friend from Kelowna that moved here)

Afterwards we threw a football around while we dried off more then walked across the street to get some groceries. Now we’re going to head back to the hotel and relax for a bit.

Devon was really excited for his Wahlburger burger!!

We’ve noticed at quite a few places that servers aren’t much of a thing and there are QR codes at tables where you just order online and they bring the food to your table instead. It was a pretty quick meal since they paid before the food came out so we all went back to the hotel room and Scott and I went for a swim/sauna before the pool closed at 9pm.

Now we’re back in the room watching another movie to wind down before bed!

Jake and I went for a little walk to scout out a spot on the beach while Devon and Scott ran to the pharmacist

Since we couldn’t play volleyball we found a spot on the beach that wasn’t too crowded (which was hard since it’s Saturday) and played some more of our football game.

The football was super sandy because the sand was sticky and the ball kept going in the water

The UV index was an 11 but it was cloudy so it helped us out a little bit. We still got a good amount of sun so now we’re going to go get some food, shower then probably play some cards

We got a 2.5L beer tube between the 4 of us for $60

That probably seems a little intense but it ended up being about $15.00 for 2 sleeves which isn’t too bad at all.

I’m definitely starting to get a tan on

After I got back we took advantage of the fact there was laundry machines in the building and cleaned our clothes.

It took us until about 4pm to get out and rolling today and we decided to play mini golf for a little $15 wager.

Team Jake and Scott wore black on black

Team Devon and Grayson went for the classier grey on beige

It was a tight game. Devon and I were up by one stroke going into the 18th hole and Jake made the tying putt to send us into to a playoff hole. On the second playoff hole Scott made a bank shot off the wall and Devon and I both missed our putts so Scott and Jake came out on top. We haven’t had a ton to eat so we’re going to go get food now!

The boys in front of a little sculpture

On our walk we got ice cream and just explored a little bit. After an hour or so we got back to the hotel and Scott, Jake and I went for a swim in the pool. We were the only ones in the pool so we were tossing a ball around. When I was getting out of the pool to get the ball my shorts caught on something and ripped which is super sad because I really liked them!

My ripped shorts

Patagonia has a pretty good return/repair service so next time there’s a patagonia store nearby I’m going to see if they can help me out.

Tomorrow we leave for Brisbane at about 5pm which is where we’ll be for the next week!

All packed once again!

Jake and Scott went for a little walk to find some souvenirs from Gold Coast and Devon and I are gonna stay back with the bags. When they get back we might just hangout in the lobby and play cards for a couple hours then maybe grab some food.

Devon chillaxin on the couch

Scott and Jake just before we left the hotel

Right before we left it started to downpour and thunderstorm. It’s about a 5-6 minute walk to the bus stop but it was coming down so we had to stay under cover as much as possible.

The rain just outside our hotel

We made it to the bus safe and sound with a bit of time to spare though and didn’t get rained on too badly since we were under cover for a good chunk but I stepped in a puddle and now I have a wet shoe and sock for the bus ride. Hopefully I don’t get trench foot.

Our home for the next hour or so

Scott and I are going to watch and episode of game of thrones now assuming we don’t get motion sick.

Just after our football throw around

We typed in the address and it was 2km away so we decided to walk it. It didn’t take too long and we got to see some cool buildings here at night.

A couple buildings were lit up with purple light, not really sure why

When we got to our place we took our bags off and got a little settled. The place here is super modern and nice. We’re very close to the city center which is awesome.

Dev and Jake in the Brisbane

After we got all settled we decided to finish our game of Canasta and Devon and Jake won! They had a really 4th hand because Scott and I didn’t even get open so it set us back quite a bit but we almost made a comeback.

The scores of the game

Now we might just watch a show/movie then go to bed. We’re going to explore a bit more of the city tomorrow and find something to do. Sometime within the next couple days we’re going to an animal reserve to hold a koala and pet some dingos!!

Playing Canasta in the morning

After we played our cards we decided to walk over to the Gallery of Modern Art nearby!

A cool graphic wall we saw on the way

Inside the Gallery of Modern Art

Devon and I debated going to see the Air exhibit that they had showing but it’s $20 to get in. We might come back another day because apparently it’s quite immersive. For now though we just decided to look around at the other art that was displayed because we didn’t have to pay anything.

A cool piece of abstract art

Another really cool piece (Devons favourite)

Now we’re going to head over to the Queensland Museum since it’s so close!

The boys at Grill’d

They ordered their food before me because I was slow to decide so I got mine after they had all finished.

Me and my burger

All the boys including myself loved the burgers. Devon was especially fond of his and claimed it was even in his top 3. We might end up going back there because it was pretty tasty.

Devon by the James Turrell art

The light changed colour every now and then and was ombré at times. It was pretty fascinating to look at.

You can see a bit of the ombré in this one but it was on the tail end

Once the sun went down the colours looked a whole lot more vibrant.

Every colour looked really cool

It was hard to capture the yellow-ish colour because it came out grey so I didn’t take any photos of it but I think it was my favourite.