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Although I was glad to depart from Surfers, Brisbane didn't hold much relief. I arrived off the bus and walked up to the hostel where I would be staying. The hostel itself was clean and well equipped but I just found it the most unfriendly place to be. For starters I was put in a 30 bed dorm, it was cheap but that was all it had going for it. When your in a smaller dorm it is easy to get talking to people but in a 30 bed dorm that has one window so is really dark its not so easy, everyone sort of keeps to themselves because nobody wants to have to cross the entire room (which was big) to talk to a newcomer. For me, one of the most social places in a hostel is the kitchen. I have met so many people through having a conversation over a saucepan full of pasta. However, with City Backpackers nobody could be bothered to talk to me no matter how hard I tried.
Having moved on form Brisbane I realise that I was not the only one who felt this way - most of the people I have met since say that Brisbane was probably their least favourite city out of all the ones they have been to. The city itself was not all that spectacular either - it seemed to be a complete mish mash of buildings and architecture with no heart. The riverside was pretty but compared to Melbourne it was shabby and the Botanical Gardens were nothing to compare either. I may have been put off the gardens by the fact that I managed to lie down on an ants nest - not such a bright idea I have to say! I ended up with bite marks all over the back of my shoulders and all Adam could do was laugh :( I met adam when I was staying in wake-up in Sydney and it was great getting a chance to meet i\up with him again in Brisbane. By then he had a cushtie job as a cocktail maker and barman in 'Fridays', a cocktail bar on the riverfront. To be honest I was really glad he was there because to be honest I recon I would have had a pretty awful time lulling about on my own had he not been. We had a good laugh, went to the gardens, markets and the city beach together. The city beach makes me laugh but its an ingenious idea. Because Brisbane is inland from the East coast they chose to build a mock beach with a mock sea right next to the river and if you can imagine it, its rather amusing. There was the usual beach sights with people wondering around in bikinis and boardies, little kids splashing around and even sand castles being built. All this with the hustle and bustle of a major city right behind. It made me laugh anyway.
The 25th April is an important day in the Australian calendar - it marks ANZAC day. A public holiday set out to commemorate the Australian and NewZeland Army Corps and all other military organisations that have taken part in battles all over the globe. The entire city basically shut down that day, almost every shop was closed and the main streets of Brisbane were lined with crowds there to watch the Anzac Day Parade. It was a lively event with bands of all descriptions playing (including the bagpipes :) ) There were huge cheers for all the ex service men and women who walked by as well as all the children who turned out in the form of Scouts, Guides and a number of other organisations. It was a lovely parade.
Three nights in Brisbane was more than enough for me. From now on it was going to be non-stop all they way up to Cairns with all the tours I had booked and planned - can't wait!
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