The last stop of my Australian trip was Brisbane. There is so much to see in Queensland, and I only caught a glimpse of it. I'd have to come back another day, no doubt. My aunt and grandaunt were kind enough to host me, bring me around, cook for me, make me feel at home. But the highlight of the trip, other than spending time with family, was the unexpected encounter with my aunt's friends at the community garden. Every Tuesday they go there to tend to their vegetable crops and some fruit trees, and they'd bring tea and cakes to share after a morning's hard work. I had the privilege to spend some time with the golden citizens, listening to their stories way back in the days while enjoying a cup of hot tea with strawberry shortcakes.
There was this 80 year old man, Kasper, whom I was particularly fond of, who liked to introduce himself as 'Kasper, with a K and not C like the friendly ghost you know of'. I thought that was so cute it made my heart smile. He was kind enough to give me a tour of his fruit orchard (well not his but he was the main person who looked after it) and introduced me to the different trees and plants that I know close to nothing of. Loved listening to his stories about where he was originally from - Switzerland - and how he got to the land down below and grew his roots here. At that moment, sitting at the shed basking under the warm sunlight with gentle breeze on my face, being completely captivated by his stories and simply enjoying the old folks' company - that was one of the best moments of the trip. I can only hope that when I turn 80, I'd still be strong and healthy and able to walk about doing stuff that I love, and sharing my stories with the younger generation.
Aunt tending to her veggies.
Nasturtium, one of the few edible flowers, which I find so beautiful.
Man-made beach somewhere near the city.
On the way to Gold Coast, or somewhere close to it, can't remember...
Waves that beat on the rocks, day and night.
Exemplary state of impermanence.
View from some floors above, in the Twin Cities casino (twin cities being Coolangatta and Tweed Heads). Lots of retired folks. Kinda amusing seeing them around chillin', playing bingo etc...
Somewhere out there. I can't remember where this was taken... Probably during a pit stop on our way to Gold Coast, at this clubhouse where we had coffee and cake.
Some island that many people go to to check out dolphins and whales :)
Ideal place for a retreat, away from the world full of noise and distractions.
One of my favourite pics. That's Uncle Barry's hand cut off, as I was taking a panoramic picture.
Trippy...
The red lighthouse. Because every coastal town needs one :)
This was taken at Manly Beach I think. Quite honestly I don't know what's so 'manly' bout this beach.
Don't see many six packs around... :P
But I do love the cloud formation... So fluffy, like it's out from Mario the video game back in my time, and you can jump from one cloud to the other.
That just about summed up my trip to Australia. Wonderful trip, would love to be back, but for now, back to reality. (Well, technically I was back to reality many months ago, this was just an overdue post). Peace.
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