Anyway, I woke up at 6 when Daisy & Steph came back in. But thankfully I went back to sleep until 8-ish.
I took a shower, brushed my teeth, got dressed and am now skyping with my family.
 |
| mum! and my darling cat Mouse, though he's hard to see. |
I feel about a thousand times better than I did last night.
in a couple of hours I'm going to brave the public transportation system to get to the west end market to meet quiz & trevor. I need to buy some earrings I think.
----
It's now 11.45 and I'm sitting in Gloria Jean's Coffees drinking a tea and some water.
I left the hostel at around 11.15 and walked to the smoothie place from yesterday but they were still closed. Or maybe they're closed on the weekends, which would seem insane. But anyway, I kept walking and stopped to ask some nice girls outside "Wicked Travel" how to get to a 199 bus stop to the markets and we ended up chatting and they asked what I was doing after Brisbane and when I said going to take my scuba course they got super excited and told me they'd done theirs with Pro Dive too and it was 100% worth the money and how it was amazing. And either they're reeeeally good actress or they weren't kidding.
 |
| these were taken from the hip, walking into the city proper. |
I really need to eat since I haven't had anything since yesterday morning. I'm thinking about getting a cinnamon roll maybe. I told Kiz I'd be at the market at 12ish but I'm already going to be late. And she's not waiting for me anywhere. Aaand she knows I can't find anything to save my life so she won't be too upset.
Just realized I can log into the Queensland Court wifi from here. Definitely my new favourite place.
I worked out how much money I had, I should be fine. I mean, as long as I don't go crazy at all. I was in Brisbane for 97% of yesterday and spent $42. That's including the $27 I paid Chill to extend my stay another night. So $15 on food. Which is mostly what I'lll be buying I figure.
Ok, going to buy & eat a muffin or something since I'm famished. They I'll (try to) find the market.
--
Well, I got as far as buying the cinnamon roll but I'm still here eating it. And drinking my tea which apparently stays piping hot forever and ever.
 |
| Welcome to Gloria Jean's |
 |
| earl grey tea anyone? |
 |
| no? how about a cinnamon bun? |
One of the skinniest girls I've ever seen in my life just walked in. Scary scary scary skinny.
Ah, it's finally starting to cool down enough to drink. The cinnamon roll is hot and delicious.
Still not 100% sure how to get to the 199 bus stop. Apparently it's across from the city hall but since I have no idea where that is it didn't help a whole lot. Perhaps I'll ask my overtly cheerful barista. Are they still baristas if they're male? barist? baristor?
Either way, I'm sure he's be more than delighted to explain how to get there to me.
I'm really going to leave now though, I do want to get to the markets before they're over at 2.
--
And I'm back. At Gloria Jean's. But it's been about 3 1/2 hours. Let me tell you what I did.
When I left I did ask my perky friend directions but he's only lived here 3 years so he didn't know exactly where to go, just gave me the general direction. So I walked for a bit and still had no idea where I was/was going so I stopped and asked another lady. Who sent me inside the travel place to ask them. So I did. And some guy gave me slightly more specific instructions and I felt like I was set. So I walked to where I thought I was going and realized I might be lost. I went into another store (and video game one this time) and some wonderful elderly Indian man took me all the way out of the store and pointed out the stop I was looking for which was only about 1/2 block away.
Got on the bus, no big deal. We went over the bridge and that's went I realized I didn't really know where I was going. Kiz had told me to get off at the stop after Soul Breads the bakery but had left me with super vague instructions from there. So I pressed the button but when I got off there was absolutely nothing to show where the fuck the market might be. I then stopped the nearest two people and asked where it was and it turns out they were going there too and said I could walk with them. We got to to talking and they were so nice. The guy, Jimmy, is from Toronto and is living in Brisbane studying something or other and the girl, Tegan, just moved to the west end from the gold coast.
I've taken to lying and saying I'm 17 because then I can just say I graduated high school early or something, people just treat me normally. Not like the lady at the train station, who I don't think I've mentioned, who was soooo rude when I said I was 16 and basically told me I was too young to do a trip like this. Anyway, Jimmy & Tegan were so delightful and they invited me out for a beer at which point I did have to admit I was '17' and couldn't go to bars, but hell yeah I got invited to hang out with practical strangers! I mean, stranger danger!
When we got to the market he even told me the best way to get back since I knew I didn't know my way around at all.
And Tegan said she liked my bracelet. HA.
Actually, here's a photo of the bracelet.
 |
| most beautiful piece of jewelry in the world. |
The reason it's funny to anyone is that the reason I bought it was because my friend Liam said it was the ugliest bracelet he's ever seen in his life. And really, it's pretty hideous. But then mum took a real shine to it as well cementing my adoration for it.
---
OK, back at the hostel now. my computer was about to die so I needed to come charge it.
Anyway! The market it set up on a sort of footpath around a rugby field, so it's an oval shape. I walked around quickly trying to spot Kiz & Trevor, didn't, decided that since I was an hour later than I'd planned since I took a breakfast break & got lost that they're probably left. Was mildly annoyed by this but not really.
So then I walked through the whole thing again, bought two bananas and went on my way.
 |
| from the hip. |
 |
| from the hip. |
 |
| from the hip. |
I went to where Jimmy said I should go, but then saw that there wasn't supposed to be another bus for like an hour so I stopped two ladies to ask a different way back and they told me to walk up Vulture Street and ask any of the shop keepers because they knew the 199 had a stop up there was wasn't sure where. So I walked up Vulture Street for a few blocks and happened upon the best vintage store I've ever been into in my life. I can't for the life of me remember the name, but it was like Unboxed Vintage or Out of the Box Vintage. Definitely mentioned a box somewhere.
Anyway, I go in and I would have literally bought everything that fit me in the place. Even the weird beaded 80s things. He'd just picked out the best of the best.
There were a whole rack of plaid pants, including a pair in Nova Scotia plaid. he saw me taking a photo of them as asked why I was so interested and when I explained he was so excited because people ask him what the plaids are from a lot and he only knew like, two of them.
 |
| beautiful! |
 |
| these reminded me so much of hoooome. |
All the dresses were $20 off and 50% of the price went to the flood relief so I really wanted to get something. I tried on a few dresses and bought one.
A most wonderful royal blue sundress with big black polka dots with was amazing, but too small in the bust.
A buttercup yellow 50s dress. I wasn't sure it was going to be good, and it wasn't, but it was one of those ones that you knew was either going to be hideous for amazing.
And the one I bought - A 100% cotton 50s dress with the original metal zipper all down the front. It's got a bit of an odd, but charming, collar. It's white with a sort of birdcage/gazebo/I'm not sure what motif in browns and yellows.
I'm really not selling it and I feel like no one will like it, just like my bracelet. In fact, they'd go well together I think. it was $30, which is more than I wanted to spend at first but it's so so hard to find original cotton dressed like that. And since half of it went to the floods… I was sold. I could sell it pretty easily for twice that on ebay or etsy or something when I get home since it's in mint condition.
(I forgot to take photos of the dresses somehow. Oh well, I'll wear it one day.)
Anyway, when I left I asked the owner for directions which he gave me in awesomely easy terms that I could follow. Oh, by the way he looked like a cross between Devendra Banhart and Razor from Whip It (since my whole trip is full of the people from Whip It?). Pretty much Devendra but taller and skinner and wear jean short shorts. He was awesome.
 |
| confusing foreign coins. |
 |
| in the west end. |
 |
| angry man is angry. |
 |
| from the hip. |
 |
| from the hip. |
I watched three girls (sister, I think) play the violin while wearing pretty dresses for a minute, but they weren't very good so I wandered stopped watching pretty quickly.
I wandered about and went into a jewelry/piercing stop and debated buying new nose jewelry/getting a new piercing but didn't do either. I still might, but I'd need to think about it more.
 |
| relivin' the gl-gl-glory daaaaaays. |
They all made me want to cry.
I walked a little farther ahead an discovered I was on George Street. I then knew exactly where I was, so I felt pretty spiffy. I also saw two people across the street holding signs that said "We Are All Julian Assage" & "Hands Off Wikileaks". I thought it was a little odd that they were just standing there, but I went over to ask to take their photo and found myself in the middle of a Socialist Gathering and Demonstration for People Against the Treatment of Julian Assange and Bradley Manning and the Australian Goverment's Reaction to Wikileaks.
SGDPATJABRAGRW for short.
No, they didn't call it that nor what it called that in long form. But that's what it was! There was some people speaking, including someone who's name I've forgotten who works for some anti-war thing and seemed really awesome. Of the three people I heard speak he was the most compelling and to the point.
I took a bunch of photos of the speakers and the signs. They cornered me (since I refused to hold a sign or blow a whistle, using the grounds that I needed both hands to use my camera) to sign some petition. I said no thank you at first, but they wouldn't stop asking so I finally just did it.
 |
| from behind. |
So then I walked along George St, got to my favourite cafe, had an awful lemon & lychee ice tea and left.
I stopped by some other store with postcards and shit and bought two 1 1/2 litre bottles of water for $6. Sweet! Since I keep forgetting to ask if it's safe I've been using bottled water for brushing my teeth and stuff so I'm going through it fast. I don't think it will be safe to be honest, I haven't been in the bathroom with anyone else so I don't know if they use it either. Speaking of that I really need to buy postcards! I've seen a few '10 for $3' type deals, I'll buy them tomorrow I think.
 |
| passed this somewhere, it's of Themis. |
Walked along a little more and got to another store I've forgotten the same of. But they sell digeridoos, fire hoops/staffs, poi stuff (both fire and regular), prayer flags, incense, juggling balls, books on spiral shit… it's a great place. When I went in there was a guy called Luke working, teaching a german guy called Will how to so some confusing juggling thing. I looked around for a little and when Will left Luke and I talked about fire. Hoop dancing with fire, staff twirling with fire, fire poi. He told me all about the fire twirling performance he has tonight and what he was thinking about doing. I want a fire hoop so badly now!
Left him, walked back past Wicked Travel where I was accosted by the girl who I spoke to this morning who wanted to hear about my market experience/see the dress (which she, apparently, loves. In fact she told me I could unzip it a bit and be a, and I quote "50s housewife sexpot". I do not approve of that in the slightest. Also, isn't that the most bizarre thing to say to someone you really don't know? I think it is. But that's beside the point.) She also gave me a pamphlet on the market's in brisbane, of which they're about 7 I think. One a day somewhere. Luckily some guy came in asking for something so I was released. Walked back to the hostel where I am now relaxing.
About half way through writing that possibly the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life came in as the newest member of room 215. She looks a little like Cameron Diaz but so much better. I think she's French (she sounds it anyway) and her name's Stephanie.
Anywho, it's 5 right now and I think I'm going to get all my pictures on the computer, take a shower and then I guess I'm going to need to find some food. Might go to the supermarket somewhere, I'll have to talk to someone and find out where that is. I still have my bananas from this morning that didn't eat since I stopped at Gloria jean's again… maybe I'll just eat those. But I think I need real food since all I've had today is that cinnamon roll. I know there's a super cheap sushi place in that Square that I was in today. Sushi sounds pretty great, Kiz had some yesterday and she says it's super delicious.
With no segue whatsoever:
I absolutely love having two cameras. I've gotten over the issues with getting to it by keeping my point and shoot in my pocket, so if I just want to snap something I have that. I was carrying my big camera around a lot of the day, shooting from the hip/eye. I haven't looked at them but hopefully I got some good ones of people. I've also set my point and shoot on no flash, silent mode. So perfect for taking photos when no one realizes it. I can do that without my big camera if I'm in a crowded area, like I was doing it in The Square (which I shall now be calling it) because there were tons of people and music, but otherwise people notice and that's weird.
---
"Grrr stop getting spots!" - Daisy, as herself.
"I don't like alcohol!" - Daisy, as her skin.
"Well fuck you!" Daisy, as herself.
---
Some of the photos of people turned out awesomely! I'm super psyched about that.
Ugh, I know I should get food but my feet are hurting, the blisters felt a little better while I was walking today but they're still not good. And they're so ridiculously large that they absolutely cannot burst or I will have raw feet.
So although sushi sounds really good it might be too much.
I'm meeting Frances at the Queen Street mall tomorrow at 11 so we can hang out/grab lunch so maybe we'll get that.
I wonder if she likes sushi?
I don't really want to go out properly, I feel like I've spent so much money today even though it hasn't been that much. As much as I adore the dress I bought, I'm feeling clxkhdgjkscxd about spending $30 on it.
You know what? that's so typical. I have enough money to be in Australia forever and I'm freaking on the second day.
Some of the girls in my room are talking about how they only have a few dollars to last them a week and stuff, so really, I'm doing damn fine.
Ok, I'll make a deal with myself. Tonight I will just grab something and tomorrow after I see Frances I'll get her to help me find a grocery store and I'll by some peanut butter and crackers or something. Maybe some lettuce or carrots? Some vegetable.
I kind of want to check Facebook, but I'm going to have to use the internet tonight when I post this so I'm going to wait and not use up my wifi time.
I think I'll read for a spell and then consider how I'm feeling.
----
Alright it's 9 PM now.
So I read for a little bit, then I was woken up by a new 'girl' (she's 37, can I call her girl?) Laura coming in. She's 37, is Italian, has been living in London for the past 18 years, works as an IT person for the BBC. She's a little in your face but she's so nice.
She, Stephanie (who's German, not French) and I had dinner together. I just used some of their food since they offered, but I need to go to the store tomorrow and get some stuff. I've been really wanting some pasta.
Stephanie's a doctor, teaching medical students mostly at the moment.
After dinner I helped Laura plan her trip down to Surfer's Paradise, because apparently she needed help. She's been in Australia 10 days and has already been to Cairns and Ayer's Rock. But! She stayed at Traveler's Oasis in Cairns and said it was amazing and much more welcoming and friendly than here. Which is awesome to hear!
Now I'm watching Tomic play Nadal. First set.
Nadal: 6: 1
Tomic:1: 4
in the currently game it's 30 love, to Nadal.
goddamn.
No comments:
Post a Comment