Traffic and settlement are much more intense now and I am moving on to the south coast. Driving out of Mackay awful rain and strong side wind surprised me. About 20 km I drove with speed 60km/h. Rain was so heavy that even local people stopped their cars. There were some dangerous situations where cars were stranded without the lights. I took no risks and turned to a parking lot. Rain drummed so heavily against the car roof that I could not sleep, so I turned back to the highway. The highways of Australia are well informed with many informative signs. That is good and helps you avoid routine. Distances are very long and you can see many warning signs. They tell to rest your eyes, to stop for awhile, etc. There are many different versions of those warnings. Some are polite reminders, but some tell you “Rest or R.I.P.”
I turned off the highway to a small seaside town Yeppoon. Town like a fairytale, between the mountains and beside the ocean. Driving a high mountain old “Frog” almost went boiling, but we managed to climb… In the same town I used laundry house and found a barber. Despite being a proud owner of a comb, I decided to get a haircut. You know that it is not so hot with less hair on your head! I picked some words from my dictionary to express myself and went in. I explained that my head is “hot” and can you help me out?! They understood me instantly and a haircut I received. Of course I could have been talking in Latvian and they would have understood me… Anyway it´s pure waist to own a comb and get a haircut!
Before reaching Brisbane, I turned to the seaside to find a place to eat. I did it and got my stomach filled for 10 dollars! I had delicious toasted fish (Barramundi fillet in garlic sauce). Restaurant was nearby fishing port and fish there is always fresh. Before my dinner I met this Barramundy fish-fellow (big armour, sad eyes and thin lips). Fish and Chips is very popular food in Australia and that they serve basically everywhere. About chips I can´t tell you much, but fish tasted very good. Usually it is some kind of a white meat fish… Depending the area, you could also find other stuff from the sea to eat.
In this small town many houses have their own dockages. Well, that´s perfectly logical – you can step on your boat from your bedroom!
As most of the big cities, Brisbane also has several suburbs. I met a Finnish acquaintance there – I guy named Marko. He showed me a nice place to spend the night. You can see the panorama of Brisbane from there. In the bay there is an island where you can walk to while having the low tide!
I had an early start next morning to go to the city. I was caught in a traffic jam, nervous and hungry. It felt like Brisbane is constantly building and building roads. My GPS was confused. I got there and after strolling around couple of hours I left.
Brisbane,
2. February
