It seems surreal to think that just two weeks ago I was soaking up the warm Queensland sun. And now I'm back slogging away at one of the hardest semesters in my course. After sitting through the first three lectures of neuroscience, I'm starting to dread what else they're going to squeeze into the next 7 weeks. Even the first 3 lectures seem to be enough about the brain and spinal cord to last me a lifetime. Argh. I'm brain damaged enough already.
I only had a night in Brisbane before heading down to Gold Coast the next morning. Fabian, Siew, Pin Jun and I took the train down with no idea where we were going to stay and no idea what we were going to do. I felt like I was going on an adventure. When I asked Siew what we would do in the case that we didn't find acommodation, in true backpacker's style, he said we would sleep on the pavements. Thank goodness for Surfer Paradise's backpacker motels. I was a bit wary of the room conditions considering the dirt cheap price we paid, but I was pleasantly surprised upon checking in this nice motel room. Very nice.
One doesn't end up in Gold Coast without checking out the theme parks. And that we did. Seaworld, Movieworld and Dreamworld, in that order. Seaworld was the perfect choice for our first day. It's a family park. It was nice to wander around and check out the sealife, marvel over the sharks, ooh and ah over the dolphins, occasionally venture into an exhibit and line up for the shows. They had a couple of rides as well, where I reluctantly was dragged into.
If I thought the rides at Seaworld were bad, Dreamworld had the mother of all rides. Or more than one anyway. I think my heart stopped just setting eyes on the Tower of Terror and the Giant Drop. For someone who's terrified of heights, the idea of being dropped from 120m doesn't appeal to me in the least. To add to everyone's rising tension, they kept everyone up there for at least three minutes before letting them plummet down. As I lined up for another ride, I would hear the screams of those in the car for the Tower of Terror as it whizzed past me down the track before pure kinetics forced the car to ascend about three quarters of the Giant Drop pole. I watched in fascinated horror as the car would slide backwards the same way it came. Not my thing. I did go on the Cyclone though, the biggest roller coaster in Dreamworld. The three-hundred-sixty spins, numerous steel drops and half turns were enough adrenaline rush for a day.
Movieworld was my personal favourite. It was like walking into a fantasy world. The architects of the place had definitely put a lot of effort into turning it into a kid's dream come true. I felt like a kid again, and I have to admit I enjoyed myself enormously. Movieworld had it's share of rides, and the Scooby Doo one was particularly fun. Complete with loud Scooby Doo music and tracks that screeched up and down in a room filled with disco lights reminded me of those chase scenes in the cartoon. All the actors were definitely in character and we got our kicks getting photos with our favourite characters. Highlight of the day: Posing with my personal hero: Batman (and Robin). There's just something about the jaw and shoulders and broodiness that does it for me. *sigh*
After the hectic days at the Worlds, the last day was definitely one for relaxation. We had tried to squeeze so much in the past days we had been getting up at 7 and going to bed at 1. We spent the whole day lounging around on the beach. I love it! Nothing beats the warm sun on your back as you laze on the golden sands without a care in the world, listening to the soothing rhythm of the waves and in my case, discreetly enjoying the well-built surfer guys. :D Jee Jian and I made a giant sand turtle! And I made a mermaid as well. It was such a great day. I miss the beach already.
I went back to Brisbane to meet up with a couple of friends the next day, before flying back to Melbourne. I didn't really know most of the Petronas kids in Queensland but it was nice of them to take care of me anyway. The girls were so hospitable! Salwa, Denise, Mynn, Rabbit and Fazz (and I swear there was one more, whose name has just slipped me at the moment. Sigh). And Dollah, for the short time I saw him. Thanks for making my short time in Brisbane such a good experience. Until the next holiday, I'm planning to stick my nose to the grindstone this semester.
Goodbye party girl. Hello academic chick.
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