The situation is beyond critical

Picture from ABC News

Today I have moved. From my 39th floor "in the middle of the city" apartment across the river to good old Kangaroo Point. 

View from 39th

39th another angle

So now instead I have the views over the city or shall we say the Bris Vegas skyline. Not too bad

Maybe you can see on the pictures, which are taken this morning, that it seems to be a bit misty. When I came to the new apartment I also thought it smelled a little bit peculiar. Then I realised it´s not from the apartment and it´s not mist outside. It´s the smoke from bushfires around!
Australia is currently literally on fire. This morning on TV there was extra news continously reporting from the fires and the fire fighters heroic fights to save property. So far 3 people have been reported dead and 150 properties have been completely destroyed. There are so many tragedies out there now.
Everybody knows that there are fires every year in Australia but according to the news these are the worst ever, at least in numbers at the same time.

The map above shows where it´s burning right now and the title of this post is a quote from New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian

Cheers

Catching up with old friends

Today's Sunday and I decided to spend a part of the day in the botanical garden to explore the beautiful nature and see if if could find some of my old friends.

And sure I did!

The first one was mr Ibis. He and his many friends are everywhere looking for some treats to pick up, preferably from some garbage bin. Probably the most common big bird in Brisbane

Then miss Turtle, who normally is quite shy, turned up to say hello before continuing her Sunday swimming exercise

The water dragons are usually everywhere, but where actually quite difficult to spot today. maybe it's still a little bit too cold for them. Anyway here is Lizzy.

And finally, dwelling in the murky water. I had to search for quite a while before I found him. Mr Eel, ruler of the pond. These eels are giant, more than one meter and look so special with clear blue eyes. Once we got contact he actually followed me for a while along the pond shore

Fig trees are cool!

And a sculpture always drags camera attention 😀

Cheers!

Back in Brisbane

I have now been back for a week in Brisbane or Brissie or Bris Vegas or whatever you prefer. In Sweden we say "beloved child has many names"  

I'm slowly starting to get my bearings again

Although most things look and work pretty much the same there certainly have been some updates. For example I'm currently staying in the building that is now the tallest in Brisbane, 270 meters. That building wasn't even there when I left two years ago.

My apartment is on floor 39.

Do you think that means one of the top floors? No no, I'm not even halfways to the top!

So yes, there have been quite a few new developments here that have changed the skyline a bit. And there are more to come. Several ongoing construction areas in the city. 

There is also a completely new entertaiment precinct by the river just under the iconic Story bridge. Looks really nice and I'm keen to try it out.

Not everything has developed as expected though. When I arrived I asked the taxi driver to go via Hamilton to see the new road that they were building there along the river. That was an ongoing project last time I was here and should have been finished long ago.

- No no no, I won't go that way. It's a complete mess. They had to redo the filling of the river. It's now worse than ever!, the driver said

It was great to see the guys in the office again. Almost like I hadn't been away. I even used my old desk the first day, lol. 

But they haven't really been doing burger Fridays since I left so I promise to be a catalyst for that becoming a tradition again!

My main challenge at the moment is to find an apartment for a longer term.  I inspected a few yesterday and will do so next weekend again. The one below was quite nice and, as you can see, popular. Will be a tough competition for that one.

See you next Sunday!

Cheers!

 

Yes, they have this crap here as well

 

But this is not crap! mmmm... Why don't we import those to Sweden?

This little feller still makes your tastebuds happy. I've been missing you, mate!

Curing jetlag in Bali

Can't really believe I've now been to Bali three times in three years. Who would have thought that? But this Indonesian island is very well positioned on the route to Australia and easy to reach by many airlines. Also there is close distance between the airport and many hotels which is convenient for a short stay, so Bali it was again.
It's a bit strange but every time I've come to Bali my first feeling has been "Oh what am I doing here, I should have gone somewhere else", but every time I've left my feeling has been "Don't wanna go, let me stay a few more days"
One funny thing that I've noticed is the different picture of Bali that people in Sweden and Australia in general have. For most Swedes, at least those who haven't been there it's a paradise Island with wonderful beaches, lush forests, rice fields, silence and slow lazy relaxed days. For the Aussies it's simply good surf and dirt cheap beer.
So let me then tell you the truth. I've now seen most of the famous beaches and can tell you they are ok but not in any way spectacular. You'll find better beaches in many destinations such as Thailand. Also Bali is very crowded, at least in the southern parts where most tourists stay. 4.2 million people live here! In combination with narrow roads, transporting is an issue and it takes like forever going anywhere. There are no public transports at all so taxi is your option unless you want to rent a scooter and go like the locals. I would never even consider driving a car myself here.
So what are some good things then? Yes, people are very friendly, always smiling. Food is good. As you know I always eat the local food wherever I go and many balinese dishes are something extra, although a bit spicy! There is also something special and authentic with the culture that makes Bali stand out. The temples and the stories about Garuda Wisnu and the other gods that can be seen in many performances of course but also the local music that you hear in all hotels, at all pools etc. It doesn't sound like anything else and you might first get crazy but after a while you are addicted!
Anyway, the idea to stay a few nights with lazy days to get rid of jetlag was good and can be recommended!

Cheers!

Fish market, Jimbaran

Fish harbour, Jimbaran

Jimbaran beach

Seafood dinner, Jimbaran

Sunset view from seafood dinner

Kuta beach, the most famous

Ku De Ta, yes this time I made it! Famous restaurant/beach club in Seminyak

Balinese dinner set at a more plain restaurant
(I was hungry so started eating before taking the picture...)

So here I am again! Brisbane, the lovliest city of Oz. And I'm more dizzy than ever LOL.
As you probably are guessing, I have decided to emigrate to Australia for another period.
This is going to be so fun!
Arrived in Brisbane yesterday to find that some things have changed but also that some things that were supposed to be finished have still not been. More about that in a later post.

I started the journey a week ago with the intention to get som holiday along the way but also to cure jetlag before starting work. Seems to have been a god investment. Fell asleep at midnight last night and woke up 8am this morning 😊

Jetlag was mainly cured in Bali and on the way there I made a short stopover in Qatar.

Qatar is a strange place, like the other little oil states in middle east. It feels artificial, like being in some sort of theme park. And actually that's not strange since almost everything has been built up in the last decades. 50 years ago Qatars main source of income was fishing.
E.g all streets are wide, often with many lanes and no real traffic issues. And this is of cource since the city was costructed from scrsatch that way and not by evolving from narrow lanes like in many other places.

I really wonder what will happen when Greta's mission is over and the demand for oil is gone. Will they go back to fishing?

And exchange their Ferraris back to camels.





Below are some pictures from Doha, Qatar. Tomorrow I will tell you more about Bali.

Since I travelled with Qatar airlines there was of course a Mecca pointer in their entertainment system!

Cheers!

Back to Kangaroo Point

The new balcony view

We have moved. Well it's actually almost two months ago now. Since William moved back to Sweden we really didn't need the size of the old apartment and especially not he cost.
So we have now said bye bye to the incredible river views at Riverplace Apartments

The old balcony view. Really miss it

and moved to a smaller apartment at Kangaroo Point, the suburb where we started our Australian adventure.
KP is still very central in Brisbane but it is on the other side of the river so i know have to catch the ferry every day to get to work.

The good old City Hopper that takes me to work

Although so close to the CBD it is much more quiet with lots of trees, birds and bats. It is located on a narrow peninsula in the Brisbane river and there is a nice boardwalk all way along the river leading to South Bank, the nicest part of the city. That's good because I'm trying to catch up with the running again and get a little bit fitter before going back to Sweden.

Cheers

Anzac Day

Veterans in the parade

Today it's a public holiday in all Australia. It's Anzac Day. Anzac stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps and the day is celebrated in remembrance of Australians that have been killed in wars from WW1 and forwards.

It's a big thing, Australia remembers it's Anzacs, and in all major cities there are dawn services at sunrise and then parades later in the morning.
I visited the Brisbane parade and was impressed by the number of participants. It lasted for about 2,5 hours and there were representatives from all the wars were Australia has been involved (more than you would think) and from the different military disciplines.
The parade never ended. Honestly I think there were actually more people walking in the parade than spectators watching.

A lot of music corpses created the parade atmosphere

This certainly is a very special day and unlike e g Australia day where you're supposed to be flat out drunk already at noon this day is celebrated more in silence and with respect. There is even a debate going on if sport events should be held on this day at all.
We don't have anything similar in Sweden and I guess that's because we haven't been in any wars since the 18th century. Yes we have had troops in other countries but they haven't fought to defend Sweden's freedom but under the UN flag to keep peace and that's not really the same thing.

Cheers

The crew from HMS Parramatta

Not really Anzac Day related but there is always room for a sweet Aussie girl