5 Days left in Australia before I head back to the windy, cold, ice filled, grey cloud covered UK. Waiting for me is a box of notes that need digitising, a book that needs finishing and a chance to spend some time with my grandfather.
Right now I’m sitting at a cafe at Brisbane’s south bank enjoying food, coffee, and a catch up with the last of my friends here in the beautiful tropical north.

Looking around it is clear school holidays are in full swing. Groups of teenagers, some sporting questionably short shorts, both guys and girls, strut about the place. You can nearly see the over active hormones in the air as pimply faced young men parade around play fighting in front of bikini clad teen girls. Next to them young mums battle to keep the toddlers from drowning in the ankle deep water of the kiddies area.

I really do miss this city. Brisbane was my home for over fifteen years, it is where I became an adult, where a good portion of my friends are located, and the city itself has all the attributes I love. It has the weather, the location close to the gold coast but not the price tag. It has a great night life precinct, good restaurants and cafes and the big draw card for me, no tourist attractions.

Wedged between the Sunshine coast and the Gold coast brisbane is not a tourist town. The people wandering around me right now are locals on their christmas holidays, taking time to enjoy the beautiful city on their door step. The couples at the tables beside me are all talking about what they’ll do tonight, what movie they want to see, where they want to go for the weekend and who they want as the next major.

While I don’t plan on giving up the road any time soon, there are a few things at least that I miss from Brisbane, and being back here does make me question my hobo lifestyle, for about thirty seconds.

There are still many countries to see, cities to explore. The forks in the road, the still to be explored backroads are still my home at least for the foreseeable future but for those that don’t live in Qld, or have never visited the city of brisbane if you are looking for a none tourist filled city located in a beautiful part of australia, Brisbane is the place.

From a cafe at Southbank Brisbane

GK Out!

RIP my faithful Friends - may you give the thief foot fungus.

After being woken by some inconsiderate guests in the hostel I rolled out of bed to have my afternoon shower.

Reaching down to the spot I keep my pair of well worn thongs I was dismayed to find them missing. I assumed I’d simply placed them at the end of my bed, nope no sign. At this point a wave of panic set in – where were my faithful pluggers, my foot coverings that have survived hiking around Beijing China, a tour of the Potala Palace in Tibet, every campsite on the way over the Himalayas, a safari in Nepal, and the dirty streets of New Delhi India?

I pulled everything out of my bag, I looked under the bed, searched the room high and low and have come to a single conclusion…. SOME PRICK HAS STOLEN THEM!

So I’m confused, in countries where the $3 price tag is expensive they were left alone even by the shoeless street beggars, but I hit London, a town where you can purchase a pair, a NEW PAIR, for less than a pound and some complete asshole takes my battered, dirty, slightly smelly flip-flops?!

So I’m now pluggerless – and am going to be forced to wear another pair in, but there’s more than that. Those thongs had sentimental value, they had the dust, dirt and sweat of my adventures embedded in their very souls and some complete c*nt is now wearing my road weary pair like they’re his/her own!

So all I have left is the plugger tan on my feet.

RIP my dear rubber friends you will be missed

GK Out.