Robot Claw

I’m standing on Broadbeach looking north to Surfers Paradise shortly after sunrise yesterday. The sand on this endless beach is super fine and the water was chilly cold but I believe the main reason few were swimming at this hour was this…

Jellyfish! Big guys too, about 20cm across. There were a lot of them on the sand and even being washed up as I watched. I don’t think these guys are dangerous, but I wouldn’t fancy swimming with them 🙂

The Q1 building is the tallest in Surfers and here’s the view from the ‘Skypoint’ observation level 77 stories above the street. It’s absolutely worth the visit if you’re here especially if the weather is as nice as it was yesterday.

The views are 360 degrees and there’s even an option (which costs extra) to go outside and climb even higher.

The ‘Infinity Attraction’ was a mind-bending walk-through illusion that used mirrors and leds and lasers and other gimmicks to make you feel like you’re in infinite spaces or floating above an abyss or inside a computer etc. It was fantastic and this souvenir photo hopefully gives you an idea how much fun we had 🙂

Oh and we’re staying in a massive casino, so there’s a lot of this too!

Yesterday we drove to Jupiters in Broadbeach where we’ll spend the next few days. The chauffeur-driven car was worth more than my house and was quite an experience!

That’s Broadbeach, looking north towards Surfers Paradise. The beach seems to go forever in both directions and as you can see the day was lovely. We walked north in the dry heat…

This is a very popular tourist destination and there’s zillions of people here – both Australians and foreign tourists. Surfers Paradise itself is full of the same tourist attractions you see in places such as this and I’m sure we’ll check some of them out.

That’s me trying out a ‘laser maze’. I did well, only breaking 3 of 14 lasers, but even at the easy setting had to contort myself a bit. This was at a giant arcade (Timezone) with all sorts of fun games 🙂

The famous ‘meter maids’! Somewhat sadly the calendar they were selling was a 2015 version (!) but they happily posed for photos (for $5). Interestingly neither of them were Australian…

I wonder what I was looking at?

As I said we’re staying in the casino and the rooms are large and very comfortable. A good base from which to explore this place!

It was light around 4:30. I went out very early for a walk around the CBD, botanic gardens and south bank.

A life-sized kangaroo sculpture made of metal scrap. He’s one of four. Someone had left the burger carton there artistically.

I saw dozens of these in the botanic gardens, but this guy at about a metre was the longest. He was so fearless I felt I could have touched him!

Tropical plant in the gardens.

River view from the gardens. I’m looking northeast.

Artificial beach in the south bank park.

It was in the high 70s and quite humid. By the time I returned 2.5 hours later I was drenched in sweat ?

After travel that included a flight cancellation, rerouting, delays and near luggage loss, we managed to both get on the same plane in LA as planned, and make it here at the same time.

Here is Brisbane!

The weather is beautiful and Brisbane is full of people. We’re staying in a lovely old hotel right next to the CBD and spent most of yesterday just wandering around.

And of course eating, since neither of us ate on the plane.

It’s a beautiful downtown, wrapped around the river as it does. On the other side from our hotel is a waterfront park and all sorts of attractions. We rode the Ferris wheel, but even though it was early afternoon I was pretty ruined by then and fading fast; it’d been over 40 hours since I had slept!

I went to bed at some ridiculous hour (it was still sunny out) and here I am at 3 am wide awake and hungry as a beast. I wonder if anything is open…?