So my stomach issues have finally passed. I am feeling pretty much back to 100% thank goodness. I spent two days laying low in Bali eating a lot of toast and yoghurt and drinking a drink akin to Gatorade, all of which contributed to finally turning the corner. In addition, I had two Balinese massages, which I am sure helped out as well.
Yesterday, I flew from Bali to Brisbane and ate a couple large chicken salad sandwiches (with some veggies tucked inside) that really helped me on my recovery for some reason. We landed just before 11:00 and I finally made it to my hotel at just after midnight only to discover I had the wrong suitcase. (Yes, Tom. I did it again and just like last time, same colour and make… and I thought my weird green suitcase were unique… as well as the same priority tag… what are the odds it would happen twice in my life.)
Fortunately, about a half hour later back at the airport (Virgin Air had contacted me that a woman had my bag and they believed I had hers) I was swapping bags with the person who had my suitcase. And it turns out the woman had picked up my suitcase by mistake and left the airport when she discovered the mistake. We both ended up laughing about it at 1:00 in the morning. Gesh.
Anyway, I was tired to say the least when I woke up at 8:00 a.m. for my 10:30 a.m. departure on a 90 minute cruise on the Brisbane River. It was a glorious morning and once on the M/V Neptune, I found a nice spot on the top deck at the back of the boat. Most of the passengers appeared to be retirees (hey I’m one of you now…), including a group of four women from the Sydney area who decided they wanted to befriend me. I spent a fair bit of time talking to these lovely retired school teachers.
Once we got underway, the boat left the Cultural Pontoon Center and headed downstream passing first under the fabulous Neville Bonner pedestrian bridge (which was adjacent to the Brisbane Big Wheel) and then heading past the Maritime Museum. Now as we passed by the Maritime Museum, the commentary on the boat pointed out a series of steel pontoons that were used during the early shipping days in Brisbane. One clever artist had even converted one of the pontoons into a display for his iron bird sculptures.
After passing by the pontoons, we sailed by a park (complete with a real rock wall for climbing) that was filled with sculptures that are a leftover from the 1988 Brisbane World Expo.
As we continued on, we next passed under the recently completed (December 2024) Kangaroo Bridge, which is only two blocks from my hotel. I plan to walk across the bridge next week. Once we passed under the bridge, we were officially in the Kangaroo Point area of the river, home to incredible homes and high rise condominiums.
However, as we passed along the area, one building stood out amongst the rest: a small old Victorian building with a copper dome … turns out it was the old Customs House sitting proudly amongst the huge modern high rises. And while it looked very much out of place, it was also cool to see that the building had been preserved.
Now as we passed Customs House, we next came upon the Story Bridge, originally constructed in 1940. The Story Bridge is the steel cantilever bridge with lanes for cars, bikes and pedestrians and is the longest cantilever bridge in Australia. The bridge was designed by the same architect who designed the Sydney Harbor Bridge (and yes you can climb it).
After passing under the Story Bridge, we next passed an old heritage home known as the Shafston House, that was apparently originally constructed in the 1850s. Unfortunately, the site is now owned by a development company, which is trying to turn the site into a high-rise condominium project. Just what they need!
Now at this point, the boat staff had brought out tea and scones and I decided to wait until all the other folks on my deck had their mid-morning snack before pouring myself some tea and taking a scone. Unfortunately, my timing could not have been worse. Just as I was picking up my tea, some jackass in a power boat came speeding by causing our boat to rock VIOLENTLY. (The staff told me they had called the harbor police on the guy because he was way, way over the speed limit.)
Anyway, the wave action tossed me against the table and my tea spilled over part of my hand and onto my pants. Now pants dry, but my hand another story. I let out a scream, dropped the cup and fell back into my seat. The folks downstairs heard the commotion and came running and immediately grabbed ice and a wet cloth to hold on my hand. I ended up holding the ice on my hand for the last 45 minutes of the trip as every person on my deck came to check on me. Fortunately, the quick action of the staff prevented any blistering, but the area between my thumb and forefinger is red and tender. I have been putting aloe on the area and it seems to have helped a lot. (I CANNOT catch a break.)
So after the excitement, I sat back and ate my scone and watched a huge number of pelicans feeding on fish in front of multi-million dollar waterfront homes before we reached the Powerhouse, an old power plant converted into an arts and entertainment center.
From here, we reversed course and began the trip back to the Cultural Pontoon Center. Now one thing I found interesting as we returned is that the old brick wall and archway I had noticed when I boarded the boat is actually all that remains of the original bridge that crossed the river, but was replaced by the Neal Bonner pedestrian bridge. I was a little surprised there was not more information about the old bridge. It looked like there was a good story in there somewhere.
Anyway, after the boat trip, I ended up walking over to
the Brisbane Big Wheel (stopping first for a picture of the iconic Brisbane sign) and took the 15 minute ride. Now the ride was nice and all, but I was actually surprised at how small the wheel really was. I have been on the London Eye, which is huge, and the wheel in Seattle, which is also quite big, but this one made it difficult to see much of anything beyond the river area. So much for spectacular views.
By now, it was just after 1:00 p.m. and I decided I had done enough. No need to push it when I am just getting back on my feet. Tomorrow I fly to Arlie Beach and the Whitsundays for a 3 day catamaran cruise (4 staterooms) through the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef. I will be back to Brisbane on Monday to spend the remainder of the week.
