Gold Coast & Brisbane, Australia (25/5 - 2/6/03)
Sunday, 25 May 2003
Places: KLIA, Aboard MH0137
The day's finally here. We'd be leaving on a jet plane. 15 of us: Pak Long, Mak Long, Pak Lang, Mak Lang, Pak Cu, Mak Cu, Adik Fadli Hafiz, Faliq, Azra, Aida, Nisa, Afzal, Sarah, Zarif and Irina. Destination: Gold Coast and Brisbane, Australia. Yes, Australia. The children had been looking forward to this day since March, when their mothers started using Gold Coast as reward for any good behaviour. The excitement hit a fever pitch when Mak Long, Mak Lang and Mak Cu bought new jackets for the children, but not for Pak Long, Pak Lang and Pak Cu. For the record, Shakhir and Ida had wanted very much to join, but Ida's condition didn't allow even a trip to Giant, let alone Brisbane. Biasalah tu. Dia orang ni sebab dah tau tak boleh pergi, lagilah dia beria-ia nak pergi sangat (gimmick, gimmick).
The idea of an overseas trip was floated early this year. It had been almost two years since our last trip (to NZ), we thought we're primed for another trip somewhere (not PD). Various exotic places popped up: Chicago, Switzerland, Turkey, NZ (South), South Africa and Australia. After some research and free lunches at No. 26, Lorong C4, we settled for Gold Coast, Australia. Reason: it's a fun place for the children. It's also fun for Pak Long, Pak Lang and Pak Cu because they had to pay. It's the cheapest of the lot. Actually Lahad Datu is much cheaper, but it's not in Australia.
Unlike the trip to NZ, this trip suffered OAOAOAS (On And Off And On Again Syndrome) at the outset. On when Pak Long bought the tickets. Off when SARS hit the region. On again when Australia was not affected. Off again on rumours of two-day quarantine for visitors to Australia. On again when the rumours were baseless. Off again when Mak Lang had to complete an assignment for the government of Malaysia. On again when Mak Lang managed to force some luckless junior guy to take over. Almost off again when Pak Cu and Mak Cu had an accident (well, Pak Cu is good at turbine maintenance, but not family planning). On when Dr Hamid cleared Mak Cu. So it's on.
It's about 5 when when we all left home for KLIA. Pak Long with Shakhir, Ida and Yasmin (free), Pak Cu took a taxi (RM50), Pak Lang took ERL (RM10). Rosman had earlier agreed to take Pak Cu to the airport but couldn't make it at the last minute because he's busy with Sharifah Aini. We all met at the departure lounge. Shakhir was happy to see that Pak Lang got off at KLIA and not Salak Tinggi station. The children began a serious discussion to decide on who should sleep with whom in Australia. We boarded a B747, flight MH0137, to Brisbane (BNE) at 7.30 evening. Pak Lang was seated in front of Pak Long. Pak Cu was seated in front of the toilet, for obvious reason (Mak Cu booked his seat. Perfect wife).
We're supposed to sleep during a night flight like this, especially after a tasteless meal. The lights were off. The stewardesses went off after giving everybody a pack of peanuts. With the children asleep, Mak Long, Mak Lang and Mak Cu settled down nicely for a round of well-deserved action-packed movie (Mami Jarum). Pak Long, Pak Lang and Pak Cu found it impossible to sleep with their children's heads, arms and legs all over them.
New Friends:
The stewards and stewardesses (confirmed not the ones who'd appeared on the infamous vcd).
Date: Monday 26 May 2003
Places: Brisbane Airport, Europcar Car Rental, Pacific Highway, Tanah Merah, Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach,Burleigh Heads ) Sunset Court Holiday Apartments, Pacific Fair Mall, Paradise Centre Mall (beachfront), Bi Lo, Coles and Woolworth's.
Landed at BNE at 5.00 am local time (3.00 am Kg Pandan time) after seven hours. We staggered out of the aircraft like a bunch of zombies. The children were ok, even at wee hours like this. You'd just wonder at their staying power and tolerance level, especially for first-timers like Zarif and Irina. Immigration was smooth. No silly questions from the Aussies, like 'what's the capital of Australia' (it's not Ottawa). We joined the crowd at the baggage carousel, dreamily waiting for our luggage. Suddenly the kids jumped and screamed: chihuahua! The small and ugly dog that Pak lang had warned us about was here and real. Like a true professional, it went about its business of twisting and wriggling and sniffing its way through everybody's legs and bags, creating chaos and commotion among us. Mak Long stepped back violently when the dog tried to kiss her stinking shoes (last washed in Auckland in 2001). The dog handler, also small and smelly, was offended and promptly told Mak Long off that 'my dog doesn't bite, ma'am. No reason for over-reacting'. Actually he owed Mak Long an apology. Had Mak Long just let his dog smell the shoes, his dog would drop dead (Mak Long is still waiting for the thank you letter).
All our bags retrieved, we're now ready for the stomach-wrenching and nerve-wrecking part: the customs and health. We'd heard plenty of horror stories about this one. But we're ready. The strategy was to spread the risk by distributing the foodstuff we bought from Giant among the three families. And each of us picked a different officer, if possible an aborigine. No aborigine or similar on duty at this time, but the plan worked like a miracle. Only Milo was dumped, while the rest (Brahim's, Maggi, Meehon,Teh Tarik etc) were cleared. We wheeled out happily into the arrival lounge. Australia, here we come!
Pak Long and Pak Cu confidently walked to the car rental area and secured a 12-seater Toyota van (nothing bigger than that in Australia). The van was just nice for the 15 of us without Mak Ngah and Udin. The children were excited to see the van because it's bigger than Kelisa Pak Long. It's about 7 when we drove out of the airport, found Pacific Highway and headed for Gold Coast, about 80 km south of Brisbane. We had our first taste of Queensland driving and drivers. On a scale of 0 to 10, Malaysian drivers are about 3. Queensland drivers are about 3.5. On the way, we passed a place named Tanah Merah. Then only we knew why the drivers were bad.
We took an exit for Sanctuary Cove but found only a golf course. Finally we reached Surfers Paradise, the hippest part of Gold Coast. Everybody was half-awake as we checked into our apartments, glamorously named Sunset Court Holiday Apartments. Pak Long went to see the owner (Bill) and proudly announced "I'm Omar. I've a booking here". Pak Long tried his best to sound like somebody from Newcastle, Australia instead of Kota Bharu, Kelantan. This trick apparently failed when Bill, unimpressed, just smiled and said "Oh, really?". Bill handed the keys and Pak Long handed his credit card. These days nothing works like a credit card.
Sunset Court was really basic but good enough. Not to mention cheap. We took two separate units, both on the first floor. Each unit had 2 bedrooms, 1 bath/bowl, 1 kitchen, fans, sofa, but no aircon. (We found out later that aircon wasn't really necessary, unless you're in Lahad Datu). Pak Long and Pak Cu shared one unit. Pak Lang, Mak Lang and 8 of the children took the other unit. Good luck to Pak Lang and Mak Lang!
After a quick bath ( bath and bowl for Pak Cu) and a bread/Brahim's combo lunch, we hit the road again for a quick tour of Gold Coast. We cruised along the coastal road covering the three main parts of Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads). Lovely place. So developed and civilised. No wonder it's been consistently rated as one of the best beach resorts in the world. Made you wonder when would PD ever be like this. Still no craft shops or markets in sight, so we turned back and stopped at Pacific Fair Mall, the biggest shopping mall in Gold Coast. We're just too sleepy to indulge in anything. So we just hang around and went in and out of K-mart, Coles, Myer, Target and numerous specialty shops. The prices were ok at first sight, but not ok when you converted them to Kelantanese ringgit.
Had a dinner of masak asam ikan and Australian rice, thanks to Mak Long, Mak Lang and Mak Cu who had to struggle with odd-sized pots and pans.( Of course, Cik Na Bukit Mahkota could've done it alone). The children went for maggi. Pak Long, Pak Cu and Adik FH ventured out and into the beach area. You'd find plenty of action here: elegant stores, discos, food, beach, Woolworth's, Ripley's, Chinese. Pak Cu was shaking all over when he saw the flashing lights and heard the loud music from the disco. But Pak Long was there to calm him down and get him to think of turbine and oil palm plantation.
As the three of us walked around aimlessly, we stumbled on some travel agencies hawking tickets for scuba diving and theme parks. We decided that Pak Lang wasn't quite ready for scuba diving, so we just bought tickets for Movie World theme park. It cost us $500/RM1260, after a discount of $60. There's nothing cheaper than this in Australia..
Finally everybody settled down for a much-needed rest. It's only our first day in Australia, but Pak Cu was already in and out of toilet four times.
New Friends:
Tony: the car rental clerk
Bill Atkinson: Sunset Court Apt owner
Suzie: Travel Agency lady who sold us Movie World tickets.
The chihuahua handler.
Date: Tuesday 27 May 2003
Places: Movie World, Mt Tamborine, Woolworth's
Bright and beautiful morning. Pak Long went out running around Sunset Road and Chevron Island before hitting the beach. Running on the beach in Gold Coast was nirvana, a dream coming true. The view was stunning, with the splendour of endless trees and apartments lining one side and the grandeur of the mighty Pacific Ocean on the other. The people, men and women and Pak Long, just ran and dressed freely. Nothing matters and nobody cares here. Aaahhh, the feeling..... simply out of this world.
Everyone's all fired up after a good rest and a grand breakfast of fried mee hoon and sardine sandwich, courtesy of the three Maks. Today's program: Warner Brothers Movie World theme park, about 20km from Surfers Paradise. Pak Cu took the wheel again. Pak Long took the map and planned our route despite his poor eyesight. Pak Lang took it easy and assured Mak Long, Mak Lang, Mak Cu and the kids that everything would be just fine because Pak Long and Pak Cu knew their way around here. Thank you, Pak Lang!
Reached Movie World at 10.15. What greeted us was Hollywood in miniature. The park was filled with sets and props and characters from the famous movies like Looney Tunes, Batman, Superman, Scooby Doo, Austin Powers, Harry Potter and the very latest flick, Matrix Reloaded. It's truly a world of make-believe. We began with Looney Tunes Musical Revue, a heart-thumping dance and music extravaganza by Looney Tunes characters. Then we moved on to Movie Magic Special Effects show, where we got to see how they made Superman fly ( but not Superman's fly), and then Bat Attack, a mock battle between Batman and bad guys, right before our very eyes. We wore on with Looney Tunes River Ride and other silly rides, before converging on Main Street for Star Parade, the day's highlight and an opportunity to see all the characters at one go. We wound up with Police Academy Stunt Show, a slapstick comedy show quite similar to Senario.
All in all, the kids had a good time cheering and touching Scooby Doo, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Batman, Catwoman etc. The mothers had an even better time without bibis and bosses to bother. But the fathers had the best time of all as they had Marilyn Monroe to cuddle.
It's about 4 when we decided that we'd had enough of Austin Powers' teeth and made our way out. The park management must be relieved that our loud group was finally out of their park without leaving any trail of destruction, except for some bio-chemical by-product left in the toilet bowl by Pak Cu and his offspring.
Since it's still early, we made a detour into the hinterland, through the mountains, towards a village called Mount Tamborine. This was totally unplanned, so we had no idea what's ahead. We all held our breath as the van twisted and turned around and up the hillslopes. Nobody talked until we finally reached the top and the village, when Mak Long and Pak Lang screamed and went wild at the sight of antique and craft shops on the road side. Mak Lang and Mak Cu? They just stood and stared. We found out later that Mt Tamborine was actually famous for crafts and antiques, besides mountain and scenery and winery, but not for tambourine. It's really unfortunate that we had very little time because it's already dark, and the shops were closing. But Pak Lang had seen enough to fall in love with this lovely and quaint place. No surprise when Pak Lang, Mak Long and Shakhir agreed that we should've climbed this mountain earlier. Pak Cu immediately agreed and offered the same opinion, but since we'd known Pak Cu very well, we didn't take his viewpoint too seriously. Mak Lang and Mak Cu continued to stand and stare. The children were thinking of maggi.
On the way down to Surfers Paradise, we stopped at Woolworth's at the foot of the mountain to replenish our supply of bread, sardines, milk, eggs etc.
New Friends:
Marilyn Monroe
Date: Wednesday 28 May 2003
Places: Coolangatta, Murwillumbah, Mudgeeraba
Woke up to gentle showers outside. Rain in paradise. It's below 20C. Cold, but our spirits weren't dampened one bit. Pak Long was humming J Lo's famous lines 'Let's get loud, let's get loud...', but who'd be interested in a crooning old man when breakfast was nasi lemak (and sardine sandwich!). Nasi Lemak was Mak Cu's special. She knew Pak Cu couldn't last another hour without nasi lemak. True lovers. We should expect another accident. After a glimpse of the countryside yesterday, everybody was game for another excursion into the wild side of Queensland. The plan was to take the coastal route and Pacific Highway southward via Coolangatta to a seaside resort of Byron Bay in New South Wales ( another state in Australia, if Pak Lang asked). On the way back, we would cut inland into the mountains and a national park before rejoining Pacific Highway to Gold Coast.
It's still raining when we started. Pak Cu's at the wheel again, with Pak Long navigating, and Pak Lang comforting everybody else. Stopped at a fruit market for some apples and oranges. About half-way to Byron Bay, we'd to shift to plan B due to persistent rain. Aborted Byron Bay, and, instead, took a shorter route via a tourist drive up the mountains and down toward Gold Coast. It turned out to be one long and winding and rolling road. Narrow, lonely but scenic. We passed banana and sugar-cane plantations along the way, and had to constantly remind ourselves that this was indeed Australia, and not Perlis.
Our next stop was a town named Murwillumbah (what?). It's a small and old town, just like Taiping minus the Chinese. We had all the time in the world to eat lunch in the van, stand and stare, catch up with the children's vocab, and hunt for something not made in China to bring back home. We kept criss crossing each other. We passed the same shops three or four times. Mak Long was the busiest. She passed Pak Long five times. Pak Cu had always complained that everywhere his travels took him, he'd bump into somebody from Kelantan. But after two hours in this remote town, the only Kelantanese he met was Pak Long.
The adventure continued as we rocked and rolled through valleys and mountains and rain, passing small villages and dairy farms. We're hoping to find a kangaroo or two just to wake the children out of their dream of maggi. But none crossed our path. There're cows and sheep for sure, but they'd seen enough of that in Kuala Pilah. Suddenly our champion driver (that's Pak Cu) discovered that the van was low on fuel, and Pak Long quickly discovered that we're in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town and fuel was about 15 km away, and we'd to climb a mountain to get there. An easy drive turned into a suspenseful one as Pak Cu summoned all his skills and experience of driving Aman Services lorry in Puchong to maneuver the van up and up and up and down, left and right, with aircon turned off to save fuel. Thank God we finally reached the town of Mudgeeraba. Funny name, but sweet because it had service stations. So we stopped briefly for the van to refuel and some of us to defuel. We're back on Pacific Highway, and merrily cruised toward Surfers Paradise, with the aircon on.
It's still early but already dark when we're back at Sunset Court. The children were beginning to get loud, swarming and jostling around a big bowl of steaming maggi jointly prepared by Mak Long, Mak Lang and Mak Cu. Cooking maggi was certainly a complex process. It took three highly experienced and productive mothers to do it. It'd been a long day, but not long enough for Pak Long, Pak Cu, Mak Long, Mak Lang and Adik FH, who went out again to the beachfront shops, believe it or not. As if to prove the point, Adik FH sneaked into Ripley's Believe it or Not. We looked high and low for Suzie again and finally found her. Since Pak Lang was still not ready for scuba diving, we just bought tickets to Sea World. Same deal: we paid $500, we saved $60.
It's quite late when we're back at Sunset Court, but Adik FH was nowhere around. Worried, Pak Long and Pak Cu took off again, now in the van, to look for Adik FH (actually Pak Long and Pak Cu ni cari sebab nak keluar saja. Half a chance saja, depa keluar). After one round, Pak Long and Pak Cu spotted Adik FH, swaggering and swinging along the road towards Sunset Court, like somebody who's born in Mudgeeraba or somewhere in Queensland. Pak Long and Pak Cu picked him up and drove back to Sunset Court because there's really nowhere else to go.
New Friends: Suzie (again?)
Date: Thursday 29 May 2003
Places: Sea World, Australia Fair Mall
It's another day of showers, shine, showers. But the children were all set for Sea World, and nothing in this world was going to stop them. After a breakfast of nasi goreng (and sardine sandwich!), Pak Cu was behind the wheel again, Pak Long with three maps, and Pak Lang comforting the rest.
After a sweet 15-minute drive, we're at Sea World. It's located in Southport, north of Gold Coast (we couldn't figure out why Southport is north). It's drizzling when we filed into the park. Sea World was a haven and showcase of marine life like penguins, dolphins, sea lions, pirates etc. But there're also other attractions on offer: rides, live shows and live characters from Cartoon Network (yes, Powerpuff Girls). We headed straight for the monorail which took us to a dolphin show. As we hopped from from one show to another in the rain, we're soon drenched to the skin. The children were shivering and dripping, but not in the least discouraged by this minor inconvenience. They're having the time of their life. So we pressed on. We took a cable car to the next show, Pirates 3D Adventure, where we'd to wear the special glasses provided to experience the movie in 3D. The Powerpuff Girls were nowhere to be found. We had a lunch of mega-size and mega-price French fries on the terraces while watching Ski Challenge, a show of water skiing skills and acrobatics. The rain suddenly stopped, and the sun was shining brightly. And then it rained again. We're quite early for the next show, the Quest for the Golden Seal, another display of skills and acrobatics, this time by sea lions, in heavy rain. Where're the Powerpuff Girls?. The sky's clear, so we we went for the rides. Adik FH took the triple-loop corkscrew roller coaster. He came out alive, but shaken and whiter. Pak Cu rode the Pirate Ship and then went straight to the toilet. The children and Pak Lang just took the easy ones. We're still looking for the Powerpuff Girls. But all we met were the Powderpuff Girls (Mak Long, Mak Lang and Mak Cu). Finally it rained again.
We completed Sea World after half a day, but nobody's really thinking of going back to Sunset Court. We'd paid a fortune to come this far, going back early was certainly not value for money. So we headed north for Harbour Town Factory Outlet at Biggera Waters, just outside Gold Coast. Somehow we lost our way and couldn't find the place. Three maps were no substitute for good eyesight. So we turned back towards Southport and stopped at Australia Fair mall.
After a couple of hours at the mall, we began to age and tire. We're making a move when Mak Long realised that her bulky handbag was missing. The bag contained the most valuable asset on earth: Pak Long's passport. The frantic search for the golden bag began. Pak Long used all his running and acrobatic skills to dash up and down the escalator to look for the bag. Pak Cu, who's also missing at the time, knew that something was terribly amiss when he saw Pak Long running up and down the mall, instead of up and down the beach. Pak Lang was as cool as the dolphin. He and Adik FH had enough composure and presence of mind to enquire at K-Mart, where Mak Long had been. Thank God, the bag was there. Somebody had found it and left it with the K-Mart info counter. We love you, Australia.
On the way back, Pak Long and Mak Long stopped at Woolworth's (where else) for bread and sardines and eggs.
Sarah was down with fever.
New Friends: The person who found Mak Long's bag and returned it.
Date: Friday 30 May 2003
Places: Brisbane ( Queen Street Mall, West End on Vulture Road, Brisbane Backpackers Resort
Lovely morning. The sound of our children's chattering and clattering along the corridor outside was sweet music to our ears. So young and playful and carefree. How we should thank them all for the joys of this travel. Would they grow to be loving like Pak Cu? Or giving like Pak Lang? Or plain old like Pak Long? Que sera, sera. Would they ever get to be together like this again (not counting Saturdays in Kg Pandan)? Why're we asking these questions in Gold Coast? Pak Cu quietly went out walking or jogging or just moving. This was certainly a cause for celebration because the last time he ran was on 30 May 1983 in PJ Old Town.
Baywatch and beach time. Pak Lang, Pak Cu, Mak Lang, Mak Cu, Adik FH and the children went down to the beach. It's Surfers Paradise beach, not Tg Tuan beach. Pak Long couldn't resist the temptation, and joined this beach party, leaving Mak Long to care for sick Sarah.
Kids and parents had plenty of quality time, splashing and frolicking in the Pacific Ocean in the glorious morning sunshine and a cool 20C temp. Pak Long ran again, from end to end. It's difficult to sweat here, and you could play and run on the beach practically the whole day (but what's the point).
Back to hotel, time for quick bath and bowl and second round of breakfast. Then set out on a long drive, this time to Brisbane, looking for accomodation in the city for the next two nights. Pak Long had tried to book rooms in Brisbane on line a few weeks before the trip, but none was available due to heavy booking. Heard from Bill that 16,000 Rotary Club members from all corners of the world would be descending on Brisbane over the weekend. No wonder. Now we'd to compete against 16,000 Rotarians for rooms in Brisbane. Only Pak Lang was optimistic.
Despite the heavy odds against us, we're all in an exceptionally jovial and bullish mood during the journey (must be due to sardine sandwich). To kill time, we played riddles. Somebody would ask brainless questions, and the rest would take turn to give wrong (and stupid) answers. (eg. Stupid question: What's the name of the doctor at the clinic across our Sunset Court apartment?. Wrong answer: Dr Mahathir. Right answer: Dr Mohammad. Quite close actually, but still wrong). The questions were so challenging that even Pak Cu (who's supposed to concentrate on driving) wanted to participate, and he lost his concentration. We very narrowly miss hitting a car slowing down in front. Only Pak Cu's quick reflex gained from driving in Bahau saved us as he managed to swerve the van and avoid the car. Half a second late, we'd have banged the car. No more riddles.
Missing bag yesterday, near accident today. God's telling us something. Time to ponder and reflect.
We hit downtown Brisbane at about noon, and stopped at every 3-star, 2-star or no-star hotel and motel we saw. As expected, no rooms. Pak Lang suggested seeking assistance at the Tourist Information Centre. Good idea. Thank you, Pak Lang. There's actually one Tourist Info Centre at Queen Street Mall.
After a run around, we found Queen Street Mall. QSM was Brisbane's landmark and centerpiece. It's a mile-long pedestrian mall with 1200 shops and 200 non-halal eateries, sandwiched between two massive department stores (Myer and David Jones). It's full of people, walking and talking and gawking. The Tourist Info Centre was smack in the middle of QSM. Pak Long and Pak Lang approached a tourist assistant, an elderly lady named Millie. After 5 days in Australia, Pak Long finally met somebody who's actually older than him. She looked genuinely sympathetic and interested in our problem After half-an-hour of phone calls, she managed to find a decent (and cheap) place to accomodate all 15 of us. It's located at West End, on Vulture Road, in the southern part of the city across the Brisbane River. Its name: Brisbane Backpackers Resort. . Pak Long thanked Millie profusely. She's an angel, a godsend. After an hour or two in and out of the 1200 shops, we made our way towards Vulture Road, about 5 km from QSM, via Victoria Bridge. We found Brisbane Backpackers Resort. Even with poor eyesight, you could see that it's not part of Hilton or Sheraton. But it's certainly brighter and livelier than any UPM hostel. With options running out, we quickly booked three rooms for two nights. It's already dark when we found Pacific Highway and returned to Gold Coast. The fuel was running low again. If there's anything we'd never learned, it's how to manage our fuel. We had to exit again and refuel.
It's drizzling when we reached Surfers Paradise. There's a pasar malam at the beach front. We eagerly stepped out and braved the rain to survey. Nothing worth taking home. On the way back Pak Long and Adik FH volunteered for for one last grocery trip to Woolworth's. By now, the Woolworth's people already knew Pak Long's full name.
Pak Cu went out and came back proudly showing off a bundle of cheap Gold Coast t-shirts he bought from a Taiwanese gift shop. At last he bought something bigger than peanuts. He got it cheap after promising the Taiwanese that we'd all buy t-shirts from his shop.
Sarah was still down with fever.
New Friends: Millie, the tourist assistant at Queen Street Mall.(She's a volunteer). We all agreed to send a thank-you note to Millie and the guy at K-Mart yesterday.
Date: Saturday 31 May 2003
Places: Harbour Town Factory Outlet, Brisbane Backpackers Resort
Last day in Gold Coast. We'd be relocating to Brisbane for the next three days and two nights, exactly as planned. We checked out of Sunset Court at 10 after yet another breakfast of you guess what. Bill's wife was on hand to wish us luck and see us off. Soon we're back at the beachfront for last-gasp shopping and photos. Only Pak Long remained in the van, nursing sick Sarah. We're beginning to bump into newly-arrived and ever-excited Melayu families, with rowdy children and that trademark lepak look. So we'd to get out of Gold Coast fast before we met somebody who spoke Kelantanese.
Everybody on board, and we're ready to leave Gold Coast. It's five days ago when we came here and, after the thrills and spills and sardine sandwiches, it all seemed like yesterday. Parting is such sweet sorrow, said Shakespeare. Let's move on, said Pak Long. Mana toilet, said Pak Cu. We bid Goodbye to Surfers Paradise and Gold Coast. Pak Cu checked the fuel (good idea), took one final turn, and off we go. Pak Long dumped the map. We didn't need it. Even Pak Lang now knew the road to Brisbane.
On the way to Brisbane, we stopped at Harbour Town Factory Outlet, the one that had eluded us two days ago. What we saw was a big mall with discount shops sporting familiar brands like Corning, Royal Doulton, Sheridan, David Jones, DVD, and...hold your breath....Woolworth's! We went separate ways looking for a kill: Mak Long went for cheap Sheridan bedding, Pak Long cheap muffins, Pak Cu cheap turbine. What was supposed to be a brief stop-over and look-around turned into a major shopping expedition for Mak & Pak Long. Everybody's thinking of Brisbane but had to wait in the van for them, with sick Sarah crying and whining. Understandably Adik FH and every Malaysian in the car park were not too happy with Mak Long's time-insensitive diversion. Of course they're happy with Pak Long. Being old obviously has its advantages.
We reached Brisbane and checked into the place we'd booked the day before. Pak Long took room 210, Pak Lang room 207 and Pak Cu room 220. We opened and appraised our rooms with mixed feelings and short breaths. Bed, bath, bowl, TV were all there as expected. No towel, no welcome drink, no free massage. One common kitchen for the whole floor. Welcome to Brisbane Backpackers Resort (resort?). Pak Long and Pak Lang each got a big room with seven beds in military formation. Pak Cu's room was smaller, with only four beds. He's ok with less than seven beds so long as there's a bowl. We're now seven backpackers with eight children. And we're about to experience a new culture. Were we scared? Not at all. It's the other way round. The other backpackers were worried. Our children soon took over the whole floor. They'd run and scream and squeal along the corridor, and the lady backpacker at the end room would come out and grumble.
We had a simple dinner at the kitchen. No more masak asam or curries. Later in the evening, Pak Long, Pak Cu and Adik FH hung around the lobby, mingling with the tattoo and earring crowd. We made friend with the receptionist. According to Pak Cu his name was Abu Bakr, from Jordan (how we wished he were Bakar from Penang). Friendly guy. He told us where to find mosque and halal food in the area. It's amazing that in spite of the many rough and not-so-good-looking backpackers coming in and out, the place was orderly and respectable. No fighting or flashing. Feeling safe and secure, Pak Long, Pak Cu and Adik FH ventured out and took a lazy walk along Vulture Street and into a 7-Eleven for a fresh supply of bread, jam and butter for tomorrow.
Finally all of us settled down for our first night in Brisbane. Pak Long was about to doze off when Sarah suddenly woke up and mumbled something. After three days of high fever, she finally recovered. Alhamdulillah.
New Friends: Bakr, the receptionist at Brisbane Backpackers Resort.
Date: Sunday 1 June 2003
Places: Riverside Market, Sunshine Highway, Bruce Highway, Noosa Heads, Eumundi, Queen Street Mall, Chinatown.
First morning in Brisbane. Pak Long was the earliest to rise, breaking his own record set in Kuala Duyong, Melaka, on the morning of Pak Lang's wedding many many years ago. Mak Lang, who'd been the earliest everyday for the last five days, was still busy trying all the seven beds. Eager to show off, Pak Long strutted noisily along the corridor, back and forth, in a true backpacker style: skin head, green Marlboro sweater, Timberland mountain shoes, bundle t-shirt and kain pelikat cap gajah duduk! A tattoo and an earring should complete the package. Mak Cu actually heard Pak Long rioting outside and alerted Pak Cu, who's busy clearing up his blocked digestive system.
Our breakfast was a quick and colourless affair. We had to do without everybody's favourite, sardine sandwich. But it's still tastier than the koko krunch fare Pak Lang had on KTM first class to JB. At about 8 we're all aboard and out of the hotel, looking for Riverside Sunday market at Eagle Street. We found the market quite easily, right on the bank of Brisbane River. Pak Lang was lost for words. It's exactly the kind of market we'd been visualizing: flowers, frames, fruits, hand-painted shirts, hand-painted paintings, handicraft, pastries, hats, nick-nacks, nonsense. The traders were pure Australians, not pure Indons. The wares were mostly handmade in Australia, and prices were reasonable. The muffins and apple pies, ahhh, were savoury and gorgeous, all homemade from organic and low-fat ingredients. A fitness freak's fantasy. Pak Long made no attempt to resist and bought loads of them. And the lady returned the compliment with four pieces of lovely croissants on the house. Apparently she'd never seen such a good-looking and well-behaved customer in her life.
We headed northwards to Sunshine Coast, about 150 km from Brisbane, via Sunshine Highway and Bruce Highway. Our destination was Noosa Heads, the part of Sunshine Coast recommended by most travel books. We reached Noosa at noon. What we saw wasn't actually what we'd had in mind. It's a pretty, well-kept seaside resort, but nothing else. We'd expected a smaller-scale Surfers Paradise. A letdown in a way, but the journey and the anticipation was well worth it. There's always something to see, wonder, learn and take away. The adventure is inside, not outside, remember? After an hour or so, we turned back towards Brisbane. We stopped over at a small market town called Eumundi, just outside Sunshine Coast. It's the right place, but wrong day. So no market.
It's about 2 when we swung into Charlotte Street, downtown Brisbane. We agreed on a separate agenda. We dropped Pak Lang, Mak Lang and Mak Cu at Queen Street Mall, and the rest followed Mak Long to Stone Corner, a small shopping mall in south Brisbane, to look for Mak Long's dream dinner set. Found Stone Corner. Right place, wrong time. The store was closed. We rejoined at QSM, just before the 5 o'clock closing time.
We left QSM for another weekend market at Chinatown Mall at Brunswick Street. We found the location, but no mall and not a single Chinese. Must be SARS. Nowhere to go, we just coasted leisurely until we found Victoria Bridge and our way back to hotel. It's still about 7 or 8 and we went round and round looking for Coles or Woolworth's. But all supermarkets were closed at this time except Giant in USJ. So what's for dinner? Mak Long, Mak Lang and Mak Cu looked drained and rundown (as always). Nobody's sober enough to cook. Since this was our last night in Australia, we thought that we might loosen up a bit. Just let our hair down, so to speak. Everybody agreed, even Pak Long, who'd no hair to let down actually. There're two halal joints around our hotel: Nandos chicken and Turkish kebab. So kebab for the debab and chicken for the rest, all take-away. Each family had a private dinner in their dorm that evening. The food was so good and we're starving. We ate and ate and nobody spoke.
We made a rude discovery at the kitchen. It's in a mess, some of our foodstuff (maggi, Ipoh white coffee) were missing. We guessed it's all part of the culture. Mak Cu's bowls had been used and left unwashed. Who knows, if we stayed longer, they might even use Pak Cu's bowels. Bloody backpackers!
After dinner, Pak Long, Pak Cu and Adik FH went down to the lobby again, bought a $5 phone card and rushed out to find a public phone. Pak Long made a call to Abang at Northwestern, but Abang was half-alive and too sleepy to say anything that made half-sense. Adik FH called his good friend Shakhir, but he's engaged with his alumni. Pak Cu called his mother-in-law in Kg Pandan to speak to Ijat. Since reception was poor and Ijat was too young and still angry, Pak Cu had to half-scream 'Ijat, Ijat, Ijat'. Half of Brisbane could hear him.
Date: Monday 2 June 2003
Places: Stone Corner, Brisbane Airport, On board MH 0136, KLIA
Last day in Australia, and last chance to run in Brisbane. It's cool and breezy. Too good to pass up, so Pak Long and Pak Cu stepped out, running at first and then strolling at 2 km/hr. At this speed Pak Cu would only need a new pair of running shoes in 2020. The outing was short, but good enough for us to brag about for a long time.
After breakfast, we all got busy with the dumbest job in the world : packing. We packed, unpacked, repacked, unpacked, repacked. Mak Long needed at least three more bags to fit in all the stuff she'd bought. We checked out at 9, and had to bring down the bed sheets to claim a paltry $30 refund. Our last-minute shopping started at the hotel itself when everybody bought the official Brisbane Backpackers Resort t-shirts at the lobby. Good quality, made in China. Pak Lang bought eight (one for Shakhir). Pak Cu bought five (one for Shakhir). Pak Long bought ten (one for Shakhir). Everybody seemed to agree that the cheap, made in China t-shirt should look good on Shakhir.
With all our bloated bags loaded up, the van was filled to the brim, and its weight had doubled. We're supposed to fly out at 3.30, so plenty of time to wander around. Stone Corner again, for that dream dinner set. It's open now. Mak Long just grabbed and Pak Long just paid (this is called a win-lose relationship). Mak Cu also bought something for her new kitchen but wasn't really sure what it's used for. Finally time for some chocolates for the nieces and nephews. We found a supermarket named Action, and we emptied the chocolate shelf. We crammed the van until there's no more space to breathe.
All set, we looked up the map for the fastest route to the airport. It's a short, jam-free drive across the city. The airport was quiet and deserted. Pak Long and Pak Cu returned the overworked van. It took the airline staff half an hour to check in 28 of us (15 people, 13 bags). She was struggling with all the F and Z in Fadli Hafiz, Faliq Haziq and Afzal Zikri.
We had only enough time at the departure lounge for Pak Long to collect all the left-over Australian coins to buy three packets of macademia nuts. One packet for each family, and one nut for each family member. Only 10 cents left. Call it perfect planning.
Finally we're on board MH 0136 flight to KL. We took off at 3.30 as scheduled. Goodbye, Australia, goodbye. We promised to come back if Azra or Faliq or Aida or all three somehow found their way to study at the world famous University of Queensland instead of Universiti Putra Malaysia (also famous, but only in Kg Pandan).
The plane was almost full. No prize for guessing where Pak Cu's seated. The flight was so uneventful that even the airline food looked exciting. The children were abnormally subdued, realising that the freewheeling days were over, and their bibis were waiting. We landed at KLIA at 9.30 evening. The customs cleared all our 13 bags without silly questions. The arrival hall was crowded and maddening as ever. We parted and promised to meet again on Saturday. Pak Cu took a taxi (rm50), Pak Long took a bigger taxi (rm60), Pak Lang took ERL (don't guess).
We're back home, tired and thankful. All's well that ends well. Pushing the door open, we're overwhelmed by the warmth, sweetness and serenity of home. What rushed to our mind were George Moore's words:
A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it. We couldn't agree more. Home is where our heart is.
