Singapore and Australia

In a quest to actually be writing about something that happened recently the next few blogs shall be even more succinct and pacey. Get ready for 2 months in not so many words;

Singapore

Words and memories live from my brain; gratitude to Sam and Mike (we love you), Bintang (5 star island paradise), 25 US dollars for a 30 day visa to Indonesia (we stay just one day), Malaysian style family gatherings, love and food (eat with your right hand only, the left is for something else), one crazy night out with some inside VIP treatment (FREE booze), reunion with an old uni friend (great to see you Claire), lots of dodgy music made up for with some most excellent dancing and a cheap bottle of whisky that actually cost me several hours in customs and I still to this day have never drank a drop.

Australia

6 weeks in Australia was largely one reunion followed by some amazing hospitality and then on to the next reunion. All of the things below we have done over the 6 weeks but will be presented in the form of one perfect day in Australia.

In the words of Run DMC; it goes a little something like this........

Arrive in Sydney at 5 in the morning and the rising sun in the perfect blue sky acting as a metaphor for the potential of the 6 weeks to come. Breakfast is a divine Salami Pita and a cappuccino that passed the spoon test with Ms Kylee Rusna waiting for Laith to finish work. The setting, the food and the laughter set the tone for all of our 2 weeks in Melbourne which really is the Australian city of culture. After breakfast its off to Swan Hill for the Bryan family reunion for a classic bit of reunion crashing which will no doubt take off like the wedding variety. It was really interesting to see 5 generations of the same family all together and we were treated to some great hospitality and even a slide show which was actually hilarious. The late morning is spent at the Whit Sundays, truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth. After all kinds of slides, bumps and acceleration on our power boat we arrived at the lookout. The reality of the view eclipsed the post card, the silica of Whitehaven was truly something to walk on and behold. Seeing Chantelle snorkeling and the splendor of the Great Barrier Reef was a memory that will not fade. Lunch is fresh Mud crabs that Damo and I caught that morning with Caroline and Lachlin in Mackay. The experience we had there was more delicious than the crabs and that is saying something. The afternoon was spent with Trefry on a winery tour of Orange with plenty of sunshine and swallowing. For Dinner it is off to the suburbs of Sydney with Mickey and Brooke for a house gathering. We are so fashionably late we are bordering on being rude but this is laughed off quickly and everyone and everything is grand - great people, great food, great times. To finish we will head back to Melbourne and The Corner Hotel for the Rocksteady reggae romp. Seeing 70 year old Stranger Cole bob, skank and rock with the 30 piece ska orchestra warmed my soul and whenever I cast my mind back I can still feel the heat and happiness deep inside. And then of course before we tuck each other in and congratulate ourselves on quite an incredible day in the land of the Roo it is off to probably the worst Kebab shop in Australia for a dirty donner and the perfect greasy punctuation to a perfect day.

Special thanks to all that made this day possible, we witnessed generosity and kindness that shatters the bitter media's portrayal of the world and restores your faith in the human condition.

Joseph Davies 14/06/10