Wednesday, I did the library working thing again, and then met a new friend Saeed for lunch. We went to a restaurant called Mos Burger, which is apparently a Japanese burger place. Afterward I found out they have rice buns, which I would have tried. But it was decent nonetheless. The portions were a little small, but that’s pretty much how Australia has been… either smaller portions than I’m used to, or the food is really expensive, or both.

Saeed

Saeed invited me to go to his family’s house with him, as he was having some friends over for a barbeque and drinks. He said I could stay overnight, so I wouldn’t have to renew at the hostel. As I was already quite overbudget, this sounded good to me!

Luke grilling some kebabs

Chicken

Our amphibean friend

Nearly everyone I've met here smokes

The next day, Saeed said it’d be fine if I stay there the rest of my trip. Though not as central as the hostel, it would save me almost $200. I was also about done with my work hours for the rest of my trip, so I could finally relax.

Electric outlets here are the same as in Argentina, except here all the receptacles has its own toggle. I don't remember if it was like that in Argentina.

A huge mouse trap with a nut? I'm not sure…

My Thanksgiving Day turkey

Demet texted me asking if I’d like to join the German gang at an Irish pub at 19:45, and I said that sounded fine. I told Saeed, who was planning to have friends over again. He thought they might like to go too, though I was a bit worried it would turn out lame or something and they’d blame me.

But in the mean time, we headed into the city to do some more exploring.

I'm told these panels are some sort of energy preservation design. I wonder how they would hold up in a hurricane.

Lots of buildings around here with unconventional structures.

Kept passing by these strainer balls, so figured I'd take a picture.

After making Saeed’s doctor appointment, we walked over to the “City Botanic Gardens.” It was basically a large park area with nice paths and many different species of trees and other plants on display.

The botanical gardens of Brisbane

This is an ibis. The locals regard them as a nuisance, though the Wikipedia article says they might be endangered. So that's kind of weird.

They also have pigeons here.

Saeed in the botanical gardens

CNG_4122.JPG

My favorite tree, maybe

Saeed and me

Bamboo lined pathways

Poor bamboo

This tree is pretty cool, too. And ibis.

Looks like potatoes growing in this tree, but they are pretty hard.

Tree potatoes

Brisbane also has pathways along the water

CNG_4160.JPG

Then we went to a liquor store, which they call “bottle shops,” and I got the cheapest bottle of wine, for $6. We walked over to King George Square and waited for Saeed’s friend David to meet us. Once he found us, they made a plan to go out that night, too, but separately from my plan to meet the Germans. So I broke off from them and went back to the Hostel to meet Andi, who was finishing his dinner.

Andreas cleaning up after his dinner in the hostel

This is Room 307 at the Base Brisbane Embassy hostel, where I stayed, though this night I was just crashing, as I had checked out two days prior.

Andi and I started drinking our cheap wine, and then around 20:00 we headed to the Irish pub. Only when we got to the one he thought it was, he couldn’t find the rest of the group. Apparently the plan was to meet an organized event for backpackers, but we must have had the wrong place or time. We waited for the rest of our friends, and then we just went back to the hostel and drank wine there.

The Germans I met at the hostel

DSC00324.JPG

DSC00325.JPG

DSC00326.JPG

Australians refer to cheap boxed wine as “goon,” and since most alcohol is quite expensive here, it's a favorite. This 4L box contains 30 “standard drinks” (of which Australia believes you should have two per day and no more) and costs $12.

DSC00343.JPG

It's the duck face!! RUN!!

More Germans

Deciding where to go net

Down Under bar, the backpackers bar

Like any good night, it ended with pizza.

Can't resist pizza after the bar

Oh, and Saeed wanted me to meet him and his friends at some club, as they were still out. But I wasn’t paying enough attention to my phone, and I ended up crashing on the floor in my old hostel room with the rest of the Germans. It wasn’t bad, but in the morning when one of the guys left early, he said I could use his bed anyway. Yay for free nights.