Giant animals, heat, and the extended family

So kids, as hopefully everyone has by now noticed, I'm back in good old Germany (haha) and now that I have some time, I thought I could finally write the last blog entry. Let's get started!

It's way too hot in Down Under! That was one of my first thoughts when I walked out of the airport in Brisbane. With a humidity of about 80% (no joke!) and a 20-kilo backpack on my shoulders, I took the train and bus for another four hours to Ballina. There, my granduncle (hereinafter referred to as Uncle Andy) and his wife (hereinafter referred to as Aunt Joan) picked me up. After not having seen each other for almost five years, we celebrated by going to a golf club for dinner and since I arrived in the evening and was a bit tired from the journey, that was pretty much it for the first day. I then took a (real) shower and went to bed.

The next day, we explored the Ballina area a bit, including Flat Rock. This is a beach with a fairly large and flat rock formation where you can walk quite far into the water. Then we drove a bit further and stopped at a few small coves and viewing points. We also went to 'Macadamia Castle', which, as the name suggests, is all about the macadamia nut. A very popular ingredient in all sorts of dishes and baked goods here (and cheaper than with us). Unfortunately, I had a bit of jet lag (the time difference to New Zealand was three hours) and not much happened on that day either. To get it out of the way: not much happened in general during the ten days. I slept most of the time because my body couldn't handle the incredible heat and humidity, and you could only do things in the morning because it would be too hot later on.

The next day, we had lunch plans with friends in the afternoon. It was a nice little restaurant with a view of the sea (in general, you often find restaurants with a sea view there, which is rare in New Zealand). After that, Joan and I went shopping, and the prices were very interesting compared to New Zealand. In New Zealand, fruits and vegetables were sometimes incredibly expensive, even though practically everything is grown in the country (although a lot is imported from Australia - even kiwis!). For example, a pack of grapes in New Zealand cost about 13 NZD, and in Australia, it was 3 AUD; a kilo of nectarines in New Zealand cost 7 NZD, and in Australia, it was 2.50 AUD. So, on average, you're probably better off in Australia, even gasoline is cheaper than in New Zealand (gasoline was very cheap everywhere, mostly less than one euro). But the products were very similar to those in New Zealand, although some things were Kiwi Specials ;)

On Sundays, we went to Bangalow for a pretty big market, which even had live music. The markets in Australia and New Zealand can be compared to flea markets, only nicer and without junk (although there is some as well, but less). There, you can get lost for a few hours. After that, we strolled through the old town of Bangalow for a while and then continued to Byron Bay - one of THE cities for surfers and young people in general. It's often compared to Queenstown, but honestly, there's no comparison (I love Queenstown!!!). It's four small streets with shopping promenades and a long beach promenade for surfing. We also went to Cape Byron, where the Byron Lighthouse stands. It definitely looks beautiful there, but it's already too hot again.

The next day, Joan and I went to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. There, you can see quite a few native animals in one place. Practical for those who don't have much time. It's a mix of a wildlife rescue center and a zoo. For example, all koalas that could be rescued from the bushfires were brought there. I also found out why these devastating fires keep happening in Australia: it's not just the extreme heat, but also all the tea and eucalyptus trees that grow in large areas there. These trees produce an extremely large amount of oil, which seeps into the ground. When the oil evaporates due to the heat, a mixture of fire rises into the air, which then ignites like a big explosion. Since the oil is practically in the air and in the ground, it's difficult to get the fires under control. Just a side note. So, we spent the whole day there and saw some animals, and you could feed kangaroos. Here are some impressions:

The next day, I had the brilliant idea to walk to the town center (an hour on foot). I thought it would be no problem, I had walked so much in New Zealand, so I could also *easily* walk to the center. That was the worst idea EVER! The humidity had been around 80% the whole time, so it's definitely tropical climate. However, it had only been between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius. But I had already started walking... After 10 minutes, I was completely drenched, smart as I am, I had of course showered in the morning and didn't pack a hair tie, I think you could see that I'm not Aussie. The city center itself was quite nice, with a few smaller shops and a beautiful riverside. On the way there, I noticed how mangrove-infested everything was, and I wouldn't be surprised if a crocodile suddenly jumped out of the brown broth (although I was told that there are no crocodiles where they live, but I wouldn't bet on it). I actually saw the first spiders there, but immediately huge ones and all at face level, of course. After spending almost two hours mostly in supermarkets because they have air conditioning there, I strolled back home and had to take a cold shower.

The following Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, and Joan and I went to church. Joan is very religious, and I wanted to see the whole thing for myself. Basically, it's exactly the same as our church service, only the building is fundamentally different. In Australia and New Zealand, there are no real churches like we have (obviously), most are more like small community rooms with an organ inside. The 'church' we went to even had three stained glass windows with paintings. After that, we went to the cinema. Interestingly, Australian cinemas don't have sweet popcorn, only salty. But I only found out after trying it. If you want something sweet, you have to go for M&M's or something similar.

On Thursdays, I went with Joan and Anne (the lunch friend) to the Day Care Center. It's a small community room operated voluntarily by an association, providing entertainment and activities for elderly people every week. Anne and Joan are volunteers there, just like me on that day. I think it's a really great concept, there are shuttle buses for everyone or carpooling, and the program goes on almost all day. First, we did a few warm-up exercises, then everyone with a birthday was congratulated (everyone also received a card here). After that, there was a kind of game where different herbs were brought, and you had to guess what was what. Then there was a short lunch break, Tai Chi, and finally, a new 'act' is invited every week. This week, it was a small interactive choir that sang for almost two hours. During the lunch break, I briefly went to a small but very interesting marine museum next door. All in all, it was a very nice day.

On Fridays, Joan and I went to 'Crystal Castle'. It's a mix of a botanical garden with crystals and additional spiritual workshops. The workshops were a bit too spiritual for me, so we focused exclusively on the beautiful garden. There was also a small rainforest walk, where I saw a huge lizard! As big as a Komodo dragon... but it was gone so quickly that I couldn't take a picture, unfortunately. We were also there early in the morning, as it was already unbearably hot from 1 pm onwards. Here are some more impressions:

Saturday was my last day, and I practically spent it only packing. In the afternoon, we went to a local fish shop and bought king prawns. In the evening, we had a super delicious meal consisting of king prawns, avocado, mango, cherry tomatoes, and a special sauce according to a family recipe - and of course a glass of white wine in the evening. The next day, in the morning, we went for a very nice breakfast (again with a sea view) before I continued to the bus. I then took the bus for another four hours to Brisbane Airport, but my flight didn't leave until 10:30 pm. After a 14-hour flight, we only had a very short layover in Dubai and then continued directly to Frankfurt - in theory. Unfortunately, shortly before our landing, drones were sighted at the airport, so we couldn't land there and had to continue flying to Düsseldorf. There, we refueled, filled out paperwork, and after two hours, we flew back to Frankfurt, where I unfortunately missed my train by 10 minutes (I had already been on the road for almost 40 hours at that time), needless to say, I was not happy about it. So, I bought another ticket and waited for the next train to Stuttgart. Finally, when I arrived there, my brother picked me up and drove me home, and that was the somewhat turbulent end of my fantastic journey.

In conclusion, I can only say that I'm incredibly glad to have had the opportunity to make this trip. I met many great people, gained new perspectives on people and life, and above all, had a really great time. I took with me many positive vibes, too many souvenirs, and a bit more body fat than intended, but it was definitely worth it. Special thanks to Joan and Andy for the lovely stay in your house and your great hospitality! See ya next time!

See y'all on the next adventure! Tschüssikowski.