Brisbane Domestic and International terminals are located 2kms apart. It is too far and not convenient to walk. Current access between terminals is via Airtrain, TBus or, if you are prepared to put up with the abuse, by taxi. The Airtrain, which is operated…Read More

Brisbane Domestic and International terminals are located 2kms apart. It is too far and not convenient to walk. Current access between terminals is via Airtrain, TBus or, if you are prepared to put up with the abuse, by taxi.

The Airtrain, which is operated by a private company, has a connection between the Domestic and International terminals. Price per adult is AUD 5.00 one way while Kids travel free! The big problem with the train is that services stop about 8pm while flights continue to arrive and depart until nearly mid-night.

TBus offers connection between the Domestic and International Terminals. Bus stops are located outside the Qantas and Virgin Blue arrivals hall at the Domestic Terminal, and, outside the arrivals hall at the International. Price per person is AUD 5.00 (children under 4 travel for free)

The train is of little use if you want to go elsewhere in the precinct. Fortunately, the hotel and shopping precinct is easily reached from the airport terminals. There is a hotel shuttle to the Novotel Hotel which operates during morning and evening peak periods from the domestic and international terminals. This costs $5 each way.

Better still is the free T-bus shopping shuttle that operates every 20 minutes from the terminals to the shopping precinct from 6.30am till 6.00pm. This is easy to find and it terminates at the airport village about 100 metres from the hotel.

Taxis are a problem. I have used a taxi in the past between terminals because there was no other available transport and I have suffered abuse and complaints from drivers who claim they have been waiting an hour or more for a fare and the few dollars to get to the other terminal is not worth their effort. The same thing has happened when I have asked to go further but still within the airport. Imagine how you would feel if you were a visitor to Brisbane for the first time. I would get back on a plane and leave.

While I can sympathize with them, I regard this as just part of the system and it certainly isn’t the passengers fault. My current attitude is that I will not use a taxi unless all other options are closed off. With the TBus now operating, it has dramatically helped the situation.
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Brisbane Airport offers one of the largest shopping precincts in Queensland! There is a large range of quality goods and a variety of duty free and specialty shops at several locations, including both the domestic and international terminals. Airport Village, which is where most retail…Read More

Brisbane Airport offers one of the largest shopping precincts in Queensland! There is a large range of quality goods and a variety of duty free and specialty shops at several locations, including both the domestic and international terminals.

Airport Village, which is where most retail activity is concentrated, offers a great variety of shopping and dining. Now open for business are Woolworths, Amcal Pharmacy, Dan Murphy's (who offer both a Tavern and a bottle store), the Coffee Club, Clancy James Butcher, Bossy Hair, Magical Rice, Beauty Stop, Flight Centre travel agency and Smarte Carte which offers short term luggage storage. There is also a medical centre. All these outlets are in a new complex that has been constructed between the Novotel Brisbane Airport Hotel and the large DFO (direct factory outlet) complex.

The DFO outlet offers shoppers over 120 outlets which sell leading Australian and International brands at up to 70% off - all under one roof! With so many brands to choose from you are sure to find everything you are looking for in ladies' and men's fashion, children's wear, footwear, handbags and luggage, home wares, manchester, lingerie, jewellery and loads more. The complex is open 7 days, from 10 am to 6pm. The shops are all on one level, with easy access for prams and wheelchairs. It’s air-conditioned and has a central, half-outdoors food court where you can grab coffee, lunch and snacks.

All the best-known names are here. Stores include Billabong, Calvin Klein, Country Road, Cue, Esprit, Jag, Oroton, Quicksilver, Timberland and Puma, together with many household names in Australia which are more mainstream and hence cheaper. Just in case you think it is only men and women’s fashion, there are children’s outlets such as Pumpkin Patch, Cotton on Kids and Kidswear X Factory and homewares from Royal Doulton, Bohemia Crystal and Villeroy&Boch.

There is a large food court in the centre of the complex and another at the north end of the building. These have outlets from Donut King, Gloria Jean’s Coffee, Juice and Scoops, Juice Break, Michel’s Patisserie, Origin Kebabs, Subway, Taste Bar, The Kitchen Bench, Villa and Hut Kafe, and Wok Me Noodle Bar.

As I have indicated before, I am not the world’s greatest shopper so I was happy to find a comfortable seat and let my wife have the experience she enjoys. I was not surprised when she returned sometime later with several bags and a happy expression on her place. For shopaholics, this must be a wonderful place.
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Novotel hotels cater to both business and leisure guests so the range of facilities has to meet all needs. At the Novotel Brisbane Airport this is achieved through the Catalina Restaurant, Catalina Bar, business centre, and fitness facilitiesWith contemporary interiors and a relaxed atmosphere, Catalina…Read More

Novotel hotels cater to both business and leisure guests so the range of facilities has to meet all needs. At the Novotel Brisbane Airport this is achieved through the Catalina Restaurant, Catalina Bar, business centre, and fitness facilities

With contemporary interiors and a relaxed atmosphere, Catalina Restaurant serves a delicious buffet breakfast to meet the needs of most travellers. I believe the buffet opens at 5.30 but I was never up that early. At 9.00 it was still going strong with food being renewed all the time. There was a selection of juices, fruit, cereal, yoghurts, bread, pastries and hot and cold dishes. For various reasons we didn’t expect to eat again until about 3pm so we took full advantage of what was on offer.

The restaurant operates with a modern Australian a la carte menu at lunch and dinner. Coffee and cake is available throughout the day. Opening hours are 5:30am - 9:00pm. 24-hour room service is available. We had an excellent dinner one evening. We thought the price was slightly on the high side but there was no doubting the quality and we left fully satisfied.

We started with some hand-made cob bread with dips at $9 after having flirted with having the peppered goat’s cheese with balsamic, beetroot salsa and baby cress $16. For mains, I had the salmon with avocado, potatoes, and tomatoes $32 while my wife was taken by the duck breast with mousse de fois gras, red cabbage and prosciutto $38. Both were wonderfully presented and were delicious. My wife gave the duck a ten out of ten for taste and texture. That is a rare event.

I washed my meal down with a Hahn Super Dry beer $5.50 while my wife had a delightful Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc $13. After such a success with the rest of the meal we couldn’t resist dessert. My wife chose the lemongrass and guava parfait with macerated lychees and vanilla bean syrup $16 while I indulged in the mixed berry frangipane flan with honeycomb ice-cream and cognac anglaise $14.

Located on the ground floor with a separate lounge area, Catalina Bar is modern, stylish and suave where you can enjoy beer on tap, sip a cocktail, or choose from a wide range of local and international beers, wines and champagnes. Opening hours are 10:00am - 11:30pm.

Business services include a secretarial service (typing), a business centre with support staff, a fax machine, copying service and internet connectivity. For those arriving by car there is well-lit parking, valet parking and private and public indoor parking. The lobby has a Concierge, cash machine, computer hire facilities and currency exchange.
For fitness needs there is the pool, the small gymnasium, a sauna and massage.
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Brisbane is a major regional (in fact, national) transport hub, with an airport providing international and national connections; a large coach terminal with extensive connections, and a train station that provides connections to Sydney to the south, all the way along the coast to Rockhampton…Read More

Brisbane is a major regional (in fact, national) transport hub, with an airport providing international and national connections; a large coach terminal with extensive connections, and a train station that provides connections to Sydney to the south, all the way along the coast to Rockhampton and Cairns to the north and (only twice a week), to Charleville to the west.

Within the city, the public transport is excellent. A completely integrated network is provided by TransLink, and combines an extensive network of buses, city trains and ferries, all covered by the same tickets.

The ticketing system is simple, with single fares as well as daily tickets (peak and off-peak). Peak hours are 2am to 9am and 3.30pm to 7pm on weekdays, which makes the daily off-peak ticket likely to be the best value for most visitors wishing to explore more during a day, but it's worth remembering that a single ticket is valid for two hours from the time of validation/purchase, for unlimited transfers between means of transport.

Brisbane ferries are particularly good value,connecting both sides of the river and allowing for a significantly cheaper alternative to a commercial cruise. Close

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and Australia's third biggest city with a population close to two million, a substantial metropolis. It is situated on the banks of the Brisbane river, about 20km from the coast. Brisbane has a sub-tropical climate with hot, humid summers…Read More

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland and Australia's third biggest city with a population close to two million, a substantial metropolis. It is situated on the banks of the Brisbane river, about 20km from the coast. Brisbane has a sub-tropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild (by our standards, very warm: temperatures range from 10 to 22 degrees), relatively dry winters.

We arrive in Brisbane after a fifteen hour flight from Dubai. Tired is a bit of understatement, but thanks to the wonderful thing that is CouchSurfing in general and our firs Australian host in particular, we were loaded into the car, tucked into bed and after sleeping for twelve hours we feel semi-human again.

We start Brisbane sightseeing with a evening panorama from Mt Coot-tha, a lovely hill lookout affording excellent views of the city and the whole area stretching far towards the ocean and the hills in the distance.

The implications of being on the other side of the world are not yet sinking in: not only it's winter here (which seems similar to Scottish summer, in general) just now, exactly when the summer is starting back at home, but it also means, for example, that the days are really short! I know, it should be obvious, but it just shows how factual knowledge doesn't immediately challenge the set patterns of thinking. The fact that the "winter" here has temperatures of around 20 degrees doesn't help!

Brisbane is where our first impressions of Australia are formed, and the interesting thing is that it feels, smells and looks immediately different in a manner that no other place we visited before (including Canada and even Dubai) did.

The native vegetation and fauna are visible at every step: particularly the characteristic shape and coloring of the eucalyptus, a strikingly beautiful tree if there ever was one. White cockatoos and colorful rainbow lorikeets take off from the trees in the evening, and Australian magpies are nothing like the European ones.

We make our way to the city center (a forty-five minute bus journey from the garden suburb where our host lives) to have a look at Brisbane's CBD. We get off at the Roma Street station and emerge at King George Square, an appealing space with some grand old buildings (including an imposing City Hall) and statues, trees and modern art touches (fro some reason, many of the trees and posts wear knitted warmers). We walk through the center of town, finding a pleasant city where confident, modern architecture mixes well with reminders of a colonial era.

Brisbane's CBD lies in a bend of Brisbane river, mostly on the north bank. The South Bank holds city's cultural heart, with a theater, museum, art galleries, music academy, landscaped tropical garden, a Nepalese Peace Pagoda and even a big ferris wheel (and an artificial city beach – under construction during our visit).

We take a small ferry (pedestrians only) to the South Bank (the ferries are part of the integrated TransLink public transport system and fun to take – no need to pay for special cruises) and enjoy a stroll in the rain-forest gardens as we walk towards the wheel. There is also a riverside boardwalk that affords excellent view of the CBD in the setting sun.

The first impression of Brisbane we have is positive: a large but manageable city, relaxed but busy at the same time, generally confident but with perhaps more of a provincial complex – not entirely justified - than I expected.Close

For some reason, the SE Queensland Ekka public holiday ("People's Day) is on a Wednesday. Many families use this day for going to the Ekka, but it is rare that you will see young adults there. This is because the Doomben racecourses host "Young Peoples…Read More

For some reason, the SE Queensland Ekka public holiday ("People's Day) is on a Wednesday. Many families use this day for going to the Ekka, but it is rare that you will see young adults there. This is because the Doomben racecourses host "Young Peoples Day", which is essentially just a good excuse for uni students and young professionals to get both dressed up and drunk.

I had only had a couple drinks when we hopped on the train, which is possibly why I didn't find the trip nearly as enjoyable as many of the people there. The ride into the city was painstakingly slow. We first had to wait in line for thirty minutes solely to get tickets, since the electronic ticket machines were broken; then we had to wait another fifteen minutes for the train because they were running on a Sunday/public holiday/many many fewer trains timetable. When we got off that train, packed with both race- and Ekka-goers, we realized we had missed the Doomben train by a minute, meaning we had twenty-nine more to wait in Central station. We all wondered whose stupid idea it was to run less trains on the public holiday designed to get people out to local events.

When we finally got off at Ascot station, the course looked like the last thing it needed was another drunken mob of students. There was a huge line outside, which included people we knew that arrived an hour before us. Luckily, we avoided waiting in this line for too long because the waiting throngs became so huge that they stopped charging admission. Apparently, so many people were trying to get through the gates that it was becoming dangerous to stop and hand your money over for a ticket, since you could get crushed.

Since we had member’s stand tickets ($17.50 but very worth it), we navigated towards the eastern end of the stands when we finally made it inside. Unfortunately, this was when I turned around to look where James’ friend was and turned back to find that James had completely disappeared. Not knowing where to turn, I waited and eventually went with his friend to find his other friends. I didn’t want to abandon James, but since it was impossible to call anyone (the network was jammed and no one could get through), it took me an hour to get in touch with James and find a place to meet. I wasn’t happy at all at having to stand on tables in an attempt to find him, but we finally found each other.

It was then that James actually tried to get into the member’s stand for the first time. As I mentioned before, everyone was dressed up—women in dresses and guys in suits. James had worn a tie the previous year, but this year had decided that it was only a pain and there was no point. Unfortunately, the member’s stand security did not agree, and pointed to the dress code sign, which said strictly no men without a tie. Not wanting to waste his ticket, we tried to search for other ways in, and were eventually directed to a “gift shop”, which had one tie left for the ridiculous price of $20. It was a wonderful sunflower print that fell apart shortly after getting into the stands.

Even with all the effort it took to actually get into the members stand, it was very worth it. We could see the packed crowd, barely moving at all, and his friends later said that it took upwards of thirty minutes to get a beer and even more for a woman to go to the bathroom. Our lines were five minutes at most for alcohol and I had three girls waiting in front of me for the toilet! It was definitely a good investment.

I had a lot more fun from then on. We even got to see the last of eight horse races, which James decided to bet on. Before doing so, he came over to me and asked which horse he should pick, Step Right In or Scattergun. Both had fairly high odds, but I told him to go with Step Right In…so of course, he chose Scattergun. I decided this was a good time to start making fun of his horse—why not, when he wouldn’t listen to me?—to which he told me that I can’t make fun of anyone until I had a bet as well. So, I quickly put down a $10 bet on Step Right In and watched the race.

A horse named My Son Day got first, but more importantly, Step Right In got third! This meant that I got $11 (wahoo, a $1 return!) while James lost all of his, since we didn’t even see Scattergun come in. It served him right for asking me for advice and then not listening to it!

In the end, I enjoyed my day at the races, even though I didn’t consume very much alcohol at all. The only problem was getting there—it’s definitely a good idea to leave early, so you can see more than 1 of the races!Close

When the Courier-Mail came out the weekend before the beginning of the Ekka, I was confused. What were these "show bags" that everyone was poring over, and why were they such a big deal? I soon learned that Showbags are one of the reasons to…Read More

When the Courier-Mail came out the weekend before the beginning of the Ekka, I was confused. What were these "show bags" that everyone was poring over, and why were they such a big deal?

I soon learned that Showbags are one of the reasons to go to the Ekka. Ranging from $2 to $60, these bags are put together by many of the most popular companies in Australia. This includes what seems to be every candy and toy company known to man, along with all the major alcohol breweries (for the parents). The most famous of all these bags is the $2 Bertie Beetle bag. This contains three or four Bertie Beetles (Nestle chocolate that is kind of like an American Krackel bar) along with lollipops and little useless do-dads, like "Genius at work" door hangers; the bag doesn't seem terribly special until you realize BBs aren't available anywhere else!

Showbags are best bought at the end of your Ekka visit so you don't have to worry about where to put them when doing other activities, like rides. However, we couldn't wait this long after seeing all the cool things people had acquired in the Showbag Pavilion.

The Pavilion was massive and absolutely swarming with people. Toys and candy logos jumped out at us from every booth, and people often ran into us with their arms full of stuffed bags. Fortunately, the layout is designed so that the cheapest bags are in front, so we didn't even bother tempting ourselves with more expensive gear from places like Bundaberg Rum; we were happy with anything $10 and under.

We quickly found what we entered the Pavilion in search of--big fuzzy hats. We had seen lots of people wearing these and knew our Ekka experience would not be complete until we had them ourselves. We had a choice between red, blue, pink, and purple at a reasonable price of $7 apiece. I got blue and Michelle got red, and we proudly sported them for the rest of the day.

Along with Bertie Beetles, of which I was required to buy at least 3 bags (I ended up getting 4 because they had a buy-three-get-one-free deal), I decided on a "Wonderful World of Wonka" bag. It had all of my favorite candies and was perfect for me - so much so that later, James actually guessed the exact bag that I bought. It had 2 packs of Gobstoppers, 2 packs of Nerds, a Nerds Rope, Oompas, and other assorted Wonka goodies, all for $10 ($15 if you wanted a funky purple fuzzy hat with it). I also bought James a $6 Freddo (Cadbury chocolate) bag, complete with plastic mug. I was later told that it was impressive to make it out of the Pavilion with only two big bags and a hat!

Michelle was absolutely in heaven once she found the showbags for all things sour. The Ultimate Sour Warheads Bag, sour sherbet, she had it all. It was amazing how many sour things she found!

We left the pavilion completely satisfied with our finds, which was good, since we had plenty of time to enjoy them when waiting in line for an ATM for 45 minutes! Even better than that was getting home and emptying the contents of the bags onto the floor like little kids (all the while, wearing our giant fuzzy hats)!Close

There is certainly no lack of rides at the Ekka. They stretch for what seems like miles from the entrance, only broken up by the endless array of carnival games. We didn't ride anything when we first arrived, although after seeing the crowds later, we…Read More

There is certainly no lack of rides at the Ekka. They stretch for what seems like miles from the entrance, only broken up by the endless array of carnival games.

We didn't ride anything when we first arrived, although after seeing the crowds later, we realized this would have been the best time to go. However, we opted to explore the Showgrounds instead, and before long ended up at the complete opposite end of the show from the carnival. Luckily, there was a chairlift from the end of the International Food village straight back to the rides. Partly out of laziness, partly out of wanting to see the Ekka from the sky, and partly because Michelle wanted to conquer her fear of heights, we jumped on.

Getting a bird’s eye view of the Ekka cost us $5, and the ride lasted a few minutes—much longer than most of the rides there! The view at the beginning wasn’t particularly great—just a bunch of tents and the Granny Rapper, still going on about the terrors of being 65. However, once we went over the train station (which goes straight through the Showgrounds), the view got a lot better. On the right, we could see all the way to the woodchopping pavilion (although sadly, we couldn’t actually see the woodchopping) and in front of that, the main stadium where equestrian events were taking place. To our left was the Ekka carnival, with all the rides packed and going full tilt. We came very close to the $15 ride (the most expensive besides the Bungy Bullet); this was the one that sends you flying towards the ground at 5Gs! It was funny to see people fly past us screaming, but at the same time, I was really hoping no one would get sick!

Once we got back on the ground and celebrated Michelle being fairly calm for the entire ride, we started wandering, trying to find the one perfect ride to spend the remainder of our money on. Unfortunately, we didn’t find one, but we did see two rather amusing things in the process. The first had to do with the $15 ride. This ride wasn’t exactly booming, since not many people wanted to spend $15 for a short, nausea-inducing ride. It held four riders on each end, and at one point, only two riders got on and wanted to ride side-by-side. This meant that one of the workers had to jump on to balance it out, and the guy that got chosen to do so hopped on—with his mobile phone! He proceeded to text message throughout the entire ride, whilst spinning and hurtling towards the ground! It was amazing to see, since everyone else was screaming their lungs out and he was just calmly tapping away. The second rather amusing thing happened when we turned away from looking at that ride and began walking down one of the show alleys, only to see someone vomit on one of the rides closeby. It was a fast, spinning ride, which only contributed to its becoming a liquid projectile. I’d hate to be the unsuspecting Ekka-goer that it landed on!

Rather than going on a ride, we decided to play a game—we told ourselves that at least we might get a prize out of it! We wandered around, looking for a fun-looking game with good prizes, but we just ended up playing the one with the best marketing. It was the game where you have to toss a ball into a tilted bucket, but if it bounces out, you lose. The man working there told us that he’d give us a special deal—rather than each of us getting two out of four balls in to get a small prize, three balls for a medium prize, and four balls for a massive Simba toy, he’d let us combine our scores. So, we only had to get 2 out of 8 balls in for a small prize instead. This sounded pretty good, and Michelle got her practice shot in, so we paid our ridiculous $10 each and had a go.

I went first, and managed to get two balls out of my four in, only to watch them bounce right back out again. Then, it was Michelle’s turn; she pulled through, getting two out of her four in. I should have just paid and let her go twice! We got a little stuffed polar bear (which happens to be the mascot for my favorite Australian drink, Bundaberg Rum), which Michelle let me have, even though I didn’t do much to help her win it!

After this, we left the rides area for the Showbag Pavilion. James was incredulous when I later told him that we hadn’t been on a ride at the Ekka, but we had a blast without them. Who needs being sick after going on a dizzying ride when you can go win Bundy Bears or buy giant fluffy hats instead?Close

When we first walked past the petting zoo, located in a large building near the International Food Village, we decided not to go in because of the large line. However, once we realized it was moving quite quickly, we jumped in line and were in…Read More

When we first walked past the petting zoo, located in a large building near the International Food Village, we decided not to go in because of the large line. However, once we realized it was moving quite quickly, we jumped in line and were in the zoo within ten minutes. Really, who can resist small animals?

Like all petting zoos, they were selling food for the animals at a small cost. The kids were, as usual, going crazy over this, but we bypassed the counter, wanting only to see the baby animals, possibly take a few pictures, and then leave again.

Perhaps not buying food was not the best idea. None of the animals in the
zoo would pay attention to us at all. I attempted to take pictures with a ridiculous number of cows and goats, all to no avail. As soon as I would grab one and Michelle got in place with a camera, it would see a food-toting child and take off, often with my arms still around its neck. Even though I didn’t get a picture, the laughs were still worth it!

We saw plenty of the usual suspects; there were baby emus, piglets and goats that
elicited plenty of "aww"s. One of the goats was particularly adorable, since his fur was perfectly divided in half-the front half of his body was black & and the back half white. He was tiny too--so tiny that he couldn't reach over the top of the food trough so he instead jumped in!

My strongest memory of the petting zoo is that of the turkeys. These were real, American, plumped-up Thanksgiving dinner turkeys, and they were not very happy at all. One had escaped his wooden, fenced-in prison and was standing outside the cage of another, angrily gobbling at him. Every few seconds, one would attack, leading to a fury of pecking followed by a “licking” of wounds. The best part of the whole spectacle was not seeing both birds trying to defeather the other; rather, it was seeing the children and their parents’ reactions. The children would walk over and see the free turkey, flared feathers and all, and yell something along the lines of “Wow, Mum, look at that!” To this, the parents would invariably say, “Go pet the nice turkey!” Either they had been at the Ekka way too long and had just had enough of their children’s nagging to buy them everything, or they just really wanted to visit the hospital. One child was even petting the “nice turkey” when the other one attacked and started trying to yank out its gizzard!

Luckily, no children got hurt and an Ekka volunteer snuck in and placed the turkey back in his proper cage. However, this wasn’t before the turkeys made it one of the most interesting (and violent) visits to a petting zoo that I’d ever had!Close

One of the most important aspects of the Ekka is the food you eat while you are there. Whilst overpriced, like all shows, it’s hard not to be tempted by some of the huge selection offered here—plus, it’s all part of the Ekka experience! It…Read More

One of the most important aspects of the Ekka is the food you eat while you are there. Whilst overpriced, like all shows, it’s hard not to be tempted by some of the huge selection offered here—plus, it’s all part of the Ekka experience! It just wouldn’t be the same to take a packed lunch, even if it would be cheaper and slightly more filling!

One of the Ekka legends is the Strawberry Sundae. Essentially just a square of strawberry ice cream in a small cone with whipped cream and a strawberry on top, it’s a great $3 treat and something everyone has to try. I enjoyed it, although I didn’t see anything hugely different about it compared to other strawberry ice creams. The most difficult part about eating one was the strawberry on top—how do you eat around it so you can save the best for last?

Another food item you see everywhere around the Ekka is the Dagwood Dog. I was considering getting one, since I had never had a Dagwood Dog before, until I realized that it was just a corn dog. Both Michelle and later James were amazed by this revelation—apparently they had both heard of corn dogs in American movies but never had an idea as to what they were!

The place in the Ekka where we ended up eating the most was in the International Food Village. Here, there were (I think) around sixty different booths hawking food from around the world. The one that got my attention was the “Corn on the Cob and Lemonade” booth. Since when is corn on the cob an international food? I can understand lemonade, since if you asked for that in Australia (or, like my friend, on a flight to Australia), you’d get Sprite instead. Even though there were a lot more delectable choices on hand (churros for one), we opted for this “international” booth, mainly because I was craving lemonade, one of my favorite drinks that I had gone three months without, and Michelle wanted a taste of America while she was out with an American.

Michelle was very amused by what happened when we walked up to the booth. I simply started asking for what I wanted, and the guy behind the counter, who also had an American accent, cut in and asked “Oh, where are you from?” When I told him Texas, he started talking about how much he liked the southern accent. Michelle just thought it funny how excited he was to see another American!

The lemonade wasn’t the best I’d ever had, but it certainly hit the spot. The corn on the cob was roasted and buttery—the best way to have it!

As we enjoyed our international cuisine, we sat in the Village’s seating area, just in front of a little stage. This is where various performances had been going on during the day, including salsa and break dancing. Unfortunately, we didn’t get anything of the kind when we were watching—instead, we got the Granny Rapper. This 65-year-old lady was on the stage with her son rapping about the dilemmas of being a senior citizen. Needless to say, it was… interesting, and as soon as we finished our food we left.

Later, we went back to the Village to get a dessert, in the form of Dippin’ Dots. I was really surprised to see it, since it covers a relatively small area even in America. When we walked up and the people serving started explaining it, and I said that I had had it in America, they were absolutely fascinated. They wanted to know everything about Dippin’ Dots in America, and I didn’t have much I could tell them, other than the fact that they had a lot more flavors than I’ve ever seen before! As soon as we walked up and started talking, it seemed like a swarm descended on the booth, so we couldn’t talk for very long though.

Michelle got her favorite flavor, Cookies ‘n’ Cream, which was vanilla Dippin’ Dots with crumbled Oreo cookies, and I got a flavor I’d never tried before—Strawberry Cheesecake. It was definitely the best flavor I’ve ever had!

By this point, we were running out of money, so we didn’t get to taste any more of the flavors of the Ekka. We could have gone into the fresh food market or tasted any number of things throughout the International Pavilion, but I think we had a nice mix of both Aussie and American for the day!Close