Brisbane

So I hadn't been in Australia for even five minutes, before I was detained by authorities in the airport (or as they say, aeroport). It turns out that when my sister asked me to bring her cashew nuts, she forgot to mention a little thing they take very seriously here called the Australia Quarantine. To prevent all sorts of germs and agriculture from throwing off the Australian ecosystem, they've imposed a quarantine on bringing any type of food, animal or plant products into the country, something that is enforced quite rigorously at the airports. How rigorously? You have to declare any items you might be bringing in, and enforcement dogs patrol and sniff you all over the airport. In the end, after a discussion with four enforcement officers, and an encounter with two beagles and a golden lab, the cashews and I were permitted to enter the country.

Yesterday my sister and I took a tour of the local state brewery. If there's one thing I learned, its that the Aussies take their beer very seriously, drink it in large quantities and start early. There are even little pubs set up in the middle of the block on the large shopping streets.

The animals are so interesting as well. Wild Ibis' fly around the streets, and the seagulls even look completely different. We've even seen some kangaroos and kowala bears. The roos are very cute, and the ones we encountered will eat right out of your hand. I want to bring one home as a pet. I bonded with one in particular who held my hand as she ate from it, and when I ran out of food, gave me a kiss and hopped away. We also went somewhere where we got to hold kowala bears.

Tonight we're going to an Aussie Rules football game to see the culture, and tomorrow we're off the Melbourne.