Golden Plains #5

Thanks to my wonderful wonderful friends back home -Carmetta, Alby and Marta- I'm now packing my things for a weekend of music and booze in Melbourne... well, around.

I have the ticket and the "surprise factor", I have a sleeping bed bag... and I have a bunch of good reasons just to let me go.

It would be from Saturday 12th to Monday 14th and the bands playing are:

Os Mutantes (!!!) The Hold Steady Joanna Newsom Belle & Sebastian (!!!) Best Coast (!!!) Architecture In Helsinki (!!!) Wavves Hawkwind Jamie Lidell (!!!) The Clean The Middle East Boy & Bear Mount Kimbie Airbourne (again!) Robert Forster Pulled Apart By Horses (!!!) The Besnard Lakes Cosmic Psychos Justin Townes Earle Wildbirds & Peacedrums Imelda May (again!) Bamboo Musik DJs Graveyard Train Brain Children World's End Press J-Wow feat. MC Kalaf (Buraka Som Sistema DJ/MC set) Magic Kids Sonny & The Sunsets

More about the Festival when I'm back.

Things to do and see in Sydney for free

Here it goes a list of the things that are free in Sydney for tourist and locals. I have done already some of them and will be writing about them shortly. Others should wait a bit more:

1.- NSW Art Gallery
2.- Museum of Contemporary Arts
3.- Royal Botanical Gardens
4.- Bus 555, circular service from Central Station to Circular Quay
5.- Rocks Discovery Museum
6.- Museum of Australian Currency Notes
7.- Custom House
8.- Fish Market
9.- Paddy's Market
10.- White Rabbit Gallery
11.- Australia National Maritime Museum
12.- The Mint
13.- Government House
14.- Parliament House
15.- Sydney Observatory
16.- State Library
17.- Manly Art Gallery
18.- Manly Scenic Walkway
19.- Coastal walk from Bondi to Cogee

Brisbane, 2 points

Is this the lowest punctuation in Eurovision?

Then, I have been too hard: just because of it's people Brisbane deserves 15 points! But the city is just not for me, at least at first glance! What I don't feel very comfortable with are the spaces and the buildings, there are only malls, fast food corners where the 9 to 5 employees run for their lunch, at 6 every shop is closed and you can't find flip flop to relieve your feet in pain after having walking the whole day... oohhh that's why I don't like the city, because of my shoes! but not, seriously, I will give it three more days but I'm starting to look at the next cities. This first day, I couldn't find this city has a strong personality: the farmer markets on the street were OK but there was just one today and packed and they are thought just to feed the workers in the business companies around. From my personal perspective, it's like it suffers from lack of cohesion. There are a bunch of cultural venues but they look cold to me, as if they were sports centers.

This morning, the young lady that shared the train trip with me told me: "I have to say that Brisbane doesn't look very pretty today. Specially the South Bank -the suburb that was more injured by the last floods-, I'm looking at my city as if it was the first time I see it and everything just seemed old and scary". Her genuineness obligated me to give it a second chance. When we arrived to the river, I tried to make her feel better explaining that it's brown colour could be because of the clouds but she pointed "no, I'm sorry to say this but unfortunately it's like this all the year round!". Poor girl, I made her realize that she lives in a sad city.

Of course, we talked about our travels and as an Australian, that considers going to New Zeland "a travel", she wide opened her eyes when she heard my list, although compared to other people in Europe they are few countries to be honest, and asked me what was my favorite destination. It took me a second to say the city I want to get lost (and that I won't tell here otherwise I wouldn't be able to get lost) and two to say the country I want to live in. but now, relaxed and tired after a whole day walking and being so far from both homes, I have to admit that my favorite destination is the one I have never been to yet.

Planes, jetlag and other drugs

Here I am finally! Walkabouting Down Under after a long trip of almost 20 hours.

My first impression once I put my feet on the ground of Brisbane shall be the same as the one we all had when we were born: wet and warm. And to be true, it is veeeery nice!

But let's go back to the plane. As there wasn't to much to do nor places to go, I decided to give myself to the vast film offer of Singapore Airlines watching four Egyptian films to match my mood these days (what I'm doing going there when I should be going there):

- Farah (****)
- Ehky ya Scheherazade (***)
- Risala al Bakhr (**)
- The Butcher (*)

The three first of them got me thinking about how the cinema in Egypt has been taking part in this revolution for years now carrying the message of upset and nostalgia although directors usually had to link those sad feelings suffered by the main characters to a bad behavior as drinking, taking drugs, being gay or being liberal sexually to legitimated. Of course, it couldn't be fault of the Government!

Also, got me thinking about the need of a full database in the internet for Arabic films. Excuse me if there is already a complete one in Arabic... shwoya, showya!

The second flight from Singapore to Brisbane lasted 7 hours and, although I would have loved to have more memories about my journey sited next to an Iranian top model, I'm sorry but I only could sleep!

Second impression after landing: these people are extremely nice... it's very important to them to say hi or smile to everyone they have eye contact with no matter if boy or girl. Also, they will walk along with you to the train station and talk with you during the whole trip. For example, I bought today an Australian SIM card and frankly made me laugh how the man on the phone that was about to activate my SIM card asked me my name: "could I have the honor to know the name of the lovely person I'm talking with?". This would sound weird in Spain, right?

To support my this thesis, and as my friend Nolu researched for me, Australian people were the first who started the free hugs movement! Normal!

And I disconnected myself from my impressions until the next day.