arrival, hanging curves, and dragons

Arrived in Cairns! Sitting outside a McDonald's right now, Bogarting some wireless. The area is for patrons only, so I'm sure in a few moments someone will come over and shuffle me off onto the sidewalk.

The trip here was a bit long.

I left from Boston to LA at 7:30am Monday, connecting in Denver. I checked my bag in Boston and knew I wouldn't see it again for weeks. It would have to go to Denver, LA, Sydney, Brisbane, then Cairns. It was going to get lost. I had never been so sure of any other gut feeling in my life.

Arriving in Sydney a few hours later, I was thrown a bit of a curve. I found out I wouldn't make my connection to Brisbane. This was less than exciting. After a 15 hour plane ride and hustling through a foreign airport, receiving this sort of news does not improve one's mood. But my luck changed. I was able to book a direct flight to Cairns, and would arrive an hour earlier. When I got on the plane, I enjoyed an aisle seat and a free beer. There were two blondes sitting next to me. I guess sometimes god's curveball hangs a bit.

To top things off, my bag was waiting for me in Cairns. Shame on me for doubting the competence of airline bag handlers.

Here are some random thoughts from my first few hours in Australia:

--I've been here three hours, and someone has already picked me up hitch-hiking (ironically, the guy who picked me up owns the shuttle business that I decided not to purchase at the airport) and two bartenders have told me to apply for a job at their bar. They also watched my backpack while I went for a much needed swim. Australia is a friendly place.

--Australians do not mess around with their coffee. I feel like I received an adrenaline shot to the heart from John Travolta.

--According to a couple I sat next to on the plane, ordering a Foster's or a Lite beer of any kind is grounds for rescinding one's Visa.

--Watched Brothers Bloom on the plane. Best plane movie I've seen in a while.

--Captain Planet is pretty big down here. I'm not sure yet whether their entertainment programming for children is eco-friendly, or if their TV shows are just 15 years behind. While swimming, I overheard four kids singing the Captain Planet theme song, then they put their hands together and shouted, "Earth, Wind, Fire... Dragons!" Apparently water has taken a back seat to dragons in the elemental hierarchy over here. Australia is a funny place.