Shrimp on the Barbie

We woke up on New Years Day sunburned and exhausted, but really excited about having had such a great night with our new Aussie friends. We kept talking about the fact that we were made to feel lame when we were ready to leave the festivities the night before, but upon realizing that it was actually 4 a.m., it was clear that the people with the problem were the people who stayed after we left! Only kidding of course, but the ability of these Gold Coast people to party all night should not go unmentioned.

So, after waking up, we walked to lunch and settled in with a huge plate of nachos (they certainly had nothing on the Mexican food of Texas or SoCal) and a beer and basically waited to hear what the plans would be for the day. After hearing literally nothing all day, we began to be concerned that we had in fact made a bad impression on these people that we considered our new best friends. Then I stopped being such a stupid American and figured out how to call Filo's Australian number, and to our delight, everyone was at a bar-b-que, anxiously awaiting our arrival (of course). We headed over to the barbie and, while there were no shrimp, we enjoyed great food, cold beer and wonderful conversation. In fact, we had such a remarkable time that we forgot to go to sleep that night! The photos below chronicle the progression of our night and the beautiful sunrise. A big thanks to Toppy and Darren for entertaining us all night and well into the morning.


View 1


"Hey Americans - Eat more meat!"


View 2

At about this time in the evening, the crowd started to thin out and some people had to go ahead and pass out on the table. It was just so fun that he couldn't bring himself to leave the party! Jaime and I, however, were still going strong. If memory serves, we were getting made fun of for our accents. listening to impressions of American valley girls (cool, dude!) and learning Australian slang words at about this hour. Some favorites - bogan (white trash), cruisey (laid back), no dramas and knob (jerk, idiot...the k is silent, ha).


Liam sleeping on the table


Toppy, vW and Daz


Is that really the sun coming up? Really? REALLY?!

Darren was a really interesting guy who had spent a lot of time in the States, staying on various yachts, or as we Americans say - yaaaaaachts. Our favorite things about Darren were that he had to take a break from the cider he was drinking because he was feeling bloated and that he has been asked not to return to the United States after losing his temper when trying to extend his visa. He was a genuinely nice guy and great to talk to.


Jaime and Daz

Our new friend, Simon Toppenberg, was probably the funniest person we've met so far in our Australian travels. One minute he would be telling a great story (like when he started smoking at age 4), then he would be singing a show tune and the next thing we knew he was feverishly dancing to Beyonce's Single Ladies. I talked to him for hours on end for two nights in a row, and I only wish I was able to tape record our conversations because I can't begin to do them justice here. It's official, Toppy (in case you ever read this), you are the funniest guy in all of Oz.


vW and Toppy


View 4

Our Australian friends were wiling to do whatever it took to make our experience in their homeland more enjoyable. When I told Toppy that we did not get a chance to hold and get a picture with a koala at the zoo, he immediately offered his services and posed on my back like a cuddly koala. Thanks for making our dreams come true!


Can I hold you like a koala?