On December 22, 2009, I boarded a plane for Brisbane Australia. Three flights and 19 hours later, I was met at the airport in Australia by Ana and Damien, and Damien's parents Jim and Sue. I had not seen Ana and Damien for 21 months. Ana was pregnant and due to give birth on Dec. 26. As it turned out she was to be 10 days overdue. Because she was late giving birth I was able to see quite a few of the sights in and around Brisbane. They live in an apartment within walking distance of the Brisbane River, an important waterway in Queensland with water taxis (the City Cab) and major ocean liners in the port at the mouth of the river. Brisbane is a major metropolitan area. It is surprisingly hilly and green with vegetation including very tall trees filled with the raucous cries of large crows, cockatoos, kuckaburros, parrots, etc.
We visited the Lone Pine Koala Center and saw koalas actively eating and moving about (usually they are sitting stoned on eucalyptus leaves), kangaroos, wombats, etc. We took the train downtown to see where Ana and Damien worked/work and got to see a thriving downtown full of people from all over the world. We ate lunch at an outdoor park area called South Bank and visited the Queensland Museum. I had Devonshire Tea at a nearby mall and learned the joy of drinking a "flat white" coffee. We drove to the Sunshine Coast and enjoyed walking along the gorgeous beaches and ate "fish n'chips". Another nature area was the Brisbane Forest Park where I got to see a platypus swimming in a large aquarium. Interspersed in all of this were visits to bookstores, coffeehouses, movie theater, walks in the neighborhood, good cooking by Ana and Damien, etc.
I also got to meet most of Damien's family though I did not get to visit his parent's farm in Toowoomba (save it for another trip). We visited the birthing center and kept watching my vacation time getting eaten up by overdue days and no baby. Finally on Ana's day 10 of being overdue, she went into labor. Thirty long hours later, she gave birth to Nara Elgin Zekants. Damien and I were able to be in on the entire labor and to give our support to Ana during that difficult, challenging time. Then there were 4 more nights and days in the hospital with Damien and I running back and forth from the apartment to the hospital.
On the day I left for the airport, Ana and Nara were released from the hospital. I said my goodbyes at the hospital and Damien took me to the airport, only to find my plane had been rescheduled and I had five hours to wait. So back to Ana and Damien's apartment along with Damien's parents, Uncle Ross, cousins Zoe and Joel, and sister Bec and her husband Tony and their son Eliott. (I had already met Danica, Lee, Max and Jordan when they came to Ana's apartment to visit prior to the baby's birth.) So the five hour delay turned out to be an opportunity to see Nara in her home and visit more with Damien's family. Finally, on Jan. 10, I flew out of Brisbane back to the U.S. (Note that I was leaving summer in Australia in the mid-to high 80s and came back to winter in the U.S. in the low teens.)
Damien is now back to work and Ana is trying to establish breastfeeding while being sleep deprived - the life of newborn parents.
All in all, my visit was most memorable and unique. It was an adventure I will treasure the rest of my life and a piece of my heart remains in Australia.
You can see picture of my trip on "my photos" on flickr.
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