Hi there. Sorry it has taken me so long to get around to this next post .... have been distracted with the everyday things and just kicking back here in Morocco. Anyway.....

After I got back from New Zealand, I spent a couple of days in Melbourne before heading of to Queensland. I only had 3 weeks left before leaving for Morocco, and I hadn't finished my packing nor spent much time with Dounia (who had only just returned from 5 weeks in Europe competing in Taekwondo competitions), so I could only spend 1 week in Queensland with my family then stopping over in Sydney to visit friends and family there before coming back to Melbourne.

Was greeted at Sunshine Coast Airport by Mum and Geoff, picked up the hire car, then headed back to Bribie Island. If you've never been to Brisbie Island then, in my mind, it is well worth the visit. Great beaches, especially as most of the island (around 70%) is undeveloped, and you need a four wheel drive to get to the beaches in that area ..... but it is well worth the trek. Barely another soul around and a wonderful long stretch of white sand and blue ocean - just like in the travel brochures! Yes, hard to believe that such a spot exists so close to the rest of humanity. You may spot the odd long-line fisherman, complete with beach umbrella and seat, and fishing rod stuck in the sand with the line out into the waves, or a couple having a picnic, but for the most part this stretch of beach is deserted. The part of the island that is developed is also very appealing - especially the walkways, bike paths, and picnic areas around the shore line. Plenty of nice camping grounds, and good eateries as well. Ok, that's enough spruicking for Bribie Island!

My sister Anne & family also live on Bribie Island, and my sister Carol & family not too far away so was a great chance to catch up with them all and add the the family photo album. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me when Cassandra (Anne's eldest daughter) and Kane (her financee) came to visit (they live in Beenleigh down on the Gold Coast) so their mug shots are missing, however, I'm sure Anne will get around to sending me some photos eventually so then I can add them to the album!

During the week Mum and I went exploring through Maleny and Peachester looking for possible art work that I might want to buy (another souvenir for Morocco) but found instead some lovely hand carved wooden boxes which I bought for Mafaz, Namuk and Aluk in Sydney. Each box was made from different types of Australian wood, and was beautifully finished. Along the way we took time out to take photographs of the Glass House Mountains, which are massive rock formations protruding at intervals from the ground. We also went down to Brisbane to check out the Art Gallery and surrounds. The express-way into Brisbane would have to be one of the most confusing I have ever seen, followed closely by the express-way in Sydney! In both cases, if you are not in exactly the correct lane at the right time you will totally miss your turn off and end up on the other side of the city, probably on a one-way street taking you further away from your intended destination! Anyway, we managed to get to where we wanted to be without too much hassle (a minor hiccup turning into a one way street was soon overcome by doing a U turn - much to the disgust of the locals) and we even made it home without doing a round tour of Brisbane's suburbs!

Bought Mum a new Nokia mobile phone so we could more easily remain in contact with each other - SMS messages are pretty easy to send, and cheaper than a phone call - and she took to using the phone like a duck to water!! Was thinking I should upgrade my phone to the same model, but then thought, well I am going to Morocco and I only need the basics since I have my laptop and can connect to the internet if I want to send emails etc - also, less chance of my phone growing legs and walking away since it is so old and everyone these days wants the latest and greatest gadeget available to mankind!

The day before I left Qld, spent most of the day with my sister Carol trekking through Noosa National Park which is absolutely gorgeous. Wonderful walking tracks and great views of the ocean. We yakked about her & Colins plans with the new property they have bought in NSW and the different ways they could develop that. They are thinking of maybe developing the property as a type of farm-stay holiday destination, and/or include horse trail rides etc. Here is a view of what the property looks like at the moment:




Was abit of a teary goodbye at the airport as I left for Sydney. Even though I have lived most of my life away from my Mum, we have grown very close over the last few years and whenever I visit her (or vice-versa) she spoils me rotten with home cooked meals, which she whips up out of nothing in no time, and all those other little things that mums do! I guess I'll just have to spoil her with a holiday to Morocco, so she can meet Najib's family and be spoilt by others for a change!

Arrived in Sydney in the afternoon, and was greeted at the airport by Amasy (Nawar's sister) and Khalid (Amasy's husband). It was a long drive back to Sutherland where Mafaz & Namuk & Aluk (Nawar's parents & youngest sister, respectively) live so used that time boring Amasy and Khalid with details of my travels to date. It was the first time I had visited Nawar's family in Sydney (and in fact the first time I had been further than the airport or the CBD) so was fun looking at the different scenery - often there is so much that looks the same in the suburbs of Australia, but then there are unique things that put a particular stamp on an area to set it apart. In Sydney it seems the beach is never far away (unlike in Melbourne where one has to drive for hours to get to a decent surf beach), and there seems to be alot more native foliage, especially the grevillia which I love (whereas Melbourne seems to have alot more northern hemisphere type trees, and Queensland has more tropical foliage).





The next day (Sunday), Mafaz, Namuk & I took a drive down to Wollongong, checking out the scenery along the way. We stopped for lunch at a really old pub / bistro near one of the beaches. As it was such a beautiful day, everyone was out and about enjoying the weather, so this pub was full of a mixture of bikies, surfies, young couples, families, the local bowling club members celebrating something, etc. I was abit surprised that Namuk would want to stop there as it was pub after all, and alcohol was flowing freely, however the crowd was well behaved and it was what one could only describe as a typical Australian gathering - almost like a big family BBQ! It took ages for our meal to arrive because the chef was not cooking orders by number but by whatever order he/she happened to put his/her hand on, but it was good all the same. As we were leaving, a band started playing on the terraced area - a mix of funky blues and latino pop. Was really neat and added a great vibe to the occassion. It was really neat seeing all these different people sitting side by side and enjoying the food, music and surroundings.

I was leaving Sydney on Monday, late in the afternoon after catching up with work colleagues for lunch, so Mafaz and I went to one of her favourite shops, one that sells antiques and also has a cafe attached. We pigged out on coffee and gluten free cakes then explored the interior of the shop, which was huge. There was a fantastic collection of furniture, crockery, cutlery, linen, books, jewellery etc. It was abit like stepping back in time and, as many of the items had been so well maintained, the only way you could tell they were old was by the style. I opened one box to discover a bone-handled cutlery set in pristine condition - the bone was still near white!! No, I didn't buy anything, though there was a really neat fold-down table that took my fancy!!

Mafaz dropped me at the airport so I could check my bag in early (rather than lugging it through the CDB with me) and then I took the train from the airport to the city. What a neat system, and so easy! I had about an hour before I had to meet my friends, so wandered around Circular Quay taking photos of things that people don't normally take photos of (not even one shot of the Opera House!), then made my way down Pitt Street to our rendezvous. Met with Wendee and Rita and got an update on what is and isn't happening at work, and gave them a very abbreviated version of what I have been doing. After lunch wandered further down Pitt Street and eventually found myself at the Queen Victoria Building. It was here I discovered that Sydney has heaps of underground shopping, so wandered through amazed at the variety - much more fun than at street level. By chance, I eventually found myself at one of the trains stations on the airport line and was just in time for the next train!

Photos for this stage of my trip can be found here: Queensland & Sydney Photos

Dounia and Nawar picked me up at the airport in Melbourne and we made our usual stop in Carlton for gelati on the way home. The next couple of days were spent getting all the family photos together and burning CDs for everyone then posting them. Then it was time to complete the last of my packing and enjoy my last few days in Melbourne with Dounia and Nawar, my sisters Jackie & Lynley and their families.

Had a great send off at the airport - the sort of crowd one normally sees when Greeks, Italians or Arabs are travelling (the whole family turns up), so I felt very special.



Well, that is about it for now. Next post will be a short one about my stopover in Dubai and first days in Morocco. Until then, take care and all the best.

xxx Zohra ooo