Adventures in Nundah....

This town is just so cute.  Nundah Village which is about 2 blocks down the street from Katie and Ben's place has all of your basics.  Quite a few quaint restaurants, coffee, shops, a grocery, beer/wine/spirits store (very important), bakeries, salons, laundry mat, etc.  So all of your necessities are in walking distance.  Just about two blocks further is Centre Toombul (a mall) that has all of usual shops you would find in our American malls just completely different stores and products.  I walked in to town yesterday and today just to check things out and purchase a camera battery.

I have had breakfast both days at this adorable cafe call Simply Duo that serves breakfast and lunch.  For those of you who know my eating habits, I absolutely love eggs and they have the All Day Brekky for $6.90 AUD and it's a delicious plate of two eggs, bacon, toast, and AU sausage (cannot remember the name but so good).  As I mentioned before their coffee is amazing here and I have had a Flat White that last two mornings.  It is simply their version of a latte made with espresso and milk.  Yummo!

It's amazing how our countries can be similar but so very different.  While you can find some of the products and foods that we have in the states, most are branded differently or made my manufacturers from this side of the world.  Initially most Americans, including me, are shocked by the seemingly higher prices for everyday goods, groceries, dining out, beer, electronics, cars and I guess that's pretty much everything.  But you have to take into account that salaries are higher here than the US and sales tax is included in all listed item prices.  So for example when you go to the grocery and get a $2.00 loaf of bread and $3.00 carton of eggs your total bill would be just $5.00.  Which seems to make much more sense and helps you budget a little better when you are shopping.  I found that groceries were just a bit more expensive but hygiene products like toothpaste is about $6.00 here and body lotion is $8-15.  When I have my camera up and going I will take pictures in the stores to show you some others and give you a better idea.

Tonight Katie has arranged a dinner for me to meet her American girlfriends here in Brisbane so I am looking forward to seeing the city.  From the photos I have seen it is a spectacular city with a river that winds through.  Brisbane has about 1.6 million residents so it is large with a lot to offer and I cannot wait to dive in!

My next mission is to learn the metric system, so I will be able to convert recipes and read food labels, and start incorporating their terms into my daily conversations.

So G'day for now and love to all!