***** BRISBANE TO TOWNSVILLE UPDATE ***** (new update 12/30/10)

Hello everyone! Thanks for your blog comments! :D I'm glad you liked my crazy travel story. It gets crazier (and better)! I am still in Brisbane but not for long!! Queensland Rail, the most amazing travel company EVER, has booked all their stranded peeps on a PLANE to Townsville or Cairns or wherever their destination is. You might be confused because when I posted last night, I was getting ready to take the Tilt Train to Townsville, from Brisbane. Let me explain: I got on the train (delightfully cushy business class, my own single seat again, tv in the arm rest and all that good stuff) and we were due to leave the station at 6:25 pm. At about 6:30, they came on the intercom and told us that we were delayed ... not because of floods this time, but because there were people in the tunnel!!! They said the police were on their way. We only had to wait a few minutes and we never heard another thing about it so I'm not sure why the people were in there or what happend to them, and it really has nothing to do with my story but I thought it was entertaining so I wanted to share. :) Anyways, we finally left Roma Street station (again) and everyone was happy. I made some good friends on the train -- Kristine and Nilly from Germany, Mandy and Yoon from South Korea, and Mary from Townsville. We were having a good time and very excited to be on such a nice train, finally headed up north. Then at around 9:15, we stopped at a train station called Nambour and were told we'd have to wait about half an hour while engineers surveyed a bridge up ahead to see if we could pass. They came back on the intercom a little while later and told us we'd be going BACK to Brisbane because we couldn't get past the bridge. We were sad and exhausted but there was nothing we could do. Some people on the train were pretty upset and demanding accommodations. It obviously wasn't Queensland Rail's fault that it's raining harder than it has in years (some people say this is the worst rain in 30 years; some say the worst in 90 years!!) so I was just like, whatever. I called the Base hostel in Brisbane to make sure they had rooms in case I needed one for the night. They did but thankfully I didn't book one. After about half an hour, one of the Queensland Rail guys came down the aisle and was asking everyone for their name, contact information and trip details (like if they were from Brisbane or Townsville, if they had a place to stay in Brisbane, etc.) and said he wasn't able to guarantee anything but they were going to try to put us up somewhere for the night if they could. He came back and told us we would be staying at the Festival Oaks Hotel in downtown Brisbane, paid for by Queensland Rail!!! And they would be providing transportation to the hotel! We got to the train station around midnight and they put us all on buses to the hotel (the people who lived in or near Brisbane got taxis to their homes). It took a little while to check everyone in but once I got up to my room I was so happy!!! It was on the 11th floor, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, balcony overlooking the city, kitchen, and even a WASHER & DRYER!!! I was so tired but I did a load of laundry and took a bath (and called to arrange a late check out, of course) before I went to sleep on the super comfortable king bed. :D :D :D What a life! In the morning, I called the front desk to find out if there was any information on trains to Townsville. I was told there were several Queensland Rail people in the building and they'd be holding a meeting by the pool at 10:30. Also, we could go downstairs to the restaurant next door and have breakfast, on Queensland Rail -- up to $15.00!!! I haven't spent that much on breakfast the whole time I've been here!! I got scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, tomatoes and grilled mushrooms (my fave!). It was delicious. My friends Mandy and Yoon got a banana split, chocolate pancakes and a sandwich. HAHA! We were stuffed. We went upstairs and were told that they were going to fly us to Townsville, either today or tomorrow, and if we were in the group that had to wait until tomorrow, we would get to stay another night in the hotel!! I was actually kind of hoping I'd be in the second group so I could stay and enjoy the pool and fitness center (and my sweet room), but I found out shortly after that was in the lucky first group and I was booked on the 4:55 pm flight up to Townsville! How awesome is that!??? I am so in love with this company. They've been so nice the whole time. I need to write a long letter to thank them (or maybe just send the manager of QR a link to my blog). They're even providing taxi service!! Oh and right after the first meeting, they offered to buy us lunch! I was still stuffed from breakfast but they said "Come on, get a drink or something!" so I let them buy me a mango/orange juice ... and a fruit salad. :D Okay I gotta run back to the hotel now to make sure I'm there in plenty of time to catch my cab to the airport. Just wanted to let everyone know what's goin on. Talk to ya soon! and I'll post pics of the room (and our food haha) soon. p.s. Skype me!!

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December 30th UPDATE:

Just wanted to let you all know I made it safely to Townsville!! I didn't even take a Xanax on the plane -- that's how happy/tired/delirious I was! And even though there were at least three screaming babies on the plane, I had a lovely 2-hour flight, reading Big Sur and drowning out the baby noise with my ipod. I thought QR was going to pay for a cab FROM the Townsville airport as well but when they put us in the cab in Brisbane they told me I was on my own. No big deal -- they'd already gone above and beyond, and thankfully my friend Ian was able to pick me up, no problem. My friends Mandy and Yoon were trying to get up to Cardwell for a job on a banana farm. Cardwell is about a 2-hour drive north of Townsville (past Ingham, which was one of the major flooded areas), and they weren't sure how they would get a bus once we got there, or even if the bus would be able to get them all the way up there through the floods. As soon as we got to Townsville (fyi, you're allowed to carry on liquid for domestic flights within Australia. woo hooo!), Mandy was greeted by a QR representative who gave her a voucher for a cab. We assumed the cab was taking her to the bus station and she asked the woman what they should do about the bus. The lovely QR woman explained that the cab voucher was good for the entire trip up to Cardwell!!! Two hours away so probably $500 or more!! AMAZING.