Checked out of the central Brisbane hotel this morning then took a cab to my new client’s location. Spent three hours there helping the tech writer with some of her issues with Author-it. Then a cab back to the city to pick up my bag and head to train station to catch the train to the Gold Coast. The train ride was about 90 minutes, but NO food/drink vending machines etc. on board and NO toilets. Hello people – this is a 90 minute train trip and many Gold Coast residents and visitors are over 60… My seat smelled like stale urine – at least until the air conditioning kicked in properly. I then caught a cab to the conference venue as I had no idea about the buses etc. Train fare to the Gold Coast from Brisbane: $9.40; cab fare from the Nerang train station to the hotel: $25!!!!
My hotel room is up with the high-flying birds. I’ve got a little balcony and windows to two aspects (can *just* see a glimpse of the ocean from one window). But if I stand on the balcony or close to the bedroom window (pic below) and look down, I get dizzy. The people below look like ants. The views are fab. I’ll post some pictures soon… Here are some pictures.
Caught up with some conference friends from the past few years, then, after Joe’s intro session, a bunch of us went for a terrific meal at the local Malaysian restaurant nearby. We sat outside on the pavement – the weather was beautifully balmy. I had a delicious and spicy curry chicken laksa and a couple of glasses of house red (the only choice of wine by the glass).
But it was the schmoozing and catching up that was fun! There was Dave (US), Mick (Melb), and a new Dave (Syd), Joe (US), Penny + Tony (Melb), Sarah (NZ), Teresa (Syd), Colin (Melb?), Matthew (UK), and a few others whose names I don’t know yet. Lots of talk, lots of laugh, lots of shared accomplishments and horror stories.
Swimming with my own fish again – love it!
The conference proper starts tomorrow at 9am, so I’d better load up the pics and get some shuteye…
Rhonda Bracey: At Random 
say “hi” to everyone for me! And I hope you’re not too lonely in that room all by yourself 😉
Of course it’s lonely 😦 No hubbie, no best buddy…
There’s an unfortunate reason that locals call the Goldie-Brissie train the “Bombay Express”. One of our team lives down there, and teleworks three days a week to avoid the traing!