NAIK CITY CAT BRISBANE ( Part 2 )



Pemandangan kota Brisbane dilihat dari Wheel of Brisbane (View of Brisbane city seen from Wheel of Brisbane)

Bermalam di hotel kota Brisbane memang cukup menguras kantong, rata-rata di atas 200 AUS$ permalam. Tapi jangan kuatir, selalu ada jalan untuk menyiasatinya seperti menginap di hotel backpacker yang bertarif cuman 25 AUS$ per malam. Resikonya kita mesti berbagi kamar dengan 3 orang lain dari negara lain pula. Penulis pernah mencoba menginap semalam di TinBilly, hotel untuk backpacker di pusat kota dan sekamar dengan orang Korsel. Pada awalnya suasana sangat menyenangkan, dapat teman baru, memasak makanan bareng cewek-cewek Australia sampai ada peristiwa yang kurang menyenangkan, yaitu hilangnya HP milik orang Korsel teman sekamar. Tapi untunglah ternyata HP miliknya ditemukan oleh seseorang di tempat makan dan dititipkan ke resepsionis. Walaupun tidak sampai menuduh penulis tapi tetap saja peristiwa tersebut menjadikan penulis memutuskan untuk check out keesokan harinya.

          Satu lagi peristiwa yang membalikkan pandangan penulis terhadap orang Australia adalah sewaktu penulis kesasar dan tidak tahu jalan menuju suatu tempat tertentu ada seseorang yang berbaik hati mengantarkan sampai ke tujuan memakai mobilnya. Well, Ada saja orang baik di belahan dunia yang lain. Kontras banget dibandingkan ketika pertama kali menginjakkan kaki di Bandara Brisbane, Suasana pemeriksaan cukup ketat mirip di Bandara Frankfurt Jerman. Semua barang bawaan diperiksa dengan cara dibuka bahkan anjing pun ditugaskan untuk mencium bau yang mencurigakan. Kalau ketahuan kita tidak melaporkan barang bawaan bisa dikenai denda sebesar 5.000 AUS$ atau sekitar 50 juta rupiah.

 



South Bank artificial beach

          Kalau singapura mempunyai Singapore flyer, Ancol memiliki Bianglala, Brisbane juga memiliki Wheel of Brisbane yang bisa melihat pemandangan kota brisbane dari ketinggian 197 ft (60 m). Bagi anda yang tidak takut ketinggian cobalah naik Wheel of Brisbane tersebut hanya dengan mengeluarkan kocek sebesar 7 AUS$ saja. Setelah dari wheel of Brisbane anda cukup berjalan kaki selama 5 menit untuk bisa bermain di pantai buatan (artificial beach) south bank. Tidak usah takut tenggelam meski tidak bisa berenang dikarenakan ada pengawasan dari life guard atau penjaga pantai seperti yang kita lihat di film Baywatch.

Masih di area yang sama terdapat juga penjual souvenir khas negeri kanguru seperti bumerang maupun kerajinan suku aborigin lainnya. Ternyata daerah south bank juga merupakan pusat pendidikan karena di sebelah wheel of Brisbane juga terdapat Griffith University dan sebuah museum,

Airplane hanging on Queensland Museum & Science Center

yaitu Queensland Museum & Science Centre. Cobalah datang ke museum tersebut dan anda akan disambut oleh pesawat bersayap ganda sisa-sisa perang dunia kedua yang tergantung di atap depan pintu masuk museum.

          Di Seberang South Bank Terdapat kampus Queensland University of Technology serta kebun raya di samping kampus. Berbagai macam satwa dan tanaman terdapat di dalam kebun raya tersebut. Beberapa orang mahasiswa berjualan burger dan sosis bakar di area taman. Sambil tiduran di rerumputan di pinggir taman seraya menikmati pemandangan hilir mudik perahu di sungai Brisbane, cobalah memberi makan burung-burung kecil yang lucu dan akrab dengan pengunjung taman. Sesuatu yang tidak bisa kita dapatkan di Indonesia.                    

City Cat di dermaga Queensland University of Technology dengan latar belakang Wheel of Brisbane di seberang (City Cat at jetty Queensland University of Technology with background Wheel of Brisbane across)

Kurang lengkap rasanya kalau kita melakukan perjalanan tanpa membawa bekal bahan makanan. Dengan pedenya penulis membawa beras dan kompor elektrik untuk menanak nasi. Ternyata oh ternyata, listrik di Australia memiliki tegangan lebih tinggi dibanding di Indonesia. Belum lama kompor listrik dinyalakan langsung rusak. Terpaksalah makan ayam dan kentang goreng di McDonalds atau makanan siap santap di 7Eleven. Baru setelah tiga hari akhirnya ketemu nasi Biryani yang dijual oleh orang India.

Tidak seperti McD di negara lain yang menggratiskan sambal, di Australia kalau mau sambal harus bayar lagi. Harga sambal per sachetnya 30 Sen (Rp.3.000). Sudah bayar, tapi rasanya kok nggak ada pedasnya ya ? Makanya sebaiknya bawalah selalu sambal asli Indonesia dalam bentuk sachet apabila bepergian ke luar negeri. Khan ada pepatah yang mengatakan “No Sambal, No Eat” alias makan harus ditemani Sambal. (Tamat)

Story Bridge, jembatan yang menjadi landmark kota Brisbane dibangun tahun 1935 (Story Bridge, Landmark of Brisbane city was built in 1935)

 

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ONBOARD BRISBANE CITY CAT ( Part 2 )

Overnight in Brisbane city hotel was enough to drain the bag, averaging over 200 AUS $ per night. But do not worry, there is always a way to work around this like staying at backpacker hotel with cost only AUS $ 25 per night. The risk, we must share a room with 3 other people from other countries as well. The writer has tried to stay overnight in Tinbilly, hotel for backpackers in the city center and rooming with the South Korean. At first the atmosphere was very pleasant, new friends, cook a meal together with Australian girls until there was less pleasant events, the loss of hand phone owned by the South Korean roommate. But fortunately his HP was found by someone in dining room and entrusted to the receptionist. Although not to accuse the writer but nonetheless the event make the writer decided to check out at the early morning.

Another event that reverses the writer's view of the Australian people is when the writer was lost and did not know the way to a certain place there is someone who kindly drove up the writer to his car to a destination. Well, there are good people in another parts of the world. Really Contrast compared to when I first set foot in Brisbane Airport, The atmosphere of checking at the airport is quite strict like Frankfurt Germany. All luggage is checked by opened even the dog was assigned to smell fishy. If we caught not report the luggage can be fined AUS $ 5,000 or about 50 million rupiah.

If Singapore has Singapore flyer, Ancol has Bianglala, Brisbane also has the Wheel of Brisbane where we could see the view of brisbane city from a height of 197 ft (60 m). For those who not afraid of heights can try to ride Wheel of Brisbane by spending their money with amount only 7 AUS $. From the wheel of Brisbane you can just walk for 5 minutes to play on an artificial beach south bank. No fear of drowning although not able to swim because there are life guard as we usually see in the Baywatch movies.

Still in the same area there are also some souvenir sellers land of kangaroos (Australia) such as a boomerang and other craft of aborigines. Apparently south bank area is also an educational center because beside wheel of Brisbane there are Griffith University and a museum, namely the Queensland Museum & Science Centre. Try to come to the museum and you'll be greeted by a double-winged aircraft heritage of the second world war hanging under the roof of the museum entrance.

Across South Bank is the campus location of the Queensland University of Technology as well as the botanical gardens next to the campus. A wide variety of animals and plants found in the botanical garden. Some students selling burgers and grilled sausages in the garden area. While lying on the grass at the edge of the garden and enjoying views of the boats on the river of Brisbane, try to feed small cute birds which familiar with park visitors. Something that we can not get in Indonesia.

Feeling incomplete if we travel without carrying supplies of groceries. Confidently the writer brought rice and an electric stove for cooking rice. Apparently oh apparently, the electricity in Australia has a higher voltage than in Indonesia. Not long after stove was ignited the electric stove was broken immediately. This situation forced the writer to eat chicken and fried potatoes at McDonalds or meals ready to eat in 7eleven. Finally  after three days the writer could find Biryani rice sold by the Indians.

Unlike McDonald in other countries which freed the chili sauce, in Australia you have to pay more if want chili sauce. Sauce price per sachet is 30 cents (Rp.3.000). Already paid, but the sauce is not spicy ? It's means you should always bring the original Indonesian chili sauce in sachets when traveling abroad. There is a saying "No sauce, No Eat" meaning eating should be accompanied by sambal (chili sauce). (The End)