Travel Guides and Stories

Life may contain magnificent poems or just casual notes. Dwelling on grandeur only makes one feel smaller, but finding joy in every corner makes one feel complete. — Preface

Early in the morning, I took the train from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. Tip: Brisbane's trains are similar to China's subway systems, just running above ground. Change trains at transfer stations (Roma St, Central, City, Fortitude Valley) to get to the Gold Coast line. You can get detailed route information brochures at the stations. For Gold Coast, get off at Nerang station.

During this journey, I told myself to observe and understand with a broader perspective. I met various people - from drivers to winery owners, boat captains to fellow tourists, and those whose lives I could sense even without conversation. Sometimes I felt small, insignificant, lost, and dissatisfied with myself. This trip suddenly made me realize that perhaps I had previously positioned myself too high. When you throw yourself into the vast sea of humanity, feeling small is inevitable. Actually, if you place yourself genuinely in life and connect with people who are just as small as you are, whether they're prominent or ordinary, you'll feel complete and authentic.

You can book hot air balloon rides on the Gold Coast. A car picks you up from your hotel at 5 AM, with groups of about 8 people working together on preparations.

A distant view of two other hot air balloons.

Taking off to catch the sunrise.

Me enjoying myself in the air. Note: This photo was taken by a camera attached to the balloon and needs to be purchased afterward.

Watching sunrise from the hot air balloon.

An aerial view

After the balloon ride, you can book a champagne breakfast buffet, which is very luxurious. The people I met all had their own fascinating stories, yet when asked, they would tell stories of small, seemingly insignificant moments from their lives, rather than the grand tales I thought would make good lectures. Some past feelings of superiority need to be forgotten. The real experiences are what need to be remembered. Where your heart is, that's where you belong. Face the sea, spring flowers bloom.

This is the real Gold Coast, a surfer's paradise with genuinely big waves.

Above was the real Gold "Coast," below is my champagne sailing journey.

Waiting at the marina for our sailing trip. The boat owners are a Dutch couple who designed and commissioned their boat in the Netherlands, then spent 7 months sailing it to Australia while traveling. They're very friendly, and chatting with them on board was delightful.

The marina

Enjoying the sunset on the boat.

The seafood feast on board was excellent ~ with champagne ~

Below are close encounters with animals ~

This is a T-shirt bought at Movie World.

At Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, you can have close encounters with kangaroos.

Kangaroo food costs 2 dollars per cup, and you can feed them yourself.

Queensland is the only state where you can hold koalas for photos. I wish I could be a koala - life would just be eating and sleeping. Koalas sleep 17-20 hours a day, and when awake, they just eat. They don't even need to drink water because the leaves they eat contain plenty of moisture.

This is sheep shearing at the farm. Don't you think the sheep being sheared looks cute? Below is our 4WD adventure in the rainforest.

This is a unique tree found in Australian rainforests. Many vines hang on the tree, and over time, they merge with it and extend to the roots. Actually, the original tree has long since died.

You can drive a 4WD through the rainforest. Proudly crossing a small river.

Me with the instructor. There are many other fun activities on the Gold Coast, though some don't allow photos. For example, the glow worms - we visited a national park at night to see these glow worms, like our fireflies, very beautiful in the caves by the waterfall. And I've never seen so many stars in my life - they basically covered the entire sky, absolutely beautiful.