Brisbane (Australia) - This is quarantine

Brisbane (Australia)

03 NOVEMBER - 17 NOVEMBER 2020

Relocating to Brisbane from a state that was 'ravaged' by COVID automatically handed us a mandatory 2-week quarantine period on arrival. This was the punishment we were required to endure and the consequence of coming from a dirty state to one that was clean.

There was no circumventing the process. Mentally we made our own preparations and came to terms with the requirement of spending 1,209,600 seconds in a room of approximately 30m2. They were the rules of the contest. For those that haven't contemplated what quarantine is like, here's a look back on our stay at the 5-star Brisbane Marriott Hotel.

Initial novelty

03 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 1 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

After a lengthy process at the airport, being herded through the terminal like a bunch of lepers, driven to the hotel and formally signed in, gaining access to your place of residence for the next 14 days was somewhat satisfying. 

In those first hours it felt like the start of any other holiday. A typical hotel room, a nice view and the opportunity to relax. Our view out over the Brisbane river to the Story Bridge was most certainly a highlight, something we all made use of.

03 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 1 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

It's all rainbows and cheetoh's at this point. You know in yourself that there will be days when the monotony is going to drive you insane but for right now, it was all toast.

03 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 1 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

The Story Bridge - a heritage listed cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River. It occupied our days, nights and sometimes even our dreams. Many times I looked out to the bars and restaurants on the north bank on the river and wondered what it would be like to be one of those people, sitting there, looking up at these buildings and not having the slightest care in the world regarding COVID or the need to quarantine. We wanted to be those people. We wanted to be the type of people that could drive over the bridge via the Bradfield Highway and not turn back, just keep on driving down to the Gold Coast where our new abode was waiting for us.

03 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 1 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Inga suggested that I bring a couple bottles of wine for our stay - Inga is very smart woman!

03 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 1 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

As night fell along the river the bridge would light up in accordance with the mood of the day. Ever changing and ever impressive, our window out on the world held it in centre frame.

03 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 1 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Aiden running riot prior to bath time.

Check out the view

04 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 2 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

This was the view from my office.

Signing on then positioning myself so I could have this view for the day was fantastic. For me being occupied during the day made the whole quarantine experience relatively easy. For Inga & Aiden on the other hand, moments passed by far more slowly.

04 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 2 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Pretty in green, just a standard Wednesday night for the Story Bridge.

Fresh air breaks

07 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 5 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

One of the small allowances we had.

'Fresh air breaks' were offered to all quarantine guests but needed to be booked in advance. Early on in the piece the wait time was literally minutes but as more and more rooms became occupied the wait to get out increased in associated.

We were only allowed to move around the pool and terrace area which occupied a space on Level 4 of the hotel. For most people on their breaks this was their opportunity to exercise. It didn't take long for the 'walkers' to figure our a small loop around the pool, up the length of the terrace and back. In all honesty, the site of masked people doing loops on a 40mtr tracked looked a little mental. 

07 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 5 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

What confounded me slightly is that there was no monitoring or policing of social distancing on the terrace. Every other interaction within the quarantine framework operated at the expected level of social distancing, but, out on the terrace somehow interactions between guests and also the police monitoring numbers on a break and their duration, fell apart.

07 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 5 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

We felt it was important for Aiden to get out as much as possible. Early on in the piece we were able to get him outside (3) times per day but as the numbers in the hotel swelled this became twice a day. Inga would take him out in the morning and I'd take him out after my working day.

Sunday night on the river

08 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 6 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Not sure of the reason but there was a welcome fireworks display at the end of our first weekend.

08 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 6 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

I can only assume that for an active toddler needing to occupy your time in one room with limited option for play was fairly brutal.

08 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 6 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Thankfully we had access to the ABC Kids channel, so The Wiggles, Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, GoJetters, in fact anything that moderately resembled a cartoon was right in our wheelhouse for producing an engaged and calm boy.

I can do everything you can

09 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 7 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Aiden was proving a point, pretty much showing me that he could 'do it all'. Here he is getting started on my morning emails, watching Bananas in Pyjamas and acting like a toddler boss.

We're still alive

10 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 8 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Sending greetings out into the world. 

I think this is the point where we see our own 'turn' in the acceptance of what quarantine is doing to us. Once you start sending messages out into the World and creating tasks that are not common place in the everyday is the exact point in time when the four walls around you start to win the contest.

Starting to break

11 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 9 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Policy was that on Day 10 everyone staying in quarantine was required to have a COVID test, post test however it was a requirement that the remaining time spent was all indoors, no fresh air breaks at all. In preparation for that we took to turning our room inside out and created fun 'rollie' things to do.....😂

11 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 9 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

You got a bed...then you got a ramp

If you have a ramp then the sky is the limit to the amount of fun you can have (apparently).

When your mental fragility is displayed for all to see

13 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 11 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

This is our first full day of lockdown...in quarantine lockdown

What else are you going to do with a box from Dan Murphy's?

What now?

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

I think this may have been our most difficult day. 

You're entirely confined to the small space, you're not able to step outside for any fresh air, you're still a couple of days away from freedom and time ticks buy in a painfully slow way.

Our bed ramp was set up for Aiden to get his 'roll on', or to 'jump on' or burrow through. So here's what our room looked like for a large part of that afternoon.

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Bed ramp, cartoons and tent in the corner. It looks more like a child care centre than anything else.

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Two whole days from freedom...C'mon! Lets just get there!

Aiden was the last to crack

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

When your son starts walking around with the waste paper basket as protective armour, well then you know that quarantine had well and truly cracked us all.

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Instigating a ramp roll with Aiden's pal, the Lion

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Ramp roll in motion - both Aiden and the Lion are holding on for dear life

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Once the bed roll became less amusing then it was into tunnel crawling. I'm sure Aiden was thinking why I was completing the tunnel circuit so slowly.

14 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 12 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Waste paper bin carnage

15 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 13 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Bubbles for days, a great way to occupy 15 mins during the morning

15 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 13 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

Bubbles...bubbles...and more of the same

15 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 13 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

15 November 2020 - Quarantine Day 13 - Brisbane Marriott Hotel - Queensland - Australia

The view never got old but our time in the one room certainly caused some frustration.

With all of that, let me say thank you to the Marriott, they were always willing to assist, were impeccable with delivery of meals and the room was exactly as expected.

A necessary state, not particularly enjoyable but it was comfortable and I guess that's all you can ask for when you're in quarantine.

Gold Coast (Australia) - Return of the boy from Oz

GOLD COAST (Australia)
07 March - 11 March 2017

Arriving back 'home' felt good. I think what you miss when you're away are more of the small things, happenings in your daily life that you might take for granted, a way of speaking, a friendly smile, a typical joke, items in the supermarket. These aren't major concerns or elements that cause a nuisance when you're away, as they're always replaced with either something different or better, but something needs to be said for the substance of familiarity. Things that are familiar are safe. Not that I'm concerned about safety but being home gives you a level of comfort where you can feel safe.

Working from home? Gold Coast - Queensland - Australia

International Woman's Day - Gold Coast - Australia

A visit to Brisbane to see if the Gold Coast to Brisbane daily commute was a viable option.

Answer - NO

Brisbane - Queensland - Australia

The Gold Coast wasn't meant to be any sort of extension of our Arrival holiday, in fact, we had originally had it slated as the place where we would live. A decision that we originally made for reasons of weather and access to, well, everything cool. The issue with the Gold Coast, for the moment, is that it's not a mecca for jobs, and I didn't really consider us to be in the position where we could wait around for 6 months until something eventuated. It may however be our final destination in the future but that needs to remain on hold for a little while.

Arriving in Melbourne!

Welcome Home!!

We spent a few days on the Gold Coast before heading to our new home, Melbourne. During that time we caught up with Jay, who at that time was at the start of a journey that would take him to California. One going, and one coming back. Little did we both know that at this very time the next year both of us would be in the same cool position, excited and nervous expectant fathers.

And to kick-off the ARRIVAL HOME - here's a few photos from our first months in Melbourne

Elizabeth Street - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

First day of work with BAPL - a view out to the 'G'

Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Our first rental - Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Victoria - Australia

Our first car in Melbourne - the Ford Mustang Fastback EcoBoost

Good story - Inga & I rode up to the dealership on our bikes. Inga parked her pink bike at the front door. As we walked in the salesman looked as us, not quite sure what to make of two people turning up on bicycles.

20 minutes later he had a sale!

Garfield Street - Richmond - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Garfield Street - Richmond - Melbourne - Victoria - Australia

Gold Coast (AUSTRALIA) - The Jurmula of Australia

Gold Coast (Queensland - Australia)
19 November - 22 November 2015

I first made it to the Gold Coast as a 12 year old. As a family we drove up the Pacific Highway, stopping at Port Macquarie & Byron Bay on the way. Back then it was still the recreational catch-all for people wanting to have their fun in the sun. Sand, surf, night clubs and varying degrees of debauchery, that at that age I knew nothing about, it was the golden strip that drew people from all over Australia, and, from all over Japan. Back that it was Japanese investors driving the market in the South East corner of Queensland rather than China.

To me the Gold Coast always had its place in that enigmatic Queensland ad, 'Beautiful one day, perfect the next'. I'd often wonder whether that proclamation was actually true, outside of those moments where I'd be watching the Coolangatta Gold (the 1980's film) and then realising that the actual race of the same name existed. 

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

Making it to the Gold Coast was kind of like making it to Adventureland. Being a kid that grew up 50kms from the nearest beach in Sydney, entering this world was the stuff of fantasy. Better still, the hotel that we stayed at for those few days, the Baronnet, was only a short walk away from Cavill Mall where Grundy's Arcade was located. A playground of entertainment just waiting to be exploited with borrowed 20 cent pieces from my father. Coupled with visits to Sea World and potentially Dream World, how the hell could life get any better?

All of those memories underpinned the premise for taking Inga to Surfers Paradise.

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

View from the Q1

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

What sold it for her, which took me all of 2 seconds to find out, was the sun. There was sun, sand and surf a plenty. How much more does a Latvian require in life. Oh yeah, perhaps there was also the fact that average temperatures on the Gold Coast in Winter were 15 degrees (that's a mild Summer in Riga). There was no more thinking to be done. This place was already a winner!

Drinks at the Q1

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

Surfers Paradise - Queensland - Australia

Our time on the Gold Coast was fun. There were the obligatory stops at the theme parks, Sea World, Movie World & Wet & Wild, cocktails at the Q1, mindless meanderings on Cavill Avenue, a stop at the Hard Rock and I even had the chance to introduce Inga to a good 'ole friend of mine, Jay Ryan. It didn't surprise me one bit when Inga put it to me that 'she wouldn't mind living here one day'....and I tell you what, last year (2018) we got awfully close. We did purchase an investment property on Hamilton Avenue in 2016 and really investigated a move to the Gold Coast last year. In fact, we came very, very close to signing a contract for a dual level apartment on the Broadwater. Looking back now that decision might not have been the best in terms of my own working opportunities, and whilst I was willing to make the commute to Brisbane on a daily basis, knowing what we have in our lives now, well, that decision would have been brutal for all.

Never the less, the Gold Coast still remains on our radar. If opportunities for work become more readily available then I can't say that a move there won't happen.