Dubai-Brisbane-Dubai-Brisbane

This morning was the first time in just under a month that I was able to enjoy a big cozy sleep in, in my own bed! Yay! Following my annual leave in Brisbane, I had two flights (Brisbane, wouldn't you know it!, and London) which were so close together that delusions of an airport sleepover in between the two trips were only marred by the need to wash some clothes and reintroduce myself to my housemates and building security. Well perhaps I am being slightly dramatic.

The Brisbane trip was a lot of fun. Not only were there three other cheeky Aussies in our crew but one of them was the gorgeous Adventure Girl. AG played a very important role in helping me best prepare for the various stages of application with my airline. We had caught up a few times since I'd moved to Dubai but a 9 day trip provided the perfect opportunity to scratch beneath the surface. The champagne breakfast which a few of us had on arrival into our Brisbane hotel on the Sunday morning induced so much natter amongst all us girls that the staff had to (very delicately) ask us to leave so they could finish setting up for lunchtime! So up we all tottered, to our rooms for a big sleep, taking advantage of the self administered bubbly anesthetic.

That night my friend Louise and I played tour guide to a South African girl in my crew, Kim, and her cousin (he had not long moved to Brisbane). 'Family' was our destination, and 'Fluffy' was the name of the evening - a gay friendly weekly event for the Brisbane clubbing scene. There were just as many delightful half naked men strutting about as I had remembered from previous occasions, so too were the number of interesting people to look at - ie gender ambiguities and festive costumes (such as the pretty blonde boy who was wearing only black undies and matching hooded tank top, with hood positioned carefully over his crown of heavily streaked hair). Lou, Kim and I were salivating, and sighing, at the men around us while Kim's cousin (who wasn't aware it was going to be a gay night) clutched his drink with the whites of his knuckles, laughing nervously at the sights around him.