Ian and I took a trip up to the bell tower of the City Hall this morning. We had wanted to go a few days ago but were told that they were doing some works to it following the recent storm that hit Brisbane. The storm looked pretty strong on the news reports - it had even managed to take off a roof in its path. Luckily, no one was hurt.
We waited for the lift to take us up. A few seconds later, we could hear loud music. Where was it coming from? Were the workmen carrying out odd jobs somewhere else in the building? Then it dawned on us as the music grew louder and lounder. The sound of Cher's 'Strong Enough' was coming from our awaited lift! I could have sworn I heard our lift attendant singing along until this 'mobile disco' stopped and the lift doors opened! It reminded me of a Dom Jolly sketch - where Dom is inside an ice-cream van and someone orders an ice lolly with the name 'disco' in it. The lights inside the van suddenly change to flashing disco lights, loud music is heard blaring out from the speakers and he starts dancing like a mad man!
Our chirpy lift attendant gave us the mandatory info about the tower. Boy, he must be sick of regurgitating the same details every time - and in such a positive manner! Somehow I don't think anything would have dampened this happy bunny's spirits. He stopped the lift temporarily at the clock tower as the bells chimed 10 o'clock. I was expecting them to sound louder but I guess at this level, the bells would have been another 20 metres above. Or maybe Cher's vocals were doing a good job masking the chimes?!
The panoramic scenery from above was nice. We got a clear view of King George Square from 76 metres above. Not bad for a free view of the city from up high.
We pressed the lift button to go down again, wondering which music delight we were going to be greeted with this time. Delta Goodrem's 'Innocent Eyes' - a more sombre choice compared to the last track. I was kinda looking forward to hearing another loud disco track - it just seemed more comical in such traditional surroundings! Talking about music, I keep hearing Dido's 'Life for Rent' everywhere I go. And every time, I can hear someone singing or humming along to it.
We took the ferry to Kangaroo Point and took some great photos of the skyscrapers in the distance. I offered to take some photos for an Asian couple - to my surprise (and probably theirs!), I got blank looks and realised that they couldn't understand a single word I was saying. They no speak da English. I managed to convey my offer in sign language and did my good deed for the day.
Brisbane CBD as viewed from inside the rotunda at Kangaroo Point.
Next stop was a trip to China Town. This is by far the nicest one I have seen so far. Clean and tidy with plenty of colourful pagodas made for pretty scenery. What made it look even more attractive was the rows or red lanterns blowing in the breeze (from the recent Chinese New Year celebrations). We left with a packet of 'White Rabbit' sweets (one of Ian's favourites!) before catching the bus back to the centre.
As we waited for our bus back to the campsite, I bought one of those delicious milkshakes from Boost. A popular choice, it would seem, as there are always queues at these bars. Freshly blended fruit smoothies are to die for and worth the 50 cent upgrade to a regular size. We sat in King George Square sipping our drinks, watching the sun go down.
Brisbane City Hall at dusk.
