Groovy Baby

Today we spent the day at the Warner Brothers Movie World theme park. I didn't even know that there were theme parks on the Gold Coast until after I got here. Jo and Andy had got passes to the three major theme parks - Sea world, Wet and Wild and Movie world and Thursday was Movie World day - not a problem.



It was a very good day, school was in session so there were very few pesky kids around the place so we pretty much got to the front of all of the queues very quickly. The highlight of the day had to be the appearance of my childhood hero... you guessed it... Batman. I even convinced him to let me take a picture with the BATMOBILE! He was lovely, and looked fabulous in black rubber, no one will convince me that those muscles aren't real.



It was also a time to stand safely behind the shatterproof glass away from a dozen of the now deactivated Agent Smith's. They keep them well away from any electricity sources but I'm sure that I saw an evil glint in one of their eyes. You tell me if you can make out which...



The surprise entertainer of the day turned out to be none other than Austin Powers who travelled forward in time to say hi to us and introduce us to his "friends". Andy had an inflatable fish called Harry the haddock which is the mascot of his football club (Grimsby). He also runs a website for some of the fans and someone from his club sent them some photos of Harry at some famous locations such as the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids. Not to be outdone, we convinced Austin to have his picture taken with Harry.



When we were leaving, these two guys went up to Austin and asked if they could have their picture taken with him. To which he replied "Only if you have a giant inflatable octupus". We nearly wet ourselves with laughter.

It was a good day, but the last for both of us. Jo and Andy are off to San Fransico (or is it Los Angeles) on Friday and I am off to Sydney to spend some time with my friend Dave for the final leg of my trip.

I can't believe that it's almost at the end. It's only been a month but it seems much longer. Lots has happened but in the grand scheme of things, nothing much has taken place. I haven't come to any blinding revelations, I don't think that I have changed as a person and I doubt that I have made a major impact on the life of anyone I have met. Does that mean that this trip has been a failure? I don't think so. I do think that I have seen Gods work this holiday and perhaps I just needed some time away to appreciate how much he takes care of me instead of taking it for granted. I have experienced the love and hospitiality of Christians the world over this trip and I am beginning to understand a little more of what it means to be a part of God's family. I hope that I can take these practical lessons and apply them to life back in London, or wherever I end up.