Brisbane

I landed in Brisbane at around 7:30pm. I picked a flight that coincided with that of the groom (my friend from London) in order to blag a lift from the airport at the same time as he did. I also felt that this would be the best way to be thrown into the thick of the whole wedding business; this way, I'm arriving with the groom and his family.

We got picked up by the in-laws (I had actually arrived slightly earlier, putting me in the slightly awkward situation of causing the groom to be stood up for a bit) and spent the rest of the evening relaxing at what would eventually become the newlyweds' home for the next three months or so (which became known as just "Southbank").

In just those couple of hours I knew that my time in Brisbane was going to be the highlight of the trip. I was reminded of my time in Dubai, almost two years ago. That was also split between the tourism and wedding side, and I wrote then how it was the latter (including meeting the friends and families concerned) that made the trip for me.

And here in Brisbane it was looking to be the same. The in-laws and groom's family were all a fantastic bunch. It felt like they had immediately accepted us close friends, almost family - which would have been expected for those that were to become family, but not for me; I was half expecting to be that guy who was nothing but a non familial imposition.

The vibe of the evening was amazing, partly due to the excitement everyone had over the wedding, but mainly because of the people themselves. I can see it now; the next couple of weeks will be full of chilling out, laughter, joking around and flowing.

It's so going to be totally ace.