Re-entry. Back to winter. From 90 degrees to 40 degrees. From sunny days to dreary low hung clouds. Back to a possible work strike? Where am I? I must be back in the Pacific Northwest.
I am back. Back from my 123 day international assignment in Port Melbourne, Australia. Back to reality? Maybe....maybe not. But back to my normal routine. Its good to be back. :)
Here's a quick summary of my last few weeks in Australia and a little note of my personal achievement and lesson learned being in Australia. The last couple of weeks in Australia was busy and I had an opportunity to see the best of the world's Tennis players and had a great time networking and opening more possibilities in more overseas assignments. Here is what I have left from working in Australia...Working hard never goes unnoticed, and from what I learned the most out of this experience is that the more challenging work you accept to do despite it not being the most pleasant work, is good for oneself in personal development and professionally. From this experience I am more independent and resilient. I also have earned respect as a bona fide industrial engineer at Boeing Aerostructures Australia.
Quickly - The Australian Open occurs during the month of January and is one of the country's if not world's largest and most famous sporting event. Yes, its seen by more eyes than the Superbowl... From January 14th to January 27th, hundreds of thousands come to Melbourne, yes, Melbourne Australia to watch the best tennis players duel for that one title, champion of the world for both women and male participants. There is only one female champion and one male champion. For those who can't afford the $194.00 tickets to see the best in the Rod Laver stadium or the Hisense arena, there are grounds passes that anyone can purchase for less than $50.00. These passes allow anyone to tour the tennis tournament grounds, see the practice courts where amateurs to pros are seen practicing, junior tennis tournaments, doubles arenas, food, beer gardens, and many more activities and venues. Its one of the best values available and on the first day I chose to go, they were sold out...more than 100,000 visiting visitors.
I saw an incredible number of games, sets and matches. Most I forget who they were as the names are all foreign and hard to remember, but I do remember watching a few doubles matches with the legends of tennis (more fun than competitive), and watching some of the university matches....even though they were younger, they were the best from each country and could even be the next world champions. Its hard to believe. But amazing. Imagine being faced with a serve flying at your face faster than a fastball in baseball, over 110 mph!!!
The best part of the experience was seeing Djokovic up close at the practice courts. Watching him practice was an amazing experience. All of you who don't know who he is....he is last years and this year's Aussie Open Champion. The best tennis player in the world. :)
Djokovic!
All of this occurred during my last week in Australia. Work ended and transitioned smoothly as did saying all of my good-byes. The Australian Open was the perfect way to conclude my short-term stay in Australia. With that, this is my last entry and conclusion to my blog. As for any future blogs, of course, where and when will be the next place...is pending. :P Thanks for all of your support and recognition and I appreciate all of your views...yes I can track how many people are viewing my blog....over 1700 of you are dedicated followers!!!
Take a deep breath and say "Ahhhh"....I struck paradise in Australia! Turquoise blue waters, white sand beaches and of course a nice warm tropical breeze and lots of sun. Those are the elements that make up for a grand time in the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland Australia.
Taking a relatively quick weekend trip to this tropical paradise wasn't enough and I surely will have to return at some later date in my lifetime to come back and get the full real deal. Traveling to this area took a full day from Melbourne with a quick layover in Brisbane.
From Brisbane my flight landed in Proserpine, a small town which is mostly made up of sugarcane fields and kangaroos. I hopped onto an airport transfer shuttle and made my way to my accommodation in Airlie Beach. This small town consists of serviced apartments and a strip of restaurants. Nothing more than a sleepy beach resort town. I had booked a full day tour to the Great Barrier Reef for my full day and only day there.
Airlie Beach is considered to be the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands, which consist of 74 islands with plenty of the world's best white sand beaches. I unfortunately didn't allow myself enough time to experience these beaches, perhaps for a romantic honeymoon? haha....plenty of time to come back.
I checked into my budget friendly apartment and explored the small town on my first evening. Got some good fish and chips, walked the strip and drank a couple of pints at one of the local pubs. Then strolled by the lagoon which is there outdoor pool as their beaches aren't that...useful.
The next morning a shuttle picked me up from my apartment and took me to Whitsunday Cruises which was the outfit to take me to the Great Barrier Reef. I hopped on board Seaflight their modern catamaran and jettisoned to the first stop, Hamilton Island.
A quick 45 minute cruise to Hamilton Island, led us through some of the islands of the Whitsunday's, past sand white beaches and empty coves ideal for those tropical images of a sailboat moored alone in pristine clear blue waters. At Hamilton Island we picked up more Great Barrier Reef tourists and departed to our destination, Hardy Reef. On a side note, Hamilton Island is the luxe of islands with some of the fanciest resorts in all of Australia. Golf carts roam freely as the main mode of transportation...and the minimum that one could spend there begins at $500 a night....not something that I could afford, but could only dream and drool over. Looked like a fun time!
Casting off from Hamilton Island, the two hour cruise to the Great Barrier Reef was filled with more delightful beaches, islands, and dolphins.
At our destination, we arrived to our pontoon which housed everything we needed for our day's adventure. I took to a guided snorkel tour where a marine biologist took me and another on an hour long guided tour to explain what I was looking at and to get myself accustomed to snorkeling. It was great. Wetsuits provided it was a grand time. I saw some amazing coral and fish. No sea turtles, but everything else made up for it! I then ventured by myself after the tour to see more of the great reef and captured some images of what I saw. The photos do no justice of what I actually saw, but you can get an idea of what was there. Giant clams, anemones, colorful fish...etc. The reef was bright and colorful and the images don't show that, but I can vouch.
Parrot fish! They make the sand....they poop it out and make the fine sand. :P
Snorkel Shot
Face shot.
Coral - its blue tipped......but my camera doesn't show it
Giant Clam, produces the largest pearls in the Sea
Hamilton Island Bay
Once I was finished snorkeling for a good 2.5 hours, I took to the sky. I jumped aboard a quick air tour of the Great Barrier Reef and was able to see the Heart Reef....(yes...romantic and sappy, but its in the shape of a heart!). It was a amazing experience and was fun flying in a helicopter for the first time. I have two videos of the flight below to view.
See the heart? Its upside-down......
Riding co-pilot in the helicopter!
After the air tour I took to the lunch buffet and filled myself with prawns and other delights!
Here's what the snorkeling looked like as there were ropes that helped lead us over the reef.
A nice panorama shot of the reef
Sunset near my apartment
Airlie Beach Bay where the waters are blue
It was a fun and action packed weekend and I will have to return again to see Whitehaven Beach...and other spots that get this place ranked as the world's best beaches.
This was also a great way to wrap up my 4 month stint in Australia. As I prepare for my return back to the States in two weeks. I will be headed back on Australia Day, January 26th, the equivalent of Independence Day in the US. Its been a great experience and awesome opportunity and all I can say is "Thank You, Mr. Boeing" and of course to my manager as well for giving me this great opportunity! :)
I'll have one more entry after this to conclude and summarize my trip. Thanks for following and enjoy the photos!
