Dana in Australia

I just returned from a 1-week business trip to Australia. My 1st trip to Australia ever and I must say, even though it's summertime there now, I was ccccccold. I must be a true Hong Konger now. The temp was 70-75 in Sydney when we 1st arrived and it wasn't until the temp reached 98 with barely any humidity that I finally felt comfortable. Without the humidity, it was darn comfortable at 98, but as soon as the sun went down, I was cold again.

Laura and I went on this trip together and met our boss Sue there. This is not a picture of Sue. but it is another native Australian that hangs out down by the Opera house in Sydney posing for pictures with tourists.

We went to Sydney for 3 days 1st and then flew to Melbourne for the remaining 4 days. We had lots of meetings with clients, but we managed to sightsee a little and I always brought my camera.

Manly
Laura and I had 1/2 day on Saturday and we took a ferry to Manly. (Mark said that was an oxymoron)

Manly is a suburb of Sydney and a very cute beach town.

Even though I was on the other side of the world, there were little pieces of home to be found. Like Peterson's of Manly and Kelso emblazened on a wheelbarrow.








The view was a little different on Manly beach than it is back on the beaches in Pacific Northwest. hee hee





Melbourne
I didn't get as many pictures of Melbourne since there were no sightseeing days there, but I really liked Melbourne and it's cute friendly vibe. It's very much like the suburbs of Edmonds in Seattle or Laurelhurst in Portland. One evening, Laura and I met up with a co-worker, Avis, who moved to Melbourne in April from Hong Kong. She loves it and I don't think she'll come back.

When I returned from Australia after 1 week, I got to see Mark for approx 5 minutes before I walked him down to the taxi and sent him on his way for a 1-week trip to Shanghai. When he returns, it'll almost be Chinese New Year so should be a festive week ahead.