After my trip to Macau, i’m again whisked away down under from 12-18 May. This was a working trip and i was prepared for the cold weather. Was going down together with my big boss… who’s lived here for a number of years.

Brisbane International Airport

Took the night flight and arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning. For an international airport, Brisbane International Airport is surprisingly small. There were so many Korean and Japanese tourists here… and a whole bunch of Jap surfer dudes… with surf boards ready to hit the waves!

Our ride arrived late and we had to wait a couple of hours - apparently someone forgot to notify im about our early arrival. My boss was complaining to me about the Aussies again…

My Apartment

Used to staying in hotels for all my overseas trip. So imagine my surprise when we drove up to a resort condo on arriving at the Gold Coast.

This is the first time that i was given a service apartment. For AU$99 a night, it’s quite worth it. There’s a pool, gym facilities and a cafe at the lobby.

There Wifi too - but at $45 / week. My boss was telling me that its EURO $8 per day in Vienna - so i’m a little comforted. Unfortunately, my apartment’s on the 3rd floor - where the only place with a decent signal is at the Balcony. *sigh*

Au Bon Gateau

My boss’s wife owns a Swiss / French restaurant in Gold Coast. The food’s pretty decent… (sorry, KM. Didn’t take pictures). Love the beef steak with hash browns.

One thing i realise about Aussies (and people living here):
They are really serious about their coffee. Every F&B outlet is bound to have a proper coffee machine. I am impressed. In fact i was so pampered with good latte, cappuccino and flat whites (that’s plain coffee with milk) that i doubt i’ll be able to settle for 80 cent kopitiam coffee anymore!

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

It was work work work for the whole week. Only time i could do anything touristy was on Saturday. I promised Veron that i’ll hug a Koala for her… so off i went looking for the nearest Eucalyptus tree.

Asked the reception to point me to nearest Koala bear… he pointed me to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (http://www.cws.org.au). It was just half an hour by bus. The entrance fee is a little on the high side - $29.95 for adults - but i was here for a koala hunt!

There was a photo booth where i quickly took the pics. They really do have a funny smell. Couldn’t quite figure out if it emanate from the plant / tree or the bear. Cos when i was holding on to the koala, she didn’t really smell that bad.

After the Koala, i was off in search of other Australian wild life. Came to the Kangaroo sanctuary where i was anticipating bouncy hyperactive roos chasing down tourists. Instead i found a herd of them lazing around in the afternoon sun. For $2, you can buy a pack of Kangaroo feed and feed them. Heh… maybe that’s why they were so lazy - all grown fat from the constant feeding.

Cya, mate!

Flew back to Singapore on Sunday. Overall, the project presentations i did with my boss went down well. Hopefully, when we do get this job, we’ll be spending more time here. *fingers crossed*

Michael