(Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates) In February of 2014, I was invited to teach a course in Dubai. In keeping with our “why not” philosophy, we decided to stay the weekend and visit with some friends in the area. Dubai is a quick (ha) 14 hour (7,251 miles / 11,669 km) flight from Melbourne. Arrival […]
(Location: Perth, Western Australia) “Can you be in Perth on Monday morning?” Um, err, it’s Friday at 5pm… OK, what the heck. If you are or know a consultant, you know that this is the norm rather than the exception. But what the heck. I hadn’t been to Perth. Andy had some work he could […]
(Location: Kangaroo Island, South Australia) In January of 2014 I had a work trip to Adelaide, so we decided to make a long weekend out of it and tick Kangaroo Island off the list. Our flight from Melbourne landed late afternoon, so we arranged to spend the first night in McLaren Vale. After a light […]
(Location: Sydney, Australia) In January of 2014, my mom came to visit for a few weeks. We live in Melbourne, and aside from the Australian Open, there is a lot to see in Victoria in January. Still, you can’t come ALL the way to Australia and NOT see Sydney. So we planned a whirlwind day […]
Location: Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia In January of 2014, my mom came to visit so I was able to tick off many local sightseeing opportunities, one of which was a day trip to the Great Ocean Road. From Wikipedia: The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 kilometres (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern […]
(Location: Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia) After returning from sailing in The Whitsundays, we had a few days to kill before returning to work so we made an impromptu road trip to the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island. By “quick trip to the Mornington Peninsula” I mean that we drove through there on the way to […]
(Location: The Whitsundays, Queensland, Australia) For Christmas 2013, we chartered a sailboat in The Whitsundays (only a three hour flight away!). We picked up the Catalina 35 from Whitsunday Escape in Airlie Beach. The boat was no more than a year old and in pristine condition. Though smaller than what we’ve chartered in the past, […]
(Location: Sydney, Auatralia) When we decided to move to Australia, we had our choice between Melbourne and Sydney. We’d never been to either, and due to timing we wouldn’t be able to visit. We did some research, and in the end decided on Melbourne because it was a little cheaper and seemed to be easier […]
(Location: Hong Kong, China) We arranged for a two night layover in Hong Kong on our way back from Beijing. It’s kind of on the way, and we hadn’t been there. We used points and stayed at The Conrad, one of the nicest large chain hotels that I’ve ever visited. Our room had a gorgeous […]
(Location: Beijing, China) One week after moving to Australia, I had to present at a conference in Beijing. Even though Australia is often classified as part of the Asia Pacific region, let me dispel the myth right now. Australia is nowhere near China. It’s a 14 hour flight from Melbourne to Beijing – so basically […]