Living it Up Down Under

After 5 months of living in Malaysia, I was finally able to join Will on one of his recent work trips. Destination: Australia!! Some might find it rather suspicious that due to my domestic duties and regularly scheduled social engagements I like to refer to as "appointments" with fellow expat wives, I've somehow managed to miss out on his other work trips to places like Miri, Jakarta, and Vung Tau, but just as soon as his meeting was scheduled for Australia, my calendar of "appointments" and domestic "duties" suddenly cleared right up! Coincidence?? I think not. I had my ticket booked and my bags packed quicker than you can say, "Crikey!" So we boarded a plane for Brisbane, a 6 or 7 hour flight from here, and spent a fabulous, fun-filled 4 days on the east coast of Australia before heading to Perth for another 4. I'm not sure how fun-filled the days were for Will exactly because he was literally in meetings from sun-up to sun-down, but I think I was able to enjoy them enough for the both of us! I spent the days soaking up the sun in the city parks, strolling through the streets lined with cafes, pubs, and cute little shops, and trying to scope out what fun things Will and I could do each evening when he got "home" from the office. I took train rides to neighboring towns, watched ships drift in and out of ports, stopped at every kebab stand I passed for my daily dose of chicken shawarma, and tried on all of the cute winter clothes I knew I'd never buy. It's the end of fall/early winter in Australia, so the air was cool and crisp and CLEAN, a welcomed break from the air we're used to in KL (on all accounts)! To see people scurrying about in their scarves and sweaters and to see seasonal dishes like stews on most menus was definitely a  nice change of clothing, cuisine, and climate for us! It was an amazing 8 days full of delicious food, wonderful wine, perfect weather, and great accents! Australia was just such a fun, friendly, and happy place to visit for us, and I have been encouraging Will to schedule as many more meetings there as he possibly can!

Bridge in Brisbane

A pretty hotel in Perth (not ours, mind you)

Chicken Shawarma, Please!