reflections

The City of Churches

Until recently I had never been further West than Dubbo within the Australian continent. However, over the last few weeks I had the opportunity to visit Adelaide a few times. Its an interesting city with polite friendly people and a certain beauty to it, but I have to say that it doesn't really compare to Sydney.

My main visit was last week to deliver a presentation at a Institute of Chartered Accountants' Business Forum. I was pre-warned not to expect the audience to be responsive, but I think I was able to get them out of their shell.

The Institute generously put me up in the Hyatt. A very nice hotel, but a little too prim and proper for me. I prefer the more casual comforts of the Sofitel or a bed & breakfast. I am not complaining though, and I admire the little thoughtful comforts like proper cotton buds in the bathroom, a soft bathrobe, a dedicated lounge with internet access etc.

The most interesting touch was a pair of stockings that was discretely placed with the laundry items - no doubt a lifesaver for a guest with an unexpected run in the stockings.

Broken Hill

My recent travels took me to Broken Hill for the first time. It was my first ever trip to the Australian Outback and I was quite intrigued to see the place.

The flight was quite an experience in itself. Only Rex flies to Broken Hill and there are only a handful of flights in a day. Having an early morning meeting meant that I had to stay in Broken Hill the previous night and hence caught an evening flight into the town. The view from the aircraft was breathtaking. Until the last minutes of the approach, all I could see was red desert. I was begining to wonder if we would be landing into a patch of desert sand, when finally a paved runway became visible.

Since I only had a short overnight trip, I only got a small tast of the town. Some of the highlights were:

• Being stuck at the almost empty airport for 20 minutes because another passenger had stolen my pre-ordered taxi.
• Eating chinese for dinner in an empty restaurant with an Adelaide beer to wash the meal down.
• Keeping an almost straight face when my taxi driver complained to me that because of the mining boom, it was now impossible to buy a decent 3 bedroom house for less than $120,000.
• Peak hour on the main street being quieter than 3am on Sunday night in my Sydney street.
• An American colleague telling everyone that I had gone to visit Brokeback Mountain.

I am looking forward to my next trip. My client promised me a tour of the real Outback.