Fine Food Australia in Melbourne

Oktoberfest in Brisbane was here!! Danica invited me to join her and some of her Kiwi friends. Great pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3185172&id=2034929&l=62e6467d28

It had been a while since working for Carmi at the trade shows in Seoul and Shanghai. Fine Food Australia in Melbourne was overdue! I flew to Melbourne from OOL and met Eliot (president) at the airport. We stayed at the Marriott on the executive floor, man do I love exec lounges! Food and drink almost 24/7. Exploring Melbourne was fun but limited. The show itself was quite successful, many big companies were there and the samples were endless :o)

The last night I ventured out in the rain, hoping to see either penguins or artwork. Just as soon as I turned towards artwork, a CSer called me regarding my group post and wanted to know if I was still up for seeing penguins (it was now close to midnight). Of course I wanted to, so we met up. Manuel from Austria showing me the St Kilda penguins in Melbourne, Australia, ha! So we took public transportation (this cool mini bus thing) out to St Kilda pier and walked for quite a ways out to the pier in the freezing rain. I was very skeptic that we were going to see any...after all, I checked Manly pier almost every night looking for the little penguins and never saw one. Then all of a sudden this foot high lump waddled across the pathway in front of us right under a street light, "is that a penguin?!" Manuel agreed that's probably what it was. After that we saw heaps more! They were coming in from their sunset feeding in the ocean, and going to bed, but of course not before they had sexy time. They live in the rocks there and are just the cutest! And IN THE WILD!! Not even in a zoo or park or aquarium or Seaworld! I took so many photos (without flash, not allowed to have flash on).
Manuel was great fun and didn't care that I spent forever taking the same photos over and over again, and the penguins were so cute. I loved them so much I forgot it was raining and that my feet were frozen.

If you're ever in Melbourne, go to St Kilda pier late at night, walk all the way out to the end of the pier, and enjoy the wild penguins!!

The next morning I got to the airport with so much food from the show, and even more wine. How was I going to get this wine on the plane? No idea! Then I remembered, I'm in AUSTRALIA, not America! One of the few times I was pleased with this. Liquids are allowed on domestic flights in Australia :o) So my four wine bottles and beer came on the plane with me. What a great work adventure!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3139894&id=2034929&l=6a28cc276d