The real world rears its head

I wanted to post one last blog about Broome before I backtrack and talk about several trips I’ve taken over the year that I haven’t yet written about (I'm overwhelmingly behind!!). The last week of Jawun was hectic, followed by a week of lovely non-hectic time.

After we all finished up our projects, the “Broome group” flew back over to Kununurra to debrief with the entire Jawun mob who were spread between Kununurra, Halls Creek, and Warmun. A few of us got up early for a scenic flight over the Bungle Bungles, the Ord River, Lake Argyle and the Argyle Diamond Mine. The Bungles (official name Purnululu National Park), is a World Heritage Site to the north of Halls Creek and is famous for its orange and gray striped sandstone domes. Although I wish I could’ve done some camping or hiking in the vast park, I was glad I at least got to see it from the air – which was quite a spectacular sight.

Purnuluu

Purnululu (Bungle Bungle)

The debrief with the whole group was a long day, but actually more interesting than I was expecting and I enjoyed hearing what everyone did for their projects and the experiences they had. After the debrief, our last bit of group fun was a BBQ Boat ride and drinks on the Ord River. The following day (Friday), it was time to say goodbye to everyone at the airport and make my way back to Broome for a relaxing few days.

On the Ord

Last day with Jawun

Chris came up from Perth to spend a long weekend in Broome. You may have noticed by now that I’ve met someone pretty cool who is, to my family’s dismay, Australian. I don’t usually mention this type of thing in my blog, so please don’t harass him on Facebook! We had a great time doing some of the touristy things I didn’t do while working there…..camel ride on Cable Beach, guided stargazing (awesome!), sampling various restaurants, lounging by the pool, outdoor cinema; and I also got to show him a few of my favourite Broome things. Chris also planned a whole day out for me that included a massage, a scenic flight over Broome, and a nice dinner. I was impressed :)

Scenic flight view of Gantheaume Point and Cable Beach

Camels on Cable Beach

On a camel

Now that I’ve been back in Perth for almost a week, I’m starting to feel less overwhelmed by the people, the cars, the constant motion. And just think, this is Perth, not exactly NYC or Chicago. It was great to get away from it all and it has been a little hard to come back to normal life. I have to get dressed up for work again and wear normal shoes instead of my casual attire and flip-flops that were fine for work in Broome. I also blew-dry my hair for the first time in months and thought my head was on fire. But it is also a good thing to come back to normal life, too (since my life is pretty cool). I have to keep reminding people that I was not on vacation while I was in Broome, with the exception of a week at the end (a very annoying comment I’ve heard multiple times). My tan doesn’t help my argument though. Bring on the next adventure!