What better way to spend a Friday than relaxing on a tropical island paradise?
Last Friday, Rossco came up to Cairns. Rossco's our account exec at the place we purchase all our IT equipment from for work. We've been dealing with him basically exclusively ever since I started with the firm. Not only is he a great account exec who understands our business and our particular needs, he's also a bloody top bloke, and a good mate to boot.
He has a couple of clients who are based in Cairns, so he managed to wangle a trip up as a sales/networking expense, and decided that we should all head out to Green Island for the day. So, along with a bunch of engineers from another place in town, we jumped on the Sea Cat and headed out around 10:30am. The day was already quite hot, but we had all come prepared with sunscreen and water. The rum on the boat didn't hurt, either, and helped to pass the time on the 30 min trip.
Never one to shirk his duty, Rossco was even working on the way out there! Eeither that, or he was having a play with one of the engineer's brand new Blackberry phones - depends on whether his boss is reading this or not!)
As you can see, we had picture-perfect weather for the day, and the ocean was as flat as a board. Once we arrived, the first order of business was to adjourn to the pool, and stake out a nice shady spot. We managed to beat the crowd there, and secured the prime spot for ourselves.
The only problem was the parade of middle aged Japanese tourists past our spot. It seems the new hot fashion for middle-aged, balding and slight fat Japanese men is the skimpiest Speedo's that money can buy. It's an interesting look, and the girls that were with our group were not really that impressed!
Lunch followed the pool, where we were joined by some of the native wildlife:
After a couple of bottles of very nice white wine, it was surprisingly time to head back, as the last ferry cat leaves at 4pm. So we made our way back to the pier, managing to snap a couple of parting shots on our way.
All in all a lovely day on the island. Certainly the rum on the boat helped pass the time on the trip back, just as it had on the way out. The party kicked on into the night with drinks at Ba8, a ritzy cocktail bar right at the Marina, and Rossco, Jess and I ended up at a Steak & Grill joint for dinner. The ribs were divine, and I've promised myself that I'll have to go back and have them again, when I'm in a slightly better state to appreciate them!
I hadn't been to Green Island for probably 4 years, and it was great to be able to go back. The only problem now is that Jess wants me to take her! Thankfully locals get a discount on the ferry tickets, and everything else is quite reasonably priced (especially for a captive audience on the island), so we might pop over in a month's time. You can stay overnight on the island at a resort, but it's very expensive, so we'll probably just go for the day trip.
I certainly enjoyed the day, and I hope Rossco-san had a good time as well. Was great to meet the others on the trip, and the evening activities were most enjoyable. Certainly beat being at work!
