Work Adventure? Grafton the city of Jacarandas~

  What my job sometimes does is send us off to places we've never ever dreamt of going to otherwise, because it's like some ridiculously small town that we would never give second thoughts to.  At first, the thought of going...actually to be more precise...FLYING to these places are a bit unbelievable! It was only in October this year did I first experience my first flight domestically, but I was still on a reasonable sized plane... it wasn't until this week did I see a plane so small I actually wondered how we were all going to fit into it! And you know how usually at the airport, you just go through this tunnel thingy and wah la, you're on the plane? Well, with the smaller domestic planes, you have to board an airport shuttle where it takes you to a totally different area where all the smaller planes are! I was so amused! AND to top it all off, I've never seen a pilot so young (who looked probably just in his early 20s) I couldn't believe I was putting my life in his hands hahaha

So, where was work sending me off to? Grafton.

You are probably thinking: come again? As this was most of my friends' reactions... and personally I didn't know where it was either and had to googlemap it haha  It's a town pretty much situated on the border of NSW and Queensland... it sounds really deserted and far away.  Far away, yes, but this little town somehow took my breath away!

The plane we were on! It's actually pretty cute hehe

Grafton airport! Nothing like the major city ones...so cosy and extra friendly!

  Anyway, not to bore anyone with the work details...and in fact, it's been a pretty tiring and tough week... but the town gave off this vibe that just calms your heart and mind... it makes you feel very...peaceful.  After work, my workmates and I always took walks near our motel, wanting to absorb the sun as much as possible! And oh man, were we glad we all took the effort to stroll away and explore Grafton with the few hours of daylight we were given!

Park nearby...wait till you see the view...

...so amazing!

You can go...or roll down the slope haha

You can take a stroll along the water... there are some really pretty lamps, I think it can get quite...romantic hehe

   In another part of town is this particularly road...and who would've thought even a road could be this amazing:

These were HUGE HUGE HUGE trees!

This was called The Fig Tree Avenue! It felt so incredible standing in the middle of the road in between these two rows of huge fig trees! It almost felt like something from the movie.  You know what, one moment you can see this magnificent view...and if you turn around, you are confronted with another breath-taking view:

Overlooking the bridge! Just imagine sitting on the grass on a nice sunny afternoon...pondering...or reading...or just breathing in the fresh air...*happysigh*

  The hero of Grafton though was not any of these, but a particular type of plant...that's right! Jacaranda trees! There were hundreds of them just on the side walk...and as you drive down long roads, they look so absolutely amazing and beautiful...and if you have your windows opened, the scent just waft through the air and into your nose...mmmm

Argh...I didn't quite capture it...but as you can see, the jacaranda trees just go on...so pretty ^^

  According to the client that we were working with, in November, they blossom to their fullest and the petals get blown off by the wind...so the roads can sometimes be filled with purple-ness...so want to see it >.<  In November, there is also a Jacaranda festival...and it's like the biggest thing in town where everyone celebrates (apparently everyone just gathers in the town centre on a Thursday - forgetting about work and just party away hehe Sounds good to me!)

  Being in Grafton made me realise how rushed I've been as a city slicker, how my life is often filled with all these stresses, pressures, thoughts... and I really just don't know how to rest and slow down.  Maybe because the pace of everything is slower, there's no traffic, air seems to be fresher and there's just all these nature around me...I felt really at peace and relaxed (despite the fact that work was somewhat toiling during the week).  I could feel my heart beat slowed to a steadier and calmer pace and was just...calm.  It made me think...perhaps all these pressures/stresses are what I induce on myself...when there's so much more to life.  It seems like nowadays, I'm always re-evaluating what's important *sigh*

  Hmmm might blog about all the yummy food we ate as well in another post...for now I'll leave you with this image and hope it brings you a sense of calmness =)

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