Unforgettable

I'm finally here. And, so far, it's been interesting :)

I've seen koalas, dingos, wombats, tasmanian devils...I've touched baby crocs and baby kangaroos. I'm living in an amazing apartment, 63 floors off the ground. I've eaten things I've only read about. I've had the most exquisite wine. I'm working with some really amazing people. And I'm planning on doing a lot more here.

But the most amazing experience I've had? Catching sight of a humpback whale... a solitary male swimming past us on a routine migration. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the awestruck tourists.

He swam around a bit, exhaled explosively out of his blowhole, went underwater, waved his fins around, showed us some tail action...and then, rose up above the water for the most amazing dive.

The sight of that whale rising up above and crashing into the water is not one I'll ever forget. It didn't matter that it was freezing or that I was soaked to the bone. It didn't matter that the camera wasn't clicking when I wanted it to. It didn't even matter that I was alone.

I didn't care about those petty problems. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Desperately hoping he would dive again but happy enough to just see him in the ocean. He didn't do anything fancy after those first few dives. He just swam... And, still I watched. Knowing that even if I could just see a tiny bit of his back, I would watch until I wasn't able to anymore.

We stayed with him for a long time. And then we started navigating our way back to the harbor. I vaguely heard the announcer, on the boat, say that the whales were doing much better. That they weren't on the verge of extinction anymore. And that they were going to be many more of them migrating in later years. I felt a tiny surge of joy.

Because something that majestic deserves to live forever.