Another night the 6 of us went to the local RSL club to participate in their weekly meat draw and pokies (poker machines, which are in almost every bar in Australia). We didn't win but had a delicious dinner and good fun playing around. The second week we returned and won 2 meat trays! SCORE!
Our last day in India was a bit surreal. We were really excited to be heading to Australia but we were also a bit sad because the traveling portion of our trip was nearing its end. That’s right we’re going to be integrating back into society…whether we want to or not! In addition to seeing the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge we got to visit with one of Andrew’s friends, Graham, who he worked with back in Edmonton. It was a short but sweet visit where we all got to catch up on what each other’s years had been like. Andrew also got caught up on some of the gossip he missed over the last year! Christmas arrived faster than 35 centimeters of snow in Canada for us and we were off to spend Christmas Eve with Amy’s Dad and his family out at their rural home. They were really welcoming and they helped us to come to terms with BBQing, swimming and playing badminton outside as Christmas activities. Luckily they had a fireplace for Santa to enter the house, it wasn’t burning but it was ready to receive him! After a really nice time opening gifts and a delicious Christmas morning brunch at Amy’s Dad’s place we zipped off to Sid’s parents’ house for Christmas lunch! We were so used to eating vegetarian food in India that our bodies had to perform super-human feats of digestion to keep up to the barrage of Christmas deliciousness! With our bellies full to our throats we jumped in the car and headed down the coast to Amy's Pop's house where Amy's mom had prepared us a lovely Christmas dinner. We don't know how we did it but we managed to stuff three huge meals plus dessert into our guts. We were both so happy to be spending the holidays with close friends and their families. We got to experience what Christmas is all about in Australia and loved each minute of it! Thank you to all the families who opened their hearts and homes to us, we really appreciated all your lovely gestures! The next 10 days were spent at Amy's Caravan in Ulladulla. It's a caravan park right next to the beach but also has a swimming pool, bouncing pillow, and activities center. Courtney's good friend Amy E (old roommate from second year Uni) and her boyfriend Stefan came down to spend the holidays with us as well. We all had a great time enjoying the beach, going for runs, partying, and making the most delicious BBQs! One day we went on an excursion to Pebbly beach, known for having wild kangaroos stroll with you down the beach. Unfortunately we didn't see any kangaroos but we did enjoy the beautiful beach and ultra friendly birds! After we went and had fish and chips in Batemans Bay! One evening Pop invited us all out to fish, he's a seasoned fisherman and wanted to show us what the South Coast had to offer. Below was the cheering section! The fishing trip was successful with the group catching 3 small fish that Pop and chris ate the next day for lunch! Pop however asked that we never join him again due to all the line snags, loud disturbances, and flash lights turning on and off! Next time he only took the boys! Another night the 6 of us went to the local RSL club to participate in their weekly meat draw and pokies (poker machines, which are in almost every bar in Australia). We didn't win but had a delicious dinner and good fun playing around. The second week we returned and won 2 meat trays! SCORE! On a different day Stefan drove his car down down Monkey road, which ended up being 20km of unpaved bumpiness ending at Pigeon House Mountain. After our stomachs settled we hiked up a nice, well beaten trail then climbed insanely steep ladders where we reached the top for some views of the area. It being overcast allowed us to hike without keeling over with heat exhaustion, however the view wasn't too speculator. Amy and Sid drove to Sydney to spend New Years in the city, while we stayed and enjoyed the night in Ulladulla! In the evening we walked to the town and and watched fireworks from a patio bar. After the 9:00pm show we headed to the local fair where we rode bumper cars, ate pizza, and enjoyed some cotton candy then returned to the bar. It was a great time! The next morning we woke up and were feeling not half bad so we decided to head out to an animal park. We had an amazing time petting and feeding the Australian animals! On another adventure Sid, Andrew, Chris (Amy's Mom), and I walked along 5 different beaches to the lighthouse. The walk was very nice with some great views of pelicans. The last few nights were spent playing with the neighbour's 5 boys! Each night we would have an incredibly fun soccer game usually resulting in the girls (better known as The Bashers) winning!
3 Comments
After almost a year of wearing the same stinky clothes we decided we better return to Mumbai for a few days of shopping to prepare us for Australia. We checked out all the main shopping areas, from High Street Phoenix, a real super fancy shopping mall, to many street stalls along Colaba Causeway. Once we had bought a few new outfits we spent time visiting some of the touristy spots. One evening we visited an upscale movie theater where we saw Life of Pi in 3D. It was fantastic, and it was quite fitting to see it in India! The theater was also really fancy and an awesome treat. You could order food and drinks and have them delivered right to your seat food and outside the auditorium we got to test the most high tech massage chair that gave the best full body massage! On another day we took a ferry over to Elephanta Island, which is famous for the intricate cave carvings of different Hindu gods. We were amazed at the size and detail of the carvings. It is truly stunning work. On our second last day we experienced two extremes of wealth in Mumbai. We began the day by visiting one of Mumbai`s most popular and largest slums named Dhavari. We learned a lot about life in an Indian slum and about the mass amounts of commercial business that occurs in the slum. Our guide also explained that there are between 600,000 and 1 million people living in a 1.7 km squared area. Most families have 6 or more people per household in a 10 by 10 ft house, which includes an area for cooking, a semi private spot for a bathing then mats to sleep on with a shared bathroom outside. The tour we took was organized through an NGO where 80% of the proceeds get returned or used in the NGO programs. The NGO runs a school where they teach photography, and workplace skills. We found the tour very interesting, organized, and enlightening. To conceal the peoples identify we were not allowed to take photos while inside but here are a few from the top of the rail station. On the other extreme, later in the evening we met up with Rahul, a young Indian studying at Harvard in the USA who was home visiting his mother for Christmas Vacation. We were really excited as we had met Rahul one day on a bus in Peru going to Huachachina. We spent two days with him and really enjoyed getting to see him again. We were invited to his house for dinner with his Mother and Aunt. Their house was beautiful and very upscale; they even had kitchen help and drivers to take them around the city and to work! After dinner we chatted for a bit, enjoyed some cocktails and headed to a bar attached to the Taj President Hotel where we enjoyed a few drinks with his Mumbai friends. It was great to catch up! For the rest of the time we stuffed our faces with as much Indian food and drink as we could. We also bought spices so once we are settled we’ll start making authentic chai and curries! We were sad to be leaving India but so excited for our next adventures in Australia! |
Get updates by email!
Archives
January 2014
Categories
All
|