City after City

It's only been a couple of days since my last post but SO MUCH has happened! I landed safely in Melbourne and went to my friends house (Deevya) in Northcote, Victoria. It was my first night there and we went out; she introduced me to all her friends, which was cool because they were all Punjabi :]. We walked along the beach, chilled, and talked all night, before we knew it, it was 4AM!! & the late night's and early mornings begin!! The days kind of blur into one as so much happened during the day and at night. Walked through the streets of Melbourne, went to the city to explore, went on a guided tour through the city, ate at a Thai restaurant, gambled a little at Crowne casino, traveled via tram bus and train, and went to a top of hill that overlooks the entire city.! 

Guided Tour: It was really cool because it was an "Underground Tour" which means they tell you the negative history about the city as well. On the tour we saw the Parliament house, China Town, Federation Square, Carlton Gardens, RMT jail, Hosier lane (graffiti), State Library, and the Block arcade. Thats only a fraction of what else there is to see. All of it was so cool especially the gardens and hosier lane. The gardens were so beautiful; as I walked around I heard birds chirping, saw people eating (picnic's), and smelt fresh flowers. Hosier Lane is a street where people do graffiti work; they have a huge wall that people have to get permission to draw, and then there are side streets where anyone can come and spray paint. The designs and color was just spectacular! 

Crowne casino: I honestly never thought i would even try gambling, but let me tell you, it is addicting. I spent a lot of money.... a whole whopping FIVE DOLLARS! haha It was just something I wanted to do for the experience. The casino was absolutely HUGE, & it was a 24/7 service. I was suprised to see how many people were there during the afternoon; the way everything was decorated was beautiful! Just FYI, I did win some money but then gambled that off!

Hill: This wasn't just any ordinary hill type thing, (idk how to explain it), It was a hill that overlooked the entire city of Melbourne. We went at night time so everything was lit up and you could see the stars right above. AMAZINGGG. The only down fall was that it was freezing so standing outside wasn't the best. & then i stayed until the sun came up so you could see the transformation of the clouds, the lights, and the atmosphere!

Wandering the streets of Sydney

Early mornings, late nights, sight seeing, and making friends pretty much sums up my first few days in Sydneyy! One thing that i’ve learned so far is that LIFE IS EXPENSIVEE... especially when you’re in Sydney. I paid $5 for a water bottle... i mean really? That better be some quality H20 right there! Oh & people are really friendly here: I asked a guy where the pay phones are and he told me that i could just use his phone... this doesn’t just happen everywhere :]

Touring around Sydney - went walking for about 3 1/2 hours and learned a lot about the history and saw the famous sights (harbor bridge, opera house)! The city is absolutely stunning. And did you know, the Australian crest has a kangaroo and an emu on it because they are two animals that cannot walk backwards therefore Australia is always moving forward :] BAMMM. I could live here. There’s a place down by the water called “The Rocks” where they have little shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafe’s. There was this woman dancing in this colorful dress waving a fan welcoming everybody. They have this statue and its of a pig... apparently if you rub it’s nose and give it a coin, it gives you good luck. (I think they just wanted my money) - Some people did it though... On my wanderings I met Sarah, from Manchester! It was soo cool meeting someone who was also touring and from England; we kept each other’s company for the day!

Also, I met a friend named Laura, she is a law student here in Sydney. She took me to her friends party at their house and then to Imperial (gay bar/club). I’m all up for trying new things but this was interesting, but it was worth it. Loads of laughs and a different experience. Her friends were extremely funny and nice; we went out for Lebanese food (delicious - i would recommend it but i kinda don’t know the name of the restaurant). I’m so thankful for Laura because she assisted me around Sydney, told me where all the hot spots are, and most of all, gave me company! It get’s a bit lonely traveling alone but it’s a great way to meet new people! :]


I'm sitting at the airport now while writing this, hoping that my computer doesn't die on me, but life is full of surprises! I'm waiting for my flight to go to Melbourne, Australia! :] I was originally going to take a bus but that takes 14 hours, although the views would be beautiful, i thought i'd take the easy way out and fly, only 1 1/2 hours :] TIME IS MONEY; MONEY IS TIME? lol. I bought a cookie to eat and it was absolutely disgusting... i still ate it though. It's amazing what you do when you're hungry. 
==> And it's one of the first times that i've been early to the airport. You know what i get for this.... A 2 HOUR DELAY -_- bad karma or a lesson? not really sure. I think i'll stick to the added pressure of being late than being bored, alone, hungry at an airport!

Adventures down undaaaa

WOW! Australia :] the place that i’ve been wanting to visit for years and years... i’m finally here. It was a long plane ride but definitely worth it. My first surprise was the weather: its supposed to be summer here and all that i could feel was the cool breeze coming through the doors of the airport. But don’t fear, i came prepared... i took out my jacket and put it on! The McIntyre’s picked me up from the airport and that’s where i had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. McIntyre, Amelia, Elyse, and Nicco. I was exhausted from my 14 hour flight but i knew if i went to sleep, i would feel the jet lag later. Instead we drove around Sydney, went to the city center, and walked along Bondi beach! It was absolutely spectacular.
I wouldn’t mind moving to Sydney!! The people are friendly and the weather is great.

Waking up early to the kids playing outside was great; it’s amazing to see them all laughing, playing, and having fun. Kids are completely innocent and don’t expect much - all they want to do is get a little dirty, run around in the fields, and laugh. It was 7:30AM (Amelia’s 6th birthday); I was not suffering from jet lag at all!
ADVICE: when you arrive in a country, go along with there day. For ex: eat meals at regular times, do not rest until night time, and then make the most of it!

 


For Amelia’s birthday, we went to Taronga Zoo for the afternoon! I think i was actually more excited than her; I just love animals. Magic moments: eating lunch overlooking the elephant area; giving Amelia a piggy back ride through the zoo; seeing my first kangaroo; and seeing a hippo poop in water haha. 

There was a lot of walking involved but we got the Skylift back up and it overlooked Sydney: not only could you see most of the animals in the zoo but also the lake, Sydney harbor, Sydney Opera house and many tall buildings. It was spectacular! 

We went home afterwards; exhausted from the walking and long day, the kids and I fell asleep in the car. A great power nap; kept me energized for the rest of the day! When we got back home, the kids played on the trampoline, swam in the pool, and played a Pokemon game! Then it was dinner time, since it was Amelia's birthday she got to decide where we ate: GPK was it (Gourmet Pizza Kitchen). Arriving at the restaurant completely starving, we ordered quickly.... 30 minutes later - no food, not even the salad came! Mr. McIntyre inquired about it and they said that there oven broke! WHEN WERE THEY PLANNING ON TELLING US THIS!?!? a bit dramatic but definitely called for, we walked out and went to the new Chinese restaurant down the road. Thank god because this place was deliciousssss!
Night fell and I tucked the kids to bed and read Amelia a bed time story - it was so cute! Cannot wait to be a mother :] but i still have MANY years yet to come.

Last day for the McIntyre's - heading off to the USA! It's funny because one of their stops is Orlando so they will be visiting my family while I'm here at their house! It was sad saying bye to everyone because i had just met them and became so close but i know January is right around the corner and ill see them when they return. 

India.India.India

There’s honestly no place like India... in a good way of course. I’m currently sitting on a train that’s taking me from Jalandhar city to New Delhi; 4-5 hour journey. From what I remember from my last train ride, this is much better; last time i stood up for a couple hours after seeing a cockroach crawl up the chair, but so far so good. This train ==> reflecting over the last 12 days, listening to music, and enjoying the scenic view; it is the life.

You know when you’re in India when you hear the constant car horns, cow’s mooing, smog in the air, and the friendliness of people. Every time I come its a whole new experience, i meet new people, try new foods, and try new things. I went from drinking tea once a month to three - four times a day!!! It was literally crazy; where ever you go in India, they offer you masala tea and it’s rude to say NO, so that meant a high amount of sugar intake. I got used to it and enjoyed it, i knew i wouldn’t get it any other time so i focused on the positives. It wasn’t just tea though, it was food as well; i definitely need to start hitting the gym again. Advice: If you go to India, never finish all your food on your plate because you’ll just keep getting more.

Our adventure started off in Delhi with Ajay, Harry, George, and Fan. We chilled in the hotel, went to the local mall, saw a film, ate loads, and had spa treatments. From then our team split directions, George and Fan went to Haryana where they volunteer at a school, and Mattu Uncle (Harry’s cousin) picked us up to take us to Jalandhar. Before this happened, we stayed in a guest house for a night called the Chalet; its usually the meeting place for the pilots of Kingfisher, Jet, and Indigo. They were all drinking Black Dog Whiskey and Ajay & I were told that they were flying in the AM, we exchanged worried looks; apparently you have to be sober only 8 hours before or something...! I still don’t know whether they were joking or not!

Fish Pedicures... every tried it? It’s something i can cross off my bucket list. What an experience. If there’s one place i’m extremely ticklish, it’s my feet, so think about it: 100 fishes swimming around touching your feet. It took a while to get used to but it was worth it at the end, my feet were as smooth as a baby’s bottom. 

We finally got to meet the Singh family in Jalandhar city; they were all so lovely and treated us as one of them. Their house was on a farm so they had so much land where they grew potatoes, tomato’s, and cucumbers. We went exploring through the fields, saw loads of cows, and chickens, and climbed on top of the chicken shack; the view was amazing; so peaceful. 

Everybody here seems to eat dinner fairly late, around 9-10pm! It kinda threw of my system but we always went to sleep late so it wasn’t too bad. In the family, Poonam is getting married right before Christmas so it’s quite hectic getting last minute things together: clothes, preparation, and food. Also indians, I think, are just generally addicted to playing cards, i know it certainly runs in my blood. We would all play in the morning, afternoon, and night time; the same game: Bhubi. I would have my good days where I would get out first, but then there were bad days where i would just lose.

The school that George and Fan volunteer for was a memorial school for Gilly Mundy; Harry had known Gilly from a while back and wasn’t aware that he has passed away therefore speaking at this school was a true blessing for him. The school was in Haryana which was a four hour drive from where we were, but we still did it; we went a day before the event and stayed for the night. Here we had the pleasure to meet part of Gilly’s cousins. In the morning we went to the school and attended their assembly where they sung the national anthem, celebrated kid’s birthdays, and listened to live debates. 

After that we walked around the school and went into the classrooms to see the kids learn and the teachers in action. We obviously could not leave the school without teaching the kids how to do REPOH, so we took turns to lead REPOH and explain the meaning behind it all (the teacher and principal even joined in). The 20 minute break approached; can you believe it, the kids only have a 20 minute break throughout the whole day and the majority of them don’t even eat lunch!?! i was absolutely shocked! Anyways, at the end of the school day, harry was delivering his 1 1/2 hour coaching to the teachers, but there was a challenge... quite a big one; LANGUAGE BARRIER. The teachers barely understood english, and if they did, they were too shy to admit to it and participate in the activities. Things just always work out though, we got a translator - not the greatest but it got the job done. The looks on the teachers faces after was unexplainable, their state changed dramatically. At first they were dreading being there but by the end of the course, they didn’t want to leave. Mission Accomlished.

Side Note: A couple of girls came prepared a dance for us - they sung and took turns dancing!

I’ve been told by many people to go visit the show called “The Kingdom of Dreams” and then i saw many advertisements about it... even in Switzerland! I come to think of it as a sign. Anyways, i made it happen. I set it as one of my goals and on my last night in India, I went with my brother. We went to the Zangoora show: 2 1/2 hours ; in Gurgaon; gold seating. The place was absolutely amazing, the way everything was decorated and set up; they had statues everywhere, food stalls, dancers, and shops. The play itself was mindblowing - the story was great *quite comical too*. I’m so glad that I went! Definitely recommend it to everyone!!

LAST CALL FOR PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TO SYDNEY VIA SINGAPORE... LAST CALL!
- I was going through security as this went off, and the only thing going through my head was OH SH**. I literally got all my things and ran; knowing my luck though, my gate was on the other side of the airport so by the time i got to the ticket counter, i was literally panting; i went to get my water [[that i bought AT THE airport]] and they told me i couldn't take it aboard. I was ready to hit them -_-