Australia, Australia, Australia – why do I have to leave you. Can’t the time be stopped, can’t some miracle happen to let me stay here for some more time, to let me appreciate this beautiful country a bit more. Sadness grips me as the day of our departure gets nearer. The journey till the day we caught our flights was exciting but the journey of the last two months has been totally enthralling.
Singapore: Stepping outside the country for first time, entering this city of high-rises, a country where dirt and rubbish seems like a thing of the legends, with people so friendly, a culture so rich and the attractions so charming - Singapore was a perfect start. Coming from a country known for unclean environment, it left me wondering, how can something be so clean and properly organized. The aroma of food was so captivating – it was sad that I couldn’t experience it with me being almost a vegetarian. Huge shopping malls built all around were like shopping heaven for shopaholics like me.
A perfect stay: The family we have stayed with made our stay such a pleasant experience. The way they have treated us like family - it feels like we have known them for so long. With Bhaiyya and Bhabhi being very young, it was very comfortable for us to interact with them freely. We found a great friend in Bhaiyya, he does all sorts of bakar with us, advises us, enjoys with us, and tries to pull the leg of one or the other every time. The best thing I’ll miss is the wonderful food Bhabhi cooks for us. Being in Australia, getting Indian food and that too even better than the one you’d get in most restaurants outside, all credit goes to Bhabhi – who is talented in almost all sorts of cuisines. Soumya and Arya – though they trouble us a lot, but the sound of “Chachu” from these innocent kids sound so cute. God, I’ll miss these people
Chilly Canberra: The weather has been very chilly. Though it did not snow but the temperature dropped below zero many a time at nights – something I have always wanted to experience. But the heaters, the fiber clad houses, and we being laden with clothes all the time, the only time I felt seriously cold was when me and Kislay went on a 2 A.M. night-walk on the day when temperature dropped below minus four.
Influenza: As it is said that nothing can be ideal, this trip even wasn’t. There was a time when just a week before the Melbourne trip I caught common cold. Bed-ridden, experiencing extreme weakness, fever, malaise and nausea – I thought I had caught typhoid. My fear was aggravated by monetary concerns given the high costs of treatment. Bhaiyya kept me to keep my calm and said it was just a normal In-FLU-enza, very common in this cold climate. Now this word seemed very new to me, further heightening my tension. It was then when Wikipedia helped me to realize, it was just a normal case of Common cold, something I only knew as “Viral”. A rest for three days and I was all set for another exciting trip to the sports capital of Australia.
The best city to live in: Undoubtedly, Canberra is the best city to settle in. I have always been crazy to get settled abroad – US to be precise. But having lived these two beautiful months in Canberra, realizing how peaceful and nice this place is, this place surely would on the top of the chart on the places I’d like to live in. Mild population density, amazing infrastructure, beautiful surroundings – there is nothing more I can ask for.
Sydney: A jugaad of mine got us a two night stay in Four Points by Sheradon – the biggest hotel of Australia – a place where you need to shell out big bucks to stay in. Although we lucky fellas had to pay even less than what we paid the third night in a normal hotel. Sydney was a totally mesmerizing city – undoubtedly one of the best tourist destinations in the world. The opera house, the Sydney tower, the Sydney casino, shopping malls – even bigger than those in Singapore, McDonalds lying at every 10 minutes distance, I simply fell in love with that place. But the best thing about Sydney trip was the adventurous Skydiving we did. Falling from a height of 14000 feet at a speed of 250 kmph, it was worth every penny.
Melbourne: A trip just to spend a bit of money we had amassed over the past month, Melbourne is a unique city. Great attractions line every part of this city – connected by a network of trams – something which was totally new for me. Though rain hampered our experience a bit – but still seeing MCG and Rod Laver Arena from close up is a chance not many can get. Just like the enjoyment in Sydney was accentuated by the Skydiving, this place had the journey through “Great Ocean Road” on offer. This road running parallel to the ocean had on offer some really amazing views, beautiful surfing beaches, a visit to “The Twelve Apostles” – this is one place where you’d surely love to go on a long drive with your girlfriend.
Mark and the cool internship: We couldn’t have been any luckier to meet a person like Dr. Mark Pickering. The coolest professor ever – it was really funny when he used to roam around in his knickers within the campus, didn’t even say a word when he found us sleeping through work innumerable no. of times. Although I had been a bit anxious about my capabilities on completing this project, but Mark made the whole internship seem like a cakewalk.
I really will miss all this!!!! :(
No comments:
Post a Comment