Blue Mountains

Starting off on a high note, the German guy was back at the market! So German Food Friday it was!

The past weekend was beautiful weatherwise. On Saturday, I visited the Parramatta Market at town square. I was looking for one particular booth and it was not there so I then caught the train to Granville and switched to the Liverpool train. I went to the opp shop looking for another copy of a traveller book Rani had bought for me about a month ago. They were all sold out though. I then moved onto another opp shop called Smith Family Store where I found a beautiful blue Michael Kors shirt for $3, and it actually fit so I was pretty pumped up about that. Then I took some pictures of the graffiti in the Liverpool car park as I made my way to Rivers. This store is sort of like our Vanity Fair stores. They had hundreds of things I wanted...well made clothing and bags at good prices...what more could I ask for? I settled on a duffle bag to replace the Vera Bradley overnighter that I want Demi to have:) No, you are right I didn't need to replace it because at home I have lots of bags but I really liked the pattern, does that count? Those two stores were both ones which were closed when Rani had originally tried to take me weeks ago.

 Liverpool Car Park Graffiti

Then I was supposed to meet Rani at the first opp shop I went to but I got a wee bit turned around. Don't worry I found my way, I just went a block too far. Unfortunately by this time she had went to find me. I called to say I was at the shop and she said "No way, I would have passed you"....not if I went the wrong way. Her being deathly ill with a cold, I don't think she found much humor in it...We boarded the train for Parramatta. There was an apartment she wanted to look at. Well per the norm I had never actually walked in the direction we went so that was interesting. It was down what I like to call Car dealer highway as there are probably ten different car dealerships along there. We found the place and it was nice. There were a lot of couples though and I found the realtor to be really rude. We left there with a slightly depressed Rani. We went to the markets again where Rani got a coconut fruit drink to cheer herself up.

We then decided to go back to Liverpool to go in my favorite opp shop. It was a great plan except it involved walking what seemed a million blocks to a shop that had closed one hour earlier! So we then went to Westfields and ate at my favorite restaurant here called Rashay's. I got the Chicken Schnitzel which is really really popular here. It is just chicken coated in breadcrumbs. It was tasty and cheap as always. On the way to the bus stop I found another opp shop!!! They were closing but I managed to get a New Zealand travel book:) We then went to the bus stop where I met Rani's mom. Interesting experience there as I have never been so obviously sized up by someone's parent and not accepted. Rani had mentioned that her mother would rather she had Indian friends and I think she was right.

On Sunday, I got a rather late start as I couldn't commit on what to do. I finally decided on the Blue Mountains. I caught the train in Parramatta which was convenient but not smart. See to get a seat I should have caught it at Central...I wont make that mistake again. It was only a 1.5hour ride to Katoomba. Since this was rather last minute planning, I didn't really know where to go. I only knew I didn't want to pay for a cab or tour bus. So I just followed the swarm of backpackers in front of me with my fingers crossed. It was rather chilly out (no I am not giving the temp because it probably wasn't that cold and Andrea will make fun of me) so I was glad I brought my jacket. I debated for awhile about going to Scenic World as they have really cool rides there like the worlds steepest passenger train but I decided I just wanted to see the free bits for now. I will go back to train later as it is on my list. I wasn't expecting much but once I got close I knew it was going to be good! It was beautiful. My pictures don't do it justice. It really was someplace that is so peaceful and makes you feel so insignificant compared to nature.

 Three Sisters

It is very worth the train ride (which round trip was $2.50 because it was Sunday). I walked around for a bit just taking it in. Then I went into the tourist hut to demonstrate how to make a flattened tourist penny:D The walk back wasn't pleasant as it was colder and there were two big hills that I swear were not there when I walked to the Blue Mountains. Also, nothing puts into perspective that I am fat and out of shape than seeing a 70 year grandfather huff it up the hill with his granddaughter on his back...show off! I made it back to the train and had a nice seated ride back to Parramatta!  I look forward to going back but not alone, I'm not that amusing. I might add that on the way back (it was dusk) we went by this golf course and there was an animal standing alone...then it hopped...yes a kangaroo!

Below are two different legends from this site explaining the Three Sisters

The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.

Or

Three sisters, Meenhi, Wimlah and Gunnedoo had a father who was a witch doctor. His name was Tyawan. Long ago there was a Bunyip who lived in a deep hole who was feared by all.
Passing the hole was considered very dangerous, therefore whenever Tyawan had to pass the hole in search for food, he would leave his daughters safely on the cliff behind a rocky wall. One fateful day, Tyawan waved goodbye to his daughters and descended down the cliff steps into the valley.

Meanwhile at the top of the cliff, Meenhi was frightened by a large centipede which suddenly appeared before her. Meenhi took a stone and threw it at the centipede. The stone continued on its journey and rolled over the cliff, crashing into the valley below which angered the Bunyip.
The rocky wall behind Meenhi, Wimlah and Gunnedoo then began to split open and the three sisters were left stranded on a thin ledge at the top of the cliff. All the birds, animals and fairies stopped still as the Bunyip emerged to see the terrified girls.

As the Bunyip began to approach the girls, to protect them from harm, their father Tyawan used his magic bone to turn them into stone. Angered by this, the Bunyip then began to chase Tyawan. Becoming trapped, in order to flee from the Bunyip, Tyawan changed into a magnificent Lyre Bird, yet in the process dropped his magic bone. Tyawan and his three daughters were now safe from the Bunyip. Once the Bunyip had disappeared, Tyawan returned in search of his magic bone, yet this was never to be found.

The Lyre Bird has been searching for this magic bone ever since. Remaining in rock formation, The Three Sisters stand silently overlooking the valley hoping that one day he'll find the bone and turn them back to former selves. When visiting The Three Sisters, if you listen carefully you may be able to hear the Lyre Bird, Tyawan, as he continues his quest for his lost magic bone.

To add to our Aboriginal lesson for today...
Bunyip- A large mythical creature said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds, and waterholes.

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day!

Weekend Catch Up

As a side note, I made some additions notes in blue in the last blog post based on some new information as well as some things my feeble mind forgot the first time:)

On Thursday I said goodbye to the first non-Australian friend I made here. Monika (from Poland) left this past Sunday to go on a Thailand adventure and then back to Poland. Although we didn't spend that much time together I will really miss her. We could relate on so many things. We met at Starbucks to say our goodbyes and as usual talked for hours. She was an unexpected but great friend. We will for sure meet again. What was also special about Thursday is that the internet was finally restored! One week was too long but they had estimated May 21st so I will be thankful for the one week.

On Saturday, I went apartment shopping with Rani. She had a list of 7 places. I was running a wee bit late so we skipped the first one. The second one we never made it to either as apparently the street numbers didn't follow any order. The third one looked a bit shady from the outside so she didn't want to wait to go in. In between the third and fourth one we got distracted by a used book store. No, I didn't buy anything as Monika seemed to think I had enough books already:D After waiting outside the fourth one for awhile we were informed it had already been leased. The fifth one was BAD! I wont go into detail but a total gut job was needed there.

We had a long time between #5 and #6 so we sat and read "Catholicism for Dummies" which Rani had bought at the earlier used bookstore. The sixth one was really nice. It was listed for $420 per week just to give an idea. Then we went to lunch at a café near the ferry wharf. I had seen it before but never stopped. It was really good. I had ice cream and pancakes and Rani had some cod dish I think. We split the best potato wedges of my life...yes I am going to be one BIG potato when I return home. Then we went back across the Parramatta River (nearly flooding again) to look at the last place. Rani liked it but I wasn't too keen on it. Then we took the free Parramatta shuttle to the train station for the night markets in Liverpool.

Just to give you some additional information, apartment hunting here is very competitive. There is a major housing shortage which of course has spiked prices. In addition to paying out the nose, you also need to give a lot of information. Rani's information consisted of pages and pages of citizenship papers, photo id, character references, employer references, renter references, paystubs, bank account statements, etc! That of course is in addition to the four page application. After all that even if you are willing to pay the price listed, you probably wont get the place. From what I can tell they go by who they want and not even necessarily how much you are offering (of course that doesn't hurt). They also take notice of couple/single, kids, and ethnicity according to Rani. The ethnicity card goes both ways though as when I was looking a lot of the places would say "Asian only" or "Indian only". I knew from Wendy that it was one crazy housing market here (I think Stan had to pay like a years rent in advance or something like that) but (again) seeing it firsthand is crazy! Oh and as an additional factoid they rent some apartments here by the square meter so there are several people "living" in the living room...

The night markets were nice. We filled out a survey and received a bag full of goodies upon entering. Then I spent about 45 minutes chatting with the Living Locket vendors:) I found the original Chips on a Stick food truck....which also sold waffle dogs (yes hotdogs wrapped in waffles). Rani got some African curry stuff and we listened to the live music for awhile. She walked me to the bus stop and waited which was nice. Liverpool isn't the safest area so I have heard so it was nice to have a local there.

On Sunday, I didn't go into the city because I was tired of the rain. Yes, it was raining that whole day on Saturday so when I arrived home I was pretty soggy. Bad news is my "rain" coat isn't waterproof. the good news is that the last time I was wringing out my backpack I realized the cloud came complete with a rain cover! It looks like an oversized hair net but it does work well. So far this week the weather has been PERFECT. Sunny but cool just the way I like it.

Now that time is starting to tick down, I need to make sure that I start crossing some things off of my travel list. I still have a lot to go so fingers crossed I finish it all.

I hope everyone is well!

ANZAC Day

There have been two major noticeable differences between Australian and American culture for me. 1) They show their veterans immense gratitude and 2) They respect their farmers. Both of which I hope will rub off on us as Americans. After all, without the first we have no freedoms and without the other we have no food.

April 25^th was ANZAC Day here and I am very thankful that I was able to experience that during my stay. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. This ANZAC Day was the 100^th anniversary of when Australian and New Zealand forces teamed together to take over the Gallipoli Peninsula. The campaign was ultimately not successful but the battle lasted 8 months. Over 8000 diggers (soldiers) were killed. The people at home recognized the hard battle and the high casualty and so this day was chosen as the day to remember all of the Australian and New Zealand forces killed in military operations. You see although that particular campaign was unsuccessful, it led to a stronger national identity, one based on “mateship” which is still very alive today. Actually, if I could use one word to describe Australia, it may very well be that word.

Leading up to ANZAC Day, there was a poppy tent in the town square. Rani and I had made poppies there on Thursday. It was a nice creative activity that showed remembrance. The poppies were attached to boards that were part of the march to the dawn service. Also, in the train stations pins could be bought with the money going to a veteran’s charity. I bought 3 pins and Rani bought me one. The three I bought were military hats and Rani bought me the ANZAC pin. The interesting thing about them was that each one came attached to a card with the picture and biography of a fallen soldier. I thought that was a really good idea.

 War Memorial in Prince Alfred Park

The first activity of the day was the dawn service. This service is held because it was at dawn when the soldiers invaded Gallipoli. I met Rani at the Parramatta Station at 4:15AM and we met up with the march held at the war memorial here. It was powerful to be marching through the street with small children and elderly alike at such an hour. Several different people spoke and many people also brought wreaths (which are still there) to lay at the bottom of the memorial. One thing that struck me at this dawn service is how Christian oriented it was. They said numerous prayers and sang many hymns. What struck me about that was that this is a highly multicultural society here yet they still practice Christian traditions. It seems like sometimes at home (specifically the “under God” part of the pledge of allegiance) we bend and I don’t understand how Australia, a country so diverse is able to pull that off. Interesting.

I ate breakfast before catching the train to the city for the march. A note about breakfast: there was a surcharge on it because of the holiday. Anyway I had decided to attend the dawn service in Parramatta instead of Sydney because  I thought it would be more “cozy” and the fact that you had to get to Sydney by 2AM to get a place for the dawn service there. For the march there was no way I was going to miss that in Sydney. It was really crowded on the trains but that was actually good because it meant more people were going to the march. Everyone took public transport because the streets were closed off. Anyone wearing service medals or in uniform (plus carers) was allowed free transportation that day.

Leaving the Town Hall Station there was no doubt about what was going to happen. There were people lined up and down the street waving their flags. I inquired about where I might get a flag and I was handed several. They were actually giving them out for free! They were rather large flags too. People were so happy and there were so many of them.

Finally the march started. First came the veterans too feeble to walk the whole way so they were chauffeured in taxis or in the back of army vehicles. Then it alternated between bands and service units. What really struck me was of course the real elderly people that marched. One gentleman was walking with the aid of a walker and had to switch to a wheelchair midway through…you should have heard the crowd cheer! Can you imagine being 80 years old and walking through the street having thousands of people cheer for you? I can’t even imagine the feeling but I saw the looks of pride and it was something magical. The parade went on for 3 hours and I don’t think the clapping ever lessened. The older the person, the louder the cheers. Many younger people marched with pictures of the fallen soldiers. One thing that was a particularly nice touch was that jet planes and older planes (the big loud ones) kept flying overhead as well. It was a full blown show for sure.
 

 Cool hats!

Highlighting the diversity that is Australia...yes they played traditional bagpipe music

When I left there my feet were pretty tired but I had one more stop that I had to make. That was at the Penrith Poppy Park. I am really glad I made it there. First of all it was something new for me because I hadn’t been to Penrith before. The train ride was about 45 minutes or possibly longer but it was more than worth it. Basically, some people in Penrith decided to plant over 102,000 plastic poppies to represent the number of soldiers who have lost their lives. Each flower had a tag on it with the name of a soldier and when/where they died. The poppies were being sold to cover the cost of the installation with any extra going to veteran’s charities. Interesting thing here was that you couldn’t pick a name, it was assigned at random. I thought that was a good idea because some people wouldn’t have anyone to remember them and yet their sacrifice will still be remembered. I can’t wait for my box to arrive in the mail which should be this week. There was a purple poppy in the middle of all of the red ones to pay tribute to the animals who lost their lives in war which was nice. It was quite an experience standing in the middle of these flowers in the shape of one large poppy. For a better vantage point, you could go up in a lift for free.

On the way home from Penrith, it started to hail snow. It was funny to see the reactions. As you can imagine they were very much the opposite of what it would be in the middle of winter back home...only happy words were used:D
 

It was a long day but very worth it. Before coming to Australia I wasn’t aware of the military history of this country. Sadly, it was Wendy who had to tell me that Australia fought with us in Afghanistan and Iraq! I think too often we group Australia in with Britain when in reality they are quite different. Also, we emphasize US military involvement but we need to remember that we are not a one man show. Perhaps a few pages of our history books might acknowledge others efforts to the same cause. We have allies who will always be there for us. Although said mockingly in an article I recently read: “If the US invaded Mars, Australian would send a battalion along” sums up the alliance between the two countries. Australia hasn’t had war declared on them directly or witnessed war on the home front but yet they still make the sacrifice to help their friends. As a matter of fact at times their parliament hasn’t even met before troops were sent. I was recently arguing about how brave their constant involvement makes them and the person said “yes, but is that a smart friend?”. I don’t know about that but it is the kind of friend I would want. Also, might I add that Australian Special Forces are among (if not) the best in the world.

EDIT: As usual someone (me) didn't have all of her facts together. In the words of my cousin Jon, "During WWII Australia was attacked by Japan.  Japan bombed Darwin 19 Feb 1942.  It was a surprise attack similar to Pearl Harbor.  There were 62 more bombing attacks by Japan during 1942 & 1943 in the Northern Territory and Western Australia’s north". 

One more thing that I would like to add is that in Australia they play a game called "two-up" on ANZAC Day in pubs and clubs. It is only allowed to be played on that day as it is gambling. A game based much more on luck than skill from what I can tell. It involves two coins beings tossed and wagers made on heads or tails. This game was very popular with the returning soldiers. I did not witness this first hand but wanted to add it as it is an important part of ANZAC festivities here.

When it comes down to it, ANZAC Day to me will always be a memory of a 80 year old man shuffling down the street with a cane waving at thousands of grateful people while smiling like he had just won the lottery. I wish our veterans in the US could feel that too. I can’t help but think that as a country so fixated on a military presence we could at least provide the returning soldiers with adequate services to show our gratitude.