Love at first sight - Australia

Sydney Opera House

Yes, I know it’s been a few days already and it’s high time I wrote about my trip to Down Under. Many of my blog readers, who are also some of my great friends, are shouting at me for not writing about my trip to Australia yet.

The road in Kangaroo Island

The reason I wasn't posting anything was just one - my confusion on where to start! When the heart is full words are few and my trip of 20 days in OZ has definitely filled my heart. More so, because we went on a well-researched trip (by my partner) minus any annoying tour agent who treats you like a herd of animals.

There cannot be a better teacher than travel itself. Traveling has enriched my life in many ways. However, this 20 days’ vacation trip to Australia has changed me as a person. In many ways, my priorities have changed. Australia has taught me how to celebrate life and celebrate being alive.

Somewhere with the guiding light

This trip to Down Under will always remain as one of my most cherished trips - also because, I have done some of the things for the first time in my life here. This has helped me tick off a few of the “to dos” from my “must do before I die” list. These include celebrating New Year Eve at Sydney Harbour, seeing Uluru, helicopter ride, taking a cruise in the Pacific Ocean and snorkelling.

Our journey started on December 31, 2011 in Sydney. New Year Eves have always been very important for me. Call me “typical” but I do believe that if you start the year well, it will go well. I was getting tired of the usual good food for dinner, some TV and bursting of crackers at midnight routine for last few years. 2012 had to be different. We wanted to go somewhere. After considering a few options, we decided to welcome the New Year by going to the New Year (read: to welcome it before it actually reaches our country) in Sydney.

The crowd at Sydney Harbour

Australia was always a mystery for me, a country that is so far away from the rest of the world and we knew so little about it, except the unbelievably strong cricket team, Uluru and kangaroos! The moment I landed in Sydney, it was a series of surprises for me. Being a country in the Southern Hemisphere, it was to be hot as hell there in December and we were prepared for the summer in OZ. But to our surprise, it was cooler than the winter in Mumbai. Thankfully we had “just in case” jackets with us and we were saved. Even though we took a thirteen hours halt in Singapore, the eight hours flight to Sydney took a toll on us. We wanted to go to the hotel and take a nap so that the body clock gets confused (or cheated) to adjust to the new time zone we were in. Moreover, we had a ballroom cruise to take on the Sydney Harbour that evening to celebrate the New Year Eve. 

Happy New Year! ;)

We had reservation at Hotel Radisson Blu in Sydney. So from the airport, we headed to the hotel and slept for some time. As the suggested cruise boarding time approached, we got ready for the evening and went to the Kingston Wharf to board the Majestic Cruise Line. The crowd, the atmosphere at the wharf and the enthusiasm of the people, especially those who were reserving seats at the bank since 12 noon were absolutely overwhelming. A little effort later, we found our ship and boarded the cruise of a lifetime!

What a great way to start the 2012! I couldn’t have asked for more!

(Click here for the next Sydney story…) 

A New Year is Here...

We are finally approaching the end of the year 2010. I am trying to review the passing by year and the feeling is unexplainable! The year 2010 rolled by like a roller coaster ride for me and coming to think of it, I have actually enjoyed every moment of it. No regret whatsoever. In the beginning of the departing year I remember tweeting, “No New Year resolution for me this time. This way, I will NOT feel guilty for not sticking to it” and I am so happy to be able to stick to my words.

I took the year as it came and lived every moment of it with full honesty and dedication. The year 2010 was mostly marked by travels, people and events. I had great fun in the form of trips abroad, trips to many Indian cities and beaches, celebrations of many kinds and my brother’s marriage to a sweet girl, all made 2010 worth every moment. The most satisfying milestone however was organising of the cultural event Bohagi Bidai where I was completely involved from the beginning to the end and in that process met many people and made many friends.
Celebrations give you happiness and let you savour these moments for life. On the other hand, you get wiser with bad experiences. I experienced that too. It was extremely difficult to accept certain changes, but I coped with that phase and got wiser by learning from that experience as well. The year 2010 was a journey of self discovery for me. I have discovered a new me and I didn’t know that this me existed at all. This me is wiser, patient, tolerant and extremely loving. I discovered to what extent I can go for something/someone I really believe in/love. I stretched myself to the limit and I know in this process I have enriched myself as a person.
In the year 2010, I experienced friendship at another level, I realised to what extent I can go and can stretch myself to accommodate people, events and work. I took the risk of breaking the invisible wall around me that I had built to keep myself safe from people. I chucked fear and that’s a great feeling! I used to feel extremely lonely when we first came to Kolkata. It has changed now. I have mentioned about it in one of my previous blogs, how the law of attraction has changed my life. Now I am a complete peoples’ person. I have so many friends that the entire world feels like home. I feel safe. :)

Now that 2011 is approaching, I am going to stick to my “No Resolution” theory so that I can experience life and the year as it presents itself to me. Of course I have my visions, set goals and my to dos ready for myself. But I don’t resolve to do or stick to something just because I made the resolution. I want to embrace every single day of the coming year with full enthusiasm and an open mind. I am so looking forward to this.
Today is 25th December, I wish all my readers a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!