Christchurch, I love Dom's family!

Paul picked me up, Dom’s dad.  It was so nice of him to take care of me.  Picking me up and giving me a place to stay.  I'd never even met him, but he was still willing to show me all that caring.  I was lucky that it was Waitangi Day (New Zeeland Day), so Paul didn’t have to work.  Also he could pick me up at that ungodly hour without making him tired for work.  We both got back to his house and passed out for a few hours.  I got Dom's old room.  It was super nice to be at his house.  It had the 70’s carpet, red velvet love seat and armchair, wicker table… It was all very nostalgic of my childhood and grandma’s house.  It made me feel at home.

After a bit of nap I got to skype mom and dad, and then Paul made me some stew on toast, exactly what I needed!  On Waitangi day many people have BBQs and parities but Paul’s plans were a big sleep and then coaching some of the neighborhood kids in track and field.  I was surprised at how good the kids were at track and field.  We also got a chance to run over to Patrick’s (Dominick’s brother) house and hangout for a bit.  It was nice to meet him and just chat.  He’s getting married soon, so we talked about that and the earthquake and meeting more of Dom’s friends.  

After that bit of social interaction we headed off to the grocery store.  Dom had given Paul strict instructions about me visiting, and this included me doing all the shopping.  So the house was devoid of all food.  There was bread in the freezer and some condiments in the fridge.  This was under instruction from Dominic as well.  He had to empty the fridge to make space for all my deliciousness.  I bought enough stuff to make three meals.  I was planning them out as soon as I discovered I had free range of the kitchen and the store.

Junior track and field practice was super easy.  The weather was a bit chilly in the shade, but in the sun it was perfect.  Paul was coaching 10 to 13 year olds that day, and they were cute as pie and good at what they were doing.  I just watched, enjoyed the fresh air and raked the sand pit.  I had a good time.

After hanging out with the kids, Paul dropped me off at home and left me to dinner while he went a visited a friend.  That night I made lasagna, with a spring salad, and French bread.  During the week I also made balsamic ginger chicken, with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy for Sunday dinner and the last night I was there I made stuffed bell peppers, eggplant parmesan, risotto, and pasta with homemade sauce.  I loved having a kitchen again.  I hadn’t really cooked since Spain.  It was so nice, and thanks to Dominic and Paul I had plenty of spices to work with.

 

I didn’t have much time in Christchurch.  I had impulsively bought a ticket back to Indonesia to visit a friend.  I thought I wasn’t going to waste any time but on Friday it rained.  So I just relaxed.  I hadn’t had a just chill out and relax day in a while.  On Saturday I had more luck, It was sunny.  So I walked around the neighborhood, found a beautiful little stream that ran through Dominic’s neighborhood.  After that Dom’s dad offered to bring me over to the RE:Start Mall. 

 

 I heard this mall was supposed to be very interesting.  It’s made out of shipping containers, all of it.  I’ve never seen something so interesting, and fun in design.  On top of that, where the mall is located is where the earthquake hit the hardest.  So the whole surrounding area is in shambles.  Buildings are cracked and falling apart, the roads are constantly being repaired.  It’s a stark contrast.  The mall was made after Christchurch’s big earthquake because the locals had no place to shop.  Here’s an execerp from the website: 


Re:START was made possible with an interest free loan of $3,368,523 from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust and $300,000 sponsorship from ASB.

While containers for all sorts of purposes are commonplace now in Christchurch, the idea was a bit of a wildcard when the idea of Re:START was first conceived. Their use meant that retail was established in the CBD several years before it would have otherwise taken place. It happened because the authorities allowed the Re:START Trust to use part of the red zone (no go) area. Its success has demonstrated that retail can be re-established in the CBD, which has had 80% of its area demolished.

I caught the bus back to Paul’s and chilled out until we had dinner at Patrick and Anna’s.  I met Anna for the second time.  It was a bit weird because I barely remember meeting them in Jeju, probably because we only met in passing in the hall.  Dinner was lovely and so was the company.  I really enjoy Dom’s family, they made me feel so comfortable.

On Sunday Dom’s dad was working the craft fair for the scrabble club.  I love craft fairs, so I tagged along and helped watched the table and shopped around a little.  It reminded me of small town America.  Craft fairs, the boy scouts even were raising money for camping.  I had some food and bought a wedding card for my cousin.  The rest of my time in Christchurch was spend packing, and doing errands, then I was off to Indonesia again.

 

 

A short stop in Kaula Lumpur

The airport was very nice.  I got a visa on arrival that was completely hassle free.  I also managed to get a SIM and exchange money before I even picked up my bags.  I like ease of access in airports, more countries should practice this.  

 

outside my hotel

It is quite a way from the airport to the city center, so even though my flight got in a little bit after 8, I still didn’t get to my hotel until 11pm.  You know the usual waiting game, and the airport bus went to several places before it dropped me off in Padu, close to the city center.  What I didn’t know was that  the Pudu area is not the best place to be coming into so late.  Of course I had no idea, I did very little research when I was booking this part of my trip, because it wasn’t even supposed to happen.  It all happened because I almost over stayed my visa in Indonesia.  So instead of six hours in Kuala Lumpur I ended up with 27.  This was still not enough time to do everything I would have really liked, but enough to see the city sites.

 

Walking to the guest house was a bit sketchy.  I had propositions from the cab drivers and lots of cat calls.  I could blame this on my cute dress I was wearing, but let’s call it what it is: disrespect toward women.  I have been among friends in most of the countries you would expect this.  The last time I encountered blatant disrespect on that level was when I was 17, in Argentina.  I usually would just walk strong and flip them off (which I did once or twice), but when you don’t know where you are going sometimes you have to ask for directions.  When I got to my guest house the man at the desk was lovely, and showed me my room.  My room was small and a little worn, but you get what you pay for.  The shared bathroom/shower was more than a bit dirty.  *sigh* Research Miriah, usually you are so good at it.  So after locking my door I got a great 8 hours of sleep.

The morning consisted of getting out! But really, I washed up and ate some toast, then beelined it to China town.  I really liked walking around the market, especially the meat portion.  It smelled very interesting.  Not like rotten meat, just like raw things.  I’m glad I went so early in the morning as well, not all the venders were open, leaving me little to no hawking.  Yay!!!  

After that walk it was time to find an Indian restraint my friend suggested.  That took a bit of work, but on my way of getting lost I found some lovely old colonial buildings. The are Neo Moorish, and were built by the British in the early 20th century.  Basically Kaulua Lumpur is a hodge podge of many different kinds of architecture because of all the different influences it had over the ages.    A tourist center was located in this British area, and the lady inside headed me in the right direction. I guess there were quite a few museums in the area.

 Following  that detour, it only took me asking for directions two more times before I found heaven.  Jai Hind was a hole in the wall.  I usually wouldn’t have stopped, but it was recommended, and for good reason.  I got dale, aloo paratha, and tea taik.  Or in laymen’s terms; lentil curry, potato flat bread and milk tea.  It also came with a neat little side of pickled eggplant and a yogurt curry sauce that had a bit of a kick.  I think I ate it all in 5 minutes, and could have eaten another plate full.  

Afterward was another stroll, this time around little India.  In this area they were mostly selling hijabs and other Muslim women’s wear.  That got a bit boring, even though it was colorful, so I headed up to the Kuala Lumpur tower.  

I heard the Kuala Lumpur tower was better than going to the twin towers, even though it was pricier.  Getting there was strange.  It was surrounded by a park, so I thought I could just have a lovely stroll through the park up to the tower, but I was incorrect in assuming this.  There is only one entrance to the tower and it requires going all the way around, and then up a hill.  Once I got up there it was grand though.  In the lobby they had these spectacular ceilings, it looked like cut mirrors.  The elevator operator told us that it was a gift from Iran and made from sugar, glue and water.  Pretty nifty stuff.  At the top the view was spectacular.  I was lucky it was a sunny day, you could see for miles and there was only a little bit of interference from pollution and atmosphere.  I saw the towers, the sultan’s palace and the mountains.  I recommend everyone to go there. 

I hung out there for quite a while and then headed to the mall.  I know it’s a bit lame, but air-conditioning is a lovely thing.  In the mall I discovered (with help) an amazing book store.  This is the equivalent of Barns and Nobles.  I was in love!  I haven’t seen a book store with more than a small selection of English books in years.  (For some reason I never have time to go when I’m home).  I picked up only one book and some art supplies. 

 

 I also found and Auntie Anne’s in the mall, while looking for the post office.  Mmmm…. How could I pass that up?  They didn’t have yellow mustard, but gave me spicy cheese instead.  Meh, I just ate the buttery goodness solo.  The last thing of the day was to find a nail salon. Wedding nails are important too!

They day was nearly over, so it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up my bags.  My daytime journey was much more satisfying than the night time one.  The staff was super nice and helpful.  Although I would never stay there again because of the location, they earn brownie points for being so amiable.  I love a happy staff who are just as excited as you are to get your trip going and swap stories.

I headed out to the bus stop, which was 10 minutes away.  So I arrived quite early to get my ticket and make sure everything was in order to get to the airport on time.  While I was waiting, I was messing around on my phone and the bus left.  I was sitting right in front of the guys I booked the ticket with! Luckily there was a bit of traffic, so the bus stopped a block away and let me on.  Sometimes I am not the most observant person.  Now it was off to Australia and hoping I didn’t smell too bad when Amanda and Monique picked me up.

Australia: A Wedding and Melbourne

Getting my visa to enter Australia was one of the easiest things I have ever done.  It took 20 minutes online, paid and received a reference number within 5 minutes.  You go Australia, doing visas the right way!  Now getting off the plane it was just as easy.  I got to go through the electronic visa line.  The only reason I got to go through this is because my passport has a chip in it, and I applied online.  If I had my old passport (the one I changed 6 months ago) I would have had to wait in line with all the Chinese, Malay and who knows who else was over there.  I was originally weary of having a chip in my passport, and actually contemplated cutting it out.  I don’t like the government knowing where I am all the time.  It’s none of their business what country I’m in.

So after all this convenience, they had a delay on getting out of the baggage claim.  The security guys must have been looking for something, I think half the people in line were being pulled aside to get their luggage checked. I went through just fine, but had to wait in line for a half an hour.  The plane being 20 minutes late plus the baggage line delay made me 15 minutes late for my train out to Berrigan.  When I got to the station the guy at the counter was nice.  He said he wasn’t technically supposed to give me a new ticket for free, because I didn’t contact them before the train left, but he understood late planes and whatnot.  So I got a new ticket that was a train and bus.  I had to wait for two hours, so what did I do?  Sit on my bum, ate a hotdog and read a book.  I also found a payphone and called Monique to let her know about the new plan.

I actually fell asleep on the train.  After being up for 48 hours I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.  I can never sleep upright.  Getting off the train and onto to bus I was assaulted by a heat wave.  I’m not sure what the temperature was that day, but it was probably in the 40s (over 100).  I made another little alteration to my ticket when exiting the train to get on the adjoining bus.  I needed to go to Cobram and my ticket said I was going to Albry.  The bus drivers didn’t care where I was going, so I got on the Colbram bus instead of the Albry bus.  People are so laid back there.

 Monique and Amanda were waiting for me, as planned, at the bus stop.  They were worried, I had no way to contact them, so they thought maybe I had missed the bus too.  But I didn’t, thank goodness.  Then we had a 40 minute drive back to Amanda’s house.  I was so tired when I came in, but the girls gave me energy.  We talked about the wedding and what was happening in their lives, and my life.  It was fun.  When we got in we were rushed to dinner and I got to meet Amanda’s family and Monique’s parents.  It was a nice evening.  I had a few beers, that went straight to my head for being so tired, and fish and chips.  

The next day was all wedding prep.  We set up tables, and gates, and chairs and canopies.  We also went to town to get the flowers sorted, picked up a few rainbow pinwheels, some crate paper, visited the ATM, and lastly we got milk shakes (yum!).  The last thing we needed to do to get this wedding rolling for the next day was to set up the reception hall.  This was the most stressful thing for the girls and the most time consuming.  We left around midnight and everything still wasn’t finished.  The girls didn’t end up going to bed until 4am, and had to wake up before 9am.  No beauty rest for the brides, but in the morning they were lovely.

The day of the wedding everything went smoothly.  The wedding area was beautiful, the reception hall was finished and looked sparkly, the girls’ hair, dresses and everything looked great!  It was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I have seen.  Not very often to people get to find true love, and then be able to have it legally validated! Shit the US doesn't even have that all sorted out yet. I read the song from The Wedding Singer, “I Wanna Grow Old With You,” and Amanda’s friend Dan read a comic from Calvin and Hobbs.  

After the ceremony in the garden we headed over to the (cooler) reception hall and had Chinese food (the girls are living in China right now), beer and wine.  The girls danced and there were speeches made by the fathers and Amanda’s brother.  Everyone danced, drank a bit and had a good time.  I went to bed around 12:30 but I think the party went on till 3AM.

The next day we had breakfast on the grill and then I headed off to Melbourne with Amanda’s brother, Steve.  It was a lovely trip into town.  The countryside in this part of Australia is similar to the mid-west or the plain states in America.  There were lots of cows, wheat fields and sheep.  It looked very burnable too.  Steve said it was a problem every year.  

I wasn’t quite going into Melbourne city proper.  Katrina’s sister Tara lives outside the city, almost on the way to Steve’s place.  So he dropped me off right at her door step.  Perfect!

I know Tara through Katrina.  Katrina was my host sister when I was about 8 years old.  She was an exchange student through the rotary program, from Australia.  While I was traveling Europe I met up with her in Germany, where she lives now. We spent quite a bit of time together and she said I could probably spend with her sister or parents when I visited Australia.  Tara is Katrina's sister.

When I came in Glenn was out.  Tara had just gotten home and showed me around and I did get to meet Oscar, the giant orange tabby that is addicted to people.  I like cats a lot, but am a bit weary of them because I was allergic to them when I was younger.  For some reason, I haven’t had a problem with my cat allergies in years, so I could play with Oscar as much as I wanted.  Tara and I talked about all sorts of things before Glenn came, home.  Tara and Glenn are lovely.  They have married for about 2 years, so of course I got to see the wedding photos.  The wedding was a 1920s theme and beautiful. They had also just gone on a big trip around Europe and it sounded fabulous.  Glenn came home and made us dinner.  I thought it was so sweet.  Tara and I sitting on the couch talking and internet-ing, and Glenn chatting with us and cooking.

The next day was my walk about day.  I got a transport card and headed into the city.  It was very easy.  I found Lygon street first.  This street is supposed to be foodie heaven.  And it was grand, there were so many options, but I wasn’t hungry so I headed towards Flinders Street.  This was supposed to be the tourist area.

When I arrived at flinders, to my surprise, there was a Superbowl party.  I was vaguely aware of the Superbowl, because of random Facebook postings, but I would have never guessed that Australians would be interested in it.  I guess Australians like all sports, and a party… well who doesn’t want an opportunity to drink and wear their jerseys.  I had come right at the half time show, so I sat down for a bit and watched.  All around the square there were American things.  A taxi cab and a miniature of the empire state building.  I got a real kick out of it all.  Shortly after the second half started, I left to go for a walk.  I don't need to spend all my time in Australia doing American like things.

I found the river and wandered my way down it, and eventually found the royal botanical gardens.  I had read good reviews online, and it was fantastic.  The grounds were very well maintained, and there were ponds, a craft shack, gazebos, benches in little hideaway areas, jungle walks… I have never been to a nicer public park.  

I wandered on the other side of the river back and continued past the Superbowl party to the south bank.  This part of town was getting ready for the Chinese New Year celebrations.  There were little stalls and red lanterns everywhere.  Nothing was completely set up, but it was a nice walk.  After seeing that I decided I needed to see the giant New Year’s dragon that was set up in Lockland.  

I had built up an appetite, so I headed back to Lygon street and found an Argentinean restaurant.  I ordered an empanada and a Quilmes (meat pastry and beer).  The empanada was so good I ordered another one.  I miss Argentine food, and I feel like it’s hard to come by, unlike many other world cuisines.

The next day was zoo day, but because I spent half the night on the phone (time differnce) it started really late.  I thought the Healesville Australian Animal Sanctuary was an hour away, just like everything else.  Unfortunately it was about 3 hours away by public transit.  But there was public transit!  I started at 11 and got there about 2:40. I missed the bird show and several other attractions, but that was ok.  Sometimes I like to just walk anyway.  I saw every Australian animal under the sun.  Kangaroos, I thought looked like big rabbits.  Wallabies were similar to really big rat/rabbits.  Wombats are big sleepy teddy bears.  I was surprised that platypuses were way smaller than I thought.   The koalas were just as cute and cuddly though.  This was probably because there was a baby at the sanctuary, and it was climbing like mad, just being the cutest thing ever.  I saw a lot more things, but these were most memorable.  Going to the sanctuary was a much better idea than going to the zoo.  I liked seeing animals unique to Australia.

 Because I started late, of course I finished late.  The bus back into town didn’t leave until 5:30, so I waited around for that and then caught one more bus and train into Melbourne.  I got in about 8:00 and was ravenous.  So I went back to Lygon street and found a cute little Italian restaurant.  The head waiter was a character and then a regular asked me if I wanted to join him.  I did.  He was a nice fellow from the bush.  He came into the Melbourne all the time for his job, and knew a lot about Australia because of it too.  We chatted about where I should go when I visit, talked about his job, about politics and everything under the sun.  I really enjoyed the company.  I love meeting random people.

The last thing I did in Australia was eat a Kangaroo steak.  I was going to go see some art galleries and what not, but I ended up having something wrong with my foot that made it hard to walk.  Despite this, I went out for my kangaroo steak.  It tasted a lot like regular steak.  It came with a rich pepper cream sauce and vegetables drenched in butter.  It was delicious.  After the steak I hobbled back to Tara’s and Glenn’s apartment.  The day ended with more chitchat with Glenn and Tara and a quick trip to the airport.