Very Itchy Feet Travel Journal

Singapore in a flash

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sat, 14 May 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Changi Airport

We did Singapore in such a flash that I almost forgot that we had done it. You have to love airlines such as Jetstar for their capacity to be able to offer such cheap flights. It does come at a cost sometimes, however, which is not necessarily financial. We did not really want to hang around an airport for almost a day (as we were arriving mid morning and would be leaving later in the evening). Would we leave the airport? Would it cost to get out? Was it worth the cost? Could we store our backpacks somewhere? Could we find something to do for a few hours? We had done no research on this at all, as we simply had not made it our priority. I figured that we'd work it out!

Upon disembarking, we walked around the airport like Alice of Alice in Wonderland ...eyes wide and mouth gaping! Well, Singapore and its airport were not quite what I had expected, although I must be fair and say that I am not sure what my expectations really were. Singapore's Changi Airport is a destination unto itself! Apart from the fact that it's enormous, it felt like one big entertainment centre offering everything from free internet usage to computer gaming areas and free massage (OK, so they were chairs and not people). We certainly made use of a number of these free options.

A bus with a view

After a few minutes of wide-eyed stares, looking around an airport that looked more like an entertainment centre than an airport, we came across a tourist information desk, offering free Singapore City tours. Free? What? WHAT is for free these days? I thought "no way, this can't be"! Well, apparently in Singapore it can! There were actually two tours available, the Cultural Tour and the Coloniol Tour. I wanted to do both! We ended up doing the Cultural Tour. Clearly one can only get a snapshot in two hours, but it was a great 'taster' of what the city had to offer.

Singaporean architecture

Due to the tours being free, they clearly filled up quickly. We had a meeting point at the airport, and we were then whisked away for two hours in a luxury coach. What were our observations and what did we see? My over-riding sense of the city was that it was so clean that it looked sterile. Like most people, we'd heard all of the stories about how clean it was, and from what we could see it was true. The tour guide was most informative, and gave us some interesting facts and figures. I kind of got the feeling that he too thought his system was a bit 'anal' ... I tried not to form my opinion in so little time!

Thian Hock Keng Temp

To be honest, it felt like information overload. And in true Ombi style ... I was trying to suck in as much informaton as I could ... my head was swinging left-right-left-right. Whilst there was a lot to take in, the
thing I remembered most was our quick stop in Chinatown, including the oldest temple in Singaore, 160-year-old Thian Hock Keng Temple. It was indeed a beautiful and impressive temple. We were told that we had 15 minutes to look around it. Alex and I decided that we would leave the temple and see if we could see even a little of the surrounding area. It is on the famous Telok Ayer Street which is one of the earliest thoroughfares in downtown Singapore. Whilst we could not explore in detail, it still gave us a bit of a feel for the Chinese part of the city. Running back to the bus, we were the last ones on! Some things never change!

Ayer St!

We were delivered back to the airport as promptly and efficiently as we'd been taken away. The tour had been short but great! We used the internet once again as well as the massage chairs, and before we knew it, we were back on a plane and flying home. We had certainly filled in our time at our day in Singapore. Did I enjoy it? Well, yes. Would I go back? Not sure. Perhaps as a stopover I might, but it did not strike me as an absolute must-see destination!

Another day, another country added to our list!

Ombi

NOTE: The last few blog entries were a bit jumbled. Sorry! This day in Singaore was actually the last day of our two week trip to Thailand over Christmas and the New Year.

"People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pretty shutters

Inside Thian Hock Keng Temple

The locals doing their thing

It has the word coffee in it!

Modern Singapore

Proof of our brief rendevous with Singapore

Singaporean skyline

Paradise Updated

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sun, 08 May 2011 05:42:00 +0000

Making our way to Ko Kood

Oops, mixed up our entries. This post should have actually come before the last one (Bangkok) ... enjoy!

We had no option but to get up early, as the fast boat we had chosen to Ko Kood was leaving early (being someone who likes to sleep in, and especially whilst on holiday, this was much to Alex's chagrin). We had an idea of where we might stay as we'd been there before. We met a lovely young Swedish couple on the boat, Johanna and Thomas and they asked if they could get off with us and check out the place that we were possibly going to stay at. Of course! As we got closer to the island and dropped people off at their various destinations, we admired the beauty of the island and its clear, sparkling turquoise waters. Now THIS was the paradise that we had been wanting to see. Ko Kood is still scarcely developed, and those of us who make it here, spread ourselves out over a small number of places to stay. The most amazing thing is that most of the places have their own private beach so that it feels like you have the island to yourself. Maybe this is why we struggled with Ko Chang!

The beach infront of our accomodation

We got dropped off close to Mark House Bungalows and made our way directly there. It was exactly as I had remembered it. Despite looking around at a few other places close by, we ended up at Mark's, because it was well-priced, clean, comfortable and close to the beach. Johanna and Thomas decided to stay there too. Once we settled in, we went for a walk and reacquainted ourselves with the area. Had it changed? Well, yes ... there was more construction going on, there was now a road with a few cars (as opposed to no road and no cars a few years earlier), some restaurants had disappeared whilst new ones had appeared ... but it was still as relaxing and beautiful as I had remembered it. That first afternoon was spent at the beach, a five minute walk away, and directly in front of Peter Pan Resort. Ah, relaxing, reading, sunbaking, running ... all my dreams rolled into one! Although we had taken neither a laptop or mobile phone with us, the resort had a computer for its guests to use, which was outside, in an open space. In my 'more front than Myers' kind of way, I frequently went along and used it. Not as many stilettos and sequins here, so I did not look so out of place! Despite the fact that we did not stay here, the seaside accommodation was gorgeous. Next door was the 'new kid on the block', Tinkerbell Resort ... we popped in to take a look ... ooh, la, la! Exy but gorgeous! We basically went to the beach in front of these resorts daily, as it was the closest one to where we were staying.

Beautiful waterfall

These few days here were really laid back. Apart from relaxing at the beach close by, we went out for a few longer walks, taking us to other beaches, as well as a day kayaking, which proved to be eventful to say the least. Mark House Bungalows were on a canal, and close to some waterfalls. We thought that we'd take advantage of their free kayaks, and go to the waterfalls. On our last trip we had hiked to the falls so we knew they weren't far. So, off we went ... we had not checked the kayak and we took no life jackets (due to my having worked as a swimming teacher and lifeguard, I am sometimes not vigilant enough, due to my overconfidence). It was a lovely ride down the canal; peaceful and tranquil, taking in all the sights and sounds. I vaguely recalled Johanna and Thomas telling me about some huge jelly fish they'd seen the day prior. Not a problem, we were in the kayak, not out of it! We soon came to a tiny rickety pier, where we 'parked' our canoe, and walked a further 10 minutes to the falls. Despite the many people there, locals and foreigners alike, we spent a fun hour there. The water was fresh (as opposed to salty) and bloody freezing; some would say refreshing! After a splash and a play, we made our way back to the kayak. This where the REAL adventure began!

The view behind Mark House Bungalows

Back in the kayak, we seemed to have the wobbles! We were rowing in unison, but balance seemed lacking. At first I was not overly concerned, but five minutes into our trip, we were struggling for balance and as we rowed, the kayak was tipping and the lip of each side touching the water. I suddenly felt like we were going to go over, and no sooner uttered, over rolled the kayak ... there was nothing around! Not even a shore! Only mangroves! If any of you have seen or been through mangroves, you will understand that ... well, there isn't anything to stand on as there is no shore! Was I concerned? Well, by now, yes! My main concern was Alex, my second was the jelly fish! I told Alex to grab the edge of the boat and we paddled the short distance to the side of the ... mangroves! Safe and sound, figuratively speaking, I ignored any notion that I may have been surrounded by a thousand jelly fish. Survival first, digital camera second! That little baby wrapped around Alex's neck (luckily the smaller and less expensive of our two cameras), was kaput! Water plus digital equals all over red rover! The screen looked hammered, but we pulled the card out - with any luck we may not have lost our pictures ...

It's a tough life!

... so, we'd survived the roll-over and now we needed to be 'rescued'. All of my years and experience as a lifeguard kicked in...with not a solitary person or boat in sight, I took off my shoes and stripped off to my bikinis. I then swam into the middle of the canal, and started calling for help. It was not so much that I was afraid, but there was no way that we were going to be able to swim kilometres down the canal lugging all of our stuff. No one around! I was not going to wait till next Christmas, we'd just had it! I told Alex that I was going to swim and get someone. Would I be OK? Yep! We've all got our strengths, and I am very fit and an exceptionally strong swimmer. So off I set...after almost a kilometre I came across a local in a kayak, and although he had marginal English, I was able to explain that we had tipped over and that Alex was waiting in the water by the kayak. Whilst he made his way towards Alex, and eventually got him into the kayak, I made my way towards a pier on the canal and waited there. By this time, I , and later we, had an audience, and questions were being asked. Soon after picking up Alex, I was picked up too, and we made our way back to Mark House Bungalows. We looked like a sad and sorry version of Hawaii-5-0!

Having dinner with Johanna and Thomas

I must say, I was furious, as this could have been a potentially very dangerous situation. I told the lady at the bungalows what I thought, including that I thought she should have at least given us life jackets! To this, she pointed to the life jackets and told us that we had not asked! Suddenly my anger subsided, as I realised that not all countries take safety as seriously as we do in Australia. As it worked out, the kayak had not been checked, and some plug or other had not been replaced! I also realised then, that we should have taken some responsibility and checked things out ourselves. One can never be too complacent. The camera was seriously dead, but the card had been saved and we were able to retrieve the photos. No jelly fish stings and Alex and I were both alive and well. Overall, it was a pretty good scenario! Ticked off at first, we were over it by dinner time, and able to laugh about it! What else could we do? At the end of the day nothing important was lost - goods can always be replaced, lives cannot!

Going on a fishing trip

That night Alex, Johanna, Thomas and a few others went on a fishing trip. I was umm-ing and aah-ing about whether or not I'd go. I went to look at the boat and decided, after its lack of a sun deck, that I would pass. No thanks, I'll take the beach! Apparently, it was a fun few hours ... I will have to take Alex' s word for it.

Over the next few days, we continued to laze around, yet fit in a few walks. It had always been our intention to take it easy here, before going to meet Daniel in Bangkok, where we would catch up for the New Year together. Some of you may recall that we met Daniel whilst in Laos in 2005, we then went to visit him in Quebec, Canada, a few years later. We have always remained good friends. Dan has been teaching English in north-eastern Thailand, and is actually just about to come out to Australia to study for a year. Although he will be studying in the 'opposition town' (aka Sydney), he will come and spent a few days with us in Melbourne, in mid February, before he begins.

One of the many spectacular views on the island

We'd had a marvellous time on Ko Kood, but it was soon time to go. Due to ensuring connections with buses and the like back on the mainland, we caught a bus to the Ko Kood port, and then a ferry on to Trat, from where we would then catch a bus directly back to Bangkok. The almost one hour ride to the Ko Kood port presented us with more lovely views of the island, and the ferry ride across was pleasant and calm (which is great for a person that suffers from motion sickness). As I looked looked back at the spectacular views, I was both sentimental and sad to see the island go. Despite the fact that it had been beautiful and idyllic, things had changed, our paradise had been updated...

Ombi

PS Dear Lonely Planet your Thailand's Islands and Beaches book sucks! If you can't muster up an adequate amount of information, don't put a book out! It's more like a note book...you know, decent cover, nothing inside!

"I took some time out for life" - James L. Brooks

Books read:

The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

Ko Kood sunset

Seriously delicious mango!

Where the beach meets the canal

Hanging out with 'the boys' at the waterfall

The offending kayak ...

One more gorgeous view

Another day ...yet another gorgeous view!

Temple out at sea

What part of 'don't do drugs' isn't clear?

5,4,3,2,1 ... Happy New Year ...in Bangkok

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:21:00 +0000

Alex 'n' Dan on Khao San Rd

The week had flown, but we'd had so much fun. Unfortunately, time usually goes go all too quickly when on holidays. We were very excited; we were going back to our beloved Bangkok (people either love it or hate it ... we love it!), where amongst many things, we would also be hanging out with our very special friend Dan.We had met Dan in Laos six years ago, but had then also visited him in his native Canada three years ago. He'd been teaching English in Thailand for the last year. He was coming from up north, where he was teaching, and we from the islands in the south ... our meeting date was the day before new year.

My chrissy pressie from Dan

Dan had organised for us to stay at The Suan Dusit Place, and whilst we thought it was lovely and both clean and friendly, we felt that it was a 'little far from the action'. So ... we decided to hit our famous (and old stomping ground) Khao San Road (or as Dan likes to call it Khao San 'freak' Road), also known as the backpacker's mecca! Dan is the easiest person to travel with – we left a note telling him we were making our way there and that we would call tomorrow and let him know where we were staying as he was not due to arrive until late afternoon on New Year's Eve.

Nothin' like a few electricity lines!

Khao San Road was only a short taxi ride away, and despite beiing crazy and busy and packed and mad, we felt at home right away. We headed
straight towards our old favourite, Lamphu House, but that was packed to the rafters! Pensiri recognised us straight away and told us that we should have booked! C'est la vie! So, we did what we normally do ... walked around, checked places, checked prices, and chose! We ended up at the New Siam 3, very close to Lamphu House. It was comfortable, clean and friendly; all that we needed. We got ourselves organised in no time at all, and soon 'hit' Khao San Road. Although it was mostly as we remembered it (we had only been here a couple of years ago), we were still able to observe how much it had grown, so to speak; more food places, more restaurants, more food vendors and certainly more tourists! My little Asian backwater was gone! What was once intrepid travel, was now open slather. Whilst the essence of the place was still there, I cringed at a number of things ... the locals 'dressed up' in hilltribe clothing and selling trinkets on the street in order to make a living, kids and teenagers holding up signs urging 'falang' (foreigners) to drink (obviously we have a reputation ... like you can't buy alcohol or get tanked at home!) and both women and men dressed up in THE most inappropriate clothing. But clearly the circus, oops show, must go on!

Does this even require a comment?!

The first hour was spent walking up and down that famous road observing; I am sure that I was a social anthropologist in my last life! I am probably secretly one in this life too! Human behaviour fascinates me; actually humans fascinate me. Dinner time - that'd be Pad Thai, street style. Cheap (very) and cheerful! Without a doubt, the best food I have tried in Thailand is the street food. You might get sick! You might get food poisoning! Yeh, I might get hit by a car too! I want to live my life to the max and savour every little bit of it, including food! It had been a pretty huge day, from leaving the island to munching on street food late at night ... that night our sleep was well-deserved.

Food time is always a good time for Alex

Street food

Friday 31 December 2010, New Year's Eve day we woke up, and were on a mission ... well, at least I was. Alex and I had written a list of the things we had to do. Going to the dentist, having a massage (well, several!) and going shopping (for both clothes and 'computery' type stuff) were on top of the list. We would try and get some of this done before meeting Dan and Ku (Dan's girlfriend) later that day. We had a relaxing day and fitting a lot of this in was not a problem. We later came home and got ready to end the 'noughties'. We met Dan and Ku at their hotel. It was like meeting up with a long lost friend; Dan has become one of those special people one meets on their travels and I know that we will always be friends. When we hugged, it was like no time had passed at all. After a decent round of hugs we made our way to the area around Sukhumvit Road where apparently there were to be fireworks. Dan suggested that we eat in the area of Sukhumvit that was effectively Little Arabia - why not, always willing to give something different a go! We had a lovely meal in a small Arabic restaurant; the hummous was particularly good! And I must say, yes it did feel like little Arabia, as people from all parts of the Middle East and northern Africa appeared to congregate there. Globalisation has done many things to many people. In a world where everyone seems to live everywhere, racism seems like a ridiculous concept, the comedy of the absurd! I have never really understood the concept of racism, and often wonder why people struggle to accept each human being for who they are. I had better not even get onto this bandwagon, otherwise I'll never get off (another blog, another day)!

New year's fireworks

It was almost 11.00pm when we left the restaurant, and the idea was to walk towards the area of Sukhumvit where the people and fireworks would be. As the biggest countdown in Bangkok happens in Central World Square, we made our way towards it. It was, in good ol' Aussie lingo, absolutely chockers! If there were rafters, they would have collapsed! If getting up close and personal ain't your thing, this certainly wasn't the place to be! It was bumper to bumper, with locals and foreigners alike. The countdown was quite tame, I thought, and then off went the fireworks, which I must say were pretty impressive. I pondered on all the places I had had the good fortune to wrap up the new year in ... and there have been many, including Christchurch, Quito (Ecuador), Samoa and Nicaragua. I have definitely had, and continue to have a good life! Not luck, just choice! After the last snap, crackle and pop everyone started to disperse, and I suddenly felt extremely thankful that we were leaving a celebration and not some disaster, as a quick getaway would have been impossible! There were people moving in every which direction! It is here that we parted ways with Dan, and agreed to meet tomorrow. Alex and I had to walk quite a way (it was so packed I felt like bleating) before then having to wait a long time for a taxi, and then ... that taxi ride seemed to take forever as there were people and cars everywhere ...

Welcome to Bogan central!

... Meanwhile back at the ranch, that'd be Khao San Road, the drunken and disorderlies, injected with alcohol and probably a plethora of other substances, were being their OTT (over the top) obnoxious, loud, bogan and inappropriate selves. As they say in Spanish 'tierra tragame', or 'earth, swallow me up'! At that moment (and there have been many), I was SO embarrassed to be a foreigner! We watched the circus for a while and then slinked away, back to our rooms. If tourists and travellers have ever wondered why some people from some countries think that foreigners are inappropriate, all of their questions would have been answered on this night.

Good morning ... Bangkok!

New Year's Day was a relaxing day; we got up late, had some breakfast, wandered around Khao San Rd and Banglamphu to do some shopping, and later met Dan and Ku. Yes, I do occasionally relax! Sunday was the Chatachuk Market. I just love this place! Thirty five hectares and 8000 stalls, this market sees some 20,000 people pass through it every weekend. There is not a solitary thing that cannot be found here. We went early, and finished late! Dan and Ku came for a while and then left. I was, more than a woman on a mission, I was on a marathon. Alex is a pretty patient person, but almost eight hours later, he was totally over it! Armed with all I'd set out to buy, I was a happy camper! That night we caught up with Dan and said our goodbyes as he was going back up north the next day, where he works as an English teacher. We were not so sad, as he will soon be in Australia to do a Master's in Education (teaching English as a second language).

More street food

As would be expected, we spent our last two days packing it all in, both metaphorically as well as physically. We went to the dentist (sooooooo much cheaper than Australia, although it has gone up in the last few years) where we had our teeth cleaned, and in my case, I had a filling (which had, strangely enough, fallen out on the morning of our appointments). A few more massages, street food, some roti at a small Muslim restaurant we have been going to for years ... the usual. We have been to Bangkok so many times now, that we just know what to do and how to do it. Ho-hum? Never!

Saying goodbye, Bangkok airport

And so, as the old adage goes, 'All good things must come to an end'. We had to get up early to catch our flight and so the night before saw us packing our backpacks. I first looked at what we had bought, and then I looked at our backpacks. I really could not see how all that was sprawled all over our double bed and on the floor was going to fit in. Amongst all the stuff we had bought there were no nick-knacks or dust-collectors (we only buy clothes and things that we can use ... I made this decision years ago, as I am not a hoarder and I do not like clutter). Included were six cushions for our benches (our table at home has two benches and not chairs) - I seriously could not see where they were going to go, or how they were going to fit in. Somehow, however, in true backpacker form, we filled EVERY tiny little bit of our backpacks, to the point where we thought we were going to bust the zips, yet still managed to be under the weight required. I should not have been so surprised; it's an artform that we have perfected over the years.

One last meal before boarding the plane

An organised taxi to the airport? Nah! We got up, armed with our (by now) very heavy backpacks, and flagged a taxi down! We've done this a million times, and doing it ourselves has become second nature. The rest is the same old ... arrive at the airport, check in, board the plane, in my case sleep, arrive home ... and then start planning the next trip. And there's always a 'next trip' looming on the horizon .... who said you 'work to live' not 'live to work'? Welcome to our world!

Ombi

"Religion is the opiate of the people" - Karl Marx

Next: Our stopover in Singapore before touching back down in Melbourne.

Beer Lao, Alex's pressie ... in house joke

New friends Lili & Jaime from Brazil

Local transport

I always knew Ronnie was evil!

My obsession with Ronnie

I love this!

Welcoming 2011 Thai style

Happy New Year with Ku and Dan

How to beat the consumerist Christmas debacle

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 10:40:00 +0000

Back in the land of smiles!

That's easy... run away! And where to? Who cares! Overseas is always a good option! It's quite funny, when people see me after not having seen me for a while, I usually get asked, "So, where are you going to next?" It's usually said tongue in cheek, but the ironic thing is that I usually HAVE booked a holiday to ... somewhere! We knew months ago that we wanted to spend Christmas overseas, and so we diligently plowed through our options. We also knew that it had to be something relatively cheap, as we would like to go to Ecuador some time in the not too distant future, and getting to South America isn't ever on the cheap side. It was in September or so that we stared scouring for cheap destinations and flights. We ended up finding a pretty good deal with Jetstar to Thailand ... no food included, no screens for movies, basic ... yes, yes, yes ... who said it's about the journey and not the destination? They got it all wrong, it's the destination that counts! We ended up booking a two week holiday...Thailand here we come!

Happy to be back!

Alex and I have both been to Thailand several times. I, in fact, have been so many times that I have lost count (I should do what our friends Richard and Jo do, which is keep a table of 'where, what, when'). I must say that it still remains one of my favourite countries - I love the food, culture, people and shopping (yes you heard correctly, 'shopping'! For those of you know that know me well, you would also know that normally I despise this pastime.) Where would we go and what would we do? With such a short time away, we decided that we'd spent the first week or so on an island (which one?) and the other in Bangkok. Many people do not like Bangkok, but once you acquaint yourself with her and get to know her well, she really is lots of fun! We would also be meeting our very special friend Daniel there. We met Dan backpacking through Laos in 2005, and later went to visit him in his native Quebec, Canada, a few years later. He is one of those truly special people you meet on your travels, in the 'I know that we are going to be friends for a long time' league. Daniel has been teaching English in the north of Thailand for a couple of years, so we thought that spending New Year's in Bangkok together would be loads of fun.

Ko Chang sunset

We had booked our flight for the 22 December, and I should add here that I had only recently started a new job. In late November I started at Diabetes Australia - Vic as Media and Communications Co-ordinator. Funnily enough, I work a block and a half away from Alex, so we are able to travel into work together. Technically, I am in the CBD and Alex is in Carlton, but we are both on the edge (of the suburbs in which we work), so to speak ... probably on 'the edge' in many other ways too, ha, ha! So three weeks in, we were off to Thailand. As usual, packing occurred virtually on the last night. With a new job, that had taken up a lot of my time and focus, there was not a lot of time to think about our upcoming trip. When I sat down in that plane, I was exhausted. Who needed food and movies? I slept most of the way!

Monkeying around on Ko Chang

The only thing we had booked was our first night in Bangkok (which actually means 'City of Angels'). It had to be close to the airport, as the next morning we had to catch a bus from the airport which would take us (coupled with a ferry) straight to the island of Ko Chang, which is on the eastern side of Thailand, near the Cambodian border. How had we picked which island to go to? Well, we knew that we did not want anything commercial or touristy (Like Phuket, Pattaya or Ko Samui) but we also wanted something relatively close to Bangkok and where we had not been before. A few years back we had been to Ko Kood (or Kut), very close to Ko Chang, and had loved it. We had heard, back then, that Ko Chang, had become commercial over the years, but we thought we'd give it a go. Bad move!

Arriving on Ko Chang by ferry

Upon arriving to the airport we made our way to the Orchid Resort. It was very close by, which is just what we needed, as we had to be back at the airport the next morning, to catch a bus at 7.00am. It was quaint, and clean and quiet; just what we needed, as we were exhausted. We were each given a voucher for a free ten minute foot massage (massages of ANY description are to die for in Thailand), which we took, laying by the poolside at almost midnight, after we had dumped our backpacks upstairs. It was bliss! After that it was a quick shower, and we were ready to hit the sack. I think I was out in under ten seconds.

Streets of Ko Chang

Not too impressed with Ko Chang, hey?!

The next morning we were up before 6.00am getting ourselves organised, and back at the airport in order to catch catch our 7.00am bus. Before we knew it, we were on the bus, making our way to Ko Chang. As I looked around I felt comfortable and at home. The sights, feel, sounds and ambiance of Thailand, over the years, have become comfortably familiar. It's possibly one of the few countries outside of the Latin countries (for which I have a passion, and some say addiction to!) that I can keep coming back to and never get sick of. The bus ride was several hours, and then we were on the ferry... bus and all. Luckily the sea was not choppy, as I am prone to motion-sickness. It's always a lovely feeling as a boat rocks up to an island with azure waters and swaying palms; it's that wonderful feeling of isolation, secret get-away and bliss rolled into one. Of course, we had not organised a place to stay (normal for us), but we had kind of chosen an area that we'd start looking in. We had not had that much time to do research, but figured we'd go somewhere on the central west-coast of the island. We asked around when we got there and were told that Kaibae was a nice little place, with a nice beach. As we jumped in the songthaew (which is basically a small pick-up truck), and started to make our way to Kaibae, I had a sinking feeling in my gut! Whilst I understand that even developing countries have the right to 'develop', I could not help but be somewhat mortified by all the construction, development and rubble lying around. This was NOT the island bliss I had been expecting! We got off at Kaibae, and walked around looking for a place to stay. It looked OK (just!) but as it was only a couple of days before Christmas, most places were booked out. I can't say that the beach blew me away either. There was lots of rubbish lying around and it just didn't look clean. Nope, not staying here!

Gu's Bay ... tranquil and relaxing

We jumped back onto another songthaew and made our way a little further south to the infamous Lonely Beach. This place, unfortunately, is not so lonely anymore and has been overrun by backpackers. We were totally unimpressed with the almost one kilometre strip of virtually bumper-to-bumper bars and tacky souvenir shops, completely over-run by foreigners. Alex looked after the backpacks whilst I trawled the strip looking for a place to stay. Apart from the fact that almost everything was booked out, the little that was left was overpriced and/or close to more rubbish than a tip! This was not looking good, and I was starting to feel like Ko Chang was one big mistake!

Accommodation at Gu's Bay

I made my way back to Alex and the backpacks, and was about to tell him that the news regarding accommodation was not good, when he introduced me to a local, who suggested a place to stay on Ao Bai Lan, which was the next spot down from Lonely Beach. So, this is how we came to stay at Gu's Bay, a gorgeous, non pretentious place, with everything we needed as well as being extremely well priced and it was not overrun with bars and a million people. What a relief! It had such a serene feel, and whilst the beach immediately in front of us was rather rocky, the swimming pool made up for it! We made ourselves at home immediately. That night (24th December) we walked to Lonely Beach for a bite to eat, as there really weren't many options in the food department where we were. We picked a seafood place with lots of locals, and I must say, the food was brilliant. On the way home we found a massage place that was still open - what an excellent massage! The Thais are masters at this. Despite it not being a long way back to our accommodation, the road was windy and unlit, so we had to catch a songthaew. So what does one do when she/he does not want to be amongst a multitude of loud and drunk foreigners...

Sunset on Ko Chang

... We had walked back to Gu's Bay and could hear some music wafting over, so we decided to make our way towards it. It was coming from the Dusit Princess, an upmarket hotel close to where we were staying. As we got closer, so did the music. With more front than Myers, we walked straight through the hotel to the area where they were having a Christmas spectacle and whilst we did not join in the buffet meal, we did get a few decent hours of entertainment. Apart from my shorts and singlet, I felt like a queen! We had a great time actually, and the concert was most enjoyable, hosting dancers and singers alike. Being the past life social anthropologist (people watcher!) that I am, I was entertained (from all angles!) for hours ... stilettos, sequined tops, bouffant hairstyles ... really, a whole other world! It ended just after midnight, and I waltzed out as gracefully as I had waltzed in...with crocs, shorts and a singlet top! Gotta love it!

On the pier at Ban Bang Bao

Apart from being woken by a disorderly bunch in the swimming pool in the early hours of Christmas morning (which I got up and addressed!), we had a great night's sleep. After a lazy breakfast, we made our way down south to Ban Bang Bao. Once home to a quaint fishing village, it has now become one of the island's major tourist attractions, with a pier stretching well out into the sea. This pier is home to a plethora of seafood restaurants, which are well frequented by visitors. This fascinating place is where local residents have built their houses with poles pitched into the sea and the bridge linking every house is set up to join the community together. Although hot, it was lovely to wander around, observe and try some of the local delicacies. After a couple of hours we made our way to the beach close by, and unlike the central part of the Ko Chang coast, where the beaches were infiltrated with multitudes, this was just lovely and relaxing. Sunbaking, reading, relaxing, running on the beach at dusk ... what more could one ask for?

Time to go to Ko Kood

The next day, we decided to move on. Although we had had fun, Ko Chang was not really us. We wanted and had expected something a little more idyllic. Having said that, as places become more popular, things change, and I am all too aware that even I am part of that change! With fond memories of our time in Ko Kood and Ko Mak, islands close by, a few years earlier, we decided that we would revisit Ko Kood. With such little time, we wanted to come back and say that we had 'really' enjoyed ourselves. With this, we had a relaxing last night in Ko Chang, and organised to catch a ferry to Ko Kood the next morning.

Ombi

Next: A few days on (truly) idyllic Ko Kood, before we hit Bangkok.

Paradise Updated!

Books read:Paradise Updated by Mic Looby (Thanks for this book Vick...I cannot tell you HOW appropriate it was given where we were staying and what we were doing!)

"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are" - Bertolt Brecht

Dedication: For my maaaaaaate Rozzie! This one's for you! Who would have thought that meeting some cool chick on one of Brazil's most spectacular beaches some 11 years ago would lead to this ... one seriously cool friendship! The world's people are broken up into two groups ... those who get it and those who don't! You are soooooooo going to get this (please refer to Ping-Pong shot below) ... LY(very)LT!!!! Ombs

This one's for you Rozzie!

'Pier food' - Ban Bang Bao

The way to Alex's heart? His stomach!

A housewarming and birthday all rolled into one

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:31:00 +0000

At Dad's for dinner with Yuko and Yuji

I cannot believe that it has already been over three months since we came back from Malaysia. So much has happened in that time. Alex had his birthday, I resigned from my job and we moved into our new little place in Coburg North.

I should mention that we also had our dear friends Yuko San and Nashville San visit us, literally two days before we flew out to Malaysia, at the end of June. Really, it was hardly enough time, but unfortunately, we had all booked our tickets way in advance, getting us cheap flights that neither of us was able to change. We definitely made the best of those two days however, and crammed in as much as we could. After picking them up from the airport, we

Got to have pizza in Carlton!

dropped them off at their hotel, and later it was dinner at Dad's. The next day we visited the Melbourne Museum, followed by a typical Italian lunch in Lygon Street. Yuko and Yuji (who we fondly refer to as Shopping San and Nashville San; Yuko because she likes shopping and Yuji as he plays the guitar really well and loves country and western music) have become truly special friends, and if you recall came out to Australia only a year ago. On this trip, they also visited the Gold Coast. Unfortunately, our time with them on this trip was short and sweet, but Dad got to spend some time with them after we left for Malaysia.

Our humble abode

Upon our return from Malaysia, in mid-July, Alex and I started to get ourselves organised and move into our new place. It did take us a little longer than expected...thank goodness for Dad! Whilst I am not the home-renovating queen (let alone type!) nor a Ms Match-It...those white floor tiles had to go! Alex and I have a rather ethnic and eclectic style, so we knew what we needed and wanted, including polished floor boards. We knew that we needed the warmth of the colour of wood, to go with everything we had. A little bit of research later, we decided on bamboo flooring, as it looks earthy, is more durable than wood, and is eco-friendly (consider killing a forest as opposed to using bamboo, which regrows quickly and is sustainable). I must say, it made all the difference, and was all the "renovating" we required. Over the next few weeks, we moved our stuff in, and on the 22 August we were officially in our new little town house.

James (my nephew) sleeps over

Slowly, slowly we have been adding things, and fixing things to our liking. I believe that creating an environment that you love and feel comfortable in is an organic process. It might be "finished" in a month, in a year, or never...it's that organic process I was speaking about! Slowly, slowly we have also been inviting different groups over for dinner, who in the past have had us over. It's a lovely feeling to be able to repay the favour, so to speak. Having said that, we still have not got around to everyone...slowly, slowly.

Amongst all of this, I also resigned from my job only days before we moved into our place. Essentially, it's something that I needed to do, in order to be true to myself, my values and what I feel I am worth. Everything happens for a reason and so now I am again on the hunt for a new job.

Carn' the Pies...Fuzz and Gazza in the centre

Alex's birthday was on August 10th and we had a small gathering with friends and family at Dad's house. It was also Fulvio, my brother's, birthday on the 26th September, and as all good Aussies would know this is virtually like an Australia Day for us...the football (well Aussie footy anyway!) Grand Final. So Fuzz, as Fulvio is also known, threw a combined birthday/footy bash at his place...lots of laughing and lots of screaming. And I must say, that even I (who doesn't follow footy at all) was getting into the spirit.

Ombi with Mali (L) and sister Teah

My birthday was on the 14th October, and we decided to have a dual celebration, combining my birthday with our housewarming. Due to the multitude of friends that we have we decided on an open-house style affair, which was held on the 16th October. The time was listed as "anywhere between midday and 8.00pm", as we wanted the opportunity to be able to chat to everyone. The weather was supposed to be shocking, with both rain and hail predicted (thanks Melbourne). Luckily, apart from a morning shower, the weather held out, so all of the kids were able to run around and play outside. About 60 people came over the course of the day, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The last guests didn't leave until after midnight, and although it had been a long day, it had also been an enjoyable one. My aim had been accomplished, and I was able to speak to everyone. Thank you to all of you who came - you are all a special part of mine and Alex's lives.

With Rozzie and Ida

I had another guest over for my birthday - my friend Rozzie from Cairns. She was coming down for her grandmother's 100th birthday. Pretty fine effort, I might say! I went to pick her up the morning before my birthday. It was great to see her again, as the last time had been in Melbourne, almost two years ago. Rozzie only had a week and had to divide her time amongst a few people here, but we still managed some quality time together. On her first night here, we got Ida over for dinner. Many of you would recall that I worked with people with disabilities for many years and Ida was one of the residents. We still stay in touch. Some 10 years ago, however, on one of Rozzie's trips to Melbourne, she met Ida and Ida has never forgotten her. In fact, whenever I speak to Ida, the three people she always asks me about are my Dad, Alex and Rozzie. Why does she ask about them? Quite simply because each of them have shown her, over the years, that they care. At the end of the day, what one is remembered for is whether they were kind or not, not whether they owned a mansion in Toorak or not! Ida, thanks for being a gentle reminder as to what is and is not important in life!

With our family at our housewarming

My friend Bec also came down to Melbourne in August for our friend Vickie's birthday. It's always great to catch up with you too Bec. Bec's from Canberra but is now living in Brisbane. Way back in 1999, I met Bec in Bolivia (a couple of months before I met Alex), and then the two of us met some months later on to cruise the length of the Amazon River, from Iquitos in Peru to Belen in Brazil. There's a whooooooooole other story that goes with this tale! Remember our Hawaii 5-0 moment Becs? We would eventually end up in Porto de Galhinas, where we met Rozzie. Now that was a beach to die for! And coming from an Aussie, that's saying something!

Rita, Harry (her father in law) and moi!

My friend Rita, who lives in Dubai with her husband Graham, and two young boys, Sam and Darcy, have also been here a few times this year, and are actually here right now (late October). Rita is effectively my sister, and I became the 4th adopted Garcia girl a very long time ago now. When Reet's around, I make the effort to see her as often as I can.

Wow, it has taken me a couple of days of "full-time writing" to get up to speed on my blog, but I think I have managed it. I can't beleive that we are breathing down the neck of Christmas now. In true Ombi and Alex style, we have booked a trip to Thailand...where we will spend Christmas and the New Year.

Ombi

Dedication: For my "sister" Rita. You have been there for me though the highs and the lows, and through thick and thin. You have never judged me and always supported me. Thank you for your constant love and support. You are one in a billion and you know that I am always here for you, as you have been and continue to be for me. Our friendship is eternal.

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are" - John Wooden (I think this aptly sums real friends and friendships).

Yuko and Yuji give the tram a go!

Ombi with 'special friend' Judy Genge

With the love of my life at Sorrento Beach

On the beach...

At a festival in Hurstbridge with friend SAndra

Yuji chills at Dad's place

Special friends forever

Happy Birthday Ben! (my spunky godson)

L to R: Lola, Sonya, Anne, Joan and Alex...dinner at our place

Dad and Aunty Lori

With Michelle and Steve at the housewarming

SAndra, Dad and Alex work on restoring the table for our new home

With Yuji and Yuko at Dad's

With my cousins Carol and Glenn and Carol's daughter Caitlin

Last but not least, Penang

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:43:00 +0000

Inside a Penang temple

Where was I? Oh yes, we were flying to Penang at some ungodly hour, and were hoping to rock up at the Oriental Hotel in its capital Georgetown, and find a spare room or two. We arrived in Penang, picked up our luggage and caught a taxi to the Oriental Hotel. We got out of the cab, paid the taxi driver and looked at the hotel. It definitely looked dodgy brothers, but hey, it was after 2.00am, and how bad could it be...all we needed was a few hours sleep and then we could move, right? Geez, we missed the signs again, the warning bells should have been louder than tinnitus, but no, it was late, and clearly desperation had taken a grip, a firm grip! We walked in and organised and paid for a room to stay in; I have to say, none of us were feeling warm and fuzzy about any of this! Time was a tickin'...in the lift we go, and reach our floor. The corridor felt like a fridge and our room like a freezer. Add to that that it didn't pass the Ombi "clean test" ( I admit to being anal about cleanliness)...we all looked at each other, and shook our heads! We all thought it, I verbalised it, "No way! Let's get outta here!" As we made our way back to the lift, we noticed a few women being followed by some dodgy brothers kind of guys. I got the veeery distinct impression that they had not all gotten up simultaneously to go to the loo! Couldn't make a booking we had been told...it all seemed to be falling into place now. Back downstairs in a heartbeat, we asked for a refund, telling the guy that it just wasn't "our kinda room". He looked a little baffled (not quite sure WHAT he thought the three of us had planned to do/ done in that room!!) and said that once the room was checked that we could have our money back! The three of us were equally as baffled as we did not know what we COULD have done in that room in what amounted to a nano-second. We literally flew out of there! Suddenly, we did not feel so bad that we had nowhere to sleep, despite the fact that it was almost 3.00am!

An interesting way to dry clothes - Penang

Where would we go? We saw a place across the road called Banana Guesthouse. Alex and Linda waited whilst I went and checked it out. It was clean, safe, un-sleazy and the guy who opened the door was very helpful. In no time at all, we were in bed, fast asleep. Needless to say, we did not get up, or off, to an eight o'clock start. I was the first one up, however, and went for a bit of an exploratory walk. I also found another Banana Guest House (owned by the same people), a little closer to the action, so to speak, so later that morning we all moved across and settled in. We would stay there for the remainder of our time in Penang.

Candle burning inside a Penang temple

Georgetown is Penang's historical capital; it's interesting, exciting and eclectic, all rolled into one. It's where cultures meet and merge. It's where you can find Chinese food on one side of the street and Indian on the other (a bit like Melbourne, hey!) It's where, if you take the time to explore its nooks and crannies, you can find some veritable treasures. And.....it has truly wonderful food...much to Alex's delight! As per usual, some of the best food was the street food!

We did lots in those few days (just ask Linda), and whilst the idea of relaxing always seems appealing to me, when I find myself thrown into a different atmosphere and culture, my desire to "suck in" as much information as I can is voracious, and I end up leaving the place, more tired than I arrived there. This is exactly what happened in Penang. We mixed historical sight-seeing with shopping with eating in a manner that even I thought was impressive.

Fort Cornwallis - Penang

Penang's highlights are indeed many. Penang (this is often used interchangeably with Georgetown) has one of the greatest concentrations of colonial architecture in Asia. Fort Cornwallis, on the waterfront, provided us with a great starting point for exploration of the colonial area. It was very hot the entire time that we were there, so we kept ourselves hydrated with lots of water. We checked out China Town and Little India; in the latter Linda and I gave Alex some "breathing space" (read - saved him from torture!) and wandered around doing some shopping. Yes, me, shopping! I may not be the shopping centre kind of gal, but when it comes to shopping in other countries, where I can purchase unusual or different things, I am in!

As a bit of an aside...this is what I am NOT into: shopping overseas for cheap, fake, designer stuff! The reason I don't buy it or pay full-price here in Australia has nothing to do with the monetary value, and everything to do with the fact that I categorically refuse to pay some exorbitant fee because someone, somewhere has deemed that brand "in". So, why would I buy it if it was cheap? So that people back in Australia think that I have an original Gucci and think I am (A) "cool" or (B) well-off enough to afford it? No, no, no! OK, stepping down off my soap box now...

Food, food and more food!

Batu Ferringhi, or Foreigner's Rock, is only 14 kilometres away from the centre of Georgetown, and is effectively the town's resort area. Indeed it could be Surfer's Paradise, and based on this, I was not keen to stay there. Having said that, we did go to its famous night market, which actually had some beautiful wares from many parts of Asia, including Thailand and Vietnam. I love markets - they are always a great place to people watch. Like the rest of Penang, it also had great food.

Coming to Penang and not trying the multitude of different food available is like going to India and not visiting the Taj Mahal. There are some things
that one just has to do! One of the most famous
dishes is Asam Laksa, or Penang Laksa. Whilst I normally love laksa, this variety was a bit too fishy for me. One of my favourites was Char Koay Teow, which means "stir-fried rice cake strips", and is one of Penang's most popular hawker dishes. And the list goes on...Hokkien Mee, Ice Kacang, Cendol, Curry Mee, Mee Goreng...look some of these up, and tantalise your taste buds.

Traditional food - Penang

At the Rainforest Festival, Alex had shared a room with a Malaysian called Azahar. What a great (and intelligent!) man. Whilst he works in Sarawak, his family live in Georgetown, and he was going to be there for a few days, right when

Fantastic Indian food - thanks Azahar!

we were. We swapped numbers and he told us that he would give us a "local's tour" of Georgetown for a day. And that is exactly what he did! He picked us all up one morning and took us places, and showed us things that a tourist would normally never have seen. We also got to go to his mum's place and meet his mum, and nephew. He drove us around and showed us places, giving us an insight to how the locals live, and he got us to try food and drinks from local spots/ markets that we normally would not have thought to try. I tried a drink that was made from some type of cane sugar, and was truly delicious. We also went across the bridge to Butterworth, and came back (in the car) on the ferry, just for a different view. At some point we stopped at an Indian roadside restaurant...Azahar ordered and we ate! The food was super-cheap and so extremely tasty. We had roti with a range of topping and sauces; probably one of the best meals we had in Malaysia! And before we knew it, we were back in Georgetown. Azahar had given us a taste of the real Penang, in more ways than one!

Pinang Peranakan Mansion - Penang

Our trip was slowly coming to an end, and we only had one more day to go. We'd all hit the wall! In an attempt for our last cultural fix, we thought we'd visit the Pinang Peranakan Mansion; this mansion depicts a typical home of a rich Baba (descendants of 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants of more than a hundred years ago). Whilst it was very interesting, we were all struggling to give it the time it deserved. Linda and I sat down on some chairs inside, and it was then that I realised that I was at the end of my battery life -not even water and food seemed to be saving me. With this, we all decided to walk home. We managed it, but I must say (in my case) just! It was only mid-afternoon; I had a shower to freshen up, and went to bed for a "short" nap. As Alex often says to me , "When you shut-up, you shut down". That about sums it up! I'd even used the reserve fuel in my tank, and my body needed to replenish.

The best food is nearly always street food

Upon waking up, we got Linda, and went for our last street-food experience. We did not have to go far as there were a multitude of places and all very close to our hotel. Linda and Alex then had their last local beer, again close by. Wow, our trip had come to an end...well not quite, we still had to pack, and fly home, but that was only hours away. We had all had such a good time, and Malaysia and Borneo had provided us all with lots of new experiences, cultural exchanges and friendships. This is my passion, and this is my joy!

Does returning home merit writing about? Back at the hotel, we slept for a few hours, woke up, caught a taxi to the airport and flew to Kuala Lumpur, before changing flights and flying onto Melbourne. Again, it was an uneventful flight, in as far as all went well. My Dad (who we fondly refer to as Mr Doo Bee, Doobie, or Doobs...long story) was there, as always, to pick us up. How many airport runs have you done in your life Dad? And as you know, I am as grateful as ever.

Another trip down, and a plethora more to go! Where to next?

(NOTE: 2010 proved to be a very busy year; as I write this it's mid January 2011, and in actual fact Alex and I have just come back from two weeks in Thailand).

Ombi

Dedication: This one is for you Azahar. Thanks for taking Alex, Linda and I out for a day, and showing us the 'real' Penang. These memories will live with us forever. You are an open-hearted and open-minded individual; such admirable traits which so few seem to have. We hope that one day we can offer you the same hospitality in our country, Australia. Terima kasih!

"Let us be grateful to those people who make us happy...they are charming gardeners who make our souls blossom" - Proust (on a card that Alex bought me for my birthday recently)

Chinese quarter - Penang

We have the world in our hands!

Taken inside a Chinese temple???

Indian quarter - Penang

Indian food - Azahar's pick

Colonial houses as seen all over Penang

Colourful Chinese lanterns - Penang

Now THIS is what I call food!

A Penang local

Borneo and the Sarawak Rainforest Music Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:03:00 +0000

The famous orang-utans of Borneo.

Borneo! For me it has always conjured up images of the wild man of Borneo, headhunters and orangutans. Having said that, I must say that prior to this trip I did not really know much about this place. Borneo is actually the third largest country in the world, lies north of Australia and is administratively made up of three countries, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Indonesia. Sabah and Sarawak are the two Malaysian states and Kalimantan is the Indonesian one. Confused? So was I! Spending a bit of time there, however, helped me to wrap my head around it. Borneo proved to be an exciting as well as interesting place, and we didn't spend nearly enough time there. This is definitely a place that I would like to come back to and explore.

Nothin' like a good foot massage - Miri.

Whilst our destination was Kuching, we had to fly from Miri. Without getting into it, Air Asia does not fly from the capital of Brunei to Kuching, so we had to catch a bus across the border to Miri, which is in Malaysia, and then take a flight to Kuching. Easy, peasy! The bus was leaving early and from the city centre, so we had to get up early and get a taxi from the Empire Hotel to the bus stop. It was an interesting bus ride - although people in the country of Brunei clearly do not live like those in the capital, they clearly aren't poor either. As we crossed over to Malaysia, this clearly changed. Upon reaching Miri, we promptly looked for a place to stay. We bumped into a Malaysian woman who was living in Australia, and she proceeded to tell us that she had a friend who had a guesthouse. In no time at all, she made a phone call, and we were on our way to the guesthouse. It was a good little find; clean, safe and quiet. We were only really here long enough to have a bit of a wander around town and eat some fantastic food (always a good thing!)...oh, and get a brilliant foot massage from some Chinese massage students. THAT was definitely an OMG moment. I have always said that a truly good foot massage is better than a body one. And that was a good foot massage....Linda and Alex were agreeing in unison!

Kuching.

Again, our flight to Kuching proved to be without commotion; it was the place we needed to get to next, before embarking on our stint as Artist Liaison volunteer workers at the Sarawak Rainforest Festival. Whilst all of our accommodation would be paid for and organised by the event organisers, we would be arriving a couple of days before to check the place out. We checked out some accommodation on line (what would we do without the internet...or more to the point, how did we do without it before?), and ended up booking Singgahsana Lodge. It was clean and central - a perfect spot from which to explore the city.

In a temple in Kuching.

Kuching (which means cat in Malay) is very easy to navigate, especially as the main sights (and sites) are on the southbank of the Sungai Sarawak, or Sarawak River. A decent dose of fitness and some decent walking shoes is all you need to explore. Oh, and water...lots of it, as it gets mighty hot, especially by mid afternoon. We thoroughly enjoyed this place, walking around, trying different foods, sampling the local beer (Alex and Linda!), going to and through markets, visiting different sites and museums. It truly is the kind of place you can just wander around in, and see where you end up. The southbank of the Sarawak River has been really tastefully developed, with a one kilometre stretch of paved walkway, lawns and flowerbeds.

The 'ferry' between the two banks of the river in Kuching.

It's also an excellent place to people-watch, both foreigners and locals alike, which is actually one of my favourite pastimes. One afternoon, as we watched and observed, Alex and I decided to take the short boat ride across the river and do some exploring where few tourists venture. Again, it was great to weave in and out of areas that gave us an insight to how people really live. Whilst not destitute, the people here certainly were not living the high life. When I travel (it's a personal thing) I think it's important, if not imperative, to see how the locals really live. I know that this can often be both daunting and uncomfortable, but for me this is the solar plexus of travel.

I must say...the rambutans were good!

Food. Did we eat, or did we eat? Of course we ate, trying many different things, from hawker-style fare, through to the famous Kuching laksa (which left me relatively unimpressed, and I tried it on a couple of occasions) and the various noodle and rice dishes on offer. Whilst Kuching is supposed to have the best selection of food in Borneo, it was no comparison to Penang (more on that later). Generally, however, I mostly did like the food.

Swinging around!

There was quite a bit to see and do in the City of Cats, and I think we managed to pack a fairly mean punch in a couple of days. We visited the Main Bazaar, smack bang in the middle of town, on a couple of occasions - if retail therapy is what one has come for , this is utopia! It's the oldest street in Kuching, dating back to 1964, and is lined with old shops. Despite the throes of people trying to hunt down a bargain (its veneer), it represents the very heart of Kuching's history (it's soul). Again, it's a great place to buy and an even better one to observe people.

How can one come to Borneo and not see the orangutans? We did our homework, and found out that we could go to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Established in 1975 for the rehabilitation of confiscated and surrendered animals, it's only 20 kilometres away from the centre of Kuching. Too easy, we caught a bus out there one morning, in order to get there for when they are being fed (they're fed twice a day, which is really the best time to see them in action). It's said that 20 of Borneo's great orang-utans (which means people of the forest, by the way) live there and although there isn't sufficient natural forest in the surrounding area to make actual reintroduction possible, it's still a wonderful way to see our relatives interacting with each other. Shy, cheeky, jokesters, wanting to be the centre of attention...they are all of these things, and watching them was fascinating!

One of the houses we saw walking around Kuching.

Our exploratory walks took us though China Street, India Street as well as a multitude of temples and museums. Whilst we saw a lot there is also only so much that one can humanely do. We certainly gave it our best shot! The time had come...we checked out of Singghasana Lodge, and made our way to the Santubong Resort, where all of the artists, media personnel and volunteers participating in the Rainforest World Music Festival 2010 would be staying. The festival would run from the 9th until the 11th of July, but we had to be at the hotel a day earlier in order to get ourselves organised. As soon as we got there, we introduced ourselves to Peggy Wong, who was the Festival Co-Director and the person we had been liaising with for months, who promptly gave us our Welcome Packs, including everything we needed to know as well as festival t-shirts. She then helped us organise the keys to our rooms. Women and men were to have separate quarters, and I would be sharing with Linda and one other person. The whole resort/ hotel was abuzz with activity...artists arriving from all over the world, everybody trying to get organised, media floating around, people translating. It had a good vibe; seemed like it was going to be lots of fun!

L to R: With I Beddi (Davide, PierPaolo, Giampaolo, Mimi).

The very talented men from Galandun Galundaina.

Our room was clean, comfortable and very big. We dumped our stuff inside and relaxed briefly, before getting ready. There would be a series of buses to take us all back into the centre of Kuching, where we would all attend the launching ceremony and Welcome Dinner at the Sarawak Tourism Complex (on the site of the Old Courthouse Complex). The next few days proved to be lots of fun but pretty full on too. As far as ceremonies go, it was fairly stock-standard: Tourism Minister comes really, really late, everyone hangs around starving and wanting to go and eat, speeches made, everyone runs out to buffet and starts eating and socialising. Some things are the same in every country! There was also a little taste of what was to come, with a brief performance by Portugese band, Galandun Galundaina. Alex had been assigned this group, who all spoke excellent Spanish. A great group of guys. I also got to meet my band, a group of four guys from Italy, called I Beddi (or the beautiful ones). They play traditional folk/ acoustic music from Sicily. Four lovelier guys, I could not have met - they all proved to be gentlemen! Luckily for Linda, she did not get to meet her band, Novalima from Peru, until the next day. They proved to be difficult to deal with, rude, arrogant, wanna-be rock stars whose music, quite frankly, was not a slice above average (chichera meets house rock! In house joke! He, he!) The one saving grace for that group was the excellent guitar work of the talented and polite Yuri Juarez, who was actually standing in for the group guitarist who couldn't make it.

Giampaolo playing the harmonica.

The actual festival itself was held at the Sarawak Cultural Village, which is effectively a living museum, showcasing the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak. This includes replicas of their dwellings amidst 14 acres of tropical vegetation. Once a year, however, this massive space becomes a massive stage (or two or three) and is attended by people from all over the world, who come to participate in an event that is most aptly described as culturally enlightening. During the three day event people are treated to a multitude of workshops and, at night, a series of concerts. The entire village is abuzz with excitement, activity and sounds. Everything from local bands from Borneo to a groups from as afar as Africa; there is something for everyone. It was sometimes hot, sometimes muggy, sometimes wet, but always fun! Market stall holders, mixed with henna tattoo artists; photographers mixed with volunteers, it was terrific. We all made lots of good friends here.

Dressed up in traditional clothes at the festival.

Different volunteers did different things, but our role, as artist liaison, was to make sure that our group was where they had to be on time as well as translating, if there was the need. The three days flew by, as we mixed helping with watching concerts and performances where we could. All of our meals were included, and we were given coupons for buffet lunches and dinners. On two of the three nights it rained so hard that I thought that the entire village was going to slide away, but rain or no rain, people were out there jammin' (and getting drenched) to the groove.

Ombi, Alex and Linda with I Beddi, from Sicily!

Time off? Yeh, there was some of that. I did not get to see lots of either Alex or Linda during these days, as we were all off doing stuff with our own band, but when I did have time off, I was hanging with the boys from my band, Davide, Mimi, Giampaolo and Pier Paolo. I truly hit the jackpot with these guys - they were talented, intelligent, interesting, fun, and included me in everything. We hit the pool together a few times, and chatted whilst swimming and sun-baking (probably my other addiction apart from travelling).

Many of the artists jamming at the hotel.

Apart from the festival itself, on many nights, members from the various bands would come back and jam at the hotel, staying up until the early hours of the morning - this had a totally different vibe from the festival, as it was more intimate. Having said that, there were some huge egos amongst some of those performers...

And just as it had begun, it was time for it to end. The day after the last day of the festival was again a day full of activity, as the various performers, photographers, volunteers etc packed up and left, one by one, group by group, and person by person. We stayed until one of the last buses took a group of performers to the airport (so we could hitch a ride). When the Italian group left, we were all crying - a real friendship had been forged between the five of us. They all looked out of the bus window, and I waited outside waving, with them waving back. When the bus finally took off, I ran waving after it with tears in my eyes. I will see those guys again! I told them that!

Some of the performers.

Before we knew it, we were on an Air Asia flight to Penang. Well, that is actually a lie! The flight arrival time was changed something like four times in the space of the few hours whilst we were at the airport waiting to board the original flight. We were already meant to be arriving late enough, but ended up doing so after midnight. We frantically combed the internet for accommodation, as rocking up in central Penang at 2.00am looking for a place to stay did not seem at all appealing to any of us! The hotels were either booked up, too far out, too expensive or too something else! We finally found a place, right in the centre, called the Oriental Hotel. It looked OK on-line and so we called up to make a booking. We were told that whilst no bookings were accepted (we should have heard the warning bells then!), that we should just rock up on arrival, and that space shouldn't be a problem. Couldn't be that bad, or could it? Desperate people do desperate things!

Ombi

What am I reading?

Pandemonium - How globalization and trade are putting the world at risk by Andrew Nikiforuk

Dedication: I want to dedicate this blog to the four beautiful ones from I Beddi: Davide, Mimi, Giampaolo and PierPaolo. You were an absolute pleasure to be around and I will always remember you fondly. Davide, you made me laugh so much; Mimi, tranquil, down to earth and with amazing insight; Pier Paolo, I loved our discussions on the meaning of life; and Giampaolo, so sweet...it was with such warmth and integrity that you would show me with love the pictures of your children. You all hold a special place in my heart, and I know that I will see you all again some day.

Dedicazione: Voglio dedicare questo blog ai quattro "belli" del gruppo, I Beddi: Davide, Mimi, Pier Paolo e Giampaolo. Eravate un piacere di avere intorno e vi ricordero' sempre con molto simpatia. Davide, mi hai fatto ridere tanto (diciamo, che mi hai fatto pisciare sotto); Mimi, tranquillo, molto alla mano e con tanta perspicacia; Pier Paolo, mi hanno piaciuto i nostri discorsi a riguardo il significato della vita; e Giampaolo, cosi dolce...era con tanto calore e integrita che mi mostravi con amore le fotografie dei tuoi bambini. Ognuno di voi avete un posto speciale nel mio cuore, e lo so che un giorno ci rivedremo.

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies" - Aristotle.

A couple looking over the bridge - Kuching.

Closing night, with Giampaolo and PierPaolo (I Beddi).

Traditional painting, Borneo.

With Peggy, Randy and I Beddi.

Closing ceremony 'mud slide'; infront of stage, in the pouring rain!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's overseas we go...Brunei Darussalam

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 22:00:00 +0000

Outside Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

C'mon, give me a break...it was ABSOLUTELY time for another trip! Hey, we didn't go anywhere last Christmas, and we'd been to Ecuador way back in mid-1999, so we were about due. To be fair, we'd already booked this trip to Malaysia with our friend Linda back in September 2009. Keen, hey! What can I say...if you can't physically travel immediately, the next best thing has got to be making the booking! OK, OK, I don't even try and hide it anymore...I'm a travel junkie!

Held in Sarawak, Borneo

Linda had told us about the Sarawak Rainforest World Music Festival (this is the 2010 event link, but here is the one for the upcoming event in 2011) in Borneo, and it all sounded very exciting to Alex and I. The Rainforest World Music Festival is a unique festival that brings together renowned world musicians from all continents as well as indigenous musicians from the island of Borneo. It has been going for approximately eight years and its success has largely been due to all of the volunteers, both international as well as local, who freely give up their time to help out. Linda asked Alex and I if we would be interested to volunteer...HELL YEH!!! That took hardly any convincing at all; Linda showed us the web site (she also has lots of contacts there, and the Andean band she manages in Australia, Inka Marka, have played there before)...and we were immediately sold! Linda then proceeded to use her contacts, and in no time at all, it was official...Alex and I would be volunteers! It was an easy sell - whilst I had been to Malaysia, I had never been to Borneo (part of which is Malaysia), and Alex had never been to either. Of course I am always up for a new country and a new experience.

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque & Royal Barge

Linda also mentioned Brunei and the Empire Hotel and Country Club...Where?...What? The Sultanate of Brunei is a tiny Muslim country nestled between Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, and the Empire Hotel and Country Club is its 5 star hotel centrepiece. Whilst I have never had a huge desire to travel to Brunei, we decided to go there, as we were already going to be so very close. Staying in a 5 star plus hotel? Linda had been there before with her band (Inka Marka), and said it was worth the splurge. With some really decent on-line deals, we decided to "OTT" (over the top) it, and act like royalty, well at least sultans, for a day...or two.

This speaks for itself!

Good ol' Air Asia. Flying ain't what it used to be! Once we booked our Melbourne - Kuala Lumpur return tickets, we were able to get our internal tickets quite cheaply, which allowed us to see a fair bit of Malaysia (Sarawak in Borneo and Penang on the mainland) and Brunei in just two weeks. As usual, we packed a lot in. Cheap sometimes comes at a cost, however, with Air Asia changing the internal flight times so often that we lost count. It's all good if there is no urgency to be at a certain place at a certain time, but if you have a tight deadline, I would definitely recommend another carrier.

This sure beats vegemite!

Linda drove to our place, where she left her car, and Dad drove us all to the airport. We had pre-flight drinks (coffee!) and then boarded the plane. We'd done our homework - food isn't free on these flights, so we came armed with sandwiches wrapped in foil and a host of other delectables which would hopefully keep our taste buds happy. I reminisced about my primary school days where the "wogs" would try and hide the foil and want to spear their parents for giving them salami or prosciutto in continental bread rolls...if they were lucky they could swap with one of the Aussie kids and score a vegemite sandwich (sliced, doughy, white bread). I laughed out loud..these days, WHO would swap salami in a continental bread roll for vegemite in tip-top bread? Multicultural Australia...we sure have come a way!

The flight was good, no problems at all. Once we arrived in KL, we had to wait a few hours before flying on to Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), the capital of Brunei (whose official name is actually the State of Brunei Darussalam). Linda had her lap top with her, so we filled in our time by sitting in a cafe, and sipping on coffee (as you do), whilst using the free wireless provided. You can never have too much coffee, or wireless internet access for that matter! Soon back on a plane, we were on our way to Brunei.

The Empire Hotel...no luxury spared.

We arrived in BSB late in the afternoon, and promptly caught a taxi out to the Empire Hotel and Country Club. I had seen their web site and read up on it, but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see. OMG...OTT!!! Translation - Oh My God...Over The Top! The Lonely Planet Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei guide got the description down pat - "Imagine a zillion-tonne hunk of Italian marble dipped in gold and tossed into the rainforest - you've just picked the fanciful Empire Hotel and Country Club". Couldn't have described it better myself! We entered the grandiose gates, passed a lot of highly manicured lawns, the entrance to the golf course, the quote, health club, unquote (health club I said, NOT gym!)...and then were left outside the grandiose doors of the hotel. And there the three of us stood, looking very much the backpackers. What can I say? Oil and water? Never the twain shall meet, or mix at least. I felt like I had been dumped outside Buckingham Palace in my bikinis!

Beachfront view from the Empire Hotel

Once inside I couldn't help but be overawed by the opulence (our three day stay here would provide me with many more OMG moments!) of the place, but decided that, hey I was here, so just enjoy it. As the saying goes...if you can't beat 'em...join 'em! We were promptly taken to our ocean front room s, and I must say they were luxurious indeed. The hotel really did have it all...various swimming pools, ocean access, various restaurants, massage, spa...just to name a few things. It truly was a city within a city. The only downfall was that it was far enough from the city centre to make taking taxis in and out rather expensive, and buses were quite infrequent (A) because the number of cars per person in this small country is astounding and (B), which is actually a result of (A), public transport is scarce and infrequent.

On the Empire Hotel: It was built in the 90s on the same scale as a Las Vegas Casino, and was commissioned by Price Jefri, originally as lodging for the royal family (talk about putting a new spin on private accommodation!). Construction costs were estimated at US $1.1 billion, and the property was quickly transformed into an upscale resort to recover some of the construction costs...word has it that this will never actually happen! Amongst many other things, the hotel boasts two camel-shaped lamps made from pure Baccarat crystal, topped with solid gold...they cost a mere US half a million each! Now that is extravagance!

Linda and Ombi - wining & dining at the Empire Hotel

Apart from soaking in the many outdoor pools, we actually had a lovely time in Brunei, spending a bit of time in the city centre, and checking out some sights. Whilst Muslim, it is not as conservative as many of its middle eastern cousins. Having said that, it is always both polite and courteous to observe the dress code of those around you. When in Rome, do as the Romans. We were very lucky to get a personalised tour on our second day, as Linda has a friend who works in Brunei Tourism. Chris Robles met us at the hotel and then spent a day driving us around the main sites, which meant that we got to see quite a bit, including the main sites. Without a car, for reasons previously

Royal Regalia Museum

explained, this would have been really difficult. Some of the highlights were the Royal Regalia Museum (basically a celebration of the sultan and all the trappings of Bruneian royalty), the Brunei Museum (giving a great overview of the country and its people as well as the brilliant Islamic Art Gallery) and the Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, which was built in 1992 to celebrate the 25th year of the current sultan's reign. The sheer volume of the place was amazing and the myriad of woven rugs scattered across the men's prayer hall astounding. Amongst all of this we stopped for both a buffet lunch and some decent coffee. When Chris dropped us off back at the hotel, we were knackered. We thanked him for his kind hospitality, and made our way to the pools, for a relaxing finish to our day.

Which side of the Yarra d'ya reckon the mosque is on?

Homemade boat & paddles - Kampong River

The next day we made our own way into the city centre and wandered around. We seemed to not only be the only tourists, but the only ones walking around, and I must say, it was pretty hot. That couldn't possibly have been the reason! We visited the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, (built in 1958 at a cost of about US $5 million...then! They don't go by halves in this country!), another very aesthetically pleasing monument. Alex and I also walked around Kampong Ayer. Right in the centre, this water village is an amazing juxtaposition to the many lavish buildings which surround it. Just minutes away from the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, is a jumble of wooden planks and shacks, considered to be the biggest water village in the world. Housing an estimated 20,000 people, Kampong Ayer is made up of 28 water villages. As we wandered and meandered around the walkways, and on many a broken plank high enough above the water to make the idea of tripping over positively frightening, I couldn't help but be amazed how poverty could reside so close to luxury. I alternated between looking at the rotten planks below me, and then looking out to the city from which I had just walked. What a contrast!

Brunei water-taxi service

It was mid-afternoon and getting rather hot (hmm, well, hotter!) We walked back to the centre, where we met Linda, and then just browsed around, stopping at some shopping centres, as well as refuelling on coffee. I cannot say that the shopping was overly exciting, and we didn't really buy much apart from some food.

Our three nights and four days in Brunei passed in a flash, and before we knew it, we were on a plane flying out to Kuching, where we would be volunteering at the Sarawak Rainforest Music Festival. Whilst I was glad that I had seen Brunei and had seen and done some interesting things, I cannot say that it tops my "5 places to re-visit" list. Interesting enough it's kind of more in the been there, done that category!

Ombi

What am I reading?
The Havana Mob - T.J. English

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less travelled by" - Robert Frost

How people on "the other side" live - Kampong water village

Outside wooden house - Kampong water village

Boy going to school - Kampong water village

Opulence - Empire Hotel & Country Club

Jame'Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

Inti Raymi...Australian Style!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:30:00 +0000

L to R: (Back) Narelle, Jane, Natarsha, Ombi &(front), Linda, Karen & Kirrily

As I tap away, I am acutely aware that we are almost in the month of November, which would not normally be such a big deal, except for the fact that the last time I updated my blog was months ago! I have been meaning to write for weeks, months really, yet that elusive thing called time always seems to somehow, well, elude me! Having said that, I have decided this fine Sunday morning that "the woman on a mission" has a new mission, which is to write a series of blogs that will update you on mine and Alex's comings and goings over the last few months or so!! So, let me get cracking.

Peruvian shaman

In Late June my close group of friends that I fondly refer to as the "South America Contingent" collectively organised an Inti Raymi Party. Inti Raymi, or the "Festival of the Sun" (to be exact, "resurrection of the sun" in the Quechua language) was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire to honour the Incan Sun God, Inti. It also marked the winter solstice and a new year in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere. As a bit of an aside, since 1944 a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at Sacsayhuaman, a sacred site only two kilometres from Cusco, on the 24th June, attracting tourists and visitors from all over the world....I was one of those visitors in 1999, only months before I met Alex. The energy was intoxicating, and it is a memory that will always remain in my heart and soul.

Linda beating to the rhythm of the drum

Meanwhile, back in Australia...our dear friend Linda, aka "Ms South America Melbourne", was involved in the organisation of this event in Melbourne (one of many), with a contingent of mostly Andean, and to be specific, Peruvian friends. It was an invitation only event, to be hosted at the home of our also dear friends, Mick and Claudia Benham. Let me tell you, that night it was definitely the Rain god and not the Sun god that was present, as there was an alluvial downpour to rival all downpours. The backyard would have made a brilliant mud-wrestling pit, but alack and alas, the ceremony went on, rain, mud, slush and all!

Mud-fest at Inti Raymi

Despite the rain, a great time was had by all, as most of the attendees have some connection to South America, the Andes or its people. We were all asked to bring along a plate to share, but before we all got stuck into the food, a shaman took us through the ritualistic part of the ceremony. This ceremony transported me back to Peru, or even to outside the churches of Chichicastenango in Guatemala...a world where cultures, traditions and religions are mixed. In moments such as these, I desperately want to be anywhere but Australia, as I long for that deep-rooted culture and tradition that I find so lacking here. I suppose yearning is the word. My physical body lives in Australia, but my heart and soul are constantly travelling the world - neither seems to want to settle in Australia!

Shaman conducting Inti Raymi ceremony

Despite the continual rain (the Rain god was NOT going to give in!), we danced to Andean music and conversed with our peers. Unbenownst to others, I was floating in and out of my own little world....before backpacking through South America and meeting Alex 11 years ago, I knew not a lot about South America, its traditions or its people...but traversing this continent would change my life forever. My travels and experiences there have touched me in the most profoundest of ways. It turned me into a "culture jockey"...ever since, my life has consisted of straddling two cultures!

Shaman making offerings to Inti, the Sun god

Whilst I love Australia, and am proud of being Australian, not a week goes by where I do not yearn for South America. I love the vibrancy and passion of its people, many of whom have nothing, yet have everything...and then I think of my own country...where many people indeed have everything, but who spiritually have nothing. Love, passion, spirituality and few material goods versus a plethora of material goods yet a spiritual void? To "have" or "not to have"...that is the question!

Ombi

Dedication: For South America and its people - you are my second homeland! Thanks for the great love and passion you have instilled in me. Knowing you has changed my life...forever!

What am I reading?
Conversations with Tariq Ali - Speaking of Empire and Resistance, by Tariq Ali and David Barsamian

"Before we work on artificial intelligence, why don't we work on natural stupidity?" - Steve Polyak

The art of being humble!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 09:11:00 +0000

L to R: Dino (my Dad), Ida and Ombi

As part of my work at Inclusive Leisure Victoria (ILV), which does policy and advocacy work around the inclusion of people with a disability in the recreation and sport sectors, I attended a meeting yesterday at YDAS, or Youth Disability Advocacy Service. I know, the acronym is a bit of a clanger, but the work they do is amazing. The first few lines on their home page state:

"The Youth Disability Advocacy Service (YDAS) is raising voices, expanding choices and creating change for young people with disabilities in Victoria, Australia.

YDAS works alongside young people with disabilities between the ages of 12 and 25 to raise awareness of their rights and to support them to achieve what they want."


L to R: Effie (my "Greek mum"), Ombi & Vicky

What was I doing and who attended the meeting? May I begin by saying that Dr George Teleporos, who is the coordinator of YDAS, runs monthly Saturday meetings with a group of young people to discuss a range of issues which may affect them. Last year, before I began work at ILV, my organisation did some work with the YMCA around people with disabilities and positive body image, culminating in some posters which showed a range of people doing exercise that sat a tad outside the size 8, hot body image! YDAS wanted to take this a little further and ask the youth (with disabilities) themselves how THEY want to see youth/ people with disabilities depicted and portrayed! Thus, I was invited to come and speak to "the group", and what a dynamic bunch they were! This is where I have to ensure that I don't sound patronising, but as I walked into the room, surrounded by 15-some people with disabilities ranging from deafness to cerebral palsy, and including a couple of people who couldn't talk, and have to tap out what they want to say on a keyboard, I suddenly felt very overwhelmed, and could feel a lump rising in my throat. I rode that wave, and sat and listened to them talk for a while!

Quite frankly, I was blown away! Blown away by their passion, drive and determination to make a difference! Blown away by their heartfelt desires to try and make a change in a society which is often so very black and white. Some spoke through an Auslan interpreter, others tapped on a keyboard, others spoke very slowly but very deliberately, but ALL made a point and ALL were heard. I sat back and listened to them talk about sexuality and sex, and decision making and caring versus support. I heard various people explain how they were not often seen as sexual beings due to their disability, but how in essence they were just like "everybody else" in their needs and desires. And as I sat there ( I clearly hadn't spoken yet!) I felt a mix of admiration, inspiration and humility! These youths were banding together to chat about issues, in order to change their lives in a positive way, and for the better!

Vicky and Ombi

I have always been very open-minded about disability, especially having worked in the area on and off for most of my working life, as well as having grown up around my "Greek family" and my "sister" Vicky who is in a wheelchair and has cerebral palsy. My family and Vicky's family lived only doors apart, so Vicky was always a part of my world, as was the rest of her family, of course. When I was studying at La Trobe, I also went on to work part time at a few leisure centres where I taught youth from special schools how to swim, and then later I worked for many years in some CRUs (Community Residential Units) as a recreation officer/ carer for people with intellectual disabilities. So, people other than "normal" have always been a part of my world and experiences. They have also helped me think outside the box, which I generally think I am pretty decent at doing anyway. They have taught me an incredible amount, and many have been a huge source of inspiration.

Ombi and Effie

Inspiration...why inspiration? The reasons are many, but I will go back to the group at YDAS yesterday. In the face of adversity, in a world where they are not seen as "normal", they STILL push through the barriers and try and elicit change. Why is this so amazing? Because Mr Joe and Ms Susie Average does no such similar thing. The "Averages" plod along in their lives, with nothing really to worry about, but no real desire to make a change. And these are the very people who usually whinge about their lives! May I remind you that most of us have NOTHING to whinge about! What...you have put on half a kilo? Or, the hairdresser put the wrong shade of red in your hair! Worse still, the shop down the road didn't have the shoes you wanted in your size! It's all about perspective and relativity. I know, but all of this regularly seems banal to me, and was especially so yesterday, when I saw a group of people who despite their "disabilities" were out to make a difference.

Dino, Ida & Alex

What I saw in this group of people yesterday was the ability, not the disability; the desire and drive to make a change and simply have a sit back and "cop it sweet" attitude; I saw what people could do rather than what they couldn't...and I felt very, very, very humbled! These are the people and situations that help shape my life, my world and my dreams! My dreams of a better and more equitable society!

I am often told that I am "too radical", that I can't make a difference, and that other individuals can't either. I will not and can not believe that, and will spend the rest of my life trying to make a difference. In that group yesterday, I saw a bit, well actually a lot, of me...and I felt at home.

Together, we can change the world...although I admit, it's going to take a little more time!

Ombi

Effie, Ombi & Vicky

Dedication: This is for my "sister" Vicky. Thanks for being a part of my world and experiences. I love you lots.

What am I reading?
The Final Call, In search of the true cost of our holidays by Leo Hickman (finished)
The Media We Deserve - David Salter

"We must become the change we want to see" - Mahatma Gandhi

Going, going, gone...the sequel!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:59:00 +0000

Alex and I at Jarrod's 21st, April

You may recall, only a couple of blogs back, another blog entitled, "2009...Going, going...gone!" Well, only a few months on, it's not just 2009 that seems to have gone, but what is soon to become a sizable chunk of our money...as after months and months of searching, Alex and I FINALLY bought a town house! After "seriously" taking up looking from November last year, we found out how truly time -consuming the quest for a home could be, including attending auctions that would go ridiculously and obscenely above the reserve. Weekdays seemed to be spent looking FOR properties, and Saturdays looking AT them, which really didn't leave much time to do much else. The rest of the story will soon follow.

Buddhist Temple at Yuroke

Fed up of house-hunting, I'd read that there was a Buddhist Festival at a Buddhist Temple in Yuroke, just under 30 kilometres away from the CBD. Alex and I went with Linda, and had a really relaxing Sunday afternoon. It was lovely to just stroll around the gardens, breathe some fresh air, look through the market stalls and simply forget about all the things that usually consume our brain space. It truly was just what we all needed!

Matt and Alex at our local Vietnamese restaurant

We'd been trying to catch up forever with our friends Matt and Mae, and their two little cuties, Freya and Nayte, so we organised to go to one of our local Vietnamese haunts in Preston...good food and good company...what more can one ask for! Again, it was lovely to just hang around, take it easy, and catch up on the latest happenings.

Auntie Rina (R) and her friend Concetta (L)

My mum's oldest sister, Rina, lives quite close to both where I live and work, and I try and visit her as often as I can. Auntie Rina is now 88, and I must say that if I look like that at her age, I will be stoked...well...if I make it to her age! I love going to visit, as she always has some story or tale of her life experience to impart. She has had a rather colourful life, but let's face it, with 88 years behind you, there would surely have to be tales to tell! With a life that started near Naples, in Italy, and ended up with her travelling to Australia after the second world war, Auntie Rina has often kept me entertained with her anecdotes. I often feel saddened when I hear of people dismissing the elderly...we have so much to learn from them, and their life experiences are meritable...if people would only realise this. They should be the building blocks of our society, as in essence, and with any luck, we will have learnt from them, making us the people we will one day become. I often look at those who have no respect for their elders, and wonder what their level of respect for themselves, and in general, is!

The three "novias": L to R: Linda, Karen and Ombi

Esther Williams eat your heart out! With Karen at Peninsula Springs in Rye

Before Karen and Jesus had come back from overseas, we decided that we'd have a "novias" weekend away ( girls' weekend away). I must say, Karen, Linda and I had a blast in Sorrento. It was just the girls... eating, chatting, chatting, chatting, chatting, oh, and runs on the beach, going for walks and visiting the Peninsula Hot Springs in Rye. It was an opportunity for us to gas bag to our hearts content, and believe me the three of us have a combined gas bagging prowess that is beyond belief. The boys (Alex and Jesus, Karen's husband), have recently devised a "hands up system" for when the three of us are together, as otherwise it's pandemonium. Did the boys come? The poor fellows wouldn't have got a word in edge wise! Or any wise, for that matter! It was great to be able to take the time out to do this, as the three of us truly are three peas in a pod. Whatever brought us together will now keep us together, as we have formed a friendship and bond which although cliched, can only be described as special!

Congrats Jo! Munching on pizza. L to R: Alex, Jesus, Jo Karen

Speaking of special friendships, you have often heard me chat about our other most special friends, Jo and Richard de Meester (www.thedemeesters.blogspot.com). I want to congratulate you Jo on your new job at Alphington Grammar School. I am sure that they will love you as much there as at every other place you have worked at. Who doesn't love you Jo!? Needless to say, a celebration was in store...so we all lobbed over to the de Meesters and had celebratory pizza.

The Garcias L to R: Sisters Esther and Rita, and mum, Aida

In April, Rita also visited from Dubai. Yes, Rita too is special, but she is more like my sister than a friend. I have known Rita since we met in Year 7 at Santa Maria College in Northcote, and I have since long been the "fourth Garcia sister". Did they adopt me? I adopted myself... a long time ago! Whenever Reet's in town, her mum and dad's house (who I consider my family) becomes my local hangout! And time is never enough. You know how much I love, and miss you Reet! Whilst she was down we also went to visit her father-in-law, Harry, whom I also have grown very fond of. Harry is an articulate and intelligent man, and we have had many an interesting conversation. We talk a lot about books, as it's a shared passion. Most of you know that I am a voracious reader, and culture vulture. The problem is that I never have enough time to read all that I want to...I do give it a pretty good shot though!

L to R: Andrew, Ombi, Alessandra (Anita's daughter) and Anita, at the fundraiser

I may be stepping backwards now, but I think it was in late March that we had a fundraiser for my friend Phil West's foundation, Renew the Spirit, which I help out with from time to time. The organisation helps to heal the hearts of child survivors of war and terrorism. I was the master of ceremonies for the night, which had a Colombian food and dance focus. It was a both a fun and profitable night, and I was also able to catch up with my good friends Andrew and Anita, whom I had not seen in ages.

L to R: (back) Margi, Marion, Fran, moi, Clare, and front, Pauline with Fran's baby Kieran & Mel

April also saw a reunion with my "old mob of mates" from Santa Maria College; Margi, Marion, Clare, Melinda, Frances and Pauline. We all see each other from time to time, but it had been ages since I saw Pauline. Nothing had changed! That same night I had my cousin, Jarrod's, 21st. It was held at the Kew Boathouse...a black tie affair, and with jazz musicians, it was a night enjoyed by all.

Ombi and Dino with Ida

Most of you would also recall that I worked for years at an organisation called CAST (Community Accommodation Support Team), which is now called Northern Support Services, looking after people with an intellectual disability. I am still in touch with many of them, especially with Ida, who I still have over for coffee or dinner. We recently had her over for bowl of pasta, which she loves!


L to R: Ombi, Rosie, Bel, Tara, Emma and Em

Another reunion, of a different kind in May...with Bel of Mundo Maya, and some of the other girls I met through the Cuban Dance Academy, when I was going to salsa classes a few years back. Well, I actually met Em in Ecuador...but that is another long story! (read: not now, or add on a few more paragraphs!) Rosie and I co-compered Cubamemucho in September last year...we had a good laugh then, and we had a good laugh on our catch up. It was actually a great night, with laughter abounding!

The wild men of Borneo, aka (L to R) Alex, Mick and Jesus

Finally it was Easter, once again! Hadn't we just had Christmas!? Alex and I once again (last year was our first time) went camping near Glenrowan. Latin Camping Abancay has been going for more than 25 years now, and it basically consists of a bunch (quite a big bunch!) of both Latinos and their family and friends. It's a few fun filled days of camping on Freddy's land, whilst spending the days chilling out and the nights entertained by Latin bands, music and shows. I am not sure who provided the better entertainment...the entertainers or the entertained! Mick Benham, you are a crack up, and personally you get my vote as "Entertainer of the Weekend"! Our group was a bit of a United Nations. Not only did we have a number of people from various Latin American countries, but we also had a mix of other nationalities from

Master Chef Matt with apprentices, L to R: Sophie, Kasha & Freya

Malaysian, to New Zealand. Matt (originally from New Zealand) proved to us in his second year running that not only is the host with the most, but the chef with the best! Your food rocks Matt! This weekend away was yet ANOTHER opportunity for the girls to gas bag shamelessly!

Going, going, gone!

Back to going, going, gone... on the 9th April we attended...yet another auction! I had been to the gym (yep, still go regularly) in the morning, followed by two open house inspections and a visit to Rita at her parents' house. We still had "the auction" to go to, but besides throwing my cheque book in my bag, I had low, if no expectations, and wasn't really holding much hope. As I mentioned prior, watching houses go way above their reserve had been quite normal in recent months. I nonchalantly placed a few random bids, and to our surprise, after placing a bid that for us was definitely going to be as high as we would go...we won! I was stunned and gob-smacked! I know that it's hard to believe, but YES, me, gob-smacked! As I stood there in my gym shorts, and looking totally dishevelled (who had a shower...I was only about to view yet ANOTHER auction which we would have no hope of winning, right?), it started to sink in...we were now home owners! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went into the house where we proceeded to sign the contract, and even meet the owner. Now, all the "stuff" (paperwork, looking for a mortgage etc) that goes with buying a new house is a (continuing) chapter unto itself! Are we excited that we have a new house? yes, but...much more excited that we do not have to look for one anymore!

Hasta la vista...babies! With Amanda and Al

Amanda and Al's farewell...yes, the "little girl next door" and her boyfriend Al (Alister) are off around the world for ten months or so. I remember when the Leveridges moved in next door and Amanda was a cute little six month old baby...she is still cute, but now she's in her early twenties, and about to do something that is very close to my heart...travel. Am I jealous...of course I am...I always am when others travel...in a good way, of course! Lizzie and Gary (her parents) had a little get together next door. It was a fun night. I kept looking at both Al and Amanda and thinking about how much this trip is about to change their lives. They are both forward and progressive thinkers, and I know that this will shape who they are about to become! I will be following you all the way guys!

Ombi

Dedication: First of all to my beautiful "sister" Rita; thanks for being a special and wonderful part of my life. I will always be here for you, as you have been for me! Secondly, to Amanda and Al: May you be safe and protected on every step of your journey. I will be with you every step of the way. I am so proud of both of you! Alex and I are here whenever and however you need us!

What am I reading?
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga (just read)
Adams vs. God, The Rematch by Phillip Adams (just read)
The Final Call, In search of the true cost of our holidays by Leo Hickman (currently reading)

Having a gelato at Fritz, with James (L) and Ben.

Maccas = crap. It's a bit like 2 + 2 = 4!!!

Those dancing feet (Latin camping) belong to Mick and Jesus! Guess whose are whose!

Este es para mi cunada Karen en Ecuador: Estoy baillando con mi amiga Karen en el camping Latino...Que Verch!!!

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends" - Maya Angelou

Me and my spunk!

Ombi and some hot Mamita Rica! aka Jesus

Jarrod's 21st.; Jarrod with "Nonna", Uncle Dino and Ombi

Summarise, shmumarise!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:43:00 +0000

Can someone PLEASE tell me how we got to the 8th March 2010? I've missed something, haven't I? There's another way...there HAS to be another way for time to have gone by this quickly! Somebody, somewhere, is not telling me something! What's happening? I have been saying for weeks that I need to write another blog, that I need to update what has been happening, and as I read the last blog (posted in the first days of this year), I also noticed my promise to write more in the new year, otherwise it would be too difficult to summarise. Well, summarise, shmumerise, here I am nearly 10 weeks down the track, and yes, I will have to summarise!

Labour Day! Yes, it's taken a public holiday for me to be able to "find the time" to sit down and tap away, but thus far, it's been quite an eventful year, to say the least. On the 4th of January my mum's first cousin Giovanni, affectionately known as "Giovannino", flew here from Las Vegas (where he lives) to spend three weeks with the family, staying with my mum's oldest sister, Rina, with whom he grew up with in Italy. My auntie is 87, and whilst in very good form, I am sure the visit shaved another 10 years off her life. As anyone that knows us would know, my auntie's house was a hub of activity for the entire three weeks that Giovannino was here, with family around and visiting and family dinners happening virtually around the clock. The "activities", however, did not stop there, and so there were lots of outings, day trips, invitations to visit other friends and the like. As my auntie Rina only lives literally minutes from where I work, I popped in as often as I could. I first met Giovannino as an early 2o- something on my first overseas trip to the USA in Las Vegas. We forged a very strong bond and have remained close ever since.

Only days after Giovannino arrived, we had Moz and Marie's wedding. Moz is Auntie Rina's son (and my cousin). They have lived in Mildura for years. It was a beautiful day and perfect weather for the outdoors ceremony which was held at the Darebin Parklands in Fairfield, followed by select close family and friends back at my auntie's house. It was a small and intimate affair, with lots of love and laughter; a day enjoyed by all! Marie and Moz's honeymoon was a one-nighter in a hotel close by, followed by the next three weeks at my auntie's with Giovannino.

I had actually just had almost two weeks off from work, and Giovannino arrived on the day that I went back to work, so I was not able to take much time off. Having said that, between all of the relatives, we did lots of different things with him ,and he was able to visit or revisit several places, as he has been here several times before. One day, along with my Dad and Alex, we went to Phillip Island...to be honest, it had been a while since I had been there too. It was a fun and relaxing day, and we revisited all the must-see sights and things to do. I packed a picnic lunch, which we had in San Remo, before going across to the island. On another occasion, Giovannino took a big group of us to Brunetti's for coffee, and sfogliatelle. You don't know what sfogliatelle are? You have got to try them, an amazing sweet from Naples. I must confess that I virtually "od'd" on them when I was there a couple of years back...and probably the time before that as well! Giovannino owns a company in Las Vegas called Italcream, which produces and wholesales "made from scratch" Italian ice-cream; it's certainly some of the best that I have tasted.

The three weeks went by all too quickly, with me taking a day off just before Giovannino went back to the USA, just hanging out with him and helping him to do some souvenir shopping. It was really nice to just chill out and shoot the breeze. And really, just as soon as he had appeared, he disappeared! This is the way of the world, people come into it, and then go out of it, like water ebbing in and out, and then there are only the memories...until the next time!

Early February it was Miss Linda's birthday (one of my "partners in crime"...more later), which she had at hers (and my) favorite Thai restaurant, Thaila Thai. There's only one thing better than great food...food that's great... and cheap! How can you go wrong with an $18.00 banquet, whereby you can order more food until you have had enough? Couple this with good company and it's a recipe for success. After our meal, a few of us went to a bar across the road, where we spent a few more hours. It was a terrific night, as any night with Linda always is!

Giovannino left the day after Australia Day. I must say, we are pretty lucky here...we do get lots of public holidays! Alex was suitably impressed when he first came here (which by the way will be 10 years this year!) It was almost February, and I had something else to look forward to...Karen and Jesus were coming back from Ecuador, after a year of travelling Ecuador and South America. Was I jealous! OF COURSE! Despite my incessant travelling, I am always jealous of others travelling...in a nice way, of course! A little bit of background info: I had only known Karen and Jesus for six months before they left, and I met them through my "novia" Linda who manages Inka Marka (whom I had actually only known for a few weeks before I met Karen and Jesus!) Karen is Australian and her husband Ecuadorian. Basically, Linda, Karen and I became inseparable, and even whilst travelling the three of us were in constant contact. We all became so close that Alex nicknamed Linda my "novia" or fiancee...and when Karen came back, he dubbed her my "other novia". It's true, we are as thick as thieves!

Linda and I were soooooo excited, I don't think we even gave them a chance to breathe, and we were on their doorstep! Well, Karen's brother's family's doorstep! They arrived on a Sunday and were picked up by Karen's brother Michael...back at the family home, we got a call from Karen...OF COURSE we could make it over for a BBQ!!! Alex, Linda and I went together, and our excitement was uncontainable! When Linda and I saw Karen, we started screaming and doing the group hug thing...it was such a marvellous reunion! For me Linda and Karen represent two soul mates, and I know that our friendship will be forever. It took merely minutes, and it felt like they'd never left. What's worse than an Ombi who doesn't shut up? An Ombi/ Linda? Karen group who doesn't shut up! Boy can we talk, I think we surprised even ourselves! Oh yes, we managed to shove in some food between the infrequent gulps of air that we were forced to take whilst speaking non-stop! The boys didn't get a word in edge-ways...or any ways for that matter! Needless to say, the weeks since Karen and Jesus have come back, have been filled with frequent catch ups and dinners...there's a lot to catch up on. Some of these catch ups have included a welcome back BBQ in a park in Richmond, and a wonderful dinner at our friends Richard and Jo's house...fun, friendship, and food! Does it get any better than this?

It suddenly dawned on me sometime that Malaysia, Sarawak and the Rainforest Festival really weren't all that far away. We are going for two weeks in July and will also visit Brunei (the country), and Penang. How much can you pack into two weeks? Just watch us!

I have now been working at Inclusive Leisure Victoria (ILV) for four and a half months, and am really getting into the groove. As the manager, my role is around policy and advocacy for the inclusion of people with a disability in the sport and recreation sector. It's funny how I have gone full circle, and am back working in the disability field. I must admit that making a difference in the lives of others gives me a huge sense of achievement and satisfaction. My indicator of success is seeing others successful! Alex continues to work at Melbourne University, in the Law School. His "computer boffinry" never ceases to amaze me, but being a "techno-slexic" that isn't too hard to do! We are also back on the "hunt for a home" to buy, but that whole saga is rather depressing, as prices seem to increase by the week. When I find myself asking where time goes, I also need to consider that I spend my weeks looking for houses, and my Saturdays going from one inspection to the next, as well as auctions. I have been left mortified on a number of occasions, as I have watched the bidding go above and beyond the reserve. Just to give you an idea, last Saturday we went to the auction of an apartment in Coburg whose reserve was 450 thousand, but which sold for 551! How depressing! For those of you who have done it, I am sure that you would understand both how time and emotionally consuming this process is! OK, off the whinge bandwagon.

Whilst writing this blog, I quickly checked my email account, and watched a short film (not quite six minutes) that Linda sent me. It made me cry! It very much ties into compassion and humility, and made me think how very lucky I am to be healthy, alive and well, and that indeed I have nothing to whinge about. I am so thankful that Alex and I have compassion and that we genuinely believe that the little things we do, both personally and metaphorically, can make a difference to the people around us. A "small" act can have such a "profound" effect. Please make the time to watch this short film, called "The Story of a Sign".

So, there are some highlights from the last week, or two, or three or...my only promise this time is that...there will be no more promises! Well, at least until I can work out HOW and WHY one day rolls into the next, and how one week becomes two, then three and then four. If I am indeed missing out, or if I have not been enlightened, I welcome your letting me know...exactly where all "that" time goes! Until the next blog, I bid you all farewell.

Dedication: This one is for my two "novias" and "partners in crime", Linda and Karen. If there were EVER three peas in a pod, we are it! It has been such an absolute pleasure to meet you both, to laugh with you, and to share my persona and self with you. You take me back to the child within, the lover of excitement, connectedness, and adventure. "Blood sisters foreva!"

"Time gets away faster each day so enjoy it, it won't come back " - Verka

Photos: 1.- Ombi and Alex at Marie and Moz's wedding. 2.- Giovannino and Auntie Rina. 3.- Congratulations! Moz and Marie tie the knot! 4.- Giovanni enjoys a "traditional" beer at San Remo. 5.- The gang at Brunetti's. 6.- Ombi and Linda at Thaila Thai on Linda's birthday. 7.- At Auntie Iride and Sonya's place, tucking into some good old fashion "roba buona"! (Italian food) 8.- Welcome home! Ombi, Linda and Karen, ("the partners in crime") at Karen's sister's brother's house on the day of their return. 9.- L to R: Jesus, Jo, Alex and Ombi at Karen and Jesus' welcome back BBQ (another one!) 10 - L to R: Hwa, Madame Geisha..oops Jesus, and Alex at a dinner at Hwa's house. 11- Another gathering with some very special friends at Jamo's house. L to R (bottom):Ombi, "my friend Kelly Jones" and Leeanne (Jamo). L to R (top): Zoe and Julie. 12.- Ombi and Nayte (Nathaniel) at Linda's birthday. 13.- Heard of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" ? Well, this has got to be "Gossiping at Hwa's"! Ombi, Linda, Karen and Kirrily gettin' right into it! 14.- Dad, Giovannino and Alex at The Nobbies, Phillip Island. 15.- Mali Zeta Kihi Jones - Kel's daughter. How cute! 16.- Sonya, Giovannino and Aunty Iride. 17.-Teah Precious Aroha Jones - Mali's big sister, and equally cute 18.- At a cafe in the city: Moz, Ombi, Giovanninio and my nephew James, in the front. 19.- L to R: Bianca and Linda...second cousins who look like sisters! (Bianca is Moz's daughter, and Linda is our first cousin) 20.- Family united - The Brady Bunch, oops the wedding party! From L to R: Bianca and Jarrod (Moz's kids) and Rebecca, Raechel and Claire (Marie's girls), and...Moz and Marie!

2009...Going, going...gone!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:55:00 +0000

What a year 2009 has been! It saw me wrap up my time at Vision Australia, where I was working as a Business Development Manager, travel to Ecuador and the USA to visit Alex’s family, share the loss of loved ones in Samoa where we spent Christmas in 2008, and start a new job. That, of course, is not to mention all the socialising and my involvement in co-compering Cubamemucho (a Cuban dance, show and workshop extravaganza), in September. So many things have been going...and the year is now gone!

So, now, I sit and reflect on the past six months or so. The last blog we published was around our “Window into Latin America” slideshow fundraiser It was an excellent night and we were able to raise over $1000.00 for the Renew the Spirit Foundation. We had hoped for 30 or 40 people, but got well over 60. Our very dear friend Richard deMeester (www.thedemeessters.blogspot.com), after recently having returned from ten months of travelling with his beautiful wife (and equally dear friend and talented photographer), assisted in putting together a slideshow on Latin America. Between Alex and Richard, they did a fabulous job. We held the fundraiser in November, in the studio of the Cuban Dance Academy (Thanks Christina), and it was clearly a great success. Having said that, anything that is able to assist and help others is always a success, in my eyes. I cannot begin to describe the enormous sense of satisfaction both Alex and I derive from the knowledge that others have been helped. On so many levels, we believe that what goes around comes around.

Globally, 2009 was a year of many natural disasters, probably starting off with our very own bushfires in Victoria, but something very close to home for Alex and I was the Samoan tsunami disaster, a few months back. It was exactly a year ago that we not only spent Christmas in Samoa, but specifically on Lalomanu Beach, which was one of the worst affected areas on the small Pacific island country. The first thing I did when I found out what had happened was contact my friend Tina whom I met when I was in Samoa. She is a very close friend of and known to many people who live in Lalomanu (she is a New Zealander but spends a lot of time in Samoa), and this was her response:

“Hey Ombi, not good news. Here's an update pasted from an email to another friend, sorry for that, but hard to keep up with everyone. Love and light to you guys for your thoughts for our beloved family xxx

‘As you already know, the devastation is heartbreaking. Tai and Sili are both in the hospital, and Tai had surgery last night for her injuries. They are both going to be okay. Tai lost her little baby boy, 11 months old. Mepa lost her eldest daughter, Moanalei, 8 yrs old.”

I was heartbroken; these were people that we had spent Christmas with only months ago. Tina went on to say that she and her partner Greg were going to fly to Samoa and try and help out with things, including raising some money to help out. It’s amazing how “putting out the word” helped raise a decent amount of funds. Tina and Greg have a blog, www.tinadesuza.blogspot.com, where they have documented and written a lot about what occurred. Tina has thanked all of those who donated , and I would like to do the same; thank my friends who not only donated money, but who also sent messages of encouragement and support. The following is what my special friend Kelly Jones had to say:

“So that you can more clearly understand how petty I currently feel, my biggest problems in the last week have been:

• Where to hang the new mirror and are the hooks strong enough to hold it;
• What to cook for a small party we had on Saturday night;
• How do I deal with preschoolers discussing somewhat adult concepts
• How to get the %^# report done for work that I have been avoiding for 2 weeks now;
• Is mersyndol or nurafen plus better for sinusitis?
• How do you get teenagers to be more considerate of your social life?
• What is the true meaning of life? (This one is an ongoing discussion).

That’s it, that’s all I got”.

Thanks Kel, there’s nothing like perspective!

In September, I also helped out with and co-compered Cubamemucho, a three day Cuban dance and workshop extravaganza. Alex was also involved, doing various things to help out. This event saw Cuban artists unite, and show Melbourne what the world of salsa and dance is really all about! It was hosted at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, by Christina of the Cuban Dance Academy. During three days, a number of workshops were conducted at the Victorian College of the Arts, where the various artists taught everything from salsa, to merengue to reggaeton. The participants loved it! Nighttimes were at the Forum Theatre, and included salsa competitions, national salsa bands and floor shows by the Cuban artists. Three fun packed but full on days and nights....enjoyed by all!

As the year ticked away, I continued to search for work, and on my birthday (14th October) I was rewarded with a job. I had gone for a few jobs, even getting second interviews for a few. The job I finally did get was as the manager of an organisation called Inclusive Leisure Victoria, which does policy and advocacy work on a state wide level, around the inclusion of people with disabilities in the recreation and leisure sectors. I have now been there for a little over two months, and am really enjoying it. I get to go out and about do a lot of networking, which is right up my alley. In addition, it’s in Northcote and literally two minutes from home. I should be walking, as so many people have told me, but I do use my car for work, so I mostly don’t (walk that is).

I continue to keep fit and go to the gym most days. Whilst not the gym junkie I used to be years ago (some people would debate this), I still take my health and fitness seriously! No use waking up at 50 and trying to find the “miracle cure”! A little bit every day is my motto!

What happened next...Christmas and its over-commercialisation descended upon us like a bull to a red rag! I must say that I was a bit overwhelmed, if not repulsed, by the over-the-top commercialism of the whole event. People seem to have forgotten what it’s all about. I do understand and respect those who are Christian and choose to celebrate what is for them, the true meaning of this occasion. There are also many who celebrate the tradition and want to spend time with their loved ones. What does my head in, however, is the sickening consumerism that so many succumb to! Ridiculously expensive gifts, maxing out credit cards buying things that we cannot afford, trying to keep up with the Jones’...and the list goes on!

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Alex and I spent a few days at another special friend's beach house in Rye. Laurice and I have been friends since our Santa Maria College high school days. Laurice, her partner Laurie and Alex and I had a great few days down there...just before the Christmas crowds. Apart from going to the Peninsula Hot Springs, and "chilling out" in hot water, so to speak, all we did was laze around, eat, go for walks and relax! Whilst down there, we also visited Harry, who is my friend Rita's father-in-law. Harry spends his weeks in Melbourne and weekends in Rosebud.

We had a lovely Christmas this year, spent at my brother’s house, along with my sister-in-law Karen, nephew James, Karen’s mum (Anne), her partner Tony, dad Alan, and her nephew Jason and partner Jenny. It was a low key affair, spent with loved ones, and we all had a great afternoon. Later we visited some aunts, and then we went on next door to Skippy and Lizzie’s.

My brother and his family took off on Boxing Day, and they will be spending two weeks in Rye. Alex and I went to visit for a couple of days and had a blast. The weather was perfect; nice and hot as I like it...we relaxed, ate, chilled and went to the beach. We also went for a few walks, and I a run. I can just see it, we will be back at work in no time at all.

We spent the few days before the new year simply taking it easy. New Year's Eve was equally as relaxing. Alex and I went out for a Vietnamese meal with Dad, and later Alex and I went to Esther's house (Esther Garcia, now Finocchiaro), where she was having a small gathering. As you may remember my very special friend Rita (Garcia) is more like my sister (she is currently living in Dubai with her family), and I have long sice been the adopted "fourth" Garcia girl. Maribel (Esther and Rita's older sister) and Emma, her gorgeous daughter, were also down from Brisbane, where they live. So, it was a bit like a family reunion....but, you were DEFINITELY missing Reet! The idea was that Alex and I were later to meet Linda, and Richard and Jo in Linda's apartment in Port Melbourne, but the skies opened up and there was an alluvial downpour...normally, I would whinge, but Melbourne is so desparate for rain! The lights went out in Esther's house, and the lightning was pretty full on...so after a few phone calls, we decided to stay put!

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Happy New Year! Hugs all around,
including Alex telling me that it was the best decade of his life! (We got together in mid 1999).

So, here we are in 2010, and I cannot but keep asking myself, "Where did the last 10 years go?"
I remember so very clearly living in Ecuador in 1999, and counting down the months and then the days to the new millennium! So, another decade just bit the dust!

My promise to myself is to write more often in the New Year, as it’s so hard to “summarise” when you let so many months slip by. I have not mentioned my dear friend Rita and her family having come on a couple of occasions this year from Dubai where they live, and my friend Maria’s 50th, just last week. Then of course, there was Kobie, Liz and Daniel's visit from the USA in October. They came for Kobie's sister's wedding, as did her mum, Maggie and partner Matt. All of these people mean so much to me and are truly special... but the list could go on and on.

I want to finish this off by saying that I feel honoured to have so many special people in my life, and you all know who you are. 2010 not only saw current friendships made more solid, but also saw new ones flourish; Rachela and Havanah, we welcome you. May 2010 bring every one of you much health, happiness and joy, surrounded by those whom you love, and who love you right back! 2009...Going, going...gone!

But...we already have lots to look forward to, including another visit from our dear friends Yuko and Nashville San from Japan, who will come to visit us again in June, as well as having booked a trip to Sarawak, Malaysia, in July...

...2010...here we come!!!

Ombi

Dedication 1: For all of those affected in the tsunami in Samoa, and especially Tai and her family. Not because Tai was the only one to suffer, but because we personally met her.

Tai, our wish to you, Sili and your known and loved ones is that you may find peace and tranquillity in 2010. We will never forget your strength of spirit, and the hospitality you showed us on Christmas Day 2008. We are glad that we were able to give something back to you, and hope it has helped to rebuild your lives in even a small way. Tai, you will always remain in our hearts.

Dedication 2: For my husband, partner, best friend, soul mate and love of my life, Alex. You bring peace to my heart, and joy to my soul. Thank you for your unwavering and constant love, support and passion. You are a truly special and unique human being, and I feel honoured to have you in my life. I adore and admire you, and your character makes me proud to be around you. If what goes around comes around, you have nothing but amazing things to look forward to! Thanks for helping make me who I am today. I am a better person for having you in my life, and you have taught me more than you could ever imagine. I will always be here for you as you have been for me.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed.” - Mohandas K. Gandhi.

(Photos: 1.- Ombi and Alex cooking "patacones" (fried plantains), an Ecuadorian speciality. 2.- With Jo and Richard at the Victoria Market, night market. 3.-Memories - Lalomanu Beach, Samoa, Christmas 2008, before the tsunami. 4.- The beautiful Tai, strumming her guitar, Christmas Eve, 2008. 5.- Alessia and Seo, teaching and struttin' their stuff at one of the Cubamemucho workshops. 6. - Ida opening up her Christmas present (I have known Ida for over 20 years and used to work in the house in which she lives). 7.- Ombi and Brandon (Brandon works at the gym I go to, and he invited us over for what can only be described as a veritable banquet! 8.- Harry Adams, Ombi and Alex at Harry's house in Rye. 9.- James (my nephew) with Nanny Anne and Nonno Dino. 10.- At Rye beach with James, Fulvio (brother) and sister-in-law, Karen. 11.- With my "sisters", Esther on the left and Maribel on the right - the only one missing is Rita, who lives in Dubai. The Garcia Clan adopted me years ago! 12.- Havanah. 13.- Happy 50th Birthday Maria Brancolino. 14.- Moi and Alex! 15.- Dad and Gerry O'Connor, a very special family friend who lives in Yea. 16.- Ombi doing acrobatics at Rye beach. 17.- L to R: Linda, Ombi, Richard and Jo, the world travellers, having dinner at Linda's house. 18.- Ombi with Maggie and Matt. 19.- Alex and Carmela Carey ( I used to work with Carmela at Vision Australia). 20.- L to R: Kobie, Alex and Liz, with Daniel in the front.)

A Window into Latin America - slide show videos

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:55:00 +0000

Following on from our last blog, we are posting the video of the slide show, A Window into Latin America, that Alex put together for the Renew the Spirit fundraiser we held in November of this year. In its original format it's about 35 minutes long. Alex has broken it up into five parts for easier viewing. All of the videos, except for the introduction and the last one, are also posted on You Tube

...so, grab yourself a cuppa or refreshment, kick back...and comment if you wish!

Introduction and photos to the Renew the Spirit Foundation:

Part 1. A Window into Latin America, covers the following countries:
Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands (which are part of Ecuador) , Colombia and Panama.

Part 2. A Window into Latin America, covers Costa Rica, Nicaragua , Honduras, Belize and Guatemala.

Part 3. A Window into Latin America, covers Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

Part 4. A Window into Latin America, covers Cuba and Mexico.

We hope you enjoy the videos. Please feel free to check out the Renew the Spirit Foundation website, where you will be able to read about the organisation, what it does and what it is committed to.

We would also like to mention Jo and Richard's blog again, www.thedemeesters.blogspot.com; co-world travellers, bloggers, and photographers, they provided the other "half" of our presentation slideshow for the fundraiser.

Last but not least, we would like to mention Iosu Lopez, a Spanish traveller and film-maker, who Jo and Richard met whilst travelling. His dream was to travel the Americas from tip to toe. This trip would begin in Alaska, and end in Tierra del Fuego in Argentina, and would cover some 45,000 kilometres, along the "highway" known as the Ruta Panamericana. We would like to share the trailer of his forthcoming film, "La Costura de America", which loosely translates to "The Backbone of the Americas". It is something NOT to be missed by travellers, culture buffs and Latino-philes...time for another cuppa...kick back and enjoy this too!

Trailer "La costura de América" from Iosu López on Vimeo.

Comentario de Iosu:

"Antes de cumplir los 30, Iosu López decide abandonarlo todo para cumplir un sueño de infancia: Recorrer América de norte a sur y hacerlo íntegramente por tierra. Un viaje en solitario de 45.000 kilómetros y más de 10 meses desde Prudhoe Bay (Alaska) hasta Bahía Lapataia en Tierra de Fuego (Argentina) a través de la Ruta Panamericana. El cambio en su perspectiva vital, el autoconocimiento y el esfuerzo personal de superación marcan un viaje de descubrimiento de la rica y compleja topografía humana y social del continente americano".

"Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something" - Author Unknown.

Dedication: I would like to dedicate this blog entry to "knowledge", as knowledge is power! All too often, we "don't go there" because it's too painful, too hard or because we simply cannot be bothered. But, in my humble opinion, "going there" is also immensely rewarding, as it reminds us that there is a whole other world out there, and that as interactive human beings we need to learn to live outside of the box or microcosm that we live in. In order to receive, we must also learn to give!

May 2010 bring you the love, peace and happiness that you all deserve!

In love and light

Ombi (and Alex too, as he reflects these exact sentiments)

www.veryitchyfeet.com
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www.youtube.com/alexu2007

A Window into Latin America

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:37:00 +0000

Well, it has certainly been a while since I have blogged. Busy, busy, busy! Well, that's my excuse. 2009 has been an incredibly full on year for me, with lots of changes and adjustments. But, would I want it any other way? More on this in the next blog.

This blog will focus on the fundraiser that Alex and I are currently involved in helping out with. Like everything else in my life, this too has a story. Way back almost two years ago, when Alex and I returned from our 16 month trip around the world trip, we told our dear fried, Phil West, that we would help him out with some fundraising for the foundation he started and directs: "Renew the Spirit Foundation - Healing the Hearts of Child Survivors of War and Terrorism". Well, one thing led to another, and nothing ever happened...Alex and I were both looking for work...then it was Christmas... then we went to Ecuador and the USA for five weeks, and then we started to think, "Hey, it's almost Christmas 2009". Time...time...there is never enough time! Not good enough! I looked over the events of the last year, all of the natural disasters which had occurred, and especially Samoa, where I had spent last Christmas, and knew of people who had tragically died. I was really feeling that now was the time to give! I feel that in order to go forward in life, I sometimes need to 'balance things out' and do a bit of giving too. No more excuses! So, we had a good chat to Phil, and with a solid resolve, we decided that we were going to do this before the year was out, come hell or high water.

The idea was always to do some kind of slide show using some of the many photos (mostly Alex's) that we have taken on our travels. Latin America would probably be our focus, as it is also our passion. So, we started to organise...our dear friend Christina, director of the Cuban Dance Academy, would allow us to use her studio in Abbotsford, another friend of "Renew the Spirit", Phillipa, would organise some chairs, Alex would work on the slide show, and I would help do all the other bits and pieces, so to speak. And...we had even set a date: Friday 27th November...yes, of this year!

A couple of weeks ago, as this was all coming together, we were having dinner at the house of our very dear and special friends (who are the only others I know who are as travel obsessed as us, and whom I thus refer to as our 'travel partners in crime') , Richard and Jo deMeester, who had only just come back themselves from a 10 month stint overseas, including Central America and Cuba. So, we decided to run our ideas by them. As we did so, I began thinking that it would be fantastic, should they want to help out, as not only are they extremely generous and giving people, but they both have a passion for photography and take brilliant photos. Take a look at their blog, www.thedemeesters.blogspot.com Some wine and some excellent Thai food later (recipes they'd picked up from a Thai cooking course they'd participated in, in Thailand only weeks prior), we not only got some more great ideas but Jo and Richard also decided that they would like to add some of their photos to the slide show. We were stoked!

I called Phil and told him what had transpired, and within days ideas became blurbs, blurbs became the basic outline for a flyer, and the flyer was played with (originally by Phil, and then by Alex) until we had the 'you beaut, ready to go version'.

So, on the 27th of November at the Cuban Dance Academy's, Yemaya Studio, at Level 1/ 269 Johnston St, Abbotsford, Renew the Spirit Foundation will present: 'A Window into Latin America. A photojournalistic exhibition of Latin America - its people, culture, landscape and nature'. The four of us are thrilled to be able to share our love and passion of Latin America to all who come to the exhibition, and in doing so help out a most noteworthy organisation.

We really hope that you can make it. Please feel free to pass this information on to anybody or groups of people whom you think may be interested.

Renew the Spirit believes 'that a basic principal of humanity is to work toward a goal of reduction of wars, political and religious hatreds, terrorism, extremism as well as state-sponsored repression and violence.'

About the very humble Phil West, and the origin of the organisation:

'The Foundation was an initiative of Dr Phil West, who, with the support of Walter Mikac, initiated and set up the Alannah and Madeline Foundation in 1997 in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre a year earlier in which Walter’s wife and two young girls were murdered. The establishment of both foundations had the same genesis.

Dr West's Honours and PhD studies concerned the civil wars in Central America in the 1980s. During his overseas-based research, he saw at first hand the devastating physical and psychological impact of war and armed violence on individuals and communities and was especially moved by the plight of children.

I, personally, feel honoured to be doing something which will help bring some joy and a sense of fulfillment to the lives of so many children, as I had such a privileged childhood myself. Food, shelter, a good education, protection, love and warmth were never lacking in my household. I say a privilege, because so many children on our Earth have been denied and continued to be denied many of these most basic of things. For me, this is just a tiny way in which I can help a fragment of the many others who are so much less fortunate than myself.

It's not all about me!

'See everything with the eye of the heart' - (written at the bottom of an email of a most dear friend, Anita De Blasio, whilst travelling through Ireland recently).

Dedication: To my father, Dino Zanetti, who has been the most brilliant of fathers. Whilst still alive, he probably still does not understand the depth of my love and appreciation for him. Reading to me from when I was too young to even remember, it is to him that I credit my love of words, writing and the English language. Furthermore, along with my mother, he provided me with the love, food, warmth, education, protection and shelter which are denied to so many children on Earth. I thank you profoundly, and with love.

(Photos:1.- A Window into Latin America; the flyer being used to advertise the event to be held on November 27, 2009. 2.- Kids in a village near Ninh Binh, Vietnam, 2007. 3 & 4.- Richard and Jo taking some cooking lessons in Bangkok, October 2009. 5.- Children in the Dominican Republic, December 2007. 6.- Ombi & Christina (Cuban Dance Academy), October 2009. 7.- Phil West and Catalina, fundraising for Renew the Spirit Foundation at Cubamemucho, September 2009. 8.- Alex on the Tiger Leaping Gorge walk, western China, late 2007. 9.- Ombi, Alex and Dad (Dino) at La Porchetta Restaurant, Carlton, April 2009.)

Goodbye Ecuador; Hello USA beauracracy.

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:33:00 +0000

Our last week in Ecuador was a flurry of activity! We were invited to Marcia and Gustavo's house for Alex's cousin, Valeria's birthday; we were invited to both Gladys and Patty's respective houses for both lunch and "cafe y pancito" (coffee and bread, which is a tradition over there and happens at around 4 or 5pm, after lunch, but before dinner). We were also taken out for dinner by Bolivar and Lily my brother-in-law, Christian's parents. Prior to this last week, we had also been to Christian's parents' house to celebrate Jonathan (Chris's brother's) birthday. Everyone had been so open, warm and welcoming. In my last few days, I could feel the walls closing in on me!

Oh, and the list goes on...I caught up with my friend, Manuela and her mum Ana, whom I actually had not seen in years. It was great to be able to pick up where we left off. We were also invited to Alex's Tia Norma's apartment (actually his mum's auntie), with sweeping views of Quito. And of course, no visit to Ecuador would be complete without a visit to CEIB primary school (now called St Patrick School) where I used to tech English to Grade 3 children. All the kids I used to teach have now long gone, but the highlight of my visit there is always catching up with Don Carlitos. Don Carlitos used to be the gatekeeper of the school, and now he is the handy man. Each and every time I return to Ecuador and visit the school, he greets me with a "Hola Teacher Ombi" and gives me a big hug. He holds a special place in my heart!

We had had so many great times over the last few weeks, and now they were coming to an end, all too quickly. Denisse, more beautiful than ever, was a young lady now, at 15 years of age, and 11 year old "Axelin" was no longer a baby. I thought about all the time that has passed in which I had not seen them grow, and it made me feel sad. But what is the solution? This is the story of a love that straddles two cultures and two hemispheres. Regardless of where we live, we miss out on something. The most difficult thing for me this time would be having to leave behind little Thomas. So cute and so small. He seemed to laugh as he recognised my voice, but would he even remember me in a year's time? This made me feel the saddest of all, and every time I thought about this my stomach would sink to my toes.

Our week was also "made" shorter than we thought, as on the Tuesday morning before flying out, we realised that we were flying out to New York on the Wednesday morning not on the Thursday. In effect, we were chatting to Alex's mum in New York, who insisted that we were coming tomorrow, on Wednesday! Well, talk about flip out! Karen had stepped out for a bit (as she is home on maternity leave), and when she got back at around 11.00am, we hit her with, "OMG, we are leaving tomorrow". Despite the initial shock (but believe me, she couldn't have been more shocked than we were), we got ourselves organised and did what we had to do the day before flying out! We packed our bags, and then thankfully for Karen, we used her as our taxi service over the next few hours, as there is no other way we would have been able to do all the last minute things we needed to do. We quickly went to the Mercado Artesanal (Artisans market) where we bought a few things we still wanted, and also caught up with Maria Antonieta briefly to say goodbye.

Our last night at Karen's was lots of fun, with many relatives popping in to say goodbye. We got some pretty snazzy t-shirts from Christian and Karen, but I am afraid I cannot translate their meaning on this blog. Here is the picture, but you need to ask me personally for the translation. Karen and Jesus, you will SOOOOO get this! After everyone had left, Alex and I, stayed up talking with Piero and Karen. We got to bed at 2.00pm. Normally, that wouldn't be brutally late, but we had to get up at 3.00am. Blink! We were up and ready in a flash. We were exhausted! We slithered into all of the rooms and kissed Piero, Karen, Denisse and Axel goodbye. I said my own little farewell to Thomas, but did not touch him, as I did not want to wake him up.Fortunately, we were too tired to feel sad. Christian dropped us off at the airport, and we hugged him goodbye. It was all starting to feel so final. Just before we went through the main doors, Alex's Dad showed up, so we were also able to bid our last farewells. Then we were inside; very tired and very sad! To make matters worse, it felt like we were lined up for ever! I have never been so glad to plonk my tired little butt onto a seat. In fact, I was so tired, that I slept through take off! Now THAT is hardcore!

I should also mention that Byron and Alex came to visit us briefly on our last night, and gave us a beautiful gift each. Alex's was a necklace and mine a pair of earrings with a beautiful sun/ moon representation. I know that it's the thought that counts, but they know us so well; I couldn't have picked something more appropriate out myself!

Our flight back to New York, would see us pass through Miami, and I only woke up before touch down. Now, it seemed that despite only having 24 hours here, before then going back to Australia, the authorities were going to give us a run for our money! We passed through passport control as a couple, Alex going first. Yep, all good! Ombi's turn? Nah, something's a "mismatch" I was told. My passport was promptly handed to a Passport Control Officer, who then placed it into a plastic sleeve, and I was told to politely, "Stand over there!" Luckily Alex was able to come with me. We finally got shuttled off into a room, full of what appeared to be anyone and everyone other than caucasians. OK, it's a full house, but I'm still not panicking. It's almost 1.00pm though and we have a flight to New York to catch at 3.00pm. I ask someone if we're going to miss the flight. She's not sure. Great! We need this like a bullet in the head. I see some officer holding up a Mexican Passport, and tell another officer that it looks dodgy and like it's been tampered with. It's getting worse! Another guy tells me that he's been waiting for over two hours. It's going to be a long wait! To my surprise, I am called up after some 45 minutes. Do I live in Australia? Yes. What's the weather like there? I tell him it's winter. But it's hot in the north, right? Yes, I tell him, we only have a "real"winter in the south-east and Tasmania. He seems satisfied with my answers, and then tells me I can go! Go figure! Can't say that I understood what that was all about, but we did manage to catch our flight to New York. Anybody have any idea? (Harry......OIFA!)

We landed in La Guardia, where Alex's mum and sister were waiting for us. Our last night together was great, and we filled her in on our time in Ecuador. In a few weeks time, Angie would be going to Ecuador by herself, and staying with Karen. What can you do in 24 hours? The next day we chatted some more, whilst having breakfast, and then lunch. In no time at all, it was time to go to the JFK airport. We thought we'd check ourselves in, before going downstairs for a coffee.

As we went through the usual, check-in rigmarole, "Frances" informed us that we would not be able to sit next to each other on the LA to Sydney sector. (Remember, our flight path was New York - LA - Sydney - Melbourne). Now, WHY would I want to sit next to my partner for the longest portion of the trip, which would take approximately 13 and a half hours? Face, body language.......she was clearly not interested. Frances was clearly having a bad day, but nonplussed, I figured I'd fix it up in LA. I mean, it was our last half an hour or so with Alex's mum and little sister. I have to admit though, I had not appreciated her attitude! Once downstairs, and having coffee, both Alex's mum and Alex reiterated my sentiments; "That gal had a baaaaaaaaad attitude!"

Alex was keen to "fix it up", so back we go to the counter. Now Frances was in luck, and I was feeling rather tranquil. Just thought I would go over and explain the situation, no names involved. So, I went to the counter and simply asked the woman if she could change the tickets so that Alex and I could sit next to each other. At that precise moment, Frances comes along, and utters to the woman helping us, "I've already told them that there are no seats together!". Well, something snapped! You know, poor Frances at the Qantas counter picked the "wrong chick at the wrong time". After what had happened in Miami, I was over it! I whipped around faster than a flash of lightning, eye-balled her and hissed, "Why don't you just do a Harry Houdini and disappear! You are clearly useless, so let me continue speaking to someone who's not!" I'm not sure who was more stunned, Frances or me! She then sat down and smirked at me! Have I ever told you how much I loathe smirking? On a roll, I now couldn't help or stop myself. Next I blurted out, "That smirk on your face makes we want slap you!!!!!"..........Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! Alarm bells! We ARE in the USA? Did I just "threaten" her? Is she going to sue me? The lady helping me was very pleasant, if not a little thrown back by my outburst, and she listened patiently as I continued to explain that whilst I did not need or require any red carpet treatment, was asking Frances to do her job THAT difficult? The lady helping us made it clear that the changes actually could be made. Despite the fact that I was not raising my voice, the lady behind the counter could see how irate I was. I suggested that Frances may benefit from being locked up in an office away from people, or perhaps they should enrol her is a customer services course, as she clearly had no skills in this department. Well, we were offered two passes into the British Airways/ Qantas lounge. I will reserve my judgement on this for another time, but I really must mention one of the many magazines that were on "offer" (free, of course!! ); "The Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine - Elite Traveller". Pages and pages and pages of expensive, consumerist, advertising dribble! I mean, one of the ads was for a Private Honda Jet, with the caption, "Is it possible to find a more efficient alternative?" No, but certainly a more stupid, energy-wasting one! Give me a bucket!!!!! Heaven forbid, that one would have to sit in a bigger plane, with the masses! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease! What is this world coming to?

Once in the plane, we settled down comfortably. We felt a bit sad, as we always do saying goodbye to family. Alex's mum was OK, but Angie looked sad. That's always a tough one. The flight to LA was fine, as was the flight to Sydney. Due to our connections, we missed our flight from Sydney to Melbourne. Whilst it was no big deal, we were tired and just wanted to get home. We finally made it to Melbourne by 11.30am on the morning of Saturday, 20th June. As usual, we were picked up by Dino's Taxi Service. We chatted as we drove home, and all had lunch together, but I was feeling tired. Jet lag? Not sure, as I do not normally suffer from this, but....I did manage to sleep on the couch from 12.45pm until about 11.00pm that night!

I woke up, and went straight to bed. We had missed two functions: Di Baini's 21st ( a really special friend of ours) and an Inti Raymi ("Festival of the Sun") celebration at Mick's house in Croydon. Just a little bit of information for those of you who way not know too much about Incan culture; Inti Raymi marks the winter solstice, and was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire, in honour of the god, Inti. Whilst I was disappointed at having missed both, I was also way too tired to give it much thought!

Ombi

Dedication (English): There are two parts to this dedication. The first part is for my brother-in-law, Christian. You are a wonderful person! I saw you be a wonderful husband, father, son, brother and friend....and of course, brother-in-law! You showed how loving and warm you are, and I would like to above all thank you for the amazing way you treat Axel and Denisse. Respect does not just happen it is earned. Despite the fact that we live far away, you will always hold a special place in our hearts. The second part is for our sister and sister-in-law, Karen. Finally, you got what you truly deserve. You are an exceptional mother and person, and we love you with all of our hearts.Christian and Karen, we wish you the best in life, and never forget that we will always be here for you and your family.

Dedicacion (Espanol): Hay dos partes de este dedicacion. La primer parte es para nuestro cunado, Christian. Eres una persona maravillosa! Pudimos ver que eres un buen esposo, padre, hijo, hermano y amigo....y tambien cunado! Nos demostraste lo carinoso y amable que eres, y sobre todo, quiero agradecerte en la forma fabulosa que tratas a Axel, Denisse y Thomasito. El respeto no ocurre simplemente, el respeto es ganado. No importa que vivimos lejos, siempre vas a tener un lugar especial en nuestros corazones. La segunda parte es para nuestra hermana y cunada, Karen. Finalmente ganaste lo que verdaderamente mereces. Eres una persona y madre excepcional y te amamos con todo nuestros corazones. Christian y Karen, te deseamos todo lo mejor de la vida, y nunca se olviden que siempre estaremos aqui para ustedes.

"There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontentment. And there is no greater disaster than greed". Lao-tzu (604 BC - 531 BC)

(Photos: 1.- Valeria's birthday. L to R: Sara, Denisse, Valeria, Junior and Volney, in front, Quito. 2.-L to R: Ana Miranda and Manuela. 3.- Alex, baby Thomas and his brother Jean Pierre. 4.- Alex with his aunt, uncle and cousins. L to R: Alex, Israel, Valeria, Gustavo, Ombi , Gustavo Jr and Marcia. 5.-Ombi and Alex, with imprinted obscenities! Karen's house, Quito. 6.- Ombi and Alex with "La Tia Loca" (the crazy auntie), Gladys. 7.- Alex with his cousins. L t R: Andres, Alex and Ruben (Junior). 8.- With my brother-in-law Christian's family at Jonathan's birthday. L to R: Bolivar, Lily (parents), Christian, Thomas, Jean Pierre, Jonathan (Chris' brother), Naty (girlfriend), Ombi and Karen. In the front, Denisse and Axel (neice and nephew) and Alex. 9.- Locals at the Otavalo Market. 10.- Dad and the boys! . L to R: Alex's Dad (Hugo), Jean Pierre, Rodrigo and Alex. 11.- This time with Rocio's (my mother-in-law's) sisters. Lt R: Gladys, Ombi, Patty and Marcia. 12.- BBQ time! Alex with his sister Karen, outside her apartment in Quito. 13.- Happy family! Karen, Christian and Thomas. 14.- Alex and Karen enjoying an espresso...with Italian coffee machine and ground coffee brought from Australia. When I lived in Ecuador, I left my legacy....a good coffee! 15.- Alex and his mum in New York. 16.- Alex and Angie at JFK Airport, on our way back to Australia...with Aussie paraphenalia. 17.- Christian at home with his family; Thomas, Denisse and Axel. 18.- Alex and his brother Rodrigo). 19.- Diego and Christina (their mother Deisy works in Karen's house).

Still more to do and see in Ecuador

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:34:00 +0000

So, we had spent time with family, caught up with some of our friends, and done a whole lot of other stuff, but there was still so much more to do! So many friends still wanted to catch up with us, but time was a tickin'!

Now, we couldn't possibly leave Quito without going for a boogie. So, one Saturday night we got a little group together and off we went to Flashback. As the name suggests, the music played was from the 70s and 80s. Our little group was Alex and I, Jean Pierre, Karen and Christian, Jonathan (Christian's brother) and his girlfriend Naty, and Andrea (his cousin) and her husband Paul. Oh what a night! Oops, no pun intended! It was lots of fun, and we had a great time dancing. In my usual fashion, I was on that dance floor and goin' for it in no time at all! And Christian was my partner in crime. What took a bit of (more like a lot actually) getting used to was the cigarette smoke! Apart from gross and repulsive, it seems oh so very yesterday to smoke in a confined space! So, here we are almost 3 kilometres above sea level, dancing in a pool of smoke.......at times I thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest. Apart from the smoke, we survived (of course, again, no pun intended), and didn't leave until almost 3.00am. On the way home we stopped for some hot dogs with the lot (it's what you do in Ecuador, after a big night out). Whilst it was no thanks for me, all the others went for it! Vegetarian or not, I don't do mystery bags!

The next day was rather peaceful, and we all relaxed at home, only stepping out to buy some ice-cream.

Whilst we were in Quito, Andrea (Santy's wife) gave birth to little Samuel. She chose a water birth, which is not so common in Ecuador. Alex, Karen and I went with his aunties Gladys and Patty, and were amongst the first to see the little baby. He was only hours old when we saw him. Santy was at the hospital too, as were several others. The baby, tiny as he was, was being passed around. They seem to have a much more laid back attitude to pregnancy and giving birth in Ecuador. As Alex's aunt Patty told me some seven years ago when she gave birth to Samantha, "Pregnancy and child birth are not an illness, they are a way of life". She's right, and sometimes we can be a bit precious about it all in the western world.

Now, we all know that the world is a small place, but........after we visited Andrea and little Samuel in hospital, we stopped by a small set of shops close to the hospital ...I noticed a little girl in a wheelchair, and I was sure I had met her before. Now, whilst I am hopeless with numbers, I never forget a face, and almost never a name. Memory bank, memory bank! I looked at her father...yes I knew him, and I thought his daughter's name was Eva....it all came back to me. I had met "Eva" in a shop her father owned on the Galapagos Islands, when we were there three and a half years ago. I went straight up to the father and asked him if his daughter's name was Eva, to which he replied , "Yes, Evaluna!". He looked at me as if to say, "How do you know her?" I then jogged his memory, and we chatted about our meeting in his shop in the Galapagos. I reminded Pato that I had met him and his wife Katy, and their gorgeous daughter. We had given her a little toy koala, and had played with her for a while. They now have another little girl called Sol. I went up to Evaluna and gave her a big hug, and reminded her too of how and when we had met. She have me a big hug and even bigger smile! I told Pato how I had often wondered about them all, and especially Evaluna! We swapped e-mails and vowed to stay in touch. Destiny!

We managed to catch up with Edison and Belen too, which was wonderful. Eddy used to work with Alex at El Comercio, Quito's leading newspaper, when I met him 10 years ago. He is still there and works as a graphic designer. And Belen, who actually also works there now, used to be one of Alex's students at the Journalism Club in which he used to teach and be involved in. They picked us up fro Patty's house and we went to La Ronda, in the old part of Quito. It is in the colonial part of the old town, and is one of the oldest and most historic parts of Quito. As it was during the week, it was not that crowded, but there were still plenty of places selling canelazo, a traditional hot drink (with or without alcohol, but usually with), empanadas, and souvenirs. In addition, there were lots of restaurants and cafes. We stopped at one of them, and I had one of the best hot chocolates ever!

There was no way that we were leaving Quito without a meal at his Tia Bebita's restaurant. Not only is she a wonderful cook but she is also a lovely woman. Every day her father (Alex's grandfather) Jacinto, goes there for lunch. We surprised him by just rocking up one day without saying anything. You should have seen his face when Alex said, "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit down next to you?" More hugs all around! After lunch we caught the taxi with "Papa Jacinto" (as he is fondly referred to) back to his place, and caught up with some more members of Alex's extended family. Again, never enough time!

We also managed to catch up with our special friend Aidee, who is still working at Hostal Centro del Mundo in Gringolandia. It's where I stayed when I first came to Quito. I met her before I met Alex! We truly surprised her when we popped into the hostel. On that same day we also caught up with Ely from Moggely Tr ave l (who run various tours all over Ecuador) and met her cousin Marco who is also working there now. Another friend I was able to see was Iliana; I used to work with both her and her mum (also called Iliana, and who now lives in Chicago). We went to a place called La Tortilla, where we were able to sit down and catch up on 10 years! Iliana's mum found me on Facebook several months ago and we re-connected. She then she gave me her daughter's e-mail. I had not been in touch with either since I stopped living in Ecuador 10 years ago. It was great, and like no time had passed at all. Unfortunately, we were neither able to catch up with Alex's friend Raul, or my Colombian friend, Maria Pia......time just ran out!

I did, however, catch up with Maria Antonieta and her partner Chula. Maria Antonieta was one of my very closest friends when I lived in Ecuador. It was so great to see her once again, and it really felt like no time had passed at all. I went to hers and Chula's place for dinner, and we chewed the fat for hours! It's amazing how with good friendships, upon reconnecting, it actually feels like no time has passed at all. I only wish we had have had the chance to spend more time together, but as I have mentioned before, time is not always our best friend!

Now, there was no way that I was coming home from Ecuador not having visited the famous indigenous market of Otavalo. Alex and I took the two hour bus ride north, with Denisse on a Saturday morning, which is market day. Without a doubt, the beauty of the market lies in the indigenous people of the area, who always look spectacular in their traditional garb. The women with long, dark braided hair, colourfully embroidered shirts, and rows upon rows of gold beads around their necks, and the men, with their hats and their ponchos. Think Otavalo, think South America! As soon as we arrived we went straight to Mama Rosita's for our humita fix (humitas are a type of roll, made from corn and can be sweet or savoury). I first met Dona Rosita (Mrs Rosita) when I was living in Ecuador, as I would go to Otavalo regularly. Unfortunately, it started to rain early on in the piece, and it got to the point where it was no longer enjoyable to walk around. We stopped in a cafe for a hot drink and a snack, after which we bought very little (but did include a couple of really cute woollen jumpers for Thomas), before proceeding to go home. We did manage to see both Don Pedro (Byron's dad) and Norma (his sister) who have separate stalls there.

For me, Otavalo is like a life line. It epitomises all that I love about South America, and is a fascinating place to people watch. It reminds me of the culture that I love, and for me, no trip to my second homeland would be complete without a visit here. Unfortunately, due to the rain (it was hammering!), I couldn't enjoy it as much as I usually do.

Mindo, the last bastion. I was determined to see it! Mindo is an area of low lying rain forest just a few hours north of Quito. It's a bird lovers paradise, as it has one of the highest concentrations of birds in the world, with more than 350 bird species. I just wanted to relax and get away for a few days. We left on a Wednesday and came back on a Friday. We went by bus, and only half an hour out of Quito, the scenery changed and we were presented with undulating hills, covered with lush green trees. So many memories came flashing back to me, and this trip reminded me of what it is about South America that I had fallen deeply in love with in the first place! Indescribable sentiments, lodged deeply in my heart! I would do a backpacking trip again with Alex in South America in a heartbeat. I will.....one day! As we arrived in Mindo, it was raining heavily, but Byron had given us a contact of a place to stay. We ended up calling Elizabeth of Mindo Rea l, and she promptly came to pick us up with her daughter. If you click here, you will see the picture of the beautiful little cabin in which we stayed for 2 nights. It was only a 7 minute walk from the small town centre, but it was just far enough that the only noise we could hear was the sound of the river which ran through the property.

Each morning we were treated to a sumptuous home-made breakfast, compliments of Ely. Everything was fresh, and everything tasted fantastic! We were in no rush to wake up early on either of our days there, as it was so relaxing. On one of the days, we went on a really long walk, past the Mariposario (butterfly enclosure) and on a little mountain trail, ending up at some waterfalls. There were plenty of beautifully coloured butterflies flying around, and we both felt very serene. It was like having the place to ourselves as we only came across a person or two. Our walk through the mountain trail, was lovely, if not steep, and at one point we literally got attacked by a type of ant that, whilst not poisonous, bites with voracity. Their pincers were closing in all over my feet, and as I was wearing sandals and not shoes, I was jumping around like a grasshopper. I was also screaming expletives, whilst trying to swat them. Yes, I DID freak out! Luckily, no one was around, because I was screaming like someone who was being attacked! Well I was, wasn't I? After the attack, and with my ankles and legs covered in bites, I slathered them in even more insect repellent, and we continued walking. Insect repellent? All too little too late?!

Soon, we reached a place where there were some waterfalls. We had to walk a little more inland, but the views were worth the walk. Again, we were alone. We had a dip in a pool which was what I would describe as natural, but somewhat enhanced by man. The water was bloody freezing! Just as we were getting ready to leave, the heavens opened and there was an alluvial downpour! We tried to wait until it passed, but this natural phenomena was not going to come to the party! So, we pulled out our ponchos and rain jackets, and walked back in the rain!

We had found a great little street stall on the first night where we bought our dinner, and went back the second night as it was so good. Grilled plantains (savoury bananas), were served with mayonnaise and grated fresh cheese (trust me, if Gino had tried it, he would have said, "'fully sick!"). Then there was menestra (a type of stew, in this case with lentils) served with rice, salad, and aji (a chilli sauce which I just love). Add to that grilled meat and chicken, which Alex tells me was also great!

No sooner had we arrived, than it was time to go back to Quito. As we caught the bus back, and I once again admired the fantastic scenery, I was brutally reminded that we had less than a week to go! Where had the time gone? We wound our way back to Quito as I continued to both ponder and admire!

Yet another adventure was coming to an end!

Ombi

Next: Saying goodbye!

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell (1903 1950)

(Photos: 1.- Ombi and Alex boogie-ing on the dance floor, "Flashback", Quito, Ecuador. 2.- The "family gang" at Flashback. Lto R: Naty, Jonathan, Christian, Karen, Andrea, Jean Pierre, and Paul in the front. 3.- Andrea, Santiago and baby Samuel only hours after his birth. 4.- A surprise reunion - Ombi, Evaluna and Pato. 5.- Belen, Edison and Ombi at La Ronda, in the Old Town (historical centre), Quito. 6.- Alex's family on his dad's side: Papa Jacinto (grandpa), Alex, Salome, Jacinto (behind), Esteban, Monica (behind), Simona, Soraya, Sandy and Alexandra. 7.- Ombi and Aidee at Centro del Mundo. 8.- Maria Antonieta (front) and Chula at their place in Quito. 9.- Mama Rosita, Ombi and Denisse eating humitas at the Otavalo Market, Ecuador. 10.- Fancy a bit of pork, or a ham sanga? Fare of the porcine kind, Otavalo Market. 11.- Spools of thread, Otavalo Market. 12.- Mindo - loy lying cloud forest. 13.- The beautiful flowers of Mindo. 14.- River running through Mindo. 15.- Ombi and Alex; on our way back from a walk. It was only the poncho that saved me from the wet t-shirt competition! 16.- Eating out at the "local", Mindo. 17.- (Left): Alex and Ely, of Moggely Travel. 18.- (Right): Ombi and Iliana at "La Tortilla" - reunion after 10 years.)

Home is where the heart is.

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:31:00 +0000

We had a great flight over to Quito, with a stopover in Miami. As we checked in, we were told that we would not be able to be seated together on the New York to Miami sector. I was not particularly fussed, as I figured that I would be able to swap with someone, although Alex and I were several rows apart. As it worked out however, I ended up sitting down next to a lovely lady called Louise. After chatting briefly, she asked if I would like her to swap with Alex, so that we could sit together. She seemed like such an interesting person, that I declined the offer and we ended up chatting all the way to Miami. As we parted company, I had a new friend, whom had already asked me to visit next time we were in Miami. I told her to beware, as I often took people up on these kinds of offers!

As we we approached Quito, I began to feel anxious.........with excitement! It's always an amazing feeling flying into Quito, but quite frankly, it's not the safest! Mariscal Sucre Airport is nestled in the heart of Quito, surrounded by mountains, and only the most skilled of pilots are able to fly into it (having said that, the odd crash occurs all the same, which is why a new airport, well away from these mountains is currently being built). As we neared touch down, a knot formed in my throat, as I recognised familiar landmarks, peaks, parks and many other spots I had come to know and love when I had lived there 10 years ago. Ecuador, and particularly Quito, holds a very special place in my heart, and indeed it is my second home. A little piece of my heart always remains there!

Touch down! It was just on 6pm on the 28th of May. Alex and I looked at each other, nervously grinning from ear to ear. It had been almost three and a half years since we had been here, and if I was excited about seeing everybody once again, imagine Alex! This time, we would be meeting our brother-in-law, Christian, for the first time, as well as our new little nephew Thomas, who was not yet two months old. We were both feeling a wave of emotions.......how would we find everyone? Had Quito changed? The line to get through passport control was extremely long and it seemed to go on for ages. At one point I looked up, and behind the glass panelling I could see Karen (Alex's sister), Jean Pierre and Rodrigo (Alex's brothers), Samantha (his little cousin) and his aunties Patty and Gladys waving furiously. I was totally overcome with emotion, and I started to cry as I waved back. Finally, we got through customs and picked up our luggage.

We were surprised to find that before exiting the airport, every single person was being screened by a doctor with some kind of heat-gauging machine......yes, to see if they had pig flu! That was a bit of a surprise, especially as no similar such thing had been done in the USA. Also, everyone here was wearing a mask! After all the hoo-ha of leaving Australia in the middle of the pig flu crisis in late May, we hadn't seen anyone wearing masks anywhere....up until now! We were virtually the last ones in the line, but once through, I noticed that Alex was not behind me. I turned around to see where he was, and could not see him. Finally, I saw him step out of the toilet, as he had splashed water on his face. I gave him this quizzical, "What the f#$@k look", and he proceeded to yell out, "Te dijo, soy caliente!" (I told you, I'm hot!). I looked away in this "Gee, I don't know this guy" kind of way. As it works out, Alex who (seriously) gets hot quite easily, went through the scanners, which detected a high body temperature, and he had to cool down just to rule out pig flu! What a laugh!

Finally out, there were hugs all around, and everyone had a laugh, especially with Alex's pig flu debacle! (Karen Ivanyi, I know you will love this one!) As Karen (Alex's sister) lives close to the airport, we were there in no time at all. As we came through the doors both Axel and Denisse (our niece and nephew) came running towards us. More hugs all around, as I adore them both. Then, we met Christian, whom we liked instantaneously (we had already "met" and chatted on skype) and saw little Thomas, although he was sleeping. Alex and I would be staying with Karen and her family. As Jean Pierre (or Piero as he is also referred to) is currently living there at the moment, it really was like one big happy family. That first night there was lots of chatting, hugs, and reconnecting. We also saw Daisy, who works in Karen's house and her children Christina, now 8 and Diego, 4. Daisy started working with Karen in 1999, just months before I moved in to live with them. I have a soft spot for Daisy. We did not see Alex's Dad until a couple of days later, as he often travels for work.

Three weeks seems like a long time, but sadly it went way, way too quickly! I met little Thomas the next day and was immediately besotted with him. He became the new love-of-my life in a nano second. Despite his tender age, we bonded immediately, and by the end of our stay he was giggling and laughing every time I went near or talked to him. What a gorgeous looking, nice natured little baby! You can clearly see that I am not at all biased.

There were so many things that we wanted to do, but time just did not allow it. Alex was, however, able to spend some real quality time with his family, which is what it was all about. I am very fortunate in as far as Alex's family loves me as much as mine loves Alex here in Australia. I am never made to feel like I am holding the candle, but also understand the importance of Alex having time out with his siblings. It was great to see; as Alex is my great love, my happiness is also derived from his. He both laughed and cried with his siblings, and his profound love, especially for Piero and Karen, is touching. It's moments like these, that I feel very humble and recognise the huge sacrifice that Alex had made to be here in Australia with me. He did it of his own free will, and loves me as well as Australia, but a huge chunk of his heart still lies in his birth country, where all of his loved ones live.

The weekend after we arrived, the aunties and uncles (on his mum's side) organised a big get together, at his Tia (aunty) Marisela and Tio (uncle) Ruben (Chucha's), house. They have a large property north of Quito. Here we caught up with everyone, as well as meeting Andrea, his cousin Santiago's new wife. She was due any day now, and we already knew that the baby was a boy and would be called Samuel. What a day! The boys played table soccer, and a whole heap of us played ping-pong. There was also a spa and swimming pool (too cold to swim though). Lots of music, food and alcohol saw the festivities go on into the early hours of the next morning. Mind you, we had gotten there at midday!

A few days after we arrived, we also opened up two huge suitcases of gifts we'd brought here from Australia. What a pleasure to see their faces. It's such a delight to be able to give and see the joy on people's faces. Alex's family is so big that we never send gifts across, but when we go, we certainly make up for it, with all the things we take across. OK, so I went a bit berserk with Thomas' things......baby's clothes are just so cute!

We had planned a family outing the day after the get together, but the best we could organise was a brunch,when everybody got up close to midday. Our weekends were spent with the family, going out for lunches, including Alex's favourite cevi che (a citrus marinated seafood dish) and ice-cream, which in Ecuador seems to taste so much more natural, than back here. Indeed, their produce and food generally seems to taste fresher and definitely has less preservatives.

But, my how Quito had changed! The area around Amazonas St, or Gringolandia, which is basically where the foreigners hang out, caters to everyone and has everything. Ten years ago, I could barely find a cafe to save my life, and now it's teeming with them...with foreigner prices to match. The number of bars, restaurants and up market souvenir shops has also increased multi-fold. Where had my "little Quito" disappeared to? The prices of the food in the supermarkets were astounding, and I struggled to grasp how one litre of milk could cost AUD $1.50, when fixing up a pair of shoes and a back pack were only $1.00. Sadly, this is still a country where manual labour is very poorly paid.

The old part of Quito has also really changed. The Plaza de San Francisco is one of Quito's oldest and most beautiful sights, and is the place where our very dear friends Byron Ushina and Alexandra Aguirre have opened up, "Ari Gallery - Ancestral Jewellery and Art". (www.ushinajewellery.com) From humble beginnings, with a table at the O tavalo indige nous market, where I met Byron 10 years ago, to an upmarket gallery in one of Quito's most well known areas........I was blown away! As we entered the huge plaza, my eyes searched eagerly for the gallery. It wasn't long before I saw the sign, "Ari Gallery". I was overcome with emotion, and tears started to well up in my eyes. I started to cry! As we entered the gallery we saw Alexa, who was expecting us, yet I could not talk. I was all choked up as I continued to cry. As I hugged her, the words finally came out, and I told her how proud and happy I was for her and Byron. I was overwhelmed by their perseverance and desire to obtain their goal, which they had worked at for so long. What a most brilliant example that achievements can often be obtained with sheer determination and passion. They never floundered, they knew that one day their dream would become their reality! And there we were, standing in the middle of that very much achieved dream. What an inspiration!

Byron met us at the gallery later in the day, whereby I repeated my behaviour. When I saw him walk in, I was once again, overcome with emotion, and I hugged him whilst I cried and told him how proud I was of him. After some chatting, we closed the gallery and all went to a place called, "Vista Hermosa", a cafe/restaurant offering spectacular 360% views of Quito. Vista Hermosa means beautiful view......the views were indeed impressive, but the prices ridiculous. Alex coined the cafe, "Beautiful views, ridiculous prices!" So, we all just had a cup of coffee, took in the breathtaking views, and caught up on the last few years.

We also went to visit Byron and Alexa in Sangolqui, only 35 kilometres east of Quito, where they live. My, my how that has changed too! Although nestled in a beautiful valley, the traffic is horrendous. Indeed, Alex and I have noticed how many more cars there are compared to only three and a half years ago. Many of these cars are (expensive) four wheel drives, prompting us to ask, "How do they do it"? That's another story, but without a doubt, many are spending way beyond their means. It was wonderful to see the children again, Mishell, Amy and Dylan. Such good natured and polite children, and an absolute pleasure to be around. We got them a little gift too, and needless to say, they were very happy and all thanked up profusely. At Byron's we had fresh cheese, fresh bread and a great home-cooked meal, including the famous "aji de mani" (chili peanut salsa), which Alexa knows I love. The house had grown bigger since we last saw it too, as they had extended. We love coming out here, and the air is so fresh. Having said that, so fresh, that it often puts us to sleep. By midnight I was spent and had to go off to bed. It was an early rise the next morning, and after a quick shower we had another wonderful home-cooked breakfast, before hitching a ride back to Quito with Byron.

We seemed to have done so much, yet we still hadn't seen many of our friends, nor gone dancing, nor gone to Mindo, which I had never been to and had been wanting to see for years. I want to do it all...some things never change! All of this in the next blog.

Ombi

Dedication:

(English): To our special friends, Byron Ushina and Alexandra Aguirre. We feel honoured to have you in our lives and to call you our friends. We are so proud of you. You relentlessly pursued your dream, which finally became your reality. We feel privileged to have been part of that journey. With humility, we thank you!

(Spanish): Para nuestros amigos especiales, Byron Ushina y Alexandra Aguirre. Nos sentimos honrados en tenerles en nuestras vidas, y llamarles nuestros amigos. Estamos muy orgullosos de ustedes. Persiguieron su sueno, lo cual llego a ser su realidad. Nos sentimos honrados para haber podido ser parte de este viaje. Humildemente, les agredecemos!

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters to what lies within us" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

(Photos: 1.- Quito Airport, smack bang in the middle of the city, surrounded by mountains. 2.- A woman with her children, Old Town, Quito. 3.- The new "love of my life, Thomas - or Thomasito as we affectionately refer to him. 4.- Alex and Thomas, in Karen's house, Quito. 5.- The whole family having icecream at Heidi's Ice-creamery. L to R: Jean Pierre, Axel, Christian, Karen, Rodrigo, Denisse and Alex. 6.- Ombi and Spider Man, aka Diego, Daisy's son. 7.- L to R" Denisse, Karen and Ombi with Thomas in the middle. 8.- Denisse and Alex at our family reunion at Maricela and Ruben's place, Quito. 9.- Axel, in his bedroom. 10.- Plaza San Francisco, Old Town, Quito. 11.- "Ari Jewellery Gallery; Byron and Alexa's gallery, Old Town, Quito. 12.- Ombi and Byron at Vista Hermosa Cafe in the Old Town, with resplendent views of the Old Town. 13.- Back in Sangolqui with Byron's family. L to R: Alex, Mishell, Alexa, Byron, Dylan, Ombi and Amy. 14.- Ombi and Thomas with his new "Melbourne designed" kangaroo. 15.- Alexa, Ombi and Byron at their house, Sangolqui. 16.- Alex having a bad hair day! Family get together, Maricela and Ruben's house, Quito).

The Apple's getting bigger!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:39:00 +0000

The time had come; for once in our lives we weren't rushing around like chooks with our heads cut off, and we were able to get to bed at a reasonable time on the eve before we set of.....well, before the usual 3am, anyway! The days before were certainly a mad scramble (yes, that was the same as usual!) as we finished packing, buying odds and ends as well as buying presents for our family overseas. Time has never been my best friend, and this "enemy" always seems to rear its ugly head just as we get ready to go overseas. Yet, with this whole time love-hate relationship going on, we still managed to pull it all together, and early on the morning of Saturday May 16th, we were off! Ride to the airport, compliments of "Dino's Taxi Service" (my Dad) - nope, some things never change! Saying goodbye to Dad was easy, as such trips for us are a common occurrence!

We had purchased the Melbourne - New York sector of our flights using our Qantas frequent flyer points, and the routing was: Melbourne - Sydney - LA - New York. We worked out that that was about 20 hours of "bums on seats" time, and didn't include the stop overs! One way! The flight over was predominantly fine. The plane food, whilst no gourmet delight, was edible and the movies excellent (you MUST see the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas). Add to that that I am a good sleeper on planes, and the time seemed to go rather quickly. Having said that, by the time we hit JFK Airport in New York, we were knackered, so to speak.

Alex's mum, Rocio, and little sister Angie (who isn't so little anymore!) were waiting for us with open arms. They were so glad to see us, and there were hugs all around! Whilst Alex had seen them both in January this year (you may recall that Alex was in the USA), the last time I had seen them both was in August of 2006, when Alex and I began our 16 month around the world trip. It was great to all be back together again. On the ride back home there was lots of laughter, chatting and story swapping. I was so happy to see Alex reunited with his family again, as I know how much it means to him.

We were blessed with a gorgeous springtime climate, with daily temperatures of between 19 and 23 degrees celcius, and virtually no rain, which was great ( I know, I wouldn't be saying this in Australia!) Jeans and t-shirt weather. We would be spending a fraction under two weeks here, and as always, time was not enough. Not that I ever feel that it is. There is always so much to do, and catch up on. Our first night was spent relaxing, eating Alex's mum's home-cooked Ecuadorian food, and catching up on.......everything! Needless to say, we went to bed in the early hours of the morning, despite the fact that Alex's mum had to get up at 4.00am the next morning to go work!

We spent the first few days hanging around the apartment, relaxing and not doing much at all. Alex had worked up until the night before we left, and I had caught some chesty bug on the plane which had me coughing and wheezing (and.....shock horror.....I virtually lost my voice!) No, luckily no Pig Flu! After a few days, we figured it was time to step out into the concrete jungle. New York, New York! Where does one start? In the centre of course! And the centre would be? Times Square! Wow! Good wow or bad wow, that is the question! Full-on, information overload, crowded with people, flashing digital (I almost wrote neon!) advertisements of every colour and description, frantic energy......just some of the words, I would use to describe this hub of activity. I found it to be a veritable "Consumerism on Steroids"! The who's who of any brand that was worth anything in the 21st century were all screaming, Look at me, Look at me!" Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Panasonic, Swatch, Sony, only to name a few. Right amongst all of this the famous Naked Cowboy was struttin' his stuff. Who's is the Naked Cowboy, you ask? Some long blonde haired American dude, who wears only his white jocks, cowboy boots, hat and strums a guitar. Go figure! (For you Harry, OIFA!!!!!!!!!) But let me tell you, the gals, local and foreign alike, were loving him!

Alex and I sat down close by and people watched as we ate our home-made lunch. Amazing! It really is a jungle out there, and the variety of animals phenomenal! (We even saw a "Naked Cow-girl!). There is a hype and a buzz that is quite indescribable. Having said that, Alex and I felt that we had to get out! The messages, both subliminal and overt, in relation to what we should buy or be seen with were overwhelming. We walked away, as the chaos continued behind us. The Big Apple is bigger than ever. Take the word bigger in whatever way you wish! It's no big secret that New York is not my favourite place on earth (nor Alex's), but as a friend said to me, "Maybe you've just got so much to compare it to!" True!

New York shopping? What can I say...unless you want brand and label stuff (and Alex and I both categorically refuse to wear labelled clothing on ethical grounds), I don't feel that it really has any more to offer than the likes of Melbourne, especially if you live next door to Ms Shopper of the Century, aka Lizzie Leveridge. Lizzie can show you a better bargain than anything you can find in New York! True! Seriously, it's just that Alex and I don't get off on browsing a street lined with Tiffany's, Versace or Gucci and friends, let alone buying their overpriced products, which needless to say are made in China! A little aside here: In Australia, I bought a little stuffed multi-coloured kangaroo for my new little nephew, Thomas, in Ecuador. I had to laugh when I saw where it was made. It read, "Designed in Melbourne, Australia. Hand-crafted in China". Translation, "Made in China"!!!! Let's call a spade a spade! Whose scab labour are we paying for?!

OK back to New York. As an observer, I was also taken aback by the amount of truly obese people, and more to the point, really obese children. Having said that, I have always said that I find American food to be rather unhealthy. Either too much fat, too much sugar, or both! I was bringing snacks from home when we would go out for the day, as the street food just wasn't calling out to me. It looked and smelt like heart-attack material.

A highlight of my time in New York, was catching up with some very dear friends of mine. First with Kobie, Liz and Daniel, and then Joanne, Mike, Alex and Irene.

Kobie is a very, very special friend of mine who I have known for practically half of my life. She is Australian, but has lived in the States (Massachusetts) for years, with her partner, Liz. The last time I saw them both was in August 2006, only months after their little baby Daniel, was born, when I stayed with them in their house. This time, they all came to New York, where the three of us stayed in a hotel, close to the city centre, with Daniel. It was wonderful just hanging out and reconnecting after such a long time. During the day, we would go out and do fun things like walk around Central Park, or other parts of the city, and at night, after Liz and Daniel would go to sleep, Kobie and I would stay up and talk into the early hours of the morning. We only had a couple of days together, but they were so special: full of laughter, tears and re-connecting. Alex did not stay with us, but on the Sunday, he and Angie met us at Central Park, so Kobie, Liz and Daniel were able to briefly catch up with him too.

Catching up with Joanne and her family was also a highlight. We spent a day with her, husband Mike, and son Alex out in Brentwood, Long Island. I met Joanne some 18 years ago, after I had worked on a summer camp in Indiana, in the USA. I remember it clearly; it was in Colorado Springs. We struck up a friendship immediately, and the rest is the proverbial history! After meeting her that first time, I even went back and stayed with her. Hey, she offered, and I accepted. For those of you that know me well, you would also know that if I say, "I will come and see you", that I truly will. I am a woman of my word! Since then I have only seen Joanne a couple of times, but our bond defies both time and distance. I without a doubt, consider Joanne to be one of my most valued friends.

Back at Joanne's house.......we spent a brilliant day, catching up whilst ploughing through the "smorgasbord" that Mike had prepared for us. Despite the fact that Mike is an exceptionally warm, intelligent and kind-hearted individual, he is also a brilliant cook. Go on Mike, show America how it's done! Without a doubt, some of the best food I had on this trip in the USA. We started with bruschetta, prawns, corn chips, potato chips and Mike's own home made tzatziki, and later followed up with a range of barbecued meat, sausages and veggies. Yum, yum, yum!!!! Of course, it wasn't all about the food! Another surprise that day, was a visit by Irene. Irene is a friend of Joanne's whom I met 18 years ago, but had not seen since. I thought that Irene looked just the same....Irene commented, however, that I no longer "looked like a kid"...after all, I was in my early 20s when I met her! It was only a day, but proof that life really is about quality and not quantity! Neither time nor distance can ever take away what we hold dear to our hearts!

Apart from those few getaways, our time was spent with Alex's mum and Angie, and some of her friends, like Isabel, Adolfo, Betty and Samantha. Many a night were spent with Rocio (Alex's mum), Alex and I chatting and swapping stories. There is always so much to chat about, but never enough time. Unfortunately, Rocio was unable to take time off work, so we had to do the best with the time we had. In addition, getting up at 4.00am is no mean feat! (That's the time that Alex's mum usually gets up for work). We really hope that she will be able to come out and visit us some time soon. We skyped the family in Ecuador several times, so we were also getting excited that we would soon be seeing all of them too!

And so, our time had promptly come to an end. Having said that, 12 days are barely enough! Part 2 of our trip would be almost three weeks in Ecuador. As we had organised our Melbourne-New York return trip using our frequent flyer points, we had to purchase the New York-Quito return trip in addition. Thus, after flying to Quito, we would have to come back for a night (where we would stay with Angie and Rocio again), before flying back out to Melbourne. Mind you, whilst we flew into JFK Airport (in NY) from Melbourne, we flew out of La Guardia Airport (also in NY) to Quito. Again, we then flew back to La Guardia Airport from Quito, to then have to fly out of JFK to finally get back to Melbourne! Confused? Join the club! You can add jet lag to that confusion too, but more on that later!

Soon we we were off. My favourite continent, South America, awaited!

It wasn't really that hard to say goodbye, as we knew that we would be coming back, if only for a night!

Ombi

PS Scroll down to the bottom of this blog to see a video of some guys dancing in a train, as we were travelling from Quens to Manhattan!

Dedication: This is for Kobie and Joanne. Thanks for being such wonderful people, and such special friends. Both of you have touched my life in an indescribable way, and I am a better person for knowing you. Both of you hold a very special place in my heart. Joanne, you know that I will come out and see you again. Kobie, I cannot wait to see you, Lizzie and Daniel in Australia this October!

A few words from some of my friends:

"Hi Ombretta

It was great seeing you as well. I'm always so happy to see the ease at which we just pick up like we just saw each other. Kindred spirits indeed............Thanks as always for staying in touch. You and Alex are such special people and I'm glad to have you in my life.

Much love Joanne" (Joanne writing after our visit)

"NY is the cross roads of our materialistic world. Maybe you don't feel challenged when you are there. Make the most of it, goto a quirky comedy club or try to get tickets to David Letterman. I know it isn't the same as the beautiful people that we met and stayed with in Panama! ........ I am still in Hawaii. Have fun!!" - (You know us all too well Paco! Alex and I met Robert "Paco" Steinke in Panama in 2007, where we continued to travel together for several months. Paco is from Alaska......we love you Paco!)

"Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest way of selling goods, particularly if the goods are worthless" - Sinclair Lewis (1885 - 1951)

(Photos: 1.-New York taxi. So, who looks relaxed? 2.-View of New York, taken on train, coming from Queens. 3.-Alex, Angie and his mum, Rocio, taken outside their apartment, in Queens. 4.-Times Square, New York. 5.-The Naked Cowboy, Times Square, New York. 6.-His rival....the almost Naked Cowgirl, Times Square. 7.- So, who IS the trophy? Please explain! 8.- L to R: Kobie, Liz and Daniel, New York. 9.- L to R: Daniel, Alex, Angie and her dog, Juicy, in Central Park, New York. 10.- Ombi and Joanne relaxing in her backyard, Brentwood, Long Island, New York. 11 - Mike, the Master Chef! 12.- Alex and his mum. 13.- Trains running less frequently during peak times in Manhattan....and that would be......Derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 14.- Kobie, Ombi and Daniel being silly! 15.- This kiss is for you Paco...gotta luv those shoes! Quirky enough?!) 16.- Below is a video of some guys dancing on a train we caught between Queens and Manhattan.)

What goes around comes around - a visit from Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:40:00 +0000

I cannot begin to describe the joy I felt when our very dear friends Yuji (aka Nashville) and Yuko Mizushima told us last year that they would come and visit us in Australia. I mean one has to make the effort to actually come here! Australia is a big and isolated continent, and unlike many other places on earth, you don't just happen to pass by or through. Yuko and Yuji were actually flying over especially to see Alex and I and we were thrilled.

Our discussions began via the internet and on the phone, but by late February this year, it was all becoming very concrete, as Yuji and Yuko began to plan their trip. By early April, we had fixed dates, so that Alex and I could help them organise their time here. Firstly, let me explain who Nashville (Yuji) San and Yuko San are and why they hold a very special place in my heart, and now in Alex's too. I met Nashville San (San is Mr or Mrs in Japanese) and Yuko San more than 10 years ago when I was working in an English school called Nova, in Tsuchiura, some 60 kilometres north of Tokyo. It was in this school that I met my (still to this day) very dear friend Sayuri. And it is through Sayuri that I met her wonderful parents. Also in those first few months (Nov 1998 to March 1999) I met Tony Roberts, who ended up teaching English with me...and subsequently became Sayuri's husband (another long story). I won't leave you in suspense: In brief Tony and Sayuri got married in Hawaii in June 2002 only months after Alex and I got married in New York....and we actually attended their wedding on the way back to Australia! They now have Kai, who is 5 and Alyssa who is 2! Now, who says I can't be brief?

OK, so early in 1999, Sayuri invited a select group of English teachers from Nova to her house (an invitation via her parents), in what ended up being one of the most memorable moments in my life! Yuko and Yuji were the ultimate hosts; Yuko spoke very good English (she is an English teacher) and Yuji certainly got by in mixed English/ Japanese and hand movements. We were firstly placed before a feast fit for a king, with the most amazing Japanese food ever. But it's what came next that would forever remain in our hearts and memories......out comes Yuji with cowboy boots, matching belt, western shirt, stetson hat and guitar, and......wait for it....he starts serenading us with country and western music....in English! You gotta love that! Yuji then proceeded to take us upstairs and show us all of his country and western memorabilia....several more hats, belts, boots, western shirts and guitars. He clearly loved all things western and had been to the southern states in the USA several times. Back downstairs, the singing, dancing and drinking (Asahi beer, sake and umeshu) went on until the wee hours of the morning. This revelry had me dub Yuji, Nashville San! The name stuck and even his own daughter and son-in-law call him this to this day. Nashville San.......yeh, it stuck allright!

The week before Yuko San and Nashville San arrived, Alex and I helped organise their accommodation in Melbourne and Sydney as well as their internal flights between Sydney and Melbourne (they were flying in and out of Sydney with Japanese Airlines). As we chatted we could tell that they were getting really excited, as were we. They were effectively coming to Australia to see Alex and I. You may recall that Alex and I also spent 5 magnificent days with them in Japan in August 2007 when we were travelling around the world. They flew into Sydney on the 20th April and a day later they flew into Melbourne, where Dad and I went to greet them. I was ready with some balloons and a poster which read, "Welcome to Australia Yuko San and Nashville San". Hugs all around...they were finally here. They were so happy to meet my Dad, as I had spoken so much about him. We went back to my house, and Alex literally arrived as we stepped in the door. More hugs all around. That night we took it easy and had a nice easy Italian meal (ravioli, garlic bread and salad) whilst we sat around chatting. They also brought us some lovely gifts from Japan, but for us, the biggest gift was their presence with us here in Australia! Later we drove them to their hotel in the city centre.

The next few days were full on. That is really the only way I can describe them. They had less than a week in Melbourne, and I would be taking a couple of days off, in order to be able to show them around. Dad and I took them to Healesville Sanctuary, which they loved. Luckily the weather was beautiful. We packed a picnic lunch, and stopped at a park in Healesville before continuing on to the sanctuary (which is basically a zoo of native Australian animals). Needless to say, the highlights were the kangaroos and koalas, which most tourists love as they are so unique as they are native to Australia. That night we had a traditional Aussie BBQ at our place, with my brother Fulvio, his wife Karen and my nephew James. I had also organised a surprise: Nashville San had brought his book of songs along, but had mentioned that we would only be able to sing together as he had no guitar. Nothing a phone call couldn't fix! I invited my friend Linda over and asked her to bring a guitar. Well, you should have seen the look on his face, when Linda walked in, and I introduced her......and the guitar! He was rapt! In no time at all, we were all singing along to the country and western songs he was belting out. And.....he sang one song in Japanese and another in Spanish, for good measure. Impressive! A great night was had by all.

The next day, Dad took them to Sover eign Hill , a recreated 1850's Goldfields Township, in Ballarat (just over an hour west of Melbourne). They had a great time walking around, shopping and even taking a ride in a traditional horse and carriage. That night Alex and I took them to Thaila Thai in Brunswick, our favourite Thai restaurant.

The next couple of days were taken up cruising along the Great Ocean Road, via Geelong. We decided that we would go as far as we could on the Friday, and sleep wherever we ended up. Again, lots of fun was had by all. We stopped in Geelong, and then in Torquay, where we had a traditional "fish and chips" lunch, which we ate on the foreshore. Yuko San and Nashville San were truly enjoying themselves. We then passed through Anglesea, Lorne, and ended up in Apollo Bay. The coast line in this area is truly spectacular. I love the way in which your breath is taken away as you come around a bend and see yet another view more spectacular than the last.

The Great Ocean Road is, without a doubt, one of Australia's treasures, as well as one of the world's most scenic roads. That night we ended up at the Dolphin Apartments, where all of us shared an apartment on the third floor. It was a funky set up with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and toilets, yet a shared living area and balcony, with sweeping views of the sea. Yuko and Yuji loved it! After the boys shared a whiskey, we made our way to The Vista Seafood Restaurant, which had been recommended to us, as Yuji loves seafood. I had a lovely vegetarian gnocchi option. It was a relaxing night enjoyed by all.

The weather seemed to get increasingly colder, and the next day it was quite windy. After a not too early get up, I went to the bakery, bought some pastries and came back and organised breakfast....on the balcony, overlooking the sea, of course! After we got ourselves organised, we made our way to the town centre, where our friends took a stroll through the shops before we continued on. We stopped at the Maits Rest Rainforest Reserve and took a stroll through some beautiful natural scenery; Giant myrtle beeches tower in this untouched rainforest, creating a protective canopy above a delicate understorey of tree ferns, lichens and moss. Continuing on, it was the Cape Otway Lighthouse, which is the oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland Australia. We all walked through the grounds and were treated to further breathtaking views. The piece de resistance was the view from the top of the lighthouse. I think our friends were blown away...both physically and metaphorically speaking. Nearing Port Campbell, we visited the infamous Twelve Apostles, another Aussie icon. The remnants from constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland that began 10–20 million years ago, these structures never fail to impress.

No sooner had we arrived back at our car, after seeing the Twelve Apostles, than it started to rain. Perfect timing! A quick (late) lunch stop in Port Campbell for lunch, and then we made our way back home, via Colac. I think everyone was exhausted upon our arrival back in Melbourne. We helped Yuko and Nashville get all of their luggage to St Georges Motor Inn, only a block from our house, and whilst they were freshening up and getting unpacked, I whipped up a quick risotto and baked a cake. Dinner was enjoyed by all, but we made it an early night, as all and sundry had had a long last couple of days.

On Sunday morning I organised a buffet breakfast at our place. Yuko and Nashville wanted to spend today doing their own thing; catching a tram to the city, shopping, walking around and whatever else took their fancy. Before catching the tram though, we called Sayuri. It was fantastic - there we were all talking to each other. Much of what Yuko and Yuji said was in Japanese, but I could clearly "understand" how happy they were, and furthermore to be able to share this with their daughter. I felt quite emotional actually. And it suddenly hit me.......I was finally able to repay not only some of the kindness that Yuko and Nashville had shown me, but the kindness that so very many people had shown me on so many trips. This was my way of saying thank you, inadvertently, to so many people. What goes around indeed comes around, and I am a true believer that one has to give in order to receive. I have been given so very much over so many years and by so many people. Now, it was my time to give, and it was my absolute honour to be able to do so.

We briefly saw Nashville and Yuko at the Victoria Market, but left them to their own devices. They did quite a lot that day including going to the top of the Rialto for a bird's eye view of Melbourne, and of course ....shopping! Later that night we all went to La Porchetta in Carlton, for some traditional Italian fare, aka pizza. Another enjoyable night, yet I felt a little sad as our time all together was coming to an end. It had been and gone so quickly - they would be leaving tomorrow.

Their last morning with us was spent rather tranquilly. Although Alex had said his goodbyes the night before, they crossed paths houses away from our home as Alex was leaving for work and they were coming for breakfast. We sat and did one last round of chatting over breakfast, after which we went and sent off a small parcel to Japan.....and Yuko San fitted in a tiny bit more shopping, buying herself a top at K-Mart. I have given Yuko a new name.......Shopping San! What do you think Tony and Sayuri? Nashville San and Shopping San!

Finally, time to go to Tullamarine Airport, and share one last coffee together. So, it had all really come to an end! I love hellos, but I am not so fond of goodbyes. Dad and I walked them to the gates (although they were only going to Sydney, they were going on an international flight which was bound for Honolulu), and we hugged lots, took several more photos, and waved goodbye. What amazing people! What amazing friends! Just as Nashville was about to walk through the door, he stopped, opened up a bag which had several hats in it, and passed me the hat he wore upon arrival to Melbourne, and asked me to give it to Dad. We eyes welled up with tears, as did Dad's when I passed it over to him. I gave him a big kiss, and waved them both goodbye one last time. Actions truly speak louder than words! And off they flew to Sydney.

Yuko and Nashville will spend another couple of days in Sydney, before flying back to Japan. I have been calling them each night to see how they are enjoying themselves and they are loving Sydney. They fly back to Japan tomorrow.

Ombi

Dedication: To all the amazing people over the years who have taken me (and Alex) in as we have travelled and given us a place to stay and a meal to eat. Thank you, thank you and thank you again! Finally, I have been able to give to others what others have given to me. No matter what angle you look at this from, what goes around comes around! And thank you Yuko and Nashville San for being our very, very, very special friends. In all of my travels you are two of the most wonderful and special people I have ever met! You are part of our family!

NOTE: This is part of what Yuko sent me in an e-mail upon her return to Japan: "Ombi, Alex and Dino san, you are kind to us and I thank your hospitality. We talked and talked, laughed and laughed, ate and ate together. They are all my good memories in my life."........this is what makes travel so special for me!!!

NOTE 2: You may recall our last Samoa blog, where I mentioned Jacques (spelt with a c!!). I promised that I would set the record straight in my next blog if I stuffed up his cultural background. So...to set the record straight, and straight from the horse's mouth: "By the way I was born in South Africa to South African parents, Great Grandfather was French, Great Grandmother was Dutch."

"You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person." - Scott Sorrell

NEXT: On the 16th May, we leave for a 5 week trip to the Americas; two weeks in New York, and three weeks in Ecuador. Only one day to go!

(Photos: 1.- Welcome to Australia Yuko San and Nashville San, Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne. 2.-Back at Dino (my Dad's) place in Thornbury, Melbourne. 3.-Nashville San doing his thing, Dino's house. 4.- An Italian meal at Dino's house...with the cook (Dino) in the background. 5.-Yuko San and Nashville San at Healesville Sanctuary, Healesville. 6.- Ombi and Nashville San singing away, at Dino's house. 7.- Nashville San checking out the merchandise at Sovereing Hill, Ballarat. 8.- All of us, somewhere along the Great Ocean Road. 9.- Maits Rainforest Reserve, along the Great Ocean Road. Lto R: Nashville San, Ombi and Yuko San. 10.- Yuko and Yuji at the Cape Otway Lighthouse. 11.- Dada............here we are infront of the famous Twelve Apostles. 12.- Talking to Sayuri (Yuko and Yuji's daughter) via skype from Dino's place. 13.- L to R: Yuko, Ombi, Alex and Dino at La Porchetta pizza and pasta restaurant in Carlton, Melbourne. 14.- Yuko and Yuji catch a tram a tram to the city from close to our house in Thornbury, Melbourne. 15.- Saying goodbye at Tullamarine Airport. 16.- Yuji's new hairstyle (aka Alex's hair)!! 17.- BBQ at Dino's house. Lto R: Alex, Fulvio (my brother), Karen (sister-in-law), James (nephew), Yuji, Yuko and Dino.)

Latin Camping Down Under

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:28:00 +0000

This Easter was spent on Freddy and Ada’s property, near the township of Glenrowan. So, who are Freddy and Ada, and where is Glenrowan? Freddy, who is originally from Bolivia, along with his Peruvian wife, Ada, were the hosts of “Latin American Camping”, which has now been running for 29 years. They have a little girl called Chaska, and Ada is close to giving birth to her second child. Glenrowan is approximately 220 kilometres north east of Melbourne, and is most famously, or infamously, known as the site of the final siege and capture of bush ranger Ned Kelly and his gang in 1880 (I'm actually quite proud to be able to bring you a bit of Aussie history after so much international one).

Many members of the Latin community have been attending this function for years, as it's a great way for the community and their friends to mix, chat, dance and generally have some good old Latin American fun! Alex and I had never been before. We had been invited by our dear friend Linda, who I believe is the voice of Latin America in Melbourne, and I have thus dubbed her Ms Latin America Melbourne. If you want any information on any Latin American event in Melbourne, Linda will either tell you first, or she will certainly find out about it. Needless to say, being first timers, Alex and I were really looking forward to it. Linda, who has been going for some 20 years, organised a group of us and we were all to set up camp in a designated area on Freddy's property. I was really looking forward to it. I'm a bit like that with anything new. It's the thrill of trying something different and experiencing something new!

Over the last 10 months or so, I have made some amazing new friends, either Latinos or people who have some kind of Latino connection. It all began at Ivan's birthday party mid last year really. Ivan is Peruvian, and it was there that I met Linda, and through Linda, Karen and her Ecuadorian husband Jesus (who are now in Ecuador; take a look at their blog, http://www.llamasbailando.blogspot.com/). It was also through Linda that I met Kirrily. Linda is a match-maker, but not of the romantic kind. She seems to have this amazing ability to be able to connect the right people at the right time. Coincidence or synchronicity? I have no doubt that meeting Linda was no mere coincidence and it has opened up another wonderful chapter in my life!

Kirrily and Linda would be driving up in her car, and Alex and I in mine. It had been a crazy week at work, and I had been too exhausted to pack the night before, so (as usual, my Dad would say) I packed at the last minute, getting up early on Good Friday to do so. Linda and Kirrily arrived at around 10.00am, as we were still madly packing, organising and stuffing. After a quick breakfast and some espresso thrown into a thermal flask, we were off...to the tune of my Dad shaking his head and saying, "You should have left earlier!". He was probably right, but yeh, whatever. The drive up was pleasant enough, even if we were stuck in traffic for the best part of the first hour. We wanted to get out of Melbourne, but guess what....so did half of Melbourne! We made a few stops, had some snacks, drank some (bad!) but free coffee at one of those roadside stops which plead you to take a break and stay alive. OK, OK, it wasn't meant to be gourmet coffee, and the intention of using caffeine to keep you awake wasn't a bad one! Time seemed to roll pleasantly by, and in no time at all we were in Glenrowan, being greeted by the big looming statue of Ned Kelly, who is almost (I said almost!) as popular as he is! We gave him a wave and kept going, as Freddy's property was actually another fifteen minutes or so out of the township.

The rollicking hills behind the township were beautiful, in true Australian country form. I wound down the windows and drew back some of that fresh and unpolluted air. In many ways, we are still the lucky country! We probably rocked up at around 3.00pm, by which time many other campers had already set up, or were in the process of doing so. It was great to see everyone banding together and helping each other out. No cabins here! This was strictly a camping-style set up......big tents, small tents, caravans, marquees.......if the Hilton was your requirement, this certainly was not the place for you! We met Freddy almost immediately, as he was driving around a tractor giving several of the young kids a ride. This all looked like it was going to be fun. I wound down my window and introduced myself.....as you do!

We arrived at our "spot" to find Yoni there first. He was already "set up" as he sleeps in his van. Yoni hails from Peru, and is an amazing jeweller, creating all of his own pieces. They are all made with passion, and are centred around the Pre-Colombian and Inca culture (which as most of you would now by now, holds a very special place in my heart). Each piece is individual, and in fact that is exactly what the name of his business Juklla means. Take a look at his fabulous web site, http://juklla.com/.

In no time at all, we had set up our camp site. No sooner had we finished than the others started rolling in. Our international campsite consisted (apart from Alex, Linda, Kirrily, Yoni and I) of Rosa (from Spain) and baby Indira; Raquel (Bolivia), her husband Bodhi (English but of Sri Lankan extraction) and their children Dylan and Naomi; Matt and Mae (Malaysia) and gorgeous baby Freya. Camped up just behind us were the Elsburys with their beautiful adopted daughter Olivia, who was born in Bolivia.......Olivia from Bolivia! It was a veritable United Nations! Parked not too far from us were Carlos and Nury (Peru) and their beautiful girls, Belinda and Rebecca. Naldo too, who is Carlos' uncle, but looks more like his brother. Staying with them was Tomoko from Japan. Another fun bunch of people...actually Carlos, you are a pisser! You had me in fits of laughter for a lot of the weekend. C'mon, bring the party on!

Freddy and Ada had a great set up, including an undercover area where people could sit and eat, a stage and an area to dance. They had also organised several bands to play over the long weekend, including Inka Marka (which Linda manages), Los Inkas (from Sydney) and possibly Bolivia's most famous singer, Luis Rico. Here in Australia on tour Luis Rico made the effort to come out all the way to Glenrowan. His music was forged during the tumultuous periods of the 60s and 70s under various military coup d’etats and dictatorships in Bolivia. He was definitely a crowd pleaser! Throw in some salsa and some traditional Bolivian dancers (Bolivia Mia, based in Sydney) and folk music, and they had people moving to various grooves over the duration of the entire long weekend.

On the first night, I boogied my butt off...well, salsa-ed my butt off! When I wasn't dancing with Alex it was with Naldo (originally from Peru, and another friend via Linda). We seriously danced for hours. I also attempted to follow Andy Jaregui (originally from Bolivia) and now residing in Canberra, of Los Chavos, dance to some traditional Bolivian music. He is a truly amazing dancer! It was loads of fun but much harder than I thought. I did however manage to keep up with him. I never cease to amaze myself sometimes, as I look back and say, "Did I REALLY dance for that long?"...the answer is usually yes!

I want to add that all of the above mentioned groups, individuals and dancers are accomplished both Australia - wide as well as internationally. Please take the time to take a look at their web sites or links.

On the Saturday morning a small group of us went to Beechworth, for the Easter Golden Horseshoes Fesival. It was nice to get out and stroll around. There were lots of crafty type stalls and the usual food, food and more food. It was a nice excursion. Later that night, there was more dancing back at the ranch, so to speak. Now, did I mention that Matt is a chef? Well, he is, and boy can he cook! He was whipping up some pretty spectacular plates with......whatever was available, really. Sunday was a lazy and laid back day, where all Matt seemed to do was cook....and all we seemed to do was eat. Not sure how exciting this all was for you Matt, but we were all stoked! Whilst some people started to leave on the Sunday, others such as ourselves, stayed around until Monday. You know what they say...when you are on to a good thing, stick to it!

Dancing, eating, campfires, chatting, making new friends...it was all so much fun! But you know what else they say......all good things must come to an end. The time had come...to pack up and say our goodbyes! Last but not least, we went to say goodbye to Freddy, Ada and Chaska, and thanked them for a brilliant 4 days. We will definitely be back! It was mid-afternoon by the time we took off, and before we knew it, we were home.

Next week we would be having our wonderful friends Yuji and Yuko visiting us from Japan, and in May we are off to New York and Ecuador to see Alex's family. I repeat, life really is good....we have nothing to complain about!

Ombi

Dedication: To my "new" friend Linda. Although I have not known you for quite a year Linda, you have been the catalyst for me meeting so many more amazing people. You are a wonderful, bright, intelligent and fun loving person, and I feel proud and honoured to have you in my
life.....as does Alex! Thanks for being you...it's the very reason I love you! Don't change for anyone, except for yourself! I see us being "partners in crime" for a very long time to come!

"Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better." - King Whitney Jr.

Note: Jesus (Ecuador) and Karen usually come camping, but this year they did not, as they are currently in travelling in South America. I thought I would pay them homage by putting up a photo of them the night before they flew to Ecuador in February (I miss you heaps guys!!!).

(Photos: 1.- Ombi and Chaska at Latin Camping. 2.-Linda! 3.-L to R: Ombi, Kirrily and Linda at the camp site. 4.- The beautiful countryside around Glenrowan. 5.- The camp site by night. 6.- Yoni and Cesar at the camp site. 7.-The flags of the Latino United Nations. 8.- Ombi and Carlos having a boogie. 9.-Olivia Newton John and John Travolta move over....make way for Carlos and Ombi! 10.- The girls and the iron chef. L to R: Kirrily, Ombi, Linda and Matt. 11.- Matt making donuts....delish!!! 12.- Saying goodbye. The gang from L to R: Ombi, Carlos, Nury, Raquel, Alex, Linda, Mae, Matt, Tomoko and ? 13.- More goodbyes. L to R: Ada, Freddy, Alex, Linda, Leilina and Raquel. 14.- Karen and Jesus' last night in Australia. L to R: Ombi, Jesus, Karen and Linda)

Alex does America.

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 05:29:00 +0000

Everything happens for a reason, or so they say! One good thing to come out of the stuffing up of the dates on our Samoa trip was that we would come back one day earlier, actually giving Alex some time to organise himself to fly out to the States (originally, we would be arriving back in Melbourne on the Saturday and he would be flying to the States the next day; the "updated" version saw us arriving on the Friday, which at least gave him a day to pack). In hindsight (which is truly a marvellous thing, most would agree), he would have been pushing to get himself ready and packed, based on the original schedule. Part of the getting ready phase was as much psychological as anything else, as Alex mentally prepared himself for the transition from laying on a beach in Samoa to the snow and minus temperatures he'd read about in New York!

What was Alex going to the States for, and why wasn't Ombi going? Well, no we're not velcroed together, but for all reasons pertaining to travel, I wouldn't mind to be. On a serious note, he was off to San Francisco to attend the "Apple MacWorld Conference & Expo", on a scholarship he'd won through Melbourne University, where he works in IT. In plain, un-techy language, it means that he went to a conference that delved into all things to do with Apple Macs (to all of you other techno dyslexics.....they are a type of computer, not a new species of apples!) After his week in San Francisco, he also flew to New York to see his mum and little sister, Angie. I was saving my holidays for a New York/ Ecuador trip we had already booked for 5 weeks in May and June of this year.

As I was not there with him, this entry will be short and sweet (a rare occurence!), and I will touch upon some of his highlights. Whilst in San Fransisco, Alex stayed at the Hotel Des Arts, which our friend Richard originally found. Now, you may recall me having mentioned Richard and Jo before. They are two of our dearest friends, and "co-partners in crime" in as far as they love to travel and explore the world on par with Alex and I. We usually play travel tag team, whereby either one of the couples is overseas somewhere. Whilst Alex and I were on our 16 month sojourn, they somewhat grinned and beared it. Now, it was their turn, as they took off in early January to do Central America for 6-8 months. Why would I be jealous? I'd already done it, right? Wrong! Anyway, they would be flying to Central America via LA and San Francisco, and would be in San Fran around the same time as Alex, so.......they would be able to catch up.....and they did....and stayed in the same hotel! Now, you simply MUST take a look at their blog, http://www.thedemeesters.blogspot.com%27/ The photos are amazing!

So, it goes something like this: Ombi (the single girl!) meets Jo and Richard in 1999 on a windswept plain in Patagonia, Argentina. They become friends. Ombi keeps travelling, gets to Ecuador and falls in love with Alex. Upon Ombi and Alex returning to Australia (2000) they catch up with Richard and Jo, and a strong bond and friendship is cemented. Fast forward.........in 2007, as part of their trip around the world, Alex and Ombi meet Ricardo, a Mexican-American, in Guatemala, and another new friendship is born. In January 2009, Alex, Richard, Jo and Ricardo (who lives in San Francisco) all catch up and have dinner together! Now maybe I am getting a little excited.....but you can't tell me that travel doesn't rock! You have to love a story like this!

After almost a week, Alex flew to New York, where he spent some quality time with his mum and sister Angie. It wasn't a week of outings or excursions, but just a time for Alex to reconnect with his mum, and spend some quality time with her. I was so glad that he was able to do this, and I know that he was too. He has a very special bond with his mother, especially considering that they have lived so many years apart. Alex tells me that they chilled out, went shopping together, and just relaxed in each other's presence. Alex's happiness will always be my happiness, and knowing how much this meant to him meant even more to me. Saying goodbye to her this time, I believe, wasn't so hard, as we are both going back there in May of this year. I know, you can't take that travelling "thing" out of us now. It's too far gone!

As you can see, this is my very brief take on Alex's two weeks away. Most of what he felt remains in his heart, and without a doubt, what my words (for once!) cannot convey, his photos will!

Dedicacion: Este blog lo dedico a mi suegra y gran amiga, Rocio. Me siento orgullosa de tenerte en mi vida. Eres una persona muy especial, valiente y buena. Espero que todo lo que das te regresa. Gracias para haberme "prestado" tu hijo Alex, que es la gran amor de mi vida. Acuerdate que siempre vas a tener mi apoyo y mi amor. De tu Gringa Loca que te ama montones, y de parte de tu hijo Alex que te adora.

"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed". - (Carl Jung, 1875 - 1961)......... to all the friends, both near and far who have transformed my life........I love you all, Ombi.

Next: Latino Camping Downunder.

(Photos:1.- Alex and Angie at the Jackson Heights train station in Queens, NY. 2.-Minus 14 degrees celsius in NY. 3.-Alex at the Apple MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco. 4.-L to R: Ricardo, Jo, Richard and Alex catch up for a meal and a chat in San Francisco. 5.-Ricardo and Alex in San Fran. 6.-Alex and his mum, Rocio, in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY. 7.- Alex and Angie having some fun in New York. 8.-Angie and Alex , with the Empire State Building, Manhattan, in the background).

A walk on the "wild" side - Savai'i

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:40:00 +0000

The average tourist on a two week sojourn through Samoa usually only gets to Upolu.....well, we aren't "average" and we like to think of ourselves as much more than tourists. This, I feel, is glaringly obvious to most of you by now! Being the culture fanatics that we are, we were going to try and see as much as we could (without cramming) in the short amount of time we had, so clearly, Savai'i, was on the agenda!

Getting there proved to be easy enough. It was a half an hour or so bus ride to Mulifanua Wharf, on the west side of the airport, and before we knew it, we were on a ferry going across. It's only 20 kilometres to Savai'i, and the trip was supposed to take a little less than an hour and a half. The sea was crystal clear, and I was looking forward to kicking back and relaxing on the boat! I....don't ....think.......so!!!!! I was about five minutes into reading my book, when my guts started up with the same kind of fire dance we had seen only nights before! Chucky was on his way, and I'm not talking about that little horror movie demon! I tried everything....Breathe in, breathe out; sniffing some cure all liquid I'd bought in Vietnam; focusing on the horizon! None of it was working, and so, in between belching constantly like I'd just downed a slab of VB, and hanging over the edge to dribble bile, I counted a very, very, very long 100 minutes or so! Can't say that I was distressed when the trip was over. I have never been less interested in crystal waters! Give me some terra firma, please!

On the other side, I was a happy little camper in no time at all. OK, so it was scorching, there was no shade, there were no buses, and the taxis were trying to rip us off! Well, they were milking the fact that our next destination was 40 minutes away, and thus expensive....and that the next bus was not going to be around for hours! Alex and I eyed each other off a few times, giving each other that "do we, don't we" kind of look? We figured that spending the remainder of the day frying in the sun whilst anxiously waiting for the next bus was not really high up on our list of options. We decided to hone in on our negotiation skills, and see if we could get a decent rate via taxi. After asking around and receiving some ludicrous prices, we finally got a really nice guy, who was willing to drive the 45 minutes or so to Manase, in the north, for a reasonable fare.

The drive was spectacular! Straight up, we could see that the island of Savai'i was going to offer us a much more rustic and wilder experience of Pacific life than Upolu. Apart from being the the largest island in Polynesia outside of New Zealand and Hawai'i, it's also mostly uninhabited. The tropical terrain looked spectacular, and the fact that there were far fewer signs of modern life, made it feel like we were in a kind of Indiana Jones does Polynesia movie. There were fales interspersed everywhere, and it was really apparent that on this big island, this was where most of the people lived and slept. Everything seemed all that bit more traditional here. This was going to be exciting!

Upon arrival in Manase, we immediately started our search for accommodation. Manase is still one of Samoa's better kept secrets with its palm-fringed beaches, lagoons filled with wildly coloured fish and jungle-covered hills, but its only slowly coming out of the shade of better known Samoan and South Pacific travel destinations. I say.....shhhhhhh, keep it a secret! Manase is predominantly made up of a gorgeous stretch of beach, and no more than five or six lots of accommodation, which consisted of fales on the beach front. For once, we ended up at the first one we visited, Tanu's Beach Fales.

We were greeted by the fun loving and intensely friendly Peisi (pronounced Bay-C). She won us over before we even got to take a look at the fales. Her right hand person was the equally outgoing Scott, a teenager from Australia, who was here on an exchange. Peisi took us over to a fale right on the beach's edge, and we were enthralled. Simple, clean, open, and we loved it! It was actually going to be our first night in a typical, thatched fale. No sooner had we dumped all of our stuff inside, than it began to pour. Well, I suppose it was the rainy season, and better rain than a monsoon, I say. It was actually lovely to hear the pitter-patter of rain on our roof as we sat inside and watched the sea through our thatched screening. OK, so I bitched about the rain a bit! Once the rain settled, we met our neighbour, Jaques from South Africa/ Holland/ New Zealand. I hope I have this right Jaques...born in South Africa to French parents, who then moved to Holland and who now lives in New Zealand ( I promise a correction in the next blog if I have stuffed this up!) Jaques would only be spending a week or so here, and he told us that whilst his luggage had not arrived yet (clearly it was supposed to arrive with him!), that it was on its way. Yeh, right! Pacific time that is!

Jaques was great fun, and we had a blast interacting with him. He was interesting, funny and knowledgeable - all the traits that I admire in people. He was also a tranquil and patient guy. I have the proof! That bag that was supposed to be "arriving soon" was taking an awfully long time. Alex is right, I would have lost it! Alex offered to lend Jaques some shorts and a t-shirt, but he declined at first......the bag was coming. After a few days of a "bag no show" (in my opinion, under the circumstances, worse than being stood up by a bloke), he readily accepted Alex's offer. Yes the bag eventually resurfaced, but it was several days into Jaques stay at Tanu. Well done Jaques, you taught me a lesson in how to keep my cool!

Tanu fales proved to be lots of fun, and a place where we met lots of interesting people, including the gorgeous Heather, from Jamaica. There were certainly lots of times, and copious opportunities to chat about the meaning of life with Heather. Then there were all the people who had come for various reunions - mostly Samoans, or children of Samoans who were now living mostly in New Zealand. Day time was relaxing, and for me included a run on the beach in the morning, followed by a scrummy breakfast. Later we would snorkel, laze on the beach a bit, go for a walk and pull bananas directly off the trees, and deliver them directly into our mouths. What a life! By this time it would be nearing dinner time, whereby we would all sit around the communal benches, eating, chatting and generally getting to know people. It's a good life, and ain't nobody gonna convince me otherwise!

Night times at Tanu were lots of fun, with the inclusion of family run fia- fias. It really was a deal that involved the entire family, from grandpa, right down to a grandson who could have been no older than one and a half. In between were all the children, in-laws and their children. Again, the spectacular included dancing, fire-dancing and much, much more. It was both entertaining and enthralling. It's amazing how families work so communally and cooperatively here in Samoa.

After a few days, we had to move as we were meeting Shivani and Debbie, and there was no room left in Tanu. With only a cluster of places offering accommodation, it wasn't too difficult to find another place. We ended up at Jane's Beach Fales, which although close to Tanu, felt a little less crowded and more serene. Both were great, offering excellent, but different experiences and vibes. Jane's fales were on a grassy piece of land, and offered absolute waterfront. Each fale, unlike Tanu's also had its own little balcony. It was a little piece of paradise. Bathrooms were shared, as is usually the case in Samoa. Now where Jane's really let the party down was the food. I rarely, if ever see Alex turn his nose up at food, but when his first dinner there came out, (a big chunk of mutton replete with fat), he instantaneously lost his happy camper look. Needless to say, he didn't eat it. My meal.....mixed veggies......cooked in the mutton juice! That certainly didn't cut it for me either!

It was great to see Shivani and Debbie again, and we had a great time just kicking back and relaxing. After night one at Jane's together, with a shocker of a meal, we negotiated next night's dinner at Jane's for a small fee. Well worth it in my opinion. That same night we were treated to yet another fia-fia, followed by lots of dancing. Do you know what it feels like to dance outside, in a tropical country? Perspiration turned into a sweat slide, but we were all in the same boat (no pun intended!), and we were all having so much fun that we didn't care!

On our last day in Manase, a group of us went on an around-the-island bus trip. It was well worth it, as we got to see some sights that we wouldn't have otherwise. Our first stop was in the Falealupo Rainforest Preserve, where we did a great canopy walk. OK, so the bridge was missing, but we were still able to walk up a set of stairs that had us looking well and truly above the top of the tree canopy. The stairs wound and were built around a 225 year old banyan tree, which was spectacular unto itself. The views were breathtaking. To name some of the other highlights: the Alofaaga Blowholes, the lava fields around Mt Matavanu and the Afu Aau Waterfall. Watching the white foam soaring up over the black rocks along the stretch of the coast which is home to the blowholes was impressive, but even more so was watching the locals demonstrate the power of the waves. They did this by tossing a coconut into the blowhole at just the right moment, to send it flying up some 60 metres into the air! The Mt Matavanu eruption between 1905 and 1911 created a moonscape in northeastern corner of Savai'i as a flow of hot lava rolled across plantations and villages, destroying everything in its path. What a sensation to not only be able to see this but to also walk over it! The waterfalls were a relaxing respite towards the end of the day, and a great place to people watch, as it was mostly filled with locals.

Alex and I had decided to make our way back to Apia for New Year's Eve. We thus got up on the last day of the year, had breakfast with Shivani and Debbie and made our way back to Apia. I hoped that the sea was going to be calm, as I certainly was not looking forward to the ferry ride back. Luckily, it wasn't so bad this time. No, I didn't say good, but not quite as bad as the trip over. Having said that, I was glad when the ride was over. We were old hats by now, and knew exactly how to get back to Apia. We were on a bus in no time at all. And again, in no time at all, back at Valentine's for our last night in Samoa, which would also be the last day of the year. Upon reflection, what a wonderful, varied and full -on year it had been! As Alex says, I only know one gear....5th!! (fast and furious).

We had decided that we would see the New Year out at Aggie Grey's Hotel, an institution in Samoa. The original owner, Aggie Grey was an institution herself, and it's well worth reading up about her and her life. We figured that on New Year's there would have to be a bit of a party, but no..... another fia-fia, an excellent buffet, and it was all over by 11.00pm. The fia-fia was great; the dancers were so lively and passionate; the dances talk about their lives, their culture and their way of life. For me, it's so amazing to be able to be a part of their world, even if only briefly, as it's a constant reminder that, without all of this, we each and individually live in a microcosm......and our world is so very much more than this! We walked home, as we pondered the meaning of life. Another day, another year!

The next morning we got up early, and packed our bags. We had no intention of stuffing up the flight home! We weren't going to play "three times un-lucky"! We said goodbye to all at Valentine's, including the gorgeous Agnes, who was always so pleasant and affable, and told them all we'd be back. Samoa had touched our hearts. Such breathtaking beauty and such happy and friendly people. Our taxi arrived on time, as Debbie and Shivani had organised it for us, as they had passed by Valentine's before meeting us in Savai'i. The guy was great, and as we drove to the airport he told us that his wife had just had a baby.....just as in the night before! He was stoked! And we were stoked for him! His happy-go-lucky demeanour left us feeling recharged. Just as we took off, the skies opened and it started raining elephants and giraffes. Glad we had not experienced this prior. Good timing! As we were dropped off at the airport, we paid our driver and gave him a bit extra.......after all, he had a great attitude to life, it was the New Year and he was a new Dad! Life was great for everyone!

In no time at all, we were on the plane, flying back to Melbourne. It seemed so long ago that we had flown over to Samoa, yet it had also gone so fast. I love what life has dished out and continues to dish out to me! I closed my eyes during take off, and pondered what I had just experienced. Wow!

Next: Alex does America!

"Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective." - Martin Luther King Jnr.

(Photos:1.- The ferry crossing from Upolu to Savai'i. 2.- Savai'i bus. 3.-Fales along the Savai'i coastline. 4.- The clear blue waters and sparkling white sand of Manase Beach, Savai'i. 5.-The view of Manase Beach from our fale at Tanu's Beach Fales. 6.-New friends and happy times, from L to R: Jaques, Shivani, Alex and a Samoan friend. Front row: Debbie and Heather. 7.-Communal breakfast at tanu's Beach Fales. 8.- Fire dancer, Tanu's Beach Fales. 9.- Beach front fale at Jane's Beach Fales, Manase Beach. 10.- Traditional dancers at Tanu Beach's fia-fia. 11.-Coconut throwing at Alofaaga Blowholes. 12.- Traditional dancer at Aggie Grey's Hotel New Year fia-fia. 13.-L to R: Ombi, Tine and Ray at Valentine's Hotel, Apia. 14.-Ombi and Alex at Aggie Grey's on New Year's Eve.)

Seaside bliss - Samoa.

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 05:05:00 +0000

As soon as our travelling debacle had been solved, we felt a huge weight come off our shoulders, and it is only after that point that we really felt that we had truly landed in Samoa. As soon as we walked out of the Polynesian Blue office, which was right in the centre of Apia, we breathed in the fresh air, and walked along the waterfront. The walk takes you up and around the Mulinu'u Peninsula, which stretches out into the South Pacific Ocean to the north west of central Apia. It was a great way to "start"our trip, as we were able to observe much. As in any country, its waterfront usually boasts a lot of activities and is a great place to people watch. Although it felt quite warm, and we wearing sunblock, it was very windy, which made it feel not so hot. Having said that, we would later learn, that we had slowly fried!

The Samoans really are a friendly bunch of people, and are always quick to greet you with talofa, which is the island's version of hello. The official language is Samoan, but many also speak English. Whilst we always make an effort to learn at least a small array of words in the language of the country we are going to, we had no trouble at all using English in Samoa. Like any place in the world, responding in someone's native language shows respect and that you are showing interest in their culture. The advantage of this is that people will then often go out of their way to help you, as you have also gone "out of your way". Also immediately obvious was how laid-back and relaxed they are as a people. Despite the fact that it was only a few days before Christmas in this an almost 100% Christian country, nobody seemed too frantic or stressed out. We (or certainly I!) could take a few leaves out of their book! We walked past lots of monuments and memorials, as well as lots of people laying down in the shade, on the grass, under the copious amounts of coconut trees (we should have taken our cue from them!). The flea market was very interesting, more so for the people that worked there than for what was actually sold. The usual suspects abounded - thongs, rip-offs of crocs (which have almost joined Heineken beer and Pringles in the "products taking over the world" stakes), lava-lavas (traditional skirt-like article of clothing worn by people in many Polynesian countries), and jewellery made with coconut shell. The exception was the various beautifully carved hardwood bowls and plates available. We eyed off a few, and decided that we would buy one before leaving the country.

Food? On vegetarians and vegans, the Lonely Planet guide simply states, "It's tough". Having read this before I left, my expectations weren't all that high, and we did bring a range of snacks (such as nuts and muesli bars) along with us. I am a fairly "liberal" vegetarian, and whilst I don't do the meat thing, I do consider myself a "meat flicker". I believe that people who really travel off the beaten track and love to backpack have to be a tad more flexible. Hard -core anything can lead to problems! Having said that, they just LOVE mutton in Samoa, and many places reeked of mutton fat, which to be blunt, I found rather repulsive. Not because it was meat (I am not "one of those" types of vegetarians), but because it smelt old and of urine. Even Alex agreed, and (drum roll) even HE knocked it back on more than one occasion. For those of you who don't know Alex that well, he rarely, if ever knocks back any food! They are also very much into taro, which is a root vegetable and an excellent source of carbohydrate. It's not bad really, but they seem to simply serve it up plain, and with other foods such as rice and fuata (breadfruit). So, it's a bit like carbs, carbs and more carbs! The liquid version would be a bottle each of Coca-Cola, Fanta and Pepsi. A bit of overkill really! But I did find something that I really loved, and was able to readily get at the market -palusami, which is basically young taro leaves and coconut cream - yum! There was also a fresh fruit and veggie market, Maketi Fou, near our hotel, and here we had no trouble finding things such as mangoes, papayas, delectable bananas and other fresh produce. Like any country, its markets are its backbone, and no matter how big or small, you are sure to walk away with some understanding of the way in which people live. As I have mentioned many times before, I love markets, as for me they are the soul of its country!

We got home quite tired on our first night, as we had walked a lot in the heat, and had (surprise, surprise) actually gotten quite burnt. Despite the fact that we were tired we made our way to a fiafia, at a venue not too far from where we were staying. A fiafia is a Samoan feast that includes dancing, singing and the famous fire-dancing. We had read and heard about it and so wanted to check out on one or two. The other bonus is that it is usually preceded or followed by a buffet. Alex's dream come true! The venue where we saw our first fiafia was called Laumei Faiaga (in English, and very aptly named, Turtle Take It Easy). In this instance, the buffet came first, and is really the place where I first tried and fell in love with palusami. We were then treated to both traditional Samoan dancing and also to the "Fire Knife Warriors", which was truly amazing. We went to bed that night with a really nice taste in our mouths, so to speak, and we intrinsically knew that we were we were just going to love our time in Samoa.

Breakfast the next morning at Valentine's was great; between 8am and 9am as things are done early here, to beat the heat. We were served by the lovely Agnes.....bread, jam, eggs and coffee. No rush! Nobody seems to rush in Samoa! So, we took our time, as we looked over the gorgeous open garden in front of us. What a life! I took a deep breath in, and a magnificently slow one out. I live for this! I have come to relish my holidays with a deep-seated passion. I now know and accept that travel is what REALLY makes me feel most alive and happy (apart from my beautiful partner and soul mate, Alex!) Over breakfast we chatted to Debbie and her gorgeous daughter Shivani (as time would tell, her beauty was far more than skin deep), who were also guests at the hotel. We had met them briefly the morning before, but due to the ticket fiasco, I had not been all that focused. They were spending several weeks in both Tonga and Samoa, and so were giving us tips on where to go and what to see. Traveller to traveller information, effectively referrals, are always the best way to go. They were going back to Lalomanu Beach, on the south-east end of the island, and told us to meet them there, even giving us the name of a place to stay. Sounded good. They were off on that day, and we said we would make our way over tomorrow, as we still wanted to explore a bit of Apia.

Just to quickly clarify, the Samoan islands are divided into two political entities: Samoa and American Samoa. Samoa was formerly known as Independent Samoa (or Western Samoa), but in July 1997 the island nation officially adopted the name Samoa. Samoa's two main islands (of which we visited both are Upolu (Apia being the capital) and Savai'i.

We spent quite a tranquil day, taking in the sights of Apia and its surrounds. Due to its past, it is indeed scattered and interspersed with dilapidated buildings, architecture and a multitude of churches, but that really is part of the charm. As for the fume-belching cars (some of which seem as old as the buildings they weave through!), they definitely did not provide us with the fresh air we thought we'd come for. We took our first island bus, an experience unto itself, just 30 minutes out to the Piula Cave Pool. Sitting on the sea, it is totally freshwater, and was a great way to wile away a couple of hours. On the bus back to Apia, with people stacked up like dominoes (the Samoans have quite a different take on personal space), we got off near the edge of town near the wharf, so that we could check out the Palolo Deep Marine Reserve. Whilst we did strap on our snorkelling gear, as suggested, we were not all that impressed with the coral. As we walked back to Valentine's we popped into the infamous Aggie Grey's, which to be quite honest, I thought was both overpriced and overrated. Having said that, and on a good note, it's really the only place that provides a home away from home. No thanks!

The next morning, we were off to Lalomanu Beach, where we spent a sublime 4 days, including Christmas. I should mention Verona and Justin's 5 children, Mesepa (Sepa), Justin, Ray, Valentine (Tine) and Verona. What wonderful kids! Friendly, chatty, playful and fun-loving! I often looked at them and thought how much our own kids could learn from them! There was a zest for life that I so often see lacking in western cultures. I will always remember their hugs, and their manners.

And so, with breakfast downed, goodbyes and Christmas greetings uttered, backpacks packed, we were off to the local bus station, and on our way to Lalomanu Beach. What time did the bus leave? Yeh..............whatever! They seemed non-plussed, so why should we? It was about a two-hour ride, along Upolu's gorgeous south-eastern coast. The bus was full of people, boxes and an array of other things, and remember it was the day before Christmas. That dominoes kind of feel reined supreme! After a couple of hours we were there, and begun our search for Taufua Beach fales. I should explain that a fale is basically an open- style thatched hut, and is a traditional example of Samoan architecture. Due to the heat it is very popular, and used by locals and foreigners alike. As soon, as I hopped off the bus, I did the usual; Alex looked after the bags, and I searched for the accommodation. In no time at all, I had found Taufua. Wow!!!! Blue skies and seas, and thatched huts literally on the sand metres from the sea. Now THIS is what I call utopia! Tina, from New Zealand, helped us out and told us that indeed Shivani and Debbie were staying there. In no time at all, I had collected Alex, been given a hut to stay in and caught up with the girls. I felt relaxed and at peace.

That night we were treated to a fiafia organised by Taufua fales. It was not a formal affair, but rather one where all the locals joined in. It was magnificent. Taufua Fales had a central dining area, where all the guests come together. Both breakfast and dinner (buffet style) are included in the price, and the food here was without a doubt the best we had in Samoa. Taufua Fales is owned and run by the amazing Tai, an intelligent yet humble woman who went out of her way to make her guests feel at ease. More on her later! Christmas Day was a casual affair, and despite the fact that Samoa is almost exclusively Christian, they don't seem to get caught up in all of that commercial hype which I have so grown to detest. For the Samoans it's clearly about spending time with family and friends and not about Christmas trees, ostentatious gifts and plasma TVs. Alex and I spent our time here reading, relaxing, swimming, sun-baking (well me, anyway), going for runs on the beach (me again!), snorkelling and eating! What more is there to do? Oh yes, and plenty of talking!

As we still wanted to visit the island of Savai'i, we had to make tracks. Tai offered to give us a lift back into Apia on the morning of the 27th December, as she had to go in for supplies, but we would have to get up early as she would be leaving at 5am. Whilst it sounded a bit hairy, we accepted! It was well worth it, as we had a really good chat to Tai, and saw things and met people we probably would not have otherwise. I want to share a story that Tai shared with us on the way to Apia: She told us that her 16 year old son had just spent a few days, including Christmas, in prison. I asked her why! She quite simply and clearly stated that she had often told him that if she caught him smoking marijuana, she would call the police. (Whilst hard drugs are not readily available in Samoa, due to the climate, marijuana is). Apparently, a few days prior, she caught him and a couple of friends in a room smoking, so she promptly called the local police, who gave the boys a talking to. Whilst the police were happy with the outcome, Tai clearly was not! She MADE them take the boys to a prison in Apia, where they spent the next few days. She believes in nipping things in the bud! Her comment to me was, "Marijuana today, what tomorrow?". Her son apparently had thought prison horrendous and apologised profusely to his mother. Maybe he would think about his actions more than twice next time, his mother said. How many western mothers would have done this? Tai, I was impressed by your actions.

Once in Apia, we went to the fish market, which was buzzing with locals. There, Tai sat with one of the local vendors, chatting to her and others and ordered a guy called "Nico" to buy some coffee and "Samoan donuts" (deep fried pastry balls). What a great way to observe Samoan daily life. Nico was an interesting character. We had a good chat and he told me that he was currently serving 5 years in prison (he was half way through), for growing a few marijuana plants. The law is tough here, yet prisoners are allowed out on weekend, including murderers. Nobody really watches them- 5 days on the inside and 2 days out! Nico was not doing community service, he simply wanted to help out in the market. A completely different system to our own!

Later Tai dropped us off at the bus station, and we took the half hour bus ride to the north-western tip of the island, where we were to catch the one and a half hour ferry trip to Savai'i. It was only 9am, as we had gotten up and left Lalomanu so early. In no time at all, we were at the wharf, where we would catch the 10.00am ferry across.

Samoa was proving to be a fascinating place!

Next: The island of Savai'i.

Dedication: I would like to dedicate this to a few people.

Mesepa, Justin, Valentine, Ray and Verona: Thank you for your laughter, your smiles and your cheeky grins. Thanks for reminding us about what is important in life. Maybe you are too young to understand, but it is our meeting people like you that changes our lives forever. We hope to come back and see you again!

Tai: What a woman! What a person! I know plenty of people that could learn a whole lot off you!

Nico: Thanks for sharing, and for being so open with us!

"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action." - Benjamin Disraeli.

(Photos: 1.- Apian waterfront. 2.- Local bus, Apia. 3.- Fuata (breadfruit), local Apian market. 4.-Fire-dancing at a fiafia, Laumei Faiaga, Apia. 5.-L to R: Debbie and Shivani. 6.- Even the dogs have it right in Samoa.......Work Hard, Party Harder (as seen above the door of a bar in Apia). 7.-L to R: Ray and Tine (Valentine) at Valentine's Hotel, Apia. 8.-Lalomanu Beach, as seen from our balcony (That's right...our balcony! We were literally staying right on the beach!) 9.-Tai strumming her guitar, Christmas Eve. 10.- Beautiful Lalomanu Beach, at dusk. 11.- At the fish market., Apia. 12.-Turquoise waters and blue skies...a taste of Savai'i. 13.- Ombi and Nico at the Fish Market, Apia).

These are times of fast foods,but slow digestion!

noreply@blogger.com (Ombi and Alex) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:38:00 +0000

I usually end each of my entries with a quote, but this time, it is the way I will begin:

"We have bigger houses but smaller families;
We have more degrees but less sense;

more knowledge but less judgements;
more experts but more problems;

more medicines, but less healthiness.

We've been all the way to the moon and back,

but we have trouble crossing the street

to meet the new neighbour.

We build more computers to hold more information,

to produce more copies than ever,

but we have less communication.

We have become long on quantity

but short on quality.

These are times of fast foods,but slow digestion;

tall man, but short character;

steep profits, but shallow relationships.

It is time when there is much in the window

but nothing in the room." - The Dalai Lama

I found this a few days ago, as I was searching for a quote for our last blog, the first of our Samoa blogs. I read it the first time, and felt a knot in my throat; I read it a second time and felt a throb in my solar plexus; I read it a third time, and the tears ran down my face. I read it a fourth time and just felt very, very sad.

There is so very much about what the Dalai Lama states, that is tragically so very true. We seem to have come so far, yet we seem to have learned so little. In a time when we have so much more physically, we seem to have so much less spiritually and emotionally. The question is: Where do we go to from here? How do we move forward in a positive way? How do we make helping people a meaningful priority rather than conveniently ignoring them when they are in need? When do we stop throwing cigarette butts on the ground because someone is watching us instead of because of the fact that they take 200 years to decompose and damage our earth? When do we stop buying material goods when what we have is adequate? When do we refrain from buying a car that is the next model up, as the one we currently have suffices? When do we say NO, enough is enough?

I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist, and regard myself as a realist, but I cannot help but wonder what the future holds and will bring for our future generations -our children's children. In the future, where having "everything" will come easy, or easier than now, when we have 3 houses, 2 holiday houses, 5 computers, 5 cars, all the computer games we can get our hands on, the latest 4 mobile phones, i-phones and whatever else comes out next.....what do we then aspire towards? What next?

It is indeed a time when there is "much in the window but nothing in the room."

Ombi