Australia

So I landed in Australia on February 6 in the year 2015.
It was summertime and I reached in the evening so the air was very pleasant and breezy. To my very pleasant surprise I was out of the airport within half an hour of landing. I had the sniffer dogs approval:)
As I stepped out I saw a person who looked like my spouse gazing in my direction with a huge grin.
Heck, this guy looked like he was a fresh army recruit, lean, tanned and with a crew cut!!(read high salon prices)
With my ardent love for the defence forces I had no complaints and ran into his arms!
A good friend had offered their car and so we drove home about an hour away.
As I looked around me it didn't look too different from an Indian highway except for the high speed and variety of cars.
Id had a good nod on the flight so wasn't too tired either.
We reached our apartment and slowly loaded our stuff into the lift and reached our landing.
It looked just like a hotel with the long, quiet carpeted corridors.
Finally we were in front of our room.
I entered what would be our 4th home after marriage. It was a really cosy little apartment with all that a couple could possibly need. I loved it. I knew he would have spent hours sprucing up the place for my arrival.
And then low behold the balcony blind was opened. Our little nest was pretty much built over a lake so the view was spectacular. As I stepped out I gulped in the fresh air, the stars and the university lights in the distance. One could stand there forever. The water glistened in the dark, the ripples dancing away into the night.
With a packed Indian meal to fill our tummies we also started filling each others ears with the twists and turns of our life since we last spoke before I boarded. After testing the waters I slowly revealed how I had to give away my herbal shampoos and deodorant as they were in my hand baggage. My husband looked at me incredulously and proceeded on a long tirade of how I could possibly have done that after having done a fair amount of flight travel and how I seemed to live in another world. I couldn't blame him. It was absolutely daft of me but then in many years I had never really needed to carry any liquids in hand and the rule was a long forgotten fact.
I gave him all the details of all I did on the flight, who I travelled with, what i ate, like perhaps all couples do.
At last we retired for the day.
In the morning I opened the blinds and stepped out to have a better look at the lake in broad daylight. It was beautiful. There were hills in the distance and trees lined the lake. Our balcony hung over the lake so I gleefully looked at my reflection in the water.
In the following days I went on to feed a variety of birds. I was delighted with all the new species of birds having seen only sparrows and pigeons in my Delhi life.
Ducks, egret, parrots, swallows, seagulls, pelicans and many more whose names I hadnt yet discovered.
The moment we were anywhere near the balcony they would come flying in the hope of a meal.
The lake also teemed with fish. On clear sunny days we could see all the varieties of fish and sometimes large shoals of them. Its almost like living in a sanctuary. Since the birds here have no danger from man they come really close. Once while waiting for a bus I was soaking in one spot of sun that was shining through and this tiny little bird came and hopped right over to my side perhaps for some sunlight too. I was rooted to my spot being so thrilled at her (or his!) closeness.
Now I have been a lover of nature since I was very small. From when I was a little child I have been trying to coax birds and squirrels to feed from my hand in vain.
Also I am a huge lover of rainbows. After every rain I would run up to our terrace hoping to see one which too was in vain.
But Australia. Aaaaaaaah. Australia is the land of rainbows or perhaps Gold Coast is.
The number of rainbows I have seen in just some months is record breaking.
In fact once in the span of 24 hours I have seen 5, and each ones separate mind you!
Apart from my childhood fascination I also see rainbows as a reminder of Gods love and I do take them personally as though He is communicating with me. So these two together make me almost delirious with joy.
Sometimes I really vex my husband with all this excitement and ask myself why am I like this?
And then I think why not?
Why must I take all these little wonders for granted like 'mature' people seem to?
No way! Looking at them afresh each time gives me deep joy.
Such too is life.
There are millions of pleasures filled into our daily life but we are always waiting for the one we haven't seen yet to get ourselves delighted. Thats a sheer waste.
So for me every little thing I enjoy I savour. May it be a sunset, a good book, my favourite cookery show, a hot bath, a meal, a new piece of information, a laugh shared, a game played. Now you may call me an imbecile to be in a constant state of wonder but I'd say its better than any drug. I dont wait till I dont have them anymore to start appreciating them!
The people in Australia are very friendly. So when you meet a stranger not only do you say hi but you go on to have a long conversation as if you are buddies.
Since we haven't bought a car yet we have done a truckload of bus travel which often involves a lot of walking. Having walked 6km in a day is usual. But its just so pretty that you dont even think about the distance.
There are pine trees here which fill me with joy. The reason being back in India we could see pine trees only in the mountains when we went for a holiday. So pine trees are connected to holidays, natural beauty and the Himalayas( one of the loves of my life!).
Now one part of nature you don't see much of here are human beings.
You rarely see people on the road. But go into a mall and it will be invariably full.
So once when I was travelling for an interview I got off at the wrong stop and was lost beyond saving. I just couldn't figure out what to do next and to my chagrin there wasn't a single human being I could ask. I was pretty much falling apart. Out of sheer desperation I even tried stopping a car with my thumb out but it didn't work. Cyril was in class so couldn't attend my calls. And when he finally did, to his utter surprise got quite a mouthful. I was only short of wailing to be honest. Like a knight in shining armour he hired a taxi and picked me up and we made it to the interview well in time.
All that hue and cry landed me my first job here so no complaints! But the bottomline is Australia's not a very good place for us women to get around whose only map is often the strangers they meet on the roads!
But it certainly is a place that reminds you of how fantastic our creator Father is!
Well its a holiday for me today and I am going fishing!
Cheers!