Ki Ora!

The land of the long white cloud - Part 1 - Airport & Take off

Ahhh... and, our much-awaited trip to New Zealand has come to an end. As you all probably know, I flew back home to New Zealand with my family last Thursday.

Auckland

If you know me already, then you’d also know how much my family & I love New Zealand!  After living there for just under 10 years and having left two and a half years ago, we thought it was time we made a quick visit! Although our trip wasn’t very long due to college and what not, we managed to have a lot of fun within those couple of days!

Kick start to our trip

Our trip started with our bus ride to Sydney airport at 12pm, it was a long boring bus ride but luckily, I had music & data on my phone which kept me well occupied.  

Unfortunately, I got no sleep throughout the journey but I’m not complaining cause I managed to click a few photos!  

There was hardly any traffic except for when we got closer to city but otherwise it was calm and we managed to get to the airport couple of minutes earlier than expected.

We arrived at the airport, got all our luggage and head off inside. With all this enthusiasm to finally get our trip started, I marched in through the doors only to find out our flight had been delayed. I guess I wasn’t too upset when I heard the news, let’s be honest, I was stuck at an airport surrounded by hundreds of shops with free Wi-Fi – I mean should I’ve been complaining?!

The best part was - each of us got a $15 food voucher – LOL, my life was now complete! 

Soon, we found out our flight was now six hours delayed, so then, there was the four of us walking around trying to stay calm.. HAHAHA 

Around 1pm we decided to grab lunch - and honestly, it was a tough decision choosing what to eat! After five solid minutes I decided to get Hungry Jacks & I soon realized that my love for cheese burgers has not changed over the years! LOL

" ATTENTION PLEASE. ATTENTION PLEASE. PASSENGER MATHEW LEE. PASSENGER MATHEW LEE. PLEASE REPORT TO GATE NUMBER TWO "   - Airport announcements continued as we ate, covering through the background music. 

After nearly three hours of being in the airport - walking around, talking, listening to music and taking photos – Mum & I decided to walk around and do some shopping. 

Victoria's Secret

It was now raining outside – it was 9pm and we were still waiting for our flight to Auckland. It had been 5 hours since we’d arrived at the airport – my head was spinning, and my patience was running thin. At that very moment, my brother informed us that an Algerian flight had crashed – OKAY, I don’t know about you but at that very moment I was 90% sure I wouldn’t live to see another day. 

Okay, I was now scared for my life! LOL, oh and what I forgot to mention before was - the reason our Air New Zealand flight to Auckland was delayed was due to technical issues. I tried to stay calm but no, it really wasn’t working... Thoughts of our flight going missing, crash landing or blowing up were the only things on my mind.  - Sounds pathetic, I know but it was hard to stop my mind from having irrational thoughts! 

However, before I started losing my mind, I got a call from my chellam - Dhanushka! A phone call from her was just what I needed, we had quite a few topics to cover and we didn’t realize as time flew! Although half of the things we talked about were completely pointless and irrelevant, we managed to get tons of laughs out of it.   

After a long conversation with Dhanushka, I decided to grab dinner before we boarded our flight. It was around 10pm and we were on our way to get Maccas.

I ate so much that day...I cannot express how full I was by the time I finished that burger! And oh, lets no forget dessert - cookies & cream Ice cream!! Diabetes here I come! LOL 

I struggled getting off my seat after eating all that! Haha, thank god for a fast metabolism!

And finally, after waiting for just over six hours our flight arrived! It had been a very long, tiring day - now, all I wanted was some proper sleep! We grabbed our luggage and lined up to board our flight. 

We settled down into our seats after placing our luggage into the compartments above us, our flight was jam packed; I'd never felt so crammed on a flight before!  

                           .....At last, after an eventful day our flight FINALLY took off.....

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” ― James A. Michener

And, well, that's how my first day of travel went, Part 2 of our trip to New Zealand shall soon be updated! The rest of our fun filled trip with many more experiences, photos & stories is soon to be posted. But for now, good night & sweet dreams my lovelies!!  

Next stop, New Zealand!

Last minute packing for my 6pm flight tomorrow to: - the land of the long white cloud

Aotearoa

It’s been a while since I last travelled overseas (that’s if 6 months ago can be considered as “a while ago”) LOL and honestly, I cannot express my love for travelling - whether I go solo, with family, or with friends. All I want to do is to explore, explore and explore!! Travelling is my current lover and there's so much to like about travelling, ahhh... if only I could travel forever! 

 I feel very fortunate to have started travelling from a very young age moving from India to New Zealand, then from New Zealand to Australia!

So after two and a half years, tomorrow – I’ll be flying back to the place I once called, “home”.

It’s crazy don’t you think, the fact that in less than 24 hours you can just about go anywhere in the world by plane?! Flying 38,000 feet about sea level with just over 300 people is such an incredible but amazing feeling!

One of the things I love most about travelling is the sense of freedom it gives me! Breaking free from my daily routines and experiencing new sights/surroundings, it gives such an extraordinary feeling!  

I encourage you all to get out of your comfort zone, and travel more! Enjoy, take a break and appreciate the beauty you’re surrounded by! Whether it’s to another country or even to a place nearby! Enjoy the time you have for it may not come again. I believe there is no other way to explore and find out more about yourself than through travel!

Wishing you all a safe and happy week!

Until Next Time,

Archana

Keep calm and travel on!

Dance to express,not to impress

Dancing, food, music and festivals are an enormous part of Indian culture. Indian festivals revolve around - music, dancing, singing, poetry and chanting. The bright coloured costumes, makeup and props really give each performance its final touch. India has a wide range of classical and non-classical dances, each form with it's own speciality and uniqueness. 

                           Had the honour of performing at our Kaavu (Temple) during my last visit to Kerala

Kerala - God's own country

Last December just like every other year, I flew back to my motherland – Kerala.

Kerala is a narrow strip of land located on the southwestern edge of the Indian subcontinent. Kerala is famous for its culture, spices, beaches and backwaters. I was there for just over a month and honestly, I felt as though it wasn’t long enough. The trip was just fantastic, I’ve never had this much fun during my previous visits. It felt great waking up every morning to the most beautiful scenes ever. Kerala is the greenest place I’ve seen! The coconut palms, the red tiled houses, the innumerable lakes and beaches, oh I miss it so dearly! The beauty of Kerala is really beyond written description. 

The Backwaters of Kerala

Kumarakom is known for its famous backwaters of Kerala and is one of the must go place when you visit Kerala.

The houseboat started moving in water and it was a very relaxing experience. We could see hundreds of other houseboats moving in the backwaters. A voyage along the backwaters on one of the traditional thatched boats is one of the quite essential Kerala experiences. As the houseboat drifted along, we could hear clothes smacking against stone as women did the laundry by the water’s edge while the kids paused their games and waved in our direction. The captain docked the houseboat beneath some palm trees as we stopped for lunch, the cook onboard whipped up incredible meals for us, cooking enough food for 18. We feasted on grilled fish, chilli prawns, pappadums, a variety of coconut chutneys, spicy seafood curries and fried bananas for a teatime snack

Around 6pm our boat came to a halt. Our boat was parked on the bank and we enjoyed evening tea along with some snacks. We could see local’s houses near the bank and see their daily routines. 

Sunset 

Following morning - view from my bedroom 

Munnar

Munnar, located in east Kerala it’s famous for its vibrant shade of green. The steep hillsides are covered with about 60,000 acres of tea plantations. 

                                                                  

Kochi 

Kochi, one of the most reputed scenic natural harbor’s in the world. 

"She knew that this moment would be with her always, within hands reach memory”           – Nostalgia - home is where the heart is

Walking in the rain

We walked as the raindrops oozed down our clothes, soaking us top to bottom. A long walk in the steadily falling rain was just what we needed after a busy week full of assessments. 

The wind blew through my hair and we watched as the trees swayed gently above us. The raindrops falling gently, sliding shyly to kiss the grass beneath us. After half an hour or so, the force of the rain gradually lessened and the fragrance of soil filled our noses. 

The once busy streets were now empty & silent.  

                      “If beauty is God’s signature, then rain is his final flourish”