Seven days to go...

If there are a few things that won't be very high on our list of things to see and do in India, it will be visiting temples, ashrams, meditation centres, yoga retreats and being blessed by the various assortment of gurus that seem to triple in number during the peak tourist season (December-January).


Maybe in some ways visiting Sikh, Hindu and Jain temples can give the traveller an insight into the spiritual practices and beliefs of these religions, but battling with the temple touts, the zillions of other Western tourists and the beseiged locals who are just trying to perform their daily puja (prayers) seems quite irreverent to me and defeats the purpose. Part of me also feels that I would rather not be contributing towards turning a site once intended as a place of worship and peace into a major tourist attraction.


Many people also still see India as a place that will help them to attain spiritual enlightenment, and although I don't want to be too cynical about it all, there are plenty of people in India who are quite prepared to assist in helping one reach a state of enlightenment...for a fee of course!

Andrew
I'm keen to see a few temples at least, but I agree with Lorraine that having swarms of tourists traipsing through taking photos defeats the purpose of what temples are all about.

Eight days to go...

Well, we can't blame the power for the lack of a post this time...just tiredness and a fast-growing sense of desperation and worry...so much to do, so little time...

I think it will only be when we are three hours into the flight to Singapore that we will slowly start to relax and unwind and really get into holiday mode.

The sight we're looking forward to seeing...leaving Perth behind us...

Well, maybe if you're the one in the window seat that is...

If there is one thing that is going to test marital relations in the next few weeks, it is the matter of WINDOW SEATS. Shanks and I both LOVE getting the window seat. I don't know if in Shanks' case this goes back to his childhood days, but I know that I always used to have to fight over the window seat with my sisters and brother whenever we used to fly overseas.

I think it's OK to steal your sister or brother's window seat...but what about if it's your wife or husband? Are there any window seat rules of etiquette or an international code of conduct to abide by? Is it first in, best dressed, or should we attempt to be civil and take it in turns? If it's the former, do I distract him by asking him if he's got my boarding pass, and then as he diligently checks through his things, quickly run down the walkway and bags the window seat? If he somehow beats me to it, can I wait until he gets up to go to the toilet and then claim that by vacating his seat he has annulled all rights of ownership and jump right in? If we agree to take turns, can I innocently try to arrange all of his turns to be at night or when there's lots of cloud cover? Is it even possible to share at all?

Well, I suppose if it gets too dirty we can always sit separately...

Nine days to go...

Let there be light. . .and there wasn't...

Out with the candles - the power has gone off! A power failure last night deprived you of our daily blog entry and deprived us of an episode of The Bill!

The post was going to be about our nine-day pilgrimage and the significance of the number nine to the Baha'i Faith. If we have time - which is running out quickly at the moment - we'll add to this post or create a new one on the subject.

Ten days to go...

I can't believe that tomorrow the countdown launches itself into single figures...it seems like just days ago we started our blog at 24 days to go...

Nevertheless, we now have NEWS to report on the travel front! We finally managed to get around to having our jabs today...Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and Typhoid. If the needles didn't make us feel faint, the cost of the whole thing certainly did - over half a grand - all we could think of was the number of masala dosas and gulab jamuns we could have bought instead!!!

Anyway, on the way home we decided to treat ourselves to a meal at one of our favourite Turkish eateries...it is an absolute dive of a place to look at but it dishes up some of the best Turkish fare in Perth. It is run by 7 brothers (not that any of them look at all like one another), and I feel that a marvellous opportunity is being missed with the naming of the establishment (wouldn't you just be drawn to dine in a place called the Seven Turkish Brothers)? Anyway, this of course got us both thinking about our trip to Turkey, which being situated between India and Israel both geographically as well as on our itinerary, we seem to have glossed over amidst our mounting excitement to visit the other destinations.

Nevertheless, we have three main places in our sights in Turkey - Istanbul, Edirne and Gallipoli. Each have very special significance for Baha'is, as Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, spent 4 months in Istanbul and 5 years in Edirne before arriving at His final destination of Acre (Akka) in Israel, where His resting place is now the central point for Baha'is who come on pilgrimage. Baha'u'llah only briefly adjourned in Gallipoli en route to Akka, but Gallipoli of course has great significance for Australians, as it was here in 1915 that thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers (ANZACS) lost their lives and it is their sacrifice that we commemorate and honour each year on April 25th, ANZAC Day.

A Map of Baha'u'llah's Exile from Iran to Israel

There is a feeling that for both of us, our journeys in each of these three lands will bring us that much closer to a greater understanding of our cultural, national as well as spiritual heritage.

Eleven days to go...

In Memoriam
Zabi Hashemi

Zabi was a beautiful elderly Persian gentleman who recently passed away. A builder by trade, he had the great honour and privelege of looking after some sacred Baha'i places in Iran, before he and his family moved to Australia. Zabi loved his garden and would work in it every day - his sunflowers were magnificent. Although he spoke little English, Zabi could communicate with everyone through his wonderful smile and the mischeivous twinkle in his eyes.

Twelve days to go...

The Intrepid Adventurers + 1

Well, seeing as there are no major developments on the travel front to announce, I thought I might just take a moment to fill you in a little bit on the main protagonists of this blog...Astrid, Christian, Shanks (Andrew) and me (Lorraine)!

Hmmmm...who can I start with...perhaps Christian...Christian Holyoak...sometimes known as Holy Smoke (he's the redhead on the left in the photo above). Christian and I met when we were both studying (well, okay, perhaps not really studying) at university in 1995. For some reason we both seemed to gravitate towards the front left hand side of the lecture theatre and at some stage we must have struck up a conversation and so the story goes. Christian, was and still is, a fairly lackadaisical, likeable chap, and our friendship has remained firm throughout the past 11 years. Christian is a psychologist (almost at the end of his Masters) and a keen traveller, having spent a lot of time in Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala to name but a few countries. This will be his first trip to India and the first time he has travelled with any of us...I wonder if he has any idea what he is in for...

A Scene from the Pilbara

On to Astrid. I met Astrid in 1997 at another friend's house. We connected immediately and have continued to be very close despite having lived far, far away from each other for most of the time since we met. Both of us have lived and worked out of the metropolis for a few years, I in Tom Price, in Western Australia's spectacular Pilbara region, and Astrid in Alice Springs, where she worked both in the town itself as well as at a remote Aboriginal community called Ltyente Apurte (pronounced Jenja Porta). Astrid is another eager adventurer and some of the countries she has visited and worked in are Kenya, Guyana, Spain, Portugal and North India with me in 2001 (by the way, she used to eat all my share of the Indian sweets that we used to take back to our hotel each night)! After Christian, Shanks and I head off to our various destinations early in January 2007, Astrid will be staying on to do some volunteer work at the Bahai-inspired Barli Vocational Institute for Rural Women in Indore for a further 3 months, before heading to Turkey, then Israel for her Baha'i pilgrimage.

Well, that leaves us with Shanks...someone else may have to write about me! Shanks and I first met in Tom Price in 2001. We got married 3 years later and now live in Perth with our menagerie (plus quenda)! Shanks is a farmer...we have a beautiful 140 acres of land in a town called Wongan Hills in Western Australia's wheatbelt (north-east of Perth). We will be moving there at the end of next year so that he can finally get started growing things...it's what he does best!

Well, until tomorrow, good night!

Our Block in Wongan Hills

Thirteen days to go...

Astrid
After a very tearful farewell from my home of 3 and a half years in Alice Springs, I have arrived in Perth 'in transit' before another journey around the world which begins with a month of adventures in South India with Shanks, Lorraine and Christian. I am reflective of life at the moment and what a contrast South India will be to the stillness, peace and quietness of the Central Australian desert landscape I've been so lucky to call home for the past few years.

But, more and more I find myself being drawn into the willy willy of excitement and anticipation that is our big trip together. Well, it's hard not to be swept up with excitement when Lorraine squeals out 'I can't WAIT for the Indian food!' every time the sub-continent is mentioned. I will try my utmost to peel myself away from the sweet counters - although I'm not known for my self-control when it comes to yummy, exotic, ecstasy-producing sweet treats! Yum! Lorraine isn't exactly the best influence around sweets either! (I know from our last Indian trip together in 2001).

Bollywood night is just around the corner, where the 4 of us will feast on Indian food, watch a quintessential Bollywood movie and put our heads together to plan, plan, plan! I'm looking forward to it....

Fourteen days to go...

It can't be only two weeks to go - can it?

This evening we braved the crowds doing their late night, pre-Christmas shopping at one of Perth's large shopping centres to get a few things for our travels. Our purchases were just simple items and some clothing but it felt like the journey is actually happening, not the distant event which was projected somewhere out in the future.

One thing on the list was some footwear to wear around hotel rooms, going to the shower etc. With this in mind I couldn't go past the great Aussie favourite - a pair of 'thongs' - a good old pair of 'double bungers' - sometimes known as Japanese safety boots (the Japanese economy has long since boomed and they're all made in China these days), also known in some countries as flip flops - a silly name used to avoid confusion with an even sillier excuse for underwear. Lorraine informs me that in India they're called chappals (pronounced chupples).




While searching for a photo of a pair of thongs I found this one labeled 'Australian saftey boots' - I'm sure they'll be a big hit as soon as they get their worksafe accreditation.

As the title of the post says - 'fourteen days to go...' - until we have something more exciting to write about than a pair of thongs!
Goodnight.

Fifteen days to go...

Shanks and I have been regretting ever starting our blog with a countdown....now we feel as if we must at all costs write something each day so that the countdown keeps counting down...

The unfortunate thing is that we usually only get around to creating our new entry at the very end of the day, just before going to bed, when we're already yawning!

Well, with that thought, I think I will make this a short one, no photos even, and go to bed with my copy of Lonely Planet in hand!

Sixteen days to go...

We are both sitting at our computers falling asleep and thinking how are we going to finish everything we need to in 16 days - we might need a holiday before our journey begins! Wherever you are we hope you are in good health and well rested - goodnight.

Seventeen days to go...

Is that a Quenda in my vege garden?

What's a Quenda?

A Quenda is a small marsupial (rears its young in a pouch) native to Western Australia and as we live on the edge of the city (Perth) I was very excited to see one in my vege garden today. It was very close and not too worried by me until I returned with the camera when it suddenly became shy - hence the poor photos.

Eighteen days to go...

While we are overseas having a great time, we will be leaving behind our 24 children...well, children of sorts...



We are the proud parents of 7 Welsh Harlequin ducks, 2 Pilgrim geese, 11 hens (5 Isa Browns, 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Pekin bantams, a Minorca and an Australorp), 1 gorgeous Rhode Island Red rooster called Roger and 3 newly hatched chicks called Chocolate (pictured right), Vanilla and Honeycomb.








We are lucky enough to have had one of our friends offer to look after the family for us while we're away....I just hope he knows people who like eggs (because he'll be getting a full dozen every day!).

Nineteen days to go...

Traffic Indian style!

When we woke up this morning, we thought that somehow we were already in India. From just outside our window, came the sounds that one is used to hearing on any busy street anywhere in India at any time of day or night - cars and trucks were racing by tooting their horns in a variety of melodies and the noise was non-stop! It took a few moments for us to register exactly what was going on...turns out that the hardware store across the road was having a sale and to attract customers, two chaps dressed up in dog suits were prancing along the side of the road waving to all the passing traffic!

Tonight we met up with one of the other members of our travelling party - Astrid. She has just returned to Perth after three and a half years living in Alice Springs, the real heartland of Australia. The other member of the 'awesome foursome' is Christian, who is currently in Indonesia visiting his sister. We will all meet up for a pre-India Bollywood night (minus the Bollywood) in a couple of weeks, just days before we all board our first flight together!

Twenty days to go...

All aboard! We have been trying to work out our itinerary for India to make the most of our time. Do less and experience it more fully will be our motto, I think. Snap snap with the camera and move on to the next place has never been an appealing way to travel for us. Lorraine and I have both been very lucky to have had many wonderful travel experiences growing up with our respective families.

One destination that looks promising is the hill station, Ooty, which has a steam train (one of my passions as a young boy was trains) and a botanic garden - that's me sorted! I'm sure there will be a sweet shop to keep my travelling companions happy too!

Twenty one days to go...

The unfortunate thing about having booked flights so as to allow maximum travel time in India, is that both Andrew and I will be working right up until the day before we fly out! This means that every weekend from now up until the day we leave is precious time indeed, with so many things left to do.

This weekend we will try to get our Hepatitis A shots done (though one of my colleagues who is also going overseas shortly just had a really bad reaction to this vaccination) and we will also start trying to cross off some things from our list of things to buy (e.g. mosquito net).

We will be taking off at 8:15am on Thursday December 7th and arriving in Chennai (Madras) at 10:00pm that same night. I have been diligently making my way through the Lonely Planet India guide to get an idea of where to go and what to see...Chennai itself doesn't sound that interesting, so we will probably just hole up there for a couple of days to orient ourselves and get used to the noise and smell before venturing any further.

A typical Chennai street scene

This will be mine and Andrew's first trip overseas together...I am really looking forward to sharing some of my heritage with him through our experiences in India. I may be a fake Indian really, but I can pretend when it counts!!!

Twenty two days to go...

Although the focus of our journey is our spiritual pilgrimage, the start of our adventure will be a culinary pilgrimage of sorts - especially for me (Andrew) being a vegetarian and a lover of Indian food. On the other hand, Lorraine and our two fellow adventurers, Astrid and Christian, are all rather fond of Indian sweets!

I will miss cooking every night, even with the prospect of such amazing food all around me, but hopefully I will return with a few tips and recipes to try out at home (Lorraine is hoping that I return with lots of tips and recipes!).

If I could only visit one place in a town or city, it would be a fruit and vegetable market. It's such a thrill for me to see something that I haven't seen before. (I don't know if my three travelling companions will share quite such a passion for weird fruits and vegetables!).

Twenty three days to go...still!

Today we discovered that our countdown to departure is a little bit out! It's actually 23 days today...ooops!

View from Terraces above the Shrine of the Bab looking out towards Haifa Bay

Anyway, the other news is that today we also received a letter from the Baha'i Office of Pilgrimage with a few pieces of travel advice before we depart. This Office deals with applications for pilgrimage from thousands of Baha'is each year. Applicants generally have to wait for up to 5-6 years before their name comes to the top of the waiting list. They then receive a wide selection of pilgrimage dates from which they can choose. Each pilgrimage group consists of 200 (soon to be increased to 400) pilgrims from every corner of the globe. With the thousands of people applying for pilgrimage each year, plus the thousands more who make the journey to the Holy Land each year, working in the Office of Pilgrimage must be a stupendous task!

It is becoming difficult for us to contain our growing excitement as our departure day creeps ever closer. We still have LOTS of things left to do (vaccinations being one!) and the fact that we both tend to be procrastinators doesn't help either!

We'll keep you posted on our progress or lack thereof!

Twenty three days to go...

Gate Leading to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah in Bahji

Twenty three days to go...We received our Visas for India today as well as some sound travel advice from sister and brother-in-law, doctors Rachel and Adrian. It doesn't look like we will be able to get out of getting needles after all!

Twenty four days to go...

Twenty four days to go until we embark on our journey to the centre of the Earth - a journey that will culminate in our pilgrimage to the Baha'i Shrines and Gardens on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel - the most sacred spot on the planet for millions of Baha'is throughout the world.

View of the Shrine of the Bab, the Prophet-Forerunner of the Baha'i Faith

Along the way, we will be travelling with two of our friends taking in the sights, sounds, tastes (yes, and smells!!!) of southern India. As we draw nearer towards our destination we will pass through Turkey, following in the footsteps of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha'i Faith, as He trod the path of exile from Tehran to Baghdad, then Constantinople (Istanbul), Adrianople (Edirne) and finally to the Holy Land, Israel.

We will update our blog regularly so that you can keep track of where we are and what we're up to! Our departure date is Thursday 7th December, and we arrive back in Perth on Saturday 20th January...45 days of what we are both anticipating will be a momentous adventure, both physically and spiritually!