V A V A Adventures

Bye for now Mate!

You know that good tiredness one feels after a hard workout -- when the sweat is cooling off your brow and you are still trying to catch your breath? The adrenaline is pumping through your veins and the endorphins have you high? I feel just like that! 

Its New Years Eve 2016 and its time to say bye to Australia. In three weeks, we have taken 7 flights, traveled to three different parts of this vast land and spent countless hours in the sun. The boys have been remarkable travelers, putting up with long flights, layovers, late evenings and busy crowds. Most nights they have fallen asleep after declaring, "That was the best day ever!" 

It will take many days, nay months to digest our experiences. For now, here are the highlights, the big moments that stand out to ...

... "Kumano trains!", Advait's name for Melbourne's efficient trams

... Seeing the moon seventy times magnified through the telescope at the Melbourne Observatory

... Walking through the Royal Botanical Gardens, frolicking at the Children's Garden

... Running on St. Kilda beach

... Tree Surfing through five tough high ropes courses at the Enchanted Maze Garden

... Playing at Bell's Beach in warm summer rain

... Hearing the long calls of the Blue Penguins on Phillip Island

... Swimming in the open waters of the Great Barrier Reef

... Diving at the Great Barrier Reef

... Witnessing Vehd lose his underwater camera at the Great Barrier Reef and then seeing two pro divers recover it from the bottom of the ocean

... Walking the trails of Mount Wellington in Hobart

... Eating the best brownie ever at the Taste of Tasmania

... Being entranced in the Newdegate Cave

... Visiting the Sustainability Learning Center in Hobart

... Hand-feeding Kangaroos

... Casting my eyes on the hills and waters of Hobart every evening for a week

... Watching Mary Poppins at the Outdoor Cinema in Hobart

... Walking the rich and vibrant laneways of Melbourne

... Eating the most delicious cherry ever at Stonycrest

These moments have emerged from the landscape of a land and a culture that is relaxed, laid back and wild!  Only twenty-three million people live in this island country. They love the outdoors, enjoy the arts and they are funny as seals! We have been met by the friendliest people who have gone out of their way to make us comfortable. We have enjoyed the omnipresence of Asian and Indian foods in places big and small. Its been a treat to watch cricket on TV every evening. Its been heartwarming to see a nation committed to the education of its young, home to some of the best learning places.

Above all, its been humbling to be bathed in a land and held by people incredibly beautiful, strong, rich, vibrant and genuinely relaxed about life. 

Goodbye darlings, see you soon, Mate!

Tasmanian Devils and Wombats

Tasmanian Devils are native to Tasmania. We got to see them at the Honoring Wildlife Sanctuary, a shelter for rescued devils. As Vehd puts it dramatically, "I got to see the wildlife worker lure the devil out of its den with a chicken. It was hard to get it out. The devil came out after smelling the chicken. It snapped for the chicken, caught it in its teeth and then disappeared. It would not come out until it was done eating its meat. While the worker talked to us about the devil, the ferocious fellow snuck to her bucket of meat to get some of it!

I also got to see Koalas and pet them. Koalas as so fuzzy! I also got to pet a Wombat. Wombats are sleek and not fuzzy like Koalas. Wombats are shy creature. If ever chased by a dog, a Wombat will go into its den and then stick its butt into the burrow's entrance so the dog cannot get in. You imagine that is a bad idea, right? The Wombat would get so hurt on its butt because of all the scratching and chewing the dog does? Actually that is not what happens. Wombat's have a large plate of cartilage on its rear. The cartilage is about an inch thick.

When bored Wombats make themselves very flat in the tunnel of its burrow. If a dog comes in, it pushes the dog straight into the top of the burrow to crush its skull. That's ferocious!"

The boys also spent a long time hand feeding some very hungry kangaroos. It was amazing to watch how tame the kangaroos were.  

Barnbougle: The Vs Golf

There are a few different markers, much like genetic markers that make any adventure a true V A V A adventure. First, I end up visiting some school or learning center, no matter where in the world we are. Next, Vamshi and Vehd play golf. Clearly these two markers are heavily driven by the adults in the VAVA group. The youngsters are growing up fast and will no doubt add in their own markers.

Soon after I spent a day at the Sustainability Learning Center, the Vs headed out to Barnabougle. A 4-hour drive from Hobart, Barnbougle is touted as the 11th best golf course in the world. As Vehd puts it --  "Barnabougle was really fun! Most golf courses are made using bulldozers that shape the land. At Barnbougle, the course was made by clearing trees, bushes and shrubs. Grass was planted and the course was made without shaping the earth. This makes it a tough course! There is a spot where you can go down to the beach. The beach is not accessible but it looks beautiful. 

I even got to play the course. We played with another man. There was one particularly tough par-3 where everyone got 5s and 6s. My most favorite shot was right into the water. It was so fun! The course was long and I was quite tired at the end."

All in all a great memory for the veteran and budding golfer. 

Sustainability education and farming

There are few things that light me up like education and farming. Bring them together and I am little girl in a candy shop! While schools across Australia are closed, that does not mean you cannot visit them. Well, or so I decided! I urged my friends abroad to put me in touch with folks in Australia. I cold called some of them myself and wrote emails galore. I have had the chance to visit two fantastic places -- a progressive school in Melbourne called Preshill and the Sustainability Learning Center in Hobart. 

There is absolutely no way my words can describe the full richness and completeness of these programs. So, I must do the only thing I can -- to share some key takeaways -- 

• The arid Australian climate allows for incredible indoor-outdoor learning spaces. Being outside is integral to education in Australia
• Australian curricular guidelines place a great emphasis on nature play and sustainability education
• There is a great emphasis on all-round, holistic, social-emotional growth and play in early childhood education
• Public schools in Australia, at least those in Melbourne offer options that include Reggio schools, Steiner schools
• Not unlike in the United States, Australian education is still coming to grips with the intention and significance of STEM and STEAM education
• The level of teacher motivation and commitment in Tasmania's public schools is high
• There is an overall emphasis on child-centered learning in Tasmania
• Kitchen Garden programs are fairly ubiquitous in public and independent schools
• Many schools require uniforms

I visited the Sustainability Learning Center in Hobart with Jenny Dudgeon, a public educator who runs the center as learning space for preschool through high school students. In the afternoon, we spent time on Jenny's family's cherry orchard -- 7 hectares of cherry cultivation! 

Underground Down Under

Beach, bushes, penguins, wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, botanical gardens, the Great Ocean Road, surfing high in trees, the Great Barrier Reef, we are determined to see Australia in as many ways as possible, through many different habitats and ecosystems. It was time to go underground Down Under! 

We are now in Hobart, Tasmania. Tasmania is the only island state in this island country. It is wondrous and completely wild. On our first day, we hit the famous Salamanca Saturday market. After spending altogether too much money on artisan crafts and delicious food all while getting horribly wet, we decided that the only way to stay dry was to go underground. Off we went to Newdegate Cave, also known as Hastings Cave. Set amidst a dense forest, Newdegate Cave is about 30-60 million years old. It was discovered by chance by English loggers early in the 20th century. The area has over 300 caves, only 10% of which have been explored. Australian authorities have made the conscious choice to leave the remaining 90% unexplored in recognition of the fact that every human exploration comes with damage and interference with the natural ecosystem of the caves.

The Newdegate Cave is large and walkable. You descend into it using stairs and walk along pathways. You are not allowed to touch any of the cave other than the ground you walk upon. Human touch transfers sweat and oil that kills the cave. "Kills?!" Yes, the cave is alive and very much so. "The cave is made of stalactites (they are holding on tight coming out the ceiling) and stalagmites (they might come up). The stalactites and stalagmites are made by water that is seeping underground and into the cave. The cave once had a river in it. Now you can see the wide expanse of the river bed. The guide who took us through the cave told us that once upon a time back in the 70s, people were just handed bits of stalactites as souvenirs. That was so sad! The stalactites and stalagmites have created some incredible formations that are all still forming as water continues to enter the cave. One formation was especially amazing -- it was a tower of champagne! Some stalactites and stalagmites had combined to form a column. One formation even looked like a dragons head and wings! In one spot there is a formation that shows the remains of a waterfall that became frozen in time in the form of stalactites and stalagmites."

Never before had been so obvious to us that caves and rocks are indeed living. They are formed by water and deposits. Soluble water content changes based on events occurring above ground. A bush fire can make the water more grey. You can see grey colored stalactites and stalagmites formed during the time of the bush fire. At other times, dirt and pollutants in the river water make the formations more brown and dark. Purer water makes for bright white formations.

It was humbling to be in the presence of creations that are so ancient and so alive. I think we met the oldest thing alive when we walked through that cave.

 

Great Barrier Reef: A rocky ride all the way

"Its all about the Great Barrier Reef! Its the best gift you can ever give me!", Vend chanted these words for the days leading up to our trip. We were all so excited and in high anticipation of our time on the reef. To make it extra special, we planned to live on a boat on the reef for 3 days. Move between 7 different reef sites, snorkel/dive up to 5 times a day to see if that might perhaps satiate our appetite for this most fantastic natural wonder of the world. 

We arrived on the reef under cloudy and windy conditions. The water was choppy. That did not hold us back. We got right in, snorkel gear on, wet suits sticking to our warm bodies. The water was warm, the coral gardens awaited. The swims on the first day were spectacular! "We saw some brain coral, shield like coral, rainbow fish that are all different colors. So beautiful! I wanted to see some big sharks and saw them right from the boat. A whole school of them were swimming right under our feet. I spotted some clown fish while circling a coral garden. 

I was most fascinated by the brain coral. They look like the brain, wavy and knotted up or sometimes they look like balls of different sizes. Some are humungous and others are tiny. The tiniest one I saw was grey and ball-like. Its fascinating how the same coral comes in so many different shapes, colors and sizes. And they are everywhere!

Rainbow fish are quite beautiful. The most common ones are blue, with some orange, red and yellow with some stripes."

The second day brought truly inclement weather. A cyclone was brewing north of us. We got caught in a rainstorm. That did not keep Vehd from snorkeling all five times he could that day, on three different sites. One of his swims was especially exciting as his water camera let go of its attached string and dropped right to the bottom of the ocean floor! I was about ten feet behind him and saw it make fast, straight dive for that rocky bottom. Two instructors retrieved it from under gnarly coral!

Still enthusiastic, we got Advait into the choppy waters, snorkel gear on, rain pouring on his head but the toddler knew better than to stick his head all the way into rough, salty waters. So he floated around with us, watching us try hard to make the most of rough weather conditions. I even chose to do an introductory dive. My only highlight was petting a puppy fish! It circled me for my entire dive. That was really special! The water was incredibly murky and made for very poor visibility.

By the third day, the weather had got the best of us. Tired and slightly dejected, we chose to skip our last snorkeling session. Vehd did still get out twice and swam long and hard during his last session soaking in every last sighting of the corals and many colorful fish. 

Vehd closed his 3 day adventure with, "that was the best thing ever!" You got to love the spirit of an 8 year-old. It was all so worth it!

Chocolate Factory!

Enroute to Phillip Island we visited a quaint Chocolate Factory. Unlike the serious and highly sophisticated Theo Chocolate Factory, Pandy's was full of fun and games. You played arcade like "games to win wooden balls. I (Vehd) won two balls. I pecked a ball in one game and in another game that involved physics and landing a lever just on time.

There were also some cool exhibits. There was a one ton block of chocolate! You could pay $1000 to get to smash it. If you found that it was not chocolate all the way through, they would pay you $1000 in addition to all your money back. But nobody paid to smash it!"

The chocolate was nothing to special but the games were well worth the visit. So were those two balls that Vehd got to turn in for milk chocolate balls on his way out.

Cricket!

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A trip to Australia has to include a cricket match! Vehd got to watch his first live cricket match at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. "Melbourne Stars played Sydney Thunder. There was a green santa and a duck! 

In cricket there is a bowler who is trying to knock off two pins that are behind the batsman. The batsman tries to make runs and protect the wicket that the pins are resting on. Sydney Thunder lost a few wickets early in the game but recovered quickly. It was an exciting game. Melbourne Stars lost by just one run. It was so fun to watch!" 

Sporty day

Melbourne is an incredible city. Always recounted in second place after Sydney, it is every bit as vibrant and more accessible. Melbourne is situated on a bay that connects to the Pacific Ocean. It boasts beautiful beaches, a river through the city and several large parks. Like Seattle, it has neighborhoods each with its own feel and culture. It has the best public transport system in the world; one that combines trains, trams and buses. An hour from the city, you can be on a vineyard, a farm, a golf course, a great hike and the famous Great Ocean Road. Melbourne is known as the sports capital of Australia and houses the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground.

We sought the city out in many ways - traveling on tram, eating our way through the Queen Victoria Market, walking through the Royal Botanical Gardens for a whole day, seeing the moon through the large telescopes at the Observatory, sitting on its beaches and visiting its farms. 

Hard as it is to believe, we have been here for seven days and I have to say that I absolutely love Melbourne. We closed our stay by spending the morning walking through Yarra Bend Park. Early during our walk, we came upon seven kayakers playing what looked like Australian Water Polo. A fun game of jostling around in water hot in the pursuit of a ball that is shot through a net that hangs off a bridge! Only in Australia!

The afternoon was spent wandering through the intimate, rich and vibrant laneways of the city. Small lanes and alleys packed with fantastic hole-in-the-wall eateries and quaint shops.

A day of two beaches

When we were planning our trip, Vehd asked for just one thing -- that we live close to a beach. So, we chose to live in St. Kilda for our Melbourne stay, about 7 minutes walking distance from a stunning beach. The boys have been to the beach almost every single day and sometimes more than once.

Saturday morning opened with time on the beach combined with runs for Vamshi and me. We came home only to head out again. The Great Ocean Road is a stunning drive but we couldn't see how we could do a 3 hour drive with an active 2 year-old. That did not deter Vamshi from scoping out Torquay where the Great Ocean Road starts. Torquay is known as the surfing capital of Australia and it houses Bell's Beach where the Rip Curl Pro is held every year. Off we went in search of the famous beach.

An hour and a half later, we were on the most pristine beach where the water runs low like the shallow end of a pool for a clear 100 meters -- lots of space for the boys to play! Our time on the beach was dramatic. Rain, clouds and sun breaks made the landscape spectacular. And all that in warm weather. The boys frolicked endlessly! 

I had driven the length of the Great Ocean Road on a previous trip but touching just its very tip was just as fulfilling this time around.