So past three days of activities means we did cover many of the tourists attractions but a couple of them were still pending to be ticked off. So we decided to schedule our day's itenirary around these viz: The Shrine of remembrance and Royal Botanical Gardens which were very closeby to one another. One more reason I had not clubbed these attractions with rest of the site-seeing was that I had plans to meet up with on eof my classmates from college and so also check up on the Centerlink services whose office was locality in the vicinity.
But the day didnt exactly start the way we would have preffered it to. We had experienced nice, cold breezy weather and so also the hot and hunid climate on the previous days. But today it was a day for the showers. The weather app had been predicting the days weather more or less accurately in here, however the place were I come from we are neither used to checking the weather app predictions; perhaps the weather forecast are known to be notoriously off the mark. Infact as some joke goes back in India one should expect exactly opposite weather to what is been predicted. On a serious note, weather in India is very much predictable and there are pretty well defined months for season and one do not see much of seasonal climatic variations during a day. However Melbourne is notorious for its erratic weather conditions and I was correctly forewarned about 'able to see all 4 seasons in a 24 hours span' of any day. So here we were starring over the poarch while sipping hot tea and eating instant noodles as the raining came down. Though the downpour wasnt significatly heavy and had it been just me I would have walked out, we were still reluctant because we didnt was to risk any ailment on the foreign soil and especially after the still fresh in the memory episode of pneumonia she had been through and needed a 11 days long hospitalizaion needless to stray the numerous pricks she was administration causing her so much of physical pain and mental trauma to all of us. Thankfully she was cured well in time and recovered from her convalescence which had at some moment even threathened this trip down under. So we waited was the rains to subside.
Once the showers fizzled out, we moved out on our mission armed with the single umbrella that Anjali had carried from home. There was no ambiguity in our minds as to who gets to use it. We took the usual bus ride back to the city and got down near much earlier to our usual stop and walked our way to the university main building. I planned to take the visitor shuttle from here to the Shrine of Remembrance rather than going to the Fed Square and onto St.Kilda. I was by now pretty familiarised with the layout and was beginning feeling confident of commuting. So we wait for the next shuttle to arrive at the stop and hoards of students zipped past us. Then onto the shuttle we took us through the familiar route via CBD and docklands to the Shrine of Remembrance. By now it had begun drizzling again but still not that heavy. The plan was to have Anjali take Anannya around the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanical Garden which was spread over vast expanse of the land. Anannya especially was looking forward to go to the 'garden' which to her had totally different connotations from usual.
So I left them behind and moved across the lawn and onto the St.Kilda road, crossed it and moved downhill along in street in a seemingly commercial district. I called up my friend and he gave me a landmark to arrive at and asked me to buzz me once there. So once I reached opposite the BMW showroom, I buzzed Rahul and waited at the entrance of Wipro Technologies where he worked. Minutes later he arrived and hugs & pleasantries were exchanged. He enquired if I have had lunch and offered to take me for lunch somewhere nearby. I hesitantly agreed for I wasnt sure if my folks back there would wait for me. But since I have no way to communicate back to her and knowing the fact that she did had AUDs with her I walked to have a quick bite. Besides Rahul and me had lot to catch up since over a decade had passed by since we had last met way back during college days. So we settled our butts at a South East asian restaurant,ordered a couple of dishes. Our talks ranged from nostalgic memories of college days to whos-who & whos-where about all our batchmates, how Goa has degraded over the years and then to how australia is as a place. I too had many curiousities to settle viz: Melbourne vs Sydnet, the climate, jobs and career prospects, standard of living et al. He patiently listened and answered as we devoured the food that arrived. Rahul had to go back to work and so we wrapped our lunch and he was courteous enough to foot the bill, so I thanked him exchanged a warm handshake and each took their own road back to their destination. But not before clicking an mandatory selfie for the college whatsapp group.
Now it had begun to rain pretty heavily. Anjali had thrusted the umbrella to me saying I might need it more that I had to walk quite some while and that she would find shelter somewhere in the garden if need be. So armed with the umbrella I walked to the centrelink offfice which was at the York Street which almost seemed to be a deserted street. I located the office and got myself a ticket and waited in the lobby. It had been quite a while since I had left wifey back and that I had told her that I should be back within an hour. Now that it was over an hour I was getting worried that she might start feeling panicky but I had no means to reach out to her. The wait felt excruciatingly long with each passing minute as I waited for my turn to come. And suddenly my phone buzzed with a unknown number. I was pretty sure it was she calling me and with great anticipation I answered it. Yes, it was her. "Where are you?" she questioned. Her voice a mix of worry and anger. I told her how I got delayed at the office and asked her not to worry for I would need to another half an hour at least. I hung the call up relived that I have things under control. Soon I was called to the counter where I was courteously dealt with in regards to application. Since I didnt have my bank debit card with me there, I was requested to revisit the centre with the same and get my records updated. That thing done I had another item off my to-do list and I triumphantly walked back to reunite with my family braving the incessant showers.
After looking out for them two for few minutes, I found them in the lobby anannya saddled in her pram and dozzing off but Anjali was fuming primed to erupt and my glimpse was an trigger she was waiting for. She wasnt all at fault for I was gone for hours without a trace, she could not move around as it was raining, and our little one could quite be a devil at times and this was that one time where she had been throwing tantrums. And to top it all they hadnt had their lunch; I felt a bit repentant for having relished a decent meal while my folks were starving still. Telling her that would just mean adding insult to injury so I deliquently avoided her question probing if I have had my meals. We moved out from there without visiting the galleries and went to the bus stop to catch the next shuttle to CBD. That also meant I will have to give a miss to the two attractions which I was actually was looking up to visiting and it kind of put me off. As we waited for the shuttle, I even got in a minor argument with my wifey as why she couldnt get food for them two not realising she was constrained with the pouring rains. Anjali sensing my disappointment coaxed me in making a quick tour of the shrine which after initial rebuttal I gave in to. I promised to make a quick tour of the same and would arrive well in time before the probable time of departure of the shuttle. So i sprinted up the steps of the shrine , visited different sections, clicking pics and virtually running through the aisle. Though I skipped many a section just to ensure I will be back in time and in time I was; Anjali told me the shuttle had left soon I had departed. Darn! Had no option but to curse my own self and wait for the next one. I dont know if Anjali was testing me when she proposed making a quick dash to the RBG before the next bus arrived; which I flatly refused, rode the next shuttle and arrived at the St. Kilda's stop for some pet-puja.
But the day didnt exactly start the way we would have preffered it to. We had experienced nice, cold breezy weather and so also the hot and hunid climate on the previous days. But today it was a day for the showers. The weather app had been predicting the days weather more or less accurately in here, however the place were I come from we are neither used to checking the weather app predictions; perhaps the weather forecast are known to be notoriously off the mark. Infact as some joke goes back in India one should expect exactly opposite weather to what is been predicted. On a serious note, weather in India is very much predictable and there are pretty well defined months for season and one do not see much of seasonal climatic variations during a day. However Melbourne is notorious for its erratic weather conditions and I was correctly forewarned about 'able to see all 4 seasons in a 24 hours span' of any day. So here we were starring over the poarch while sipping hot tea and eating instant noodles as the raining came down. Though the downpour wasnt significatly heavy and had it been just me I would have walked out, we were still reluctant because we didnt was to risk any ailment on the foreign soil and especially after the still fresh in the memory episode of pneumonia she had been through and needed a 11 days long hospitalizaion needless to stray the numerous pricks she was administration causing her so much of physical pain and mental trauma to all of us. Thankfully she was cured well in time and recovered from her convalescence which had at some moment even threathened this trip down under. So we waited was the rains to subside.
Once the showers fizzled out, we moved out on our mission armed with the single umbrella that Anjali had carried from home. There was no ambiguity in our minds as to who gets to use it. We took the usual bus ride back to the city and got down near much earlier to our usual stop and walked our way to the university main building. I planned to take the visitor shuttle from here to the Shrine of Remembrance rather than going to the Fed Square and onto St.Kilda. I was by now pretty familiarised with the layout and was beginning feeling confident of commuting. So we wait for the next shuttle to arrive at the stop and hoards of students zipped past us. Then onto the shuttle we took us through the familiar route via CBD and docklands to the Shrine of Remembrance. By now it had begun drizzling again but still not that heavy. The plan was to have Anjali take Anannya around the Shrine of Remembrance and the Royal Botanical Garden which was spread over vast expanse of the land. Anannya especially was looking forward to go to the 'garden' which to her had totally different connotations from usual.
So I left them behind and moved across the lawn and onto the St.Kilda road, crossed it and moved downhill along in street in a seemingly commercial district. I called up my friend and he gave me a landmark to arrive at and asked me to buzz me once there. So once I reached opposite the BMW showroom, I buzzed Rahul and waited at the entrance of Wipro Technologies where he worked. Minutes later he arrived and hugs & pleasantries were exchanged. He enquired if I have had lunch and offered to take me for lunch somewhere nearby. I hesitantly agreed for I wasnt sure if my folks back there would wait for me. But since I have no way to communicate back to her and knowing the fact that she did had AUDs with her I walked to have a quick bite. Besides Rahul and me had lot to catch up since over a decade had passed by since we had last met way back during college days. So we settled our butts at a South East asian restaurant,ordered a couple of dishes. Our talks ranged from nostalgic memories of college days to whos-who & whos-where about all our batchmates, how Goa has degraded over the years and then to how australia is as a place. I too had many curiousities to settle viz: Melbourne vs Sydnet, the climate, jobs and career prospects, standard of living et al. He patiently listened and answered as we devoured the food that arrived. Rahul had to go back to work and so we wrapped our lunch and he was courteous enough to foot the bill, so I thanked him exchanged a warm handshake and each took their own road back to their destination. But not before clicking an mandatory selfie for the college whatsapp group.
Now it had begun to rain pretty heavily. Anjali had thrusted the umbrella to me saying I might need it more that I had to walk quite some while and that she would find shelter somewhere in the garden if need be. So armed with the umbrella I walked to the centrelink offfice which was at the York Street which almost seemed to be a deserted street. I located the office and got myself a ticket and waited in the lobby. It had been quite a while since I had left wifey back and that I had told her that I should be back within an hour. Now that it was over an hour I was getting worried that she might start feeling panicky but I had no means to reach out to her. The wait felt excruciatingly long with each passing minute as I waited for my turn to come. And suddenly my phone buzzed with a unknown number. I was pretty sure it was she calling me and with great anticipation I answered it. Yes, it was her. "Where are you?" she questioned. Her voice a mix of worry and anger. I told her how I got delayed at the office and asked her not to worry for I would need to another half an hour at least. I hung the call up relived that I have things under control. Soon I was called to the counter where I was courteously dealt with in regards to application. Since I didnt have my bank debit card with me there, I was requested to revisit the centre with the same and get my records updated. That thing done I had another item off my to-do list and I triumphantly walked back to reunite with my family braving the incessant showers.
After looking out for them two for few minutes, I found them in the lobby anannya saddled in her pram and dozzing off but Anjali was fuming primed to erupt and my glimpse was an trigger she was waiting for. She wasnt all at fault for I was gone for hours without a trace, she could not move around as it was raining, and our little one could quite be a devil at times and this was that one time where she had been throwing tantrums. And to top it all they hadnt had their lunch; I felt a bit repentant for having relished a decent meal while my folks were starving still. Telling her that would just mean adding insult to injury so I deliquently avoided her question probing if I have had my meals. We moved out from there without visiting the galleries and went to the bus stop to catch the next shuttle to CBD. That also meant I will have to give a miss to the two attractions which I was actually was looking up to visiting and it kind of put me off. As we waited for the shuttle, I even got in a minor argument with my wifey as why she couldnt get food for them two not realising she was constrained with the pouring rains. Anjali sensing my disappointment coaxed me in making a quick tour of the shrine which after initial rebuttal I gave in to. I promised to make a quick tour of the same and would arrive well in time before the probable time of departure of the shuttle. So i sprinted up the steps of the shrine , visited different sections, clicking pics and virtually running through the aisle. Though I skipped many a section just to ensure I will be back in time and in time I was; Anjali told me the shuttle had left soon I had departed. Darn! Had no option but to curse my own self and wait for the next one. I dont know if Anjali was testing me when she proposed making a quick dash to the RBG before the next bus arrived; which I flatly refused, rode the next shuttle and arrived at the St. Kilda's stop for some pet-puja.
