And this is Australia

 After a day of exploring the small city of Gracev a city built by William Taylor with a cute Regal cinema, a nice deli, Lick Gelato, cafes, and restaurants. I stopped by Hunter and Scott for a blueberry muffin and a latte with coconut milk. They were not very friendly first telling me that it was only available for Take away and then I came back and found a whole beautiful back patio. The girl invited me to sit in back, but the other one was not so friendly-a slight pretty woman moment, which has happened a lot the past year or so. It was an adorable city and I loved Hunter and Scott- I definitely wanted to revisit. I went back to the mall to do some shopping, which was decently successful and I loved the Big Coles grocery store that was perfectly cleaned and stocked all the time. The one by where I am staying was pretty sad.  I was going to see a movie alone-one of my favorite things to do while traveling, but I decided to head back and hang out with Steven. He had the crock...

Good morning Brisbane! It is supposed to be a heatwave coming towards the coast for the next few days.  I was all prepared layered in sunscreen, hat, and umbrella ready to go.  I took the train to Auchenflower, which was the stop to catch the ferry. The wonderful thing about Queensland is that 8 months ago they made all the train fares 50 cents per way, which means you can go to Gold coast and Sunshine coast for 50 cents- finally some value for Priscilla!  I think I mentioned this already, but an Indian will always be proud about saving money.  It seems that in the big cities in Australia- they have the  beautiful suburban areas. The suburban area I am currently staying in is pretty nice. It varies per street, but overall his block is very nice. The house is lovely with two levels and it is right next to the park-very nice.  The areas nearby Graceville, Toolong, Indirapally are quite lovely neighborhoods with a lot of great cafes, restaurants, markets, and ...

I wanted to explore the local area and have a coffee in town before taking the train. I went to the Woolworth's to get myself a mango yogurt(delicious), which I ate while having my black coffee with oat milk and reading the newspaper. I really enjoy reading the local papers while traveling and Australia's is pretty good. They have a new mix to the menu at the cafes having different types of ice tea and boba teas like Sydney. The breakfast scene as usual is excellent. Australia is a country that has 5 star breakfast dishes with such creativity and artistic cooking. They win as being one of the best restaurant breakfasts in the world for sure! I hopped on the train and went to Indiropally, which is a major shopping center where I wanted to get some new dresses and scope it out. This turned out to be a very upscale shopping center with the best grocery stores, fruit markets, butchers, sushi, French bakery, specialty food items, lots of coffee spots, and Andrews(cooking ribs, burge...

My train arrived at 5am just in time for the sunrise....timing, timing, and timing. No one informed me that there was a one hour time difference going to Queensland otherwise I would have tried to get myself to a better seat and pass the eff out.  I arrived to Steven's house in a nice suburb of Brisbane with a park, local community stores, and a nearby park I passed out for a while in my new room (stay for 1 week). I woke up, headed to the center with my 50 cent fare. All Queensland trains, buses, and ferries are just 50 cents each way....good news on prices finally! I headed out to Roma park and then got stuck in the Time square of Brisbane. It was full of diverse people and it was not my cup of tea. I just headed back to Oxley to walk in the park and hibernate a bit. Monday Dinner I came back and Steven was making vegetable curry for myself and his German guest who was just 17 years old. He had traveled to 20 countries and he was from Germany, studied in France, and living in Swi...

 This was my last day in the Belligen area and Boy was it a good day.  I woke up just in time to make it to church. Unfortunately, I did not get up to dress my best and just wore jeans and a fleece jacket. I could tell this was not the correct attire by some people's reactions, but this is more important to be present and 5 minutes late. Pastor Jesse was not there, which was a disappointment, but Pastor Greg was there, and he was pretty introverted and did not provide much feeling, but he was very nice.  We had tea and scones after church and sat together getting to know one another. It was really nice how many people came up to me to introduce themselves. The only people who were a bit antisocial and dismissive were his grandchildren and his one grandchild's girlfriend from Manilla. His daughter Anna was absolutely wonderful and delightful. She was close with Jesse, which was not a surprise considering their positive energies they carried.  People were asking about ...

When two intellectual minds come together, two people who have traveled, live life to the fullest and have the same lens on life-it is magical.  This often happens in cultural exchange traveling where you just sit and connect for hours talking about life philosophies, relationships, shared experiences, living abroad, and travel. It is like how will others understand the depth of your traveling and these incredible discussions that take place....how will people understand that THIS is what travel is all about and its not about 5 star hotels, expensive meals, big tours, and spending time with tourists the whole trip.  It is about having this experience with a local intellectual-two minds coming together and sharing a space where you speak comfortably and freely.  We started off speaking about relationships and releasing labels of "perfection" to find someone that you are compatible with and can enjoy life with He is recently widowed from a wife who took her own life an...

  He has this very bold presence when he looks at you, the way he sits, and stands up. I told my friends at the accommodation, "he is the Tom Selleck of Australia." that pretty much sums it up very well." Good looking, charming, well traveled, an intellectual, and a great conversationalist.  I wanted to take a break from my accommodation, so I ran his errands with him dropping off his car and picking up his dog, Ripley, from Daniella who is French. She speaks in the car about the American girl in her dance class who is really loud and obnoxious. I hope that is not the description for me from others-yikes. We stop by Fiume to have a Flat white with oat milk. I just order whatever he orders because I know he drinks what is good. The waiter is catering to us clearing our cups and filling our water-they never do this in cafes. He was clearly a source of power and intimidation whether it was good or bad-I was not sure yet. He dropped me at the Butter Factory where I got...

 For many years, I did not travel to Australia and New Zealand because it was "Off the Travel Radar." It was just so far away, so expensive, and not in the travel zone. In Asia and especially Europe it was so easy to travel around from place to place by bus and train.  The public transport in Australia is beyond disappointing when traveling from state to state or across the coasts. They are almost encouraging people to rent a car and go with a group. It seems to just make more sense than going solo and taking trains/buses.  After learning about the "Tierney of Distance" it was clear that Australians also felt this isolation and distance from the outside world. One of the guests said it would take 2 years to properly travel through Australia and her husband never even saw the snow and he was 65 years old. It turns out that many people were missing out on the snow and other travel opportunities.  What is the Tierney of Distance?  From Google:  In "The  T...

Urunga Went to the Art gallery space and spoke with a lovely lady about her passion for art and her love for allowing artists to share their creativity in unique ways. It was mostly local artists showcasing their creative pieces for visitors to see.  Visited the incredible Urunga boardwalk and walked to the end and turned right to the last headland, which was Hungry head beach. There were just a few people out there and the ocean was wild, but so beautiful to swim in with not in soul inside. There were water holes and the opposite side was the lake with RVs parked and people swimming inside. I had hiked up to viewpoint and saw the sky changing. I knew it was going to rain and I was racing back to the boardwalk. This kind woman with her dog said,”Don’t worry you will make it.” And I did. How I manage to get beautiful weather and escape the rain. As I arrived into town and was finished with my day was when it started pouring and I saw a rainbow sitting at the bus stop. I deci...

“I’m moving to Bangalore.” “You don’t look committed to that.” It was just one statement this man made and I knew that this was another one of those profound, enlightening moments that God was giving me from another Australian man-first one was on the plane with Brad flying from SFO to SYD. Brad was my "New Years life guru" who pointed me in the right direction reminding me to figure out my priorities and arrange all my goals around those priorities. Anything that is not in line with what you want and need to do-remove it. Toxic people-get rid of them....Brad started the year off for me in an incredibly motivational and empowering way... Brad could see that I was in a transitional state, which was obvious when we figured out I should have been on the plane to Bangalore and not the plane to Sydney.....that moment was profound and a good sign that I knew I should be setting those priorities for the New Year rather than running away on a plane.  When I mentioned moving to In...

  Woke up at 9:10 and quickly remembered it was Sunday and got ready for church in 15 minutes wearing my black jumper and gold shoes.  One of my favorite things is running to church because I know I am running towards something important and meaningful to me. I was only a few minutes late, but everyone was up and singing. A woman gives me a kind welcoming hand gesture to come inside and I sit listening to Pastor Jesse. Her voice is very soothing and calming and makes me feel God’s spirit. I had so many prayers for those suffering from the fires in California. There were a very small group of 10 people there, which did not surprise me because Belligen was a very hippy type of city and I do not see them choosing religion over their own values and belief system. When it came time to “Peace be with You.” A man walked from across the room just to shake my hand and everyone there acknowledged my presence. They were very nice and after I was invited to a Thursday 10am breakfast w...

It was a day of cleaning and adventure. After a few hours of cleaning, yoga, and a nice yogurt muesli breakfast-it was time for me to go see the Dorrigo National park with a local friend.  Dorrigo National Park is a World Heritage listed gondwana rainforests of Dorrigo with breathtaking waterfall walks, scenic picnic areas, and excellent birdwatching. It is a true gem and one of the best national parks in Australia. He was really fascinating. His parents were hippy travelers, which made him start traveling at a young age. He was just 21 and he knew all about India, Europe, and was wise beyond his years. I had better conversations with him that any 40 year old American lately. He was an adventurous, outdoors guy who did not wear shoes-that is a “thing” in Bello. And we stopped at the tourist center and then went to this trail….oh this trail that was not for tourists. Normally I would love a local trail, but after the rain wearing my brand new running shoes and the soil being fre...

I woke up and went straight to Hearth Fire to have a Smoked salmon quiche. I walked 25,000 steps and did not even have a proper dinner. I made pesto pasta and it was underwhelming. I drank a whole jug of table water and then I was off on the road. I did not have a destination in mind, but I knew I wanted to get out of Bello and into a new place, a new scenery, a new atmosphere. Something away from the small town and closer to the coast, the beach, new cafes, and new faces. I started walking and decided I was just going to walk down the main road and to the café near the golf course. I knew that was not going to satisfy this craving to explore so I put my hand up in the air for a ride and just a few minutes later a car stopped. It was a younger girl with her daughter, Olive. She was going into town to get some supplies and do some shopping. “Would you like to go to Coffs?” I was thinking to myself, “Yes I have wanted to go to Coffs forever.” Little Olive was sitting in the front...

  January 9, 2025 This morning I woke up at 7:30 am and I was prepared to enjoy the Infrared Sauna, which was my first time using it and it was fantastic followed by a cold shower. I did some light yoga and then proceeded to the Hearth Café to get some fresh bread and a flat white. It was just blowing my mind again this café had these beautiful san dwiches-a healthy version of a BLT, a Reuban, vegetarian, and all types of amazing bread and French pastries. The $9 French croissant(that is correct $9 Australian, which is like $6 USD), but I calculate off Australian due to the principle of the price. Eventually I will have to try that croissant before I leave one time, but I had to be disciplined this time so I got some fresh sourdough and went back to make my breakfast. I spent sometime talking with Kathy who is from Austria and living/working in Australia. She plans to go to India in March along with another person there traveling to Rishikesh to do yoga, ashram, and find th...