Some Important Hindi to Learn

On my last trip to India, I found a marvellous book for learning Hindi! Yes I thought, finally I can speak the language of the country I love so much.

Saying Namaste to the King of Udaipur, The Maharana

I was proud as punch of my new purchase and couldn’t wiat to test it out on my friends….. Apparently it wasn’t to be quite as useful as first thought.

My friends in Mumbai having a good giggle at my hindi attempts. Namaste!

Here are a few of the phrases from the book:

 

ba skae agae, bin ba jana

The buffalo is as impressed with your flute playing, your playing a flute in front of a buffalo.

My friend Priyo laughing hysterically at my hindi book

kanghali mae, ata jilah

- a poor mans flower is always wet

The princess of Hilariously Spoken Hindi

Note, If you do want to learn Hindi – make sure to ask your trusted Indian friends. Or do a lesson in Hindi with actual teachers – don’t spend $8 on a book….my bad!

My Brilliant Deuter Backpack for Travelling

Huge thank you goes out to the team at Velovita who sponsored me for my 2012 Peru Challenge to Machu Picchu for Black Dog Institute. Here is me happily ready to set off in Melbourne for my big Peruvian adventure.

 

Velovita donated to me the incredible “Aircontact PRO 65 + 15 SL” Backpack” from Deuter. It was a wonderful travel companion and one of the crucial accessories for this trip. I was big on having an easy access backpack, with zip on the front as well as top loading access. It also has compartments on the bottom for sleeping bag/ shoes/ or dirty clothes. I found everything easy to pack, easy to carry and easy to store.

Smiling with my backpack on after hiking up the rocks of Isla Del Sol in Bolivia to our accomodation

The year before when I travelled to Kilimanjaro I’d borrowed a backpack, which was so good of my friend, but as I am doing more and more of these trips, it was time to get serious. Mum and I shopped around for a while but through some of her great connections – she was able to get me a sponsor for this important part of equipment and now I have my very own amazing backpack!

On the shores of Copacabana in Bolivia

Specs of the bag:

Aircontact PRO 65 + 15 SL

Article ID 33833-2404

Weight:

6 lbs 10 oz
3000 g

Volume:

3970 + 920 cubic inches
65 + 15 litre

Size:

35 / 14 / 13 (H x W x D) inches
90 / 36 / 34 (H x W x D) cm

Material:

Deuter-Duratex

See more at Deuters website.

(It really does come with the yellow flower!!)

 

I was never a big fan of the “backpacking” style of travel and didn’t think I needed one! But this backpack has been a godsend. So easy to pack, easy to carry, supportive and stylish! I’m definitely a fan and will continute to use the pack. I’m a true traveller now!

The weary traveller in Can Cun, Mexico

 

Big Thank you again to Velovita and Deuter!

Mexicana Comida – The food of Mexico

Mexican specialties are some of the best food I’ve ever tasted and some foods I truly missed.

 

In Australia we do have Mexican food, but I t really is tex mex. I’ve found some more restaurants recently in Melbourne that have a more typical feel and are more true to the cuisine of Mexico, but mostly you can’t beat the real deal.

 

Love the colors and styles of #mexico art #chichenitza #souvenirs Mexican Plates

Tortas, liquados, tostadas, fijitas con pollo, tacos de arrachera, pescado fresco con mango salsa y chilli, pecante, chilli, salsa and more spicy.

 

My first morning in mexico was in Cancun where we managed to find a group of restaurants/ cantinas that I’d actually visited 3.5 years prior when travelling with friends in my Semana Santa. I remember the exact place we were and tasting the delicious foods- reading all the menus and different offerings brought back flashbacks of last time and of the foods I love so much.

We even tried Supalates and panzultes, typical food of the yucatan.

 

Here are some pictures of some of the amazing food we’ve been sampling already:

Tostada y fresco (smoothie)

 

Pollo fajitas con arroz y ensalada

 

Camarones (Prawn cocktail) on the beach in Tulum

 

The menu on the beach at Mariaches Cabanas in Tulum

 

 

Smoothie de fresca y limon!!

(Cocktails at Chichenitza)

After a tough day of sightseeing at #chichenitza #mexico it’s time for #cocktails #daiquiris

 

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2013

The Indian Film Festival 2013 has just 2 days to go! Get along if you can. It’s a special year for the festival, celebrating 100 years of the Indian Film Industry. Hosted at Hoyts Melbourne.

http://www.iffm.com.au

 

This post was meant to come 3 weeks ago when the festival launched on May 3rd. I was lucky enough to be there on opening night and see some of Bollywood’s biggest names.

See more about the night on the official website here: http://www.iffm.com.au/opening.html

 

The A List Bollywood stars but you can’t see them well.

I was blessed to be working at this event as most people who follow this blog now know… I LOVE INDIA!! It was funny because as I spoke to the guests about my love of India, they asked why I was not wearing my Sari… I suggested it might not go with the polo t-shirt I had to wear for work on the evening.

To my great surprise and delight, the Festival ambassador was the beautiful and Talented Vidya Balan. I saw her film Kahaani on my last visit to India and loved her in it. I’ve been dying to see her movie The Dirty Picture for which she won a number of awards, she is a beautiful and talented woman. She was great on the night- speaking very naturally and making jokes with the audience. There was also a great Q &A on the night with some of the big names of Bollywood- very exciting - Pamela Chopra, Simi Garewal, Prabhudeva, Girish Kumar, Farah Khan and Kabir Khan.

Vidya Balan, Farah Khan, Pamela Chopra – IFFM Website
Source: http://www.iffm.com.au/opening.html

They played India’s first ever feature film, Raja Harishchandra. A very short film with all males in the roles, so males dressed up as queens and concubines. It was a great laugh and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s so impressive to see that this country has come so far in Film and made such a mark on the world.

Raja Harishchandra

I’ll be working again at the Closing and can’t wait to see what the night holds! Hoping to see another film. My list of Bollywood Films is growing by the minute!

I also worked at the Telstra Bollywood Dance Competition which was a SUPER fun night in Federation square, Melbourne.

Live your life like a Traveller

This is my new phrase and I guess, motto for live. LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE A TRAVELLER!

 

That and Live a LOVELLY Life. Currently working on the official definition of Lovelly… it is different to Lovely.. stay tuned.

Loving Life in Peru

I thought I was the founder of this quote.. but it appears not. I have found it on a few blogs and forums.

 

From the blog:

http://dal-foreigner.blogspot.com.au/

the Prophet’s (PBUH) quote ” Live your life like a traveller” and Khalil Gibran’s quote “I want to be alive to all the life that is in me now, to know each moment, to the uttermost”

Explore your own city. I love Melbourne

 

my comment?

 

Congratulations to you. It takes guts to start a blog and you’ve taken the biggest step. You started.

I love this quote “Live your life like a traveller”. Is it an actual quote? you say by PBUH?

Love to know where you first heard it.

Meeting the local kids in Peru

Another forum using this quote

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=650715&page=3:

1. Pbuh: If anyone testifies that None has the right to be worshipped but … You have tolive your life like a traveller, the more you indulge in this life …

Dancing in the streets of Udaipur in a procession in India

is it true that when someone worhips shaaytan he becomes …

http://www.turntoislam.com › … › General Discussions › Islamic Discussion

44 posts - 23 authors - 15 Oct 2011

… Prophet Mohamed PBUH so could he be a satanic worshipper to is ….. life like a stranger, Live your Life like a traveller” (Sahih Al Muslim).

So this one was a bit odd? But I still like the moral of it.

Meeting the locals in Austria

For me, Live your life like a traveller means wherever you are, take on new experience, be open to opportunities and always try something new.

Wherever you live is constantly changing. New people, new things to see, or talk to someone who might have a different perspective.

I love Travel for the opportunity to meet other people, to experience new lands and to be made grateful each day for the beautiful world in which we live.

My answers to a Tourism Questionnaire

My friend Bilal Ulmer from Pakistan recently sent me a tourism questionnaire for some case studies on different topics including technology,science,travelling, arts etc.

I was happy to oblige of course!

He wanted my opinion on the following questions.
1) Why you want to travel around the globe? 
I love travel as it offers me opportunities to meet new people and see places I never could have imagined. It widens your knowledge and opens your eyes to new experiences. You get to see and do things you never even knew existed.

Meeting my sponsor child and his mother in Tanzania, Africa

2) What thing attract you the most while travelling ? 

I like people. I love talking to people from different places to me and unusual settings. Some of the best experiences I’ve had are just chatting to someone in a cafe, or changing my plans after meeting a new friend and then going off to explore together. These are friendships that last a lifetime or moments that change your life.

Halloween Party with an old Australian Friends and new friends in Cusco, Peru

3) What thing make your passion more for travelling? 

The fear of missing out and the opportunity to see and do something new. There is always something to discover and always an experience I’m yet to have. I love the unknown.

4) Which country you like the most while travelling and why? 

India! It’s my favourite by far. The people are beautiful and warm and welcoming. They will give you the shirt off their back and do anything possible to make you feel welcome. The food is delicious and so different to what I grew up with. There is colour everywhere and in everything, I love to watch saris blowing in the wind and people make food with the bright coloured spices. There is so much diversity, from the people, to the cities, to the foods and the languages – there is something new and different everywhere you go.

Taj Mahal India

5) As an Aussie how you find Australia with rest of the world? 

I love Australia. It’ll always be my home and I think I’m so lucky to live here. We are very safe and we have a high standard of living. We also have a mix of cultures here so I get to experience other cultures even when I’m here at home. It’s a great fusion of people in this place, and I just can’t escape the natural beauty- Australia is a beautiful place to just drive around and look at our amazing ecosystems and environments.

6) Which region/country you recommend for travelers ? 

I recommend Germany. It’s a wonderful country with a very interesting modern and ancient history. It’s a real centre in Europe and it’s got a good mix of everything. From skiing in the mountains to modern culture in Berlin, from traditional beer festivals in Munich and beautiful forests in the middle country. The food is incredible and the people are so interesting, knowledgable and once you warm them up – incredibly friendly.

Oktoberfest 2006, Munich, Germany

Bolivia Instagram Summary

Had an incredible and fascinating time in Bolivia. Frustrating at times as it is a fair way behind its South American neighbours, Peru and apparently Chile and Argentina. It’s picturesque mountains and lakes make up for those deficiencies. Visit Lake Titikaka, skip Copacabana if possible, frolic in the desert and salt flats and explore more of La Paz that I didn’t see.

My favourite photos:

Copacabana

Copacabana, Bolivia

Me in uyuni

Isla Del sol

Loki hostal

 

 

 

 

Mountains of Bolivia

 

 

 

Jess in the desert

Jumping in the desert

 

Graffiti In La Paz, Bolivia

Kitty Flanagan: Charming & Alarming DVD

The other night I enjoyed watching the hilarious Kitty Flanagan’s DVD “Charming & Alarming”. Mum and I sat their giggling throughout the entire DVD as Kitty keeps the laughs coming.

I’ve always liked Kitty on the project when she does her short clips and social commentary, but this can often be quite different to the artists stand up. Not in this case. She is everything you expect her to be. Sharp, witty and warm – she’s likable and laughable… if that’s a term! It’s not but I think it’s funny so I’m laughing.

Kitty Flanagan

My favourite part had to be where Kitty explains how Australians speak and how this is different to Americans and other parts of the world. It’s funny because it’s true! She explains perfectly how we speak out the sides of our mouths and no longer feel the need to use the letter “R”. I often try to explain how to “speak Australian” to foreigners and have now found the perfect way. Thanks Kitty.

I also loved her jokes about mummy talk and the interaction between parents and children. Children are great…. it’s just the parents! Very funny re-enactments of scenarios, imitations of children and observations that we all see but are afraid to point out. Kitty goes there and it’s hilarious!

Can’t wait to see the live show “Hello Kitty” which I missed at Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) due to it being sold out! Watch out for the Australian Tour in 2013.

 

If you like Comedy and want to get your hands on DVD’s like this, go to www.punchline.com.au - Australia’s Largest Comedy DVD Store

Portrait Competition: Win a Portrait Session worth $850

My talented and gorgeous friend Cassie Bedford is running a Portrait Competition through her photography business.

Details below, get in quick and show off your fabulous photos! Competition ends June 29th 2013 at 9pm.

Cassie Bedford Photography
Weddings|Portraits|Marketing|Corporate Events|

http://www.cassiebedford.com.au
E: studio@cassiebedford.com.au

Chicks with Stix - Perisher Sunday 19th August

Reblogged from NOW RIP THIS • For girls who ♥ snow and surf •:

Chicks with Stix is on Sunday 19 August at Blue Cow 9:00am.

What is it? An all-day grass-roots workshop, designed specifically for girls to receive tuition from some of Australia's top women's coaches.

Does it cost? No, it's 100 per cent free. That's right Chicks with Stix won't charge you, they're not here to take advantage of you, but you should take advantage of this once-in-a-life-time-opportunity.

Read more… 71 more words

The snow is coming fast... It's already here in Australia - make sure to get along to join Chicks With Stix on their awesome info days - www.chickswithstix.com.au/