This week I have been idly killing time in between undertaking various tasks on my 'to do list' and a bit of site seeing.
So far I have organised so me Indian Rupees (that come in large denominations - 5600INR equates to a lot of notes, which while making me feel rich is actually only about 70 quid), I have stocked up on various toiletries so that I can avoid going shopping as soon as I arrive in Delhi, done some washing, and had a dry run at re-packing my back-pack.
The latter being quite a feat as since leaving home I have acquired new Havaianna flip-flops (Buenos Aires, how could I not - they are so cheap there), a pair of Zara pumps and a black t-shirt dress (Buenos Aires - retail therapy after a row), a pair of pointy toed Ked pumps (Melbourne, a bargain at a discount shopping mall),the hide of a calf (San Antonio de Areco, Argentina), a dress (Buenos Aires - retail therapy after finding ourselves in BA a second time...), a silver ring (Nahuel Pan, Argentina), a t-shirt and some tiny 'boardie' shorts (Yamba - I had to at least look like the surfie chick that I am sure I was once destined to be), a scarf (2 pesos from Temuco, Chile), a a pair of silver hoop earings (Vina del Mar, Chile) a lap top (Melbourne - again very reasonably priced and infinitely useful), a jacket (the weather in Sydney has been crappy and my Peter Storm pac-a-mac really was not cutting it in the fashion stakes I'm afraid), and finally a new pair of jeans (Kookai were having a blow out sale - my jeans had a giant hole at the right knee that was providing unwelcome air conditioning). Phew.
All I can say is that the burden of my pack was lessened slightly when I posted some things home from New Zealand, and some other things have been replacements for worn out or lost clothes (so I am not doubling up). Not to mention the couple of new things that I lost as well (one of the hoop earings and the silver ring, not that either of those would have saved me any space!). Anyway, somehow I managed to squeeze everything in, with a little space to spare for any more necessary purchases that I am bound to make in India!
So what else? Oh yes, sightseeing. I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay. It had 2 exhibitions, one of a contemporary Australian artist and one of beautiful Aboriginal bark paintings. Both were worth the visit and the sun shine over the harbour made it all the more worth while for an afternoon out. Yesterday I went to the Australian Museum. Set in a large building it has a fantastic display of skeletons, an enormous collection of minerals (Australia seem to have an abundance, no wonder there are so many mines - apparently it is the worlds biggest exporter of aluminium and it's gold rush back in the 1800's was enough to make California's look more like the dregs in the bottom of a prospector's sifting pan), a dinosaur display, and most interestingly a lot of information about Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, both past and present. The real stories about the Stolen Generation were heart breaking.
Last night (Thursday) we went and explored China Town. After a Malaysian (!) meal we had a silly 5 minutes in a games arcade; picture 2 slightly unfit adults prancing about on a dance machine. The object was to copy the dance move that flash up on the screen to score points, in time to some pop versions of all your favourite east Asian hits. We did find Queen to rock to at least, and left rosy cheeked, puffed out and in admiration of the teenage Chinese couple who would have clearly whipped our butts in any real competition!
Hannah
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