ABT Part II - First Stop: Melbourne City

I did ZERO planning for this backpacking trip except for getting the air tics and borrowing a Lonely Planet Guidebook from the library. And I'm going alone. Brave or just pure recklessness?!! This is of course due to my busy work schedule and ... some laziness... haha. I spent abt half a day doing planning whenever I reached a new destination and as such, I'd say I wasted some precious time. However there are really interesting attractions which I discovered at their Visitors' Centre, listed outside the guidebook. Thus even if one does planned beforehand, be prepared to change some of your itinerary along the way=)

I paid about S$1500 for the air tics. It's considered ex as january is still Australia's holiday season. Not to mention I got it quite last min too. Lesson No 1 learnt: Book way in advance! You can also look out for special deals but usually condition like "2 to go" is applicable to enjoy the discount (I saw one at abt S$800. Almost half the price!!).

I took Qantas. I like to try different airlines to have different inflight experience. I'm proud to say that Singapore Airlines still ranks top on my list (but it can be more ex...). I definitely felt quite "special" sitting among the ang mos as I was the minority on the plane. This was also my first trip to a Caucasian country. So excited! Maybe with some luck, I can bring a Caucasian gf home!!! haha

The timing of the plane was quite nice in that it was an overnight flight. When it landed in Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport after about 7hrs (gosh! tiring...), it was morning and Melbourne was all ready for me to explore! Except for a problem: I did not book any accomodation in advance! Luckily I found a saviour in Rob Hussey! (he's the hot guy right in front in the photo).

Meditation Retreat 15/12/08 - 29/12/08

This is really a long overdue blog that I should have written even before my Australia Backpacking Trip (which unfortunately is still stuck...). However I really got interested and committed to starting a blog only after my Australia trip, so well...

I usually try to go for a meditation retreat at the end of every year to reflect as well as revigorate myself to prepare for the coming new year. In 2007, I opted for a trip to Hanoi to visit my friend who was working there instead. It was quite an experience but I did not exactly like Hanoi, not to mention I had serious diarrhoea while out in the sea at Halong Bay! So in 2008, I told myself I must resume my annual retreat practice at the end of the year.

I usually like to go for mediation retreat alone (or at most just a few) as compared to going together with a group of people I know because I feel I would be more focused with no familiar faces around. Maybe a wrong view? But this is just a personal preference=)

This time round, I decided to go to Bhaddekaratta Hermitage (http://www.bhaddekaratta.org/index.html) which is located at Batu Pahat in the state of Johor in West Malaysia, about 2 hours by car from Singapore, after hearing good feedback from friends who have been there. As I got no car, I have to get there by public transport. I contacted the Hermitage for direction instructions and was extremely lucky to find out that another Dhamma friend from Singapore, John, would be going there on the same day. As he was a regular there, I basically just followed him=) For those who are keen to go, you can look up the relevant contact at the website and called to enquire about availability of hermitage (there may not be enough lodgings due to overwhelming number of yogis) as well as instructions to get there.

It's been quite a way, so I cannot remember the full details. I remembered meeting John at Clementi MRT station platform at 6+am (...) and we proceeded to Kranji station where we took a bus to the customs and subsequently to Larkin Bus Terminal in Johor Bahru. From there, we got tickets through another bus company to Batu Pahat. As there was still some available time, we grabbed a quick breakfast and kopi=) The journey took about 1.5 hours or 2? Cannot exactly remember. We alighted at a bus stop outside the Japanese company, Sharp Roxy and John gave a call to his wife who was helping out at the Hermitage on a long term basis. We were picked up and drove through an oil palm plantation to eventually arrive at the Hermitage.

When we arrived at 11.30am, we were just right for lunch (this was calculated precisely by John). Then I was given a kuti as my resting place for the next 14 days. I took some time to clean the place as it was quite dirty. Then it was to start my meditation practice as according to the timetable. My retreat has officially started!

Retreat Timetable 禅修时间表
04:00 AM
Rising & Walking meditation
起身和行禅
05:00 AM
Sitting meditation
坐禅
06:30 AM
Breakfast & Hermitage's chores
早餐,禅院义务
08:30 AM
Walking meditation
行禅
09:30 AM
Sitting meditation
坐禅
11:30 AM
Meal, Clean Dining Hall/Kitchen & Others
用餐,清理食堂
01:00 PM
Walking meditation
行禅
02:00 PM
Sitting meditation
坐禅
03:00 PM
Walking meditation
行禅
04:00 PM
Sitting meditation
坐禅
05:30 PM
Meditation Discussion
禅修报告
06:30 PM
Walking meditation
行禅
07:30 PM
Sitting meditation
坐禅
08:30 PM
Chanting (group or personal)
诵经

AND I almost "died" there!!! hahaha. I woke up at 3.30am in the morning to wash up before starting my meditation practice of anapanasati (awareness of in breath and out breath). At first, I got difficulty pulling myself out of bed (who wouldn't??!). As I haven't been meditating at home, my mind was all over the place except the one place it should be ie my breath and it was a "torture" sitting cross-legged even for 15 mins. It was especially hard to pass the stretch in the afternoon of 4 hours. Ok what have I got myself in this time?

Pls follow closely as to how my practice progressed as the days passed. To be continued...=)

Australia Backpacking Trip 8/1/09 - 23/1/09 (Part I)

This was my first backpacking trip and it was really quite an experience! Here's a summary of the hits and misses:

Hits: Visit Melbourne city and its attractions (eg Queen Victoria Market), Make new international friends, Experience backpacking lifestyle, Know more about Australia culture, See kite surfing at St Kilda, Visit The Dandenongs and sit in Puffy Billy, Visit Phillip Island, See the Penguin Parade, Feed kangaroos, See koala bears sleeping (they sleep 20hrs a day!), Cycle round the island, Watch seals colony, Stay at Torquay (Gateway to Great Ocean Road), Visit Great Ocean Road (eg Twelve Apostles), Try surfing, Visit Sydney and its attractions (eg Museum of Sydney, Paddy's Market), Watch Circus at Sydney Opera House, Walk across Sydney Harbour Bridge, See a Dugong! at Sydney Aquarium, Visit Blue Mountains (eg The Three Sisters), Try abseiling and canyoning, Try caving at Jenolan Caves, Do some bushwalking etc

Misses: Catch a match of Australian Open in Melbourne (damn!), Cuddle a Koala, Watch dolphins swimming in the sea, Sky diving, White water rafting, Hot air ballooning, Visit a Buddhist Temple, Visit a nude beach!, Know more about Aboriginal culture in Australia, Do a Farm Stay etc

It can be quite lonely travelling alone and I was fortunate to make new international friends PLUS bump into a Singapore friend and her colleague who are working there!