It was a Saturday morning. A group of 13 of us decided to explore one of the greatest tourist attractions of Australia- the Philip Island and of course, the Penguins which are found in this part of the world.
The forecasts did not sound good. They warned us of hailstorms but we decided to go for it. So as instructed by Mr. Deepak Pacha, our unofficial tour organizer, we landed at the immigration Museum. The trip was supposed to start at 11 10 a.m. Me and Venkat decided to help ourselves to a few snaps on the bridge on Yarra river to capture the Australian skyline which I would dread later in the day (I lost some precious moments in the camera battery there, only if I had saved it for some exotic sights later in the day). So then, Mr. Pacha had given strict instructions to bring some warm clothing due to the forecasts. So, Mr. Ram decided to buy a sweatshirt with Australia written on it, at least to prove to folks back in India, that the clothing was indeed bought in Australia. Now that was very Deepak Goyalish I would say, I can’t believe he buys clothing here only if it bears “Australia”.
Well then, back to business. Me and Venkat landed a couple of minutes late but our tour bus had not landed luckily. Mr. Pacha stood with a map and some books in his hand. I still wonder how this guy knows every damn thing one can think of. I guess that makes him a better tour guide than a software consultant. Rajesh, Karthik and Prem stood blowing smoke of their chimneys, quite cold I would say. Even I would have borrowed some smoke then. Ankush, Gaurav, Ram, Deepak were engaged in some serious conversation, I guess which had to do with the nearby “Rhino” club. And that’s exactly when our actual tour guide made the entry. He was bald, wore some scrawny clothes. Oh before I forget, it was the day when the Geelong cats were taking on the Saints of St. Kilda in the AFL grand final and as expected from this sports and specifically football crazy city, the denizens wore their respective team colours as scarves. That was something new for me and interesting too.
So then, we reached our tour bus rather a tour van. That was bad and cruel surprise for some of us who had been to an awesome tour the week before to the Great Ocean Road. And here we were with a quite a joker like guide and a van which reminded Indian transport service for a second. I settled down comfortably in the first seat on the left which was a single seater and had better leg space. Others gave me some envious glances. So then we were all set to start. The tour guide (let’s say Mr. X from now on) decided to give an overview of the tour. Mr. X said that we will be having our lunch first, then we will be going to a wild life park to see the Australian signature animals, then some photography stops, and finally to the highlight of the trip- Penguins. Sounded good. So off we went. We passed MCG. The match was to start only at 2 30 but there was a sea of fans already waiting for entry. I have never seen so much passion for a match between team within the nation. In India, some foreign country’s cricket team needs to visit to give our fans the frenzy.
So, we reached our first stop for our lunch. Mr.X came out and announced, he had some rolls in a box. I thought wat the___? Last time we were treated to some great food at a good restaurant as part of the package. Here this dumbo was making us eat cold rolls when the forecast was of hails. I was getting a feeling the tour company was run by an Indian. So we got out at this place. It was called Toorak. There was a small café. Gaurav, Ankush decided it was better to have something from the café than the useless offering from Mr.X. that saved some rolls which few guys feasted on. I must say the place was serene. The café was stationed near a small stream with sea birds flying around. The cameras came out and there was a spree. Mr. Pacha seemed engrossed in capturing the birds. He had bought a new camera recently and wanted to make sure he had tested the best out of the poor thing. The sutta gang were busy on one side. I decided to pounce on whatever food was on offer. So I got myself a veg roll and munched it. It was bloody cold; I felt like throwing Mr.X into the stream and drown him there. To make myself a bit warm, I decided to get me some coffee. I went in the café. Venkat stood there in the queue. He too was there for coffee. When his turn came, he said- one cappuccino, 3 sugars. Thatz when it struck me, this is how u order coffee here. I said the same too. Pretty costly ones although. I would have got a better coffee at CCD for 1/3rd the price back in India. Anyways, you are not supposed to sound so Indianish here.
So then once the suttas, the rolls, coffees were over we returned to our van. I found a young lady who was sitting in the adjacent 2 seater sitting pretty at my seat. Bloody white skins, I did not want to sound weirdo and went back to the next single seater, poor Ankush will have to go back I thought. That’ when Mr.X came and saw her. He asked her who was sitting there. I immediately jumped and said it was me. You know what he did not even glance He immediately turned to her and said no problems and went away. I thought I should definitely kill Mr.X before the trip ends and got back to the seat lest I lose that too. I smiled at myself, so there are such people in this land too I reassured myself. So then we were on our way to Maru Wild Life Park. Since we were on the country side, we had some of the most exotic sights of nature. Green pastures, blue skies dotted with various cloud formations. I snapped a few like these
The forecasts did not sound good. They warned us of hailstorms but we decided to go for it. So as instructed by Mr. Deepak Pacha, our unofficial tour organizer, we landed at the immigration Museum. The trip was supposed to start at 11 10 a.m. Me and Venkat decided to help ourselves to a few snaps on the bridge on Yarra river to capture the Australian skyline which I would dread later in the day (I lost some precious moments in the camera battery there, only if I had saved it for some exotic sights later in the day). So then, Mr. Pacha had given strict instructions to bring some warm clothing due to the forecasts. So, Mr. Ram decided to buy a sweatshirt with Australia written on it, at least to prove to folks back in India, that the clothing was indeed bought in Australia. Now that was very Deepak Goyalish I would say, I can’t believe he buys clothing here only if it bears “Australia”.
Well then, back to business. Me and Venkat landed a couple of minutes late but our tour bus had not landed luckily. Mr. Pacha stood with a map and some books in his hand. I still wonder how this guy knows every damn thing one can think of. I guess that makes him a better tour guide than a software consultant. Rajesh, Karthik and Prem stood blowing smoke of their chimneys, quite cold I would say. Even I would have borrowed some smoke then. Ankush, Gaurav, Ram, Deepak were engaged in some serious conversation, I guess which had to do with the nearby “Rhino” club. And that’s exactly when our actual tour guide made the entry. He was bald, wore some scrawny clothes. Oh before I forget, it was the day when the Geelong cats were taking on the Saints of St. Kilda in the AFL grand final and as expected from this sports and specifically football crazy city, the denizens wore their respective team colours as scarves. That was something new for me and interesting too.
So then, we reached our tour bus rather a tour van. That was bad and cruel surprise for some of us who had been to an awesome tour the week before to the Great Ocean Road. And here we were with a quite a joker like guide and a van which reminded Indian transport service for a second. I settled down comfortably in the first seat on the left which was a single seater and had better leg space. Others gave me some envious glances. So then we were all set to start. The tour guide (let’s say Mr. X from now on) decided to give an overview of the tour. Mr. X said that we will be having our lunch first, then we will be going to a wild life park to see the Australian signature animals, then some photography stops, and finally to the highlight of the trip- Penguins. Sounded good. So off we went. We passed MCG. The match was to start only at 2 30 but there was a sea of fans already waiting for entry. I have never seen so much passion for a match between team within the nation. In India, some foreign country’s cricket team needs to visit to give our fans the frenzy.
So, we reached our first stop for our lunch. Mr.X came out and announced, he had some rolls in a box. I thought wat the___? Last time we were treated to some great food at a good restaurant as part of the package. Here this dumbo was making us eat cold rolls when the forecast was of hails. I was getting a feeling the tour company was run by an Indian. So we got out at this place. It was called Toorak. There was a small café. Gaurav, Ankush decided it was better to have something from the café than the useless offering from Mr.X. that saved some rolls which few guys feasted on. I must say the place was serene. The café was stationed near a small stream with sea birds flying around. The cameras came out and there was a spree. Mr. Pacha seemed engrossed in capturing the birds. He had bought a new camera recently and wanted to make sure he had tested the best out of the poor thing. The sutta gang were busy on one side. I decided to pounce on whatever food was on offer. So I got myself a veg roll and munched it. It was bloody cold; I felt like throwing Mr.X into the stream and drown him there. To make myself a bit warm, I decided to get me some coffee. I went in the café. Venkat stood there in the queue. He too was there for coffee. When his turn came, he said- one cappuccino, 3 sugars. Thatz when it struck me, this is how u order coffee here. I said the same too. Pretty costly ones although. I would have got a better coffee at CCD for 1/3rd the price back in India. Anyways, you are not supposed to sound so Indianish here.
So then once the suttas, the rolls, coffees were over we returned to our van. I found a young lady who was sitting in the adjacent 2 seater sitting pretty at my seat. Bloody white skins, I did not want to sound weirdo and went back to the next single seater, poor Ankush will have to go back I thought. That’ when Mr.X came and saw her. He asked her who was sitting there. I immediately jumped and said it was me. You know what he did not even glance He immediately turned to her and said no problems and went away. I thought I should definitely kill Mr.X before the trip ends and got back to the seat lest I lose that too. I smiled at myself, so there are such people in this land too I reassured myself. So then we were on our way to Maru Wild Life Park. Since we were on the country side, we had some of the most exotic sights of nature. Green pastures, blue skies dotted with various cloud formations. I snapped a few like these
Apologies for the mirror reflections for am not as good as a photographer as Mr. Pacha. Well then, we reached Maru. We saw a family taking snaps near a Kangaroo’s bust. I started wondering if we too would have to face the same fate. In we went the park and we were given some instructions by the zoo official. There was some Kangaroo food for 1 dollar. A few of us bought it and as we were to alight, the skies opened up and it was showers all over. I never knew rains of Australia could be equated to Hails. My hands almost froze; I thought I was going to have a frost bite. But then, the sight of the Kangaroos just eliminated any other thoughts. It was so very divine in a way. Here they were, the Kangaroos we watched in TV right in front of us. I guess each one of us could not hide the excitement. Each one of us wanted to feed the Kangaroo and get ourselves snapped. It was a mad rush. There were a couple of Kangaroos in the shelter and everyone was competing to let it have a bite of their own share of 1 $ food. Venkat decided to go for the other Kangaroos who sat outside the shelter. Unfortunately, none of them even moved at the sight of the food. They kept moving from one place to the other and so did Venkat unsuccessfully. While we had a gala time feeding the Kangaroos. In fact one of them just held on to Shib’s hands eating non stop. It was exciting and to me to an extent agonizing too. Here they were the poor things eating like crazy in return for a snap. I wondered if they were ever fed well. 
After the Kangaroos, we went for the Koalas. They were perched up on a makeshift shelter on a tree. Shy creatures they are, we did not let them be so. We took snaps from each angle we could take it.
Poor things, if I think in retrospect. Bad shelters and lesser food, survival is by becoming showpieces to us for these creatures.
So then, we saw a few sheep. An interesting one too with the long neck (don’t remember the animal’s name). They just rushed in when they saw our group. But we were instructed not to feed them, so we just passed.
Wolves, donkeys, more Kangaroos, that’s all Maru, had to offer, what a wild life park I thought. Mr.X, one day come to India, I will show you around my way, I thought. My hand was frozen. I stood near the toilet with my hands under the dryer for almost 10 mins to get back to normalcy.
The next attraction there was the pirate bay, where a mini golf course was set up. So, we decided to play pirates for sometime. There was a ship, a few busts of pirates in various poses. One of those got some special attention and that was:
Well, you could see the reasons for yourselves. I doubt if one of us did not snap her.
So, we hit road soon after that not before we had a small hiccup. Prem, Rajesh seemed too interested in the Piratina whose snap I showed earlier. So our van had to wait for them to complete whatever they were upto.
I don’t really remember where our next stop was. I guess it was a beach.
We hit the road soon. Our next stop was a stream. The scenery was quite creepy. The stream had dried up and the place was a mix of creepers and frail trees seen in ghost movies.
We had to walk up. It was quite creepy for real. We walked upto the cabins that were set up for swans viewing. I had never seen so many swans ever. It was a good sight. Something interesting happened here. Deepak Pacha was the last to come in the cabin. When we were done watching and clicking the swans, we decided to leave. There were a couple of girls who were touring in the same van. They were there too. When we reached the cabin doors, that’s when we realized that the door had been stuck. We tried out best to push it open. That’s when the girls came out and saw us doing something on the door. They went berserk. One of them started blaming Deepak for locking us in. poor guy; he reassured them, that he would call others over phone and get us out. By that time one of the girls ran to the small window for viewing the swans to jump out. I was wrestling with the door but it would not shift even an inch. Quite a situation, I wanted to sing to the girls- “hum tum ek cabin mein band ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye”. Poor Deepak was red with fury on the girls, and I stood pushing the door. That’s when one of the guys came and twisted the handle on the door and whoosh, the door flung open. We breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help laugh the whole thing off. It was funny how small could women’s brains could get.
We came back to find a small tea at the entrance. So Mr.X had brought all the needed items including milk, water sugar. Cost cutting at its best. And when the sugar, milk got over, he announces- “how much milk and sugar do you use?” I should have kicked his **** for an answer. The funny part is that they too ape some of our actions.
Before I forget, I got a chance to click on of the most serene houses I have ever seen.
It was creepy and serene at the same time. Creepy ‘cos it does remind of the Bates Motel from that famous Hitchhockian Pyscho.
After the Kangaroos, we went for the Koalas. They were perched up on a makeshift shelter on a tree. Shy creatures they are, we did not let them be so. We took snaps from each angle we could take it.
Poor things, if I think in retrospect. Bad shelters and lesser food, survival is by becoming showpieces to us for these creatures.
So then, we saw a few sheep. An interesting one too with the long neck (don’t remember the animal’s name). They just rushed in when they saw our group. But we were instructed not to feed them, so we just passed.
Wolves, donkeys, more Kangaroos, that’s all Maru, had to offer, what a wild life park I thought. Mr.X, one day come to India, I will show you around my way, I thought. My hand was frozen. I stood near the toilet with my hands under the dryer for almost 10 mins to get back to normalcy.
The next attraction there was the pirate bay, where a mini golf course was set up. So, we decided to play pirates for sometime. There was a ship, a few busts of pirates in various poses. One of those got some special attention and that was:
Well, you could see the reasons for yourselves. I doubt if one of us did not snap her.
So, we hit road soon after that not before we had a small hiccup. Prem, Rajesh seemed too interested in the Piratina whose snap I showed earlier. So our van had to wait for them to complete whatever they were upto.
I don’t really remember where our next stop was. I guess it was a beach.
We hit the road soon. Our next stop was a stream. The scenery was quite creepy. The stream had dried up and the place was a mix of creepers and frail trees seen in ghost movies.
We had to walk up. It was quite creepy for real. We walked upto the cabins that were set up for swans viewing. I had never seen so many swans ever. It was a good sight. Something interesting happened here. Deepak Pacha was the last to come in the cabin. When we were done watching and clicking the swans, we decided to leave. There were a couple of girls who were touring in the same van. They were there too. When we reached the cabin doors, that’s when we realized that the door had been stuck. We tried out best to push it open. That’s when the girls came out and saw us doing something on the door. They went berserk. One of them started blaming Deepak for locking us in. poor guy; he reassured them, that he would call others over phone and get us out. By that time one of the girls ran to the small window for viewing the swans to jump out. I was wrestling with the door but it would not shift even an inch. Quite a situation, I wanted to sing to the girls- “hum tum ek cabin mein band ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye”. Poor Deepak was red with fury on the girls, and I stood pushing the door. That’s when one of the guys came and twisted the handle on the door and whoosh, the door flung open. We breathed a sigh of relief and couldn’t help laugh the whole thing off. It was funny how small could women’s brains could get.
We came back to find a small tea at the entrance. So Mr.X had brought all the needed items including milk, water sugar. Cost cutting at its best. And when the sugar, milk got over, he announces- “how much milk and sugar do you use?” I should have kicked his **** for an answer. The funny part is that they too ape some of our actions.
Before I forget, I got a chance to click on of the most serene houses I have ever seen.
It was creepy and serene at the same time. Creepy ‘cos it does remind of the Bates Motel from that famous Hitchhockian Pyscho.
Our next stop was Phillip Island... The scene before was quite thrilling. An extremely windy place, if you did not hold on to yourself, you could fly away as well. Waves splashed over rocks and eroding them in millimetres. It was quite enthralling to watch the might of the waves for a change.
The power of the waves really sends shudders up your spine. The waves that day were as though in a frenzy to reach us and sweep us away as though a monster growling at us.
And did I say windy, thanks to Ram for this snap
And did I say windy, thanks to Ram for this snap
This was one of the most humbling experiences. For all the structure and order we have built by conquering nature building our roads, bridges and buildings, this place makes one understand that it doesn’t take much for nature to get back all it lost.
So then, it was time for the final destination, the Penguins. We were told that we need to be there by at least 6 to get ourselves the best seats. We reached at 6 15. For a change Mr.X gave some good speech before we left for the show. It seems that this place was the home for the smallest Penguins in the world and mind you they were not put in any enclosures like Zoo. There is a specific time slot when the Penguins reach the beach and walk up to their nests and it was this we were going to see today. We were told that they came at 6 45 and got to their nests in another 15 mins. Mr.X told us that we need take the inner wing in the left sitting area. So we trotted up to the place as fast as we could. The place was filled and the best places had been occupied. I tried my charms on one of the rangers there to help us find a good place. She just gave a cold stare. I did not ask any further. Luckily we got the first row but in the outer wing of the left sitting area. At least we got the first row I thought. So there we sat waiting for a spectacle. I guess such frenzy gripped me last when I went to watch Jurassic Park. These were smaller creatures but here I was closer than ever to nature and was going to watch right in front of my eyes some of the most exotic elements of the wide fauna that dwells earth, elements which I have seen walking in a funny manner on ice lands of Antarctica. What was so amusing? I don’t know, but I was excited for sure. We waited with eyes prowling the waves in front of us to catch the glimpse of these adorable creatures. The time told to us was 6 45 and we were not disappointed.
The 3 Musketeers
The first wave of Penguins had 3 of them. We saw them tumbling over waves and reaching the sand but they seemed quite wary of the sands for there were sea gulls on the beach, one of their main predators. They remained in the waters for quite sometime. The whole sitting area was abuzz with everyone whispering to the other and pointing to the 3 creatures huddled together. Then slowly one of them decided to take the plunge and came out. Soon the other 2 followed. They were quite scared of the noises we were making. They stood near the waters for sometime. Then a wave came and pushed them ashore. They got up and marched up and stopped for a second and then slowly marched away to their nests. It was quite a sight.
He came, he saw and he ran away (Alexander and his army)
The next group was quite a huge one must have been at least 10 of them. They came in a huddle and each time they reached the shore, they went back to the waters. We were getting boisterous in our seats with excitement. There were bunches of Penguins coming to the shore at various ends. This group kept going back to the waters. Then at last they all stood up and stood on the sands. One of them started walking forward. None of the others dared take a step. He walked and walked and was about to reach his nest and I thought he had conquered but then he looked back to find his mates run away back to water. I guess he must have been shit scared for he too ran away immediately. They remained in waters for some time. By that time a sea gull reached near them. That frightened them more I guess. Then finally everyone got to the beach and walked up. Soon they were gone
We all got up and went to the boardwalks. Mr.X had told that those were the places where there were closer encounters with Penguins. He was right and adorable for a change. I stood at the boardwalk to see a few penguins. They seemed more accustomed to our screams now I guess for they walked slower and had a leisurely pace or was it because of the long and tiring trip across the turbulent seas, I would never know. One of them stood just near the board walk while other kept going below the boardwalk to get into darkness. Our guy was enjoying the attention he was getting. He stood there pecking at his small wings or hands whatever you call them. He seemed to be cleaning up himself. He would occasionally look up to see us and then get back to cleaning up operations.
I just stood there watching the sight. Some more Penguins would march in and get pass our hero while he stood his ground.
It was time, Time to go back to the real world. I took the long walk back to my tour van. All along I found more Penguins in a queue at various points. It’s a sight which will remain with me for a long long time. I reached back and settled down in my seat. The day had ended and what a day it had been. For all the rains and harsh weather we had endured, it was a worthwhile day. It’s wonderful to know how diverse world is and how little of it we know in our own pursuits to learn the structure and order we have created and not of Nature’s making. If a tsunami were to strike, will I save myself with my knowledge of Java, Oracle or will all those servers and computers we built save us from a earthquake and we spend our lives learning up the most worthless of things for living our lives. Well, that’s a thought and ain't I entitled to that Mate. I reckon I do!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Deepak, Gaurav, Ram for arranging for this trip. Thanks to all you guys who came for the trip, it was really great to be on it with you all.
So then, it was time for the final destination, the Penguins. We were told that we need to be there by at least 6 to get ourselves the best seats. We reached at 6 15. For a change Mr.X gave some good speech before we left for the show. It seems that this place was the home for the smallest Penguins in the world and mind you they were not put in any enclosures like Zoo. There is a specific time slot when the Penguins reach the beach and walk up to their nests and it was this we were going to see today. We were told that they came at 6 45 and got to their nests in another 15 mins. Mr.X told us that we need take the inner wing in the left sitting area. So we trotted up to the place as fast as we could. The place was filled and the best places had been occupied. I tried my charms on one of the rangers there to help us find a good place. She just gave a cold stare. I did not ask any further. Luckily we got the first row but in the outer wing of the left sitting area. At least we got the first row I thought. So there we sat waiting for a spectacle. I guess such frenzy gripped me last when I went to watch Jurassic Park. These were smaller creatures but here I was closer than ever to nature and was going to watch right in front of my eyes some of the most exotic elements of the wide fauna that dwells earth, elements which I have seen walking in a funny manner on ice lands of Antarctica. What was so amusing? I don’t know, but I was excited for sure. We waited with eyes prowling the waves in front of us to catch the glimpse of these adorable creatures. The time told to us was 6 45 and we were not disappointed.
The 3 Musketeers
The first wave of Penguins had 3 of them. We saw them tumbling over waves and reaching the sand but they seemed quite wary of the sands for there were sea gulls on the beach, one of their main predators. They remained in the waters for quite sometime. The whole sitting area was abuzz with everyone whispering to the other and pointing to the 3 creatures huddled together. Then slowly one of them decided to take the plunge and came out. Soon the other 2 followed. They were quite scared of the noises we were making. They stood near the waters for sometime. Then a wave came and pushed them ashore. They got up and marched up and stopped for a second and then slowly marched away to their nests. It was quite a sight.
He came, he saw and he ran away (Alexander and his army)
The next group was quite a huge one must have been at least 10 of them. They came in a huddle and each time they reached the shore, they went back to the waters. We were getting boisterous in our seats with excitement. There were bunches of Penguins coming to the shore at various ends. This group kept going back to the waters. Then at last they all stood up and stood on the sands. One of them started walking forward. None of the others dared take a step. He walked and walked and was about to reach his nest and I thought he had conquered but then he looked back to find his mates run away back to water. I guess he must have been shit scared for he too ran away immediately. They remained in waters for some time. By that time a sea gull reached near them. That frightened them more I guess. Then finally everyone got to the beach and walked up. Soon they were gone
We all got up and went to the boardwalks. Mr.X had told that those were the places where there were closer encounters with Penguins. He was right and adorable for a change. I stood at the boardwalk to see a few penguins. They seemed more accustomed to our screams now I guess for they walked slower and had a leisurely pace or was it because of the long and tiring trip across the turbulent seas, I would never know. One of them stood just near the board walk while other kept going below the boardwalk to get into darkness. Our guy was enjoying the attention he was getting. He stood there pecking at his small wings or hands whatever you call them. He seemed to be cleaning up himself. He would occasionally look up to see us and then get back to cleaning up operations.
I just stood there watching the sight. Some more Penguins would march in and get pass our hero while he stood his ground.
It was time, Time to go back to the real world. I took the long walk back to my tour van. All along I found more Penguins in a queue at various points. It’s a sight which will remain with me for a long long time. I reached back and settled down in my seat. The day had ended and what a day it had been. For all the rains and harsh weather we had endured, it was a worthwhile day. It’s wonderful to know how diverse world is and how little of it we know in our own pursuits to learn the structure and order we have created and not of Nature’s making. If a tsunami were to strike, will I save myself with my knowledge of Java, Oracle or will all those servers and computers we built save us from a earthquake and we spend our lives learning up the most worthless of things for living our lives. Well, that’s a thought and ain't I entitled to that Mate. I reckon I do!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Deepak, Gaurav, Ram for arranging for this trip. Thanks to all you guys who came for the trip, it was really great to be on it with you all.
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