Day 34: Wollongong
Today is Rachna’s birthday, and what better way to start the day than in a quiet, spiritual place.
We woke up before 5am, showered, and under the guise of silence and darkness, went over to the temple for the morning drumming and chanting. There were only two other people there, besides the monks, and we waited outside of the temple until it was time to go in.
There can be no apt description for the beauty that resides in that temple (and pictures are not allowed), but we will do our bit to describe it. As you enter the large doors, you first see five massive Buddha statues sitting high at the back of the temple all in different coloured robes with different hand gestures. Their overwhelming presence makes it take a few minutes to then notice the 10,000 Buddha statues that line every single inch of the four walls of the temple, floor to ceiling, everywhere. Each statue was about 5 inches tall, each housed in a little individual coves with a small light above each one. The only word to explain this is “omnipresence”. The intricate cream-coloured Buddhas all around, with intermittent pillars of larger coloured Buddhas can awe even the most stoic of people.
We entered into the temple and were invited to sit while we listened to the melodic drumming of the huge drums outside of the temple doors. Then, the monks entered into the temple in single file and assumed their positions. This is when they began singing and chanting, their prayers consuming the entire temple, their voices whirling around us, their melody surrounding us as the sun rose behind us. It was mesmerizing and was one of the most beautiful ways to start off our day (and Rachna’s birthday).
After the prayers, the monks filed out, and we left the temple to eat breakfast with some of them. Then, we went back to the lodge to sleep a little more! When we got up, we walked through the temple grounds and visited the various shrines and the pagoda, and rang the gratitude bell to send blessings and prayers to our family. Soon, though, tourists began arriving and it all started to feel a little commercial. We were so happy we had the chance to share in the true spirit of the temple earlier in the morning, and it almost felt as if it had all been a dream.
We then made our way to a Hindu temple close by, but it was closed, so we appreciated the carvings and architecture from outside before heading back to Sydney for the night. We arrived in Sydney, checked into our hotel, grabbed a small bite, and walked around town for a bit.
In the evening, we met up with one of Rachna’s friends, Jill, and her husband and little baby for dinner. Jill and I (Rachna) volunteered together in Bangalore, and hadn’t seen each other in close to 7 years, and it was really nice to see how far we have come since then. We had a yummy Thai dinner, with drinks and great conversation – a perfect start to a new year! Thanks Jill and Danesh!
Afterwards, we went back to our hotel, handled some things on the internet, and prepared for tomorrow’s flight out!
Today is Rachna’s birthday, and what better way to start the day than in a quiet, spiritual place.
We woke up before 5am, showered, and under the guise of silence and darkness, went over to the temple for the morning drumming and chanting. There were only two other people there, besides the monks, and we waited outside of the temple until it was time to go in.
There can be no apt description for the beauty that resides in that temple (and pictures are not allowed), but we will do our bit to describe it. As you enter the large doors, you first see five massive Buddha statues sitting high at the back of the temple all in different coloured robes with different hand gestures. Their overwhelming presence makes it take a few minutes to then notice the 10,000 Buddha statues that line every single inch of the four walls of the temple, floor to ceiling, everywhere. Each statue was about 5 inches tall, each housed in a little individual coves with a small light above each one. The only word to explain this is “omnipresence”. The intricate cream-coloured Buddhas all around, with intermittent pillars of larger coloured Buddhas can awe even the most stoic of people.
We entered into the temple and were invited to sit while we listened to the melodic drumming of the huge drums outside of the temple doors. Then, the monks entered into the temple in single file and assumed their positions. This is when they began singing and chanting, their prayers consuming the entire temple, their voices whirling around us, their melody surrounding us as the sun rose behind us. It was mesmerizing and was one of the most beautiful ways to start off our day (and Rachna’s birthday).
After the prayers, the monks filed out, and we left the temple to eat breakfast with some of them. Then, we went back to the lodge to sleep a little more! When we got up, we walked through the temple grounds and visited the various shrines and the pagoda, and rang the gratitude bell to send blessings and prayers to our family. Soon, though, tourists began arriving and it all started to feel a little commercial. We were so happy we had the chance to share in the true spirit of the temple earlier in the morning, and it almost felt as if it had all been a dream.
We then made our way to a Hindu temple close by, but it was closed, so we appreciated the carvings and architecture from outside before heading back to Sydney for the night. We arrived in Sydney, checked into our hotel, grabbed a small bite, and walked around town for a bit.
In the evening, we met up with one of Rachna’s friends, Jill, and her husband and little baby for dinner. Jill and I (Rachna) volunteered together in Bangalore, and hadn’t seen each other in close to 7 years, and it was really nice to see how far we have come since then. We had a yummy Thai dinner, with drinks and great conversation – a perfect start to a new year! Thanks Jill and Danesh!
Afterwards, we went back to our hotel, handled some things on the internet, and prepared for tomorrow’s flight out!
Wollongong temple from afar
Gratitude bell and pagoda
Hindu temple from the outside
Great time with an old friend
