A new development in my life. An alliance that my parents and I actually looked into. A meeting. Lots of messaging and then talk. A proposal at an unexpected moment! A YES from my side! The okay nod from my parents, sister and relatives if I was sure... and an encouraging your happiness is our happiness... engagement preparations... supportive friends... THE ENGAGEMENT.... project deadlines at office... wedding preparations... my dear family and relatives taking over (My folks are the BEST and I so love them!!!)... Meeting Rajesh in the evenings... beautiful moments at the beach... at Aqua and long drives within the city... THE MARRIAGE (more on this in a different section of the blog... this particular blog entry is on the honeymoon) and then finally the honeymoon trip to New Zealand!!! Read on...
Dedication:
This bit of writing is dedicated to the newest member of my family, my dear husband, Rajesh...
The background:
'Wow! This would be one of my dreams coming true!'... were my thoughts when Rajesh first said we'd go honeymooning to NZ... With NZ being one of the most beautiful places in the world and one that I've ALWAYS wanted to check out... you can understand the 'wanting to jump in joy' feeling, can't you? :)
Before I go on... some quick facts and why you should visit NZ... :
- NZ, the youngest country on earth is considered a photographer's delight. The country is simply beautiful! Now, all those who know about my interest in photography, you don't need me to tell you more! ;) - There are a hazaar things you can do at NZ. There are a hazaar things you can do elsewhere too, but, NZ is special 'cos you can do everything, want everything, and be anything, all at one place. One moment you could be travelling through beautiful country, looking at mountains and rivers, watching the clouds kissing the tops of the mountains, thinking this is probably the most peaceful place in the universe and then some moments later, you find the same you going on to casually jump from a bridge 43m high (
http://www.bungy.co.nz/index.php/pi_pageid/17) much to the delight of a gathering of people from different countries all watching you and clapping and praying for you... or jetboating (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jetboat) down the river canyons twisting and turning at speeds of 100mph (http://www.shotoverjet.com/) praying to Lord God above that the driver of the boat knows what he's doing and doesn't end up smashing the boat and you to smithereens on those narrow canyon walls.... well, all this sure beats the hell out of being the same person all the time, doesn't it? - In NZ, people can go observe geo-thermal activity, kayak with dolphins, zorb down a hill, blast away in a jet boat, wave at albatross, ski down snowy slopes, wink at glow worms in caves, cruise along beautiful waterscapes, go on long guided walks, explore churches, visit universities, gamble at Casinos, watch movies, dive from the skies, and what not. Almost like a one-stop shop where you can find anything.- Yet another reason to visit and this is for those who love to drive - you can use your Indian driving licence to drive on NZ roads! Hire a car or better still, a campervan and have the time of your life!! - One more - The people are FRIENDLY and helpful! You won't feel alien. I know I didn't! Everytime I spoke to any of the people there... I had this nice one-friendly-earthling-talking-to-another-friendly-earthling feeling bubbling up inside of me... - One of the best reasons to visit - Amid the beautiful landscape, you will feel at peace... with God as well as the world around you. Wouldn't matter that somewhere in the world, there's this army of people training to go to war at moment's notice or that there are dozens of scientists studying energy to come up with the next big thing after a nuclear bomb to annihilate the rest of mankind.... :-/ It's all om shanti, shanti, shanti Om at New Zealand!
The story of the trip: To get back to the story... Rajesh and I got married on the 23rd of April with the blessings and best wishes of our parents, relations, and friends.
Apr 28th (which also happened to be my dear parents 33rd wedding anniversary): We boarded the nearly four-hours long flight to Singapore from Bangalore (where we'd spent a day with Shyamala, Guru, and little Adithri). During the flight, I cheerfully spent time watching movies and mentally urging time to move faster.
At Singapore, Rajesh treated himself and me to a Thai foot massage... along with the nice soothing massage that made my feet feel lighter, the massagers also made us financially 50 Euros lighter! We then went to the electronic goods shops... and by Jove, I now have one more reason to want to be rich! God, are you listening? Just let me have enough money to buy up all the gadgets that I discovered at the duty-free shops and I THINK I'll have some moments of contentment in life! :-/ ;-) :-)
Anyways, to cut an account of the happy utilization of our time at the Singapore airport short, we shopped and window-shopped till it was time to take the connecting flight to Christchurch, New Zealand...
Continued...
