Suba Aluth Arudthak Vewa (That means Happy New Year in Singhalese)!

We arrived in Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon, and were met in the Airport by Senushi's Auntie Lina, who, (after a few wrong turns) took us to Auntie Menaka's and Uncle Darius' house where we have been staying. When we got to the house, we were greeted by Auntie Menaka, Senushi's grandmother, and her very entertaining cousins Keanu (age 10) and Kiara (age 6). Everyone was very kind and welcoming! After being there for just a few minutes, I realized that the house is really a hub for all of their friends and family. The phone is always ringing, friends seem to just show up at the door, and it's just a very fun atmosphere all around.

When we  were planning our trip, we just happened to schedule our time in Melbourne during Sri Lankan New Year, so I was told that I was in for quite a celebration, and it definitely didn't disappoint! All day yesterday was dedicated to cooking and preparing for the celebration later that evening. When it came time for the party to start, the table was absolutely covered in delicious looking curries and sweets, and as guests showed up the amount of food continued to grow! It was some of the most delicious food I have ever had, and although I quickly got full on the chicken, lamb, and salmon curries, I just had to try everything, so I ate until I was almost sick! We spent the rest of the evening getting to know all of the family and friends. Everyone was so nice and so comfortable with each other that it seemed like one big family, and we sat around talking until after 11 that night. Overall, it was a really fun night and a fantastic first experience with Sri Lankan New Year!

Today we had to spend most of the day in the passport office to get Senushi a replacement Aussie passport for the one that Cubby decided he would eat a couple of months ago, but after that we got to take the tram around downtown Melbourne and see a lot of  the city. It's a very diverse place, and it seems like there is delicious looking food wherever you turn! We have another 4 full days here, and we are both looking forward to spending more time seeing the city and spending time with Senushi's family!

We're in Oz!

We made it to Cairns, Australia a couple of days ago. We're staying at a great little hostel called the Traveler's Oasis, and we feel very lucky because a lot of the hostels here are hostel/nightclub hybrids. On our first day we bought some groceries at the Sunday produce market. We tried dragonfruit and bought a few other things to cook during our stay in Cairns. The next day we went on a day trip to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef, which was a lot of fun. We didn't rent an underwater camera to take pictures this time, so I don't have any shots from our trip. You'll have to take my word for it being beautiful. We swam with a couple of sea turtles too! After a full day of snorkeling around we got back to the hostel, had some dinner, and got some much-needed rest. The next day we decided to explore the small, touristy town of Cairns. It's sunny and about 90 degrees here, so it's quite a change from southern New Zealand and even Melbourne (where we're headed next). There's also a ton of bats in Cairns-- specifically Spectacled Flying-foxes. They have a wingspan of up to 3 feet!! You can see them hanging upside down from the tropical trees even during the day. I know I shouldn't be scared of them because they only eat fruits and stuff, but they do scare me to death. Of course, Ry thinks they're 'awesome'. Our next stop is Melbourne where we're staying with my family...and no bats!