Like a Dream

Arrival

"Finally, I am free!" I said to myself as I boarded the plane.

I am a nature lover, so Australia seemed to be a perfect place to explore wild terrains, beaches, rainforests, deserts and wildlife all in one big country. All I could think about was the description on one of the travel sites "a place where adventures are vast as the horizons and jokes flow as freely as the beer; a country with can-do-spirit and easy friendliness". I wanted my own adventure and indulge in that rich multifarious culture. I was quite excited for my first trip abroad. My level of excitement was only paralleled by the panic attacks my parents were having. Letting go their daughter to an unknown country with no relatives to keep a watch on me was their biggest worry. The easiest way to spot an Indian parent apart from the looks of-course is that they have zero sense of personal space, children are forbidden to go against their will, and in their arsenal of melodramas is the most lethal weapon "emotional blackmail", trust me it's a big thing in India. So Now finally after months and months of pleading, convincing and begging, am going to Sydney, for a little self-exploration. 

I wanted a break from my mundane routine and go on self-discovery trip. I had already started daydreaming about Australia; there will be kangaroos and cute little koalas all around and I would be trekking or surfing every weekend. I started thinking about the beautiful beaches I used to see on the Internet, with sexy guys in Speedos. Hot lifeguards and who knows I could even bump into Hugh Jackman someday. It was a never-ending, vicious circle of dreams; I loved my fantasyland. 

I didn't know anyone in the city and to be honest, I was a little freaked out myself. On top of that my  sisters jokes were freaking me out " have you seen the movie taken? I hope that doesn't happen to you".

 After immigration and customs, I exited the airport with my 4 oversized bags, an overflowing handbag and a completely stuffed laptop bag, I was trying to figure out, how in hell I am supposed to carry these without any help. "Genius, you suck at planning" replied my inside voice. Sighing I hailed a cab. The cabbie was a warm and friendly local Australian in his 50s. He seemed like a nice gentleman. He helped me dump all my stuff in the car boot. He looked at me and said, "And I always thought my wife has a lot of stuff". I could only smile back in reply; I was so dead tired from the 22 hours of air travel. I gave him the address to a service apartment I had booked online before leaving. It was one bedroom apartment in Kensington, Sydney. Since I used an authentic website to book my stay, I was hoping it would be as nice as it looked in pictures. I had paid upfront for the week and as they knew about my late night arrival, they had sent me a confirmation mail along with instructions for the key.

It was almost midnight when we reached the address, I paid him and once again he helped me get my stuff out of the car. I opened the email, which said that the key is in the safety box, which is near the main entrance to the building. I saw a red colored box with a keypad on it "this must be it" I thought.

Next instruction was to Punch 5432 on the keypad and the box will open; you'll find the key inside. 

The red brick stone clad building had a natural elegance to it; it was three stories and the buildings next to it looked almost identical. I was very tired now, but my new challenge was to carry this entire luggage to my apartment on the second floor. I strapped my laptop bag, sided the handbag like a sling and grabbed the two huge suitcases by their handles and started to pull them, which actually didn't move an inch.