URBAN DOMAIN 2024

Australia – Day 7: From Arnhem Land to Gunbalunya and then back home to Jabiru

November 11, 2017

Waking up around 6:30AM today, we got ready and had breakfast before meeting up with tour guide Ryan for our adventure of the day!

As we traveled to Ubirr (the rocks from yesterday’s hike), we crossed the East Alligator River to get to Arnhem Land and Gunbalunya. Everyone was excited for this moment as we saw others drive through the day before. Everyone had their cameras out and Ryan was driving slowly so we could admire this moment. Once we crossed the waters, we were on our way to the infamous rock paintings that has only been open for tourism for the past two years. We climbed up approximately 25 metre high rocks and while it proved to be a bit of a challenge, the ‘finish line’ was amazing. We sat under a very large rock that gave us shade and admired the rock paintings of crocodiles, barramundi and people with weapons or objects that dated back to almost 9000 years ago! It was such an amazing experience to see Indigenous Australian history right before our very eyes…

Later on, Grant who was a traditional custodian of the Arnhem Land, told us his life story and about his ancestors, and a deeper meaning into the rock paintings. We then walked around the rocky area, and found even more rock paintings which had more detail and were much larger than the first ones. There was one of a crocodile inside of a large barramundi, however, we could not find the meaning of this painting so Ryan asked us to use our imaginations, and we thought that maybe the fish ate the crocodile.

Today was also Remembrance Day, so at the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour, we stopped for a minute in remembrance of everyone who fought for this country.

Once we were down from our climb, we filled up our drink bottles and Grant performed a Smoke Ceremony to welcome us to the land and to have good dreams when we sleep tonight. After that, we began to make our way to our second destination: Gunbalunya!

In Gunbalunya, we visited the Injalak Art Centre which was named after the world renowned Injalak Hill, a place of ancient rock art galleries. Injalak Arts is an Aboriginal owned and governed non-profit association that has been in operation since 1989. When we came to the art gallery, one of the Aboriginal artists, Willy, demonstrated his arts and crafts for us. It was quite impressive to see the clothes designed and made with artificial flowers and paintings. The guide said the clothes are used to making dresses for women. As we finished appreciating the artwork, many of our group members bought products from the gallery, such as wallets, handbags, paintings and so on. Ryan and Mark then drove us near the river and we had lunch by the billabong.

Finally, it was time to go back to Jabiru. We learned that once we got back to our cabins, we had to get changed and make our way to the Olympic sized swimming pool to cool down. After our swim, we had a mouth-watering dinner at night and we watched the movie: ‘Crocodile Dundee’.

Today was such a great day and we’re having a lot fun!

Love,

Cameron and Nathan on behalf of the Australia Group 🇦🇺

Vietnam Grey – Day 7: finishing the build, brick factory, bike riding

November 11, 2017

By jricketson

By Hugo and Francesco

Today was another fantastic today on the house build, despite the early start – breakfast at 6:45am! On the boat going to the house, there was a buzz of excitement as we knew that today would conclude our determined efforts of building. Once we arrived at the building site, it was astonishing to see our progress over the past two days. The emerging house had gone from the foundations to towering brick walls. The tiring effort of transporting bricks from place to place was evident through both their location and the sweat on each student’s face. We were thrilled with what we had achieved so far. With our work on the house coming to an end, newer jobs appeared for us, cleaning floor tiles, leveling the ground and placing the tiles as needed. The final day was filled with a sense of sadness, as we were leaving a family that we had grown so close to. We also felt a strong sense of accomplishment as our efforts had led to a grand establishment. Working on and around the site scurried bright chickens and dogs which gave us plenty of entertainment. At 11, Hai called for the end of our hard work and to formally present the house to the family. We were thankful for the opportunity to meet, work and learn about the village life on the Mekong Delta.

Following a well-deserved lunch of chicken pho, fried rice and crispy spring rolls, we were off to tour a brick making factory. Upon docking at the factory, we entered a huge darkened series of rooms. The place was filled with rows of pots, statues and many, many bricks. The tour was full of demonstrations about the various machines, techniques and products of the factory. We were most impressed by the enormous kilns used to harden the clay, while also changing the color from a dull grey and to a vibrant red. The multitude of vases dazzled our minds. It was interesting to note how majority of products from this factory were for overseas orders rather than local.

Later, we were able to go on a slow but enjoyable bike ride around the island. We were gifted with new bikes that were safe and comfortable and gave us confidence. The bike route led us to explore parts of the island that we had never seen before, such as an imposing Christian Church, a plethora of bridges, secretive cemeteries and vivid green vegetation. Throughout the bike ride, we witnessed a wide range of housing which included small dwellings to large grand houses. The bike ride left us in awe of the rich local environment and the unfamiliar culture that exists within people.

Afterwards, we showered and were welcomed with an awaiting cooking class. In the class, we learnt to cook Vietnamese pancakes and taro filled spring rolls which we indulged during dinner. Dinner consisted of a platter of seafood dishes most extraordinarily the fried elephant ear fish.

To conclude the evening, we were treated to a performance by a Vietnamese music group known as Nan Nhac. This group included instruments such as the monochord, acoustic guitar and song lam, which when played together sounded unusual but compelling. Tomorrow we depart the Mekong Delta …

Francesco: Dear family, I’m having an awesome time here, hope everything is fine back home and miss you heaps.

Hugo: Dear Family at home, I hope you’re all alright and going swell. I’m having an extraordinary in Vietnam and I’m loving every bit of it. Love you lots and miss you dearly.

TLC Temples – Day 6

November 11, 2017

By chyde

We woke up for our third and final day of the house build. We all put on our working clothes drenched in concrete now dried onto our clothes. We sat down, ate breakfast and played the early morning away with card games and hot chocolate. The first group of builders began the long track to the build site to grab buckets before walking up to the temple to grab 40 buckets worth of sand. The rest of the group met up with each other at the build site and we began to work. 20 buckets of sand, a bag of cement and 25 buckets of pebbles. Before we knew it the first batch of cement was done and half the group began work of the verandah, whilst the other made up the next batch of cement. In only 2 hours we had finished the house that we had only started 2 days before. The feeling of accomplishment was absolutely incredible. The walls we’d built ten layers high, the floor we took all of the previous afternoon to painstakingly lay, smooth and flatten and the verandah with the cement still wet from the morning’s work.

We had finally finished the house, and now the only thing we had to do was hand the house over to the family. We were all so overjoyed to see the excitement and happiness of the family as we handed over a fully completed house to them. It was one of the most special moments of the trip so far. Seeing the smiles on the grandparents, parents and children warmed our hearts. We also handed over some blankets, mattresses, food, and cooking supplies to the family for their new home. After handing the house over to the new family, we all freshened up and packed up. We were given a quick tour of the village and saw the local school. Our final task was to hand over some gift packages to forty local families. The packages contained; blankets, food, woks, buckets, cleaning supplies and everyday necessities that so many of us take for granted. We then had to say goodbye to the small village of the Plong People. We headed back to the bustling city, Chiang Dao and had a delicious meal of chicken, rice, vegetables and much more. Little did we know that we had a five hour bus ride ahead of us.

After 6 and a half hours and an axle break we were finally at our hotel in Chiang Rai. We were so relieved to have running water and warm showers that we normally take for granted. After we had finally scrubbed off all of the dirt accumulated from the past three days, we could at last focus on our rumbling stomachs. We walked a block away through the night market and found an open courtyard restaurant, surrounded by the bustling markets, full of vendors and buyers. After satisfying our hunger with ginger chicken, coconut soup and beef stir fry we spilt into groups, and began our search around the market for food, clothes, and bracelets. After wandering around the market we finally re-grouped. After waiting a whole 136 seconds the teachers at last made the decision to come and join us. It was a great opportunity to have the power to fine each of the teachers 20 baht for each minute late, leaving each of them 40 baht shorter. We walked back to the hotel and relaxed when we saw a freshly-made bed and clean sheets. We’ll enjoy a comfortable rest tonight.

Emma and Josh.R.

TLC Temples – Day 5

November 11, 2017

By chyde

On the morning of Thursday, Day 5 of TLC Temples’ Big Experience, we were awoken by the sounds of roosters at the crack of dawn. Most of us decided to roll over and go back to sleep, while others had to deal with the sound of someone’s snoring. Eventually it was time for us all to properly awaken and trundle off to breakfast in the early hours. Once we had finished a very lethargic breakfast during which some people mixed up hot chocolate and coffee, it was time to recommence the build. With a short trek up to the build site, we regarded the work we had done so far- which we were proud to admit was quite a lot. We were determined to finish the rest of the walls and the flooring before dark, which we set to with vigour.

After lots of blood, sweat and tears, we finally managed to place the last of the bricks of the walls. We all breathed a sigh of relief and headed off to lunch. We plonked our exhausted bodies at the table, ready for food. We had a brief lunch of noodles, during which a debate of whether they were spicy or not occurred. The group began to split up into two groups, one of which stayed behind and began to prepare the cement for the floors, while the other went to a football pitch and began a competitive tournament of soccer. After the football matches, though exhausted, we headed off to continue the build.

For three hours straight we toiled under the hot sun and breathed in cement filled air. But it was worth it, as the group managed to complete the entire floor – no easy feat we must add. With jubilation, we raced off to have showers, washing off the day’s grit and grime in anticipation for dinner, a lovely affair, served with rice and several stir fried dishes. We stayed seated and prepared ourselves for a wonderful performance by the local Plong people to thank us for our hard work. There were many different songs and dances in which they wore their traditional tribal dress, which represented Plong bird people that were captured by humans long ago. During their dance we all joined in. When they finished with their fantastic show, we reciprocated with an impromptu performance of Vance Joy’s “Riptide” with Laura strumming chords on her ukulele. As such a long and exhausting day of hard work finished, we all collapsed into our beds and fell asleep.

Scott & Steph

TLC Temples – Day 4

November 11, 2017

By chyde

Today was our last day for a delicious buffet breakfast at the Amora Thalea hotel. After eating breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and got on the buses ready for our adventure in the hill tribe region of Chiang Dao. After a quick stop for lunch and a quick shop at the local markets we hopped on to different songtaews (these are Thai-style open taxis that seat about 12 people) . Due to most of us not having much experience in less fortunate villages we were curious and nervous for we didn’t know what to expect.

First turning the corner to the village our eyes were exposed to many unique little huts made out of wood and cement engulfed in the green environment that surrounded. Most of us were surprised at how simplified these people’s lives were compared to our own. It made most of us realise how privileged and fortunate we were back in Melbourne. It’s hard to imagine the conditions these people are living in every day. Imagine having never seen the ocean or the city and imagine not being able to afford the simple things that we take for granted in life. When first entering the village we were welcomed by the village elder and his wife and began to learn what a typical day of someone living in this village was like.

After settling in to the village the real challenge of building a house was met. This was a great opportunity for our group to commit with our teamwork. At first, carrying the heavy equipment to the building site destroyed our arms but it was rewarding once the equipment was in place because we got to begin cementing. Being the first time ever cementing for most of us the work started off slow but once we got the techniques down pat the progress became quicker and more noticeable. Keeping in mind that this house was for a family of 6 in desperate need it kept us motivated and determined to keep on building. After 3 hours of hard work we were relieved to hear that our days work was over and dinner was soon. One of the highlights today was definitely the rice, vegetable and chicken curry. After dinner we were lucky to experience a performance from the elder and his wife and we even got to practise some of our beautiful singing. Hopefully, we get a good night’s sleep without being eaten by mosquitoes so we are ready for a big day to tomorrow.

Alex L and Jack