No worries and cheers!

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The night sky in the Australian country is breathtaking, especially when you get to see the Southern Cross, stars you can only see on this side of the world. Today, we had the classic Australian blue clear skies while walking the streets of Canberra in the Australian capital. Visiting the Australian National University, I was again struck by how spacious the grounds were, and the beauty of Canberra red bricks used in building the schools. At the University walk, trees lined up on both sides bare and without leaves, planted there to show the changing of the seasons. It should be beautiful in Autumn with its changing colors. I guess I have to go back to see autumn in the flesh.

Yesterday, we went to the Australian National Museum in Canberra. I absolutely love museums. It is the one place where you can get an overwiew of a country's character, history and identity before exploring its details. I think everyone should at least make a stop to a country's museum and get a macro-view of what makes a country the way it is. It's the best way to first begin to understand the way a culture works or how people are. I was particularly amazed at how Australians have overcomed the challenges of a convict-tainted past and emerged courageously to become such a great country oozing with confidence and worthy of respect. I wished that my own country the Philippines, can also rise up from its colonial state of mind and low self esteem to become what it is meant to be, a rare pearl of the orient.

Meanwhile, as I was so engrossed in the museum and couldn't help but read the defining labels in every exhibit, my companions were teasing me to get on with it. But I especially liked the Australian slangs and definitions displayed in the museum. It tells how a language is shaped by one's environment, and how the land is shaped by its people's words. "No Worries," is a phrase I first heard from Aussie friends which I have gotten quite enamored with. It's so much more meaningful to me than saying, "it's okay." No worries seem to remove all negativities and make it really all right.

I especially loved the exhibits on Australia's native people, the aborigines, which shows the richness of their heritage and culture before the Europeans came in 1788. I love the story of the explorers (lead by Captain James Cook) who took a risk to voyage into this unchartered land, who discovered such a rare beauty and treasures. Australia is truly blessed as a country with such abundance of natural resources the rarest fauna, and flaura and its exotic animals that can only be found here. I am amazed at the platypus and kangaroos, and at how healthy the birds are who roam so freely in the wild and even in the city.

While meeting such wonderful people here, it affirmed my belief that Australians are one of the nicest people in the world. Of course, every city will have its share of scums, but I have always found goodness and kindness here. It is good to focus on the goodness of people wherever you are.

Back at Koonaburra vineyard where we are staying in a quiet town in New South Wales, we always seem to have a pleasant dinner prepared by Aadrick's dad, Nico Duynhoven, who is wine connoiseur and an excellent cook. He cooks especially good Asian dishes which was remarkable to me given that he is of Dutch and cooks a meal straight from a book . Today, he cooked adobo for us, a Filipino dish made of meat cooked in vinegar and soy souce. It was authentic as one that I eat at home. Kudos to him for that.

After which, he gave us a tour of their wine cellar, and gave us wine tasting 101. It was amazing to me because I have always loved wines, more of fascinated at how wines are made and how vineyards are grown which I believe take a lot of patience and passion.
Nico made us taste his lovely versions of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Rose and his absolutely delightful Ice Wine called Reisling (which happens to be a sought after wine in his vineyard). I personaly loved the delicate Pinot Noir and the sweet Reisling. It was beautiful to hear the stories of how wines are made. How red wine is created when the skin of grapes are fermented along with its juice that gives it its red color. And how white wine is white because of the color of the grapes which is white or when the skin is removed and only the juice is left to ferment. I learned how different varieties and clones of grapes in each variety are mixed together to give distinct flavors. We learned how to smell and taste wine, how to distinguish them, and how to tell if they are good. I loved every minute of it. It's nice to have a bit of a touch of culture in my backpack diaries.

Tomorrow, I shall go pruning with his lovely wife Shawn. At this time of the year, the vines and buds are all sleeping, they don't grow, they lay still, and they are needed to be pruned to prepare them for the coming of spring in order that they will bear more fruit in March when they harvest them. Nico believes that, "Every vine is unique." And depending on the climate and soil, every vineyard may grow and bear the same variety but will produce different flavours. It is amazing how wines are made and how different can they be and yet how they give flavours to the world...in a way, they are like humans, we are all different and grow in different parts of the world and we give our own unique flavour to where we go. I embrace diversity. I also believe that there can be unity in variety when we find our common ground and work from there, building relationships from what is common between us and then enriching each other with what is different between us. This is all for now.

Cheers! 😊

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