Spicy Rabasera : Uncloaking the Enigmatic Canberra (Part 1)

Why does time pass in a flash

when you're having a blast?

Why can’t we just freeze time in a snap of a finger?

The fact of the matter is, we don’t have the power. For us human beings chronostasis will forever continue as a figment of imagination.

Cognizant of this reality, we woke up with a renewed energy on our third day in Australia.

This vibrancy was even revved up owing to Johanna’s home-made Aussie-style breakfast (Yahoo! Finally!), which served as our carb loading early morning. Indeed, we were prepared to walk longer miles for our scheduled activity that Wednesday, December 10.

Taratantaraaaa!!! It’s our HOHO (Hop On Hop Off) bus tour in Canberra. Again, this had been pre-booked and paid through our overall tour coordinator, Waning! We walked from the hotel…

…to Civic Square Canberra where these cultural institutions met us.

Since our pick-up was at 10:30am, we had half an hour to enter and explore CMAG (Canberra Museum and Arts Gallery) for free when it opened at 10:00am.

The very first museum which we toured, CMAG gave us the introduction to Canberra’s deep-rooted heritage.

For us museophile, the tour was the beginning of knowing Australia in a deeper sense.

Before long Johanna, reminded us for the pick-up time. Australians are also strict timekeeper.

We hopped on the bus and met John, our very engaging tour bus driver. It signaled the start of our HOHO.

Our first stop was the Australian War Memorial (AWM).

Olen, knowing that we’d be walking a lot inside the memorial, begged off from joining us due to her post-vehicular accident partial disability right after shooting this meaningful spherical video at the Commemorative Forecourt. She stayed on a bench under a tree and stated that she'd delight in the vista around her. The weather before noon had the summer heat, but it's still not scorching.

Entry to AWM was also free. After subjecting ourselves to security check at the main entrance, we began our DIY tour of this world-class museum. The commemorative courtyard elicited ah's from us especially when we saw the etched name of our country.

Walking toward this mausoleum-like structure, we passed by this pool where we saw The Eternal Flame. Based on the AWM's website, this carved element is a perpetual reminder of the service and sacrifice of more than 100,000 Australians who have given their lives in war.

Upon reading its name, I quickly remembered The Bangles' hit song. Obviously, the lyrics didn't talk about commemoration of these valiant soldiers.

From the ground floor we went up to Level 2 where I had my moment of saluting these war heroes at the Roll of Honour.

A few walks brought us to the Hall of Memory where we found ourselves paying homage to the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier.

It was a very solemn phase of our exploration.

Then, we went down to where the First World War and the Second World Galleries were displayed. Seeing these historical records showed us the grim reality of war that we would not wish to experience it.

Later on, we went to the memorial shop and bought a few souvenirs before exiting the building. Glad that AUD bills were still accepted here unlike at Sydney Zoo. You know, Australia is transitioning towards a cashless society.

Meanwhile, it’s the end of HOHO for Dan and Johanna since they’d be attending NJ’s graduation ceremony at UNSW (University of North South Wales) in the afternoon. They booked an Uber while we waited for John. When the HOHO bus came, tourists alighted. Then we filled in the bus again which made us clearly understand the design of this trip.

Leaving the Australian War Memorial, we headed for the New Parliament House of Australia. In the course of our journey we passed by a wide avenue. John informed us that we’re on Anzac Parade which is lined with a series of monuments. There are 13 memorials here, but I was only able to take photos of these five.

Kemal Ataturk Memorial