I Gotta Feeling

I think waiting is a good thing because:

1. Lalabas na tamang-tama ang pagkaluto ng chicken BBQ -- dinner namin kagabi yan
2. Di na dumating ang bus kaya pumunta na lang ako sa Britomart where not only did I get my train ticket, nakapag top-up (load) rin ako sa Hop card ko na paubos na ang load
3. May mga tumatawag na lang bigla na opportunities for work just when the week was about to end
4. Hindi humaba ang leeg ko kakatingin sa mga street signs at landmarks since I took the train. Mahirap abutan ng dilim kapag mag bus dahil halos wala ka makikita sa labas. Puro bahay lang kasi, mga suburbs and they all look the same at night.

I won't get ahead of myself since i'm still at the beginning stages of my job applications. So like what I always tell my friends here, go lang ng go! As I see postings from places outside of Auckland, I realize that wherever my job would take me, it'll always be to a place where I'm sure to have a great time with my family.

While searching for work, I came across New Plymouth which was described as the best place to live in for families and the most self-sustaining city in the world. Wow!

I also came across Hepburn Park at Glendene which is probably roughly 30 minutes away from here by foot. On its edge is the Whau River. It's probably worth visiting since it's just across the Great North Road bus stop where I get my ride to the city. I'm already thinking of checking it out this weekend.

So the train was 4 minutes late yesterday morning which made me brisk walk to no. 5 High Street. Good thing I was on foot since the building number was made noticeable on the floor, right where a doormat is usually placed. There I met this lovely girl Kate, who was confident to have found a perfect match - me, for a client of hers. We'll see how it goes.

I'm expecting some updates by next week and I've got this strong feeling that my wait is coming to a close.

Sunny Saturday

Day is almost done. I didn't do much. Certainly took a break with the laptop.

Today i did things differently. I slept in, stayed in bed for as long as I could. Then I took a bath. By the time I stepped out, my flatmates were already having breakfast and Ningning was already next door. I took my time eating, made tea with milk which again was taken notice of. They said I'm already a Kiwi. But what's a Kiwi anayway? I've been making french toast for my family back home for at least a year now. I've been drinking tea with milk with my hubby.

It's a Saturday and I tried not think about anything. The sun was up and the weather was nice. I stepped out and said hi to our neighbor. Shane drove the car out from the garage and parked it by the greens. He started cleaning it. Arnie was busy doing the laundry. Tita already had her cushions and mats set out under the sun. I sat there in front of their house, went through the newspapers with Ningning. While everyone else were doing their chores, I tried to keep myself and Ningning busy by pretending to read the flyers and catalogues that we got from the mailbox. At least her parents can go on with their chores, and the same with Tita. Ningning loves runing to Tita's house especially when Tito Ivan is there. They're like the best buds (Our next door neighbors are in their 50s and they don't have any kids). Tita said that the three of us ladies should go out walking every now and then especially now since the weather is getting better. Arnie and I agreed and of course that also meant bringing Ningning with us on her bike.

It's nice to be outside and bask in the sun for a bit. Later a man arrived delivering an empty balikbayan box to Tita. She told me that she just calls that guy whenever she has something to be sent to the Philippines. She also told me about how everything here are always on sale and that it's easy to buy things coz they're often sold at a bargain. She's a simple folk and I think she's nice.

Ningning was running around outside barefoot. Tita said that it's ok since there are no broken glass here. Later I decided to vacuum my room, then I went ahead and vacuumed the carpet in the sala and in the dining. It felt great afterwards, to finally sit on a clean carpet. I went through the rest of the papers by the glass door. I found out that Auckland has the largest indoor climbing facility here in Australasia. Of course nobody but me would be interested in this. I miss those nights wherein my teammates and I would go to the Powerplant mall after office hours, and spend 2-3 hours wall climbing. Those were the days.

Then my flatmates drove out for a while and gave me the liberty to cook whatever I want. So I did. I cooked some spaghetti, using leftover mutton, eggplants and bell pepper. I tried to scoop in as much brown sugar as I could to make it sweet. Then I've added some cheese for that Filipino style flavor. And that's the most that I could do with the Watties spaghetti sauce. It tasted close enough to Jollibee. By the time my flatmates came back, I was already in my 2nd serving. I'm glad that Ningning liked it and she enjoyed it so much that she insisted on sitting at the dining table longer than usual. At least she had a full lunch.

After lunch, I went back to my room and watched a movie and two episodes of Modern Family. Now it's half past four. The sun is about to set. It's good to take a break once ina while. I wonder how things are back home. Hubby and Max are going to a birthday party today. I'm sure it'll be a blast!

Fresh Fish Market

How I wish all fish markets in Manila will be turned into something like this. A nice and clean retail store where all the fishes are laid out neatly on ice, and are labeled properly.

Or if they're shellfish, at least they'd be stored in a big tank with running water. That way they'd stay fresh and the smell won't be as nasty.

The fish market here serves three kinds of fish: fresh fish (uncooked), bottled and processed fish products that is located at the dry goods area, and restaurants serving fish and chips and other dine-in fish-themed meals. There isn't that much variety on the choices of fresh fish. Maybe it's because of the season? Or it's because it's past noon already when we got there. But in any case, I think fish here is expensive compared to our fish choices in Manila.

And so, this fish market is at the harbour area. In suburbs, like where I'm staying right now, you can only get your fish from PaknSave and other supermarkets, where the fish is most likely frozen. There could be some fresh choices but who can guarantee freshness when you're getting it from the supermarket?

On our way back, we had to cross a foot bridge. Much to my delight, I saw it moving up either coz it's scheduled to move up or that a boat was about to cross. I didn't see any big boat attempting to cross though.

Sky City and St. Patrick's Square

Sky City Tower and Hotel Casino

Sunday morning at the city can be full of surprises. We headed to McDonald's for breakfast where I sampled Auckland's version of sausage muffin with egg. The sausage tastes and looks like real food! Meaty and all compared to those that I buy in Manila which obviously was just processed food. It was enough to keep me full at least for the next two hours. Myn and I walked around a bit since it was still early and there's not much to do in the apartment. The mall opens at 10am and the mass in the nearby church won't start until 11am. Oh, what to do?

Our random walks led us to Sky City. I've seen it, i've passed by it several times and has even waited for my bus outside that building but i've never really been inside it. So that's what we did. We went inside, checked out their souvenir shop, the cafes, the casino, their tourist offerings. Buffet lunch is at the restaurant near the top of the tower. The illustration shows how high up you are like when you're at the view deck or at the revolving restaurant. It don't think it's a toddler-friendly place. It reminded me more of the hotel-casinos in Macau.

St. Patrick Cathedral

A few paces from Sky City is Queen's street. I think I was trying to recall where I saw that gothic style church then Starbucks popped out. We came in, had some drinks and cake. Mynn loved their cinnamon. I enjoyed the banana walnut, tastes like home. Finally Anne called. She's up and we're to meet her at the church.

This Sunday's celebration was again something that I actually enjoyed. They have a really good cantour (a man dressed in a red robe with an angelic voice like those from Broadway). The priest, Msgr. David Tonks was like a character lifted off from those bedtime stories. He sounds like a storyteller, really nice and warm. There's a portion in the mass, just before the homily when the priest called all the children. These children were gathered into two groups, aged 7 and up, and those who are 6 or younger. They're herded to two separate doors for a cathecism class I suppose. When they came back, the bigger kids were mostly carrying a piece of paper with some art work on it. Hmm, that really made me very curious as to how they manage these kids. And there's this man who greeted us by the door, handing out flyers (songs and the newsletter) and arranging people as to how we are to occupy the seats. He makes people feel welcome upon stepping in the church. St. Patrick's Cathedral by the way has only been reopened about 5 years ago if I remember correctly. I hope it doesn't turn into one of those event places so it remains sacred.

My First Salu-Salo

Teya's munting salu-salo

Remember the KCS seminar organized by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce? Well, one of the Pinay ladies there invited us to her son's 6th birthday celebration. Of course I had to go! It's about time that I'd go out and meet people. It's different when you're just tagging along and of course it's great if you're the one who's actually invited.

We've been exchanging a few emails me and the girls. So it's great to see them again on this cloudy & windy day. I had my eyes set on those baked clams. The barbeque was great and there was spaghetti, salad, biko, lasagna, and kaldereta. That's Teya's version of a munting salu-salo.

Just hours earlier, I was sitting in my room contemplating on whether or not I'd take that 30 minute walk to the mall. It was clearly windy outside and there's the forecast of rain. I probably would've cried the rest of the afternoon if I decided to just stay put. It was too quiet in the house and my flatmates were out. The weather just wasn't cheery at all. So despite the distance, I'm glad that I got myself talking to young folks, all Pinoys here at Remuera. I even had a tip for my job applications. That's my takeaway actually, apart from the boxed food that Teya packed for us. The guests were all young Pinoys who's only been here for less than a year and they just had the guts and perseverance that got them landing on their current jobs. So it was just chance that most of them were from the same high school, and that we were the new addition in Teya's small circle of friends. I'm actually looking forward to bringing my kids to her house so Max can play with Sam and Rose can play with Isha.

Don't you just love it when people just want to get together? Especially if they themselves love to play host? I did promise myself that the next time that we're having another get together, it'll be on me coz that's going to be on my first pay check!

Signs of a Cold Morning

Waking up early means being up before 6am. That's been the case for me for the past few days since I had to prepare for those job application requirements. And most importantly, I had to eat heavy breakfast coz any trip outside of Sunnyvale meant long walks to the bus stop and to my target destinations.

I don't really notice the temperature outside my room since I always leave the heater on overnight. But stepping out to the loo, brrr, it's definitely chilly! Yes, I do wear my jacket or lately, my shawl whenever I had to take a toilet trip. So how do I know if it really is cold outside, meaning, temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius?

First, the sun's still not up and it's already seven in the morning. It probably means it's just cloudy or that there's some possible showers later on in the day. Worse, it's already raining outside!

So the sun's up but you can't see anything through the window. Why? That's because there's fog on the window pane. Worse, is that there's fog along the driveway and you can barely see a thing outside. Thick fogs seems to be common here in the west, but I've only experienced it (awake) maybe twice since I arrived. And it doesn't usually last that long.

Even if everything is clear and sunny outside, I think it's important that newbies like me should check the air outside. I did see 6 degrees on my netbook's desktop widget but I found that hard to believe since the sun's up! So just to be sure, before leaving the house, I do take my arm outside our sliding glass doors, just to get a feel of the air. Sometimes, I don't even have to do anything coz it's already biting cold in our living room. And I really don't think that our house is well insulated.

It's nice to be walking outside before 8am. However, I often had to wrap my neck with my pashmina, and cover my head with either a bonnet or the hood of my coat just to keep my neck ad head warm. These past days, the air was cold and dry. And I had some difficulty catching my breath during those long walks to the bus or train station. The air was just too cold for me to breathe in and I can see smoke coming off from my mouth as I try to exhale. I guess it's just me who's still too sensitive about this. The school kids go around in their school uniforms, wearing shorts or short skirts. And here I am already wrapped up but still shivering! Brrr!

Finally Some Progress

With high hopes in getting permanent residency soon!

Getting the right keywords into your CV really paid off. I finally got the attention of some recruiters who, fortunately has a good range of clients with vacancies that are a good match for my skills. The calls, the meetings, that terrible exam, those long JDs (job description) and the interviews kept me busy and on my toes these past few days. I do keep tab on the roles and channels that I've used to send my applications.  This helped me in ensuring that I'm not doing any double ups. And yes, I do continue sending my applications to whoever is willing to forward my CV.

NZ Immigration branch office

So after my 2nd interview this morning, I took the train from Grafton to Sturges. I went to my immigration adviser's office in Western Heights for a courtesy call. It's been standard practice of theirs to have their clients visit their office upon arriving at NZ whenever possible. It's been a month since I've arrived and it's just today when I've finally made that visit. But before that, I got to tag along with Alie in getting some paperwork done, including dropping off some documents at immigration. Hence the photos here. They had clear zip locked envelopes and a scotch tape available for document drop off. This means that you can just put a set of documents in that clear envelope, then tape it to ensure that it doesn't get opened by anyone except the assigned immigration person I guess. Alie said that brown envelopes were used before but people just kept bringing them home. At least with this clear plastic, you know that they're being recycled every time.

I like the fact that it's been a busy week for me. My KCS friends have also been sharing job leads. In fact, I'm looking forward to see them in the kiddie party tomorrow.

Pista sa Manurewa

It didn't exactly occurred to me that going to Marewa to hear mass was actually going to a fiesta. Ang daming Pinoy!

The feast of San Lorenzo Ruiz was celebrated at St. Anne's Church in Manurewa. The main celebrant was Bishop Patrick Dun, the Bishop of Auckland. He was joined with 7 other priests, mostly Pinoys. We didn't make it to the procession at 12:30pm since we arrived at past 1pm, when mass already started. Good thing we still found seats, near the front!

Hearing mass was like being at home, attending regular Sunday church in Manila. It's the first time that I've actually seen so many Pinoys, and a lot of them were wearing barong tagalog or a terno. They were really dressed up! I was too casual! I'm dressed like a student, wearing long-sleeved striped green shirt and a pair of rubber shoes. I was easily identifiable i think. Hehe! Actually, I didn't know what to expect.

I knew that it was going to be a long drive. My flatmates didn't mention anything about the feast. They just invited me since it was South-East. I've never been to that side of Auckland before, except the airport which is technically part of southern Auckland.

So I got my second blessing as new migrant this morning. Afterwards, everyone was invited to merienda cena at the parish hall. Some guy was distributing flyers for remittance and balikbayan box delivery service. Smart move!

We saw Fr. Carlo again which delighted my little companion. After saying hi to my recent acquaintances, and after getting the email address of a potential colleague, we headed off to Pakuranga to get some milk.

Pakuranga I think is part of Eastern Auckland. There were a lot of junk in front of the houses. I guess it's spring cleaning day. According to my flatmates, people just leave their stuff outside and anyone can just pick them up. What's left will be picked up by the garbage collector. We've actually seen 2 pick-ups loaded with "scrap". We saw a car with kids holding on to a foam mattress on their heads at the backseat. People are
quick in getting the good stuff.

We bought a box of apple pies and a bottle of soda at Countdown. We brought these to their friend who lived at Pakuranga. She works at Nutritia as QA so they get a big discount for the box of milk. I can't say much about the place but it was an interesting drive since I got to see Rainbow's End, have seen a Maori flag hoisted in one of the old homes, and have actually seen a rainbow while passing the motorway. This side of Auckland, isn't as nice as from our place in the west. At least that's my first impression.

Sunny Birthday Morning

Along Milbrook Rd

Can you see the leaves dancing with the wind?

I've really made plans for today. I made my birthday hidden in FB so my flatmates won't be bothered to make any fuss. I was up by 6am, as usual and got ready for the 9am mass. The church was only a 10minute walk so there was plenty of time. I called and left a message at BNZ, hoping to get a call back. I put my phone on mute and then headed off to church. It was only 9:30am when we finished and my bus was scheduled to arrive at 10:20am. What to do with all this spare time? So I bid adieu to Holy Cross church and took a stroll to the bus stop at Railside Rd. Midway during the walk, my phone rang. It was a recruiter, and she seemed really interested in my skills and can already think about possible opportunities for me. We talked and then scheduled for a meeting on Monday morning. All that chit chatting happened along the windy View Road. I felt elated since she sounded really positive, giving me hope for the next few days at least.

It was 10am when I reached the bus stop. Hubby messaged me and it was my first birthday greeting for the day. I was contemplating on proceeding to New Lynn where I am to walk in to present myself for the Library Shelver role. Today might not be a good idea as who knows what Monday will bring.

So I'll have the meeting with Lynn in the morning, and then with Lulette in the afternoon. For sure at least one of them should be able to find me something. I always thought that some good news will come to me today. And the call was indeed something positive compared with how things have been for me the past few weeks.

So walking back, I've decided to make a turn to Millbrook Rd. It was literally along a brook, which i think is part of Oratia streams. It was a lovely walk, the sun was bright and it was just cool enough, not biting like the previous days. I took my time and tried to remember the things that I was seeing. The stream was clean, the trees along this road are big, and old. The houses on the left side of the road are tucked away, up in steep driveways nestled along rows of trees and bushes. And for the first time, I actually took off my jacket!

I was excited to get home and read Lynn's email, which I did. Then I got two more mails from fellow Pinoys about job opportunities within their companies. I've sent them my applications right away. When I realized that it was already lunch time, I was able to scour some leftover mussels and rice from last night's dinner. Burp! It's a good way to start the day.

Let's Talk About Cheese

I know dairy is one of the biggest industries here in NZ but looking at the choices of cheese in PaknSave here at Henderson, there really isn't that many choices, nor variety, even with their milk! I heard that we probably have the biggest PaknSave store in this side of Auckland but to me, it was only something like a trip Shopwise, with more aisle space. I guess nothing beats SM Hypermarket.

So going back to the dairy products, the choices here are mostly NZ-made/ owned products. I guess they're controlling imported stuff from Europe. I still think that there are more choices in Schipol airport that there is here in the local big grocery. Anyway, what do I know about cheese? I've only been challenged into trying that stinky cheese in Svendborg coz I let my colleagues try the balut when they were in Manila.

Now what do I like with PaknSave? I can't really tell at this point coz I have completely submitted myself to my flatmates' food preference as they were kind enough to include food in my rent. We don't eat Kiwi style here, instead, I get a daily dose of everyday Pinoy meals with some slight alterations on the dishes but basically, we do have nilaga, sinigang, embotido, or just plain steak on a bed of rice. Yes, I've been eating rice meals morning, noon and night. I even get to eat leftover chocolate cake and raspberry muffins for my morning or afternoon tea. And it's all home-made.

Oh my, is that my belly bulging again?

Ups & Downs sa Ikatlong Linggo

Ang buhay ay sadyang ganyan!

Lumipas na naman ang aking maghapon. Ano ba talaga ang na-accomplish ko today? Submitting online applications doesn't count. Although, i was able to talk to another recruiter kasi yung kausap ko yesterday parang madali siyang nag give up. Sana mas ok ang network nitong isang to. Babalikan raw niya ako tomorrow. I'll be calling another one tomorrow then magpe-presenta rin ako sa bank. Kundi ako magtatawag, baka walang pumansin sa kin.

Di pa rin ako nakalabas ng bahay today dahil hapon na when i decided to take a break. Nakakapagod rin. Para akong may hinahabol na deadline sa office, and knowing na ang dami ko pa dapat tapusin. In a way it's good kasi i can still tap more resources and alam ko marami pa ako opportunities. Kelangan lang talaga is timing and swak ako sa role. I'm really looking forward dun sa Library Shelver role. Bibisitahin ko yun para mag prisinta ako. I applied online na naman. Kelangan lang talaga na mapansin ako. Buti rin at actively networking, rather continuously tapping her peers para ipagkalat ang CV ko. I even applied for a junior na role para lang sa higher chance na magka-project ako.

That's the difference here, kahit na anong dami ng experience mo, kung wala ka naman kakilala, hindi rin papansinin ang CV mo. 80% network and 20% lang ang direct application.

Everyone from my flatmate, to Myn, even to my relatives, they all had the same message, di raw ako mahihirapan makahanap ng work kasi firstly, I have work visa. That's a big moral booster and I do hang on to their words. Siempre medyo naiinip na ko kasi i'm not used to not knowing what tomorrow's gonna be like for me. It's tougher this time around coz I have family already. It's completely different when I was still single. Siempre mas malakas ang loob ko nun and less ang worries.

Everyday pala I have this sturggle. I should be able to withdstand the cold water kasi mahirap timplahin ang tubig sa shower, either too hot or too cold. Mahirap tiempuhan yung maligamgam. In the morning kapag naghihilamos ako, or kapag time na maag toothbrush, ang dami ko nasasayang na water kasi inaantay ko na maging maligamgam yung tubig. Sorry mother earth but di talga kaya ng powers ko ang lamig. Di pa ako sanay. Whenever I wash the dishes, I wear rubber gloves, yung pwedeng pang garden para di mamanhid ang aking hands.

Everyday tanawin

Di naman sana naging obvious ang pagkamangha ko sa dusk kahapon while riding the bus home. Ang ganda talga ng view ng West Auckland from the motorway. Siempre mahaba yung motorway, medyo traffice pero grandioso ang dating ng dagat, mangroves, mountain range at ng mga sumusulpot-sulpot na kabahayan. Pinigilan ko lang ang sarili ko na tumayo sa tabi ng bus driver where the view is just awesome kasi bawal pumwesto dun. Masunurin sa mga rules ang mga bus drivers and most of the commuters. Pagbaba ko naman sa bus stop, dun sa malapit sa 'min, yung sinag ng araw na bumutas sa kaulapan at parang spotlight ang dating na nakaturo sa direksyon ng bahay namin ay isa na namang oh wow moment! Kesehoda na napakalamig ng mahinang hangin, kung saa'y nanginginig na naman ako na lubusan, manhid na naman ang aking mga kamay, nagawa ko pa ring ilabas ang camera at mag shoot! 2 clicks lang kasi naghahanap ako ng magandang frame/ composition. Maulap na kasi dahil padilim na. Sloping ang kalye sa amin so dun dapat ako sa upper slope ng road. Ganda kasi ng view ko pauwi, kita mo na pababa yung kalye, tanaw ko yung roundabout that leads to our house, and sa dako palayo ay ang mountain range ng waitakere siguro iyon. Basta, puro bahay naman ang makikita mo na naka pwesto sa slopes ng kabundukan.

First attempt to capture the sun ray along View Rd

Gave up and just tried to compose it along View Rd

So folks, kahit pa 1 hour ang biyahe from CBD to our house and vice versa, ok lang rin kasi magandang tanawin naman ang araw na araw na sumasalubong sa akin.

Celebrating Father's Day

 So it's the first Sunday of September and everywhere in NZ, most of the fathers are probably enjoying breakfast in bed right now. And I always thought that Father's Day is celebrated in June for the rest of the world. 

In a morning show, some celebrity guests were asked about father's day. They thought that it was getting to be too commercial nowadays but those young dads certainly wouldn't mind enjoying the day, just relaxing at home, having breakfast in bed and then enjoy a game of rugby on TV. Another dad did mention that they will probably have a trip to the park. Hence, no fancy eating out at restaurants or checking in at hotels. It's all about family bonding time.

I didn't see the hosts doing any advertising for father's day gifts. I guess that's what makes it different here. They don't babble on products and things that you need to buy. If there is advertising, it is clearly stated on the TV monitor that the segment is an advertisement. Hence, viewers don't get confused about personal endorsements and actual paid advertisements.

Here at the house, we were surprised by Nanay Arnie with a personalized chocolate cake and some cupcakes that she made last night. Our day was simple. We heard Sunday Mass, had lunch at Nando's, a Portuguese flame-grilled chicken house, then went shopping with the mom and her toddler while the dad went home to get some sleep (he had to work in the evening). More than two hours in the shopping malls, no stroller and then a 30 minute walk towards home. My legs were killing me!!!

Back home, i got myself a big chunk of chocolate cake and two glasses of water. Then it was time to Skype. 

Ang sapa ba ay stream sa ingles?

Twin Streams Project marker at Sunnyvale

Di ko akalain na kapag may sapa sa paligid, ito ay pwedeng maging dahilan para gawan ng cycle and walk path to encourage people to use it instead of taking the sidewalks. Sa halos araw-araw na pag-aaral ko ng mga mapa ng Auckland, parati kong nakikita ang ganitong daan. I haven't explored it yet coz I'm not sure if these are as straightforward as you'd see them in the map. Kasi if not, baka maubos oras ko kakahanap ng exit and I might miss my next bus/ train ride.

So I finally decided to take on that path last Thursday since I got home early (wala pang 5pm nun). There's the Twin Streams walk and cycle path just a few minutes from the train platform. There's also a car park just off the train station for commuters who want to leave their cars. If you live in the suburb, having a car is critical otherwise, you'd spend most of your time walking at least 10 minutes just to reach the major bus and train stops. And Auckland is known for its dynamic changes in the weather so it's not always guaranteed that you'd be able to keep yourself dry.

It was a leisurely walk. I loved the smell of freshly cut greens. I can even see the tracks made by the lawn mower. Every household around me were in the process of trimming their wintered greens. Later on I found a small playground and a bridge tucked behind the path. There are fences with backdoors that gives the house direct access to this little path of green. At some point, the pathway split. I felt that I was going farther from my route so I headed to the direction that seemed to go straight to a street - Millbrook Rd. 

Looking at the map and then at the actual surroundings, I had a feeling that if I took the left way, I'd probably end up near Henderson. I've walked that direction already just by following the streets and it took me almost 30minutes to get there. It was getting late and I know coz it's getting mighty chilly again! So I traced my way back to the house.

Seeing the familiar streets of Awaroa and Wattle gave me a sense of achievement for at least I know now what's in there. And it would probably be worth exploring some more next time. I can just imagine how discovering places like this could be such a great adventure especially for kids.