Buddha, Blowhole & Jenjo

Day 60 | Wollongong-Kiama-Gerringong | 20.10.2018

Hi everyone back home,

Day 60 started and thus officially 2/3 of our journey starting in Singapore and campervan tour along the east coast of Australia were over.

We started the day at the very nice campground in Wollongong with a hearty breakfast. In addition to the morning coffee, there was toast, fried egg, and bacon. A successful change from our cereal. After showering, we quickly packed our things and discussed in the van which direction to take and what our next destination should be on this day.

The city of Wollongong did not promise to be the absolute highlight of the vacation in the travel guide. However, we paid a little visit to the city center and were surprised that there was a relatively large shopping center with a corresponding shopping street in this pleasant place. We shopped through some stores, but didn't find anything suitable and moved on with 'Liu'. We were heading to the nearby Buddhist 'Nan Tien Temple'. It was built in 1995 and is Australia's largest sanctuary for Buddhist followers. After a few minutes on the motorway, we could already see the temple from a distance. The parking lot was crowded with many tourists. So we were not the only ones seeking shelter inside a building in the rather rainy weather. The temple consisted of several buildings and they were extraordinarily clean and splendidly designed. We had to take off our shoes at the entrance of the temple and marveled at the sight of the large hall, its colors, and the detailed representations of Buddha. Thousands of figures were embedded in the walls and each one was made of a bright gold, illuminated by a small light. We sat down on one of the benches and looked around. Other tourists and believers came one after the other, kneeling down and praying on the orange-brown benches. The smell of incense sticks hung unpleasantly in the air and slightly disturbed the peaceful and contemplative atmosphere. Five huge Buddha statues were set up on pedestals, each showing different poses. We assumed that they were meant to represent Buddhist teachings such as meditation or mindfulness. After about half an hour, we slowly continued into the next building - the museum and the souvenir shop. They were relatively small and we didn't stay there for too long. The overall experience was great because it was the first time for both of us in a Buddhist temple with wandering monks! :)

The next spot and our destination for today was Kiama. Located further south, the reason for our stopover was a simple one: the 'Blowhole' of Kiama. And it's also the largest in the world! It is a narrow opening at the end of a sea cave that reaches up through the cave ceiling to the outside. When a wave hits the cave entrance, it is guided through the cave walls, like in a funnel, to the blowhole, which, with suitable cave geometry and the right weather conditions, leads to spectacular water fountains. We parked our van and went to this special place. Luck was on our side today. A few times, we were able to observe how the water shot out through the large hole in the lava stone after a loud noise. Due to the rough weather anyway, the conditions were perfect for this event. A few minutes later, the sky became increasingly gray and we retreated to the tourist information center. There, we collected some brochures about the next areas for the upcoming days. However, we had not yet found a sleeping place for today in the form of a campsite. Janina made some phone calls and we finally found a suitable spot for tonight in Gerringong. It was raining again, but the campground was nice. For cooking, we had the leftovers from yesterday and a good, old family recipe from the Hesse household: pasta with mashed potatoes! What many people might not imagine, Janina even liked it :) I took care of the pasta, Janina of the salad. The camp kitchen was very clean and comfortable, so we spent the evening there, writing a blog and playing 'Jenjo'. It's throwing rubber rings with different numbers on them at a kind of dartboard. Everyone gets five rings and has to try to score as many points as possible. The games ended in a draw and were a lot of fun, even though it wasn't that easy to sink the rings onto the protruding nails...

J♡J