I liked Cabramatta. This was the first time that Sha and I had been to somewhere that was new for both of us. It took a while to get there. First we walked to Epping station, then took a train to Strathfield, then another one to Granville and then a bus to Cabramatta. When we arrived it was almost time to leave again.
Cabramatta is an interesting place. It's commonly known in Sydney as "Little Asia" and as every sign seems to be in Vietnamese or Chinese it is easy to see why. I've just been learning about the origins of the place. Apparently, in the indigenous language of the area, 'Cabra' means fresh tasty water grub, and 'Matta' means a point or jutting 
out piece of land (wikipedia). In 1795 the area was covered in trees. The area got a railway station in 1872. In the 1950 and 60s "large numbers of post-war immigrants from Europe passed through [a migrant] hostel and settled in the surrounding area". Around that time "Cabramatta High School was statistically the most diverse and multicultural school in Sydney, and a study showed that only 10% of children had both parents born in Australia". During the 1960s and 1970s the Vietnam war produced more immigrants from South-east Asia who settled near Cabramatta. The recent census showed that more people in Cabramatta had been born in Vietnam than in Australia.(Also, the film Little Fish was apparently filmed there).
One of the things that I like about heading off to different areas of Sydney is that we keep spotting interesting things. This time Sha noted a small Buddhist temple from the bus window (in Canley Vale). I've just discovered that this is the Kwan Yin Buddhist Temple which is "one of Sydney's best kept secrets". "Built by a group of Vietnamese-Chinese refugees, this temple was constructed as a special act of devotion to Kwan Yin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy."
I also picked up a free book on "The Practice of Bodhisattva Dharma". I started reading it on the train, but it is quite heavy going. Anyway, if I get to page 12 then I'll learn about "Increasing Bliss and Dispelling Calamities". By page 41, I'll discover the "Four All-Embracing Virtues".
2 comments:
This pirate forced me to do a lot of walk today, the most cruel things was that I had to walk under the big sun without so much shade!! >_<
To increase your bliss and expel calamities, I'd invest in a parasol if I were you, George (or use a large umbrella).
I know Cabramatta wasn't a very remote place, but you could try somewhere like this to see if your "SPOT" works there. The trees may have been too thick and high for it in the bush.
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