In a tribute to my last post about New Zealand...I have decided to blog about 10 things that I think are corky, weird, interesting, or badass about the country. It is kind of like David Letterman's top 10 list, but it is Andrea Galant's list of random things about NZ in no particular order. I hope you enjoy. (Since I started writing this blog, I am now in Australia....some of the things below also pertain to Australia, but since I was introduced to them in NZ....that is where I will give credit. Sorry Aussies...I visited the Kiwi's first!)
1. HITCHING
Where else can you hitch safely in the world....ummmm NO WHERE ELSE!
The crime rate is so low here it is kind of scary. Don't people ever trip out and go 'postal"...well, with only 4 million people living here, gorgeous scenery, and a laid back lifestyle.....you begin to understand that they have something figured out that most of the world is missing.
The other day (after an unsuccessful attempt at seeing whales in Kaikoura bc the weather was too bad) I ended up getting side tracked and missed my bus to Christchurch. Normally this would not have been a problem, because I would have just gotten the next bus out, but it was my first time in NZ that I had someone picking me up from the station. Of course, the first time I have some sort of accountability and I miss my dang bus. No worries though, I called the girl that was picking me up and sorted it out. Then realized there were no buses out the rest of that day. Soooooo...here it was...my ultimate hitchhiking trip looking me in the face. I was alone and I had to get to Christchurch, which was 2 hours away...hitching was my only option. It took about 30 seconds for Niel from the UK to pull over and give me a ride. We had a great chat and I made it to my destination safely. I hope that hitching remains a safe form of transport for many years to come in NZ.
2. WORDS
My friend Alan is kind of a linguist...he has studied several languages. He always thinks it is interesting to hear the different words that are used around the world. Below is a list of words that we came up with that are different then what we say in the states.
American-New Zealand
diaper-nappies
bell pepper-capsicum
thanks - cheers
friend - mate
that's cool - "good on ya"
How are you doing? - How ya going?
"for here or to go" - "dine in or take-away"
sweet potato - kumara
pickle-gerkin
ketchup-tomato sauce
intersection-junction
yellow light-amber light (in reference to stop lights)
napkin-serviette
zucchini-courgette
gasoline-petrol
fries-chips
chips-crisps
cookies-biscuits
candy-lollies
hiking-tramping
to have dinner - to have tea
trunk-boot
great-brilliant
a lot - heaps
intense - full on
calm down - easy on
convenient store - dairy
real - proper
whine-whindge
trash - rubbish
salty - savory
granola - muesli
thrift store - opportunity store
awesome - "sweet as..bro!"
3. CURRENCY
The currency is similar to the states except that they do not have pennies. Their smallest currency is a 10 cent coin. Which I think it really awesome because pennies are just a hassle anyways. The only thing that does not make sense is that they still price goods in cents....so something may cost $3.99 or you may get some tomatoes for $2.32....so then you wonder, how can I pay you 2.32 when I don't have any pennies. Well it's easy, you just round to the nearest 10th. So that would be 2.30 cents. Now, why the hell don't they just price it to $2.30 cents to begin with?
4. Adding an "R" to words that end in "A" ex: Australia=Australi'r or India=Indi'r or Olivia Newton John= Olivi'r Newton John
I think that this takes place in both New Zealand and Australia.....people say these words with such confidence that I haven't got the heart to ask them why??? WHY PUT AN "R" AT THE END OF THE WORD??? Finally, I asked my Aussie friend, Kirsty about the weird phenomenon and she didn't even know what I was talking about. So I started to point it out when she would put the "r" on the end of words. Once she realized the odd pronunciation, she explained that if a word ends in "a", then they will put an "r" at the end of the word only if it is followed by another word because they are lazy and it is easier for them to pronounce it that way with their accent. So, there you go....the official answer by a true Australian!
5. SOCIAL HEALTH CARE
Among many things, they have gotten the health care figured out pretty good. It is all socialized and from talking to the locals, they think positively about the system. Even if they have to ride in an ambulance, the government asks for a donation instead of demanding payment. When a woman has a baby, they have a program in which they send someone over to help get the new mother started in caring for the child....for a few weeks she has help getting acquainted with her new life. All of this is part of the health care program. Keep in mind, though, the country is small with only 4 million people. On top of that, they don't have a huge military cost. So, with those factors involved...it makes it easy to manage social health care without having ridiculous tax costs. Even the Kiwi's agreed that it would probably not be as successful in a larger country such as the States. But still, I am a bit jealous....
6.FLAVORED TUNA CANS
Now, I have never seen these in the States before, but they may be in existence. Sorry if this is not unique to this part of the world, but it is where I was introduced to this glorious product.
They have cans of tuna here that are already flavored. For instance, you can get tomato & basil tuna, savory onion tuna, Mexican tuna salad, sweet Thai chili tuna, lemon/pepper tuna, sun dried tomato & olive tuna.....etc. I have been living off of this stuff since I got here. You just buy some crackers and a can and you don't even need any utensils to eat a nice meal. I know that the states have flavored tuna in those pouches, but I have never seen them in the can...AND with this many options. Come on States....get with the program.....flavor the tuna in the cans! If you don't think there is a market for it, then you are wrong. Andrea Galant will keep you in business.
7. MARMITE
Marmite is a spread made from yeast extracts, a by-product of beer brewing. In researching this product, I now realize that it originated in the UK. However, New Zealand developed a different version of marmite in 1919 so that is the one that I am referring to :)
Nikal, this girl I stayed with in Christchurch, gave me my first taste of this "savory" spread. Remember the word section...savory means salty! Really really SALTY!!!!! You toast some bread, spread some butter on it, and then spread a thin layer of marmite over that. Honestly, I didn't mind it too much. I like salty food so I wasn't repulsed by the taste. I imagine it to be like beer....it is an acquired taste. I am sure if I lived in New Zealand long enough I would have began eating it on a regular basis.
Oh who am I kidding....the spread was weird!! I would prefer butter and jam over marmite any day!
8. TRAMPING (hiking)
New Zealand has gotten the tramping thing figured out. They have 100s of trails throughout the country. They spend a lot of money on national park preservation and trail maintenance. If you are a beginner (such as myself), they have plenty of trails that are well marked and easy to get to. If you are an experienced tramper - they have trails for you too. You can do your own navigation and use survival techniques to get through the tramp. Since the country is not densely populated, you can walk days without ever seeing any sign of civilization. I think that New Zealand has some of the best hiking in the world!
9. ONE-HANDED SAUCE PACKETS
This is one of the more "brilliant" ideas I have discovered in New Zealand. One night after a few beers, Alan and I attended a professional rugby match. We waited in line to get some chicken n' chips. The lady handed me the basket of food with these unique looking sauce packets. I stared at the packets inquisitively for a few moments. Then realized that all I had to do was squeeze the packet with one-hand, over my food and out came the sauce. You don't have to tear the packet open or anything. At the exact same time I was pondering this, I heard Alan behind me ask the same questions out loud that went through my head. "These are weird packets...I wonder how you WOOOOOOWWWWW Shit!" I looked back to see that Alan had figured out how they worked as he squirted himself in the face with the sauce. They work really good if you have them aimed towards the food.
I am actually really surprised that the Americans didn't come up with this invention first. It is a way to get the food into your mouth sooner...with less effort. How much lazier can we get! Such a fantastic idea.
10. SWEET THAI CHILI SAUCE
So this one I have as number 10 and it is actually the final and the best thing that I have discovered in New Zealand. Yes, I realize that we have sweet Thai chili sauce in America....you can pick it up at any Asian market or the ethnic food isle in the grocery store. But I don't think Americans have realized how amazing this sauce is. Since New Zealand is so close to South East Asia, they have a lot of Asian restaurants and street vendors. They have incorporated some of the Asian foods into every day life, such as Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. I first discovered this sauce when I ordered some "kumara" wedges. I asked for tomato sauce since that is clearly the best thing that goes on wedges. The lady told me that each packet of tomato sauce was .40 cents each, but that the wedges came with sour cream and sweet Thai chili sauce. I thought this was the strangest combination of foods ever, but I decided to try it out. OH MY GOODNESS! The fusion of flavors in my mouth exploded. Salty, sweet, with cold sour cream to combine the textures.....so amazing! It was much better then boring old ketchup. Since that experience, I started noticing Sweet Thai Chili Sauce everywhere. People put it on everything. I bought a bottle and started spicing up my meals at the hostels....its great on steamed veggies, in soup, on chicken or fish, on kebabs...you can put it on almost anything! The sauce is even an option at Subway...mayo, mustard, or sweet Thai chili? Let me just say...during this cultural journey that I am on right now I am bound to take a few things back home with me. New thoughts, perceptions, ideas, and philosophies......and sweet Thai chili sauce!
I hope you enjoyed my top 10 list of random things from New Zealand. This country was amazing and there are 1000s of wonderful reasons to go and visit the place. The things that I listed above were just a few that I experienced and thought that I should share. Most guide books or professional travelers would tell you about the highest peaks, deepest lakes, or strongest waterfalls, but me, Andrea Galant (amateur travel writer and spiritual learner) wants to take you off the beaten path and give you some real insight into the places that I visit.
On to Australia......
After immigrations during the Swine Flu fiasco (actually it was one of the easiest immigrations ever. I just had to walk through a thermal chamber and they tested to see my body temperature.) I am now in Sydney, Australia and staying with my friend Kirsty. Some of you may have met Kirsty when she lived in Austin a few years ago, but she returned home to Australia and is now married and expecting her first child. She has a wonderful condo near Dee Why Beach and her and her husband, Glen, have been fantastic hosts. They drove me around the city and up to the Blue Mountains. For the next few days I am going to travel to the city on my own and see some of the world famous sites, like the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Aquarium.
You know that image you get in your head when you picture what a place looks like. Well, my image of Sydney is true... Good looking men, surfers, beaches, street cafes, sunny weather, rolling hills, cliffs, harbours, sailboats, did I mention good looking men?......it is all true! The image that I had is exactly what this place actually looks like.
Cheers mates....GOOD ON YA!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Slow my roll.....
Since you are sitting there reading this blog right now, you can safely assume that I survived the Milford hike. It was my first multi-day hike that I did alone...well, sorta. There were about 40 other people hiking the track on the same days as me and we would all meet at the shelter each night to sleep. So, even though I was hiking hours a day alone, there was some accountability for where I was and people were aware of the other hikers on the track.
Still, it was a really unique experience for me. I carried my own pack, cooked my own food, and was the sole person responsible for myself. I was even in charge of talking to myself on the hikes for 6 hours a day...it was beautiful, cold, rainy, sunny, awesome, exuberant, refreshing, and well....just a tad bit lonely, I must admit. One of the things that I have been struggling with on my travels is wishing that I had some family or friends to experience some of the things with me.....if only I could borrow my mother's eyes for a day and have her look at the view I was looking at. Or how fun would it be to have Carly and Robin out with me for a night in Queenstown? I think about this a lot. Even though I meet a lot of people and share many experiences with them, it isn't the same as your close family and friends. A cool thing about this hike though, was that my sister-in-law had completed it a few years ago. So every time I had one of those moments where I wish I could share it with someone close....I would remember that Kelley had been here and done this before. She would understand where I walked and what I had seen.
Of the 4 days that I was hiking....4 of the days it rained. And I am not talking about drizzle....RAIN...raining to the point that everything I owned and was carrying with me was soaked. Even though I had on rainproof gear, I didn't stand a chance. Everything was wet....and at night it would half-ass dry, but it didn't matter because I would walk right back into the rain again for another long day of wetness. It is not that surprising that it rained, though. 200 days of the year it rains in the Milford area. In fact, if you do the hike with no rain at all, then you have actually not hiked the Milford Track (at least that is what the rangers say to cheer you up each night). Rainfall can reach up to 6,800 mm (Approx 270 inches) per year. Austin, TX has an average of 32-48 inches per year...so yeah.. it rains a lot here. The environment is plush and green and wet everywhere...100s maybe 1000s of waterfalls surround you throughout the hike. There were several moments when I would be looking down, watching my steps meticulously (since it was slick) and then I would stop to look up....and see waterfalls pouring down the cliffs all around me. WOW...I would just stand there in the rain amazed at how alive everything was...the water rushing everywhere. I have some pictures of the falls, but they don't give any justice to the depth of what I was looking at. SO MUCH WATER....EVERYWHERE! Gushing so hard that you think it should all stop sometime since there is no way there could really be this much water...when would it run out? But in the 4 days I was there it didn't stop once....there was never even a hesitation of the water stopping. Meanwhile, the birds would still whistle and fly around as if it was a bright sunny day outside...they understood the environment they lived in....truly amazing!
One night, it was raining so hard that the next morning our hut ranger, Ross, told us to wait a few hours before we started hiking. He wanted to see if the rain would calm...because the rivers flooded bad in this section and it could get dangerous. If the rain continued at this level, then we would have to be flown out by helicopters (which I thought would be equally as cool as doing the hike). After a few hours, he said he was going to hike to the rivers to check them out...we were more then welcome to follow along. A couple "go- getters" jumped up and started following him immediately, and since I was alone and only had to take care of myself, I happened to be ready as well. So, there I was...following the ranger and a couple experienced hikers to go "check out" the trail....as if I were really qualified for any sort of danger that may be ahead. Fortunately, there wasn't any major danger....a few trees had fallen in the track that we had to move and the flooding wasn't bad enough that they needed to call in the "copters". The water only went up to our THIGHS at the river crossings so apparently that was not helicopter status. Yes folks, I was proud of this moment....I truly feel like I have hiked in New Zealand now. I had to hold my pack up and walk through a flooded river that went up to my thighs. One of the couples with us took off their boots as if they weren't going to get wet with all the rain....I just looked at them like they were idiots and plunged into the river with my shoes and pants and everything on. It was adventurous and crazy and fun!!!! I felt like an avid hiker :)
Overall, the Milford Track was a great experience and I am glad to add it to my list of adventures during my travels. It is rated one of the most famous tracks in the world and with some of the views that I saw....I can understand why.
After the hike, I went back to the small town of Te Anau....bought a bottle of wine and decided to do laundry to wash all my nasty clothes. Now that I was on my own, I really didn't have a plan. I didn't know where I should head the next day or what I should do. I figured that after my laundry, I would go to the internet and book a bus ticket out of town towards Dunedin. I really wanted to hitch a ride, but I wasn't brave enough to hitch alone....I kept going back and forth about it. I met this chick named Laura when doing my laundry. She was a witty girl and I couldn't place her English accent. Turns out, she was born in Germany, spent some time living in USA, then moved to South Africa and now resides in France. Her father works for some big USA corporation and they moved around frequently. Because of this, she knows 3 languages fluently and flips back and forth speaking them all the time. She speaks German with her mother, English with her father, and French with her sister. We hit it off immediately and both had the same sense of humor about things. You could tell she was easy going, laid back and up for whatever....she had traveled a lot and didn't expect much from people and went with the flow. After chit-chatting, she asked if I wanted to go grab a beer with her and some friends. I explained to her my dilemma of leaving the next day and if I were to get the bus, then it left at 7am....so I probably shouldn't go out..blah blah blah. She said fair enough...they would be at the bar if I was interested. I finished my laundry and headed to the computer to book my ticket....then it hit me. I had been alone for 4 days hiking in solitude...what the hell was I doing passing up an offer to the bar. I really could use a nice stout beer and some good conversation. I'll either hitch out of here tomorrow or book a ticket for the next day...regardless, it would work itself out somehow. I met Laura and her friends at the bar and had a few drinks. The beers were going down smoothly too...I have not been drinking much since I have been in NZ (giving the liver a little break), so after only 2 beers I was feeling pretty nice. There was a guy sitting next to us who seemed to be alone. I invited him over to our conversation. His name was Thomas and he was from Switzerland. After speaking with him for a bit I found out that he had his own car and was heading to Dunedin the next day. I was like...seriously? "I am trying to get to Dunedin...do you want some help with petrol (gas)?" And then like that....things worked themselves out. I paid Thomas $10NZ for the 4 hour ride which would have cost me $50NZ by bus.....so it worked out fine indeed.
Through my friend Brad, I had a hook-up with a place to stay in Dunedin. The girl had a flat in the city, but was currently doing her residency for med school in another city. So, she was not there at the moment, but she had 5 other flat mates and said just to go to her place and stay in her room. I felt a little strange doing this, as I had never met her and surely didn't know her flatmates either....but I thought it was cool that she offered her room and decided to check it out.
When I arrived to the house, there were trash bags filled with beer cans and wine bottles sprawled out on the front porch. There were about 6 vintage chairs/lazy boys surrounding a make-shift coffee table on the porch as well...all of this was next to the fridge (not one of those small office fridges, but a full-sized kitchen fridge)...all on the front porch! I had to smile to myself...I realized I would fit in just fine with these new random people that I would be staying with. I knocked on the door, but no one came. I knocked and rang the doorbell several other times, but still....no one came to the door. Hmmmmm....it was only 10:30am and from the looks of the front porch, everyone could easily still be sleeping. I peeked my head through the window just as I saw someone coming out of a bedroom and knocked again to get his attention. The guy came to the door with his hair all messed up and sleep still in his eyes. "Hi there, ....I'm friends (I guess) with Amelia and am staying in her room for a few days."...I was all smiley and chipper holding my bags...the guy was probably "who in the hell is this chick!". He mumbled something along the lines of..."cool...yeah..whatev...just.. you can go to her room." And then he left the door open and walked back into his room. So there I was, with my backpack, standing in this house....with not a damn clue which room was Amelia's. I decided to walk upstairs and that is where I ran into JD, the french dude. He was really cool and showed me her room. Then I met Kate, and some other guy who I can't remember his name. Anyways, it's a big house with 6 roommates and craziness all about. There is clutter and everyone's personality written all over it, but somehow the bathroom and kitchen are clean and it just seems like everything works together well....a good atmosphere and vibe. I felt like I was in college again...there was even a jar of condoms in the bathroom with a sign that read "no hubba hubba with out a rubba rubba". This would be my accommodation for the next few days and I thought it was awesome!
Dunedin was a cool city. It is a university town with a mixture of funky art, music, food, and theater. Gorgeous Victorian style homes fill the hilly neighborhoods...some kept up really well and others falling down in shambles. It was a good town to chill-out in for a few days...enough to do, but not too in your face.
One day I went on a tour to the Otago Peninsula about an hour away. Here I was able to see seals, sea lions, and yellow-eyed penguins. I have never been up close to that type of wildlife before and it was really cool. Penguins are soooo stinking cute. The way they wobble from the ocean to the land...trying to sneak by the sea lions and escape another day with out getting eaten. I even witnessed a sea lion take a huge crap on the beach. At first I thought something was wrong with him...then his face got stern and next thing I knew, out came a present. I have pics of the animals on Picasa as well.
After a few site-seeing days in Dunedin it crept up to me again...this weird feeling that I have been getting every so often the past few weeks, but I have pushed it back deep inside my mind....there should be no reason that I am having this feeling and I am not going to face it right here...right now. It doesn't make sense to me.
Basically, everything around me is great...Before I left on my travels everything in my life was great as well. I had a family that loved and supported me, friends that I could count on, a stable job, lived in a fantastic city, rented out a comfortable house, boys to go out with....I mean what the heck else could a girl like me ask for? But even though I had all of this, I was unsatisfied and it lingered in the back of my mind. Why was I not content with my life?
I came to the conclusion that the life I was living couldn't be the final end all....there was more ...WAY MORE out there and I wanted to see it and live it before I got too comfortable where I was at. So I planned this trip that I am on now....when I arrived to South America I was on a high for 4 months experiencing the culture, people, food, language....it was exactly what I needed at that moment in my life. I was getting the satisfaction that I was craving. And now, here I am again...6.5 months later and I sense that feeling coming up in the back of my throat and I don't want to say that it is happening again because it doesn't make any sense to me. How can I not be satisfied with my life right now.....I am on a year holiday!!!! This is EXACTLY what I asked for!!!!
I have been doing a lot of thinking the past few days and trying to figure out the sensations and feelings I am having and getting to the bottom of it...I think what it is, is that I am over the whole "tourist" thing. I walk aimlessly through city streets watching people, drink lattes, read tons of books, visit museums, go on multi day hikes, and venture to the next town to do the same thing over and over and over again. It is wonderful....a fantastic holiday, but can I move like this for the next 10 months? Was the real purpose of my journey to take tourbusses out to the ocean and stare at sea lions for 1 year? I am sick of site-seeing....I am ready to "live" amongst people and "do" something during my travels. Not just stick my nose in guide books and carry a city map in my hand 24/7. I have decided that I need to slow my travels down and get involved with some of the communities that I visit. Perhaps I will volunteer, or take classes, or work....but just do something that I am accountable for. Instead of being a tourist, I will be more like a short-term resident. The world is a big place and I can't see all of it on this trip....I don't even want to try to see half of it. Quality overrides quantity for me right now!
As we all know, I enjoyed my time in Banos, Ecuador. I was taking Spanish classes and getting to know people in the town....I had my favorite places to eat and knew all of the hikes in the area. On the weekends I would travel to nearby towns and visit other places. Banos was my "hub" and my time there was perfect...it was enough time to figure out the city, but I left before it became monotonous and routine. I think it's time for something like that again....a place to slow my roll....breath...and not worry about what bus to take and what village to breeze through tomorrow. I have a few more days in NZ and then I head to Australia to visit a dear friend in Sydney. My time in Australia will be short as it is fairly expensive to travel there , but once I get to SE Asia I hope to slow it down a notch. I am making some contacts for volunteer opportunities, but since I am not affiliated with a church it may be difficult. I also found some cooking classes in Cambodia & Vietnam...that could be another unique way to get to know a city. Those are my thoughts right now about things...so...thanks for listening.
Anyways, in a few days I will be heading to a town called Kaikoura. You can take a boat out in the ocean and there is a 98% you will see killer and blue whales. I know, I know.... I said I was sick of tours and site-seeing....BUT WHALES????Seriously? Besides Sea World, I have never witnessed a whale sighting....so yes, I am pretty excited about it. I can play "tourist" for a little bit longer I suppose :)
Still, it was a really unique experience for me. I carried my own pack, cooked my own food, and was the sole person responsible for myself. I was even in charge of talking to myself on the hikes for 6 hours a day...it was beautiful, cold, rainy, sunny, awesome, exuberant, refreshing, and well....just a tad bit lonely, I must admit. One of the things that I have been struggling with on my travels is wishing that I had some family or friends to experience some of the things with me.....if only I could borrow my mother's eyes for a day and have her look at the view I was looking at. Or how fun would it be to have Carly and Robin out with me for a night in Queenstown? I think about this a lot. Even though I meet a lot of people and share many experiences with them, it isn't the same as your close family and friends. A cool thing about this hike though, was that my sister-in-law had completed it a few years ago. So every time I had one of those moments where I wish I could share it with someone close....I would remember that Kelley had been here and done this before. She would understand where I walked and what I had seen.
Of the 4 days that I was hiking....4 of the days it rained. And I am not talking about drizzle....RAIN...raining to the point that everything I owned and was carrying with me was soaked. Even though I had on rainproof gear, I didn't stand a chance. Everything was wet....and at night it would half-ass dry, but it didn't matter because I would walk right back into the rain again for another long day of wetness. It is not that surprising that it rained, though. 200 days of the year it rains in the Milford area. In fact, if you do the hike with no rain at all, then you have actually not hiked the Milford Track (at least that is what the rangers say to cheer you up each night). Rainfall can reach up to 6,800 mm (Approx 270 inches) per year. Austin, TX has an average of 32-48 inches per year...so yeah.. it rains a lot here. The environment is plush and green and wet everywhere...100s maybe 1000s of waterfalls surround you throughout the hike. There were several moments when I would be looking down, watching my steps meticulously (since it was slick) and then I would stop to look up....and see waterfalls pouring down the cliffs all around me. WOW...I would just stand there in the rain amazed at how alive everything was...the water rushing everywhere. I have some pictures of the falls, but they don't give any justice to the depth of what I was looking at. SO MUCH WATER....EVERYWHERE! Gushing so hard that you think it should all stop sometime since there is no way there could really be this much water...when would it run out? But in the 4 days I was there it didn't stop once....there was never even a hesitation of the water stopping. Meanwhile, the birds would still whistle and fly around as if it was a bright sunny day outside...they understood the environment they lived in....truly amazing!
One night, it was raining so hard that the next morning our hut ranger, Ross, told us to wait a few hours before we started hiking. He wanted to see if the rain would calm...because the rivers flooded bad in this section and it could get dangerous. If the rain continued at this level, then we would have to be flown out by helicopters (which I thought would be equally as cool as doing the hike). After a few hours, he said he was going to hike to the rivers to check them out...we were more then welcome to follow along. A couple "go- getters" jumped up and started following him immediately, and since I was alone and only had to take care of myself, I happened to be ready as well. So, there I was...following the ranger and a couple experienced hikers to go "check out" the trail....as if I were really qualified for any sort of danger that may be ahead. Fortunately, there wasn't any major danger....a few trees had fallen in the track that we had to move and the flooding wasn't bad enough that they needed to call in the "copters". The water only went up to our THIGHS at the river crossings so apparently that was not helicopter status. Yes folks, I was proud of this moment....I truly feel like I have hiked in New Zealand now. I had to hold my pack up and walk through a flooded river that went up to my thighs. One of the couples with us took off their boots as if they weren't going to get wet with all the rain....I just looked at them like they were idiots and plunged into the river with my shoes and pants and everything on. It was adventurous and crazy and fun!!!! I felt like an avid hiker :)
Overall, the Milford Track was a great experience and I am glad to add it to my list of adventures during my travels. It is rated one of the most famous tracks in the world and with some of the views that I saw....I can understand why.
After the hike, I went back to the small town of Te Anau....bought a bottle of wine and decided to do laundry to wash all my nasty clothes. Now that I was on my own, I really didn't have a plan. I didn't know where I should head the next day or what I should do. I figured that after my laundry, I would go to the internet and book a bus ticket out of town towards Dunedin. I really wanted to hitch a ride, but I wasn't brave enough to hitch alone....I kept going back and forth about it. I met this chick named Laura when doing my laundry. She was a witty girl and I couldn't place her English accent. Turns out, she was born in Germany, spent some time living in USA, then moved to South Africa and now resides in France. Her father works for some big USA corporation and they moved around frequently. Because of this, she knows 3 languages fluently and flips back and forth speaking them all the time. She speaks German with her mother, English with her father, and French with her sister. We hit it off immediately and both had the same sense of humor about things. You could tell she was easy going, laid back and up for whatever....she had traveled a lot and didn't expect much from people and went with the flow. After chit-chatting, she asked if I wanted to go grab a beer with her and some friends. I explained to her my dilemma of leaving the next day and if I were to get the bus, then it left at 7am....so I probably shouldn't go out..blah blah blah. She said fair enough...they would be at the bar if I was interested. I finished my laundry and headed to the computer to book my ticket....then it hit me. I had been alone for 4 days hiking in solitude...what the hell was I doing passing up an offer to the bar. I really could use a nice stout beer and some good conversation. I'll either hitch out of here tomorrow or book a ticket for the next day...regardless, it would work itself out somehow. I met Laura and her friends at the bar and had a few drinks. The beers were going down smoothly too...I have not been drinking much since I have been in NZ (giving the liver a little break), so after only 2 beers I was feeling pretty nice. There was a guy sitting next to us who seemed to be alone. I invited him over to our conversation. His name was Thomas and he was from Switzerland. After speaking with him for a bit I found out that he had his own car and was heading to Dunedin the next day. I was like...seriously? "I am trying to get to Dunedin...do you want some help with petrol (gas)?" And then like that....things worked themselves out. I paid Thomas $10NZ for the 4 hour ride which would have cost me $50NZ by bus.....so it worked out fine indeed.
Through my friend Brad, I had a hook-up with a place to stay in Dunedin. The girl had a flat in the city, but was currently doing her residency for med school in another city. So, she was not there at the moment, but she had 5 other flat mates and said just to go to her place and stay in her room. I felt a little strange doing this, as I had never met her and surely didn't know her flatmates either....but I thought it was cool that she offered her room and decided to check it out.
When I arrived to the house, there were trash bags filled with beer cans and wine bottles sprawled out on the front porch. There were about 6 vintage chairs/lazy boys surrounding a make-shift coffee table on the porch as well...all of this was next to the fridge (not one of those small office fridges, but a full-sized kitchen fridge)...all on the front porch! I had to smile to myself...I realized I would fit in just fine with these new random people that I would be staying with. I knocked on the door, but no one came. I knocked and rang the doorbell several other times, but still....no one came to the door. Hmmmmm....it was only 10:30am and from the looks of the front porch, everyone could easily still be sleeping. I peeked my head through the window just as I saw someone coming out of a bedroom and knocked again to get his attention. The guy came to the door with his hair all messed up and sleep still in his eyes. "Hi there, ....I'm friends (I guess) with Amelia and am staying in her room for a few days."...I was all smiley and chipper holding my bags...the guy was probably "who in the hell is this chick!". He mumbled something along the lines of..."cool...yeah..whatev...just.. you can go to her room." And then he left the door open and walked back into his room. So there I was, with my backpack, standing in this house....with not a damn clue which room was Amelia's. I decided to walk upstairs and that is where I ran into JD, the french dude. He was really cool and showed me her room. Then I met Kate, and some other guy who I can't remember his name. Anyways, it's a big house with 6 roommates and craziness all about. There is clutter and everyone's personality written all over it, but somehow the bathroom and kitchen are clean and it just seems like everything works together well....a good atmosphere and vibe. I felt like I was in college again...there was even a jar of condoms in the bathroom with a sign that read "no hubba hubba with out a rubba rubba". This would be my accommodation for the next few days and I thought it was awesome!
Dunedin was a cool city. It is a university town with a mixture of funky art, music, food, and theater. Gorgeous Victorian style homes fill the hilly neighborhoods...some kept up really well and others falling down in shambles. It was a good town to chill-out in for a few days...enough to do, but not too in your face.
One day I went on a tour to the Otago Peninsula about an hour away. Here I was able to see seals, sea lions, and yellow-eyed penguins. I have never been up close to that type of wildlife before and it was really cool. Penguins are soooo stinking cute. The way they wobble from the ocean to the land...trying to sneak by the sea lions and escape another day with out getting eaten. I even witnessed a sea lion take a huge crap on the beach. At first I thought something was wrong with him...then his face got stern and next thing I knew, out came a present. I have pics of the animals on Picasa as well.
After a few site-seeing days in Dunedin it crept up to me again...this weird feeling that I have been getting every so often the past few weeks, but I have pushed it back deep inside my mind....there should be no reason that I am having this feeling and I am not going to face it right here...right now. It doesn't make sense to me.
Basically, everything around me is great...Before I left on my travels everything in my life was great as well. I had a family that loved and supported me, friends that I could count on, a stable job, lived in a fantastic city, rented out a comfortable house, boys to go out with....I mean what the heck else could a girl like me ask for? But even though I had all of this, I was unsatisfied and it lingered in the back of my mind. Why was I not content with my life?
I came to the conclusion that the life I was living couldn't be the final end all....there was more ...WAY MORE out there and I wanted to see it and live it before I got too comfortable where I was at. So I planned this trip that I am on now....when I arrived to South America I was on a high for 4 months experiencing the culture, people, food, language....it was exactly what I needed at that moment in my life. I was getting the satisfaction that I was craving. And now, here I am again...6.5 months later and I sense that feeling coming up in the back of my throat and I don't want to say that it is happening again because it doesn't make any sense to me. How can I not be satisfied with my life right now.....I am on a year holiday!!!! This is EXACTLY what I asked for!!!!
I have been doing a lot of thinking the past few days and trying to figure out the sensations and feelings I am having and getting to the bottom of it...I think what it is, is that I am over the whole "tourist" thing. I walk aimlessly through city streets watching people, drink lattes, read tons of books, visit museums, go on multi day hikes, and venture to the next town to do the same thing over and over and over again. It is wonderful....a fantastic holiday, but can I move like this for the next 10 months? Was the real purpose of my journey to take tourbusses out to the ocean and stare at sea lions for 1 year? I am sick of site-seeing....I am ready to "live" amongst people and "do" something during my travels. Not just stick my nose in guide books and carry a city map in my hand 24/7. I have decided that I need to slow my travels down and get involved with some of the communities that I visit. Perhaps I will volunteer, or take classes, or work....but just do something that I am accountable for. Instead of being a tourist, I will be more like a short-term resident. The world is a big place and I can't see all of it on this trip....I don't even want to try to see half of it. Quality overrides quantity for me right now!
As we all know, I enjoyed my time in Banos, Ecuador. I was taking Spanish classes and getting to know people in the town....I had my favorite places to eat and knew all of the hikes in the area. On the weekends I would travel to nearby towns and visit other places. Banos was my "hub" and my time there was perfect...it was enough time to figure out the city, but I left before it became monotonous and routine. I think it's time for something like that again....a place to slow my roll....breath...and not worry about what bus to take and what village to breeze through tomorrow. I have a few more days in NZ and then I head to Australia to visit a dear friend in Sydney. My time in Australia will be short as it is fairly expensive to travel there , but once I get to SE Asia I hope to slow it down a notch. I am making some contacts for volunteer opportunities, but since I am not affiliated with a church it may be difficult. I also found some cooking classes in Cambodia & Vietnam...that could be another unique way to get to know a city. Those are my thoughts right now about things...so...thanks for listening.
Anyways, in a few days I will be heading to a town called Kaikoura. You can take a boat out in the ocean and there is a 98% you will see killer and blue whales. I know, I know.... I said I was sick of tours and site-seeing....BUT WHALES????Seriously? Besides Sea World, I have never witnessed a whale sighting....so yes, I am pretty excited about it. I can play "tourist" for a little bit longer I suppose :)
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Movies, Hiking & Ziv
We made our way to the small town of Wanaka. It is surrounded by mountains and is right next to Lake Wanaka which is this gorgeous glacier lake. It is a town where a lot of people move to when they want to escape the hustle and bustle of its larger neighbor, Queenstown. I spent my time there hiking and reading and enjoying the lake views. There was this fun place called Puzzling World with a huge maze that takes and hour to get out of and tons of optical illusion type activities. It showed how they made the hobbits look smaller in Lord of the Rings and stuff like that. It was a fun, non-outdoor activity for the day. Another awesome thing about Wanaka is that it is home to the Presidio.....the coolest movie theatre in the world. At least the coolest theatre I have ever been to. It has one screen and shows 3 movies each day. They gutted out the chairs and replaced them with vintage sofas and seats...they are all super worn and comfortable. They sell beer, wine, and homemade ice-cream. During intermission, they have fresh baked cookies that are super huge and to die for. For $3 a cookie, the must make a killing. I think that they have a vent from the oven going directly into the theatre so you can smell them baking while you watch the movie. I thought this theatre was so fantastic that I saw a movie there for 3 of the 4 days I spent in Wanaka. I would hike by day and watch movies by night. I saw Gran Torino, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Changeling. And yes, I got a cookie at every intermission....I thought about those cookies all day long while I was hiking :)
After Wanaka, we headed to Queenstown, since we were scheduled for a multi-day hike out of that city. Queenstown is the infamous party, adventure city of New Zealand. I have heard that you either love it or hate it. Well....after about 5 minutes in the city I decided that I was in love!!!! It was definitely bigger then Wanaka and a lot more obnoxious. You can bungee jump, sky dive, para glide, repel down canyons, jet boat, and anything else that you can think of. During the summer they hang out in the glacier lake and in the winter they snow ski on the surrounding mountains. There are over 40 bars, tons of restaurants and shopping around.....it was a functioning city surrounded by gorgeous New Zealand views. I understood why so many people were drawn to it and why others may be a bit put-off. In our hostel, we made friends with this Israeli guy named Ziv. He happened to be doing the same hike as we were planning on doing so we started hanging out with him. Alan had also made friends with this Swedish girl named Mikeala. She was traveling around NZ doing WWOOFing, which is where you work on organic farms for free while the owners feed you and give you shelter. She signed up for the hike as well so we had a group of 4. The day before we left, we ran around the city getting our hut passes and grocery shopping for the hike. This would be my first multi-day hike in which I had to carry everything and fend for myself....there was no guide or porter service. I had been hiking a lot so I felt that physically I would be able to handle it. To splurge one last time before we left civilization, we went to this famous burger place called Furburgers. We figured it would be a good place to carb load and get some energy for the mountains. There was one burger there called Big Al's. It was the ultimate burger with 2 patties, 2 fried eggs, cheese, bacon, beets, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. It was a heart attack in a bun! Ziv said that he did not half-ass anything when it came to food and that you were either a Big Al or a Big Loser....so he ordered the ultimate burger. When I saw this thing I thought that there was no way in hell he was going to be able to finish it. Well, he proved me wrong, not only did he finish the whole thing, but he ate it in less then 10 minutes...we had hardly started into our regular burgers. I laughed saying that he would not have to eat for days...and that is when he realized that it was Passover. He was supposed to go have a holiday dinner with some other Jewish people in town....This was one of my first introductions to Ziv, the crazy Israeli guy that I would be traveling with for the next week.
During my travels, I have met tons of German, Swiss, & Israeli people. Before New Zealand, I have never really hung out with anyone from Israel and I don't have many Jewish friends back home. I have heard many stereotypes along my way ....that they travel in groups, talk really loud, and negotiate every price...VERY cheap! I am not big into stereotypes, but that is what I had been told by other travelers. I take it all with a grain of salt, because I am American and there are tons of stereotypes about us along the traveling circuit as well. Anyways, in the past month I have met several Israeli travelers and they could not be farther from the stereotypes. In fact, they have been generous with everything and were extremely nice people. I actually realized that maybe we had a common thread since we both came from countries where our governments are extremely involved in world relations and there is a pre-conceived notion about us simply because of where we are from. As an American, I am constantly being asked questions about my government, Obama, the economy...people quizzing me on life back home and why we are ignorant to the world around us. It gets old pretty fast....I've got my answers down pat and rattle them off to the new people that I meet. I hope that by the time I walk away, they have a different view of America and they question the stereotypes that they have been taught. I think that Israeli people go through a similar process in traveling. When you sit down and really talk to someone on a personal level you realize they are just humans...they go through the same emotions and stages of life as everyone else...regardless of where you are from.
Ziv was the first Israeli that I spent a good amount of time with. He was such a unique character. He is extremely goofy and acts aloof most of the time, but is actually very quick and intelligent. English is his second language behind Hebrew. I have never met someone who is so witty with a second language. Most people know English, but can't bring humor into the conversation naturally. For instance, I will never be cleverly funny when I speak Spanish because I am concentrating on speaking correctly....it will never be innate for me. But Ziv was hilarious! He had just gotten out of the mandated-Israeli military a year ago...so most of his sentences or conversations started with " Well, when I was in the military...." Everything we talked about somehow related back to the military, but I suppose that was his life for the past 3 years and is a major part of growing up in Israel since everyone has to do it.
So we had our group of 4 for the Routeburn Track. This would be my first multi-day hike on my own...no guide...no porter service...NADA. I had to carry everything on my back to survive for the next 3 days. Thank goodness I had 3 other friends hiking with me...because I learned a few things along the way. First of all...as naive as it sounds, I didn't realize the whole concept of what ever you bring into the nature you need to take out of the nature...such as trash. So whatever I ate or used I had to carry with me for the entire hike. If I peeled an orange or had a can of tuna...I would carry the remnants with me. There were bathrooms at the huts with septic tanks so I did not have to carry the T.P. with me, but otherwise, you couldn't leave anything else behind. Second thing that I didn't take into account while hiking was that you needed to bring your own cooking utensils. I was stocked up on my food, but I didn't have a pot, cup, or utensils to cook and eat with. DUHHHH ANDREA...did I think that all this stuff would magically appear in the forest? I am not sure what I was thinking, but my friends had some things that I could use. I was definitely an amateur at this hiking thing, but I learned a lot and will be more prepared next time around.
Our last night of the hike, there was an Israeli family staying at the hut. They were hanging a plack on the hut wall in memory of their daughter that had died on the hike a year earlier. Apparently, she had hiked the tracked independently and had gotten off course and fell off a cliff. It took them 2 weeks to find the body. It was a heart wrenching story and brought tears to my eyes as I watched the family mourn. They came to walk the Routeburn track, pay respect to the area where she fell off, and finish the part of the track that she didn't get to walk. Since her death, the wildlife department has put up markers to make the track more clear.
The last day of the hike, Alan & Mikaela left in the early morning because they were heading to a different town for the night. Ziv and I were both heading back to the same town so we hiked the last day together. When we woke up it was pouring rain outside. Everyone around me was putting on there waterproof boots & Gor-Tex everything! They all had their ski pole walking sticks and were ready to hike in the freezing rain. I, on the other hand, pulled out my $5 poncho that I bought in Peru and glanced down at my non waterproof shoes and realized it was going to be a long day. I ended up surviving the rain and freezing weather, but at the end of the day - more expensive gear makes for a more pleasurable hiking experience. I think I will purchase some hiking socks and rain pants for the next time around.
Ziv and I arrived to Queenstown. It was Saturday night, the day before Easter and a school holiday. We drove to every hostel in town and they were all booked. There was not a dorm room available in the entire town. Ziv had a car, and normally I wouldn't mind crashing out in a car, but we hadn't showered in days and had been sleeping in sleeping bags....we were ready for a good nights rest. We decided to splurge and split a hotel room for the night. Instead of spending the regular $25 NZ ( $12 us) we spent $80 NZ ($40 us) each for the room. That is a lot of money for my budget right now. I made sure to take all the shampoo and lotion, drink all of the instant coffee packs and steal the toilet paper. There was a queen bed and single bed in the room. Ziv was nice enough to give me the Queen bed. He also mentioned how much cooler this night would be if I was his girlfriend, Karen. I guess he would have loved to have been alone with Karen in a hotel room. Well, sorry Charlie....I'm not Karen :) I was sooo exhausted, but I held my eyelids open to watch hours of TV since we had paid for it. Plus, it had been weeks since I watched TV. It was actually really nice to have a decent place to sleep for the night.
Since Queenstown was booked for the next few days, I decided to ride with Ziv to the small town of Te Anau. I needed to go to this town for the Milford Track that I was going to do in a few days anyways, so it wasn't a big deal to go a few days earlier. We packed up his station wagon and headed out on the road...jamming out to Simon & Garfunkel and various Hebrew music. It was nice to talk to him about his Jewish culture and the type of life he had growing up. Alan and Mikaela were also in the same town so we had a few days together before we all went our different directions.
This morning I said goodbye to Alan, Ziv, & Mikaela. It was fun having Alan and the others as travel companions for awhile, but it is time that I head out on my own again. It is always weird leaving the comforts of a travel companion, but after a few days you are back to yourself again.....there is always another adventure ahead.
I am doing a 4 day hike tomorrow...it is the most famous hike in New Zealand, the Milford Track. I am glad for my experience on the Routeburn as I think I will be way more prepared this time around. I'll let you know how it goes. Goodbye for now :)
After Wanaka, we headed to Queenstown, since we were scheduled for a multi-day hike out of that city. Queenstown is the infamous party, adventure city of New Zealand. I have heard that you either love it or hate it. Well....after about 5 minutes in the city I decided that I was in love!!!! It was definitely bigger then Wanaka and a lot more obnoxious. You can bungee jump, sky dive, para glide, repel down canyons, jet boat, and anything else that you can think of. During the summer they hang out in the glacier lake and in the winter they snow ski on the surrounding mountains. There are over 40 bars, tons of restaurants and shopping around.....it was a functioning city surrounded by gorgeous New Zealand views. I understood why so many people were drawn to it and why others may be a bit put-off. In our hostel, we made friends with this Israeli guy named Ziv. He happened to be doing the same hike as we were planning on doing so we started hanging out with him. Alan had also made friends with this Swedish girl named Mikeala. She was traveling around NZ doing WWOOFing, which is where you work on organic farms for free while the owners feed you and give you shelter. She signed up for the hike as well so we had a group of 4. The day before we left, we ran around the city getting our hut passes and grocery shopping for the hike. This would be my first multi-day hike in which I had to carry everything and fend for myself....there was no guide or porter service. I had been hiking a lot so I felt that physically I would be able to handle it. To splurge one last time before we left civilization, we went to this famous burger place called Furburgers. We figured it would be a good place to carb load and get some energy for the mountains. There was one burger there called Big Al's. It was the ultimate burger with 2 patties, 2 fried eggs, cheese, bacon, beets, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. It was a heart attack in a bun! Ziv said that he did not half-ass anything when it came to food and that you were either a Big Al or a Big Loser....so he ordered the ultimate burger. When I saw this thing I thought that there was no way in hell he was going to be able to finish it. Well, he proved me wrong, not only did he finish the whole thing, but he ate it in less then 10 minutes...we had hardly started into our regular burgers. I laughed saying that he would not have to eat for days...and that is when he realized that it was Passover. He was supposed to go have a holiday dinner with some other Jewish people in town....This was one of my first introductions to Ziv, the crazy Israeli guy that I would be traveling with for the next week.
During my travels, I have met tons of German, Swiss, & Israeli people. Before New Zealand, I have never really hung out with anyone from Israel and I don't have many Jewish friends back home. I have heard many stereotypes along my way ....that they travel in groups, talk really loud, and negotiate every price...VERY cheap! I am not big into stereotypes, but that is what I had been told by other travelers. I take it all with a grain of salt, because I am American and there are tons of stereotypes about us along the traveling circuit as well. Anyways, in the past month I have met several Israeli travelers and they could not be farther from the stereotypes. In fact, they have been generous with everything and were extremely nice people. I actually realized that maybe we had a common thread since we both came from countries where our governments are extremely involved in world relations and there is a pre-conceived notion about us simply because of where we are from. As an American, I am constantly being asked questions about my government, Obama, the economy...people quizzing me on life back home and why we are ignorant to the world around us. It gets old pretty fast....I've got my answers down pat and rattle them off to the new people that I meet. I hope that by the time I walk away, they have a different view of America and they question the stereotypes that they have been taught. I think that Israeli people go through a similar process in traveling. When you sit down and really talk to someone on a personal level you realize they are just humans...they go through the same emotions and stages of life as everyone else...regardless of where you are from.
Ziv was the first Israeli that I spent a good amount of time with. He was such a unique character. He is extremely goofy and acts aloof most of the time, but is actually very quick and intelligent. English is his second language behind Hebrew. I have never met someone who is so witty with a second language. Most people know English, but can't bring humor into the conversation naturally. For instance, I will never be cleverly funny when I speak Spanish because I am concentrating on speaking correctly....it will never be innate for me. But Ziv was hilarious! He had just gotten out of the mandated-Israeli military a year ago...so most of his sentences or conversations started with " Well, when I was in the military...." Everything we talked about somehow related back to the military, but I suppose that was his life for the past 3 years and is a major part of growing up in Israel since everyone has to do it.
So we had our group of 4 for the Routeburn Track. This would be my first multi-day hike on my own...no guide...no porter service...NADA. I had to carry everything on my back to survive for the next 3 days. Thank goodness I had 3 other friends hiking with me...because I learned a few things along the way. First of all...as naive as it sounds, I didn't realize the whole concept of what ever you bring into the nature you need to take out of the nature...such as trash. So whatever I ate or used I had to carry with me for the entire hike. If I peeled an orange or had a can of tuna...I would carry the remnants with me. There were bathrooms at the huts with septic tanks so I did not have to carry the T.P. with me, but otherwise, you couldn't leave anything else behind. Second thing that I didn't take into account while hiking was that you needed to bring your own cooking utensils. I was stocked up on my food, but I didn't have a pot, cup, or utensils to cook and eat with. DUHHHH ANDREA...did I think that all this stuff would magically appear in the forest? I am not sure what I was thinking, but my friends had some things that I could use. I was definitely an amateur at this hiking thing, but I learned a lot and will be more prepared next time around.
Our last night of the hike, there was an Israeli family staying at the hut. They were hanging a plack on the hut wall in memory of their daughter that had died on the hike a year earlier. Apparently, she had hiked the tracked independently and had gotten off course and fell off a cliff. It took them 2 weeks to find the body. It was a heart wrenching story and brought tears to my eyes as I watched the family mourn. They came to walk the Routeburn track, pay respect to the area where she fell off, and finish the part of the track that she didn't get to walk. Since her death, the wildlife department has put up markers to make the track more clear.
The last day of the hike, Alan & Mikaela left in the early morning because they were heading to a different town for the night. Ziv and I were both heading back to the same town so we hiked the last day together. When we woke up it was pouring rain outside. Everyone around me was putting on there waterproof boots & Gor-Tex everything! They all had their ski pole walking sticks and were ready to hike in the freezing rain. I, on the other hand, pulled out my $5 poncho that I bought in Peru and glanced down at my non waterproof shoes and realized it was going to be a long day. I ended up surviving the rain and freezing weather, but at the end of the day - more expensive gear makes for a more pleasurable hiking experience. I think I will purchase some hiking socks and rain pants for the next time around.
Ziv and I arrived to Queenstown. It was Saturday night, the day before Easter and a school holiday. We drove to every hostel in town and they were all booked. There was not a dorm room available in the entire town. Ziv had a car, and normally I wouldn't mind crashing out in a car, but we hadn't showered in days and had been sleeping in sleeping bags....we were ready for a good nights rest. We decided to splurge and split a hotel room for the night. Instead of spending the regular $25 NZ ( $12 us) we spent $80 NZ ($40 us) each for the room. That is a lot of money for my budget right now. I made sure to take all the shampoo and lotion, drink all of the instant coffee packs and steal the toilet paper. There was a queen bed and single bed in the room. Ziv was nice enough to give me the Queen bed. He also mentioned how much cooler this night would be if I was his girlfriend, Karen. I guess he would have loved to have been alone with Karen in a hotel room. Well, sorry Charlie....I'm not Karen :) I was sooo exhausted, but I held my eyelids open to watch hours of TV since we had paid for it. Plus, it had been weeks since I watched TV. It was actually really nice to have a decent place to sleep for the night.
Since Queenstown was booked for the next few days, I decided to ride with Ziv to the small town of Te Anau. I needed to go to this town for the Milford Track that I was going to do in a few days anyways, so it wasn't a big deal to go a few days earlier. We packed up his station wagon and headed out on the road...jamming out to Simon & Garfunkel and various Hebrew music. It was nice to talk to him about his Jewish culture and the type of life he had growing up. Alan and Mikaela were also in the same town so we had a few days together before we all went our different directions.
This morning I said goodbye to Alan, Ziv, & Mikaela. It was fun having Alan and the others as travel companions for awhile, but it is time that I head out on my own again. It is always weird leaving the comforts of a travel companion, but after a few days you are back to yourself again.....there is always another adventure ahead.
I am doing a 4 day hike tomorrow...it is the most famous hike in New Zealand, the Milford Track. I am glad for my experience on the Routeburn as I think I will be way more prepared this time around. I'll let you know how it goes. Goodbye for now :)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
West Coast Adventures
Our day excursion to Abel Tasman Park was amazing. The weather was perfect....not a cloud in the sky. The first half of the day we kayaked through the bays and ocean inlets...exploring caves and learning about the history of the area. I had never Kayaked before. My German friend, Annette, had never kayaked either so we decided to be a pair. It was so much fun! The water was calm and we glided over the top effortlessly. After lunch, we set off on a hike through the park. The terrain was so interesting because it was a sub-tropic forest right from the beaches edge. There were spruce trees mixed with ferns and palm trees judding out from the cliff edges. Through all of the branches and leaves you could view the sandy white beaches and aqua blue ocean. The vegetation and land formations almost don't make sense in New Zealand....I guess that is why it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
We spent a few more days in the quaint town of Nelson and then headed down the West Coast to a small town called Punakaiki. Punakaiki....aka "Pancake Rocks" is named for these unique rock formations created by a layering weather process called Stylobedding. Basically, this limestone rock forms into these thick layers that look like pancakes stacked on each other. It is one of those scientific mysteries as to why the rocks make this formation. During high tide, the sea surges into caverns and thunders against the rocks....and flies up through blowholes. I did not grow up near the ocean and have only seen the Caribbean or calmer seas. This was one of the first times I witnessed the pure strength and force of the monstrous waves. It was humbling....If I were to have fallen into the water I would have died instantly. I could have stood there for hours in awe of mother nature. I took pics and video, but it doesn't give it any justice.
After the pancake rocks, we grabbed our head lamps and headed into a cave. It was open to the public and not that big, but it was fun to go exploring about on our own. If we were on a cave expedition, I would have been fired immediately. I hit the roof of the cave with my backpack, nailed my head against the rocks, and skidded the sides of my body in tight spots. I was covered in mud and clay by the end of it. There weren't too many major cave formations, so I didn't do that much damage thanks goodness! But I don't think I should look for a career in caving anytime soon. From the caves we went on a hike through this lush forest. It went right along this gorgeous, crystal clear river. (Most rivers in NZ you can drink out of). It was an enchanting hike- all the different trees were shades of green and browns. It was so dense and natural aromas filled the air. The temperature was crisp and fresh...I hardly broke a sweat. I was just waiting for a fairy to whiz by my head or a hobbit to pop out of one of the tree holes - It felt magical! By the end of the day we were exhausted. We stayed in a cute forest bungalow which was basically this shelter with 7 beds...it was very outdoorsy and rustic.
The next day we headed down the coast to Fox Glacier. New Zealand is unique in that is has glaciers only feet from sub-tropic & tropical rain forests....and only a few miles from the beach. The only other place in the world where it has similar terrain is Patagonia in South America. I had never been up close and personal to a glacier before. I decided, being a Texas girl and all, that not only was I going to tour the glacier, but I was going to sign up for ice-climbing class. I am not sure the next time I will see a glacier so I was going to live up the moment. This was another one of my grand ideas that sounded super fun and exciting, but I didn't really think everything through...like the whole part where you "ice-climb" a freaking glacier!!!! It ended up being one of the most challenging days of my trip so far.
Our group consisted of 4 guys and another German girl named Franci (tons and tons of Germans backpack through NZ!) Everyone had either ice-climbed or rock-climbed previously....and then there was little ol' me. Besides not ever being on a glacier before, I had never done any sport climbing. In fact, I totally sucked at the action of climbing itself. When we were teenagers, I was always the last one to climb over the fence when running from the Williamson County cops at high school parties. It was just a skill I never fully developed. We packed up our ice-climbing gear, which consisted of ice boots, crampons (the spiky things for your shoes), harness, axes, anchors, ropes, gloves, and helmet. We hiked over an hour up the glacier which was exhausting in itself. The glacier was intimidating and beautiful all at the same time. Another humbling moment where you realize how awesome mother nature really is. Our guides, Chris & Malcolm, taught us the basics of climbing on very small ice walls and we all seemed to get the general hang of things. They set us up for a first climb on a high wall, but it wasn't very steep. I followed the guides instructions...tap one ax in....tap the other ax in...then place each foot into the wall and move up and repeat. I made it all the way to the top and it was awesome! However, my guide warned me that I was using my arms too much and needed to put more weight into my legs. But I felt like I was going to fall if I did that. Even though we were connected to a harness, it was a weird feeling to trust your body while climbing....this is a very common reaction to new climbers. After lunch, they set us up on a much higher and steeper wall. Certain parts of the wall had an overhang that you needed to climb up, which meant climbing past a 90 degree angle. By this time most everyone seemed to have the hang of things, but I was still nervous and knew that I was the weakest link. When I saw the new wall I was like..."what the F....I thought this was a "beginners" course PEOPLE!!!!" I think my partner was a bit nervous too because he told me that I was climbing first. I got all set up and tied into the harness and was like "oh well....all I can do is try my best." It took a lot longer to get my positioning and start up the climb. I could feel my body starting to get a little weak. Sometimes my leg would or ax would slip out, but as long as I had at least 3 points in the ice I could catch myself. Then I got to the overhang. I was already tired and was trying to use all my strength to put the ax in over the hang so that I could climb over the hard part....once again, however, I was not putting the weight into my legs. I got into this horribly awkward position where I couldn't see a good option for me to move upward and I was about 30 ft. off the ground and in between a big crevasse. My arm muscles began to burn and shake and they were not going to last much longer. WHY COULD I NOT PUT THE WEIGHT INTO MY LEGS!!!!!!!!! I didn't think I had good foot placement and my hands were freezing...the frustration overwhelmed me. Malcolm was yelling at me where I needed to go and trying to get me placed better to where I could save energy. I tried one more time to change positions, but I felt my body give out and there was nothing I could do....my feet slipped and I just let go of the axes. Before I knew it, I crashed into the wall behind me, dropped about 5 ft and then was hanging in the middle of this crevasse with everyone staring at me. "See, I told you that you would not fall," exclaimed Malcolm. ( I was beginning to not like Malcolm at this particular moment in time) "Technicality beats out muscle in climbing and your muscles are shredded. You need to trust your legs more." I was both physically & mentally exhausted. What the hell was I thinking doing ice-climbing on a glacier??? The part that sucked the most was that my right ax was stuck in the snow 5 ft. up. Malcolm told me that I needed to get it and that he wasn't letting me down until I climbed to the top. I gave him a look that must have frightened him because he then said he would pull my rope tight to help me above the tough area, but after that I was on my own. He was one of those tough love, no compassion type of people....but otherwise really nice. After he helped me above the lip, I grabbed my ax and got into placement. I caught my breath and sorted out my thoughts...little by little I made it to the top. Even though I had a little bit of help, I was proud of myself. My body was exhausted though...it was a long 9 hour day! After it was all said and done and I was lying in my bed re-thinking the day, I was able to put together all the technicalities he was trying to explain to me. Once you trust your body and footing, ice climbing can be a very exhilarating sport. I would like to try it again someday ad climb to the top with no help at all!
The next day I just wanted to relax. My entire body was sore and I couldn't imagine doing anything strenuous. Alan, Franci, and this other dude Kevin, and I went out to the beach to watch the sunset. We walked on the beach where the Tasman ocean was on one side and the mountains and glaciers were on the other side. Where else in the world could you have this view, I wondered??? I sat on a washed up log with my feet in the sand and watched the sun sizzle into the ocean. The adventures and experiences of the past week were running through my mind....I wondered, as the sun was swallowed up by the ocean - who on earth was seeing the first glimpses of sunrise? Was someone sitting on a beach on the other side of the world wondering the same thing as me?
My computer is giving me trouble...I hope to have all of these pics posted in the next day or 2.
We spent a few more days in the quaint town of Nelson and then headed down the West Coast to a small town called Punakaiki. Punakaiki....aka "Pancake Rocks" is named for these unique rock formations created by a layering weather process called Stylobedding. Basically, this limestone rock forms into these thick layers that look like pancakes stacked on each other. It is one of those scientific mysteries as to why the rocks make this formation. During high tide, the sea surges into caverns and thunders against the rocks....and flies up through blowholes. I did not grow up near the ocean and have only seen the Caribbean or calmer seas. This was one of the first times I witnessed the pure strength and force of the monstrous waves. It was humbling....If I were to have fallen into the water I would have died instantly. I could have stood there for hours in awe of mother nature. I took pics and video, but it doesn't give it any justice.
After the pancake rocks, we grabbed our head lamps and headed into a cave. It was open to the public and not that big, but it was fun to go exploring about on our own. If we were on a cave expedition, I would have been fired immediately. I hit the roof of the cave with my backpack, nailed my head against the rocks, and skidded the sides of my body in tight spots. I was covered in mud and clay by the end of it. There weren't too many major cave formations, so I didn't do that much damage thanks goodness! But I don't think I should look for a career in caving anytime soon. From the caves we went on a hike through this lush forest. It went right along this gorgeous, crystal clear river. (Most rivers in NZ you can drink out of). It was an enchanting hike- all the different trees were shades of green and browns. It was so dense and natural aromas filled the air. The temperature was crisp and fresh...I hardly broke a sweat. I was just waiting for a fairy to whiz by my head or a hobbit to pop out of one of the tree holes - It felt magical! By the end of the day we were exhausted. We stayed in a cute forest bungalow which was basically this shelter with 7 beds...it was very outdoorsy and rustic.
The next day we headed down the coast to Fox Glacier. New Zealand is unique in that is has glaciers only feet from sub-tropic & tropical rain forests....and only a few miles from the beach. The only other place in the world where it has similar terrain is Patagonia in South America. I had never been up close and personal to a glacier before. I decided, being a Texas girl and all, that not only was I going to tour the glacier, but I was going to sign up for ice-climbing class. I am not sure the next time I will see a glacier so I was going to live up the moment. This was another one of my grand ideas that sounded super fun and exciting, but I didn't really think everything through...like the whole part where you "ice-climb" a freaking glacier!!!! It ended up being one of the most challenging days of my trip so far.
Our group consisted of 4 guys and another German girl named Franci (tons and tons of Germans backpack through NZ!) Everyone had either ice-climbed or rock-climbed previously....and then there was little ol' me. Besides not ever being on a glacier before, I had never done any sport climbing. In fact, I totally sucked at the action of climbing itself. When we were teenagers, I was always the last one to climb over the fence when running from the Williamson County cops at high school parties. It was just a skill I never fully developed. We packed up our ice-climbing gear, which consisted of ice boots, crampons (the spiky things for your shoes), harness, axes, anchors, ropes, gloves, and helmet. We hiked over an hour up the glacier which was exhausting in itself. The glacier was intimidating and beautiful all at the same time. Another humbling moment where you realize how awesome mother nature really is. Our guides, Chris & Malcolm, taught us the basics of climbing on very small ice walls and we all seemed to get the general hang of things. They set us up for a first climb on a high wall, but it wasn't very steep. I followed the guides instructions...tap one ax in....tap the other ax in...then place each foot into the wall and move up and repeat. I made it all the way to the top and it was awesome! However, my guide warned me that I was using my arms too much and needed to put more weight into my legs. But I felt like I was going to fall if I did that. Even though we were connected to a harness, it was a weird feeling to trust your body while climbing....this is a very common reaction to new climbers. After lunch, they set us up on a much higher and steeper wall. Certain parts of the wall had an overhang that you needed to climb up, which meant climbing past a 90 degree angle. By this time most everyone seemed to have the hang of things, but I was still nervous and knew that I was the weakest link. When I saw the new wall I was like..."what the F....I thought this was a "beginners" course PEOPLE!!!!" I think my partner was a bit nervous too because he told me that I was climbing first. I got all set up and tied into the harness and was like "oh well....all I can do is try my best." It took a lot longer to get my positioning and start up the climb. I could feel my body starting to get a little weak. Sometimes my leg would or ax would slip out, but as long as I had at least 3 points in the ice I could catch myself. Then I got to the overhang. I was already tired and was trying to use all my strength to put the ax in over the hang so that I could climb over the hard part....once again, however, I was not putting the weight into my legs. I got into this horribly awkward position where I couldn't see a good option for me to move upward and I was about 30 ft. off the ground and in between a big crevasse. My arm muscles began to burn and shake and they were not going to last much longer. WHY COULD I NOT PUT THE WEIGHT INTO MY LEGS!!!!!!!!! I didn't think I had good foot placement and my hands were freezing...the frustration overwhelmed me. Malcolm was yelling at me where I needed to go and trying to get me placed better to where I could save energy. I tried one more time to change positions, but I felt my body give out and there was nothing I could do....my feet slipped and I just let go of the axes. Before I knew it, I crashed into the wall behind me, dropped about 5 ft and then was hanging in the middle of this crevasse with everyone staring at me. "See, I told you that you would not fall," exclaimed Malcolm. ( I was beginning to not like Malcolm at this particular moment in time) "Technicality beats out muscle in climbing and your muscles are shredded. You need to trust your legs more." I was both physically & mentally exhausted. What the hell was I thinking doing ice-climbing on a glacier??? The part that sucked the most was that my right ax was stuck in the snow 5 ft. up. Malcolm told me that I needed to get it and that he wasn't letting me down until I climbed to the top. I gave him a look that must have frightened him because he then said he would pull my rope tight to help me above the tough area, but after that I was on my own. He was one of those tough love, no compassion type of people....but otherwise really nice. After he helped me above the lip, I grabbed my ax and got into placement. I caught my breath and sorted out my thoughts...little by little I made it to the top. Even though I had a little bit of help, I was proud of myself. My body was exhausted though...it was a long 9 hour day! After it was all said and done and I was lying in my bed re-thinking the day, I was able to put together all the technicalities he was trying to explain to me. Once you trust your body and footing, ice climbing can be a very exhilarating sport. I would like to try it again someday ad climb to the top with no help at all!
The next day I just wanted to relax. My entire body was sore and I couldn't imagine doing anything strenuous. Alan, Franci, and this other dude Kevin, and I went out to the beach to watch the sunset. We walked on the beach where the Tasman ocean was on one side and the mountains and glaciers were on the other side. Where else in the world could you have this view, I wondered??? I sat on a washed up log with my feet in the sand and watched the sun sizzle into the ocean. The adventures and experiences of the past week were running through my mind....I wondered, as the sun was swallowed up by the ocean - who on earth was seeing the first glimpses of sunrise? Was someone sitting on a beach on the other side of the world wondering the same thing as me?
My computer is giving me trouble...I hope to have all of these pics posted in the next day or 2.
Monday, March 23, 2009
The South Island
Wellington, the capitol of NZ, was a very lovely town. I think it is similar to Austin in that it is a university town and has a fun young vibe. However, the terrain is much different then back home. I met my friend, Alan (who I previously met in Ecuador). He was couchsurfing and his host invited me to stay at his place as well. Couchsurfing is a world wide program in which people host travelers and show them their city. It is free and you meet a lot of cool people. Our host was Ryan. He was born in Oregon, but has lived in Wellington the past 3 years and was working on his citizenship. He took us to a local movie quiz night at the cinema, happy hours, cafes....we hung out with his friends. It was fun to chill in Wellington with a local. At happy hour one night, I had a chat with these lovely guys and after a little while they gave me these 2 free tickets to a rugby match that night. I had been dying to see a professional sports match (cricket or rugby) so I was super excited. Alan and I went to the game...ate chips (fries) and drank the local beer. It was much like a typical sporting event in the states. Cheerleaders, the crowd going wild and yelling at the refs, obnoxious music. Not to mention, rugby players are CRAZY! A lot of them got hurt and limped off the field....very dangerous, but really exciting to watch.
After a few days in Wellington, we decided to ferry across to the South Island. On the ferry, I met this Kiwi couple who were in their mid-40s. They were born and raised in Auckland and had just sold everything they owned, quit their jobs, and bought a camper van. They decided they needed a change in life and realized that they had never properly traveled through their own country. So, the plan was to camp around the South Island for a year and figure out where they wanted to settle next. I thought it was a brilliant idea! I myself have hardly traveled the USA...how fun would it be to road trip through America for a year??? Hmmm...maybe my next trip :) Anyways, the sparkle of adventure in their eyes was so endearing to see. I meet many people my age who are backpacking and trying to figure out who they are in life and where they want to go. This couple was different then the usual traveler I came across....just because you are married and older and settled...doesn't mean you can't still have a little bit of adventure. They were the first of a few unique travelers that I came across the next few days of my journey.
We arrived to Picton, which is the port town where the ferries come in (population 4000). The town is the gateway to the beautiful Marlborough Sounds. We did a day hike through the sounds which was magnificent. While hiking I met this older woman....she appeared to be in her 60s. She was from Australia and owned a goat cheese farm. For her holiday, she came over to NZ for 3 months...living out of her car, bathing in the streams, hiking every chance she could get, and stopping in a pub here and there. Pretty much, she was the coolest woman I have ever met. She was all alone and seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. We had a good chat about travels and she loved to talk about Obama. She said her and Obama spent the evenings together (she read his books before she went to sleep at nigh). She was a character...and once again, I was enjoying listening to her stories about travel and life. She invited us to work on her cheese farm for a bit if I travel through her town in Australia....free room and board...just work a few hours a day making cheese! That actually sounds like fun :)
New Zealand is clearly one of the prettiest countries in the world. It has lush mountains, valleys, ocean, beaches, glaciers, rivers, lakes, and much more. They are very conscious about the environment and put a lot of money into preserving the parks and wildlife. The country is roughly the size of Colorado with a population of about 4 million (which is not a lot!!!). This means that outside of the main city centers there is tons of land with no people. Before Lord of the Rings, it was not that big on the backpackers circuit, but over the past few years it has grown in popularity. If you like adventure and the outdoors....then this is the place for you. Besides its scenic beauty, everyone speaks English, it is very well developed, you can drink the water, transportation is pristine, and the accommodations are well above average. Because of all of this, it isn't the cheapest country to travel through.....much more expensive then South America. Travel is easy...in fact, I think it is almost too easy. There is not the spontaneity or unpredictability that I came across in South America and other under-developed countries. Although it is very nice and my travels are going well....I felt like I was missing something. So, to help spice things up during my travels here in NZ, I have decided to try hitch-hiking as a means of transport. I kept going back and forth about how to get around (rent/buy car, backpacker bus, fly) and I came to the conclusion that hitching was the best option for me. It was cheap, you met cool people, I could still see cool things, and it is one of the safest countries in the world to do it. Plus, it would give me that unpredictability that I have been longing for :) How long will it take for me to get a ride....will I get a ride at all? And if I didn't get a ride, well then....I would just hop on the next bus out of town.
Our next destination was Nelson which was about 120k from Picton. I was determined to hitch the entire way there. The hostel owner showed us a good spot in town to pick up a ride (because it is a very common form of transport here) and we were off. I had no idea what to expect from hitch-hiking so I just did what I saw in the movies....threw my bags on the curb and held out my thumb. I was laughing hysterically to myself because never did I think that I would hitch a ride like this. Alan and I were holding our thumbs and grinning from ear to ear. About 10 minutes went by and no one stopped....another 10 minutes and nothing. Hmmmm maybe we looked too excited about this. Perhaps we needed to look more helpless....and distressed.."please please...pick us up, we have no car.....no home....we are dying of hunger." Alan was getting a little bit antsy because he had a pre-paid bus pass, but I told him that I was hitching to Nelson...no matter how long it took. Once I get something it my head, I am going to do it dammit!!! I was determined. A few minutes later, a van pulled over with an older fella and he said he could take us about 20k to Springcreek. So we grabbed our bags and hopped in. We both looked at each other with the biggest smiles on our face....we had officially picked up a ride and we were true renegades....hitching the South Island. I was so excited the whole time....if only the driver knew it was our first hitch experience. Ray was a nice fella...he had 2 kids that lived in the states so he traveled there quite often. He loved the states and was talking about some of his travels there (it was refreshing to hear someone say some good things about the States for once.) Him and his wife recently moved to the South Island...they bought and ran a local hotel in Springcreek and liked their new life now that the kids had grown up. It was a fantastic first hitch experience- in fact, too bad this is totally dangerous in the States because I think it is a fantastic way to get somewhere while meeting cool people. Plus, the unpredictability of it all was just way too exciting for me. Ray dropped us off at a good spot for getting rides and said we would probably be picked up within the hour. After about 30 minutes though, we didn't have any takers. It was really fun seeing people's expressions though. You had the old women who just shook their heads and mouthed something along the lines of "you crazy kids". Then you had a car full of young guys who smiled and motioned that there was no more room in their car. My favorite though, were the young families with kids in the backseats. The husband would look at you and smile as if he could remember the good old days of hitching. You could tell that he wanted to stop and pick us up. He would give you a head nod...."way to go kid...keep it up....you will find a ride soon." We spent the next hour imagining the conversations that were going through the passing cars. Eventually, Alan walked to Ray's motel and made a sign for us to hold that read "Nelson, please!". I held the sign up and Alan stuck his thumb out.... And then shortly after, a station wagon flying down the road passed us, but then slammed on his breaks and slowed down. It was two Swiss travelers heading to Nelson as well. We piled our stuff in and we were on the road again. We arrived to Nelson that afternoon all by hitching rides. We gave the Swiss guy a couple bucks for gas because he was empty, but otherwise, it was all free!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!! I will definitely give it another whirl while traveling on the South Island.
Nelson is an awesome town....they love the arts and have beautiful scenic treks and parks throughout the city. I am staying in a nice hostel that only has 10 beds. This married couple (Lyn & Robin) converted their downstairs house into a hostel and they are the nicest people ever. Lyn told me if I had a sweet tooth I could walk upstairs and she would dish me some ice cream after dinner. How cute is that??? They make you feel right at home and it is refreshing to stay at a place like that every now and then. Tomorrow, a few of us are going on a day excursion on the Abel Tasman trek. We are going to see a colony of seals, kayak, and hike....it will be an eventful day. I have about 5 more weeks in NZ....who knows where the wind will take me....or where my next ride will end up.
After a few days in Wellington, we decided to ferry across to the South Island. On the ferry, I met this Kiwi couple who were in their mid-40s. They were born and raised in Auckland and had just sold everything they owned, quit their jobs, and bought a camper van. They decided they needed a change in life and realized that they had never properly traveled through their own country. So, the plan was to camp around the South Island for a year and figure out where they wanted to settle next. I thought it was a brilliant idea! I myself have hardly traveled the USA...how fun would it be to road trip through America for a year??? Hmmm...maybe my next trip :) Anyways, the sparkle of adventure in their eyes was so endearing to see. I meet many people my age who are backpacking and trying to figure out who they are in life and where they want to go. This couple was different then the usual traveler I came across....just because you are married and older and settled...doesn't mean you can't still have a little bit of adventure. They were the first of a few unique travelers that I came across the next few days of my journey.
We arrived to Picton, which is the port town where the ferries come in (population 4000). The town is the gateway to the beautiful Marlborough Sounds. We did a day hike through the sounds which was magnificent. While hiking I met this older woman....she appeared to be in her 60s. She was from Australia and owned a goat cheese farm. For her holiday, she came over to NZ for 3 months...living out of her car, bathing in the streams, hiking every chance she could get, and stopping in a pub here and there. Pretty much, she was the coolest woman I have ever met. She was all alone and seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. We had a good chat about travels and she loved to talk about Obama. She said her and Obama spent the evenings together (she read his books before she went to sleep at nigh). She was a character...and once again, I was enjoying listening to her stories about travel and life. She invited us to work on her cheese farm for a bit if I travel through her town in Australia....free room and board...just work a few hours a day making cheese! That actually sounds like fun :)
New Zealand is clearly one of the prettiest countries in the world. It has lush mountains, valleys, ocean, beaches, glaciers, rivers, lakes, and much more. They are very conscious about the environment and put a lot of money into preserving the parks and wildlife. The country is roughly the size of Colorado with a population of about 4 million (which is not a lot!!!). This means that outside of the main city centers there is tons of land with no people. Before Lord of the Rings, it was not that big on the backpackers circuit, but over the past few years it has grown in popularity. If you like adventure and the outdoors....then this is the place for you. Besides its scenic beauty, everyone speaks English, it is very well developed, you can drink the water, transportation is pristine, and the accommodations are well above average. Because of all of this, it isn't the cheapest country to travel through.....much more expensive then South America. Travel is easy...in fact, I think it is almost too easy. There is not the spontaneity or unpredictability that I came across in South America and other under-developed countries. Although it is very nice and my travels are going well....I felt like I was missing something. So, to help spice things up during my travels here in NZ, I have decided to try hitch-hiking as a means of transport. I kept going back and forth about how to get around (rent/buy car, backpacker bus, fly) and I came to the conclusion that hitching was the best option for me. It was cheap, you met cool people, I could still see cool things, and it is one of the safest countries in the world to do it. Plus, it would give me that unpredictability that I have been longing for :) How long will it take for me to get a ride....will I get a ride at all? And if I didn't get a ride, well then....I would just hop on the next bus out of town.
Our next destination was Nelson which was about 120k from Picton. I was determined to hitch the entire way there. The hostel owner showed us a good spot in town to pick up a ride (because it is a very common form of transport here) and we were off. I had no idea what to expect from hitch-hiking so I just did what I saw in the movies....threw my bags on the curb and held out my thumb. I was laughing hysterically to myself because never did I think that I would hitch a ride like this. Alan and I were holding our thumbs and grinning from ear to ear. About 10 minutes went by and no one stopped....another 10 minutes and nothing. Hmmmm maybe we looked too excited about this. Perhaps we needed to look more helpless....and distressed.."please please...pick us up, we have no car.....no home....we are dying of hunger." Alan was getting a little bit antsy because he had a pre-paid bus pass, but I told him that I was hitching to Nelson...no matter how long it took. Once I get something it my head, I am going to do it dammit!!! I was determined. A few minutes later, a van pulled over with an older fella and he said he could take us about 20k to Springcreek. So we grabbed our bags and hopped in. We both looked at each other with the biggest smiles on our face....we had officially picked up a ride and we were true renegades....hitching the South Island. I was so excited the whole time....if only the driver knew it was our first hitch experience. Ray was a nice fella...he had 2 kids that lived in the states so he traveled there quite often. He loved the states and was talking about some of his travels there (it was refreshing to hear someone say some good things about the States for once.) Him and his wife recently moved to the South Island...they bought and ran a local hotel in Springcreek and liked their new life now that the kids had grown up. It was a fantastic first hitch experience- in fact, too bad this is totally dangerous in the States because I think it is a fantastic way to get somewhere while meeting cool people. Plus, the unpredictability of it all was just way too exciting for me. Ray dropped us off at a good spot for getting rides and said we would probably be picked up within the hour. After about 30 minutes though, we didn't have any takers. It was really fun seeing people's expressions though. You had the old women who just shook their heads and mouthed something along the lines of "you crazy kids". Then you had a car full of young guys who smiled and motioned that there was no more room in their car. My favorite though, were the young families with kids in the backseats. The husband would look at you and smile as if he could remember the good old days of hitching. You could tell that he wanted to stop and pick us up. He would give you a head nod...."way to go kid...keep it up....you will find a ride soon." We spent the next hour imagining the conversations that were going through the passing cars. Eventually, Alan walked to Ray's motel and made a sign for us to hold that read "Nelson, please!". I held the sign up and Alan stuck his thumb out.... And then shortly after, a station wagon flying down the road passed us, but then slammed on his breaks and slowed down. It was two Swiss travelers heading to Nelson as well. We piled our stuff in and we were on the road again. We arrived to Nelson that afternoon all by hitching rides. We gave the Swiss guy a couple bucks for gas because he was empty, but otherwise, it was all free!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!! I will definitely give it another whirl while traveling on the South Island.
Nelson is an awesome town....they love the arts and have beautiful scenic treks and parks throughout the city. I am staying in a nice hostel that only has 10 beds. This married couple (Lyn & Robin) converted their downstairs house into a hostel and they are the nicest people ever. Lyn told me if I had a sweet tooth I could walk upstairs and she would dish me some ice cream after dinner. How cute is that??? They make you feel right at home and it is refreshing to stay at a place like that every now and then. Tomorrow, a few of us are going on a day excursion on the Abel Tasman trek. We are going to see a colony of seals, kayak, and hike....it will be an eventful day. I have about 5 more weeks in NZ....who knows where the wind will take me....or where my next ride will end up.
Friday, March 13, 2009
New Zealand....via Fiji!
I arrived to Nadi, Fiji at 5:35am. I was excited to start my trip again, to see a new place and a new culture. My taxi driver, Anu, was from Indian decent. I really didn't know what to expect from Fiji, but it is comprised of Fijians and Indians and they speak a mixture of both Fijian and Hindu as well as English. I think the Indians came over to the South Pacific Islands as slaves and now they share the land. Anu was explaining to me the history in his broken English.
When I arrived to the small resort that I had booked, I was greeted by 3 Fijian woman. They had the best smiles on their faces that lit up the entire room. They all said "Bula" (which means hello/welcome) and I immediately responded with "Hola, Como Estan?".....they just stared at me like I was crazy. Dangit!!!! My first hour in a new country and I've already played the dumb American card..."I'm in a foreign country, you are not white, you don't speak English, so...I am going to talk to you in Spanish!" Actually, to my defense, "Bula" sounded a lot like "Hola" and since I had been traveling in South America for 4 months I think it was just an innate response. I apologized and tried to explain myself, but that was not the only time during my 1 day in Fiji where I broke out in Spanish....I felt pretty silly.
My room had a fabulous view of the gardens and volcanic mountains and if I leaned over my balcony far enough I could get a glimpse of the ocean. (We are on a budget people....I couldn't afford the ocean front!). I spent the day relaxing, writing, & reading, while working on my tan. Yes Mom....I put sunscreen on. But I did get the "singles burn". You know, that little part of the back that you can't quite reach on your own - well, that got pretty burnt. It was just another sign to reiterate that I was alone at a honeymooners paradise! I was actually having a really good time regardless.
That night I went down to enjoy a nice dinner. I decided to bring a book to read and try to find a table that had a fabulous view of the bay. I was in luck, there was an open table amongst all the honeymooners and families...perfect! I sat down and ordered a white wine, which is really unusual for me because I normally drink red wine. But I was sweating so bad because the humidity was insane. Like literally, sweat rolling down my back and probably showing through my cotton dress. White wine just seemed refreshing at the time. I opened my book and tried not to make any sudden movements so that my body temperature would not rise anymore. "How ya going?" I heard in a thick Australian accent. I looked up to see a man staring in my direction. "Excuse me?" I replied as I really had no idea what he just said to me. "Are you alone?"....was it that obvious, I wondered? My sweaty ass sitting alone reading and drinking wine....."Uh, Yeah...I'm just passing through" as if I needed an excuse to clarify that I was here for only a layover. "Well would you like to join my wife and me for a drink and dinner?"..."Why yes I would!" And that is how I met Deb and Rob. We chatted for a few hours about life, politics, travel, and everything else in between. It was lovely and I am glad that they invited me over. They live in Newcastle, Australia and opened their home to me if I ever pass through.
Fiji was awesome from what I saw. I hope to make it back there someday for more time then just one night.....maybe for my honeymoon someday. Or a fabulous girls trip :)
Onward to NZ...Australia and NZ have pretty strict immigration rules. You need to have proof of onward travel and provide financial stability, etc. I thought I had everything squared away until I went to the check-in desk in Fiji. Apparently, I did not have a visitors visa to Australia and I needed to have that in order to leave Fiji. I had to run around the airport looking for Internet to try and apply so I could make it on my plane in time. Gotta love international travel! Just when you think you have everything under control, something slips through the cracks. ( Like I really ever have everything under control, let's be honest here!)
Auckland was a pretty sweet city. I stayed in the city center and walked EVERYWHERE! They had so many amazing parks and areas to sit and read and people watch. The university was also nearby so I wandered through there to check out the scene. There were so many different ethnicity's throughout the city.....tons of Asians, Indians, and South Pacific Islanders. A lot of them attend Auckland university. Because of this, there is AMAZING food options. They have these places called "Food Courts" where there are about 30 stands of different types of food and you just eat in a no frills cafeteria. There was one next to my hostel and that was the only place I ate at in Auckland. They had choices between Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Turkish, Malaysian, and the list goes on. All meals were about $5 which meant it was one of the cheapest places to eat in the city.....I tried something new every time I went in. When you order they ask if you want the meal spicy or not. The first few meals I chose spicy and it was the perfect amount of spice. I was beginning to get pretty confident in my eating because I could handle the spicy dishes while everyone else was ordering mild. Well, my last meal was not the case. Once again, I ordered spicy, but this time it was like they took every pepper on earth and put it on this dish. I couldn't even eat hardly any of it. My entire face was broken out into a sweat, but I was trying to act cool because the cook kept looking over at me. I think he was playing a joke on me since I had such confidence in the way I said "spicy". I finally asked for a to-go box and acted like I was really full so as to not let him know the spice got to me. My stomach burned for about 2 days after that.
Auckland is called the "City of Sails" because about every 1 in 3 people owns a boat. The city is located between the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean...if you go up high enough you can see both bodies of water. I spent a few mornings walking along the coast lines. They have a great hike and bike trail that goes right along the water and through the beaches. I think one of the best ways to explore a city is to jog/walk through it... In the afternoons I would go to one of the beautiful parks and lay in the grass and read or research my travel books. They have pick-up rugby and cricket games after work so I enjoyed watching those sports and trying to figure out all the rules etc. The rugby guys were nice to look at, and I now have a weird interest in learning how to play cricket. I have decided I will go see some sort of professional sports match before I leave NZ or Australia.
One morning I took a free city bus tour. My guide was a Maori, which are the native people of New Zealand. I actually learned a lot about NZ and the Maori culture on the tour. For instance, the reason why New Zealand is such and adventure sport country is not because everyone here is a crazy bad-ass, but because you cannot sue a company for personal injury in NZ. As long as you sign a waiver and they suited you up correctly....if you get hurt there is nothing you can do about it. It was something the government put into effect to help with the tourism.
When my tour guide introduced himself in the Maori language, he said his name, the mountain he was born on, and the river that ran through it. That is how they introduce themselves because they believe they are one with the land they grew up on. Also, Maoris are known for their intricate tattoos. They used to cover their bodies with tattoos including their faces. Now-a-days they don't put them on their face as much because they cannot get work and there is a bad stigma to it from a gang that broke out in the 80s. However, most of them still get tattoos on their arms and legs. Each line and stroke of the tattoo is significant to their life. Much like the way they introduce themselves, the tattoos usually include the mountain, river, the boat that their ancestors came over on, their tribe name, names of their mother & father, and any special skills they have. We visited several grounds through Auckland that were owned by Maori tribes. At this time the areas are still open to public, which is pretty neat considering the rough history between the settlers and the natives.
During the tour, we also went to the Harbor Bridge where we watched people bungee jump. Everyone was trying to tempt each other to jump....I sure as hell wasn't going to jump though. Now that I knew about the personal injury law, my view of adventure sports in NZ had changed a bit.
We also went to Mt Eden, which is a volcano with a huge crater. In fact, Auckland sits on top of about 50 volcanoes....so basically it is a ticking time bomb! About 60 years ago scientists predicted that there would be a new island to form in the next 100 years. They still believe this, which means that sometime soon there is gonna be one crazy fire in the sky when the island comes up next to NZ.
After Auckland, I headed north to a town called Whangarei. I heard there were these awesome caves you could explore for FREE! When the "F" word is involved....I come a running. When I arrived to the town I soon realized that the caves were a pretty far distance away and you could only get there by car. This was the first kink of my travels. I had heard that renting a car was the way to travel, but I didn't want to rent one alone. There are also these backpacker buses you can ride, but you are still limited to what you can see. I needed to figure something out soon though...there were tons of places to see and I wouldn't be able to get to them all by the city bus.
Instead of the caves, I ended up doing this 10 mile hike to these awesome waterfalls. The scenery was awesome and it was a great workout! I decided that things happen for a reason and it was probably good that I did not go to the caves alone. I probably would have been stabbed in the eye by some stalagmite and lay there for dead until some other idiot backpacker came along.
I met a friend in Ecuador who happens to be in NZ now as well. I decided to go meet up with him and we would look into renting a car. He is Alaskan and LOVES the outdoors so I think we will have fun hiking and camping together. So, I am now heading to South Island. There are a few places I wanted to check out on North Island, but it isn't worth the time and expense of getting there at this point. Plus, there are TONS of amazing things to see on South Island ...including a lot of ski resorts :)
When I arrived to the small resort that I had booked, I was greeted by 3 Fijian woman. They had the best smiles on their faces that lit up the entire room. They all said "Bula" (which means hello/welcome) and I immediately responded with "Hola, Como Estan?".....they just stared at me like I was crazy. Dangit!!!! My first hour in a new country and I've already played the dumb American card..."I'm in a foreign country, you are not white, you don't speak English, so...I am going to talk to you in Spanish!" Actually, to my defense, "Bula" sounded a lot like "Hola" and since I had been traveling in South America for 4 months I think it was just an innate response. I apologized and tried to explain myself, but that was not the only time during my 1 day in Fiji where I broke out in Spanish....I felt pretty silly.
My room had a fabulous view of the gardens and volcanic mountains and if I leaned over my balcony far enough I could get a glimpse of the ocean. (We are on a budget people....I couldn't afford the ocean front!). I spent the day relaxing, writing, & reading, while working on my tan. Yes Mom....I put sunscreen on. But I did get the "singles burn". You know, that little part of the back that you can't quite reach on your own - well, that got pretty burnt. It was just another sign to reiterate that I was alone at a honeymooners paradise! I was actually having a really good time regardless.
That night I went down to enjoy a nice dinner. I decided to bring a book to read and try to find a table that had a fabulous view of the bay. I was in luck, there was an open table amongst all the honeymooners and families...perfect! I sat down and ordered a white wine, which is really unusual for me because I normally drink red wine. But I was sweating so bad because the humidity was insane. Like literally, sweat rolling down my back and probably showing through my cotton dress. White wine just seemed refreshing at the time. I opened my book and tried not to make any sudden movements so that my body temperature would not rise anymore. "How ya going?" I heard in a thick Australian accent. I looked up to see a man staring in my direction. "Excuse me?" I replied as I really had no idea what he just said to me. "Are you alone?"....was it that obvious, I wondered? My sweaty ass sitting alone reading and drinking wine....."Uh, Yeah...I'm just passing through" as if I needed an excuse to clarify that I was here for only a layover. "Well would you like to join my wife and me for a drink and dinner?"..."Why yes I would!" And that is how I met Deb and Rob. We chatted for a few hours about life, politics, travel, and everything else in between. It was lovely and I am glad that they invited me over. They live in Newcastle, Australia and opened their home to me if I ever pass through.
Fiji was awesome from what I saw. I hope to make it back there someday for more time then just one night.....maybe for my honeymoon someday. Or a fabulous girls trip :)
Onward to NZ...Australia and NZ have pretty strict immigration rules. You need to have proof of onward travel and provide financial stability, etc. I thought I had everything squared away until I went to the check-in desk in Fiji. Apparently, I did not have a visitors visa to Australia and I needed to have that in order to leave Fiji. I had to run around the airport looking for Internet to try and apply so I could make it on my plane in time. Gotta love international travel! Just when you think you have everything under control, something slips through the cracks. ( Like I really ever have everything under control, let's be honest here!)
Auckland was a pretty sweet city. I stayed in the city center and walked EVERYWHERE! They had so many amazing parks and areas to sit and read and people watch. The university was also nearby so I wandered through there to check out the scene. There were so many different ethnicity's throughout the city.....tons of Asians, Indians, and South Pacific Islanders. A lot of them attend Auckland university. Because of this, there is AMAZING food options. They have these places called "Food Courts" where there are about 30 stands of different types of food and you just eat in a no frills cafeteria. There was one next to my hostel and that was the only place I ate at in Auckland. They had choices between Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Turkish, Malaysian, and the list goes on. All meals were about $5 which meant it was one of the cheapest places to eat in the city.....I tried something new every time I went in. When you order they ask if you want the meal spicy or not. The first few meals I chose spicy and it was the perfect amount of spice. I was beginning to get pretty confident in my eating because I could handle the spicy dishes while everyone else was ordering mild. Well, my last meal was not the case. Once again, I ordered spicy, but this time it was like they took every pepper on earth and put it on this dish. I couldn't even eat hardly any of it. My entire face was broken out into a sweat, but I was trying to act cool because the cook kept looking over at me. I think he was playing a joke on me since I had such confidence in the way I said "spicy". I finally asked for a to-go box and acted like I was really full so as to not let him know the spice got to me. My stomach burned for about 2 days after that.
Auckland is called the "City of Sails" because about every 1 in 3 people owns a boat. The city is located between the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean...if you go up high enough you can see both bodies of water. I spent a few mornings walking along the coast lines. They have a great hike and bike trail that goes right along the water and through the beaches. I think one of the best ways to explore a city is to jog/walk through it... In the afternoons I would go to one of the beautiful parks and lay in the grass and read or research my travel books. They have pick-up rugby and cricket games after work so I enjoyed watching those sports and trying to figure out all the rules etc. The rugby guys were nice to look at, and I now have a weird interest in learning how to play cricket. I have decided I will go see some sort of professional sports match before I leave NZ or Australia.
One morning I took a free city bus tour. My guide was a Maori, which are the native people of New Zealand. I actually learned a lot about NZ and the Maori culture on the tour. For instance, the reason why New Zealand is such and adventure sport country is not because everyone here is a crazy bad-ass, but because you cannot sue a company for personal injury in NZ. As long as you sign a waiver and they suited you up correctly....if you get hurt there is nothing you can do about it. It was something the government put into effect to help with the tourism.
When my tour guide introduced himself in the Maori language, he said his name, the mountain he was born on, and the river that ran through it. That is how they introduce themselves because they believe they are one with the land they grew up on. Also, Maoris are known for their intricate tattoos. They used to cover their bodies with tattoos including their faces. Now-a-days they don't put them on their face as much because they cannot get work and there is a bad stigma to it from a gang that broke out in the 80s. However, most of them still get tattoos on their arms and legs. Each line and stroke of the tattoo is significant to their life. Much like the way they introduce themselves, the tattoos usually include the mountain, river, the boat that their ancestors came over on, their tribe name, names of their mother & father, and any special skills they have. We visited several grounds through Auckland that were owned by Maori tribes. At this time the areas are still open to public, which is pretty neat considering the rough history between the settlers and the natives.
During the tour, we also went to the Harbor Bridge where we watched people bungee jump. Everyone was trying to tempt each other to jump....I sure as hell wasn't going to jump though. Now that I knew about the personal injury law, my view of adventure sports in NZ had changed a bit.
We also went to Mt Eden, which is a volcano with a huge crater. In fact, Auckland sits on top of about 50 volcanoes....so basically it is a ticking time bomb! About 60 years ago scientists predicted that there would be a new island to form in the next 100 years. They still believe this, which means that sometime soon there is gonna be one crazy fire in the sky when the island comes up next to NZ.
After Auckland, I headed north to a town called Whangarei. I heard there were these awesome caves you could explore for FREE! When the "F" word is involved....I come a running. When I arrived to the town I soon realized that the caves were a pretty far distance away and you could only get there by car. This was the first kink of my travels. I had heard that renting a car was the way to travel, but I didn't want to rent one alone. There are also these backpacker buses you can ride, but you are still limited to what you can see. I needed to figure something out soon though...there were tons of places to see and I wouldn't be able to get to them all by the city bus.
Instead of the caves, I ended up doing this 10 mile hike to these awesome waterfalls. The scenery was awesome and it was a great workout! I decided that things happen for a reason and it was probably good that I did not go to the caves alone. I probably would have been stabbed in the eye by some stalagmite and lay there for dead until some other idiot backpacker came along.
I met a friend in Ecuador who happens to be in NZ now as well. I decided to go meet up with him and we would look into renting a car. He is Alaskan and LOVES the outdoors so I think we will have fun hiking and camping together. So, I am now heading to South Island. There are a few places I wanted to check out on North Island, but it isn't worth the time and expense of getting there at this point. Plus, there are TONS of amazing things to see on South Island ...including a lot of ski resorts :)
The plan is....there is no plan!
After a hectic day of packing and last minute fiascoes, I found myself sitting in the Austin Bergstrom Airport catching my breath and gathering my thoughts. Here I was, about to start stage 2 of my Round the World trip....a moment that seemed to be in the distant future. Crazy how time passes so quickly.
It was the first time in the past month that I had time to center myself, re-group, and get back into "traveler" mode. After a crazy 4 month roller coaster ride through South America, I came back to the USA to visit with family & friends and chill-out for a bit. Visiting family and friends I did do....the chill-out part...well, not so much.
It was definitely a culture shock coming back to the states. First of all, it was pretty ridiculous to come home to all of this stuff (clothes, hair products, blow dryer, lotions, perfumes, makeup, shoes, etc) that I had packed away before I left. And to think....I lived out of a backpack for 4 months with none of it. It's amazing how little you really need to live.
Besides the over excess of crap that I was now keenly aware of, culture shock numero dos was the constant rat race, planning, scheduling, hustle & bustle world that we call America. America...the world super-power! Capitalism at its best....urrrr...so we think? It turns out that I came home to one of the worst recessions in our country's history. Every news show, magazine cover, radio channel discussed how bad of shape we were in.....and for good reason. Things are not looking good and my country has a rough road ahead of it. It was in every ones face no matter where you turned. In a country where people love their "stuff", it seemed that people just stopped buying things. What will the future hold for our economy??? No one really knows. We have a new President with a lot on his plate....only time will tell.
From a traveler's standpoint, the US dollar is stronger abroad because everyone's economy has collapsed as well. People outside of the States LOVE Obama and have high hopes for him....so that meant a better image for me as an American...an image that has been negative the last few times I have traveled. Those things, combined with lower gas prices, has made this one of the best times to travel in the past 20 years. However, I must say, there is an underlying pain in my gut questioning whether I should have quit a well paying job....and if I will be able to find work when my travels are over. But who wants to be a Debbie Downer? I'm jobless in the worst economical situation....traveling the world. That is just how it is. No regrets....no looking back. I am just going to enjoy this time in my life.
Even with the recession in full swing, it didn't take long for the rat race to surround me again. With all of my family and friends working hard to make a dollar and keeping up with the Jones's, I soon found my schedule filling up with happy hours, lunch dates, dinners, and quality time to be spent with loved ones. I was balancing friends and family and trying to absorb as much as I could before I had to say goodbye again. Also, trying to plan the next stage of my trip on top of that and I soon felt like I had a full time job of....being home??? It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it was a little overwhelming coming from South America where I hardly had any plans and rarely anyone to check in with.
However, despite coming back to the craziness of America and feeling the culture shock, it was wonderful to see my loved ones and be home again. It actually didn't take long for my South American mentalities to fade away and start to embrace the comforts of America again. Laptops, itunes, queen-sized beds, hot showers, CLEAN showers, tex-mex, queso, mexican martinis.....the list goes on.....it was nice to have the unnecessary necessities again (if that makes any sense at all).
In fact, for a lot of the reasons that my country (government) frustrates me, there are double the reasons why I am fortunate to be an American citizen. I am a well educated, respected single female. I have choices and freedoms that many woman (or men for that matter) can't even imagine in other countries.
If it weren't for the hardships of my parents and my parent's parents, and if it weren't for my hard working ethics and determination that I learned from this capitalistic mind set, then I would not be doing the traveling that I am doing today. I have determined that it is a catch-22. Unfortunately, I had to quit my job and take a huge risk to do this trip, since our workforce doesn't cater to long term travel. But at least I have the choice to do so.
The one month that I was back in the states was really good for me. It went by too fast. My friends claim that nothing has changed since I have been gone, but I see many changes. I will miss birthdays, weddings, baptisms, and many more important things that I would love to be a part of. There is a whole world out there to see and I often wonder if I could live abroad the rest of my life. But family is way too important and I can see that I will miss them greatly these next 10 months.
So....here I am ...heading to LAX (my first time in California). I have had so many great experiences in the past 5 months...so many thoughts of the world running through my head. I can't even imagine what the next 10 months have in store for me. What places will I see and what characters will I meet?
I start the next venture heading to New Zealand. I have a layover in Fiji and have decided that I will stay a day there just to check out the island. I will be surrounded by honeymooners and lovers and then there will be little ol' me hanging out on the beach. I figure I will use one day of beach time to relax and get centered before I head in to the wild and crazy world of the "backpacker" lifestyle. Once I get to New Zealand, I am not sure what my itinerary will be....the plan is....there is no plan. Here we go again!
It was the first time in the past month that I had time to center myself, re-group, and get back into "traveler" mode. After a crazy 4 month roller coaster ride through South America, I came back to the USA to visit with family & friends and chill-out for a bit. Visiting family and friends I did do....the chill-out part...well, not so much.
It was definitely a culture shock coming back to the states. First of all, it was pretty ridiculous to come home to all of this stuff (clothes, hair products, blow dryer, lotions, perfumes, makeup, shoes, etc) that I had packed away before I left. And to think....I lived out of a backpack for 4 months with none of it. It's amazing how little you really need to live.
Besides the over excess of crap that I was now keenly aware of, culture shock numero dos was the constant rat race, planning, scheduling, hustle & bustle world that we call America. America...the world super-power! Capitalism at its best....urrrr...so we think? It turns out that I came home to one of the worst recessions in our country's history. Every news show, magazine cover, radio channel discussed how bad of shape we were in.....and for good reason. Things are not looking good and my country has a rough road ahead of it. It was in every ones face no matter where you turned. In a country where people love their "stuff", it seemed that people just stopped buying things. What will the future hold for our economy??? No one really knows. We have a new President with a lot on his plate....only time will tell.
From a traveler's standpoint, the US dollar is stronger abroad because everyone's economy has collapsed as well. People outside of the States LOVE Obama and have high hopes for him....so that meant a better image for me as an American...an image that has been negative the last few times I have traveled. Those things, combined with lower gas prices, has made this one of the best times to travel in the past 20 years. However, I must say, there is an underlying pain in my gut questioning whether I should have quit a well paying job....and if I will be able to find work when my travels are over. But who wants to be a Debbie Downer? I'm jobless in the worst economical situation....traveling the world. That is just how it is. No regrets....no looking back. I am just going to enjoy this time in my life.
Even with the recession in full swing, it didn't take long for the rat race to surround me again. With all of my family and friends working hard to make a dollar and keeping up with the Jones's, I soon found my schedule filling up with happy hours, lunch dates, dinners, and quality time to be spent with loved ones. I was balancing friends and family and trying to absorb as much as I could before I had to say goodbye again. Also, trying to plan the next stage of my trip on top of that and I soon felt like I had a full time job of....being home??? It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it was a little overwhelming coming from South America where I hardly had any plans and rarely anyone to check in with.
However, despite coming back to the craziness of America and feeling the culture shock, it was wonderful to see my loved ones and be home again. It actually didn't take long for my South American mentalities to fade away and start to embrace the comforts of America again. Laptops, itunes, queen-sized beds, hot showers, CLEAN showers, tex-mex, queso, mexican martinis.....the list goes on.....it was nice to have the unnecessary necessities again (if that makes any sense at all).
In fact, for a lot of the reasons that my country (government) frustrates me, there are double the reasons why I am fortunate to be an American citizen. I am a well educated, respected single female. I have choices and freedoms that many woman (or men for that matter) can't even imagine in other countries.
If it weren't for the hardships of my parents and my parent's parents, and if it weren't for my hard working ethics and determination that I learned from this capitalistic mind set, then I would not be doing the traveling that I am doing today. I have determined that it is a catch-22. Unfortunately, I had to quit my job and take a huge risk to do this trip, since our workforce doesn't cater to long term travel. But at least I have the choice to do so.
The one month that I was back in the states was really good for me. It went by too fast. My friends claim that nothing has changed since I have been gone, but I see many changes. I will miss birthdays, weddings, baptisms, and many more important things that I would love to be a part of. There is a whole world out there to see and I often wonder if I could live abroad the rest of my life. But family is way too important and I can see that I will miss them greatly these next 10 months.
So....here I am ...heading to LAX (my first time in California). I have had so many great experiences in the past 5 months...so many thoughts of the world running through my head. I can't even imagine what the next 10 months have in store for me. What places will I see and what characters will I meet?
I start the next venture heading to New Zealand. I have a layover in Fiji and have decided that I will stay a day there just to check out the island. I will be surrounded by honeymooners and lovers and then there will be little ol' me hanging out on the beach. I figure I will use one day of beach time to relax and get centered before I head in to the wild and crazy world of the "backpacker" lifestyle. Once I get to New Zealand, I am not sure what my itinerary will be....the plan is....there is no plan. Here we go again!
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