So...I realized the other day that my flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv was on March 1st instead of Feb. 1st like I thought. It wouldn't be a huge problem except that I told Sumi I would be in Israel Feb.1 so that's when she bought her ticket. It's official. I am an idiot. But I will get it all sorted out and everything will be good again (for a price of course). Anyways, the last couple weeks have been kind of frustrating. I wasn't called back for any jobs. So I have just been spending my days lazing around the house. I can't really remember things that happened because it all has been blended together. It's good in a way though because it has allowed me to get excited about traveling again.
Christmas here has been somewhat disappointing. The only way you really know it's Christmas is because Starbucks is selling gingerbread lattes and you see an occasional Santa somewhere. No one decorates anything, there are hardly any Christmas trees, and it's warm. But don't think that that means they don't want you to spend a lot of money on Christmas presents. Oh yes, that tradition is going strong here. But it was nice to spend Christmas with friends. Jota and I went to Kristal and Zepe's flat to have dinner with Kristal's family. Her mom made dinner which was really good. Then Kristal's dad proposed to her mom after 20 something years of being together. So sweet. I wish I knew what everyone was saying, although I am picking up a good amount of Portuguese.
For New years we are going to go to a music festival: Canaan downs. It should be a lot of fun; it's a 3 day festival in Takaka (top of the south island) where you camp out and celebrate the new year. Also, I will meet up with Marina again, which I am happy about.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
As I was moving out of Around the World backpackers I walked past this one house that smelled pretty bad. I asked T.K. if he knew who lived in that house and he looked at me dead serious and said his mom. I was just like uhhhhmmmm this is going to be awkward. But he insisted I tell him what I was going to say. So I told him it smelled like someone had died. Brett was there and he laughed but I still don't know if T.K. was joking or not.
So I thought I would have a job by the end of the week...but here I am, still unemployed. The problem is mostly with me though. I need to just go out there and give my resume to everyone. Someone has gotta bite. I almost applied to Burger King. That was a dark moment. But I decided against it. My best prospects right now are Sullivan's Irish pub and the Cathedral square cafe which is a little strange because it's in the actual cathedral. I don't think God wants us to go to church and drink coffee at the same time. But maybe I'm wrong.
My flat is really nice. It's in the "suburbs" of Christchurch, like a 15 min. walk out of the city center. I have a cherry tree and a grapefruit tree and an orange tree and a lime tree. So if all else fails I will pick fruit and sell it on the side of the road. I also have a cat named Cuddles that comes around a lot. I pretend she is mine. I also have two Chinese flatmates who are learning English. Right now they are having an Asian party so I better go.
So I thought I would have a job by the end of the week...but here I am, still unemployed. The problem is mostly with me though. I need to just go out there and give my resume to everyone. Someone has gotta bite. I almost applied to Burger King. That was a dark moment. But I decided against it. My best prospects right now are Sullivan's Irish pub and the Cathedral square cafe which is a little strange because it's in the actual cathedral. I don't think God wants us to go to church and drink coffee at the same time. But maybe I'm wrong.
My flat is really nice. It's in the "suburbs" of Christchurch, like a 15 min. walk out of the city center. I have a cherry tree and a grapefruit tree and an orange tree and a lime tree. So if all else fails I will pick fruit and sell it on the side of the road. I also have a cat named Cuddles that comes around a lot. I pretend she is mine. I also have two Chinese flatmates who are learning English. Right now they are having an Asian party so I better go.
Friday, December 5, 2008
So I've decided to stay in NZ for another two months. It's just my luck that the Thai people picked now to protest their government and of all places to take over, they take over the airport. And then India goes crazy too. Well it just wasn't meant to be...at least not right now.
So I've decided to settle in Christchurch. I was supposed to meet Jamey up in the north island, but I missed my flight...again. It wasn't completely my fault though, because I was getting a ride and I couldn't really tell them to speed up. Especially because if we did speed up, the car would have overheated. About every 100 km or so the Brazilians would have to pull over to put water in the car.
So I stayed at a hostel called the Stonehurst for a couple nights in Christchurch. It was there that I met the most disgusting person I have ever met in my life. He was a Polish man who could have easily been as young as 27 or as old as 37. He ate too much, smoked too much, and he had revolting facial hair. He was racist and sexist. He was also an alcoholic; he was drunk pretty much all day every day. One night at two in the morning he comes in and he turned on the light. Now normally, I'm not a person to reprimand strangers, especially when they are drunk because that is pretty useless. But when you disturb Kelly Gekas's sleep you don't know what you are messing with. So I told him no, and turned the light off. Then he turned it on again. Then I turned it off and told him that he wasn't the only person in the room (there were two other people sleeping) and he needs to respect that. So he started grumbling and cursing off in the corner. He kept saying "fuck you" among other things. He also said something about throwing me out the window. That was kind of funny actually. He ended up apologizing later, although it didn't seem very genuine. Maybe because he was drunk again.
So I moved to another hostel down the street, called "around the world" backpackers. It is probably the most dirty place I have seen so far. It's a very strange place. About 5 boys live there, different walks of life. I hardly ever see actual backpackers there. The youngest is Seamus, a 15 year old who was apparently dropped off by his dad two weeks ago. There's three other boys, Alex who does the dishes, T.K. who I'm not really sure what he does, and Brett. There are about 10 physical fights between the four of them a day. They have no plans on moving anytime soon.
Then there is Tony, a 40 year old somewhat washed up man. He has a ton of emotional baggage, and for some reason he tells me everything. It makes me somewhat uncomfortable because I don't really know what to say. He claims he wants to help people, but he seems to be stuck at the same time. I think he will be okay though, because he is going to school get a chef's certificate and from the way he cooks in that dirty nasty kitchen, I know he's talented.
A taxi driver got stabbed a block away last night. It's really strange because it's New Zealand...it's supposed to be safe right?
I am moving in to a flat on Monday, and I think I will have a job by the end of the week, so everything is going well.
So I've decided to settle in Christchurch. I was supposed to meet Jamey up in the north island, but I missed my flight...again. It wasn't completely my fault though, because I was getting a ride and I couldn't really tell them to speed up. Especially because if we did speed up, the car would have overheated. About every 100 km or so the Brazilians would have to pull over to put water in the car.
So I stayed at a hostel called the Stonehurst for a couple nights in Christchurch. It was there that I met the most disgusting person I have ever met in my life. He was a Polish man who could have easily been as young as 27 or as old as 37. He ate too much, smoked too much, and he had revolting facial hair. He was racist and sexist. He was also an alcoholic; he was drunk pretty much all day every day. One night at two in the morning he comes in and he turned on the light. Now normally, I'm not a person to reprimand strangers, especially when they are drunk because that is pretty useless. But when you disturb Kelly Gekas's sleep you don't know what you are messing with. So I told him no, and turned the light off. Then he turned it on again. Then I turned it off and told him that he wasn't the only person in the room (there were two other people sleeping) and he needs to respect that. So he started grumbling and cursing off in the corner. He kept saying "fuck you" among other things. He also said something about throwing me out the window. That was kind of funny actually. He ended up apologizing later, although it didn't seem very genuine. Maybe because he was drunk again.
So I moved to another hostel down the street, called "around the world" backpackers. It is probably the most dirty place I have seen so far. It's a very strange place. About 5 boys live there, different walks of life. I hardly ever see actual backpackers there. The youngest is Seamus, a 15 year old who was apparently dropped off by his dad two weeks ago. There's three other boys, Alex who does the dishes, T.K. who I'm not really sure what he does, and Brett. There are about 10 physical fights between the four of them a day. They have no plans on moving anytime soon.
Then there is Tony, a 40 year old somewhat washed up man. He has a ton of emotional baggage, and for some reason he tells me everything. It makes me somewhat uncomfortable because I don't really know what to say. He claims he wants to help people, but he seems to be stuck at the same time. I think he will be okay though, because he is going to school get a chef's certificate and from the way he cooks in that dirty nasty kitchen, I know he's talented.
A taxi driver got stabbed a block away last night. It's really strange because it's New Zealand...it's supposed to be safe right?
I am moving in to a flat on Monday, and I think I will have a job by the end of the week, so everything is going well.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Dunedin, Christchurch, Blenheim, and Nelson (again)
I walked up the steepest street in the world. It's so steep that cars can't park on it and walking up it was just as hard as Ben Lomond's peak. It took me forever to find it too, I walked around for about two hours. Then I was walking up when I saw a guy coming towards me. This French guy introduced himself to me, and we decided we would walk up together. He told me that he wanted to drive up but he didn't think his little ford fiesta or whatever, would make it. We walked down and then decided that we should try and drive up. It was like the little engine that could. Going down was scarier though, I though the brakes were going to go out. Thank god I met him because he gave me a ride back to my hostel and I really didn't want to walk all the way back.
The next day I left Dunedin and headed to Christchurch (I've never heard a more Christian name for a city). On the way I met the oldest traveler so far. She was an 80 year old retired school teacher from Missouri. Although I haven't met too many Americans, there is a much wider spectrum of them, if that makes sense. The youngest traveler I met was 17 (American), and now the oldest was American as well.
I immediately liked Christchurch, I'm not sure why. The city is pretty, green, and there are a lot of sights to see. It might have helped that the weather was beautiful. A beautiful river cuts through the city on which you can kayak, canoe, or be awkwardly paddled along in a gondola.
Since I only had a day there (or so I thought), I didn't do much. I went to the farmers market and just enjoyed the day before my bus ride at 2 pm. I went to wait for the bus, where I met another backpacker named Marina from Germany. She was on her way to Blenheim to get a job at a vineyard. We were both waiting for the naked bus, but neither of us had been on it before...we waited and waited. 2pm rolled by, 2:15, finally at around 2:30 we went to the information centre and asked where our bus was. Of course we missed it. But we didn't understand! We were standing right there, how could we miss an entire bus? Then we find out that naked bus buys tickets from southern link, which is the actual bus company, and sells tickets for cheap. Thanks a lot naked bus for telling us that important fact. I was so mad, but there was nothing we could do. So we bought tickets for the next day and went back to the hostel where Marina stayed the night before.
It turned out to be a bad bus day. First we miss our bus, then when Marina and I try to get on the free circuit bus to the supermarket, the bus driver closed the doors in our face and drove away! Then after we got on the next one, the hobo in the back kept burping and farting. Ugh. After that inconvenient day we both got up early to catch our 7 am bus. Ironically, there are many prostitutes in Christchurch, and they work long hours. I counted at least 5.
So I was on my way back to Nelson to meet my friend Jota at the Paradiso hostel. We had a stopover in Blenheim and Marina and I said our goodbyes. I get to Paradiso, and Jota says we have to go back to Blenheim because he needs to work in a Persian rug store for three days for his Pakistani boss and future hammock selling business partner. Makes sense. So we went back to Blenheim. At least I got to hang out with Marina for a couple more days.
So after helping sell rugs for a couple days, we are back in Nelson, at the Paradiso. I've just been hanging out, sleeping, and reading. A good life. Tomorrow Jota, the other Brazilians, and I will go to Abel Tasman again and camp for a night.
The next day I left Dunedin and headed to Christchurch (I've never heard a more Christian name for a city). On the way I met the oldest traveler so far. She was an 80 year old retired school teacher from Missouri. Although I haven't met too many Americans, there is a much wider spectrum of them, if that makes sense. The youngest traveler I met was 17 (American), and now the oldest was American as well.
I immediately liked Christchurch, I'm not sure why. The city is pretty, green, and there are a lot of sights to see. It might have helped that the weather was beautiful. A beautiful river cuts through the city on which you can kayak, canoe, or be awkwardly paddled along in a gondola.
Since I only had a day there (or so I thought), I didn't do much. I went to the farmers market and just enjoyed the day before my bus ride at 2 pm. I went to wait for the bus, where I met another backpacker named Marina from Germany. She was on her way to Blenheim to get a job at a vineyard. We were both waiting for the naked bus, but neither of us had been on it before...we waited and waited. 2pm rolled by, 2:15, finally at around 2:30 we went to the information centre and asked where our bus was. Of course we missed it. But we didn't understand! We were standing right there, how could we miss an entire bus? Then we find out that naked bus buys tickets from southern link, which is the actual bus company, and sells tickets for cheap. Thanks a lot naked bus for telling us that important fact. I was so mad, but there was nothing we could do. So we bought tickets for the next day and went back to the hostel where Marina stayed the night before.
It turned out to be a bad bus day. First we miss our bus, then when Marina and I try to get on the free circuit bus to the supermarket, the bus driver closed the doors in our face and drove away! Then after we got on the next one, the hobo in the back kept burping and farting. Ugh. After that inconvenient day we both got up early to catch our 7 am bus. Ironically, there are many prostitutes in Christchurch, and they work long hours. I counted at least 5.
So I was on my way back to Nelson to meet my friend Jota at the Paradiso hostel. We had a stopover in Blenheim and Marina and I said our goodbyes. I get to Paradiso, and Jota says we have to go back to Blenheim because he needs to work in a Persian rug store for three days for his Pakistani boss and future hammock selling business partner. Makes sense. So we went back to Blenheim. At least I got to hang out with Marina for a couple more days.
So after helping sell rugs for a couple days, we are back in Nelson, at the Paradiso. I've just been hanging out, sleeping, and reading. A good life. Tomorrow Jota, the other Brazilians, and I will go to Abel Tasman again and camp for a night.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The last couple days I spent in Queenstown waiting for Laura. I met some other Americans who have been studying in Auckland, John and Josh. It seems that the few other Americans I do meet are always from California. I think I've met only one other eastcoaster. We played a lot of cards. I've come to really like gin and rummy and spoons. The last night I spent in Queenstown we decided to play spoons, only instead of having them right in front of us, we put them across the room. We were only able to play one round because we all were injured and bloody from rug burns and pushing each other.
A really good day was the day I decided to hike the Ben Lomond trail. It was supposed to be really hard and take 6-8 hours. I have realized something about myself though, I really like hiking more than any other activity I've done here. It clears you mind. So I started up the trail which is actually a mountain. It was pretty much uphill the whole way (which is hard on your lungs), and then downhill the whole way back (which is hard on you knees). But it was worth it. At the top of Ben Lomond's peak, I met a Japanese girl named Mika. She is in New Zealand studying English and she works at Fergburger (bless her soul). Fergburger, by the way, is a legendary burger place in Queenstown. My real reason for climbing the mountain was so I could justify eating a whole burger and fries there. The night before my hike though I found out that Fergburger was closing for a couple days to renovate. I was eating dinner at the time when Josh and John told me, so I had to throw dinner away, and we all rushed over to Fergburger. I really wanted the Little Lamby, but all they had left was the Bambi burger. So I settled for that.
Anyways, so I was talking to Mika, and we decided to hike down together. It was a long hard hike, so we went to get a beer. Mika then invited me to have dinner at her house. So later that night she picked me up with her friend Naho. She said there was a change of plans: her house was too small so we had to go on her friends yacht and eat tacos. She asked me if I was okay with that, and I was. :) So I met Louie, a Kiwi fly fisherman who owns a yacht that originally comes from Washington D.C. We drank rum and cokes and ate hokey pokey gelato (which is a NZ flavor of ice cream: creamy vanilla with butterscotch pieces). Then Louie invited us to the yacht club for more drinks. Little did I know what was about to go down. I met the bartender, Blake, a kiwi who also works on yachts and paraglides. Laura had just gotten back from her hike, so I invited her to come to the bar. Blake and her really hit it off, and I decided to go home since we would be leaving in the morning. So I get back, and Josh, John, two of their friends who had joined them Evan and Kayln, and Danish guy were like WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN. And then we decided to go out and drink some more. So we did. I may or may not have gone swimming in the lake that night.
The next day I found out that Laura and Blake hit it off more than expected, so my ride to Dunedin was delayed. But we still had fun, we went on a rope swing and jumped in to the lake, bummed around Queenstown another day, and Laura agreed that we would leave the next day. Yeah right. She's still in Queenstown and I'm in Dunedin now. All because I met a Japenese girl on a mountain. Sigh.
Dunedin is an okay city. A lot of Scottish influence. I just got back from the Cadbury chocolate factory. I ate all my chocolate samples already. I'm so sick. Next I think I will go walk up the steepest road in the world and maybe go see some penguins.
A really good day was the day I decided to hike the Ben Lomond trail. It was supposed to be really hard and take 6-8 hours. I have realized something about myself though, I really like hiking more than any other activity I've done here. It clears you mind. So I started up the trail which is actually a mountain. It was pretty much uphill the whole way (which is hard on your lungs), and then downhill the whole way back (which is hard on you knees). But it was worth it. At the top of Ben Lomond's peak, I met a Japanese girl named Mika. She is in New Zealand studying English and she works at Fergburger (bless her soul). Fergburger, by the way, is a legendary burger place in Queenstown. My real reason for climbing the mountain was so I could justify eating a whole burger and fries there. The night before my hike though I found out that Fergburger was closing for a couple days to renovate. I was eating dinner at the time when Josh and John told me, so I had to throw dinner away, and we all rushed over to Fergburger. I really wanted the Little Lamby, but all they had left was the Bambi burger. So I settled for that.
Anyways, so I was talking to Mika, and we decided to hike down together. It was a long hard hike, so we went to get a beer. Mika then invited me to have dinner at her house. So later that night she picked me up with her friend Naho. She said there was a change of plans: her house was too small so we had to go on her friends yacht and eat tacos. She asked me if I was okay with that, and I was. :) So I met Louie, a Kiwi fly fisherman who owns a yacht that originally comes from Washington D.C. We drank rum and cokes and ate hokey pokey gelato (which is a NZ flavor of ice cream: creamy vanilla with butterscotch pieces). Then Louie invited us to the yacht club for more drinks. Little did I know what was about to go down. I met the bartender, Blake, a kiwi who also works on yachts and paraglides. Laura had just gotten back from her hike, so I invited her to come to the bar. Blake and her really hit it off, and I decided to go home since we would be leaving in the morning. So I get back, and Josh, John, two of their friends who had joined them Evan and Kayln, and Danish guy were like WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN. And then we decided to go out and drink some more. So we did. I may or may not have gone swimming in the lake that night.
The next day I found out that Laura and Blake hit it off more than expected, so my ride to Dunedin was delayed. But we still had fun, we went on a rope swing and jumped in to the lake, bummed around Queenstown another day, and Laura agreed that we would leave the next day. Yeah right. She's still in Queenstown and I'm in Dunedin now. All because I met a Japenese girl on a mountain. Sigh.
Dunedin is an okay city. A lot of Scottish influence. I just got back from the Cadbury chocolate factory. I ate all my chocolate samples already. I'm so sick. Next I think I will go walk up the steepest road in the world and maybe go see some penguins.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Punakaiki, Franz Josef/Fox Glacier, Queenstown
Queenstown is nice. I think it thinks it's a little more awesome than it actually is. It's a cute ski town though. Home of the first commercial bungy, Queenstown attracts so many people looking for crazy activities like bungy, sky-diving, rafting, etc. I did luging with Johnny, Jamey, Laura, and Anna, which was fun. I would have done bungy but it's just too expensive. I swear I'm not scared.
The nightlife here is really good too.
It was miserable when Johnny, Jamey and I left the glaciers. The day before, we went on a hike in a tunnel (after I was assured that I wouldn't get my only pair of shoes wet). The upside is that we got to see a ton of glowworms (for free!). That's another thing that irritates me about New Zealand. Everything has a price tag. Even holidays! On Labour Day, if you go buy something there's a surcharge. Happy Holiday - you get to pay more money! But anyways, the weather was terrible at Franz Josef. apparently it gets 7 m of rainfall a year, which is second most in the world. I believe it too. I was happy to leave because I was stuck on the glacier in my flip flops, excuse me, my jandals.
Traveling with the bros has been good overall. It's always nice to be with family, even though that are embarrassing (Johnny asking for American cheese at restaurants, Jamey telling a random German guy he sounds like Arnold Swchwartzenegger). But it's been good. Johnny and I drove to the Milford Sound yesterday which was absolutely beautiful. Plus I got to drive probably the best road in the world. Perfect combination of curvy, fast, remote, and scenic. If only I got to drive on the right side it would have been better. But you get used to it relatively fast. I will be here a couple more days, till Laura gets back from her hike, then we will go to Dunedin.
The nightlife here is really good too.
It was miserable when Johnny, Jamey and I left the glaciers. The day before, we went on a hike in a tunnel (after I was assured that I wouldn't get my only pair of shoes wet). The upside is that we got to see a ton of glowworms (for free!). That's another thing that irritates me about New Zealand. Everything has a price tag. Even holidays! On Labour Day, if you go buy something there's a surcharge. Happy Holiday - you get to pay more money! But anyways, the weather was terrible at Franz Josef. apparently it gets 7 m of rainfall a year, which is second most in the world. I believe it too. I was happy to leave because I was stuck on the glacier in my flip flops, excuse me, my jandals.
Traveling with the bros has been good overall. It's always nice to be with family, even though that are embarrassing (Johnny asking for American cheese at restaurants, Jamey telling a random German guy he sounds like Arnold Swchwartzenegger). But it's been good. Johnny and I drove to the Milford Sound yesterday which was absolutely beautiful. Plus I got to drive probably the best road in the world. Perfect combination of curvy, fast, remote, and scenic. If only I got to drive on the right side it would have been better. But you get used to it relatively fast. I will be here a couple more days, till Laura gets back from her hike, then we will go to Dunedin.
Abel Tasman
I wrote this on Oct 29-30. It is so cold right now. Jamey and I are at Bark's bay. We hiked, or "tramped", for 7 hours yesterday in the Abel Tasman National Park. Our bus driver was in a very talkative mood. I have to admit, most of the time I like people to just shut up in the morning, but he was interesting so it was okay. We started hiking and we realized we didn't really have that much food...6 granola bars for each of us, a sleeve of ritz crackers, and a lemon. I was in charge of the food so I guess it was my fault. But whatever, we will be hungry, but we won't starve. My other problem is that I am developing some serious blisters. I walked barefoot for a good part of the trail because my sandals hurt too much. Later I found out Jamey had a first aid kit the whole time.
Walking the Abel Tasman is strange. The landscape changes rapidly. One minute your in a marsh, then a desert, then jungle, then beach. It's very pretty, and the water is so blue.
I will not camp again though. I thought it would be sufficient to unzip Jamey's sleeping bag, use half his thermal pad, and layer up but it wasn't. Probably the worst decision I've ever made in my life. The ground gets so cold whether you are on it or not and just sucks the heat from your body. And even with 4 layers of clothes, not moving and going to sleep lowers your body temperature anyways. Another mishap is that we thought we could get away with just setting the tent down without pre-booking the site for 12 dollars each. But nope, a ranger came by so we ended up paying 15 dollars each as a penalty. What a rip off. How can they charge per person for a camp site. So that was Jamey's fault.
Then we had to go back the next day. It was extra hard coming back. My blisters re-opened, plus my muscles felt like they were about to tear. Plus we did double time so we could get on the bus by 5:30pm. So instead of a 7-8 hour hike, we did it in 5. We got the same crazy bus driver. Jamey and the bus driver started talking about how much citrus grows on the trees in the area (Jamey has been stealing lemons left and right), and then the bus driver was just like "there's some!" and he pulled over and ran out and grabbed some oranges from someone's yard. He said that's how they used to do it in his day. He also told us about how he shoots cats. Only the feral ones though so I guess that's cool.
We got back to Nelson and we were starving. Nelson is weird though. From about 2-5pm all the restaurants close till dinner. So the only places that were open was good old fast food chains. So we went to Burger King and spent like 30 dollars. It was delicious. Our host at the hostel was really nice too, she gave us the camping discount for a room because she insisted we needed a bed that night. Thank god.
Walking the Abel Tasman is strange. The landscape changes rapidly. One minute your in a marsh, then a desert, then jungle, then beach. It's very pretty, and the water is so blue.
I will not camp again though. I thought it would be sufficient to unzip Jamey's sleeping bag, use half his thermal pad, and layer up but it wasn't. Probably the worst decision I've ever made in my life. The ground gets so cold whether you are on it or not and just sucks the heat from your body. And even with 4 layers of clothes, not moving and going to sleep lowers your body temperature anyways. Another mishap is that we thought we could get away with just setting the tent down without pre-booking the site for 12 dollars each. But nope, a ranger came by so we ended up paying 15 dollars each as a penalty. What a rip off. How can they charge per person for a camp site. So that was Jamey's fault.
Then we had to go back the next day. It was extra hard coming back. My blisters re-opened, plus my muscles felt like they were about to tear. Plus we did double time so we could get on the bus by 5:30pm. So instead of a 7-8 hour hike, we did it in 5. We got the same crazy bus driver. Jamey and the bus driver started talking about how much citrus grows on the trees in the area (Jamey has been stealing lemons left and right), and then the bus driver was just like "there's some!" and he pulled over and ran out and grabbed some oranges from someone's yard. He said that's how they used to do it in his day. He also told us about how he shoots cats. Only the feral ones though so I guess that's cool.
We got back to Nelson and we were starving. Nelson is weird though. From about 2-5pm all the restaurants close till dinner. So the only places that were open was good old fast food chains. So we went to Burger King and spent like 30 dollars. It was delicious. Our host at the hostel was really nice too, she gave us the camping discount for a room because she insisted we needed a bed that night. Thank god.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Current location is Nelson, top of the south island. Took a ferry early this morning from Wellington. It's weird how many people you run in to who you have met in hostels. I guess everyone is sort of on the same backpackers track. Laura and I drove from the drop off point in Picton to Nelson. Just as we were arriving in Nelson, I saw a strangly familiar hobo walking alongside of the rode. It just happened to be Jamey Gekas. Good thing too, because he was headed back the opposite way. So Jamey and I are now in Nelson. It's sunny and warm. I think we will do a trek in Abel Tasman before Johnny comes down...if he ever makes it.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Amazing! After spending way too much time in the Napier Museum, I lost track of time. My bus was at 1:40 and it was 1:00. I was really hungry though...and I was like sandwich...bus...sandwich bus.....so I got a sandwich of course. Fortunately, my sandwich was really good. Unfortunately, by the time I got it it was 1:25. Fortunately, my hostel was really close and all I had to do was grab my pack and run to the bus station. So I ran down the street like a crazy person, grabbed my bag. Fortunately, the girl at the desk asked what was wrong and I explained so she said she would call the bus company and tell them I would be right there. I was just like, great you do that, and I will run. Unfortunately, NZ buses don't mess around. It was 1:37 by the time I turned the corner, two buses were pulling out, and I was dooooomed. I ran to the lady at the front desk at the bus depot and asked her to ask them to come back, but she said no and that the bus was full. Which I don't understand because I had a ticket. Then suddenly my savior, Shirley, appeared in a beat up manual diesel hatchback, with the windows perpetually locked, and an intentionally broken spedometer (so she doesn't have to pay some sort of road tax). Although, she says, every once in awhile she pays, so it's fine. She yelled at me, "GET IN!" So I did. And she was like "Were going to catch thoses buses." And I was cool with that. So she ended up driving me to the next town over, where I got on my bus. So I learned two things. Never underestimate the kindness of strangers in NZ, and never indulge yourself in a sandwich when you have one hour before your bus leaves. I hope I can repay Shirley's kindness to someone else in need.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Napier is nice but I don't think I could stay here longer than a couple days. It's a sunny beachside town, except you can't really go on the beach. It has a lot of pretty Art Deco architecture; apparently the highest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world.
The first night here was kind of lonely. I hate moving to a new place where you don't know anyone. But yesterday was good because I met two really nice girls. Anna is from Germany and Laura is from England. I think we will meet up later in Wellington. I think it's always good to have time alone though, because not only is it extremely difficult to travel with the same person all the time, but it keeps you in a good sociable mood when you are apart from others for a while.
I went on a hike up Bluff's hill, which is supposed to give the best view of the surrounding area. A lady named Leoni, who was on her lunch break and said she walked up the hill everyday, guided me to the path. Everyone is so nice here it's unbelievable. People will just walk up and start talking to you like they have known you forever.
Next I head to Wellington, the capital of NZ.
The first night here was kind of lonely. I hate moving to a new place where you don't know anyone. But yesterday was good because I met two really nice girls. Anna is from Germany and Laura is from England. I think we will meet up later in Wellington. I think it's always good to have time alone though, because not only is it extremely difficult to travel with the same person all the time, but it keeps you in a good sociable mood when you are apart from others for a while.
I went on a hike up Bluff's hill, which is supposed to give the best view of the surrounding area. A lady named Leoni, who was on her lunch break and said she walked up the hill everyday, guided me to the path. Everyone is so nice here it's unbelievable. People will just walk up and start talking to you like they have known you forever.
Next I head to Wellington, the capital of NZ.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Arrival till now
It's been really hard to find cheap internet here, so this is my first update. I've spoken to most people anyways. Everything is backwards here! Fall is spring, everyone drives on the left side of the road, day is night, up is down! Ok maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration. Actually, it's been pretty easy to assimlate here. Other than random slang terms: jandals=sandals (that's even worse than "slippers", kris), a boot= a trunk, wop wops = the boonies. And instead of saying "sweet" they say "sweet as". That's been hard to get used to.
But everyone has been very nice. I've been trying to keep Lord of the Rings jokes to a minimum. I arrived in Auckland on Oct.7. Cafes are everywhere and I've come to really like the flat white coffee, which is basically cream with a little bit of coffee in it. The coffee here is very strong though, so I am wired all day. The hostel I stayed in was huge. Probably around 500 people there. I've never seen so many people in one place. And the elevators were the worst I've ever seen and you weren't allowed to take the stairs for some reason. One didn't even go to my floor, the other two usually went to the wrong floor a couple times before you got to the right one. No one seemed very bothered by it except me...maybe we are spoiled in the U.S. with our fancy elevators that go to the right floor.
I met my roommates who were all very nice. I think I was the only one from the U.S. the whole time I was there, which was a week. I didn't really know what I was doing, so everyday pretty much consisted of coffee, walking around town and seeing sights, and drinking at night. The drinking part was a little too easy to get in to. I think I spent about an hour or two in a tree one night.
It also rains a lot here. Too much, I think. But when it's sunny it's beautiful. NZ is so hilly, and almost every house seems to have an amazing view. Another thing I wasn't really prepared for was that the ozone layer here has a hole in it, so you get burned much quicker than expected. And yet another thing I should have thought about is that this is the 21st century, and everyone has cell phones. Not having one is extremely debilitating.
After seeing the sights in Auckland and spending way more than planned, I decided to do WWOOFing on a farm. Basically you volunteer to work for a farmer and they give you a place to stay and food to eat. It's a pretty good deal. I spent my last week with Sue and Marty McCardle. They lived in Rangiriri in the Waikato region. It's claim to fame is being the home of the Shire from LOTR. It does look like that too: blue skies, nice breeze, green rolling hills, and sheep and cows everywhere. My tasks where mostly to feed chickens, help Sue put up fences for the cows, housework, entertaining the kids, and other odd jobs. It felt good to be a part of a family again.
But now I'm in Napier, on the west cost of NZ. It's a little foggy now, and there is not much to see here. It's pretty though and I think I will walk around and see some sights. Check out pictures on facebook.
But everyone has been very nice. I've been trying to keep Lord of the Rings jokes to a minimum. I arrived in Auckland on Oct.7. Cafes are everywhere and I've come to really like the flat white coffee, which is basically cream with a little bit of coffee in it. The coffee here is very strong though, so I am wired all day. The hostel I stayed in was huge. Probably around 500 people there. I've never seen so many people in one place. And the elevators were the worst I've ever seen and you weren't allowed to take the stairs for some reason. One didn't even go to my floor, the other two usually went to the wrong floor a couple times before you got to the right one. No one seemed very bothered by it except me...maybe we are spoiled in the U.S. with our fancy elevators that go to the right floor.
I met my roommates who were all very nice. I think I was the only one from the U.S. the whole time I was there, which was a week. I didn't really know what I was doing, so everyday pretty much consisted of coffee, walking around town and seeing sights, and drinking at night. The drinking part was a little too easy to get in to. I think I spent about an hour or two in a tree one night.
It also rains a lot here. Too much, I think. But when it's sunny it's beautiful. NZ is so hilly, and almost every house seems to have an amazing view. Another thing I wasn't really prepared for was that the ozone layer here has a hole in it, so you get burned much quicker than expected. And yet another thing I should have thought about is that this is the 21st century, and everyone has cell phones. Not having one is extremely debilitating.
After seeing the sights in Auckland and spending way more than planned, I decided to do WWOOFing on a farm. Basically you volunteer to work for a farmer and they give you a place to stay and food to eat. It's a pretty good deal. I spent my last week with Sue and Marty McCardle. They lived in Rangiriri in the Waikato region. It's claim to fame is being the home of the Shire from LOTR. It does look like that too: blue skies, nice breeze, green rolling hills, and sheep and cows everywhere. My tasks where mostly to feed chickens, help Sue put up fences for the cows, housework, entertaining the kids, and other odd jobs. It felt good to be a part of a family again.
But now I'm in Napier, on the west cost of NZ. It's a little foggy now, and there is not much to see here. It's pretty though and I think I will walk around and see some sights. Check out pictures on facebook.
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