KB's travels

Monsagrati, Italy - Viva gli sposi!

2008-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

How quickly we adapt. On arrival in Venice, Italy, I found myself clasping my hands together in a Thai wai and bowing deeply as I said "grazie..." The transition from Southeast Asia to Europe has been a little surreal. To come from a place where everyone bargains intensely over one dollar to the land of Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada makes Italy seem either a fairy tale or a farce.

There really is no other place like Venice on Earth. Well, except for The Venetian in Vegas, which looks incredibly like the real thing minus the grafitti on every building. It has such a rich history as the trading center of the mideval world and the temporary home to so many famous artists such as Vivaldi, Wagner, Byron, Shelley, Browning, and Henry James. Today it seems to exist soley for tourists and the prices show it! I think it would be possible to live in Venice for years and never really penetrate a deeply closed-off Venetian society in which the same families have owned the same mansions for hundreds of years.

Spent a week in the sinking city and then headed east to meet up with some friends in a Lucca. I'm pretty sure the name Lucca translates into "the city of extremely well-dressed ederly men riding bycicles." My favorite Lucca story occured when asking an employee of a prominent cell phone company the location of a good local wine bar. He began to explain, then paused, sighed deeply, and gravely replied, "I will show you." He then came with us, left the store unattended, and sat for a half hour at the wine bar nursing a capucino. This illustrates both the friendliness of the Italians and their attitude that work comes second to life. My theory is that they can survive because the competition has the same attitude. Two of my best friends from home were married in a beautiful ceremony at the Villa Denise in Monsagrati, a tiny village nestled in the vineyard-covered hills of Tuscany 13 km north of Lucca.
The beautiful villa was complete with a swimming pool, a grass tennis court, the obligatory classical nude statues, and locally produced wine. We were lucky enough to stay at the villa for a full week. On the train from Venice to Lucca I met two wonderful women from Minnesota who ended up coming to the wedding. One of them turned out to be a floral designer who is featured on the local Minnesota news and has written a floral design book. On the day of the wedding she spontaneously fashioned a beautiful bridal boquet and adding some floral decorations to the villa using flowers from the garden. Its incredible how things always work out. The owners of the villa cooked the multi-course wedding feast and ate with us, constantly raising their glasses (full of the wine they made) and cheering to the happy couple, "Viva gli sposi!"

From Monsagrati we took some day trips back to Lucca and to Pisa. Its true. The tower leans. Now if I could only figure out how to spin my engineering mistakes into lucrative tourist destinations...

Cambodia - Emotional times

2008-04-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

I decided to listen to the advice of other travellers and go to Cambodia to see the ancient temples of Angkor. I'm glad I did; the temples are amazing, eerie, and unlike anything I've ever seen before. I spent two full days, sunset to sunrise, wandering around this UNESCO world heritage site and I don't think I even saw half of it. Siem Reap is a very modern, touristy city complete with wi-fi hotspots. Oddly enough, they use US dollars as currency in Cambodia and ATMS distribute dollars. The official currency is the Cambodian riel (4000 r = 1 USD) but the dollar is apparently a lot more stable (well, thats the idea anyway). Children were begging for money everywhere around the temples. This was really hard to see, but some of it was definitely theatrical as one kid pulled out a flashy Motorola Razr cell phone after he gave up trying to get a dollar from me!

From Siem Reap I took a boat through the Tonle Sap lake and down the Sangket River to Battambang, Cambodia's second largest city. The boat ride was advertised to take anywhere from three to eight hours. It took nine hours on a rickety boat with water being pumped out continuously. The driver sat at the front of the 30 ft boat and to accelerate he pushed down on a string attached to the engine throttle in the back of the boat. The river was very low because its the dry season and several times we bottomed out and some of the guys had to jump out and push the boat along. The scenery along the river was stunningly beautiful. Huts lined the entire length of the river and I saw people bathing, cooking, and washing in the water. There were children everywhere and they would all jump up and down and wave and dance and scream "hello" when they saw the boat full of foreigners float by. There seem to be kids everywhere in Cambodia. I heard an incredible statistic that 40% of the population is less than 16 years old.

In Battambang I had the opportunity to ride a norry, or "bamboo train." Train tracks run near the town and so the locals have rigged up their own engine-powered bamboo carts that ride along the tracks. If a real train comes down the line they pull the cart off quickly. It was a beautiful, if bumby, ride through the countryside.

The infrastructure is pretty poor in Cambodia. Some of the roads are really bad and I never saw a gasoline station, only gas being sold in bottles by the side of the road. However, the people I talked to say that the roads have been improving for the past five years and things keep getting better.

One afternoon in Battambang I met Nareth, a local Cambodian who founded a free English school for kids in his nearby village. Currently the school has 340 students who voluntarily study English in the evening. I hopped on the back of Nareth's motorbike and visited the school. I was a guest speaker in the advanced conversation class, where I was asked such classics as "who is your sweetheart?" and "how many kids do you have?" The kids definitely see learning English as the way to get a good job. The teachers volunteer their time as well. Currently they are trying to raise $300 to buy a generator for the school.

Nareth also told me some of his personal stories about his family and the Khmer Rouge. His grandfather, a doctor, was killed during the initial purges of the 70s. As recent as 1991 the Khmer Rouge was still sweeping through the village, killing able bodied men. Nareth remembers hiding neck deep in the river to avoid capture. These stories of life under the Khmer Rouge, the many killing fields, and the on-going land mine problems have really affected me. I find myself becomming angry about things I never used to pay any attention.

From Battambang I took several buses to come back to Thailand. I had heard a lot of horror stories about the border crossing but it went really smoothly. Its both a relief and a let-down to be back in the comparative wealth and stability of Thailand.

Pang Mapa, Thailand - Cave Lodge

2008-04-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

I decided to hire a scooter for a couple days and check out a remote area of northern Thailand. The woman at the rental shop only said, "hmmm... bring back the other bike and let me give you good bike." ha! Besides better brakes, the new Honda Icon actually had great features like a horn and an odometer, which came in handy when trying to figure out if the bunch of huts I just passed was actually the village I was trying to find. Also, several places have multiple names which resulted in some confusing fun! Before I set out I did some research on the condition of the local roads and used the "terrain" feature on google maps to ensure that the mountain roads weren't too steep. Riding steep downhills on a bike without gears is not my favorite thing to do.

Left Pai and traveled to Soppong, then continued north and ended up in Ban Tham. The ride was broken up by photo stops and waiting for herds of wandering cows to clear the road. The cows here all wear wooden cow bells and as a herd moves along they create a really pleasing, relaxing sound
stayed for three nights at Cave Lodge, a clustering of bungalows built by an eccentric Australian, John Spies, who traveled to Thailand 30 years ago and never left. John has spent his time here learning the hill tribe languages, photographing the tribes, and publishing articles about the area. He has also created detailed maps of the surrounding area, including hundreds of caves that hold 2000 year old carved teak coffins. Very little is known about these coffins and the people who placed them there. You can see some of his AMAZING tribal photographs here: http://www.cavelodge.com/tpics.htm He has also published an autobiographical account of his time in this region and its a fascinating read full of local history, politics, and archeology.

I stayed in the Ban Tham region three days. Did several hikes, visited some local hill tribes, and went into a couple caves. This area contains such a mix of people. The women working at the lodge spoke Shan, not Thai, and the local hill tribes speak yet another language. I paid some of the local villagers to guide me through various caves. The only English word one guide knew was "hello." He would point to a stalactite. "Hello." He would gesture down a dark tunnel. "Hello." Or he would wave good-bye. "Hello, hello."

Pai, Thailand - The life of Pai

2008-04-19T03:52:00.000-07:00

Found my groove here in Pai! Pai is one of the best towns I've visited yet. The minibus here from Chiang Mai took about 3 hours on curvy, mountain roads. Pai is northwest of Chiang Mai and is a little over 100k from the Burmese border. The central town only has about 6 main roads and motorbikes vastly outnumber cars. Cafes, art and yoga studios, used book stores, restaurants, and hill tribe vendors line the streets. The town is renowned for its live music scene. It sounds pretty touristy but in fact there are very little touristy sights to see. The town population is an interesting mix of Thai, Thai-Chinese, hill tribe people (including the hill tribe called Karen!!!), Muslims, and farangs (westerners) who just never left. The result is an interesting blend of people who feel free just to be themselves.

The power in the town has gone out for a few hours in the evening time each night that I've been here. It doesn't seem to be planned, but it also doesn't really seem to bother anyone. Candles appear instantly and light the shops and streets, creating a beautiful scene absent of the humming of air conditioners and blaring Thai television dramas. I get the sense that electricity is considered nice, but not seen as a necessity.

Today was an amazing day. I rented a scooter (3 USD per 24 hrs) and zipped around town and the surrounding countryside. (Yes, my bike was pink with a basket on the front.) The minimal traffic in this area is ideal for motorbikes. Riding on the left was a surprisingly easy adjustment. It felt so good to be on the road in charge of my own destiny, free to stop at whatever roadside looked interesting. Buses are cheap and convenient, but they don't offer the luxury of roaming. I visited a hilltop wat (temple), drove past a lot of cows, water buffalo, and elephants, and tried to go to a waterfall. I say tried because I had to hike to it from the road and about 3k along the trail there was a small fire that was next to the trail. The hill tribe people do this as part of their farming routine. Anyways, it looked like it was growing and I didn't want to get trapped on the other side! So I turned around. Which was OK because its been over 100 degrees F with high humidity. Really not ideal weather for hiking.

Its amazing how quickly we can adapt to our surroundings. I've noticed on my travels that the first week or so in a new country is a bit overwhelming and strange, but then the new country seems completely normal. For example, I'd been sitting here typing, completely at ease, and then a gecko just ran across the computer desk. Oh yeah, I'm in Thailand!

Sidenote: I've been corresponding with family and some tech-savvy friends using Skype, a VOIP program thats FREE when talking computer to computer. The sound quality is amazing and I can't recommend it enough. You should give it a try if you haven't already. The internet cafes are full of travelers using it. For example, the German girl next to me was just talking to her roommate and her cat. Mostly her cat.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Songkran Festival 2551

2008-04-14T04:50:00.000-07:00

"Sa-wat dee kaa" from Thailand!

Spent a quick day in Bangkok touring the city on a tuk-tuk (gems? perhaps a tailor-made outfit? special deal for you!) and absorbing the dirty, energized chaos that is the capital city. Grabbed a bus, complete with pink frilly curtains and teddy bear blankets, north 10 hours to Chiang Mai and immediately left for three days on a guided jungle trek. Actually there wasn't much trekking but that was OK because its pretty hot (90's F) and very humid. The activities which included bamboo rafting and riding elephants were touristy but fun nonetheless. The northern landscape was a beautiful montage of waterfalls, bamboo bridges, elephants, water buffalo, and rice fields. However the air was quite hazy due to the slash-and-burn techniques used in the rice fields. The misquitos haven't been as bad as I feared, but deet is still a dear friend of mine. I've decided not to use the malaria pills until I get to more remote regions.

I love this picture of the "remote" Thai village we stayed at on the trek...complete with motorbike and solar panel. The solar panels are curtousy of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the current king of Thailand who has been in power for over 60 years! He is very popular for his public works projects, which include financial incentives for the farmers to replace their opium production with other crops. There are billboard-size pictures of the king and queen posted in every town. If you criticize the royal family you can go to jail for up to fifteen years.

After the trek I returned to Chiang Mai and participated in the water world that is the Songkran Festival, otherwise known as New Year's 2551 (after Buddha). For three days the Thais celebrate New Years by throwing massive amounts of water on anyone and everyone. Pickup trucks loaded with families cruise the streets armed with buckets and water guns. The square moat around the city is lined with people diping buckets and filling up water pistols. Its IMPOSSIBLE to stay dry and is incredible fun - everyone is screaming, smiling and laughing. The only downside is that a lot of the water smells like toilet water or worse. After being doused in it over and over I'm just thankful I got that Typhoid shot!

Chaing Mai is a charming, walkable city full of amazing Wats and friendly people. One of the highlights of my trip so far was spending an afternoon talking with a Buddhist monk. The monks hold "office hours" to practice their English and westerners are free to ask questions about Buddhism, Thai culture, monk life, and anything else really. The monk I spoke with was in love with literature and just received a scholarship to study in Philadelphia. He was really funny and insightful and professed that KFC is his favorite food!

I love the way the monk's brilliant saffron robes brighten the cityscape.

Ahhh... foot massage with my Canadian friends. The Thais seem to treat massages as a necessary item to maintain a healthy lifestyle, rather than a special treat to pamper oneself. At 3 USD/hour for a massage I'm not going to argue with them.

The Canadian girls were incredible - they had both worked in Kenya and had wonderful and horrible stories. The corruption that exists there in all forms of power (even, or maybe especially, in the foreign funded NGOs) was eye-opening. One of the girls was there during the civil war following the December elections and was stranded for a month in the middle of the bloodshed. Truely some of the most chilling stories I have ever heard. Yet it was obvious that they both had fallen in love with Kenya, the land and people, and Africa in general. They have been following the latest news about Mugabe and Zimbabwe with the hope that the election results won't trigger the violence that happened in Kenya. Being abroad I hear a lot more world news than I do at home.

I'm enjoying Thailand immensely but still a little bit on sensory overload. Still haven't quite found my groove here. I've discoverd I can live a very comforatable Western lifestyle here for very little money, which is great and a welcome change from AUS and NZ.
Good Thai food from street vendors costs as little as 1 USD and I'm living it up in guesthouses with my own room and air con for about 12USD/night. The markets are incredible, such as the night market here in Chiang Mai. (I've fallen in love with the loose fitting Thai pants which are great for the hot weather and feel like I'm wearing PJ's all day.) However, living a western lifestyle is not the point of traveling and not very fulfulling. Hopefully I will get more immersed as the days progress. I'm trying to learn some Thai - if any Thai person wants to have a conversation that involves saying hello, good-bye, thank-you, counting to ten, mentioning bananas or cocoa plants, and calling something beautiful then I'm set.

Melbourne, AUS - Go Doggies!!!

2008-04-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up a week in lovely Melbourne before I head off to Thailand. Its been really nice to spend more than a few days in one place, relax, and just enjoy the city. Went to Hamer Hall in the Vic Arts Center to see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and choir perform Verdi's Requiem, one of my favorite choral works. I sung that it college and it took me back, way back, like 5 years ago:)

I also attended an Australian Football League, or "footy," game at the Telstra dome. Footy is like a cross between rugby and soccer, really fast paced and high scoring. So basically, the opposite of American football. Footy is insanely popular here; nine of the sixteen teams in the league are based in Melbourne. The game I went to was SO much fun! I went by myself but ended up sitting next to two girls who were rabid Bulldog fans and who insisted on buying me beers and teaching me all the Doggie songs and cheers. At halftime there was a fan contest to dance around and we won and were featured on the jumbo TV in the stadium! One of the girls received a prize of free cable for a year or something. The game was awesome as well - the Dogs were down during the first quarter, rallied in Q2 and Q3, and then obliterated the St. Kilda Saints in Q4. The girls tried to make me promise to come back the next week since I seemed to be good luck for the team. Tempting...

Alice Springs, Aus - Easter in The Outback

2008-04-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

It’s strange to feel that you’ve come home to a place you’ve never been before. I had this overwhelming sensation the first night of a ten day outback safari. We were camping in the Flinders Ranges just north of Adelaide and I snuck away from the Toyota Land Cruiser and the rest of the group to photograph the pink sunset coupled with the brilliant rock formations and rising moon. Suddenly it just all felt so right, like I had come home. Every night we slept in swags under the stars. I slept better on the trip than I have in hostels, despite the spiders and snakes and other critters that live the desert. I have become an expert at identifying the pointers and the Southern Cross.

Unfortunately we had such a bright moon for most of the trip that it was hard to see the stars in their full glory, but at least the full moon meant we didn’t have to use head torches in the night to find a good bush to pee behind! Even in the rugged conditions the food was great. One night we did burritos, only instead of beef or chicken the meat was skippy (kangaroo). In the Flinder Ranges we looked at aboriginal cave paintings, layers of which date back 50,000 years! From the Flinders we headed north to the aboriginal community of Iga-Warta, where we listened to creation stories around the campfire and had our faces painted with ochre. We headed up along the route of the Old Ghan Railway, even stopping to collect some of the abandoned wood sleepers to use as firewood. While we traveled along mostly unsealed roads and might go hours without seeing other cars, there would be occasional signs of other humans in the form of burned-out cars by the side of the road or other random things such as the larger-than-life sculptures just north of Manree.

This was the start of a long internal debate; do deserts attract eccentric people or do deserts make people just a little bit different?

Speaking of different, what do you think of my new headgear?

We crossed the dingo fence, which keeps dingos out of sheep country and at over 3000 miles is the world’s longest fence. The night we camped near William Creek happened to be the Equinox and we watched the sun set over one horizon, only to turn around to the opposite horizon and watch the full moon rise minutes later.

From William Creek (pop. 5) we headed west to Coober Pedy, an … odd place where the majority of the residents live underground due to the extreme heat. Coober Pedy is an opal mining town, but is well known for both the opals and its lawlessness. With so many mining shafts there are a lot of places for people to disappear. We took a tour of an underground home but I had to bail out halfway through because I felt too claustrophobic - you try being in a small underground room with 40 people, the lights out, and no airshaft! I had been really excited to see the place, but a few hours was enough and I couldn’t wait to leave.

From Coober Pedy we headed north through the Moon Plain and the Painted Desert. The Painted Desert was my favorite place of the whole trip. The brilliant colors of this area are incredible, and watching the sunset and the following sunrise here was amazing.

As we jostled along the dirt roads, I was continually amazed at how much wildlife there is in the seemingly inhospitable desert. We saw wild brumbies (mustangs), camels, lizards, spiders, and heard some howling dingos. Did you know Australia has the second-largest population of wild camels in the world?

Next we traveled north to Oodnadatta, home of the famous Pink Roadhouse. They were actually looking for help…tempting… That afternoon, amazingly, it began to rain! Nothing too hard, but a steady rain the lasted long enough to clear the dust from the air and cool us off as we swam and drank beer in the Dalhousie Hot Springs. I've learned Tooheys is the Coors Light of Australia. Drinking anything else in the desert would just be wrong.

The following day we crossed the border from South Australia into the Northern Territory and visited the geographical center of Australia. About as interesting as it sounds. Apparently nearby there were some dead camel carcasses that were missing their heads, but we only heard about these after we left. Australia definitely has their brand of rednecks. We headed west and made it to the famous Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) for the sunset. We stayed in the area the next day and hiked through the nearby Olga Mountains in Kata Tjuta. We watched the sunset over Ulura again, only this time from a popular viewing spot loaded with other tour buses and complete with helicopters flying overhead. It was pretty funny and I was really relieved that I had seen so much more of the outback than just that very touristy area.

The following morning we did the 9 km base walk around Uluru. There is a climb you can do to the top but because Uluru is such a sacred aboriginal site climbing on the rock is highly discouraged. There are even features on Uluru that hold such spiritual significance that photographing these areas is prohibited. I think it’s fantastic that such a place can be touristy and still respectful of traditional ways, especially in a country that has such a sad and disturbing past in regards to the aboriginals. From Uluru we went to Kings Canyon, yet another gorgeous place with brilliant red rock formations. Pictures, at least mine, don’t do these places justice. We spent our last night dancing around the campfire in the West MacDonnel National Park.
Then it was a quick stop in the Glen Halen Gorge and back to civilization in Alice Springs. Coming back to civilization felt weird. In the desert I had become used to being dirty and wearing the same clothes every day. Relative to the open outback expanses, Alice Springs (not a big city) seemed crowded.

As with all things, it was the people who made this trip great. You bond pretty quickly with people when you are forced together in the middle of the outback, deprived of showers and toilets, and crammed together in the back of a Land Cruiser singing your heart out to 80’s pop songs...

Great Ocean Road, AUS - The Australian PCH

2008-03-18T03:02:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since my last update - thanks for all the emails! I am still alive, just having a lot of fun. After I left Newcastle I jumped on a three-day bus tour from Sydney to Melbourne, passing from New South Wales into Victoria. We made a quick stop in the capital city of Canberra where I learned that the kangaroo and the emu are Australia's mascots because they are two animals that can only move forward, never backward. I witnessed the House of Representatives in action at the Parliament House. I couldn't decide if all the yelling, cheering and booing was comical or really frightening. Did some hiking in Kosciuszko National Park and visited a beautiful beach in Wilson's Promontory NP, or The Prom as they call it here. The water was cold but crystal clear and irrestible.
Melbourne was a bit crazy due to the Grand Prix that was in town (LOTS of drunk English, I mean car enthusiasts). I was only there two days but I enjoyed the cafes and tree-lined streets. I did not enjoy the drunk guy in my dorm room who peed on the floor and all over another girl's stuff... The tour of the famed Melbourne Cricket Ground was interesting. Basically the tour guide would say something and all the English people around me would laugh at whatever fantastic cricket pun he made. Oh, cricket.
From Melbourne I hit the road again for a three-day trek east to Adelaide. We took the famed Great Ocean Road, a coastal route that reminds me a lot of the best parts of PCH back home. Millions of years of erosion have created fantastic rock formations such as the famous Twelve Apostles (although only seven or eight still stand). Our tour group stayed in the lovely coastal villages of Apollo Bay, Port Fairy, and Robe. This southern coast of Victoria and South Australia is dotted with small towns, lighthouses, and hundreds of shipwrecks. Basically, everything a girl with a good imagination needs! I would have loved to stay in this picturesque area much longer. (How many places have I said that about?) In the Tower Hill Reserve I saw wild koalas and emus roaming around. I fell a little bit in love with the koalas - very chill, cool animals. Near our hostel the second night I saw several wallabees bouncing around near the beach. The wildlife here is so distinct and fascinating.
For most of our trip the weather was around 40 C (104 F). It felt like hard work just standing and staring at the beautiful coastline. Adelaide was experiencing its longest heat wave in history. Luckily it cooled off by the time I got there.

In Adelaide I met up with some local girls who I had met in Fiji back in January. It was wonderful to see familiar faces and catch up. The best part of traveling has been making great friends with people from all over the world. I seem to get along really well with Australians in particular. In general they have very practical, straightforward attitudes. Also, anytime they can take the piss out of you they will! My english is becoming a strange mix of American, British, and Australian english. Phrases that I used to laugh at I now use on a regular basis: "Mate" and "How you going?" and "That was full-on" and "She's a spot-on old bird." Actually no, I still laugh at that last one. People laugh at me for saying "totally" a lot.

Well, mates, so far this trip has been totally full-on.

Newcastle, AUS - No worries, mate

2008-03-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

G'day mates. Made the jump from little Australia, I mean NZ, to Australia proper (ha! its kind of like the Canada/US thing). My plane from Christchurch to Sydney was delayed several hours, but I ended up hanging out in the airport with an English guy who I met in Fiji whose plane was also delayed. Its amazing how many familiar faces I keep bumping into throughout my trek. Sydney is beautiful, but I was a little ovewhelmed after spending the previous few weeks in the sparsely populated landscapes of New Zealand. The Sydney Opera house is spectacular - I've never been so moved by a building. I realized it encapsulates so many things that I love: engineering, opera, theater, and water. Pictures don't capture the beauty of the building. To escape the crowds I headed inland to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, an area named for the landscape's blueish tinge created by a fine mist emitted by the eucalyptus trees. I only planned on staying two nights there but really enjoyed it so I stayed almost a week! Spent several days hiking and visited the nearby Janolan Caves. These limestone caves are incredible. In some of the larger caves they hold music concerts. Unfortunately, there were no concerts while I was there. Fortunately, the day after I went to the caves I met Lester, a park ranger/Didjeridu player. Lester is in a Didjeridu band that has the occasional concert in the caves(http://www.didjeridudingo.com). When I met him Lester didn't happen to have his Didjeridu in his car, but he did have his Kawasaki 900 exhaust manifold pipes that he played instead. I caught it on video, shown below, but it doesn't seem to be posting well.

Left Katoomba and took the train to Newcastle to visit Jim, Jo-Jo the Enforcer's college roommate. Staying with Jim felt like a holiday from my holiday. After about two months on the road I needed a few days to crash and do very little besides watch TV, lie on the beach, and catch up on laundry. I lived it up by having my own room, not locking my stuff up every time I left the room, and not having to wear flip-flops in the shower. An added bonus was that Jim has a spectacular apartment right on the beach. Luckily I didn't get stung by any bluebottle jellyfish, many of which were washed up on the beach, while swimming. (Its strange going from NZ, where nothing will harm you, to AUS, where it seems everything is out to get you.) We went wine tasting in the Hunter Valley, an area known for its Shiraz production. Jim was an incredible host and, most importantly, makes a killer guacamole.

I feel recharged and ready for the road...does the outback have roads?

Christchurch, NZ - Dear Universe...

2008-03-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

Just finished up NZ with a grueling yet very rewarding 10 day safari with an organization called "Hiking NZ." (I really recommend this company if anyone is interested in a NZ holiday.) Six of us and a guide hiked locations in the south island from Queenstown to Christchurch. We hit the must-see destinations such as Fiordland National Park, the Catlins, Mt Cook, and kayaking in Milford Sound. Also did a lot of neat side trip such as visiting a hatching ground of the extremely rare yellow-eyed penguin and walking through a petrified forest. The hiking was intense but actually my biggest fear was cooking for the group! We all pitched in for meals and rotated cooking and cleaning. I didn't want to be the person who burned the only food available as we camped deep in the bush! It all went well though. The great thing about hiking all day is that any food tastes good. Despite being shower and toilet deprived the group got along really well. There were two crazy French (redundant?) guys who quickly wormed their way into my heart by carrying 2 liter boxes of wine in their already-ridiculously heavy packs on some of our overnight trips. Our last night we slept in a park hut and while we were asleep they decorated the hut with balloons (which we packed out of course.) One night we slept in a sheep paddock and in the middle of the night as I stumbled out of my tent to find the outhouse I heard a noise to my left. I looked over and saw dozens of yellow sheep eyes reflected in my headlamp, floating in dark. That image will stay with me for a while!

In Mount Cook we stayed at a mountaineering hut where I met Baz, a 50ish grizzly biker dude from Australia. Clad in tie-dye thermals Baz explained to me the wisdom of sending poems out to the universe. (My guide later asked me, "I didn't want to sound stupid, but did he actually post them?") Apparently for several years Baz offered poems to the universe and finally the universe replied. One dark and stormy night at a mountaineering hut in Nepal the door burst open and a lone woman walked into the hut. Baz and she have been together for the past ten years. I had the pleasure of reading one of his poems and despite being printed on blue paper adorned with rainbows, the poem was quite good.

Some general observations:
-Don't order Mexican food in NZ.
-Try to avoid traveling when the $NZ is at a 23-year-high to the $US
-Try not to have a violent reaction if someone mentions the word "facebook" again
-Black sheep really do exist (and I thought Jeff was one of a kind!)
-If you eat enough Muesli bars they start to taste good
-NZ has more helicopters per capita than any other country. They are used for such things deer hunting, tourism, and the two airlift rescues that I personally witnessed. Watching someone have a severe allergic reaction and struggle to breathe while hours from help is a scary thing. So is someone handing you an EpiPen and saying "You know how to use this, right?"
-In response to reader comments, to the best of my knowledge I do not have a genetic mutation that prevents me from tanning. Being pasty is cool, gosh darn it.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go finish my letter to the universe.

Franz Josef, NZ - Sweet As

2008-02-14T00:19:00.000-08:00

Made the switch from the north island to the south island, which means less people, heaps of sheep, and even more spectacular scenery. Stopped briefly in Nelson and then headed over to Abel Tasman National Park, a stunning area of coastline famous for the brilliant blue waters and golden beaches. I opted to sail to a drop-off point and hike back home. The Kiwi I sailed with had a truly amazing story; two years ago he and one his best mates flew to CA and bought and fixed up a 35' sailboat. Then they spent five months sailing it from Long Beach to New Zealand with numerous stops in fabulous south pacific islands. My new hero....someday, someday. Plus, he had really wonderful things to say about the people he met in California which is always nice to hear.
Hiked back along the Abel Tasman trail with a retired Air Force pilot from Washinton. He was in New Zealand visiting his son who is abroad at uni here (and whose major is American Studies...hmmmm) Actually haven't met too many Americans here. Loads of Germans though.

Headed south to the town of Greymouth, mainly because I couldn't get to where I really wanted to go in one day on the bus. Hitching here is really common and people have hilarious stories (like getting picked up by a flamboyant ex-ballet dancer and going antiquing all day) but it just seems risky for me on my own. Greymouth is an old gold-mining town, currently a fishing hub, and well...grey. However, I ended up having one of the more interesting experiences of my trip talking to a commercial fisherman who looked well over sixty but turned out to be only forty-five. A few of us from the hostel ended up back on his fishing boat drinking beer after the bars closed.
Wow.I now know why the expression "mouth like a sailor" exists. Sidenote: I would never want to be on that boat with waves pounding over the side. What an incredibly dangerous, crappy job.

Spent a night in Hokatika, an area known for the massive quantities of greenstone (jade)in the hills. Not too much else there. Took the bus down to Franz Josef village and spent an entire day climbing/walking in crampons over the Franz Josef glacier. This is the only area in the world where glaciers descend directly into rain forests. So spectacular! I've never seen or done anything like it. My tramping group lucked out with the weather. The morning was beautiful and the sun even broke through a little bit at our highest point. It started raining on the way down, which was pretty miserable, but apparently it rains almost every day on the glacier so we were lucky to get the small window of good weather

I've been impressed with some travelers' budget abilities. I feel like I'm traveling pretty cheaply, but some people have really mastered the art. For example, this Engish guy I met hitches everywhere, cleans for a couple hours a day at the hostel to get free board, and eats off the "free" shelf in the hostel kitchens (basically the food leftovers from other travelers who have moved on). I couldn't do it, but there are a lot of people who can and do.

Wellington, NZ - No Hobbit Sightings Yet

2008-02-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

I'll get the obvious out of the way and state that New Zealand is beautiful. Spent most of the last week doing outdoorsy things (I know, who have I become?) in Rotorua and Tongariro National Park.
Rotorua is one of the most thermally active areas in New Zealand and absolutely reeks of sulfur. The boiling, hissing, steaming mudpools are unlike anything I've seen before - pictures don't really do it justice. The smell was overpowing though, even strong enough to wake me up during the night. It can't be good to live there and breathe that air every day. Rotorua is also the center of Maori related tourism; wood carvings and jade jewelry are on display everywhere. I tried learning about the Maori culture but it was all so touristy and performance based. However, all the wood carvings really blew me away. I think one of my new life goals is to carve a canoe in the tradition of all of the early pacific island canoes I keep seeing in museums. I was relieved to leave the stench behind and breathe in the fresh air of Tongariro National Park, more famously known as home to Mordor's Mt. Doom. (OK, you knew there was going to be a LOTR reference in here somewhere. While I'm on the subject, I think the tourism industry here survives because of LOTR fans. Today I saw an ad for a tour to visit LOTR film locations and watch the tour guide re-enact the scenes using plastic dolls. no joke.) I completed the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a spectacular if exhausting one day trek that encompased a mountain climb, a thermally active crater, and finally a descent into a beautiful forest. There were a few clouds to obscure the amazing views, but I lucked out as the days before and after I did the hike the weather was terrible. Glad for the travel day to Wellington to rest my tired legs.
Wellington turns out to be a beatiful harbor city that I absolutely adore. One of New Zealand's most famous authors, Katherine Mansfield, was born here and after reading her works its easy to romanticize the windy city. I will admit, for the first time in a month of traveling I was a little bummed to be living out of a backpack. I felt like the country bumpkin in my so-not-attractive adventure sandals and hiking pants, staring into shop windows at pretty girly clothes. Sigh. Oh well, life is choices. In the back of a cathedral here I stumbled upon an exhibit regarding the US Marines who were stationed near Wellington during WWII to either train or recover from injuries. I had no idea we had troops here. Traveling can be pretty humbling at times.
I've been getting around using the NZ Intercity public buses, which are clean and really convenient. All of the bus stations have showers and travel agents and lockers. These days it seems strange to be able to leave a large backpack in a public locker, which is sad because its so convenient.
I continue to meet terrific people and have interesting conversations. I was mesmorized by a Finish girl's stories about the northern lights in her homeland and the small semi-circle the sun makes near the horizon during the almost continually dark winters. A Belgian guy stated that his government actually pays him 400 Euros a month, up to one year, to travel and allow someone else the opportunity to take his job. Apparently in the Netherlands, according to a new Dutch friend, they are installing a system to track the kilometers each car travels and charge drivers a fee per kilometer. It seems like taxing gas more would be easier...?
Other tourists ask me about Los Angeles. I respond positively but I've realized its hard to describe your hometown because its normal to you. This was reinforced when a German girl became really excited when I told her that yes, in Los Angeles you really can get take-out food of any type. I guess its easy to take what you have for granted. Like guacamole...mmmmm....serious guacamole withdrawals....

Kaukapakapa, New Zealand - Happy cows come from Kaukapakapa

2008-01-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

"He pai rangi tahi"
-Maori for "The beauty of a single day"

OK, I copied that out of a New Zealand tourism brochure. I thought it was more appropriate than

"Hekakano ahau, ruia mai i Rangiatea"
-Maori for "I am a seed, sccattered from Rangiatea"

Greetings from New Zealand. It took an uncomfortable day adjusting from Fiji island life to Auckland city life. I stayed in a hostel in the Parnell district that was originally the embassy for the queen of Tonga. My overall surprise with Auckland, "the city city of sails," is that it feels like a very clean version of home. Borders, Starbucks, McDonald's, and all of the other big chain stores are very present here. I guess this is true for most big cities. I made some friends who had a car and ventured out to the east coast beaches with them. The beaches that line the Tasman Sea are rugged, rocky volcanic beaches with beautiful soft black sand. Very striking.

A few days in Auckland was enough for me so I headed north to Kaukapakapa (yeah, the Maori names can be a bit tough) to wwoof at River Valley farm. Wwoofing (http://www.wwoof.co.nz) is a world-wide program that allows volunteers to stay on organic farms and help out as needed. Its a great way to meet locals, understand the culture, learn about organic farming techniques, and save money as room and board are free in exchange for 4-6 hours of work per day. River Valley farm specializes in Feijoa orcharding, vegetable gardening, and cattle grazing. The feijoa fruit is very similar to a guava (in the states they are called the strawberry guava). I repeatedly forgot their name and called them frijoles. Luckily few New Zealanders speak Spanish and realized that I was talking about the large beans on the trees! When the feijoas are in season they are made into wine and jam and sold at the local farmers market. They aren't in season at the moment, so I did a lot of thistle grubbing in the orchards and cow pastures and helped plant native plants in the wetlands. At River Valley they have cows, chickens, and a bee farm, all of which provide hours of entertainment to a city girl like me. Did you know that putting plastic eggs in a hen house encourages the hens to lay eggs? The owners at the farm were great. They completely open their house to all the wwoofers - free meals, laundry, internet, etc. I also stayed in a private cabin, which is the holy grail of backpacking.

Another wwoofer from Maine was here at the farm with me. He grew up doing crazy things like chopping firewood so I relied a lot on his outdoor expertise. He is traveling around New Zealand for eight months, jumping from farm to farm. One night here he and I walked down the one road to the one bar and were held hostage for four hours by the bartender who was obsessed with American cars, the deep south, and bluegrass and country music. Actually the bartender was extremely nice and even insisted we come have dinner at his house another night. We didn't follow him up on his offer and were a bit apprehensive about going back to the bar - no such thing as a quick drink! He, like most foreigners I've met, wanted to talk extensively about American politics and the upcoming election. I'm really tired about talking about Hillary Clinton.

The farm was an amazing experience. I realized in my normal life I am so disconnected from nature. Working with the animals and the earth I felt a peace that I haven't felt in a really long time.

Oh, for those of you asking about the pics: they are all taken with an Olympus Stylus 790 SW. Its completely submergible to a depth of 3 meters without any special case. Pretty amazing.

Nadi and the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. "I remember a time when I used to wear shoes"

2008-01-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Yasawa Islands, a chain of islands with white sandy beaches and beautiful aquamarine reefs. I had different plans that were a bit more off the beaten path, but they changed due to weather conditions. The lesson learned is that planning is a waste of time and should only be done when absolutely necessary. Also, things always work out. The Yasawas were amazing. At first the weather was bad and I was stir crazy due to the rain and the isolation of the islands. Information was really hard to obtain:

[Woman working on the ferry]: "No boat tomorrow and maybe the next day. There is a cyclone coming."
[Me]: "A cyclone? Where? Where is the cyclone?"
[Woman]: "In the newspaper."

After a few days the weather improved and suddenly the thought of doing anything other than lying around on the beach seemed rediculous. I did manage to do some kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling with friendly reef sharks. I really tried to talk to the locals, not just the other tourists. Waya LaiLai, a beautiful lodge nestled in the hillside of the Waya island, was my favorite place I stayed. The hostel is owned and operated by the local village and they are truely wonderful people.
I passed back through Nadi on my way out to the Yasawas. Not too much to do in Nadi but I did check out some neat things like the Hindu temple pictured. Many Indians came to Fiji as indentured servants to work on the British sugar cane plantations. Most of them stayed, resulting in a current Fijian-Indian population larger than the indigenous Fijians. I don't really understand the current political unrest in Fiji, but a lot of it has to do with issues such as land rights and a racially based constitution. There was a 2006 coup during which the military took over the country and is still in charge. As an outsider things seem pretty stable but the Fiji Times ("the first newspaper printed in the world") is full of articles detailing the police officers that are lacking uniforms, the horrific conditions of the roads, and the fact that teachers might not be paid because the government can't afford it.

I was really sad to leave Fiji. I almost chose to miss my flight but decided to keep moving on. I'll be back someday (soon). I was also sad to part with a lot of new Australian friends but hopefully I'll see them in the next couple months. The biggest difference I've noticed between my backpacking adventures five years ago and now is the amount of electronics everyone carries around with them. Electrical outlets to charge laptops, ipods, cell phones, and digital cameras are in short supply at the hostels. Otherwise, things are good. Trying to adjust from "fiji time" back into city life....

Namatakula, Fiji "You know, a mongoose around is bad for the chooks"

2008-01-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Bula from Fiji, land of cannibals and the famous Mutiny on the Bounty. Actually, its more like the land of Vodafone and blaring pop music. Just finished a three day homestay in Namatakula village on the south side of Viti Levu. I was expecting an authentic Fijian experience, and I got it - circa 2008! My welcoming ceremony into the village took place under florescent lights next to a large shrine to the Virgin
Mary and complete with a cell phone interuption. I earned some respect by drinking lots (LOTS) of kava well past midnight with some of the town elders. Being germaphobic about sharing drinking cups with dozens of people, many of them toothless, made the situation a bit stressful to say the least. However, having no choice makes a decision easy. Ah, peer pressure drinking... The people of the village were some of the nicest and happiest people I have ever met. I felt like I was a member of a 400 person family. They don't have many material possesions except for the occasional cell phone that is nicer than the one I left back at home. This is comical because there is only one small area in the village that gets reception. There is another small area about a quarter of a mile down the main road and after dark you can find a group of teenagers all huddled together, each absorbed in separate conversations. The village does get electricity but it was out a large majority of the time I was there.

Every evening about 40 or so men in the village play a high-spirited game of rugby out in the school field. While admittedly knowing nothing about rugby, it was really impressive to watch. Apparently this tiny village is famous for producing great rugby players, many of whom go on to play for the Fijian national team and even internationally.
My hosts, Simon and Judith, were wonderful and took great care of me. The home-grown and home-cooked food was excellent. One evening we had food wrapped in leaves and cooked in an underground oven, or lovo. The men were in charge of making the lovo, proving that BBQing is a man's job all over the world! Simon's clan owns the land sorrounding the village. The majority of the land in Fiji is owned by Fijian tribes. Even the large hotels lease the land with the conditions that the hotels will employ locals. This works out extremely well for the villagers as a surprising amount end up marring foreigners (Australians mostly) that they meet in the hotels. Judith grew up in a village on the north side of the island. When he was growing up, Simon's mom told him "Marry a girl from the north. Then when there is trouble all of her relatives will not be here."
After I left Namatakula (with a care package of food from the villagers) I went to the capital,Suva. I spent my time there hiking in the Colo-i-Suva national park, being amazed at the construction of the old canoes in the Fiji Museum, and drinking Fiji Bitter under a large painting of Queen Elizabeth II at the Suva Lawn Bowling Club. Things seem to cost almost as much as they do back in the states, which surprises me. (Chai latte = 4.75 FJD = 3.10 USD)
I've finally adjusted to looking the right, actually the left, way when crossing streets and overall am doing well. I'll say it again - Fijians are some of the nicest people I've met. When my plane from home landed in Nadi, the guy next to me glanced out the window and said "I see palm trees. This is a good place." Then he turned away and went back to sleep. I think he summed it up well.