The Long-Winded Holiday
I have just spent 11 days traveling around. I am exhausted. Still, I will try my best to explain the trips I took. Bear with me. Pictures will be up shortly, by Friday, latest.
THE WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS
The Whitsundays lie upon Australia's Gold Coast, that's the northeast coastline. Known for it's beautiful white sand and turquoise waters, travelers come here to sail on overnight vessels that tour around the 74 Islands that are the Whitsundays. (I sound like a travel magazine, don't I?)
Irene, Ankur, Matt, and Andrew and I all took the same flight out of Sydney directly after our Saturday mid-semester finals. We flew into Airlie Beach, which has an airport out of Proserpine... it's the funniest airport ever. It has two gates, both of which have outdoor seating. You get on the plane via staircase, outdoors. It's all very low-key.
Anyway, yada yada.. it was great. We all stayed at the same hostel and had a great night before departing on separate boats the next day. The boys on one boat, and Irene and I on another. We hoped we might cross paths on the water.
Irene and I bonded with our hostel mate, Jordan, who's maybe the coolest British dude ever. We were bummed that we didn't get to spend more time with him. The three of us had breakfast and sunned on the lagoon at Airlie Beach until Irene and I had to board our "vessel." I love that word. Turns out Jordan had taken the same boat before us, which was random, but cool because we got briefed on all the stuff we needed to know.
Is it possible for a person to OD on dried mangos? They are my faaavorite and they are so cheap here. It's amazing.
Anyway the boat was awesome. Not much to talk about there. Beautiful Islands, white beaches, turquoise waters... sleeping on a sailboat. It was pretty much everything you'd expect it to be. Really luxurious aside from the fact that I had to go three days without showering. We went snorkeling on a reef and saw a giant sea turtle and some dolphins. The sea turtle was killer. I loved it. We also met some really cool people on the boat. Some people from England, some Norweigen (sp?) sisters, and some German girls. It was obviously a tourist attraction but it didn't feel touristy at all. It just felt like a bunch of random people getting onto a boat together and enjoying the scenery. And the people were all really interesting. Irene and I were constantly referred to as "Team America." Apparently they all got a kick out of that movie.. and everyone gets a kick out of making fun of the American girls.
Irene and I DID end up bumping into the boys, after all. In a random twist of fate, we all ended up anchoring at the same bay to go snorkeling. We all said hi and swam and carried on.
By the end of the three days, I was ready to be on land. Eating good food and laying out on the deck of a big sailboat is amazing, but only for so long... I know I sound spoiled, but the Whitsunday Islands will do that to a person. Beaches are less impressive after seeing those babies.
BRISBANE
Irene and I left Airlie Beach and headed off to Brisbane, directly after getting off the boat (oh, and having the most amazing shower in the cleanest public shower facility known to man) That saltwater did quite a number to my usually flawless silky smooth hair. (hahaha.. ah..)
So we got to Brisbane, realized we THOUGHT we booked a hostel but we actually hadn't... so we decided to wing it and hopped on a bus that landed us at a hostel and we asked if they had room and they did. We checked in for a dorm style room. Those are the cheapest, and are often co-ed. We got into the room at 9:30 and went straight to sleep, exhausted from the day's travels and from having to wake up early every day on the boat. We woke up at 5am, realized we had roommates, but we had a flight to catch for New Zealand, so we were out of there by 5:30. We were like the phantom roommates, sleeping when the others arrived and gone by the time they awoke.
Turns out we didnt see much of Brisbane aside from the bus ride to our hostel and the train ride to the airport. The public transportation is pretty great, that's all I can really say about it. And it seems like a pretty cute little city. Fairly quiet and eclectic and trendy, maybe. At least that's what the architecture said about it.
NEW ZEALAND
We flew into Christchurch and headed directly to our hostel. The brilliant thing about our New Zealand leg of the trip is that we had absolutely NO itinerary. It was all on our shoulders and the two of us were out to make the most of it. We headed to Base (our hostel). It was pretty posh for a hostel. But all of the hostels that I've experienced in the bigger cities have been really well kept. (I say big cities because the hostel at the Whitsundays was gross. Jordan warned me that he had to chase out a HUGE hunter spider before we arrived.. so I had the most panicked sleep ever. I didn't move a muscle out of pure fear that it would attract dangerous insects. In fact, I woke up in the morning with a huge charlie horse in my calf because I had been tensing my entire body all night long. Also, there was a giant swan/duck half-breed bird sitting outside of our doorway in the morning, pooping all over the place. Oh, and they didn't give us sheets.. those cost extra.. so we slept with our beach towels. It was budget. Thankfully Jordan wasn't creepy.)
Anyway, so Base was alright. We were in a co-ed dorm again but it didn't bother us. One night to explore Christchurch and then we were to rent a car and tour the Southern Island of New Zealand. We felt so hardcore. Our plan consisted of asking native Kiwis about their favorite parts of the southern island, and then travelling there to explore.
Here's the thing about New Zealand: everyone told us we couldn't do it. Everyone told us that we wouldnt have enough time to fit the Whitsundays AND NZ into our meager spring break, but we fought for it, and we managed to find the flights at the prices we needed. We had 5 full days to explore the South Island and we were determined to make the most of it, even if we had to spend three full days driving.
CHRISTCHURCH-
We were told by our bus driver that there was a popular Maori Performance that we could attend... it sounded touristy but we had been thinking about doing it before getting to NZ, and figured we could sacrifice ourselves to the tourism gods just this once. BAD DECISION. Oh, it was the worst thing we could have done. It was like disneyland for the Maori tribe. They put on this dramatic tour where they popped out of the forest as we all toured their "lands" (aka the backyard of the estate). It was cool to learn about some of the cultural aspects, but the way that they went about it seemed so wrong. It was hard to take any of it seriously. Maybe it would be cool for kids.. but that's what it felt like.. a kid's show. And Irene and I felt completely uncomfortable and out of place. I'm not sure I would call it exploitation, but it was strange. We booked it out of there as soon as we had the chance... respectfully and after the performance, of course. Turns out that somehow they hadn't written in our reservation for the performance, though, so no one ever asked us about paying. We had fully intended to pay, even after feeling like the performance was a waste of money, but we ended up making it all the way home and nobody questioned us, which was strange. So we lucked out. It felt pretty cool. So Irene and I spent a little extra on a really nice and extremely delicious Indian Restaurant that we'd been told about. It was yum.
The next morning we phoned about a rental car. Found a pretty good deal. Waited to get picked up by the rental company (they make everything so EASY for you there) and decided to ask some people at the front desk of our hostel about mapping out our road trip. It was here that we realized how little time we did, actually have. We started telling ourselves that everyone else had been right. And in a way, it's true. You can't see EVERYTHING that the South Island has to offer in just 5 days... 5 days that were quickly dwindling to 4. So we had to knock out a couple of sights that we wanted to see and prioritize a little differently.
We finally decided to head straight up to Abel Tasman national park on the very Northwest tip of the South Island. It was meant to be beautiful with forestry and golden beaches. Then we would drive down the west coast to visit the Franz Joseph Glacier.. the fastest moving glacier in the world.. It is surrounded by rainforest (strange combination, I know). And then we could drive through Arthur's Pass to make it back to Christchurch all in good time, and without rushing ourselves. That way, we'd get to see every ecosystem that the island had to offer: farmland, forrestry, mountains, glaciers, rainforests, and even a bit of what looks to be safarri in the valleys of Arthur's Pass.
After the stress of making decisions, and with the knowledge that nothing was set in stone, Irene and I headed to the car rental place. We got everything set up there, and then the guy said, "You drive manual, right?" I stared at him blankly. "Um, I have before... but I wouldn't say I do..." He got all nervous. "Are you sure?" I continued to stare at him blankly. "Well, I've never driven on the left side of the road before, so maybe I shouldn't push it."
He was so strange. He kept saying "are you sure you don't want to drive a manual shift?" Apparently the type of car he wanted to give me only came in manual gear. I told him he could come out with me and watch how I drove manual if he wanted to be sure. So he did. We got into the car. I stalled it, three times. I looked at him and I said, "It's been four years since I've driven stick shift, and I sucked at it then, too." So he finally understood. He set me up with another car without a problem, for the same price. So weird.
Our car was adorable and cute. That is of course what matters most. It was blue. I was in love.
The stearing wheel was on the wrong side. I almost climbed into the passenger seat. The rental guy looked at me and said, "you sure you can drive automatic?" What a smartass.
And we were OFF! Headed for Abel Tasman! Technically, we were headed for Motueka, which is the closest excuse for a town by Abel Tasman.
MURCHISON
Our first rest stop was for lunch. A town called Murchison. It was eerie. Small town. It lasted about three blocks on just one main road. If you blink you could drive right through it. That's the way most of the small towns operated. But this wasn't considered a small town, this was a bigger small town. It was really on the map. We got out of the car. Eyes alllll ooover us. We were so obviously not from around there it wasn't even funny. Keep in mind that Irene is from Brooklyn, so she is not okay with small town vibes. We walked up and down the street, looking for the least-dodgy restaurant where we could escape eyes of old men with beer in their bellies. We finally decided on an Inn with a restaurant. It was surprisingly nice inside. Very cozy. Aside from the one guy who sat in the corner and ate his lunch while staring at the wall.
It hit me then that the small towns in New Zealand might LOOK exactly like a tiny country town in the USA, but I feel like the people were less likely to be crazy. Still, you can't escape feeling like you're going to hear banjos from deliverance at every bend in the road. If anyone were to start going nutso, they'd probably be safest doing it in a small town in the middle of nowhere, right?
It's a whole different world. We felt like we were walking into an old western saloon. Or back in time, somehow. And we kept feeling so confused, wondering how these towns can operate in such isolation from the rest of the world. Where do people learn? How do they meet the people they eventually marry? No one seemed inbred to me..
We got out of Murchison and kept driving. The scenery was all the same at this point. Beautiful rolling hills and farmland. Cows, horses... and lots of sheep. I am talking LOTS of sheep. Nevertheless, it was absolutely breathtaking, some of these views. The rivers, the bridges, it was all so untouched and beautifully natural. The water in the rivers were clear as ice. The colors were out of this world.
Unfortunately for us, it started to get dark. We wanted to make it to Motueka before dark, but knew it would be impossible. We kept driving... but the streets were getting more and more windy, and the amount of street signs were beginning to diminish. After a while, in the pitch black, we started to panick. How would we know that we weren't lost?? Images of Deliverance started racing through my mind. Okay, I've never seen the movie but I started to imagine it, nonetheless. Do we stop at a tiny farmhouse with the lights on? Do we continue forward into the dark, getting low on gas, leading what could be in the wrong direction?! We tried to think logically but you don't know fear until you realize that you could be stranded in the middle of NOWHERE in the pitch black of night. Not to mention all the moths were coming out. As soon as night hit us, moths were flying all over the countryside, slamming into our windsheild like it was nobody's business. Did we really want to get stuck in the thick of a thousand moths? Ew!
So we kept fretting until finally we saw lights in the distance. We decided to check it out. Maybe it was a small town and could tell us where to go. Finally, we arrive after the road turns into dirt... it's MOTUEKA! Rejoice!!
We pull into a motel at 9:30pm. The reception door says "closed at 9pm" but the light was on. We knocked. A woman came over to greet us and saw how freaked out we were. "Are you girls okay? Where have you come from??" We told her how scared we were and how happy we were to find someone who seemed so normal. She set us up with a room right away. It was amazing! It turned out to be a little cottage, and not for very much money! She set us up with coffee and tea and milk for the morning, and gave us fresh towels and we got to make free phone calls. It was an amazing set up. She was the sweetest woman in the whole world. We immediately loved her and still think of her as our savior.
MOTUEKA
The next morning we got up early and rushed onto a bus headed for Abel Tasman. We spent the whole day hiking. It was really pretty, but we had been spoiled by the Whitsundays so we didn't feel like it was anything we hadn't seen before. Still, comparing that kind of beauty is completely irrational, so I did breathe it all in the way I should have. It was really beautiful. A boat had to take us out to our hiking destination, and pick us up. The whole area was pretty much uninhabited and people go there to camp out for weeks at a time. It's HUGE and has forrestry as well as beaches and gorgeous rocks. A lot of people go there to kayak, as well. It was really great and a wonderful day. Really beautiful out. No complaints. It was a day well spent.
We rushed home to call Abel Tasman Skydiving. We had decided that if we were going to be in New Zealand, we were going to do something amazing and daring... and when we asked our Kerri, the woman from our Motel (Motueka Gardens Motel -I recommend it) about skydiving, she said "oh! right around the corner from here is where people come from around the world to skydive. it's one of the best in the country aside from Queenstown (way down south on the south island -over mountains and snow vs Tasman which is over beaches and mountains) and these guys are famous for what they do." It was fate. We wanted to go that afternoon, but it turns out that the wind was too strong so we had to delay until early the next morning. Bummer, not only because it elongated our time up north when we felt the need to keep moving, but also because it allowed us to sleep on it. I conveniently put it into the back of my mind...
until we had to wake up and rush on over to the skydiving facility.
SKYDIVING OVER ABEL TASMAN
We got up and without thinking drove over to the skydiving facility to get there by 8:30am. Upon arrival, we signed our consent forms and without hesitation we were brought into the hanger where we were immediately all geared up. I was being strapped into a harness before I even knew what was going on. Would that happen in the states? Don't you have to go through at least some kind of training before they take you up in that tiny little excuse for an aeroplane? Not here.
I was introduced to my tandom diver just seconds before getting into the plane. He shook my hand, told me that his name was Tomas, in his really thick German accent, then told me that all I had to do was stick out my pelvis as i was falling, and everything would be okay. That's reassuring. Then he told me not to worry, it was his first time, too. Really funny. The whole thing was filmed, so there was a camera in my face the whole time, which was kind of funny in itself. I'll admit I was nervous, but I was amazed at the fact that I wasn't as nervous as I expected to be. The landscape was so pretty, and I was looking around at all of the people crammed into this tiny little plane, and they were all professional skydivers except for Irene and I. One of them was a 58 year old World Champion, going out for a practice run... he was going to be doing formations later in the day with some other pro divers. Everyone in that plane was so chill about the whole thing, and it made me feel a lot better. All I had to do was do what my tandom guy said to do, and I was pretty much along for the ride.
Climbing to 13,000 feet takes a long time. I just wanted to get it over with. Tomas started telling me what exactly I was going to do in order to exit. He was going to sit on the edge of the doorway, and because I was attached to the front of him, I was literally going to HANG out of the door while he gets ready to push us off. I had to go first. There was nothing quite like that moment while I was hanging out of that plane. Breathing patterns started speeding up, looking down wasn't really an option. The fear finally set in, but it was too late. He counted down from three, rocking back and forth at each number, and then he pushed off.
That first couple of seconds, before your body flats out in the air, is by far the most intense. Our heads fell forward and I felt like a rocket plummeting for earth. All you could see is the ground, 13000 feet below you. Your brain doesn't really know how to grasp the fact that you are freefalling. It's the most unnatural feeling I've ever had. And at the same time, it was the most natural... because it finally hits you that you're mortal and totally vulnerable. Finally we flattened out, stomachs parallel with the ground below, and even though I couldn't stop screaming (not in the scared way as much as the "oh my god this is the weirdest feeling EVER" way) my body actually started to adapt to the freefall. You almost forget that you're falling, because you have no reference point to tell you how fast you're falling. In the beginning, it's the plane.. but after about 25 seconds... and with the camera guy floating in the air next to me, and the ground doesnt seem to be getting any closer... you start to feel like you're just floating, and you stop thinkinging about the fact that your stomach is in your chest. And then you have about 25 seconds of that kind of euphoria. And then Tomas pulls the parachute, and you fly upward as the wind catches you.
And all of a sudden you feel like you're falling very very slowly. You just sit and enjoy the ride, still 4,000 feet to go. Tomas spun us around in a few 360s, having fun with the parachute. It was awesome. The arial view of everything below us... you can see Abel Tasman's mountains and forests and golden beaches. The ocean looked like a giant mirror, perfectly flat with the sun reflecting across the whole thing. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. And then below us, the little town amidst farmlands and plots of land, green squares. It rocked.
And while in the air, I asked Tomas how I was supposed to land. To which he replied, "Oh yeah... just hold your legs out in front of you when I tell you to." Good to know, thanks for going over that.
Landing was so fun. The wind kind of pushes you and you hold your feet out and just slide right in like you're aiming for home base in baseball.
I think I was the happiest kid in the world when I stood up after that landing. I now understand why skydiving is addictive, and hope to do it again sometime.
I'm still waiting for the video and pictures to arrive... they sent it to the sydney address from Tasman, so it hasn't arrived yet. :( I'll try to get the video up online when it gets here.
Irene and I moved on... said our goodbyes and thank-yous to Kerri, and headed back toward Murchison. We decided to go straight through to the Franz Joseph Glacier so that we could take a hike up it the next morning.
The weather was starting to take a turn for the worst. The drive was cool, because after finally getting sick of all the sheep, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by rainforests.
Can I just stick in it here that I am amazing at driving on the left side of the road? It's so weird. Your brain gets so used to it that you start thinking back on driving in the states and your head actually switches everything around. I was remembering driving through the roads back home and I was remembering it as though I was driving on the left.. I had to consciously try to remember that I actually drove on the right side. It's so weird.
Anyway, appropriately, it started raining.. REALLY HARD.. as we were driving through the rainforest.
By the time we got to Franz Joseph (many many hours later) we were not only exhausted, but starting to worry about whether or not we could make it onto the glacier if the weather stayed as it was.
FRANZ JOSEPH GLACIER (or lack thereof)
The hostel was pretty cool, very nice. Probably the nicest one we'd ever been to... and the cheapest. We grabbed some dinner. There was nothing in that town (another one that lasted about four blocks on one stretch of highway) but pub grub or really expensive food. We opted for the cheaper of the two. We finally decided to try burgers Aussie (and Kiwi) style. Burger topped with a fried egg, a beet, and some other random stuff. No cheese. Surprisingly, it was good. No complaints.
We went home, exhausted from our long day of driving, and watched a movie in the movie room with a bunch of other hostel kids. Turns out we ran into two Italian guys who had not only stayed in our hostel in Christchurch when we did, but who were at the same car rental place in Christchurch that we were at. They recognized us, and we talked for a little bit. It's amazing the kind of people you meet in places like this, and even more amazing when you run into each other again, out of nowhere.. and in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of a cool culture, the backpacker culture.
We went to sleep, crossing our fingers that the weather would change.
We woke up, and it hadn't. In fact, it had gotten worse. There was zero visibility. We faced our first big downer of the entire trip. We only had two full days left in New Zealand. And not even... because we had to be back in Christchurch by the following night to catch a flight very early the following morning. So we called the company that takes people up to the top of the glacier to hike it. They told us that all hiking on the glacier had been closed for the whole day, and the weather is so strange there, coming and going suddenly and at random, but she assumed the next day would be just as bad. Irene and I questioned going down to explore Queenstown, but it was at least an 8 hour drive down and another 6 to cross back up to Christchurch. By the time we got to Queenstown, we'd have to leave ... without getting the chance to do anything cool there.
We were SO bummed out. I felt so defeated. We had driven so far to do something so cool, and the weather had crapped out on us. There was absolutely nothing to take advantage of in the town. The only worthy things to do in New Zealand are outdoor activities... and it's so often dependent on the weather. As sad as we were, we sucked it up and understood that there was nothing for us in Franz Joseph anymore. Our only logical option was to head back to Christchurch and find something to do up there... at least we'd have more options for activities up there... and we were told that the weather on that side of the island was good.
We drove up to the bottom of the Franz Joseph Glacier. Surrounded by rainforest, all we could see was a giant fog. I'm sure there was a glacier behind it, but we had no way to know it. I'm still bitter about that. But I guess it gives me incentive to go back one day.
We began our trek through Arthur's Pass to get back to Christchurch.
ARTHUR'S PASS
The weather was starting to pick up as we were driving. Arthur's Pass is a place, but it is also the name of a highway (by highway they mean two lane strech of road that is occasionally broken up by bridges that are only one lane wide... so you have to make sure no one is coming at you before you drive across them). The highway passes between mountains and valleys. It's really quite a beautiful drive, which made it enjoyable. The weather was lame for the first part, but it made it a little more exciting. We had to stop for a bathroom break so we found a random building/restaurant. We got out of the car and were almost blown onto our backs. The wind was so strong we could hardly open the door to the restaurant.
When we entered, it was like entering the twilight zone. We stood for a second, shell shocked, in the doorway. Greeted by three men. Two were playing pool, one stood behind the bar. We all just stared at each other, frozen. One of them commented on the weather. The jukebox was playing loudly. Far too loudly for just three listeners. It was playing some Johnny Cash song. Irene and I asked the bartender for a bathroom. He pointed. We ran. When we came back, we smiled a quick goodbye and body slammed ourselves into the door to make sure it would open. The wind practically sucked us out of the building. We ran for the car. That was the WEIRDEST place we had ever set foot in. It gave me all kinds of creepy vibes.
We drove out of there laughing. "We have run into the WEIRDEST people!" It's true. We met some really strange and extremely alcoholic guys at a backpackers bar in Christchurch the first night. They were... strange. There was also an old man who we ran into a few times in the hallways of the hostel. He would say the weirdest most random things as we passed him. And then, of course, there were the Italian kids... random other kids we had met in hostels and the like... and the strange silent people who look at you funny when you walk onto their territory.
Anyway. We continued and stopped in Aurther's Pass, the town. Grabbed a sandwich at a really cute little place. Where do these people live? How do they make any money? They have the nicest little shops. Such cute interiors, so friendly... and yet.. how are they not going out of business? They never seem busy and they ... I... it's just that. We just couldn't figure out where and how all of these people can live in the middle of NOWHERE. Not that I'm complaining.. they did feed us, after all.
Yada yada... the scenery was beautiful, and the sun finally started to appear and we finally felt really happy again. We hit Christchurch by the evening. We decided to stay at a different hostel. It was a little bit less posh than Base, but just as clean and more cozy. Irene and I ended up getting our own room for just 18 bucks a night. We got sheets and towels and free phone usage and everything. It rocked.
We decided to grab some dinner and hit the sack. The next day, the weather decided to be all finicky. It's like it was chasing us. We sucked it up and decided to spend our last day tooling around Christchurch. We didn't get the chance to explore it before, and it was such an adorable city, so that's what we decided to do. It was great. We saw the botanical gardens and some arts and crafts centers and basically walked around the entire city. It's tiny, but very classy. We were very happy.
THE LAST LEG
Overall, we decided that our trip was exactly what we wanted it to be. We hit a few snags, but we still feel like we saw New Zealand for what it was. We connected with a few of the locals, met fellow travelers, got to see so many different landscapes within one island... we got to do one extreme sport and even though the weather booted us from doing another, we decided that you can't really say you've experienced New Zealand unless you're somehow affected by the strange weather patterns. It rained.. in the rainforest. That's the way it's supposed to be. And the fog was beautiful. Sounds funny but I'm serious. It was intense. Totally powerful. Very cool.
So in the end, we're really happy. And I would go back. Definitely. It was a great experience, and we tooootally conquered it on our own on our little shoestring budget. We conquered New Zealand (the south island, anyway).
Tuesday morning, we woke up at 4:15am. Drove to the rental car place... dropped off the car, walked to the airport from there... checked into customs and all that. Did you know you have to pay 25 dollars to LEAVE New Zealand??? How stupid is that?! I was pretty mad, but you've got to do what you've got to do to leave the country, I guess. We made our early flight... slept on the plane... arrived in Sydney at 7am Sydney time (three hours behind NZ time).
We did all that we could to make it back to our housing as fast as humanly possible. Of course we hit every obstacle possible. The lines were RAGING. It was a madhouse to get out of customs. I've never seen anything like it. And the taxi lines were just as bad... but we made it, somehow... and got back to our housing at 8:15am. Just in time to put on some makeup and clean clothes and head off for my first day on the job at my internship. I'm working for Cutting Edge... a post-production editing company. I think I've mentioned them before. The first day was exhausting. 9-5, after all of that travelling. I wanted to pass out.. and did... shortly after coming home.
All in all, the trip was long and adventurous and totally worth every second. I am glad to be back... especially because I realized yesterday that the entire right side of my body is COVERED in measley looking bites. I don't know what kind of bites they are, but I've ruled out bedbugs since it's only on one side of my body... and I'm not sure a spider would bite me THAT many times in one night.. unless it was a legion of spiders. Don't they ever get full, though? I mean I literally have 45 bites on my upper arm. It looks diseased. I have just as many on my lower leg and foot.. and sparadic ones on my hip and stuff. It's terrible. My boss at work told me it could have been "midgies" -small versions of mosquitoes that look like gnats or tiny flies. I'm banking on that. Anyway, I'm grateful to be back and safe from any random hostel-like issue that I would have to face... like being attacked by midgies all night.
Sweet. I am finally done with this long-winded account of my 10 day trek. I'm headed to Cairns this weekend to snorkel in the barrier reef. All of this flying is taking its toll. When I get back this weekend, I will be happy not to board another plane until it's headed back to the states. I can't imagine what it's like to be one of those business dudes who travels weekly... or a flight attendant, for that matter.
Hope you are all well and good. I'll work on getting those pictures up. Don't be a stranger. Email me.
THE WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS
The Whitsundays lie upon Australia's Gold Coast, that's the northeast coastline. Known for it's beautiful white sand and turquoise waters, travelers come here to sail on overnight vessels that tour around the 74 Islands that are the Whitsundays. (I sound like a travel magazine, don't I?)
Irene, Ankur, Matt, and Andrew and I all took the same flight out of Sydney directly after our Saturday mid-semester finals. We flew into Airlie Beach, which has an airport out of Proserpine... it's the funniest airport ever. It has two gates, both of which have outdoor seating. You get on the plane via staircase, outdoors. It's all very low-key.
Anyway, yada yada.. it was great. We all stayed at the same hostel and had a great night before departing on separate boats the next day. The boys on one boat, and Irene and I on another. We hoped we might cross paths on the water.
Irene and I bonded with our hostel mate, Jordan, who's maybe the coolest British dude ever. We were bummed that we didn't get to spend more time with him. The three of us had breakfast and sunned on the lagoon at Airlie Beach until Irene and I had to board our "vessel." I love that word. Turns out Jordan had taken the same boat before us, which was random, but cool because we got briefed on all the stuff we needed to know.
Is it possible for a person to OD on dried mangos? They are my faaavorite and they are so cheap here. It's amazing.
Anyway the boat was awesome. Not much to talk about there. Beautiful Islands, white beaches, turquoise waters... sleeping on a sailboat. It was pretty much everything you'd expect it to be. Really luxurious aside from the fact that I had to go three days without showering. We went snorkeling on a reef and saw a giant sea turtle and some dolphins. The sea turtle was killer. I loved it. We also met some really cool people on the boat. Some people from England, some Norweigen (sp?) sisters, and some German girls. It was obviously a tourist attraction but it didn't feel touristy at all. It just felt like a bunch of random people getting onto a boat together and enjoying the scenery. And the people were all really interesting. Irene and I were constantly referred to as "Team America." Apparently they all got a kick out of that movie.. and everyone gets a kick out of making fun of the American girls.
Irene and I DID end up bumping into the boys, after all. In a random twist of fate, we all ended up anchoring at the same bay to go snorkeling. We all said hi and swam and carried on.
By the end of the three days, I was ready to be on land. Eating good food and laying out on the deck of a big sailboat is amazing, but only for so long... I know I sound spoiled, but the Whitsunday Islands will do that to a person. Beaches are less impressive after seeing those babies.
BRISBANE
Irene and I left Airlie Beach and headed off to Brisbane, directly after getting off the boat (oh, and having the most amazing shower in the cleanest public shower facility known to man) That saltwater did quite a number to my usually flawless silky smooth hair. (hahaha.. ah..)
So we got to Brisbane, realized we THOUGHT we booked a hostel but we actually hadn't... so we decided to wing it and hopped on a bus that landed us at a hostel and we asked if they had room and they did. We checked in for a dorm style room. Those are the cheapest, and are often co-ed. We got into the room at 9:30 and went straight to sleep, exhausted from the day's travels and from having to wake up early every day on the boat. We woke up at 5am, realized we had roommates, but we had a flight to catch for New Zealand, so we were out of there by 5:30. We were like the phantom roommates, sleeping when the others arrived and gone by the time they awoke.
Turns out we didnt see much of Brisbane aside from the bus ride to our hostel and the train ride to the airport. The public transportation is pretty great, that's all I can really say about it. And it seems like a pretty cute little city. Fairly quiet and eclectic and trendy, maybe. At least that's what the architecture said about it.
NEW ZEALAND
We flew into Christchurch and headed directly to our hostel. The brilliant thing about our New Zealand leg of the trip is that we had absolutely NO itinerary. It was all on our shoulders and the two of us were out to make the most of it. We headed to Base (our hostel). It was pretty posh for a hostel. But all of the hostels that I've experienced in the bigger cities have been really well kept. (I say big cities because the hostel at the Whitsundays was gross. Jordan warned me that he had to chase out a HUGE hunter spider before we arrived.. so I had the most panicked sleep ever. I didn't move a muscle out of pure fear that it would attract dangerous insects. In fact, I woke up in the morning with a huge charlie horse in my calf because I had been tensing my entire body all night long. Also, there was a giant swan/duck half-breed bird sitting outside of our doorway in the morning, pooping all over the place. Oh, and they didn't give us sheets.. those cost extra.. so we slept with our beach towels. It was budget. Thankfully Jordan wasn't creepy.)
Anyway, so Base was alright. We were in a co-ed dorm again but it didn't bother us. One night to explore Christchurch and then we were to rent a car and tour the Southern Island of New Zealand. We felt so hardcore. Our plan consisted of asking native Kiwis about their favorite parts of the southern island, and then travelling there to explore.
Here's the thing about New Zealand: everyone told us we couldn't do it. Everyone told us that we wouldnt have enough time to fit the Whitsundays AND NZ into our meager spring break, but we fought for it, and we managed to find the flights at the prices we needed. We had 5 full days to explore the South Island and we were determined to make the most of it, even if we had to spend three full days driving.
CHRISTCHURCH-
We were told by our bus driver that there was a popular Maori Performance that we could attend... it sounded touristy but we had been thinking about doing it before getting to NZ, and figured we could sacrifice ourselves to the tourism gods just this once. BAD DECISION. Oh, it was the worst thing we could have done. It was like disneyland for the Maori tribe. They put on this dramatic tour where they popped out of the forest as we all toured their "lands" (aka the backyard of the estate). It was cool to learn about some of the cultural aspects, but the way that they went about it seemed so wrong. It was hard to take any of it seriously. Maybe it would be cool for kids.. but that's what it felt like.. a kid's show. And Irene and I felt completely uncomfortable and out of place. I'm not sure I would call it exploitation, but it was strange. We booked it out of there as soon as we had the chance... respectfully and after the performance, of course. Turns out that somehow they hadn't written in our reservation for the performance, though, so no one ever asked us about paying. We had fully intended to pay, even after feeling like the performance was a waste of money, but we ended up making it all the way home and nobody questioned us, which was strange. So we lucked out. It felt pretty cool. So Irene and I spent a little extra on a really nice and extremely delicious Indian Restaurant that we'd been told about. It was yum.
The next morning we phoned about a rental car. Found a pretty good deal. Waited to get picked up by the rental company (they make everything so EASY for you there) and decided to ask some people at the front desk of our hostel about mapping out our road trip. It was here that we realized how little time we did, actually have. We started telling ourselves that everyone else had been right. And in a way, it's true. You can't see EVERYTHING that the South Island has to offer in just 5 days... 5 days that were quickly dwindling to 4. So we had to knock out a couple of sights that we wanted to see and prioritize a little differently.
We finally decided to head straight up to Abel Tasman national park on the very Northwest tip of the South Island. It was meant to be beautiful with forestry and golden beaches. Then we would drive down the west coast to visit the Franz Joseph Glacier.. the fastest moving glacier in the world.. It is surrounded by rainforest (strange combination, I know). And then we could drive through Arthur's Pass to make it back to Christchurch all in good time, and without rushing ourselves. That way, we'd get to see every ecosystem that the island had to offer: farmland, forrestry, mountains, glaciers, rainforests, and even a bit of what looks to be safarri in the valleys of Arthur's Pass.
After the stress of making decisions, and with the knowledge that nothing was set in stone, Irene and I headed to the car rental place. We got everything set up there, and then the guy said, "You drive manual, right?" I stared at him blankly. "Um, I have before... but I wouldn't say I do..." He got all nervous. "Are you sure?" I continued to stare at him blankly. "Well, I've never driven on the left side of the road before, so maybe I shouldn't push it."
He was so strange. He kept saying "are you sure you don't want to drive a manual shift?" Apparently the type of car he wanted to give me only came in manual gear. I told him he could come out with me and watch how I drove manual if he wanted to be sure. So he did. We got into the car. I stalled it, three times. I looked at him and I said, "It's been four years since I've driven stick shift, and I sucked at it then, too." So he finally understood. He set me up with another car without a problem, for the same price. So weird.
Our car was adorable and cute. That is of course what matters most. It was blue. I was in love.
The stearing wheel was on the wrong side. I almost climbed into the passenger seat. The rental guy looked at me and said, "you sure you can drive automatic?" What a smartass.
And we were OFF! Headed for Abel Tasman! Technically, we were headed for Motueka, which is the closest excuse for a town by Abel Tasman.
MURCHISON
Our first rest stop was for lunch. A town called Murchison. It was eerie. Small town. It lasted about three blocks on just one main road. If you blink you could drive right through it. That's the way most of the small towns operated. But this wasn't considered a small town, this was a bigger small town. It was really on the map. We got out of the car. Eyes alllll ooover us. We were so obviously not from around there it wasn't even funny. Keep in mind that Irene is from Brooklyn, so she is not okay with small town vibes. We walked up and down the street, looking for the least-dodgy restaurant where we could escape eyes of old men with beer in their bellies. We finally decided on an Inn with a restaurant. It was surprisingly nice inside. Very cozy. Aside from the one guy who sat in the corner and ate his lunch while staring at the wall.
It hit me then that the small towns in New Zealand might LOOK exactly like a tiny country town in the USA, but I feel like the people were less likely to be crazy. Still, you can't escape feeling like you're going to hear banjos from deliverance at every bend in the road. If anyone were to start going nutso, they'd probably be safest doing it in a small town in the middle of nowhere, right?
It's a whole different world. We felt like we were walking into an old western saloon. Or back in time, somehow. And we kept feeling so confused, wondering how these towns can operate in such isolation from the rest of the world. Where do people learn? How do they meet the people they eventually marry? No one seemed inbred to me..
We got out of Murchison and kept driving. The scenery was all the same at this point. Beautiful rolling hills and farmland. Cows, horses... and lots of sheep. I am talking LOTS of sheep. Nevertheless, it was absolutely breathtaking, some of these views. The rivers, the bridges, it was all so untouched and beautifully natural. The water in the rivers were clear as ice. The colors were out of this world.
Unfortunately for us, it started to get dark. We wanted to make it to Motueka before dark, but knew it would be impossible. We kept driving... but the streets were getting more and more windy, and the amount of street signs were beginning to diminish. After a while, in the pitch black, we started to panick. How would we know that we weren't lost?? Images of Deliverance started racing through my mind. Okay, I've never seen the movie but I started to imagine it, nonetheless. Do we stop at a tiny farmhouse with the lights on? Do we continue forward into the dark, getting low on gas, leading what could be in the wrong direction?! We tried to think logically but you don't know fear until you realize that you could be stranded in the middle of NOWHERE in the pitch black of night. Not to mention all the moths were coming out. As soon as night hit us, moths were flying all over the countryside, slamming into our windsheild like it was nobody's business. Did we really want to get stuck in the thick of a thousand moths? Ew!
So we kept fretting until finally we saw lights in the distance. We decided to check it out. Maybe it was a small town and could tell us where to go. Finally, we arrive after the road turns into dirt... it's MOTUEKA! Rejoice!!
We pull into a motel at 9:30pm. The reception door says "closed at 9pm" but the light was on. We knocked. A woman came over to greet us and saw how freaked out we were. "Are you girls okay? Where have you come from??" We told her how scared we were and how happy we were to find someone who seemed so normal. She set us up with a room right away. It was amazing! It turned out to be a little cottage, and not for very much money! She set us up with coffee and tea and milk for the morning, and gave us fresh towels and we got to make free phone calls. It was an amazing set up. She was the sweetest woman in the whole world. We immediately loved her and still think of her as our savior.
MOTUEKA
The next morning we got up early and rushed onto a bus headed for Abel Tasman. We spent the whole day hiking. It was really pretty, but we had been spoiled by the Whitsundays so we didn't feel like it was anything we hadn't seen before. Still, comparing that kind of beauty is completely irrational, so I did breathe it all in the way I should have. It was really beautiful. A boat had to take us out to our hiking destination, and pick us up. The whole area was pretty much uninhabited and people go there to camp out for weeks at a time. It's HUGE and has forrestry as well as beaches and gorgeous rocks. A lot of people go there to kayak, as well. It was really great and a wonderful day. Really beautiful out. No complaints. It was a day well spent.
We rushed home to call Abel Tasman Skydiving. We had decided that if we were going to be in New Zealand, we were going to do something amazing and daring... and when we asked our Kerri, the woman from our Motel (Motueka Gardens Motel -I recommend it) about skydiving, she said "oh! right around the corner from here is where people come from around the world to skydive. it's one of the best in the country aside from Queenstown (way down south on the south island -over mountains and snow vs Tasman which is over beaches and mountains) and these guys are famous for what they do." It was fate. We wanted to go that afternoon, but it turns out that the wind was too strong so we had to delay until early the next morning. Bummer, not only because it elongated our time up north when we felt the need to keep moving, but also because it allowed us to sleep on it. I conveniently put it into the back of my mind...
until we had to wake up and rush on over to the skydiving facility.
SKYDIVING OVER ABEL TASMAN
We got up and without thinking drove over to the skydiving facility to get there by 8:30am. Upon arrival, we signed our consent forms and without hesitation we were brought into the hanger where we were immediately all geared up. I was being strapped into a harness before I even knew what was going on. Would that happen in the states? Don't you have to go through at least some kind of training before they take you up in that tiny little excuse for an aeroplane? Not here.
I was introduced to my tandom diver just seconds before getting into the plane. He shook my hand, told me that his name was Tomas, in his really thick German accent, then told me that all I had to do was stick out my pelvis as i was falling, and everything would be okay. That's reassuring. Then he told me not to worry, it was his first time, too. Really funny. The whole thing was filmed, so there was a camera in my face the whole time, which was kind of funny in itself. I'll admit I was nervous, but I was amazed at the fact that I wasn't as nervous as I expected to be. The landscape was so pretty, and I was looking around at all of the people crammed into this tiny little plane, and they were all professional skydivers except for Irene and I. One of them was a 58 year old World Champion, going out for a practice run... he was going to be doing formations later in the day with some other pro divers. Everyone in that plane was so chill about the whole thing, and it made me feel a lot better. All I had to do was do what my tandom guy said to do, and I was pretty much along for the ride.
Climbing to 13,000 feet takes a long time. I just wanted to get it over with. Tomas started telling me what exactly I was going to do in order to exit. He was going to sit on the edge of the doorway, and because I was attached to the front of him, I was literally going to HANG out of the door while he gets ready to push us off. I had to go first. There was nothing quite like that moment while I was hanging out of that plane. Breathing patterns started speeding up, looking down wasn't really an option. The fear finally set in, but it was too late. He counted down from three, rocking back and forth at each number, and then he pushed off.
That first couple of seconds, before your body flats out in the air, is by far the most intense. Our heads fell forward and I felt like a rocket plummeting for earth. All you could see is the ground, 13000 feet below you. Your brain doesn't really know how to grasp the fact that you are freefalling. It's the most unnatural feeling I've ever had. And at the same time, it was the most natural... because it finally hits you that you're mortal and totally vulnerable. Finally we flattened out, stomachs parallel with the ground below, and even though I couldn't stop screaming (not in the scared way as much as the "oh my god this is the weirdest feeling EVER" way) my body actually started to adapt to the freefall. You almost forget that you're falling, because you have no reference point to tell you how fast you're falling. In the beginning, it's the plane.. but after about 25 seconds... and with the camera guy floating in the air next to me, and the ground doesnt seem to be getting any closer... you start to feel like you're just floating, and you stop thinkinging about the fact that your stomach is in your chest. And then you have about 25 seconds of that kind of euphoria. And then Tomas pulls the parachute, and you fly upward as the wind catches you.
And all of a sudden you feel like you're falling very very slowly. You just sit and enjoy the ride, still 4,000 feet to go. Tomas spun us around in a few 360s, having fun with the parachute. It was awesome. The arial view of everything below us... you can see Abel Tasman's mountains and forests and golden beaches. The ocean looked like a giant mirror, perfectly flat with the sun reflecting across the whole thing. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. And then below us, the little town amidst farmlands and plots of land, green squares. It rocked.
And while in the air, I asked Tomas how I was supposed to land. To which he replied, "Oh yeah... just hold your legs out in front of you when I tell you to." Good to know, thanks for going over that.
Landing was so fun. The wind kind of pushes you and you hold your feet out and just slide right in like you're aiming for home base in baseball.
I think I was the happiest kid in the world when I stood up after that landing. I now understand why skydiving is addictive, and hope to do it again sometime.
I'm still waiting for the video and pictures to arrive... they sent it to the sydney address from Tasman, so it hasn't arrived yet. :( I'll try to get the video up online when it gets here.
Irene and I moved on... said our goodbyes and thank-yous to Kerri, and headed back toward Murchison. We decided to go straight through to the Franz Joseph Glacier so that we could take a hike up it the next morning.
The weather was starting to take a turn for the worst. The drive was cool, because after finally getting sick of all the sheep, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by rainforests.
Can I just stick in it here that I am amazing at driving on the left side of the road? It's so weird. Your brain gets so used to it that you start thinking back on driving in the states and your head actually switches everything around. I was remembering driving through the roads back home and I was remembering it as though I was driving on the left.. I had to consciously try to remember that I actually drove on the right side. It's so weird.
Anyway, appropriately, it started raining.. REALLY HARD.. as we were driving through the rainforest.
By the time we got to Franz Joseph (many many hours later) we were not only exhausted, but starting to worry about whether or not we could make it onto the glacier if the weather stayed as it was.
FRANZ JOSEPH GLACIER (or lack thereof)
The hostel was pretty cool, very nice. Probably the nicest one we'd ever been to... and the cheapest. We grabbed some dinner. There was nothing in that town (another one that lasted about four blocks on one stretch of highway) but pub grub or really expensive food. We opted for the cheaper of the two. We finally decided to try burgers Aussie (and Kiwi) style. Burger topped with a fried egg, a beet, and some other random stuff. No cheese. Surprisingly, it was good. No complaints.
We went home, exhausted from our long day of driving, and watched a movie in the movie room with a bunch of other hostel kids. Turns out we ran into two Italian guys who had not only stayed in our hostel in Christchurch when we did, but who were at the same car rental place in Christchurch that we were at. They recognized us, and we talked for a little bit. It's amazing the kind of people you meet in places like this, and even more amazing when you run into each other again, out of nowhere.. and in the middle of nowhere. It's kind of a cool culture, the backpacker culture.
We went to sleep, crossing our fingers that the weather would change.
We woke up, and it hadn't. In fact, it had gotten worse. There was zero visibility. We faced our first big downer of the entire trip. We only had two full days left in New Zealand. And not even... because we had to be back in Christchurch by the following night to catch a flight very early the following morning. So we called the company that takes people up to the top of the glacier to hike it. They told us that all hiking on the glacier had been closed for the whole day, and the weather is so strange there, coming and going suddenly and at random, but she assumed the next day would be just as bad. Irene and I questioned going down to explore Queenstown, but it was at least an 8 hour drive down and another 6 to cross back up to Christchurch. By the time we got to Queenstown, we'd have to leave ... without getting the chance to do anything cool there.
We were SO bummed out. I felt so defeated. We had driven so far to do something so cool, and the weather had crapped out on us. There was absolutely nothing to take advantage of in the town. The only worthy things to do in New Zealand are outdoor activities... and it's so often dependent on the weather. As sad as we were, we sucked it up and understood that there was nothing for us in Franz Joseph anymore. Our only logical option was to head back to Christchurch and find something to do up there... at least we'd have more options for activities up there... and we were told that the weather on that side of the island was good.
We drove up to the bottom of the Franz Joseph Glacier. Surrounded by rainforest, all we could see was a giant fog. I'm sure there was a glacier behind it, but we had no way to know it. I'm still bitter about that. But I guess it gives me incentive to go back one day.
We began our trek through Arthur's Pass to get back to Christchurch.
ARTHUR'S PASS
The weather was starting to pick up as we were driving. Arthur's Pass is a place, but it is also the name of a highway (by highway they mean two lane strech of road that is occasionally broken up by bridges that are only one lane wide... so you have to make sure no one is coming at you before you drive across them). The highway passes between mountains and valleys. It's really quite a beautiful drive, which made it enjoyable. The weather was lame for the first part, but it made it a little more exciting. We had to stop for a bathroom break so we found a random building/restaurant. We got out of the car and were almost blown onto our backs. The wind was so strong we could hardly open the door to the restaurant.
When we entered, it was like entering the twilight zone. We stood for a second, shell shocked, in the doorway. Greeted by three men. Two were playing pool, one stood behind the bar. We all just stared at each other, frozen. One of them commented on the weather. The jukebox was playing loudly. Far too loudly for just three listeners. It was playing some Johnny Cash song. Irene and I asked the bartender for a bathroom. He pointed. We ran. When we came back, we smiled a quick goodbye and body slammed ourselves into the door to make sure it would open. The wind practically sucked us out of the building. We ran for the car. That was the WEIRDEST place we had ever set foot in. It gave me all kinds of creepy vibes.
We drove out of there laughing. "We have run into the WEIRDEST people!" It's true. We met some really strange and extremely alcoholic guys at a backpackers bar in Christchurch the first night. They were... strange. There was also an old man who we ran into a few times in the hallways of the hostel. He would say the weirdest most random things as we passed him. And then, of course, there were the Italian kids... random other kids we had met in hostels and the like... and the strange silent people who look at you funny when you walk onto their territory.
Anyway. We continued and stopped in Aurther's Pass, the town. Grabbed a sandwich at a really cute little place. Where do these people live? How do they make any money? They have the nicest little shops. Such cute interiors, so friendly... and yet.. how are they not going out of business? They never seem busy and they ... I... it's just that. We just couldn't figure out where and how all of these people can live in the middle of NOWHERE. Not that I'm complaining.. they did feed us, after all.
Yada yada... the scenery was beautiful, and the sun finally started to appear and we finally felt really happy again. We hit Christchurch by the evening. We decided to stay at a different hostel. It was a little bit less posh than Base, but just as clean and more cozy. Irene and I ended up getting our own room for just 18 bucks a night. We got sheets and towels and free phone usage and everything. It rocked.
We decided to grab some dinner and hit the sack. The next day, the weather decided to be all finicky. It's like it was chasing us. We sucked it up and decided to spend our last day tooling around Christchurch. We didn't get the chance to explore it before, and it was such an adorable city, so that's what we decided to do. It was great. We saw the botanical gardens and some arts and crafts centers and basically walked around the entire city. It's tiny, but very classy. We were very happy.
THE LAST LEG
Overall, we decided that our trip was exactly what we wanted it to be. We hit a few snags, but we still feel like we saw New Zealand for what it was. We connected with a few of the locals, met fellow travelers, got to see so many different landscapes within one island... we got to do one extreme sport and even though the weather booted us from doing another, we decided that you can't really say you've experienced New Zealand unless you're somehow affected by the strange weather patterns. It rained.. in the rainforest. That's the way it's supposed to be. And the fog was beautiful. Sounds funny but I'm serious. It was intense. Totally powerful. Very cool.
So in the end, we're really happy. And I would go back. Definitely. It was a great experience, and we tooootally conquered it on our own on our little shoestring budget. We conquered New Zealand (the south island, anyway).
Tuesday morning, we woke up at 4:15am. Drove to the rental car place... dropped off the car, walked to the airport from there... checked into customs and all that. Did you know you have to pay 25 dollars to LEAVE New Zealand??? How stupid is that?! I was pretty mad, but you've got to do what you've got to do to leave the country, I guess. We made our early flight... slept on the plane... arrived in Sydney at 7am Sydney time (three hours behind NZ time).
We did all that we could to make it back to our housing as fast as humanly possible. Of course we hit every obstacle possible. The lines were RAGING. It was a madhouse to get out of customs. I've never seen anything like it. And the taxi lines were just as bad... but we made it, somehow... and got back to our housing at 8:15am. Just in time to put on some makeup and clean clothes and head off for my first day on the job at my internship. I'm working for Cutting Edge... a post-production editing company. I think I've mentioned them before. The first day was exhausting. 9-5, after all of that travelling. I wanted to pass out.. and did... shortly after coming home.
All in all, the trip was long and adventurous and totally worth every second. I am glad to be back... especially because I realized yesterday that the entire right side of my body is COVERED in measley looking bites. I don't know what kind of bites they are, but I've ruled out bedbugs since it's only on one side of my body... and I'm not sure a spider would bite me THAT many times in one night.. unless it was a legion of spiders. Don't they ever get full, though? I mean I literally have 45 bites on my upper arm. It looks diseased. I have just as many on my lower leg and foot.. and sparadic ones on my hip and stuff. It's terrible. My boss at work told me it could have been "midgies" -small versions of mosquitoes that look like gnats or tiny flies. I'm banking on that. Anyway, I'm grateful to be back and safe from any random hostel-like issue that I would have to face... like being attacked by midgies all night.
Sweet. I am finally done with this long-winded account of my 10 day trek. I'm headed to Cairns this weekend to snorkel in the barrier reef. All of this flying is taking its toll. When I get back this weekend, I will be happy not to board another plane until it's headed back to the states. I can't imagine what it's like to be one of those business dudes who travels weekly... or a flight attendant, for that matter.
Hope you are all well and good. I'll work on getting those pictures up. Don't be a stranger. Email me.
posted by C Killian at 1:32 AM
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