Sydney is kind of a weird place.
If you keep it to just the Sydney Harbour area (bridge, opera house, argyle stores, botanic gardens, coast walks, Museum of Contemporary Art) and beaches in the area (like Manly, which was awesome), the place is incredible, lively and like a dream come to life.
It's just the other 80% of the city kind of sucks.
Dirty, hurried, rude, horribly expensive, riddled with smoke and pushy strip club marketers (at least in Kings Cross for the latter part) and with no real heart to it, Sydney is a city with one really tremendous area and a whole lot of crap surrounding it.
I spent a total of three nights and two days there and I can safely say I have little to no interest in ever going back. I got the experiences I wanted (and some I was entertained by, like with the aforementioned pushy strip club entrepreneurs in Kings Cross) and am pretty much set now.
Having powered through the city, I am now in Brisbane for two days of animal power (the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary to start and then the Australia Zoo tomorrow) before heading to what I hope to be somewhere with honest to god life and vitality - Noosa. My great white hope of small town joie de vivre.
So far though, I have found Australia significantly lacking in comparison to New Zealand. It is truly unreal how expensive this city is. Here are some prices to give you an idea how much I am dealing with, and keep in mind this will be in Australian dollars which are stronger than American dollars.
Movies in the theater: $17.50 ($10 in Anchorage)
Comics: $6.95 ($3.99 in the US)
Coke (as in the beverage, not the drug): $4 ($1.50 in Anchorage?)
It is insane. After just a few days, I wish I had spent my whole time in Oceania in New Zealand.
The things I really want to do here too are both pricing and timing me out. Going to Uluru (Ayers Rock) would likely ultimately cost me $1400 AU dollars and 5 days, to which I say SCREW THAT. Even getting up to the Great Barrier Reef promises to be rather prodigiously expensive. Stupid huge country.
In short, I already am excited for the cheap thrills of Thailand.
At least I know tomorrow brings the promise of koalas. That will make things better. They always do.
Sigh...
Koalas are awesome.
Music of the day: The sound a cash register makes when it bankrupts me (it sounds like a baby or a 27 year old Alaskan man named David Harper crying)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
New Zealand in Retrospect
It turns out New Zealand is just as beautiful and amazing as people hype it up to be.
True story.
Not only that, but the people are uniformly friendly. It's kind of jarring actually, just how friendly the people are. Everywhere you go the people are mellow, forgiving of stupidity (which I bring with a vengeance), kind, generous and all around class acts.
Think of this: the only people who picked me up hitchhiking were Kiwis, and this only took place in tourist heavy areas. Not only that, but three times when I approached a local for directions, they saw my request for a pointing finger and raised with a ride to the location itself.
In many parts of America, I would get a finger, but it would point skyward (which is fairly useless when you are looking for somewhere).
It is a remarkable place, and one of the nicest ones I have been to.
But oddly enough, I don't find myself saddened as I depart there. Maybe because I have so much adventure left ahead of me, but one way or another I am excited as I fly from Christchurch to Sydney.
Before I get into writing about Australia (which will come a day or so into that section), I wanted to look at the highlights of my New Zealand experience.
Favorite Place: Waiheke Island
Beautiful, relaxed, natural, inviting, friendly and completely unique, when I felt most unsure about NZ, this island and its 8 interconnected townships made the awesome rain all over me. With the best blend of culture, culinary and Caribbean like environs (sue me, I reached for the alliteration), this place was living a dream.
Favorite City: Dunedin
I've always said I wanted to live in a place that blended a college town vibe with city like amenities. Never had I found it until the brilliance of this city. Nestled into the south island, packing a punch from the robust musical and cuisine scenes while also being near the fertile wildlife sanctuaries of the Otago Peninsula, this place has a little something for everyone.
Even a hostel called Hogwartz.
Least Favorite Places: Paihia and Christchurch
A bit of advice, visit the Bay of Islands, but try to get out of Paihia as soon as possible. Mediocre and overpriced food and accommodations, frat party like vibe, and generally unfriendly people (probably because they are overburdened by rabid tourists), I spent two nights here and would have highly preferred one.
Christchurch kind of gets a pass because of the devastation that hit it with their earthquake, but man, it is the most confusing city I have ever been to. Finding your way through the city as a newbie is incredibly difficult, as streets seemingly cross with themselves and even the GPS we had changed its routes trip to trip due to what I can only guess is the electronic equivalent of throwing your hands in the air and saying "that's it!!!"
Most Underrated Place: Wanaka
Very little hype in Lonely Planet or within backpacker stories, Wanaka was a soothing four day balm to my weary traveling soul. Loaded with quality cafes, top hiking tracks, and a superb hostel and movie theater (both the YHA Purple Cow and Cinema Paradiso come highly recommended from yours truly), this is a fantastic place to lay low for a few days.
Especially in Puzzling World's maze. No one will find you there.
Favorite Experience: It's a tie! Swimming with dolphins in the Bay of Islands and bungie jumping outside of Queenstown
Confession time: growing up I loved dolphins (well, all cetaceans really) and I wanted to be a marine biologist. Swimming with them was short, but completely and utterly exhilarating. When I exited the water, I quickly gathered with other swimmers and rapidly shared experiences with them. "Did you?!" "Yeah!" "So close!" "Yeah!"
Warning: non-sensical excitement based shorthand occurs shortly after this experience.
Bungie jumping I've gone on and on about, but I think this somewhat revealed to me that I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie. A low level one, but whenever I do something "extreme" I approach it with fear and experience it with a transcendent level of jubilance. The bungie jumping experience, for me, was truly special, and something I highly suggest to anyone to try.
Biggest Disappointment: The Food
I am not a foodie - I am a food enthusiast.
With that said, everyone knows I love food, but New Zealand's food had very little that was special about it. Certain towns and cities did food well (Dunedin in particular) and they handled some dishes well (hello Eggs Benedict!), but for the most part, I found that the food was at best solid and at worst cholera inducing (don't ask).
Silver lining: New Zealand can make a mean cup of coffee and their beer, particularly Speight's, is top notch as well.
North Island or South Island?: North Island
For me personally, I found myself sadder to leave the North Island than I was to leave the South Island. The northern section seemed to offer more variety to your experience and seemed to have more options for your wayward traveler. I have to admit, I may have just preferred the warmer weather, but it seemed that my time in the north was too short while my south time was too long.
New Zealand as a whole, however, is the type of place I could see myself going back to live at. Blessed with an overabundance of things to do and good bang for my American dollar, i could see myself returning after acquiring a work visa. But I doubt it. Who knows, maybe Australia will be even more awesome? The flight sure is - Emirates Airlines RULES.
Music of the day: The Black Keys - Brothers
True story.
Not only that, but the people are uniformly friendly. It's kind of jarring actually, just how friendly the people are. Everywhere you go the people are mellow, forgiving of stupidity (which I bring with a vengeance), kind, generous and all around class acts.
Think of this: the only people who picked me up hitchhiking were Kiwis, and this only took place in tourist heavy areas. Not only that, but three times when I approached a local for directions, they saw my request for a pointing finger and raised with a ride to the location itself.
In many parts of America, I would get a finger, but it would point skyward (which is fairly useless when you are looking for somewhere).
It is a remarkable place, and one of the nicest ones I have been to.
But oddly enough, I don't find myself saddened as I depart there. Maybe because I have so much adventure left ahead of me, but one way or another I am excited as I fly from Christchurch to Sydney.
Before I get into writing about Australia (which will come a day or so into that section), I wanted to look at the highlights of my New Zealand experience.
Favorite Place: Waiheke Island
Beautiful, relaxed, natural, inviting, friendly and completely unique, when I felt most unsure about NZ, this island and its 8 interconnected townships made the awesome rain all over me. With the best blend of culture, culinary and Caribbean like environs (sue me, I reached for the alliteration), this place was living a dream.
Favorite City: Dunedin
I've always said I wanted to live in a place that blended a college town vibe with city like amenities. Never had I found it until the brilliance of this city. Nestled into the south island, packing a punch from the robust musical and cuisine scenes while also being near the fertile wildlife sanctuaries of the Otago Peninsula, this place has a little something for everyone.
Even a hostel called Hogwartz.
Least Favorite Places: Paihia and Christchurch
A bit of advice, visit the Bay of Islands, but try to get out of Paihia as soon as possible. Mediocre and overpriced food and accommodations, frat party like vibe, and generally unfriendly people (probably because they are overburdened by rabid tourists), I spent two nights here and would have highly preferred one.
Christchurch kind of gets a pass because of the devastation that hit it with their earthquake, but man, it is the most confusing city I have ever been to. Finding your way through the city as a newbie is incredibly difficult, as streets seemingly cross with themselves and even the GPS we had changed its routes trip to trip due to what I can only guess is the electronic equivalent of throwing your hands in the air and saying "that's it!!!"
Most Underrated Place: Wanaka
Very little hype in Lonely Planet or within backpacker stories, Wanaka was a soothing four day balm to my weary traveling soul. Loaded with quality cafes, top hiking tracks, and a superb hostel and movie theater (both the YHA Purple Cow and Cinema Paradiso come highly recommended from yours truly), this is a fantastic place to lay low for a few days.
Especially in Puzzling World's maze. No one will find you there.
Favorite Experience: It's a tie! Swimming with dolphins in the Bay of Islands and bungie jumping outside of Queenstown
Confession time: growing up I loved dolphins (well, all cetaceans really) and I wanted to be a marine biologist. Swimming with them was short, but completely and utterly exhilarating. When I exited the water, I quickly gathered with other swimmers and rapidly shared experiences with them. "Did you?!" "Yeah!" "So close!" "Yeah!"
Warning: non-sensical excitement based shorthand occurs shortly after this experience.
Bungie jumping I've gone on and on about, but I think this somewhat revealed to me that I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie. A low level one, but whenever I do something "extreme" I approach it with fear and experience it with a transcendent level of jubilance. The bungie jumping experience, for me, was truly special, and something I highly suggest to anyone to try.
Biggest Disappointment: The Food
I am not a foodie - I am a food enthusiast.
With that said, everyone knows I love food, but New Zealand's food had very little that was special about it. Certain towns and cities did food well (Dunedin in particular) and they handled some dishes well (hello Eggs Benedict!), but for the most part, I found that the food was at best solid and at worst cholera inducing (don't ask).
Silver lining: New Zealand can make a mean cup of coffee and their beer, particularly Speight's, is top notch as well.
North Island or South Island?: North Island
For me personally, I found myself sadder to leave the North Island than I was to leave the South Island. The northern section seemed to offer more variety to your experience and seemed to have more options for your wayward traveler. I have to admit, I may have just preferred the warmer weather, but it seemed that my time in the north was too short while my south time was too long.
New Zealand as a whole, however, is the type of place I could see myself going back to live at. Blessed with an overabundance of things to do and good bang for my American dollar, i could see myself returning after acquiring a work visa. But I doubt it. Who knows, maybe Australia will be even more awesome? The flight sure is - Emirates Airlines RULES.
Music of the day: The Black Keys - Brothers
Saturday, March 26, 2011
New Zealand: A Land of Firsts
Today is my last full day in New Zealand, and I am spending the majority of it transitioning from Wanaka to Christchurch via Naked Bus (hopefully no nudity will be required for entry, but that will be revealed in about an hour and 15 minutes). This is unsurprising given the amount of bus travel I went through while here, but it was all worth it (more on that later in my NZ Revisited post).
What I wanted to talk about here are the firsts I went through while in Kiwiland, because I did a surprising amount of things for the first time while here.
- Perhaps most impressively (and most surprisingly) I bungie jumped for the first time ever in Queenstown at the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge jump - 43 meters of pure awesome
- I hitchhiked for the first time (as well as a few times after that) - I highly doubt that will be the last time either
- I went snorkeling for the first time ever
- Better yet, I swam with dolphins for the first time (and good god do I hope it isn't the last)
- I had my first frisbee golf hole-in-one on the 10th hole of the Queenstown course
- I grew a "beard" for the first time (two points: my beard is a patchy hodgepodge of randomness, and this isn't really a NZ experience but it is something I'm doing for the first time while here
- First time seeing a penguin in the wild in person
Not a ton of things really, but a fun list of very memorable experiences. My Facebook page is now loaded with pictures for those that are interested in that type of thing. There are only 54 pics on there but I can say this - I took over 1000 pics, many of which are not so good (I subscribe to the quantity makes quality school of thought in photography).
Today New Zealand, tomorrow Australia. Here is hoping my first I get there is getting MDK'd by a massive spider as I sleep in the Outback.
Music of the day: Eluvium's "Copia" (the salve to my insomniac woes when my room is an oven and a girl is snoring something fierce)
What I wanted to talk about here are the firsts I went through while in Kiwiland, because I did a surprising amount of things for the first time while here.
- Perhaps most impressively (and most surprisingly) I bungie jumped for the first time ever in Queenstown at the AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge jump - 43 meters of pure awesome
- I hitchhiked for the first time (as well as a few times after that) - I highly doubt that will be the last time either
- I went snorkeling for the first time ever
- Better yet, I swam with dolphins for the first time (and good god do I hope it isn't the last)
- I had my first frisbee golf hole-in-one on the 10th hole of the Queenstown course
- I grew a "beard" for the first time (two points: my beard is a patchy hodgepodge of randomness, and this isn't really a NZ experience but it is something I'm doing for the first time while here
- First time seeing a penguin in the wild in person
Not a ton of things really, but a fun list of very memorable experiences. My Facebook page is now loaded with pictures for those that are interested in that type of thing. There are only 54 pics on there but I can say this - I took over 1000 pics, many of which are not so good (I subscribe to the quantity makes quality school of thought in photography).
Today New Zealand, tomorrow Australia. Here is hoping my first I get there is getting MDK'd by a massive spider as I sleep in the Outback.
Music of the day: Eluvium's "Copia" (the salve to my insomniac woes when my room is an oven and a girl is snoring something fierce)
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Power of Twitter
Update: Patagonia said they cannot get me new shoes until I send my current ones back AND that they cannot send shoes internationally (which seems a tad contrary to their origins). So I guess I will be buying new shoes and throwing these ones in the trash. REI is still cool, but I officially will never be buying a Patagonia product again.
After just three weeks, my brand new Patagonia slip-on walking shoes are nearing their last rites. Given that I dropped $80 dollars for them at REI, I kind of feel like they should last just a bit longer, so my frustration was palpable last evening.
TO TWITTER I GO!!
For a wayward pacifist such as myself, instead of just buying new shoes or something of that sort, I passive aggressively tweeted lamentations about the quick death of my almost absurdly comfortable shoes. @ messaging Patagonia and REI in the process (I wanted them to be aware of my frustration - or at the very least their bots or PR firm), I awoke to a surprise: both REI and Patagonia responded.
It's a little early to tell, but it looks like papa is getting a new set of shoes - on the house of course. This was unintentional of course, as well as wholly welcome. Bravo to both companies for going above and beyond in customer service and turning my negative experience into a positive one.
Music of the Day: The 88 - Over and Over (pure pop for blissful sunny days)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Gone Fishing...
Slow on the blog lately everyone, sorry! I'm hiding out in Wanaka, New Zealand for a few days at the end of my NZ trip to relax and get a vacation from my vacation. That means cooking, movies, sleeping in, hiking and being boring for a few days. So for those looking for exciting tales from Kiwiland, you won't be getting them from me for a bit.
There are stories to be told from days past, namely the superb frisbee golf course I found in Queenstown (and the hole in one I made), the impossibly cool movie theater here in Wanaka (google Cinema Paradiso), the Lord of the Rings tour Sharee and I took, and the sadness that comes from my phone no longer working. But you will get none of that until later my friends!
You also sadly will not be getting pictures (sorry Sara!). I cannot load pics on my iPad, thus I cannot share with you...yet. But my apologies, as I would very much like to share my journey with you. I just cannot yet.
Share comments with me people! I miss everyone something fierce (especially with my phone being a brick) so cheer me up with entertaining commentary.
There are stories to be told from days past, namely the superb frisbee golf course I found in Queenstown (and the hole in one I made), the impossibly cool movie theater here in Wanaka (google Cinema Paradiso), the Lord of the Rings tour Sharee and I took, and the sadness that comes from my phone no longer working. But you will get none of that until later my friends!
You also sadly will not be getting pictures (sorry Sara!). I cannot load pics on my iPad, thus I cannot share with you...yet. But my apologies, as I would very much like to share my journey with you. I just cannot yet.
Share comments with me people! I miss everyone something fierce (especially with my phone being a brick) so cheer me up with entertaining commentary.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
I Came, I Saw, I Leapt
Yesterday was a milestone day for me. Given that I want this trip to be some sort of grand adventure, it only makes sense that leaping off the first bridge to support commercial bungie jumping would be an activity early on in my journey. And it really didn't make sense not to.
So yesterday outside of Queenstown, New Zealand at AJ Hackett's bungie joint, I jumped off the Kawaru Bridge at precisely 4 pm.
The funny thing about bungie jumping, like other really scary activities I had to overcome previously, is that almost all of the fear exists in the build-up to the actual event. As I was approaching it, my stomach was in knots and my hands were frozen out of fear.
But once I got up there I flew like an eagle.
Okay, if I was an eagle in that situation I would have been the world's crappiest one because I dove straight out and proceeded to go straight down rapidly. Naturally.
The fun thing was I had no idea how my surgically repaired knee would respond, and to be honest, neither did the crew working. They suggested jumping straight out as far as I could ("imagine you are jumping onto a bed 6 feet away") to reduce any strain on my knee. It didn't hurt at all.
In fact, all potential pain and real fear was quickly replaced with pure elation.
While those before and after me met the leap by screaming, I responded by laughing like a madman, much to the elation of those watching. I spread my arms out and spun and smiled and as I was pulled into a boat far below me on the Kawaru River by the crack team they had there, only one sensation remained.
The desire to do it again.
Music of the day: The "extreme" soundtrack of AJ Hackett's bungie crew - EXTREME!
So yesterday outside of Queenstown, New Zealand at AJ Hackett's bungie joint, I jumped off the Kawaru Bridge at precisely 4 pm.
The funny thing about bungie jumping, like other really scary activities I had to overcome previously, is that almost all of the fear exists in the build-up to the actual event. As I was approaching it, my stomach was in knots and my hands were frozen out of fear.
But once I got up there I flew like an eagle.
Okay, if I was an eagle in that situation I would have been the world's crappiest one because I dove straight out and proceeded to go straight down rapidly. Naturally.
The fun thing was I had no idea how my surgically repaired knee would respond, and to be honest, neither did the crew working. They suggested jumping straight out as far as I could ("imagine you are jumping onto a bed 6 feet away") to reduce any strain on my knee. It didn't hurt at all.
In fact, all potential pain and real fear was quickly replaced with pure elation.
While those before and after me met the leap by screaming, I responded by laughing like a madman, much to the elation of those watching. I spread my arms out and spun and smiled and as I was pulled into a boat far below me on the Kawaru River by the crack team they had there, only one sensation remained.
The desire to do it again.
Music of the day: The "extreme" soundtrack of AJ Hackett's bungie crew - EXTREME!
Friday, March 18, 2011
To Dunedin and Beyond
Arriving into Dunedin late last night, I didn't get much of a feel for the place save for a few simple facts.
1) It had better architecture than everywhere else I had been I New Zealand to date
2) People love to party here (this is not derived from the fact I heard Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time" playing in a the supermarket but from the fact St. Patrick's Day was welcomed by fleets of green wearing and beer chugging people of all ages)
3) It is a bit dirtier than most NZ cities as well
My evening did have the benefit of meeting some really cool people at a local bar and hearing some very interesting and fun stories, but for the most part it was calm and I didn't really get a good feel for the city at all.
Today on the other hand was like a Lonely Planet one-day itinerary from heaven for people traveling in Dunedin and the surrounding area. I went straight from the guidebook on this one and it led me to perhaps my favorite day yet in Kiwiland.
Highlights included:
- a ridiculously great breakfast at local haunt Governor's - I had the God's Benedict (eggs benedict) with bacon and hash browns and a latte. My best meal in NZ to date
- meeting an incredibly cool local musician named Matt Langley on the bus who told me all about the surrounding area and the New Zealand music scene
- honest-to-god hitchhiking (with the thumb and everything) for the first (and second (and third)) time in my life (I loved it)
- checking out the only Royal Albatross preserve in the world and catching two in flight and three fledglings chilling
- going to a Yellow Eyed Penguin preserve set up by an organization designed to stabilize and stimulate the endangered species population
- enjoying the weather in 6 to 8 kms of walking, taking in beautiful vistas as I go while also almost tripping on a sea lion (which likely would have resulted in my death)
- a superb dinner at local Vietnamese eatery Saigon Van, taking in crispy spring rolls and a braised pork and egg entree that replenished my diminished energy cells
Not a bad day, and if you throw in the fact that I am writing this from the best hostel I have ever been (that just so happens to be named Hogwartz) in an incredibly comfy bed in a room filled with delightful people and you have one guy who is an unhappy camper because of his pending departure from Dunedin.
This city bridges my favorite elements of college towns and major cities, giving it a feel that sends it skyrocketing up my list of favorite cities I have ever been to. The fact that tomorrow could have given me the chance to see my first rugby match AND a six act show of Kiwi bands on the relative cheap just makes me all the more bummed out to leave.
Dunedin, I will be truly sad to depart you come tomorrow.
Music of the day: Katrina and the Waves - Walkin' on Sunshine (whoaaaaaohohhhhh!)
1) It had better architecture than everywhere else I had been I New Zealand to date
2) People love to party here (this is not derived from the fact I heard Eddie Murphy's "Party All The Time" playing in a the supermarket but from the fact St. Patrick's Day was welcomed by fleets of green wearing and beer chugging people of all ages)
3) It is a bit dirtier than most NZ cities as well
My evening did have the benefit of meeting some really cool people at a local bar and hearing some very interesting and fun stories, but for the most part it was calm and I didn't really get a good feel for the city at all.
Today on the other hand was like a Lonely Planet one-day itinerary from heaven for people traveling in Dunedin and the surrounding area. I went straight from the guidebook on this one and it led me to perhaps my favorite day yet in Kiwiland.
Highlights included:
- a ridiculously great breakfast at local haunt Governor's - I had the God's Benedict (eggs benedict) with bacon and hash browns and a latte. My best meal in NZ to date
- meeting an incredibly cool local musician named Matt Langley on the bus who told me all about the surrounding area and the New Zealand music scene
- honest-to-god hitchhiking (with the thumb and everything) for the first (and second (and third)) time in my life (I loved it)
- checking out the only Royal Albatross preserve in the world and catching two in flight and three fledglings chilling
- going to a Yellow Eyed Penguin preserve set up by an organization designed to stabilize and stimulate the endangered species population
- enjoying the weather in 6 to 8 kms of walking, taking in beautiful vistas as I go while also almost tripping on a sea lion (which likely would have resulted in my death)
- a superb dinner at local Vietnamese eatery Saigon Van, taking in crispy spring rolls and a braised pork and egg entree that replenished my diminished energy cells
Not a bad day, and if you throw in the fact that I am writing this from the best hostel I have ever been (that just so happens to be named Hogwartz) in an incredibly comfy bed in a room filled with delightful people and you have one guy who is an unhappy camper because of his pending departure from Dunedin.
This city bridges my favorite elements of college towns and major cities, giving it a feel that sends it skyrocketing up my list of favorite cities I have ever been to. The fact that tomorrow could have given me the chance to see my first rugby match AND a six act show of Kiwi bands on the relative cheap just makes me all the more bummed out to leave.
Dunedin, I will be truly sad to depart you come tomorrow.
Music of the day: Katrina and the Waves - Walkin' on Sunshine (whoaaaaaohohhhhh!)
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