Small Blessings

So just a few other notes from this past trip.....

1) I did not plan long enough for this one.   Granted, this trip was a bit impulsive and I wished I had done some further research before I left.   However, there is something to be said for doing things on the fly and going after what you find while you're there.   Over-planning can mean you can't follow a path that tweaks your interest or what locals and other travellers suggest when you're finally there.    Had I not allowed for it, I never would have made it to Piha Beach which was definitely one of the most stunning sights on my trip!  

2) I am not a seasoned backpacker - I enjoy hotels, love separate shampoo and conditioner and desperately miss watching television.   But this was an adventure, an experience, not a vacation, and basically I only needed a place to sleep at night and a good shower as I planned to spend most of my time outdoors exploring.  So I opted for hostels/dorms/b&b's and just a couple of hotels that I got super deals on for 2 nights.  At first I was concerned I would be the oldest person in the hostels, until I met a 50+ year old man who was traveling similarly, who spent most of his time in hostels too.....he reminded me it has nothing to do with what it says on your birth certificate, you're only as old as you feel and it's never too late to get out there and do what you want and love in life!   

3) I'm pretty good at going budget on these - but I will always splurge on safety.   I walk.....A LOT, sometimes rent a bike or take transit (city buses excluded....note the aforementioned Orange Julius experience), but if something doesn't feel right and I can't get to the hostel/dorm door late at night, I will take a taxi from the station.  As a solo female traveler, one does need to pay a bit more attention to that and if it doesn't feel right in your gut, don't do it.   

4) Speaking of gut.....one of my fav things to do when traveling, is visit local grocery stores.   Yup - checking out the different kinds of food and the cost of each, is something I find really fun to do.   Plus, it's cheaper to stock up on snacks here and sample the local fruit, veggies, etc.    And I rarely buy anything on these trips, but somehow I ALWAYS come back with chocolate.    Without fail, I will bring back some variety I've never tried or heard of.    It's the one guilty pleasure I allow myself to get and generally it's the king-size bars....to share with others of course!  

5) And as much as I enjoy going away.....I love coming home.   To my family and friends, who are kind enough to read my ramblings; to the cat who greets me with a moment of anger for leaving her with a stranger, then ultimately happiness, because I bribe it out of her with treats; and to Canada, which is one of the greatest countries in the world, and a place I'm happy and proud to live.   And getting more stamps in my passport, is one of the coolest things I can think of....but after being "randomly" selected on 7 out of 9 flights for explosive/drug screening, and traveling more than 30 consecutive hours, there's nothing nicer than walking up to Canadian Customs/Border Control at midnight and have the kind woman say "welcome home".....mostly because she didn't ask me for yet another hand swab or pat down.  Small blessings.  

So many things....

Know it's been a number of days since I last posted, please don't blame me, I got lost in New Zealand.   Not literally of course, because I rented the GPS, but lost in the sights, sounds, people and spirit of the country.    Such an amazingly beautiful place, I'm not sure how I can even begin to break it down.   Throwing my fear of driving on the opposite side of the road out the window, I planned a road trip from Wellington to Auckland as it would give me the opportunity to stop in the most places.   Little did I know all I would see in just a number of days.    

Departing Wellington was bittersweet - I loved the city with it's coastal energy and as a creative hub for artists, writers and filmmakers, I felt instantly inspired by the people I met and somehow, very much at home.   Time to go, I headed north to stop first in Lake Taupo - a beautiful freshwater lake where you can do anything from boating, to hiking, to skydiving to sitting relaxing lakeside.  I spent most of my time hiking around the lake and to the stunning Huka Falls before heading off towards Rotarura.   

Rotarura - wow!   Walking through the geothermal area of Wai-o-Tapu, I saw things I've never seen before....boiling mud pools, erupting geysers, volcanic craters and steaming ground.  The colours the volcanic activity has created are beautiful and the scenery amazing, but the smell.....definitely not roses.    After hours spent playing (sort-of) in geothermal activities, I made my way to the fabulous Whakarewarewa Forest, a beautiful place filled with stunning California Redwood trees that you can walk, run or bike through on a number of trails offering beautiful views around Lake Rotarura.   I found it amazing that such a beautiful forest could grow so close to the thermal areas, which really showed how diverse this area was.    And super-calming too - something about walking amongst the redwood trees, was grounding, maybe because I tripped over a few roots and somehow landed face flat on the ground.   Clumsy me.   

Cleaned up, the next morning I headed to Waitamo to see the famous Glowworm caves.   I had no idead what to expect, but when I learned that these worms glowed because of a chemical reaction between their "waste" and the O2 in the air....thought that was pretty cool.   After a walk through the first portion of the caves, we were treated to a silent boat ride.   As we were pulled through the darkness by a system of ropes we looked up at the cave "ceiling", thousands of lights glowed like stars in the sky.   An amazing sight, was interesting to think that their little worm behinds were producing the lights in the "sky".   Whole new meaning to "lighting a fire under your butt".  

Heading off toward Auckland, one of the must-sees on my list was a black sand beach and one of the locals I met, suggested I hit up Piha Beach.  It was nerve-wracking diving my tiny rental up the winding streets of the mountain, then back down towards the cove - I nearly put handprints in the steering wheel from gripping so hard!   But totally worth the drive as Piha Beach is the most beautiful place I've ever seen!   Sandwiched between rock faces, the ocean is stunning against the black sand.....I'm not sure I can find the words to describe how I felt when I saw it.   It has definitely become one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and I was looking for the real estate section of the local paper before I left that day.  Heaven.  

Funny, after days of hiking around lakes, summiting volcanoes, dodging steaming grounds, and viewing glowing worm "waste", all I really wanted to do was sit.   Auckland is a cool city, with great neighbourhoods, fantastic islands surrounding and fabulous restaurants.    I decided it was time to take it easy.   Still doing a bit of exploring, I checked out the cool areas of Parnell and the Britomart Precinct, along with the Wyndward Quarter - all fairly close to the harbour front where I was staying.  Felt a bit slothy, I hung out in cafes reading and people-watching, and had a final lunch on the wharf before it was time to make the trip home.   Sad to go, but so happy I came, I'm looking forward to seeing where the world will take me next!!  

Ah, New Zealand

Admittedly I was most looking forward to this part of the trip, and now that its here, I definitely don't have enough time in this beautiful country.

Upon arriving in New Zealand, you are subjected to a pretty thorough screening system to ensure you haven't brought in any fruits, nuts, debris from hiking/camping/sporting equipment. Already being "randomly" selected at every airport thus far (including Pearson), none of this was surprising to me now. What I did respect more here was how they handled it - with hoards of late night passengers, the customs and contamination officers were nothing short of polite and apologetic for doing their jobs. And they treated everyone (that I observed anyway) with the utmost respect. Was an amazing thing to see especially as I am a firm believer that the way you treat people matters, I fell in love with this place in the customs line in arrivals. Definitely a first for me!

As I hopped into the taxi to head to my hotel, a smiling face turned to me and said "How you going? Where can I take you tonight?" Wow - cant say I've ever had a driver like that in Toronto. On the quick drive to the hotel, he gave me tips on where to go for coffee, which rental car company to use and the best hikes in the city. If my budget would allow, I would have hired him to be my tour guide.

Nearly 1am when I checked into the hotel, the desk clerk was more quiet, but I got the impression it was to respect the sleeping guests. Friendly and kind, he handed me my key, and I slipped upstairs to take a short sleep before exploring again. Not even an hour into New Zealand and I already knew I was going to love it here.

Saved by the bacon

Having slept a fair bit the night before, I woke up rather early the next day - my first full day in Brisbane. I was feeling better but knew I needed a lot of water and a good meal to really get going again. So I got myself showered and dressed and started making my way to the dining hall.

On my way there I was contemplating what I might eat, toast perhaps or cereal and then I got this overwhelming need for bacon. Like a super serious craving in the strongest sense that I might actually seek out a pig if the cook didn't have any bacon. As I crossed the dining room floor towards the hot buffet, I said a silent prayer and lo and behold....there was bacon! Right beside the Macdonalds like hashbrowns (double score)! So I loaded my plate with both, and balanced it out with fruit and thanked the cook for the beautiful spread. "Really?", he said? "Yup - your bacon just made my day", I replied and turned quickly to exit, and mainly because I wasn't sure how he would take my comment about his bacon.

Fed and ready to go, I started to make my way to the city centre. The Queen Street Mall was nice - loaded with tons of shopping. street performers and touristy options. I hung out there for a big before making my way to South Bank - this was much more what I was looking for. Flower covered paths lead to an urban beach where you could swim or dip your feet and relax reading a book. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon but to be honest, Brisbane still wasn't wowing me. Think I was spoiled by Sydney that it just didn't stand a chance.

With just a bit more time there, I decided to hit up the famous Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and really glad I did. The koalas are so cute as they hug the trees during their nap. And you can take your chances feeding the Roos in their open park. The cockatoos said hello when I approached their enclosure, and goodbye when I turned to leave!! I had to test that so I walked up again and they repeated the routine! Amazing.

But when it got to the place where you could get your pic taken with the koala, I couldn't do it. I watched as he got passed from one person to the next - and even though the trainer insisted he enjoyed it, it just didn't feel right to me. So I settled with getting up close, in the hopes he would get back to his eucalyptus tree hugging sooner. But seeing them somehow made it all better and Brisbane wasn't such a bust after all. (Ahhh, a happy ending to that).

Brisbane Breakdown

After a few days in Sydney, I was super excited to head to the next destination. Brisbane. So I happily strapped on my backpack and sneakers in the early morning hours and made my way to the airport.

All was going smoothly - easy check in, early but not too early and then a pretty smooth flight via Tiger Airways. Who actually load passengers in through the front AND back of the plane = efficient!

We hit a bit of turbulence during the landing and something didn't quite sit right with me after that. But I was determined to push through. When we started to disembark the plane, the woman in the seat in front of me somehow launched her laptop bag straight over her shoulder and smack into my face. Ouch. And she clearly didn't realize, with no apology she asked if I wouldn't mind picking up her bag as she couldn't properly reach it. "Sure", I replied, still holding my cheek. That started the downward spiral....

It was bound to happen - I'd been running around like mad before I left. With planning the trip, finishing work and a class literally the morning I flew out of the country. I'd barely left myself enough time to pet the cat (guilty conscience).

So day one in Brisbane was a right off. It took me forever to find my dorm at the university, which was way farther from my train stop than I thought. And I walked it...because I despise city buses. I would rather walk a couple of hours if it meant I could avoid the bus. Subways, trains, even Greyhound buses - totally fine. But city buses I avoid, which I realize I will have to wrestle with as I continue my travels to other parts of the world.

Think it goes back to public school and the first time I was allowed to go to the mall with my best friend Chrissy, with no parents or older sisters. We were super hyper and pretty sure we bought cassette tapes at Sam the Record Man (U2 for me, The Cure for Chrissy), candy and then I got a giant strawberry Orange Julius for the bus ride home which I scarfed back before we even left the mall. We sat at the back of the bus, it was bumpy, it was summer, it was hot....and I barely made it off the bus before the Orange Julius met the sidewalk.

And that's how I felt my first day in Brisbane - after trying to walk around and see things, I gave in, curled up for nap in the hopes of salvaging the evening at least. Only I slept longer than expected and was awoken by screaming birds...what sounded like hundreds of them, outside my window. I would imagine they thought they were singing - but my mum would kindly have excused them all from her choir.

I dug in my bag for earplugs - thankfully I remembered to pack these! I pulled the sheet over my head and mumbled some kind words to the birds and vowed to make it up tomorrow. Not every day can be perfect.

Complete technological shut down?

Okay - so finding Internet access has proven trickier than I thought. Wondering perhaps, if its the world telling me I should be in a complete technological shut down right now. Just enjoy the moment. But it's also fun to share, and my thanks to my friends who have asked how I am doing, so I will keep trying to update as much as possible. And please forgive how not fantastic my photos are...the ones here are from iPod, I should have better ones from the camera later ("should" = not likely. Sometimes I barely stop walking to take a pic).

So lots to catch up on. Sydney was awesome! Loved every minute of my time there. I found the city so easy to get around via transit and on foot. There is so much to see, I couldn't possibly do it all, but I loved the harbour front, from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour which has amazing splash pads and outdoor activities, and the aquarium was very cool complete with an undersea tunnel with the sharks swimming above. Cooler still? They sold copies of the Jaws movies in the gift shop. Love.

I stayed in the Newtown neighbourhood which was filled with great restaurants, bars and cool independent shops. A really fun place to end the day with amazing Thai food dinners that were also budget friendly.

Sydney was great! Has a great vibe with so much to do and is a place I would definitely go back to again! So far the trip has started off fab so very much looking forward to the next stop. Brisbane....

Friendly or feisty

Finally arrived in Sydney after a brief passenger delay - turns out, a guy on the plane misplaced his passport....the same one he had just shown the attendant at the gate, before making the short walk down the breezeway to the aircraft....

Landing in Sydney I made my way to the train. Thank you to all the cities that run transit from the airport - what an incredible convenience and simple but brilliant idea (Toronto, take note). I bought a three day unlimited pass and hopped the trail to Central Station.

Since I wouldn't be able to get my dorm room for a few more hours, I headed straight to the harbour front and Opera House. An amazing piece of architecture, I sat on the steps with a sandwich and took it all in.

Standing on the platform waiting for the train back towards my station, I was looking at all the people, most of whom were smiling and appeared happy. I was reminded how everyone here was so friendly. I would think that's probably the norm when you live in such a beautiful place.

When the train rolled up, the doors opened and a small, elderly woman stood on the train. As I stepped up trying to manage around her with my backpack, I said to the woman "excuse me". Thinking she would move aside slightly to allow me through, she looked the other way and said "no". Shocked I looked at her and she was firmly grasping the bar, her feet locked in her spot. As I wedged past her and into a corner, I laughed to myself....not sure she was unfriendly but she was definitely feisty!

I jumped....

....so who's holding the net????

So it's taken me a few days to start this blog, mainly because I haven't sat still long enough to gather my thoughts. Plus, its been trickier than expected get past the initial anxiety of leaving a job I loved, packing my life in a tiny backpack and hopping a plane, with only part of my trip planned. Totally un-Sharon like, but I'm trying to embrace every moment.

Let me backtrack a bit - I arrived in Sydney, Australia a few days ago, via Air New Zealand - the official airline of Middle Earth. Holy Hobbits! The inflight safety video was completely Hobbitted - seriously funny with special appearances by Gollum, Sir Peter Jackson and even giant, hairy feet. And just in case you forgot where you headed, the inflight magazine features the history of all things hobbit and Middle Earth.

So the initial hobbit-shock gone, I settled in for the 13 hour flight. First to pick my movie....but wait, what is this? There is a remote control?? Handy, yes - but why exactly do I need a remote control to work on a screen that is a mere 10 inches from my face? If I stretch my arm out straight, I can practically change the channel for the person seated in front me.

So I grab the remote (yes, I did) and start cycling through the options....Lord of the Rings 1, 2 or 3...or a look behind The Lord of the Rings 1, 2 or 3....or a special sneak peak of The Hobbit....hmmm...maybe sleep instead.