I can't get the link to post on the side of my blog right now, but most of my NZ pics have been uploaded onto picasa, so here is the link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Hayes.KathrynD/NewZealand#
Enjoy!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Ten Weeks Down, Nine to Go
It's officially now the Sunday that is more than halfway on this journey I've been on in Australia. It's really hard to believe that I'm more than halfway...It is just about May! This week since I've been back in Sydney has been really crazy with school work. I have two big papers due this week, one being a 1500 word annotated bibliography for my euthanasia research project. The entire thing is worth 60% of my grade of the class, 15% being from the annotation, so I need to do very well on it. The other is my research paper on Piaget for developmental psychology class, which is 40% of my grade, so that one is an extremely important aspect of my grade. Other than that, I've been working on the past two weeks lab reports for cell biology which are extremely hard. It seems everyone in the course took several prereqs that teach you everything you need to know for these labs...and I have not. I'm getting there slowly but surely. This weekend has been relaxing, besides the many hours spent at the library. It is kind of dissapointing when I have to spend a weekend doing work, and can't travel or do too many other things...But after I hand my psych paper in on Friday I'll be set! Of course soon after I have more big things due, but I can relax a bit for the weekend. I'm thinking of either going to the Blue Mountains for a hiking weekend, Jervis Bay for a relaxing weekend by the beach, or up north to either Newcastle, Port Macquierie or somewhere else. Or I could always do a major Sydney weekend, trying to finish my top 25...We'll see! One of the things I love most about studying abroad is having the kind of time that allows me to do things like up and leave for the weekend, without having to worry about anything or anyone. It's something I've never really been able to do without a care, and it's really nice.
Since I have such limited time left, I want to make a revised version of my goals for the rest of the semester. Some will be the same as what I have on my original list, but some have been revised due to time and financial constraints, but there will also be some new ones. I will start off with the completed goals, and then move on to the unfinished ones. So with that said, here goes!
Completed Goals:
1. Learn to Surf
2. Spend time by myself--not just sitting in a room alone, but wandering the city and areas by myself, and, at the risk of being extremely cheesy, finding out who I really am, and what I want.
3. Play with kangaroos, koalas, and various other aus animals
4. Make friends from all over the world
7. Relax--not just laying on the beach all the time (although I plan to do that...every weekend) but to relax my body, mind, and soul before I begin the rest of my life when I return home.
8. Soak in the Australian culture--wander around the city, spend lazy days at the beach, get to know Australians, etc. Basically, I can hang out with the NU crowd whenever I want to at home, so I really want to focus on being with the Australians too
10. Unplug myself from most technology--not worry about watching any television shows, not going on the computer more than once or twice per week, and learn to live without a cell phone. [this had to be revised due to school work and the need for a cell phone for emergency reasons]
11. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
12. Go to Taronga Zoo
14. Have a fabulous trip to New Zealand
15. Not get homesick!
OK, so now my new goals (including the remaining top 25 stuff...this might be long!)
1. Australian Museum
2. Chinese Garden and China Town
3. National Maritime Museum
4. Powerhouse Museum
5. Walk across [climbing is too expensive] the Harbour bridge
6. Sydney Olympic Park
7. Go to an Opera or other performance at the Opera House
8. Sydney Tower and Oztrek
9. Vaucluse House and Vaucluse
10. Have an awesome trip to Melbourne to see Ned!
11. Drive some or all of the Great Ocean Road
12. Experience the beauty of Tasmania
13. Experience Southeast Asia in Bali, including dolpin swimming, seeing rice paddies, elephant riding, monkey forest, hiking the volcanos, and soaking in such a different culture.
14. Get great"marks" in my classes.
15. See more of NSW, including Wollongong/Jervis Bay and somewhere north of here.
16. Hike the Blue Mountains.
17. Continue to spend time by myself and not to worry about anyone else, and do everything I want to do.
18. Continue to not be homesick!
19. Try to not go on the computer except for when I need to for school work.
20. Cut back on the money spending, while still having a great time.
21. Walk around the city more, exploring back streets and places I wouldn't normally come across.
22. Not waste one moment. I'm here for such a limited amount of remaining time, and I don't want to waste one second of it! This might also necessitate some advanced planning, since I have so few free weekends left while I'm here.
Here is the rough schedule (by weekends usually) of the rest of my time here.
May 1st Weekend: To be Decided
May 6th-11th: Melbourne (10 days)
May 15th Weekend: To Be Decided
May 21st-May 24th: Tasmania (25 days)
May 29th Weekend: Study for Finals...
June 7th-June 14th: Bali (42 days)
June 14th-June 28th: Finals Weeks
June 28th: Home (63 days)
I am still thinking about the possibility of Thailand at some point, or the thought of going to another country while I'm in Bali...I will keep everyone updated on that. I'd also love to go back to New Zealand again. As I said before, this all depends on the two most important things...Time and Money!
Until next time!
Since I have such limited time left, I want to make a revised version of my goals for the rest of the semester. Some will be the same as what I have on my original list, but some have been revised due to time and financial constraints, but there will also be some new ones. I will start off with the completed goals, and then move on to the unfinished ones. So with that said, here goes!
Completed Goals:
1. Learn to Surf
2. Spend time by myself--not just sitting in a room alone, but wandering the city and areas by myself, and, at the risk of being extremely cheesy, finding out who I really am, and what I want.
3. Play with kangaroos, koalas, and various other aus animals
4. Make friends from all over the world
7. Relax--not just laying on the beach all the time (although I plan to do that...every weekend) but to relax my body, mind, and soul before I begin the rest of my life when I return home.
8. Soak in the Australian culture--wander around the city, spend lazy days at the beach, get to know Australians, etc. Basically, I can hang out with the NU crowd whenever I want to at home, so I really want to focus on being with the Australians too
10. Unplug myself from most technology--not worry about watching any television shows, not going on the computer more than once or twice per week, and learn to live without a cell phone. [this had to be revised due to school work and the need for a cell phone for emergency reasons]
11. Dive the Great Barrier Reef
12. Go to Taronga Zoo
14. Have a fabulous trip to New Zealand
15. Not get homesick!
OK, so now my new goals (including the remaining top 25 stuff...this might be long!)
1. Australian Museum
2. Chinese Garden and China Town
3. National Maritime Museum
4. Powerhouse Museum
5. Walk across [climbing is too expensive] the Harbour bridge
6. Sydney Olympic Park
7. Go to an Opera or other performance at the Opera House
8. Sydney Tower and Oztrek
9. Vaucluse House and Vaucluse
10. Have an awesome trip to Melbourne to see Ned!
11. Drive some or all of the Great Ocean Road
12. Experience the beauty of Tasmania
13. Experience Southeast Asia in Bali, including dolpin swimming, seeing rice paddies, elephant riding, monkey forest, hiking the volcanos, and soaking in such a different culture.
14. Get great"marks" in my classes.
15. See more of NSW, including Wollongong/Jervis Bay and somewhere north of here.
16. Hike the Blue Mountains.
17. Continue to spend time by myself and not to worry about anyone else, and do everything I want to do.
18. Continue to not be homesick!
19. Try to not go on the computer except for when I need to for school work.
20. Cut back on the money spending, while still having a great time.
21. Walk around the city more, exploring back streets and places I wouldn't normally come across.
22. Not waste one moment. I'm here for such a limited amount of remaining time, and I don't want to waste one second of it! This might also necessitate some advanced planning, since I have so few free weekends left while I'm here.
Here is the rough schedule (by weekends usually) of the rest of my time here.
May 1st Weekend: To be Decided
May 6th-11th: Melbourne (10 days)
May 15th Weekend: To Be Decided
May 21st-May 24th: Tasmania (25 days)
May 29th Weekend: Study for Finals...
June 7th-June 14th: Bali (42 days)
June 14th-June 28th: Finals Weeks
June 28th: Home (63 days)
I am still thinking about the possibility of Thailand at some point, or the thought of going to another country while I'm in Bali...I will keep everyone updated on that. I'd also love to go back to New Zealand again. As I said before, this all depends on the two most important things...Time and Money!
Until next time!
Monday, April 20, 2009
A whirlwind solo tour of New Zealand
My trip to New Zealand was likely one of the most inspiring and life altering experiences I've had in my life. Although it was not my first completely solo trip (Canberra was), it was my first time on my own, in a brand new country, for a week, by myself. I had a vague idea of my plans for the week, although most of them had been planned the day before leaving, but I quickly learned how fast plans can change. I've always been a person who is a perfectionist, hygienic, obsessive over time, and extremely organized, but when you are in a situation like this, those things are thrown right out the window. Let me start at the beginning (be aware, this is going to likely be a very lengthy post)
Sunday: I took a taxi to the airport with four of my friends, and got on our Aerolineas Argentinas flight to Auckland. It arrived in Auckland at 5, and I split off from them to begin my solo adventure. I found the bus into the city, which was $20 and told the driver I was going to the YHA. He told me where to get off, and I walked down the street and bumped right into the YHA! Well, apparently there are two YHAs in Auckland, and this one was not mine. Luckily the other was not too far, so I found it and checked into my 8 person dorm room. I then set off to find an ATM and dinner, as I had about $15 NZ on me. It was a little nerve-racking navigating an unknown city at night, but I found the busy Queen Street (the main strip, per se) and found an ATM and McDonalds. This was the first of my many fast food venture of the week--one thing NZ seems to be lacking is in food choice. After a very calorie filled, albeit delicous dinner, it was 9, and I didn't want to go to bed yet, so I went to the movies and saw Slumdog Millionaire, which was a great, relaxing, way to start my trip. Once I got back to my hostel, I ended up with about 3 solid hours of sleep, because with 7 other people in and out of the room ALL night, it was tough to stay asleep.
Monday: I woke up at 6:30am to catch a bus to Paihia, the gateway to the Bay of Islands, in the Northland. I got to the bus early (of course) so I walked down to the harbour to have a look around the main bit of the city. I got back to my 8am bus, and four and a half hours later, at precisely 12:29 I was stepping off it in the tiny village. I didn't really have a plan for the day, but I noticed a sign for a four hour dolphin cruise, departing at 12:30. I ran inside and asked if I could still get on, and with a bit of hesitation, I was allowed on! I ran down and jumped on the boat, basically as it was pulling off. The next four hours were heaven. The Bay of Islands is likely the most beautiful place I've ever been. The water was an amazing blue, and there were all sorts of islands and rock formations surrounding you. Throughout the cruise, everyone was on the lookout for dolphins, beacuse as it is the wild, you never really know where they will pop up, but I had my eyes peeled. The first thing we found though, were penguins. The famous "Little Penguins" of NZ, which I absolutely love. At first they could be mistaken for a duck, but you quickly see their features, and they are the most adorable little things. After about 2.5 hours of cruising, we caught a glimpse of one of the dolphin colonies. The first six people (myself included) were told to get on the bow of the boat, so I ran on up. We then put half of our body out of the boat (I cannot believe no-one fell off) and looked underneath at the open bottom. At this point, about 20 dolphins were surrounding us, playing with us, jumping up and down, right in front of my face. It was absolutely surreal. We spent the next hour or so cruising around with the dolphins, although we weren't able to swim with them, as there were babies in the group (who were absolutely adorable) and it is illegal to swim with the babies. All in all, it was a fantastic experience that I will always remember. That night I grabbed a pizza in town, watched the sun set on the beach, and then stayed in an 8 bed hostel by myself, which was a drastic change from the night before. It was kind of creepy, but okay. I woke up in the middle of the night with a strange feeling, and realized my cell phone, which was my only form of time and alarm was dead. This was a problem since I had to wake up at 7 for my bus back to Auckland. As there were no electricity sockets, I shut off my phone, and hoped that the automatic turn on would work (you never know on a $40 phone), but it did, and I saw up bright and early.
Tuesday: After my early morning bus back to Auckland, I spent the afternoon wandering around the city. One of my favorite parts of being in a new place, is just exploring it, going down all the back streets, with no real set agenda, and no-one else to have to worry about, so I was able to just go wherever aimlessly. I must say, I was not impressed by Auckland, and found myself struggling to fill the five hours before my 7pm flight to Christchurch, and I ended up spending about two of them in Borders. You know when you see someone in the airport, and they stand out, and then you just know you are going to be seated next to them? Well, I had that feeling, and I knew I was in for an interesting flight. The man I was seated next to, Reece, seemed nice enough at first, he was about 60, had a few kids, and was giving me advice about Christchurch. But then he asked me what religion I was, and I knew this could only be going in one direction. As I explained that I was very spiritual, technically Catholic, but did not like "religion" he began to tell me that when the world is going to end (which according to him is quite soon, as the antichrist is living on earth currently) I will basically be screwed. Only those who believe will be saved, and will 'vanish' before the earth ends. Hmm. Luckily, Air New Zealand served free wine, so I was able to tolerate the conversation pretty well, considering. I arrived in Christchurch, and I hopped on a shuttle to my hostel. After a bit of a panic when the door was locked, and no-one was in sight, someone finally came after my ringing the buzzer several times. I went off to find food, but was in a very seedy area with only one place open, so I grabbed a very strange piece of food, and went back to the hostel. This night I was staying with three french people, two guys and a girl, and Sarah (who quickly became a friend). But more on them later.
Wednesday: I woke up and went off in search of Cathedral Square, which is the heart of Christchurch. I found it, and immediately fell in love with the city. It is a very old English style city, complete with a tram running through it. I got a tram pass, and hopped on for the 25 minute loop with commentary, to get myself acquainted with the area. I then went around again, hopping off at each of the 11 sights throughout the day, including my favorite, the Botanic Gardens. Once I walked into them, I was transported out of New Zealand and into a crisp New England fall day, my favorite season. The smell and look of the leaves just made me insanely happy, and I had a great time. Later that evening when I got back to my hostel, I walked in, and though I was in the wrong room. All of my stuff that I had left was gone. My bed was remade, and ready for the next guest. Of course, I had my passport, cash, and credit cards with me, but I had left all of my clothes, library books, sunglasses, and a few other things on the bed (this was the first and last time I'll ever do that). I ran down to reception, and they said they had no idea what happened, but it might have been the cleaning ladies, and to come back tomorrow. I said I wouldn't be there until very late the next night, so they said they'd look for me, and let me know on Friday. Perfect. I realized I would be wearing jeans and a tshirt for the rest of the week. I was pretty bummed, but quickly realized I could always replace material things, but I could not replace this trip, so I would not let it get me down. I was in bed, when Sarah walked in, and she was wearing one of my sweaters! Apparently, my stuff had been being given away, and she showed me where. I recovered some items, but some will be gone forever...Oh well, that's life!
Thursday: Another early morning, waking up at 6 to go to Mt. Cook. I got on the bus, somewhat prepared for the 6 hour drive ahead of me. I was very sleepy, but once we got on the road, and I began to see the sights, I woke up very fast. We first drove through the Canterbury Planes, which were gorgeous, filled with hundreds of thousands of sheep, cows, and red deer. Then after an hour or two, all of a sudden the Southern Alps showed up out of nowhere, looming in the sky ahead with their snow tipped peaks, and a sense of magesticness. The rest of the drive was spent going through them, and to say it was incredible would be an understatement. If you've seen Lord of the Rings, these are the places it was filmed. I wish I could describe the beauty, but it was truly moving to know that the Earth is filled of such glorious sights as this. We then made our way to Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. They were the most beautiful turquoise blue I've ever seen. Once I stepped out of the bus, it began to storm, with immense winds (Nor'Western, similar to the California Santa Annas, except much stronger), rain, and hail. Even that hardly tok away from the beauty of the lakes. As we were nearing Mt. Cook, a very New Zealand thing happened, as we were delayed by about 100 cows being mustered down the road! When we got to Mt. Cook, the skies were dark, and we could hardly see the mountain, which was pretty dissapointing, but again, I was not about to let it get me down. I spent an hour in the lodge, eating soup and reading, and just thinking about what an amazing experience I was having. This was when I truly realized that I really love my own company, and being by myself. As I've said before, you have a very different experience when you travel alone, than you would with others, and I really like it. It was then time to head back to Christchurch, stopping at a couple more beautiful sights to photograph on the way.
Friday: I was supposed to go on a dolphin/penguin cruise on Friday, but since I did that up North, and really wanted to enjoy Christchurch more, that is exactly what I did. I spent the morning wandering around the city, enoyed a free starbucks chai for participating in a tourist survey (awesome! Although I of course had already had my first chai earlier that morning) and then went back to the Botanic Gardens. I rented a kayak to go down the Avon river, which was very relaxing, although my arms were a bit sore the next day from going upriver. That evening I went to see The Reader, which was a fantastic film. I then had two choices. I could stay in my hostel that night, and take a 5:30am shuttle or taxi to the airport (for my 7am flight), which would cost me a total of $80, OR stay in the airport for the night. Of course, being the money saver that I am, thought it would be a great idea to stay in the airport. I took the bus there, arriving at about 11:30pm. I walked to the domestic terminal...closed. I walked to the international departures terminal...also closed. At this point, I had a slight panic, thinking that I would be sitting on a sketchy park bench outside the airport all night. Luckily on the other side, the international arrivals terminal was open. Although it was tiny, I figured I was very lucky. I popped a few benadryl, and amazingly was able to pass out on the floor for about two hours!
Saturday: I arrived back in Auckland at 9:30. I hadn't really decided what to for the day, but I had booked a hotel room for the night. Since I desperately needed sleep, a shower, and a place of my own, I realized this was a great investment. Check-in time was not until 2 though. I did most of the 16km coast to coast walkway, going up to the top of Mt. Eden which was a volcano. The view of the city was awesome, and it sure gave me a good workout! After getting McDonalds for lunch (naturally) I finally was able to check in to my hotel. Since my room was not ready, I was bumped up to a suite...Awesome! I immediately took 2 showers, and then relaxed, before doing a simple thing I've always wanted to do. I got a large cheese pizza and garlic bread, sat in bed watching a movie, and ate it. It was glorious. I relaxed the rest of the night, and finally fell asleep (it was a bit creepy staying in a suite alone).
Sunday: Got up early for my 8am flight only to get to the airport to see the sign: Delayed until 17:30. As in 5:30 pm. Luckily they put us up in a hotel for the day, and gave us lunch, so it actually worked out pretty well! Finally got back to Sydney (the flight didn't leave until almost 7) and subsequently had one of the best sleeps of my life.
Wow. That was an extremely long post, but it is so good for me to now have it all written down so I can remember it forever, although I know I would anyways. It was a really exciting week, and although a lot of it involved sitting on buses, planes, trains, etc. I really enjoyed myself. Now that I am back in Sydney though, I have a lot of work to get done in the coming weeks, and as my money supply has drastically diminished, I will be spending most of my time writing papers, reading text books, and studying. Two weeks til Melbourne!
Sunday: I took a taxi to the airport with four of my friends, and got on our Aerolineas Argentinas flight to Auckland. It arrived in Auckland at 5, and I split off from them to begin my solo adventure. I found the bus into the city, which was $20 and told the driver I was going to the YHA. He told me where to get off, and I walked down the street and bumped right into the YHA! Well, apparently there are two YHAs in Auckland, and this one was not mine. Luckily the other was not too far, so I found it and checked into my 8 person dorm room. I then set off to find an ATM and dinner, as I had about $15 NZ on me. It was a little nerve-racking navigating an unknown city at night, but I found the busy Queen Street (the main strip, per se) and found an ATM and McDonalds. This was the first of my many fast food venture of the week--one thing NZ seems to be lacking is in food choice. After a very calorie filled, albeit delicous dinner, it was 9, and I didn't want to go to bed yet, so I went to the movies and saw Slumdog Millionaire, which was a great, relaxing, way to start my trip. Once I got back to my hostel, I ended up with about 3 solid hours of sleep, because with 7 other people in and out of the room ALL night, it was tough to stay asleep.
Monday: I woke up at 6:30am to catch a bus to Paihia, the gateway to the Bay of Islands, in the Northland. I got to the bus early (of course) so I walked down to the harbour to have a look around the main bit of the city. I got back to my 8am bus, and four and a half hours later, at precisely 12:29 I was stepping off it in the tiny village. I didn't really have a plan for the day, but I noticed a sign for a four hour dolphin cruise, departing at 12:30. I ran inside and asked if I could still get on, and with a bit of hesitation, I was allowed on! I ran down and jumped on the boat, basically as it was pulling off. The next four hours were heaven. The Bay of Islands is likely the most beautiful place I've ever been. The water was an amazing blue, and there were all sorts of islands and rock formations surrounding you. Throughout the cruise, everyone was on the lookout for dolphins, beacuse as it is the wild, you never really know where they will pop up, but I had my eyes peeled. The first thing we found though, were penguins. The famous "Little Penguins" of NZ, which I absolutely love. At first they could be mistaken for a duck, but you quickly see their features, and they are the most adorable little things. After about 2.5 hours of cruising, we caught a glimpse of one of the dolphin colonies. The first six people (myself included) were told to get on the bow of the boat, so I ran on up. We then put half of our body out of the boat (I cannot believe no-one fell off) and looked underneath at the open bottom. At this point, about 20 dolphins were surrounding us, playing with us, jumping up and down, right in front of my face. It was absolutely surreal. We spent the next hour or so cruising around with the dolphins, although we weren't able to swim with them, as there were babies in the group (who were absolutely adorable) and it is illegal to swim with the babies. All in all, it was a fantastic experience that I will always remember. That night I grabbed a pizza in town, watched the sun set on the beach, and then stayed in an 8 bed hostel by myself, which was a drastic change from the night before. It was kind of creepy, but okay. I woke up in the middle of the night with a strange feeling, and realized my cell phone, which was my only form of time and alarm was dead. This was a problem since I had to wake up at 7 for my bus back to Auckland. As there were no electricity sockets, I shut off my phone, and hoped that the automatic turn on would work (you never know on a $40 phone), but it did, and I saw up bright and early.
Tuesday: After my early morning bus back to Auckland, I spent the afternoon wandering around the city. One of my favorite parts of being in a new place, is just exploring it, going down all the back streets, with no real set agenda, and no-one else to have to worry about, so I was able to just go wherever aimlessly. I must say, I was not impressed by Auckland, and found myself struggling to fill the five hours before my 7pm flight to Christchurch, and I ended up spending about two of them in Borders. You know when you see someone in the airport, and they stand out, and then you just know you are going to be seated next to them? Well, I had that feeling, and I knew I was in for an interesting flight. The man I was seated next to, Reece, seemed nice enough at first, he was about 60, had a few kids, and was giving me advice about Christchurch. But then he asked me what religion I was, and I knew this could only be going in one direction. As I explained that I was very spiritual, technically Catholic, but did not like "religion" he began to tell me that when the world is going to end (which according to him is quite soon, as the antichrist is living on earth currently) I will basically be screwed. Only those who believe will be saved, and will 'vanish' before the earth ends. Hmm. Luckily, Air New Zealand served free wine, so I was able to tolerate the conversation pretty well, considering. I arrived in Christchurch, and I hopped on a shuttle to my hostel. After a bit of a panic when the door was locked, and no-one was in sight, someone finally came after my ringing the buzzer several times. I went off to find food, but was in a very seedy area with only one place open, so I grabbed a very strange piece of food, and went back to the hostel. This night I was staying with three french people, two guys and a girl, and Sarah (who quickly became a friend). But more on them later.
Wednesday: I woke up and went off in search of Cathedral Square, which is the heart of Christchurch. I found it, and immediately fell in love with the city. It is a very old English style city, complete with a tram running through it. I got a tram pass, and hopped on for the 25 minute loop with commentary, to get myself acquainted with the area. I then went around again, hopping off at each of the 11 sights throughout the day, including my favorite, the Botanic Gardens. Once I walked into them, I was transported out of New Zealand and into a crisp New England fall day, my favorite season. The smell and look of the leaves just made me insanely happy, and I had a great time. Later that evening when I got back to my hostel, I walked in, and though I was in the wrong room. All of my stuff that I had left was gone. My bed was remade, and ready for the next guest. Of course, I had my passport, cash, and credit cards with me, but I had left all of my clothes, library books, sunglasses, and a few other things on the bed (this was the first and last time I'll ever do that). I ran down to reception, and they said they had no idea what happened, but it might have been the cleaning ladies, and to come back tomorrow. I said I wouldn't be there until very late the next night, so they said they'd look for me, and let me know on Friday. Perfect. I realized I would be wearing jeans and a tshirt for the rest of the week. I was pretty bummed, but quickly realized I could always replace material things, but I could not replace this trip, so I would not let it get me down. I was in bed, when Sarah walked in, and she was wearing one of my sweaters! Apparently, my stuff had been being given away, and she showed me where. I recovered some items, but some will be gone forever...Oh well, that's life!
Thursday: Another early morning, waking up at 6 to go to Mt. Cook. I got on the bus, somewhat prepared for the 6 hour drive ahead of me. I was very sleepy, but once we got on the road, and I began to see the sights, I woke up very fast. We first drove through the Canterbury Planes, which were gorgeous, filled with hundreds of thousands of sheep, cows, and red deer. Then after an hour or two, all of a sudden the Southern Alps showed up out of nowhere, looming in the sky ahead with their snow tipped peaks, and a sense of magesticness. The rest of the drive was spent going through them, and to say it was incredible would be an understatement. If you've seen Lord of the Rings, these are the places it was filmed. I wish I could describe the beauty, but it was truly moving to know that the Earth is filled of such glorious sights as this. We then made our way to Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. They were the most beautiful turquoise blue I've ever seen. Once I stepped out of the bus, it began to storm, with immense winds (Nor'Western, similar to the California Santa Annas, except much stronger), rain, and hail. Even that hardly tok away from the beauty of the lakes. As we were nearing Mt. Cook, a very New Zealand thing happened, as we were delayed by about 100 cows being mustered down the road! When we got to Mt. Cook, the skies were dark, and we could hardly see the mountain, which was pretty dissapointing, but again, I was not about to let it get me down. I spent an hour in the lodge, eating soup and reading, and just thinking about what an amazing experience I was having. This was when I truly realized that I really love my own company, and being by myself. As I've said before, you have a very different experience when you travel alone, than you would with others, and I really like it. It was then time to head back to Christchurch, stopping at a couple more beautiful sights to photograph on the way.
Friday: I was supposed to go on a dolphin/penguin cruise on Friday, but since I did that up North, and really wanted to enjoy Christchurch more, that is exactly what I did. I spent the morning wandering around the city, enoyed a free starbucks chai for participating in a tourist survey (awesome! Although I of course had already had my first chai earlier that morning) and then went back to the Botanic Gardens. I rented a kayak to go down the Avon river, which was very relaxing, although my arms were a bit sore the next day from going upriver. That evening I went to see The Reader, which was a fantastic film. I then had two choices. I could stay in my hostel that night, and take a 5:30am shuttle or taxi to the airport (for my 7am flight), which would cost me a total of $80, OR stay in the airport for the night. Of course, being the money saver that I am, thought it would be a great idea to stay in the airport. I took the bus there, arriving at about 11:30pm. I walked to the domestic terminal...closed. I walked to the international departures terminal...also closed. At this point, I had a slight panic, thinking that I would be sitting on a sketchy park bench outside the airport all night. Luckily on the other side, the international arrivals terminal was open. Although it was tiny, I figured I was very lucky. I popped a few benadryl, and amazingly was able to pass out on the floor for about two hours!
Saturday: I arrived back in Auckland at 9:30. I hadn't really decided what to for the day, but I had booked a hotel room for the night. Since I desperately needed sleep, a shower, and a place of my own, I realized this was a great investment. Check-in time was not until 2 though. I did most of the 16km coast to coast walkway, going up to the top of Mt. Eden which was a volcano. The view of the city was awesome, and it sure gave me a good workout! After getting McDonalds for lunch (naturally) I finally was able to check in to my hotel. Since my room was not ready, I was bumped up to a suite...Awesome! I immediately took 2 showers, and then relaxed, before doing a simple thing I've always wanted to do. I got a large cheese pizza and garlic bread, sat in bed watching a movie, and ate it. It was glorious. I relaxed the rest of the night, and finally fell asleep (it was a bit creepy staying in a suite alone).
Sunday: Got up early for my 8am flight only to get to the airport to see the sign: Delayed until 17:30. As in 5:30 pm. Luckily they put us up in a hotel for the day, and gave us lunch, so it actually worked out pretty well! Finally got back to Sydney (the flight didn't leave until almost 7) and subsequently had one of the best sleeps of my life.
Wow. That was an extremely long post, but it is so good for me to now have it all written down so I can remember it forever, although I know I would anyways. It was a really exciting week, and although a lot of it involved sitting on buses, planes, trains, etc. I really enjoyed myself. Now that I am back in Sydney though, I have a lot of work to get done in the coming weeks, and as my money supply has drastically diminished, I will be spending most of my time writing papers, reading text books, and studying. Two weeks til Melbourne!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Leaving on a jet plane...
I am officially leaving for New Zealand tomorrow! I'm very excited to go, and have been doing some serious last minute planning today. I am working on writing out my itinerary because it is all a bit of a jumble right now. I have a very jam packed schedule, but I know it will be very exciting. I head off to Auckland tomorrow, and then spend the night there, before leaving for the Bay of Islands on Monday morning, where I will be staying until Tuesday. I then get back, and hop on a flight to Christchurch on the South Island. Wednesday will be spent exploring the city, as I have a list of sights I want to see! Then Thursday I am taking a trip to Mt. Cook, although my reservation confirmation just came back to me and said it's taking me to Queenstown. So I am working on fixing that...Then Friday I am going on a day trip to Akaroa, which is a a harbour town with dolphins and penguins everywhere, and the trip includes a New Zealand wine and cheese tasting! Then Saturday morning I have an early flight back to Auckland, through Wellington. I then plan on spending Saturday exploring the city, with an early flight back to Sydney on Sunday morning. I don't have a hostel booked for this last night, so I plan on exploring the night life, and then likely sleeping in the airport for a couple hours (don't pay attention to this part mom). It's something I've always wanted to do, to just have no plan and totally wing it without a place to stay! Then I'll be back next Sunday, the 19th.
Until next time, after the grand tour of NZ!
Until next time, after the grand tour of NZ!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Lucky Number 7
7 Weeks! AH! How crazy! I'll try to keep this blog fairly short, as I just wrote a novel about Canberra. This week was really great, and I feel like I'm definitely back on track, which is a relief! I am so glad I had the reality check, and really pushed myself to get back to my goals, and I thank Amanda especially for helping me do that. A quick recap of the week: Last Thursday I knocked off two things on my Top 25-Museum of Contemporary Art, and Art Gallery of New South Wales. Both were really awesome! The MoCA had a really cool exhibit that I've seen advertised all around the city, for Yayoi Kusama, whose artwork is extremely out there. There were a couple little rooms where you would walk in, and have the door shut behind you, and be immersed in a different experience each time. They both had hundreds and hundreds of little lights hanging all around you, as well as mirrors on every side. The only different was one was very dark and one was very bright. The rest of the museum was cool as well, but that exhibit, which took up the entire floor, was definitely the most exciting. The Art Gallery of NSW was amazing. There was a lot of 19th century art (which is my favorite) as well as contemporary, but the best part was a showcase of Aussie High Schoolers. I couldn't believe how talented some of these were (although I should, look at some of the people from NMH--namely Jon Verney!!) There were videos, photography, and paintings, and they were just so impressive.
As far as my main goals go, I think I really completed Goal #2, of spending time by myself and learning about myself. Being in a completely new city, in the middle of a still new country, was a bit of a daunting experience, but really was a great learning module. Goals #6 and #10 were also done while there, as I had no computer, and basically kept my phone off most of the time.
Also, this week (as shown in my countdown) I booked trips to Melbourne and Tasmania! I'm so excited to see Ned, and spend a very long weekend with her in Melbourne, as well as see Tasmania, which I know will be amazing.
Finally, some brief lessons of the week...
#18: Bring a map when you go to a new city. It's just common sense.
#19: Don't expect that you will find where you need to go without a map. You will arrive at your hostel soaking wet from hauling around a very heavy backpack in the desert heat for three hours.
OK, that's it for this week! I will post again sometime before Sunday, because that is the day I leave for New Zealand...SO EXCITING! Now it's off to finish off my very intense few days of studying I've been doing, trying to get everything in order, as it is Week 6 of classes, and I have some very important assignments coming up right after the break. Until next time!
As far as my main goals go, I think I really completed Goal #2, of spending time by myself and learning about myself. Being in a completely new city, in the middle of a still new country, was a bit of a daunting experience, but really was a great learning module. Goals #6 and #10 were also done while there, as I had no computer, and basically kept my phone off most of the time.
Also, this week (as shown in my countdown) I booked trips to Melbourne and Tasmania! I'm so excited to see Ned, and spend a very long weekend with her in Melbourne, as well as see Tasmania, which I know will be amazing.
Finally, some brief lessons of the week...
#18: Bring a map when you go to a new city. It's just common sense.
#19: Don't expect that you will find where you need to go without a map. You will arrive at your hostel soaking wet from hauling around a very heavy backpack in the desert heat for three hours.
OK, that's it for this week! I will post again sometime before Sunday, because that is the day I leave for New Zealand...SO EXCITING! Now it's off to finish off my very intense few days of studying I've been doing, trying to get everything in order, as it is Week 6 of classes, and I have some very important assignments coming up right after the break. Until next time!
A Weekend in Canberra
My weekend in Canberra came and went in a flash! I did have a really great time while I was there, so of course, I'll take you through step by step. After about 4 hours of sleep on Thursday night, I woke up at 6 to catch my 6:45 train from Central Station to Canberra. It was a 4.5 hour ride, so I arrived there at almost 11:30. The ride went by fast, and was very scenic, although a lot of it was outback like areas, with a whole lot of nothing in them. Once I got there, I decided to walk into the city, since I love to walk, and I figured I might as well save money on taking a cab or waste time waiting for the bus. Well...this might have been much easier had I taken a map with me. But I did not, so I walked around, asking various people how to get into the "city" but many were tourists like myself, and had no idea where they were going. After walking around Kingston, a suberb, for almost an hour, I finally caught a glimpse of the top of the Parliament Building, so I made that my North star and began to walk towards it. I soon came to find out that it is actually the opposite direction of the city. To make a long story short, three hours after arriving, I found myself in the city. This is the time in which I realized I did not have the address of my hostel. Mistake number 2. But I happened upon it, which was a relief, so I checked in, and then set out to see the sights. I bought a bus pass and took it into the "Parliamentary Zone" which has all the places that people visiting Canberra want to see.
I first went on a tour of the High Courts, which is basically the highest court in Australia. There were three court rooms, each with a specific function. It was a very cool, recently designed building. I then went to the Australian Portrait Gallery, and then on to the National Gallery of Australia. I enjoyed both places, since I really love art. I then went back into town in hopes to find a great restaurant to eat at. Let me tell you--I had the best meal since I've been in Aus. It was just like being in the North End. I started off with wine and garlic bread, before my main course "fettucini al pesto". It was beyond delicous. It was also really liberating to feel okay about sitting at a restaurant, outside, surrounded by people at other tables, by myself. I then went back to the hostel, as the wine basically put me to sleep.
Saturday morning I went off to the Australian War Memorial, which I must say was one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. It's main purpose is as the Memorial, for all the Australians who have died in any wars, and that section was very powerful. But inside, was the museum showcasing basically every war you can think of. And the exhibits were outstanding. I walked into the Vietnam War room, and was immersed in a place with surround screens, surround sound, wind blowing, and a life size plane. It was so cool, I can't even describe it! I felt like I was on the battle field. After spending the morning there I went off to the National Museum of Australia, which was also awesome. I really did learn a lot, but it was fun as well, with exhibits ranging from the constitutional laws, to tribal masks of the Torres Straight, to vegemite. I then went back into town, and somehow ended up at the same restaurant again (I couldn't resisit!) I enjoyed the same meal, just picked a different wine to switch it up a bit.
Sunday morning was day light savings, so I was up and ready to go at 8, which I soon found out was actually 7. I first went to the Parliament House, and went on a great tour there, and then it was on to the Old Parliament House and the National Archives of Australia. Once I finished, and had had lunch and did a little shopping, I still had a few hours before my 5pm train, so I relaxed and did some reading. On the train ride back, was one of my most exciting moments so far--I saw a heard of wild kangaroos! There were probably 20 of them, and I noticed because a few kids in front of me started freaking out. But then it became sad, as a wild dingo chased them off into the woods, and I knew what was inevitable. But it was still cool!
Overall, I had a truly jam packed weekend, but it was really nice to get away. Canberra though, is not the most "user-friendly" city. I felt quite lost most of the time, and it was very difficult to get around, but I really think that helped me learn about myself, and how I can still be fine in any situation, so it was okay! Pictures are uploading right now, so check them out!
I first went on a tour of the High Courts, which is basically the highest court in Australia. There were three court rooms, each with a specific function. It was a very cool, recently designed building. I then went to the Australian Portrait Gallery, and then on to the National Gallery of Australia. I enjoyed both places, since I really love art. I then went back into town in hopes to find a great restaurant to eat at. Let me tell you--I had the best meal since I've been in Aus. It was just like being in the North End. I started off with wine and garlic bread, before my main course "fettucini al pesto". It was beyond delicous. It was also really liberating to feel okay about sitting at a restaurant, outside, surrounded by people at other tables, by myself. I then went back to the hostel, as the wine basically put me to sleep.
Saturday morning I went off to the Australian War Memorial, which I must say was one of the coolest museums I've ever been to. It's main purpose is as the Memorial, for all the Australians who have died in any wars, and that section was very powerful. But inside, was the museum showcasing basically every war you can think of. And the exhibits were outstanding. I walked into the Vietnam War room, and was immersed in a place with surround screens, surround sound, wind blowing, and a life size plane. It was so cool, I can't even describe it! I felt like I was on the battle field. After spending the morning there I went off to the National Museum of Australia, which was also awesome. I really did learn a lot, but it was fun as well, with exhibits ranging from the constitutional laws, to tribal masks of the Torres Straight, to vegemite. I then went back into town, and somehow ended up at the same restaurant again (I couldn't resisit!) I enjoyed the same meal, just picked a different wine to switch it up a bit.
Sunday morning was day light savings, so I was up and ready to go at 8, which I soon found out was actually 7. I first went to the Parliament House, and went on a great tour there, and then it was on to the Old Parliament House and the National Archives of Australia. Once I finished, and had had lunch and did a little shopping, I still had a few hours before my 5pm train, so I relaxed and did some reading. On the train ride back, was one of my most exciting moments so far--I saw a heard of wild kangaroos! There were probably 20 of them, and I noticed because a few kids in front of me started freaking out. But then it became sad, as a wild dingo chased them off into the woods, and I knew what was inevitable. But it was still cool!
Overall, I had a truly jam packed weekend, but it was really nice to get away. Canberra though, is not the most "user-friendly" city. I felt quite lost most of the time, and it was very difficult to get around, but I really think that helped me learn about myself, and how I can still be fine in any situation, so it was okay! Pictures are uploading right now, so check them out!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Countdowns
Just a little countdown of things that are coming up so fast, to keep me on track for fitting in as much as possible before I have to go back home.
Canberra: 1 Day
Auckland: 10 Days
Christchurch: 12 Days
Melbourne: 34 Days
Hobart (Tasmania): 49 Days
Class Ends: 64 Days
Bali (Indonesia): 66 Days
Back to the U.S.: 87 Days
Canberra: 1 Day
Auckland: 10 Days
Christchurch: 12 Days
Melbourne: 34 Days
Hobart (Tasmania): 49 Days
Class Ends: 64 Days
Bali (Indonesia): 66 Days
Back to the U.S.: 87 Days
Last minute trip! PLAN B
Phone call two hours before my train ride yesterday: Due to extreme flooding along the coast, all trains to the Gold Coast have been cancelled. So, that changed my plans a bit. Since I still really want to get away for the weekend, I decided to go to Canberra, the capitol of Australia. Although it definitely has a bad reputation for being very boring, my reasoning is more to just have a relaxing weekend to myself, so if I sit by the pool the whole time, that is fine by me! But they have some really cool museums, and the city has a very specific set up, so it should be enjoyable. I leave Friday morning (tomorrow) at 10 til 6 in the morning, arriving four and a half hours later. I'll be back on Sunday night at 9:30pm. So although it won't be as fun as Surfer's Paradise, I'm sure I'll have a great time away!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
