As it has now been almost a month since I last blogged, I feel I should make up for it and write a decent length blog about the past month!
I have now been at the Mousetrap for almost 5 weeks, although it really doesn't feel like it. There have been drunken times, whipped cream times, dancing times, tequila times, tickling times, laughing times and painful blister times.
It all started with a night out for Rhonda's leaving and from there on in, my alcohol and food intake have increased 10 fold. I found this most depressing when at the weekend I could not fit into a pair of recently bought trousers - does my bum look big in this would have been my chosen phrase if I could have got them done up!
Over the past month I have also managed to surpass myself in what Amrit describes as me being 'Tragic'. I went on a road trip with Chris and Scott to the west coast and Cape Reinga for a couple of days on my time off work. On my days off (which are now few & far between), I like to do things in and around the Bay. I am in one of the most beautiful areas of the country and am settling far too quickly into a routine and need to start appreciating where I am a little more. So after cleaning, we jumped into Naboo, our orange spaceship rental van, nickname: the passion wagon (my choice), along with several cd's of my choosing - the boys had no idea what they were in for!!!!
We headed first to Hokianga west coast accompanied by a select choice of Lady Gaga, Boyzone, Dizzee Rascal, Britney Spears and Blue. I was incredibly impressed that 2 boys in their mid 20's actually tolerated this. I got the front seat and appointed myself DJ so there really wasn't much choice in the matter! After a couple of stops we made it to Tane Mahuta and another Kauri forest which we had a couple of short walks through and then headed up to Doubtless Bay where we camped by the beach for the night. Arriving in darkness was interesting and the boys got the van set up and made a start on dinner - note to self: travel with boys who cook and make your bed more often!
Having finished off dinner, boys sufficiently impressed that I ate more than them, we settled in for the night to watch a film. Being absolutely shattered, I fell asleep within about 15minutes and apparently snored the whole way through the film. Why they didn't push me or throw something at me I don't know! Sleeping was interesting and during the night I managed to push Scott completely out of bed, not give Chris room to breathe and ended up with most of the bed to myself! I had warned the boys this would happen but I don't think they believed me. I did give them permission to push me out the way if I took over the bed so really they can't complain because they could have moved me, although apparently I am a dead weight when I sleep.
So after a very broken nights sleep we headed up north to Cape Reinga and Ninety Mile beach, which isn't actually 90 miles, its about 64. We made a food stop in Kaitia and then made it to the lighthouse over many a gravel road. Having experienced gale force winds at the Cape, we headed slowly back to Paihia and to Al Frescos for burger meal deals, these are almost as awesome as the pancakes they serve for breakfast!
And thus was the end of our road trip. I think the boys were pleased they were not sharing the van with me for another night and could actually get some sleep.
Unfortunately the next few days were rather rainy and crappy so we couldn't do much except play Monopoly where I apparently was making ridiculous offers for property. I don't think asking for a couple of properties plus some cash for one property is unreasonable!
I have finally managed to get myself a second job, waitressing in a Chinese restaurant, which for some reason my darling younger brother finds hilarious! The people are lovely and although they don't speak much English, I can feel my Mandarin is going to have to improve muchly over the next few months.
Since being here and settling in, my travel plans have changed dramatically over the past few days. My flights home have been changed, my Fiji flights have been changed, I have 2 jobs and am not planning anything for after Christmas yet......although I am quite fancying Tahiti for my birthday, I figure if I have to be by myself then I may aswell be somewhere awesomely awesome!
All I know is right now life is sweet as.
Friday, 2 October 2009
Friday, 4 September 2009
Arrival at The Mousetrap
So after a very short stay back in Auckland, with just enough time to do the all important washing and packing, it was time to head off on the magical Kiwi bus once again. This journey had several more occupants then the previous week, we had a total of about 25 people on our bus and I no longer had the privilege of a seat to myself which was rather disappointing as it was 7am, I’d had little sleep and I didn’t really feel like talking. Thankfully the girl sat next to me felt the same. We exchanged hello’s and introductions and then napped until our first stop at the honey making place. Our driver up to Paihia this week was Fly, I was a little sad about this as I was hoping that Jarrod would be taking me back up because he was cool. Fly however was really nice and during our bus journey, having been filled by coffee and a toastie at our food stop, I booked my Fiji experience trip with her. Doing this through your driver gets you a discount of 100NZ Dollars which works out really worth the deal! So my Fiji trip is coming together, having heard from Becky that Mango Bay is paradise, I am excited!
On arrival into Paihia just after midday on Friday morning, having been sat on a bus for the past 5 hours, it was nice to disembark and leave the poor Kiwi souls to a few nights in the Pipi Patch. Not that it’s a bad place to be, just that when there are a lot of people they will have to fight for sofa and kitchen space, something which I can’t face doing! I checked into The Mousetrap and started out in a dorm room with a girl I had met on the Kiwi bus (who was staying there just one night). I had rather hoped that I would not be in the same room as her, however this wasn’t the case. It isn’t very often that I dislike people, I like to think I’m quite easy going, however I knew I wasn’t going to like Claudia before the ignition of the bus was even running back in Auckland. I know I shouldn’t be judgemental but she got on the bus in Auckland and sat on the seat in front of me and from the volume level her voice was at, it was very difficult not to know she was there. She was one of those people I just knew I wouldn’t get on with so when I found out that she was staying at the Mousetrap also, I was not best pleased. To my joy though, I was able to move rooms after morning tea which meant I was no longer in the room with Claudia. My new room mates however were much nicer – Christoph & Johannes. Although I feel slightly outnumbered, them being boys and all, I think it will work quite well. We have a nice cosy little room which I intend to decorate with some pictures to make it slightly more homely for the 6 weeks that I am here.
Since arriving I haven’t done very much interesting stuff to report on, however on the afternoon of my arrival after morning tea, we went on a long beach walk to Opua. We left at around 3pm and walked along the coastal track, although we hadn’t really decided how long we intended to stay out for. There were 9 of us in total which made for a nice sized group and I got to know my new room mates and some of the long staying guests. We had been walking for a while when we came across a camp site which had a play area, and thus being a group aged between 21 and 29, naturally we had to play on it. We then discovered that the campsite also had a shop which then led to being fed on peppermint Magnums before continuing our journey. It was at this point in our walk that I realised I was making the fatal mistake yet again of wearing inappropriate footwear. Having bought new trainers the day before in Auckland, I had decided to wear them up to Paihia to wear them in. Keeping them on was a fatal mistake as I could tell I was getting a blister right on the back of my heel and typically I had no plasters in my bag. But I soldiered on and didn’t complain once (until we were getting closer to home that is). It got to about 5pm and we decided as it would be getting dark soon we should probably start to head home, so we began to turn back. Walking down a coastal track and along a beach in the dark was an experience, I nearly fell over several times which was embarrassing, however I managed to keep my dignity and stay on both feet!
Back at the hostel we ate and chilled out watching Australian Idol which was fun. It was then early to bed to start a new day in the morning. I was asleep by 11pm and out like a light until morning.
Anyway it is now bedtime once again….ciao for now
On arrival into Paihia just after midday on Friday morning, having been sat on a bus for the past 5 hours, it was nice to disembark and leave the poor Kiwi souls to a few nights in the Pipi Patch. Not that it’s a bad place to be, just that when there are a lot of people they will have to fight for sofa and kitchen space, something which I can’t face doing! I checked into The Mousetrap and started out in a dorm room with a girl I had met on the Kiwi bus (who was staying there just one night). I had rather hoped that I would not be in the same room as her, however this wasn’t the case. It isn’t very often that I dislike people, I like to think I’m quite easy going, however I knew I wasn’t going to like Claudia before the ignition of the bus was even running back in Auckland. I know I shouldn’t be judgemental but she got on the bus in Auckland and sat on the seat in front of me and from the volume level her voice was at, it was very difficult not to know she was there. She was one of those people I just knew I wouldn’t get on with so when I found out that she was staying at the Mousetrap also, I was not best pleased. To my joy though, I was able to move rooms after morning tea which meant I was no longer in the room with Claudia. My new room mates however were much nicer – Christoph & Johannes. Although I feel slightly outnumbered, them being boys and all, I think it will work quite well. We have a nice cosy little room which I intend to decorate with some pictures to make it slightly more homely for the 6 weeks that I am here.
Since arriving I haven’t done very much interesting stuff to report on, however on the afternoon of my arrival after morning tea, we went on a long beach walk to Opua. We left at around 3pm and walked along the coastal track, although we hadn’t really decided how long we intended to stay out for. There were 9 of us in total which made for a nice sized group and I got to know my new room mates and some of the long staying guests. We had been walking for a while when we came across a camp site which had a play area, and thus being a group aged between 21 and 29, naturally we had to play on it. We then discovered that the campsite also had a shop which then led to being fed on peppermint Magnums before continuing our journey. It was at this point in our walk that I realised I was making the fatal mistake yet again of wearing inappropriate footwear. Having bought new trainers the day before in Auckland, I had decided to wear them up to Paihia to wear them in. Keeping them on was a fatal mistake as I could tell I was getting a blister right on the back of my heel and typically I had no plasters in my bag. But I soldiered on and didn’t complain once (until we were getting closer to home that is). It got to about 5pm and we decided as it would be getting dark soon we should probably start to head home, so we began to turn back. Walking down a coastal track and along a beach in the dark was an experience, I nearly fell over several times which was embarrassing, however I managed to keep my dignity and stay on both feet!
Back at the hostel we ate and chilled out watching Australian Idol which was fun. It was then early to bed to start a new day in the morning. I was asleep by 11pm and out like a light until morning.
Anyway it is now bedtime once again….ciao for now
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Fresh off the boat and inappropriate footwear
It may be the general saying here, but the fact that I’ve not been here long and everyone says ‘you’re fresh off the boat then’ is really beginning to piss me off! I am now a New Zealand resident on an actual visa, not just a tourist!
I got talking to a guy today (Thurs) who I met whilst having a coffee in a coffee shop, and he asked me how long I’d been here, almost 3 weeks was my reply, to which I heard the horrific sound of ‘oh so you’re fresh off the boat’. In fact I’m not fresh of the boat, I’ve been here 3 weeks and I didn’t actually come here on a boat, I came on a plane. Not that I said any of that to him, as he turned out to be a nice guy and gave me some good travel tips on where to go and what to do.
Auckland is so different from Hong Kong, but yet I feel equally as comfortable here as I did there, and it seems so strange to think that in 5 weeks of being away from home I’ve been through 3 continents and ended up as far away as you can get. Auckland has far less people than any city, and is spread over a vast distance which is mottled with the odd volcano here and there which makes for interesting walking times. It’s a very pretty city, I get a warm feeling inside when I drive over the harbour bridge when it’s getting dark and you see Sky Tower light up. I also get this feeling when I open my blind in the morning and see the city, then take the dog for a walk and enjoy a sea front walk.
I have had a good time here so far, all it has pretty much included is relaxing, visits to the pub and trying to work out how to make the best of my time here. Whilst stripping the tourist information centre of their many free maps and brochures, I came across a very interesting brochure….The Kiwi Experience. This was when my plans all changed. For a very reasonable amount of money, I can do a combo trip for bus travel all around the North island, South island and Fiji – one of my sought after destinations. This is now my new plan until Christmas, plus a visit to Australia. According to Jason, the Kiwi Experience buses are basically 18-30 style party buses, which sounds exactly what I need right now, hence my over excited 5 year old resembling enthusiasm.
I was all set on the job front, however now I feel slightly differently. If I’m going to come back to England and give the next 4 years of my life to a PhD, I intend to make the most of my freedom here while I have it. I want to experience the country for what it is, not just do the average 9-5 job and come home and become one of the many thousands of commuters that forget to appreciate their surroundings.
Needless to say I was down to the tourist office the very next day to book myself on one of these magical sounding trips. First stop Bay of Islands, my favourite memory from our last holiday to New Zealand.
After an incredibly early 4.30am start to Friday morning, it was time to head to the ferry to town to pick up the magical Kiwi bus to Paihia. I met my first companions on the bus – Ben and Melanie. We got on really well and had a fun journey up to Paihia, stopping off at a place where bees make Manuka honey – Ben & I could have been amused for hours at this! However after a short break it was time to get back on the bus and continue with our journey. We arrived in Paihia just after midday and checked into our base hostel which was nicer than I’d imagined it to be after being told some hostel horror stories from Ben!
After a quick stop at the hostel, we headed for our afternoon boat trip around the Bay of Islands. We made it to the hole in the rock, however shortly after this, we all fell asleep in the warm cosy cabin of the boat, therefore missing the journey back – although as I have done this trip twice before I didn’t feel too deprived and had a really good sleep which made up for it. On our first night back at Base, we had a BBQ dinner which was washed down with my nightly glass of white wine which was lovely.
Saturday saw us up early and off to Cape Reinga & 90 mile beach for the day. We had an insane bus driver called Spike, whose favourite phrases were ‘sweet as’, ‘lets bugger off then dudes’ and putting the word ‘bloody’ before/after as many words as he could. We had our first stop at a Kauri tree forest and then onto a café for brunch. After another long bus ride, we eventually arrived at Cape Reinga and made our way to the lighthouse on the furthest Northern point of the island for pictures. We then stopped at a beach for lunch and then headed to the 150m sand dunes on ninety mile beach for our sand boarding stop.
To say I was nervous about sand boarding would be an understatement. Petrified kind of covers it better. Whilst walking up the dunes I was getting nervous about the height we were climbing and inevitably going to have to board down again. The fact there was a deep stream at the bottom of the dune and not having a towel/spare clothes on me didn’t help my nerves either! However once at the top I hopped onto my board and was quickly pushed on my way by Spike. I screamed loud enough so that probably the whole of the Southern hemisphere could hear me but after the initial speed, it was actually quite fun. Needless to say I quickly made my way up behind Ben up the dunes for my second go. After tiring ourselves out trudging up the dunes for a few seconds of thrill boarding down, we made our way on the bus and drove down ninety mile beach which was fun.
On arrival back at the hostel, we were all pretty tired so chilled out in the lounge. The rugby was on (NZ vs Aus) and we settled in for the night to watch. I made friends with a German guy called Nick who turned out to be studying in England and for some reason I was trying to convince him to read Harry Potter (I think this was because we were watching HP before the rugby and I was drinking wine)!
Sunday was a far more chilled day, Ben headed out for a days sailing and Melanie and I went on the ferry to Russell, however with it being Sunday, most places were closed, but we did have a really nice walk up a hill to look at Russell from above – the views were gorgeous. As Melanie was heading back to Auckland in the afternoon we got the ferry back and I met Nick who convinced me that swimming in the sea when it was only 15 degrees was a good idea. After this mission and walking down the street in a towel, we got into the spa which was absolutely gorgeous (wine induced and raining)!
We had heard about a walk to Haruru waterfalls and so on Monday, Becky, Ben and I decided to try and find this walk. We were under the impression it would be about an hour and a half walk so I chose to wear my flat boots – mistake! It was actually a 7 mile round trip which took us just over 4 hours. With intermittent rain patches the walkway was soggy and muddy which didn’t do my footwear choice any good – they were covered in mud. The views from the waterfalls were awesome and the walk was enjoyable nonetheless. We were about halfway home and the heavens opened, like properly opened (although not quite Hong Kong typhoon style), and we got soaked. Becky and I braved it to the supermarket while Ben went back to Base, and by the time we arrived we were like drowned rats – it was that bad people were actually laughing at us. The one day I put mascara on, it bloody rains so I had mascara running down my face and I was that wet the water was just dripping from every pore. A checkout lady took pity on us and gave us a roll of kitchen towel like stuff which we could dry ourselves off with as best we could. At the checkout I got talking to a guy who said I wanted to be careful I didn’t catch flu, my reply (between the sneezes), were ‘I think it’s a bit late for that!’ This nice guy also took pity on us and gave Becky & I a lift home which was very nice of him – he even put a blanket in the back for us to sit on! On arrival back at Base the only thing to do was de-clothe myself and have the world’s hottest shower which was sooooooo nice!
Tues was a far more chilled day as we were all preparing to leave. Chris & I went for breakfast (after scrambled eggs breakfast in the hostel this is) to a café which made the most gorgeous pancakes in the entire world! We had blueberry, butterscotch sauce with greek yoghurt pancakes and they were beautiful. We then decided to walk off this meal and hiked up to the highest point in Paihia. Again our footwear choices were not ideal – I was wearing my flat boots again and Chris was wearing flip flops – not the best of choices! The track was muddy and slippery and quite steep at times but it was a fun walk and worth it for the views. We made it back to Base with an hour to spare before our bus pick up and spent this time chilling and getting our stuff together. It was then time for our bus journey home, so Ben, Becky, Chris, Justine & me all got on the magical Kiwi bus and headed back to Auckland. On the journey back we had a driver called Fly and watched a film called RocknRolla, which in proper Kate tradition, I spent most of the journey asleep.
During the weekend I also visited the Mousetrap hostel, which is where my temp job is going to be. The place looked lovely on the pictures and was just as nice in real life, the people were lovely and I could definitely see myself staying here for a month. First job when back in Auckland – book myself on the first bus out of here!
But for now, am back in Auckland (until Friday)……over and out
I got talking to a guy today (Thurs) who I met whilst having a coffee in a coffee shop, and he asked me how long I’d been here, almost 3 weeks was my reply, to which I heard the horrific sound of ‘oh so you’re fresh off the boat’. In fact I’m not fresh of the boat, I’ve been here 3 weeks and I didn’t actually come here on a boat, I came on a plane. Not that I said any of that to him, as he turned out to be a nice guy and gave me some good travel tips on where to go and what to do.
Auckland is so different from Hong Kong, but yet I feel equally as comfortable here as I did there, and it seems so strange to think that in 5 weeks of being away from home I’ve been through 3 continents and ended up as far away as you can get. Auckland has far less people than any city, and is spread over a vast distance which is mottled with the odd volcano here and there which makes for interesting walking times. It’s a very pretty city, I get a warm feeling inside when I drive over the harbour bridge when it’s getting dark and you see Sky Tower light up. I also get this feeling when I open my blind in the morning and see the city, then take the dog for a walk and enjoy a sea front walk.
I have had a good time here so far, all it has pretty much included is relaxing, visits to the pub and trying to work out how to make the best of my time here. Whilst stripping the tourist information centre of their many free maps and brochures, I came across a very interesting brochure….The Kiwi Experience. This was when my plans all changed. For a very reasonable amount of money, I can do a combo trip for bus travel all around the North island, South island and Fiji – one of my sought after destinations. This is now my new plan until Christmas, plus a visit to Australia. According to Jason, the Kiwi Experience buses are basically 18-30 style party buses, which sounds exactly what I need right now, hence my over excited 5 year old resembling enthusiasm.
I was all set on the job front, however now I feel slightly differently. If I’m going to come back to England and give the next 4 years of my life to a PhD, I intend to make the most of my freedom here while I have it. I want to experience the country for what it is, not just do the average 9-5 job and come home and become one of the many thousands of commuters that forget to appreciate their surroundings.
Needless to say I was down to the tourist office the very next day to book myself on one of these magical sounding trips. First stop Bay of Islands, my favourite memory from our last holiday to New Zealand.
After an incredibly early 4.30am start to Friday morning, it was time to head to the ferry to town to pick up the magical Kiwi bus to Paihia. I met my first companions on the bus – Ben and Melanie. We got on really well and had a fun journey up to Paihia, stopping off at a place where bees make Manuka honey – Ben & I could have been amused for hours at this! However after a short break it was time to get back on the bus and continue with our journey. We arrived in Paihia just after midday and checked into our base hostel which was nicer than I’d imagined it to be after being told some hostel horror stories from Ben!
After a quick stop at the hostel, we headed for our afternoon boat trip around the Bay of Islands. We made it to the hole in the rock, however shortly after this, we all fell asleep in the warm cosy cabin of the boat, therefore missing the journey back – although as I have done this trip twice before I didn’t feel too deprived and had a really good sleep which made up for it. On our first night back at Base, we had a BBQ dinner which was washed down with my nightly glass of white wine which was lovely.
Saturday saw us up early and off to Cape Reinga & 90 mile beach for the day. We had an insane bus driver called Spike, whose favourite phrases were ‘sweet as’, ‘lets bugger off then dudes’ and putting the word ‘bloody’ before/after as many words as he could. We had our first stop at a Kauri tree forest and then onto a café for brunch. After another long bus ride, we eventually arrived at Cape Reinga and made our way to the lighthouse on the furthest Northern point of the island for pictures. We then stopped at a beach for lunch and then headed to the 150m sand dunes on ninety mile beach for our sand boarding stop.
To say I was nervous about sand boarding would be an understatement. Petrified kind of covers it better. Whilst walking up the dunes I was getting nervous about the height we were climbing and inevitably going to have to board down again. The fact there was a deep stream at the bottom of the dune and not having a towel/spare clothes on me didn’t help my nerves either! However once at the top I hopped onto my board and was quickly pushed on my way by Spike. I screamed loud enough so that probably the whole of the Southern hemisphere could hear me but after the initial speed, it was actually quite fun. Needless to say I quickly made my way up behind Ben up the dunes for my second go. After tiring ourselves out trudging up the dunes for a few seconds of thrill boarding down, we made our way on the bus and drove down ninety mile beach which was fun.
On arrival back at the hostel, we were all pretty tired so chilled out in the lounge. The rugby was on (NZ vs Aus) and we settled in for the night to watch. I made friends with a German guy called Nick who turned out to be studying in England and for some reason I was trying to convince him to read Harry Potter (I think this was because we were watching HP before the rugby and I was drinking wine)!
Sunday was a far more chilled day, Ben headed out for a days sailing and Melanie and I went on the ferry to Russell, however with it being Sunday, most places were closed, but we did have a really nice walk up a hill to look at Russell from above – the views were gorgeous. As Melanie was heading back to Auckland in the afternoon we got the ferry back and I met Nick who convinced me that swimming in the sea when it was only 15 degrees was a good idea. After this mission and walking down the street in a towel, we got into the spa which was absolutely gorgeous (wine induced and raining)!
We had heard about a walk to Haruru waterfalls and so on Monday, Becky, Ben and I decided to try and find this walk. We were under the impression it would be about an hour and a half walk so I chose to wear my flat boots – mistake! It was actually a 7 mile round trip which took us just over 4 hours. With intermittent rain patches the walkway was soggy and muddy which didn’t do my footwear choice any good – they were covered in mud. The views from the waterfalls were awesome and the walk was enjoyable nonetheless. We were about halfway home and the heavens opened, like properly opened (although not quite Hong Kong typhoon style), and we got soaked. Becky and I braved it to the supermarket while Ben went back to Base, and by the time we arrived we were like drowned rats – it was that bad people were actually laughing at us. The one day I put mascara on, it bloody rains so I had mascara running down my face and I was that wet the water was just dripping from every pore. A checkout lady took pity on us and gave us a roll of kitchen towel like stuff which we could dry ourselves off with as best we could. At the checkout I got talking to a guy who said I wanted to be careful I didn’t catch flu, my reply (between the sneezes), were ‘I think it’s a bit late for that!’ This nice guy also took pity on us and gave Becky & I a lift home which was very nice of him – he even put a blanket in the back for us to sit on! On arrival back at Base the only thing to do was de-clothe myself and have the world’s hottest shower which was sooooooo nice!
Tues was a far more chilled day as we were all preparing to leave. Chris & I went for breakfast (after scrambled eggs breakfast in the hostel this is) to a café which made the most gorgeous pancakes in the entire world! We had blueberry, butterscotch sauce with greek yoghurt pancakes and they were beautiful. We then decided to walk off this meal and hiked up to the highest point in Paihia. Again our footwear choices were not ideal – I was wearing my flat boots again and Chris was wearing flip flops – not the best of choices! The track was muddy and slippery and quite steep at times but it was a fun walk and worth it for the views. We made it back to Base with an hour to spare before our bus pick up and spent this time chilling and getting our stuff together. It was then time for our bus journey home, so Ben, Becky, Chris, Justine & me all got on the magical Kiwi bus and headed back to Auckland. On the journey back we had a driver called Fly and watched a film called RocknRolla, which in proper Kate tradition, I spent most of the journey asleep.
During the weekend I also visited the Mousetrap hostel, which is where my temp job is going to be. The place looked lovely on the pictures and was just as nice in real life, the people were lovely and I could definitely see myself staying here for a month. First job when back in Auckland – book myself on the first bus out of here!
But for now, am back in Auckland (until Friday)……over and out
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
All roads lead to the pub
As I get my navigation skills back from having lost them almost altogether in Hong Kong, I realise that all roads in Auckland generally lead to Galbraiths - my new second home. Spending most of my time job/car/house hunting, evenings in the pub are a general break from everything which is becoming really nice.
Since I've been here I haven't really missed Leicester that much - I thought I would miss it a lot more. I miss the people but not the place - although skype and conference calling is definately proving the best way of keeping in touch!
The days seem to be flying by which is a bit scary because I don't have as long left here as I thought I would. I seem to have spent the majority of this week on the search for a car which has opened up a whole new world to me. Auckland definately should go down in history as having the largest amount of backstreet car dealers! Found a few bargains on the car front which may prove to be good buys so have a lot of decisions to make! I saw a really nice Mitsubishi RVR 4x4 today which is going quite cheaply so I may go for that - or there is a Toytoa Corolla of a Nissan Sentra or an Audi A4 estate which are all possiblities. I think the easiest thing would be to get mum to courier over my TT though!!!
Having spent most of today (Sunday) car searching, I decided it was about time I started to do some proper planning. I have therefore spent the majority of the afternoon with a map and campsite list in front of me deciding where I want to go, how much its going to cost me and what my best route will be! I'm giving myself 9 weeks to travel the North Island - Jason has loads of camping equipment I can use so I don't need to worry about that so come October, I will be off!!! I'm finding the whole prospect quite exciting and have been shown my way around a car by Jason this afternoon, in case the worst should happen and I break down by myself in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal. I've learnt how to jack up a car, change a tyre, check my tyre pressure, how to align brakes and flush out my oil filters!
I have a job starting in 2 weeks in the Bay of Islands which is hopefully going to be good, but I'll blog about that another time. So I'm all sorted for September at least which gives me Oct & Nov to do my own thing before the family come over in December.
Yesterday (Sat) was also good - we headed up to the Bach in Mangawhai Heads for Jasons AGM at the fishing club. It involved lamb on the spit (my first lamb in NZ), and lots of men talking fishing. I was pretty much the only girl there, which made me feel a little outnumbered by men, however it was ok as I stuck with Jason and Karl. Before we went to the fishing club, Karl and I headed out on a drive around the heads and went to several beaches which was really nice.
I am also getting down the list of Jasons things for me to do, well one in particular, I am getting a taste for white wine, which last night involved me drinking 3/4 of a bottle to myself. Jason and I sat up and watched a film after Karl went to bed through which I demolished 3 glasses of wine and some left over Chinese takeaway from the night before - good times!
Anyway I'll leave it there for now, I've just rambled about really random stuff as its come into my head.....now to the pub!
Since I've been here I haven't really missed Leicester that much - I thought I would miss it a lot more. I miss the people but not the place - although skype and conference calling is definately proving the best way of keeping in touch!
The days seem to be flying by which is a bit scary because I don't have as long left here as I thought I would. I seem to have spent the majority of this week on the search for a car which has opened up a whole new world to me. Auckland definately should go down in history as having the largest amount of backstreet car dealers! Found a few bargains on the car front which may prove to be good buys so have a lot of decisions to make! I saw a really nice Mitsubishi RVR 4x4 today which is going quite cheaply so I may go for that - or there is a Toytoa Corolla of a Nissan Sentra or an Audi A4 estate which are all possiblities. I think the easiest thing would be to get mum to courier over my TT though!!!
Having spent most of today (Sunday) car searching, I decided it was about time I started to do some proper planning. I have therefore spent the majority of the afternoon with a map and campsite list in front of me deciding where I want to go, how much its going to cost me and what my best route will be! I'm giving myself 9 weeks to travel the North Island - Jason has loads of camping equipment I can use so I don't need to worry about that so come October, I will be off!!! I'm finding the whole prospect quite exciting and have been shown my way around a car by Jason this afternoon, in case the worst should happen and I break down by myself in the middle of nowhere with no phone signal. I've learnt how to jack up a car, change a tyre, check my tyre pressure, how to align brakes and flush out my oil filters!
I have a job starting in 2 weeks in the Bay of Islands which is hopefully going to be good, but I'll blog about that another time. So I'm all sorted for September at least which gives me Oct & Nov to do my own thing before the family come over in December.
Yesterday (Sat) was also good - we headed up to the Bach in Mangawhai Heads for Jasons AGM at the fishing club. It involved lamb on the spit (my first lamb in NZ), and lots of men talking fishing. I was pretty much the only girl there, which made me feel a little outnumbered by men, however it was ok as I stuck with Jason and Karl. Before we went to the fishing club, Karl and I headed out on a drive around the heads and went to several beaches which was really nice.
I am also getting down the list of Jasons things for me to do, well one in particular, I am getting a taste for white wine, which last night involved me drinking 3/4 of a bottle to myself. Jason and I sat up and watched a film after Karl went to bed through which I demolished 3 glasses of wine and some left over Chinese takeaway from the night before - good times!
Anyway I'll leave it there for now, I've just rambled about really random stuff as its come into my head.....now to the pub!
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Life as Jason's step sister
I have only been here 4 days now but I’m learning that by being Jason Otter’s step sister can get you quite a way – at least to locating family members if/when lost. Example – I went to meet Jason at his local after work which is in Auckland city centre, first sign it’s his local, he has a car park pass for the place. I got to the pub and bravely walked in by myself – after all it was full of NZ men and very much a man’s pub, me being 5’2” and a girl doesn’t help me fit in. So I walked to the bar, bought myself a drink and asked if Jason was around. The guy replied ‘yeah he’s outside’. I’ve been told I could end up working here so I asked about a job and was told to bring in my CV, which I would definitely do the next day. I was then asked who I was, to which I replied ‘Jason’s step sister’ (strange feeling that takes some getting used to describing myself as a step sister to a guy in a pub in NZ who knows Jason), I then ventured outside to find Jason.
I met his friends and had my first drink of my stay, which I’ve been told by Jason will go up daily. I have a feeling he’s on a mission to increase my alcohol tolerance as Rianne was in first year, although I hope it doesn’t have the same disastrous consequences. I can’t see Jason being the type to hold my hair back over the toilet while I’m that drunk my eyes are rolling round in the back of my head.
Everyone I've met so far has asked me how long I'm planning on staying, I dutifully reply ''6 months'' and have been laughed at several times - 99% of people I've talked to are placing bets on how long it will be before I decide to push my flights back and stay til my visa expires!!
It is commonly known that I dislike seafood - Jason however intends to ''educate my pallette'' while I'm here, for me this resembles more like torture by food stuffs!! In true Otter style, he threw me in at the deep end and we went to a Japanese sushi bar. I had no idea what to order so he ordered for me. We had seaweed soup to start with, followed by a seafood platter which included:
raw tuna,
raw beef,
raw salmon,
beef terakyi,
prawns,
raw snapper,
sushi,
and the killer for me...oyster
I said I'd try everything but the oyster, so naturally I was made to try that first. Can't say I'll be going too near it again! I did well and tried everything, although I couldn't quite stomach all the raw beef or salmon but managed pretty much everything else which is damn good for me!
Jason intends to educate me in several things while I'm a resident here, which include but aren't limited to:
- catch a fish and eat it raw
- learn about NZ wine and become a refined wine drinker
- learn to cook a meal as I will be taking charge of cooking for the family when the rents come over
- learn to brave the seabiscuit
- jump off sky tower
So all in all I think my time here is going to be highly rewarding if a little out of the ordinary for me, but that is what I'm here for, so am embracing everything (apart from maybe the sushi and oysters) with open arms!
I met his friends and had my first drink of my stay, which I’ve been told by Jason will go up daily. I have a feeling he’s on a mission to increase my alcohol tolerance as Rianne was in first year, although I hope it doesn’t have the same disastrous consequences. I can’t see Jason being the type to hold my hair back over the toilet while I’m that drunk my eyes are rolling round in the back of my head.
Everyone I've met so far has asked me how long I'm planning on staying, I dutifully reply ''6 months'' and have been laughed at several times - 99% of people I've talked to are placing bets on how long it will be before I decide to push my flights back and stay til my visa expires!!
It is commonly known that I dislike seafood - Jason however intends to ''educate my pallette'' while I'm here, for me this resembles more like torture by food stuffs!! In true Otter style, he threw me in at the deep end and we went to a Japanese sushi bar. I had no idea what to order so he ordered for me. We had seaweed soup to start with, followed by a seafood platter which included:
raw tuna,
raw beef,
raw salmon,
beef terakyi,
prawns,
raw snapper,
sushi,
and the killer for me...oyster
I said I'd try everything but the oyster, so naturally I was made to try that first. Can't say I'll be going too near it again! I did well and tried everything, although I couldn't quite stomach all the raw beef or salmon but managed pretty much everything else which is damn good for me!
Jason intends to educate me in several things while I'm a resident here, which include but aren't limited to:
- catch a fish and eat it raw
- learn about NZ wine and become a refined wine drinker
- learn to cook a meal as I will be taking charge of cooking for the family when the rents come over
- learn to brave the seabiscuit
- jump off sky tower
So all in all I think my time here is going to be highly rewarding if a little out of the ordinary for me, but that is what I'm here for, so am embracing everything (apart from maybe the sushi and oysters) with open arms!
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Brisbane Airport - unplanned pink times, pringles have never tasted so good and my faith in people has been restored
(written in bits and pieces during the day hence the jumping around from tense to tense)
There comes a time when being in Hong Kong for 2 weeks, that you just need ‘’normal’’ food. For me this time came not long after arriving, however it wasn’t until my touch down in Brisbane that I finally got some longed for food which resembled home.
As most people know, I have a love for the colour pink; however do not generally go out in head to toe pink, with the exception of pub raving golf night. Well if you could have seen me on this flight you would have thought I was out for pub raving golf! I recently invested in a pair of pink and brown flowery jogging bottoms – they sound hideous but are actually really nice and Selina has the same pair in blue. As they have an elasticated waistband and are really comfortable, I decided to wear them to fly in. I picked out the first vest top I could which also happened to be bright pink, and then the only hoodie I have with me, which is pink as well. So I ended up looking like a complete pink freak, which I eventually was ok with as I realised that none of these people knew me or would ever see me again. I did get a few looks whilst walking through HK airport in my pink get up, but as it was late at night and I was tired I stopped caring!
After an uneventful flight as I spent most of it trying, and at times successfully sleeping, I disembarked, with high hopes for my day in Brisbane, how wrong was I going to be! Being a transit passenger, I followed the transit passenger signs off the plane as I knew I wasn’t going to be claiming my bag here, this was my first mistake, but really I’d hardly had any sleep and had no idea where I was going and had been told just to follow the transit signs if you were on a connecting flight. I passed through Australian security and ended up in a departure lounge type room – slightly worrying as I just wanted an exit. So I asked at the information desk how I could get out as my flight wasn’t for another 12 hours. I was duly told that having come through this far through security that I couldn’t go back, shit. I am now stuck in Brisbane airport for 12 hours until my flight to Auckland.
So I headed for the nearest shop and invested in a drink, some Pringles and 2 new books to keep me occupied for the day. I have never eaten a packet of Pringles so quickly in my entire life, I swear they taste better in Australia, or maybe it’s because I haven’t had crisps in 2 weeks? Whatever the reason they were damn good I will probably end up going back several more times during the course of my long stay here! There are no plug points in this departure lounge and no free wifi – what on earth am I going to do for 12 hours without the internet stuck in one room looking at planes!! However I can’t really complain, it feels so good to be out of Hong Kong and to be able to wear clothes and not feel like I’m dying of overheating. I even have a jumper and jeans on – more clothes than I’ve worn in a while!!!
There does seem to be computers around which I’m assuming have a charged access to the internet, if I get completely bored out my mind I may have to invest in an hour or so on one of these, just to kill time.
I survived the flight without any major traumas, vomiting or seat moving. There was a tense moment when my TV set had to be reset as it wasn’t working properly, however after a reset it was fine and off I was watching the new version of Narnia which while I watched made a mental note of everything which was wrong in comparison with the old version. I’m not going to lie, I quite enjoyed it and even considered writing down my list for future reference. I decided against this though as I thought the people I was sat next to might think I was weird. Over dinner I got talking to the companion sat next to me, turned out to be a 19yr old French guy called David. He spoke basic English so I took the opportunity to try out my French which I haven’t spoken since A level. It went quite well and I remembered more than I thought I did. We both slept for a bit which was quite uncomfortable as even I didn’t have enough leg room – are Qantas cutting back on space due to the financial climate I asked myself because this plane definitely seems smaller than the last and I never have a problem with leg room!!! I felt for David who was about 6ft tall, at least I don’t have long legs.
Waiting around in the airport didn’t actually turn out to be so bad, I didn’t realise I was so tired until I’d be sitting down for about half an hour. So I found a nice comfy seat, which they actually have here as opposed to the uncomfortable seats you get in Heathrow, settled down for a nap and was well and truly out for the count for at least 2 hours. The only reason I woke up was because a nice British couple woke me up to ask what flight I was on as the flight to London via Singapore was boarding and where I had decided to sit was right outside this gate. If I was still in Hong Kong this would never have happened and even though I got woken up out of it, I feel a bit more like I’m around people who take notice rather than people who bump into you even if you are the only other person in the street. It made my day go quicker though as when I was woken up I only had 4 hours until boarding time which in the grand scheme of how long I was here wasn’t long to wait at all.
So with my nap interrupted, I read a bit more but then felt really tired again so napped here and there – good job I didn’t leave the airport as I may have fallen asleep in Brisbane city centre and I doubt anyone would have woken me up there!
There comes a time when being in Hong Kong for 2 weeks, that you just need ‘’normal’’ food. For me this time came not long after arriving, however it wasn’t until my touch down in Brisbane that I finally got some longed for food which resembled home.
As most people know, I have a love for the colour pink; however do not generally go out in head to toe pink, with the exception of pub raving golf night. Well if you could have seen me on this flight you would have thought I was out for pub raving golf! I recently invested in a pair of pink and brown flowery jogging bottoms – they sound hideous but are actually really nice and Selina has the same pair in blue. As they have an elasticated waistband and are really comfortable, I decided to wear them to fly in. I picked out the first vest top I could which also happened to be bright pink, and then the only hoodie I have with me, which is pink as well. So I ended up looking like a complete pink freak, which I eventually was ok with as I realised that none of these people knew me or would ever see me again. I did get a few looks whilst walking through HK airport in my pink get up, but as it was late at night and I was tired I stopped caring!
After an uneventful flight as I spent most of it trying, and at times successfully sleeping, I disembarked, with high hopes for my day in Brisbane, how wrong was I going to be! Being a transit passenger, I followed the transit passenger signs off the plane as I knew I wasn’t going to be claiming my bag here, this was my first mistake, but really I’d hardly had any sleep and had no idea where I was going and had been told just to follow the transit signs if you were on a connecting flight. I passed through Australian security and ended up in a departure lounge type room – slightly worrying as I just wanted an exit. So I asked at the information desk how I could get out as my flight wasn’t for another 12 hours. I was duly told that having come through this far through security that I couldn’t go back, shit. I am now stuck in Brisbane airport for 12 hours until my flight to Auckland.
So I headed for the nearest shop and invested in a drink, some Pringles and 2 new books to keep me occupied for the day. I have never eaten a packet of Pringles so quickly in my entire life, I swear they taste better in Australia, or maybe it’s because I haven’t had crisps in 2 weeks? Whatever the reason they were damn good I will probably end up going back several more times during the course of my long stay here! There are no plug points in this departure lounge and no free wifi – what on earth am I going to do for 12 hours without the internet stuck in one room looking at planes!! However I can’t really complain, it feels so good to be out of Hong Kong and to be able to wear clothes and not feel like I’m dying of overheating. I even have a jumper and jeans on – more clothes than I’ve worn in a while!!!
There does seem to be computers around which I’m assuming have a charged access to the internet, if I get completely bored out my mind I may have to invest in an hour or so on one of these, just to kill time.
I survived the flight without any major traumas, vomiting or seat moving. There was a tense moment when my TV set had to be reset as it wasn’t working properly, however after a reset it was fine and off I was watching the new version of Narnia which while I watched made a mental note of everything which was wrong in comparison with the old version. I’m not going to lie, I quite enjoyed it and even considered writing down my list for future reference. I decided against this though as I thought the people I was sat next to might think I was weird. Over dinner I got talking to the companion sat next to me, turned out to be a 19yr old French guy called David. He spoke basic English so I took the opportunity to try out my French which I haven’t spoken since A level. It went quite well and I remembered more than I thought I did. We both slept for a bit which was quite uncomfortable as even I didn’t have enough leg room – are Qantas cutting back on space due to the financial climate I asked myself because this plane definitely seems smaller than the last and I never have a problem with leg room!!! I felt for David who was about 6ft tall, at least I don’t have long legs.
Waiting around in the airport didn’t actually turn out to be so bad, I didn’t realise I was so tired until I’d be sitting down for about half an hour. So I found a nice comfy seat, which they actually have here as opposed to the uncomfortable seats you get in Heathrow, settled down for a nap and was well and truly out for the count for at least 2 hours. The only reason I woke up was because a nice British couple woke me up to ask what flight I was on as the flight to London via Singapore was boarding and where I had decided to sit was right outside this gate. If I was still in Hong Kong this would never have happened and even though I got woken up out of it, I feel a bit more like I’m around people who take notice rather than people who bump into you even if you are the only other person in the street. It made my day go quicker though as when I was woken up I only had 4 hours until boarding time which in the grand scheme of how long I was here wasn’t long to wait at all.
So with my nap interrupted, I read a bit more but then felt really tired again so napped here and there – good job I didn’t leave the airport as I may have fallen asleep in Brisbane city centre and I doubt anyone would have woken me up there!
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
As much as I try I cannot direct around this city
After not the best of days Friday, we all awoke with high hopes for the weekend ahead. Amrit only had 2 days left in HK before returning home and Selina and I intended to enjoy ourselves before the conference started on Monday.
So off we headed, octopus caards in check, to Causeway Bay, Hong Kongs major designer shopping area. I've been to Causeway Bay before, and they are the original home of my Staccato shoes so I thought I knew my way around. However being brought here by a local last year and travelling on the MTR proved to be a very different experience. We walked round and round and round for ages as I couldn't remember where to go and where we were walking had no resemblence to anywhere i'd been before. After a couple of hours, some rain and not much luck at finding the Plaza, we stopped for food which consisted of a hot dog for me, potato wedge things for Amrit and street food style veg for Selina. We then found a shopping centre and started on the clothes shopping. After a couple of hours we met up with Jack and hung out in Victoria park for a while, then continued shopping.
After a few credit card spends later, we were ready to head home - bags in tow. Amrit was hungry to say the least and headed off to eat near our hotel, however Selina and I wanted to shower and drop the shopping before eating so we had a separate dinner date in a chinese restaurant on the terrace.
Sunday was a much better day - we all had a lay in and Selina and I headed to the conference registration mid morning and then had a meeting with lecturer to discuss presentations and the conversation inevitably got around to my phd application form and it lack of appearance on my tutors desk...oops!
Selina had plans for the evening so I headed from the Marco Polo across to Central to meet Amrit and we got the bus across the island to Repulse Bay. In typical Hong Kong style it started to rain, and when it rains here my god does it rain. We stood on the beach in the 30 degree heat with shoes off and the rain pouring down. I was went through from head to toe but after a while it felt pretty good.
Sunday night involved packing up as we moved to a different hotel monday morning as we no longer needed a triple room as Amrit was leaving. Our new hotel isn't as posh as our first one but still, it isn't on the 15th floor of a back street shopping centre with an MDF lift! Its small but comfortable and will do until I leave, which is getting scarily close now.
I can't believe that this time in 4 days I'll be another several thousand miles around the world in NZ with Jason, it doesn't quite feel real. I have a plan straight in my head of how I want my time to New Zealand to be, and if I get my way it'll happen!
So off we headed, octopus caards in check, to Causeway Bay, Hong Kongs major designer shopping area. I've been to Causeway Bay before, and they are the original home of my Staccato shoes so I thought I knew my way around. However being brought here by a local last year and travelling on the MTR proved to be a very different experience. We walked round and round and round for ages as I couldn't remember where to go and where we were walking had no resemblence to anywhere i'd been before. After a couple of hours, some rain and not much luck at finding the Plaza, we stopped for food which consisted of a hot dog for me, potato wedge things for Amrit and street food style veg for Selina. We then found a shopping centre and started on the clothes shopping. After a couple of hours we met up with Jack and hung out in Victoria park for a while, then continued shopping.
After a few credit card spends later, we were ready to head home - bags in tow. Amrit was hungry to say the least and headed off to eat near our hotel, however Selina and I wanted to shower and drop the shopping before eating so we had a separate dinner date in a chinese restaurant on the terrace.
Sunday was a much better day - we all had a lay in and Selina and I headed to the conference registration mid morning and then had a meeting with lecturer to discuss presentations and the conversation inevitably got around to my phd application form and it lack of appearance on my tutors desk...oops!
Selina had plans for the evening so I headed from the Marco Polo across to Central to meet Amrit and we got the bus across the island to Repulse Bay. In typical Hong Kong style it started to rain, and when it rains here my god does it rain. We stood on the beach in the 30 degree heat with shoes off and the rain pouring down. I was went through from head to toe but after a while it felt pretty good.
Sunday night involved packing up as we moved to a different hotel monday morning as we no longer needed a triple room as Amrit was leaving. Our new hotel isn't as posh as our first one but still, it isn't on the 15th floor of a back street shopping centre with an MDF lift! Its small but comfortable and will do until I leave, which is getting scarily close now.
I can't believe that this time in 4 days I'll be another several thousand miles around the world in NZ with Jason, it doesn't quite feel real. I have a plan straight in my head of how I want my time to New Zealand to be, and if I get my way it'll happen!
Friday, 24 July 2009
Typhoon Molave and happenings in Hong Kong
I found out after arrival that the typhoon I experienced was called Molave, quite nice to give it a name I suppose. After being settled in our new hotel, we got down to exploring Hong Kong tourist style, and my gosh have we explored. We must have walked miles and miles and miles (or at least thats what it feels like in the 35 degree heat). Monday saw us heading off to the island and spending a day doing big building sightseeting. We viewed the city from the 43rd floor of the bank of China tower, walked through Exchange Square and had lunch, went to see the HSBC towers, walked through part of the zoo and botanical gardens, took the escalator to the mid levels and went up to Victoria Peak on the tram which at times looks like you're climbing at a 45 degree angle.
Tuesday involved a day on Lantau Island and a visit to the worlds largest outdoor buddha statue. The trip to the buddha was eventful - Selina and I got accosted by a chinese man who grabbed hold of my hand and wouldn't let go. He then took Selina's hand even though we kept saying 'no' and then got a friend in on the act and got the woman they were with to take pictures of us. I have nothing against being friendly with people at all but there comes a point where you don't invade someones personal space or stare obviously at them - I'm finding this happens a lot here and its getting on my nerves more and more. After losing our tag alongs, we walked round the buddha and then went on a bit of a hike through some of the country park which we found ourselves in on the island.
Wednesday was a slightly more chilled out day - Amrit & I went round the history, science and art museums. Amrit and Selina then went to repulse bay in the evening and I met up with Jack for dinner and a concert at St Johns cathedral.
After a late night/early morning Wednesday none of us were getting up early Thursday. We meant to be up and away by about 9am - this however did not happen. We were awake at 8, however went back to sleep, woke up at 9.30am to which news no-one moved, Amrit stirred at about 10 and told me what time it was - I replied with 'my alarms set for 10.30' although I'm not sure what good thats going to be in hindsight? We eventually surfaced at about midday and headed off to the New Territories where we went to Sha Tin to the ten thousand buddhas temple and then headed to Sai Kung where we had dinner over the harbour and then headed home.
Conversation tonight (Friday) has been interesting, do horses have salt or sugar licks? Selina thinks its ok when she faints and has sunstroke, Amrit hates me for making her walk 8 miles tonight through an unlit park and I almost walked in front of a reversing taxi.
Classic quote ''I don't know if my skins falling off or its just the cream?''
Think its time for bed!
Tuesday involved a day on Lantau Island and a visit to the worlds largest outdoor buddha statue. The trip to the buddha was eventful - Selina and I got accosted by a chinese man who grabbed hold of my hand and wouldn't let go. He then took Selina's hand even though we kept saying 'no' and then got a friend in on the act and got the woman they were with to take pictures of us. I have nothing against being friendly with people at all but there comes a point where you don't invade someones personal space or stare obviously at them - I'm finding this happens a lot here and its getting on my nerves more and more. After losing our tag alongs, we walked round the buddha and then went on a bit of a hike through some of the country park which we found ourselves in on the island.
Wednesday was a slightly more chilled out day - Amrit & I went round the history, science and art museums. Amrit and Selina then went to repulse bay in the evening and I met up with Jack for dinner and a concert at St Johns cathedral.
After a late night/early morning Wednesday none of us were getting up early Thursday. We meant to be up and away by about 9am - this however did not happen. We were awake at 8, however went back to sleep, woke up at 9.30am to which news no-one moved, Amrit stirred at about 10 and told me what time it was - I replied with 'my alarms set for 10.30' although I'm not sure what good thats going to be in hindsight? We eventually surfaced at about midday and headed off to the New Territories where we went to Sha Tin to the ten thousand buddhas temple and then headed to Sai Kung where we had dinner over the harbour and then headed home.
Conversation tonight (Friday) has been interesting, do horses have salt or sugar licks? Selina thinks its ok when she faints and has sunstroke, Amrit hates me for making her walk 8 miles tonight through an unlit park and I almost walked in front of a reversing taxi.
Classic quote ''I don't know if my skins falling off or its just the cream?''
Think its time for bed!
Monday, 20 July 2009
Turbulent Times...airport to airport, train to train and hotel to hotel
I'm not quite sure how to start this one......but Heathrow may be a good place so I'll go with that! After a 4am journey down to Heathrow with the mother, it was time to say goodbye which was rather emotional, I was ok until she started crying which also made me cry, not because I was sad to be leaving because I have so been waiting for this trip for months, but because I know I wont see mum until Christmas which seems like a century away right now. So off I went to check in with streaming eyes for my flight to Hong Kong.
The flight was turbulent to say the least - my seat was next to a couple who's only topic of conversation seemed to be tonsil tennis. Originally I asked to be put in the middle of the plane as I know I don't travel too well at the back, however my tv screen handset wasn't working so I was moved to the only spare seat on the plane (which was only spare due to one passenger being refused boarding for immigration reasons which made our plane delayed because they had to get his suitcase off the plane before we could take off), which just so happened to be 2 rows from the back of the plane.
So with slight concern, I moved seats as I decided it was best to make a get away from the tonsil tennis loving couple I had been sitting next too. I then ended up next to a guy who was from Amsterdam and couldn't speak much English - to be honest this suited me fine as I wasn't really in the mood for talking, still slightly tear stained and just wanted to sleep. And my gosh did I try to sleep, however Mr Amsterdam had other ideas. Everytime I was almost asleep, he wanted to get out and have a walk around - after this happened 3 times within the space of a couple of hours and no sleep, I suggested maybe he would like to swap seats. His response was a resounding no, much to my disappointment as he explained in basic English he wanted a window seat to see out.
With broken sleep here and there we eventually got served lunch/dinner (whichever timezone you decide you want to be in - I chose Hong Kong and dinner). However after 3 mouthfuls, my stomach realised where it was sitting and decided it didn't like it one bit, not even one nice mouthful.
Having tried and failed to eat anything on the plane as my stomach decided Qantas airways food was not good, we landed to Hong Kong's first typhoon of the season which was turbulent to say the least.
Having exited the airport, I braved the rain like a proper English tourist, minus umbrella and rain mac, but sporting a t-shirt and jeans to find where we were staying. To say I stood out would be an understatement, picture me with a bright pink suitcase and red backpack walking down the street in the middle of a typhoon while all the locals stand in doorways for protection - hilarious!
I found our building and thought finally this can't get much worse - how wrong was I. Panic started to set in when I asked for directions and was put into an mdf lift which was taped together in places and sent to the 15th floor which was apparently where my written down address took me too. On exiting the lift, I found the entrance and made attempts to check in, however the maid didn't speak English and I was put on the phone to someone to talk to. I was already getting bad vibes and when I got into our room the first thing I did was get on the internet and google other hotels - there was no way I could stay here. There was no safe, the bathroom door was see through frosted glass, the shower was a shower head over the sink and all the tiles in the bathroom were cracked.
After a short stay in the room it was time to get back to the airport to meet my first arrival - Amrit. To say I was really happy to see her doesn't cover the huge relief when I saw her coming through arrivals. She dislikes hugs but I gave her the biggest hug ever - panic over I was no longer alone! We got to work on finding a new place to stay and got a really good deal on a triple room in a 3 star hotel which we are now in and is lovely.
We then waited for our second arrival - Selina, who was delayed coming from Doha. As we made our way and checked into our new hotel, I've never felt such relief ever in my life - it was clean, tidy, spoke English without being on a telephone to somewhere you didn't know, had an actual bath and a safe - happy times all round!
Having showered, we headed out for food and then for a walk across Hong Kong harbour at night which was beautiful - the rain had stopped and it was warm. On return to the hotel we were all shattered and were out like lights, definately the best nights sleep I've had since leaving home at 4am on Saturday morning!
Moral of the story - travel together and don't pick a guesthouse on the 15th floor of an mdf made lift.
The flight was turbulent to say the least - my seat was next to a couple who's only topic of conversation seemed to be tonsil tennis. Originally I asked to be put in the middle of the plane as I know I don't travel too well at the back, however my tv screen handset wasn't working so I was moved to the only spare seat on the plane (which was only spare due to one passenger being refused boarding for immigration reasons which made our plane delayed because they had to get his suitcase off the plane before we could take off), which just so happened to be 2 rows from the back of the plane.
So with slight concern, I moved seats as I decided it was best to make a get away from the tonsil tennis loving couple I had been sitting next too. I then ended up next to a guy who was from Amsterdam and couldn't speak much English - to be honest this suited me fine as I wasn't really in the mood for talking, still slightly tear stained and just wanted to sleep. And my gosh did I try to sleep, however Mr Amsterdam had other ideas. Everytime I was almost asleep, he wanted to get out and have a walk around - after this happened 3 times within the space of a couple of hours and no sleep, I suggested maybe he would like to swap seats. His response was a resounding no, much to my disappointment as he explained in basic English he wanted a window seat to see out.
With broken sleep here and there we eventually got served lunch/dinner (whichever timezone you decide you want to be in - I chose Hong Kong and dinner). However after 3 mouthfuls, my stomach realised where it was sitting and decided it didn't like it one bit, not even one nice mouthful.
Having tried and failed to eat anything on the plane as my stomach decided Qantas airways food was not good, we landed to Hong Kong's first typhoon of the season which was turbulent to say the least.
Having exited the airport, I braved the rain like a proper English tourist, minus umbrella and rain mac, but sporting a t-shirt and jeans to find where we were staying. To say I stood out would be an understatement, picture me with a bright pink suitcase and red backpack walking down the street in the middle of a typhoon while all the locals stand in doorways for protection - hilarious!
I found our building and thought finally this can't get much worse - how wrong was I. Panic started to set in when I asked for directions and was put into an mdf lift which was taped together in places and sent to the 15th floor which was apparently where my written down address took me too. On exiting the lift, I found the entrance and made attempts to check in, however the maid didn't speak English and I was put on the phone to someone to talk to. I was already getting bad vibes and when I got into our room the first thing I did was get on the internet and google other hotels - there was no way I could stay here. There was no safe, the bathroom door was see through frosted glass, the shower was a shower head over the sink and all the tiles in the bathroom were cracked.
After a short stay in the room it was time to get back to the airport to meet my first arrival - Amrit. To say I was really happy to see her doesn't cover the huge relief when I saw her coming through arrivals. She dislikes hugs but I gave her the biggest hug ever - panic over I was no longer alone! We got to work on finding a new place to stay and got a really good deal on a triple room in a 3 star hotel which we are now in and is lovely.
We then waited for our second arrival - Selina, who was delayed coming from Doha. As we made our way and checked into our new hotel, I've never felt such relief ever in my life - it was clean, tidy, spoke English without being on a telephone to somewhere you didn't know, had an actual bath and a safe - happy times all round!
Having showered, we headed out for food and then for a walk across Hong Kong harbour at night which was beautiful - the rain had stopped and it was warm. On return to the hotel we were all shattered and were out like lights, definately the best nights sleep I've had since leaving home at 4am on Saturday morning!
Moral of the story - travel together and don't pick a guesthouse on the 15th floor of an mdf made lift.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Pre-Travels
Well having been counting down the weeks/months pre-trip, I'm finding myself on a single figure countdown, with 5 days to go. In some ways it feels like I'm leaving forever, as one friend sent me a text to the tune of ''can you take your phone lead to hong kong so i can get the pictures as after that you're gone forever like'' - very reassuring! In reality I'm only away for 6 months, which in the grand scale of things isn't that long. My last 6 months at uni went beyond belief quickly so if the next 6 are anything like that then I'll be back before I realise I've been away. I intend to enjoy myself this time, no more repeats of summer 07 (the girls will know what I mean by this!). So far, I will be going to Hong Kong, Brisbane, Auckland, Sydney and Singapore. Once settled in Auckland I'm hoping to also be able to afford trips to Melbourne, the South Island and a nice long weekend in Fiji...as its only a 3 hour flight away I feel it would be criminal to miss out on a visit.
I'm sort of packed - although my suitcase is a little overflowing which inevitably means that I will have to pack and re-pack. Rianne and the girls will be able to fully appreciate what this means in reality! I'm torn between packing for different seasons and this is where I suppose the fashion graduate should come out, however it seems a little illusive right now. As I look around the sea of stuff which my bedroom has become, I am struggling to work out what I actually need over what I think I need - my baggage allowance of 20kilos is also not helping with this task.
So I give the packing another break (one of many in the past week), and decide to 'tidy'. This generally involves looking around my room, moving a few things around and discovering something in the bottom of a bag I'd temporaily forgotten about. For example, the other day it was a book on learning Spanish I used at A Level - this has re-kindled my love for Spanish and I am now on the hunt for my Spanish Harry Potter books. Thus at the thrill of a new discovery, the 'tidying' tends to stop and I find a new home for whatever it is I've re-discovered. Right now the Spanish book is sitting alongside my perfume and moisturiser in my bedroom, yes you aren't the only one who thinks that a little strange, however it was the only place I had at the time - if you could see my bedroom you would understand.
If I was ever worried about not having enough to do pre-trip then I was so wrong, although this time I'm hoping to stay away from crashing my car into a few trees, falling down the stairs and ending up spending a large majority of the last few hours before I leave in an A&E department. I have the joys of graduation tomorrow to look forward to, although I think this ordeal is more for my mothers benefit than mine - after all we don't even get a real scroll! I have a house reunion with the girls, a nostalgic reunion with Miss Whitby in the ghetto, my broken car to get fixed and my now long overdue conference paper to finish - the plane journey will seem like a break compared to this!
One slight concern I do have about Hong Kong is the fact its going to be monsoon season. I have beautiful memories of this city soaked in sun light, christmas decorations and lights everywhere you can imagine and spending the evenings walking along the waterfront in nothing but a top and skirt. I don't want this to be shattered on arrival if I end up knee deep in water, which with my height is a strong possiblity. The reason I worry about this is that Amrit and I wont get our much anticipated trip to Disneyland Hong Kong style. I have experience of Disneyland in the pouring rain and it is most definately one not to be repeated.
I'm sort of packed - although my suitcase is a little overflowing which inevitably means that I will have to pack and re-pack. Rianne and the girls will be able to fully appreciate what this means in reality! I'm torn between packing for different seasons and this is where I suppose the fashion graduate should come out, however it seems a little illusive right now. As I look around the sea of stuff which my bedroom has become, I am struggling to work out what I actually need over what I think I need - my baggage allowance of 20kilos is also not helping with this task.
So I give the packing another break (one of many in the past week), and decide to 'tidy'. This generally involves looking around my room, moving a few things around and discovering something in the bottom of a bag I'd temporaily forgotten about. For example, the other day it was a book on learning Spanish I used at A Level - this has re-kindled my love for Spanish and I am now on the hunt for my Spanish Harry Potter books. Thus at the thrill of a new discovery, the 'tidying' tends to stop and I find a new home for whatever it is I've re-discovered. Right now the Spanish book is sitting alongside my perfume and moisturiser in my bedroom, yes you aren't the only one who thinks that a little strange, however it was the only place I had at the time - if you could see my bedroom you would understand.
If I was ever worried about not having enough to do pre-trip then I was so wrong, although this time I'm hoping to stay away from crashing my car into a few trees, falling down the stairs and ending up spending a large majority of the last few hours before I leave in an A&E department. I have the joys of graduation tomorrow to look forward to, although I think this ordeal is more for my mothers benefit than mine - after all we don't even get a real scroll! I have a house reunion with the girls, a nostalgic reunion with Miss Whitby in the ghetto, my broken car to get fixed and my now long overdue conference paper to finish - the plane journey will seem like a break compared to this!
One slight concern I do have about Hong Kong is the fact its going to be monsoon season. I have beautiful memories of this city soaked in sun light, christmas decorations and lights everywhere you can imagine and spending the evenings walking along the waterfront in nothing but a top and skirt. I don't want this to be shattered on arrival if I end up knee deep in water, which with my height is a strong possiblity. The reason I worry about this is that Amrit and I wont get our much anticipated trip to Disneyland Hong Kong style. I have experience of Disneyland in the pouring rain and it is most definately one not to be repeated.
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