Day 27 - Hello Beijing!

Slept ok, but woke up earlier than intended, so the tour office here in the hotel is not yet open. I'm aiming to explore the forbidden city, and possibly the temple of heaven and other near by sites on my own today, but need to book my tour of the great wall for tomorrow. I think I'll pop out for breakfast. See how far I get and go from there. Apparently there is a tourism office relatively close by that I'm aiming for, where I'll hopefully be able to get a proper map. The weather looks kind of crappy - not raining but all cloudy and hazy.

Almost Day 27 - finally at my hotel on Beijing

Just a quick post to let everyone know I made it safely. Such a long day, I just want to go back to my room and sleep. The hotel is decent, but getting here was a pain. Subway doesn't have elevators, though there were always nice people about to help me with my suitcases. And Wandering Chinese streets and alleys at night was likely not my greatest idea, but my original plan had me arriving here during daylight. I made it though, and that's what counts. Will almost definitely take a taxi for my return voyage.

My room is kinda ugly, but clean. And atleast there's free wifi in the lobby. Will shower, eat my instant noodles, sleep and then hopefully wake up ready to see Beijing.

Day 26 - still haven't left Hong Kong.

I should be half way to Beijing at the moment. Instead, am sitting in the plane, still at the gate. Something is up with air traffic control, and no one is getting flights out at the moment. I think to Beijing specifically, so maybe its air traffic control on that end? Apparenty we're third in line - plane one should finally be leaving soonish, but planes two and three still don't even have departure times yet.

They've been handling the delay pretty well. We had drinks and peanuts awhile ago, and just finished meal service. Not crazy about my meal choice - got the special meal set from Lei Gardens, which sounded fancy being sweet and sour pork with strawberries but its pretty much just normal sweet and sour pork. Still full from lunch though, so no great loss. Tea is also apparently fancy, being Fujian Oolong from someplace called Fook Ming Ton Tea Shop. Dessert is haagen dazs which sounds promising.

They also started the inflight movie. Dragon Air isn't quite Cathay, so no personal screens. I think its remember me? Not really watching. Instead, I am taking advantage of the electrical outlet in between seats to use my laptop and charge my devices. Or I was until food arrived. When it clears, I'll go back to prepping more pictures to post, and working on some articles I'm writing. May also possibly go through the media on my laptop and see what I have to watch. We may be here awhile.

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Secretly hoping we deplane. No wifi from the plane, and boredom is starting to set in.

Also table was just cleared and still no ice-cream.

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5 pictures, from NZ and HK. In no particular order - and its these 5 because the iPod restricts me to 5 pics at a time. Would go and do this twice but am getting restless and bored, so will likely just nap and possibly watch a movie on my laptop. Not in the mood to sort through more pics, or go through another round of article edits. Plane is currently 2.5 hours late departing for a 3 hour flight. Really hope that my hotel reservation holds with my delay into Beijing.

Day 26 - still at the airport.

Rapidly becoming at home here. Which is good, because I transit here like 3 more times before getting home. Food was yummy, but not crazy about my drink - it has soybean curds, which I think are just bits of silken tofu. Next time will stick to redbean. Saving my plastic bowl in case I actually end up making the noodle soups I bought.

Actually just tried to edit my other post, but couldn't log in. Hope that this entire China/Google thing doesn't affect me too much. No clue what the connectivity will be like in Beijing, so may possibly have to store posts until I'm back here in 4 days. Which is possibly why I'm posting so much now - anxiety over no Internet.

In other interesting news, the airport screens warn me that there's currently a travel alert for the Philippines, which is ominous, what with going there in just about 2 weeks.

Day 26 - onwards to Beijing.

On the shuttle to the airport. Will post this when I get there (yay to free wifi!). The bellhop from the hotel where the shuttle actually stops (across the street from mine) helped me load my bags onto the bus which was really nice.

Was more productive than I expected today - after breakfast and laundry, I took a walk along the harbor. Found myself on the walk of stars, Hong Kong's answer to the walk of fame in Hollywood. Essentially commemorating movie stars I never heard of, though I did find the statue of Bruce Lee I'd seen on post cards and wondered about, which was a pleasant surprise. Super hot out - totally missed having my sun umbrella with me.

Also got some nice photos of the harbor and Hong Kong skyline in daytime. A junket passed by as I was there, which was cool as it makes the little boat I got my dad not a lie Stores just opening as I drive past now, but there was a little souvenir section in the hotel business centre. Likely way cheaper than anything I'd find in the airport. The little boats are magnets which is kind of cool.

Checkout went smoothly, and found out that the basket of fruit was indeed complimentary, good news as I have the oranges in my purse. Between that, the comfy beds and the excellent location, I'm going to miss this hotel. I'd definitely stay here again on a subsequent visit to HK, unless there was a fabulous deal somewhere else. Leaves more money to shop.

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At Kowloon station. You can check in to your flight from here, with your airport express ticket. So worth it - now don't have to worry about my bags on the train, nor worry about a line at the airport. Had I known in advance I would have rushed a bit less getting here. Apparently my flight today is a codeshare with Dragon Air - I hope they're good.

Also managed to return my octopus card already - I spent just under 60 HKD on my transportation yesterday - web taking into account the 7HKD fee for returning your card, which is super cheap, especially compared to the 350HKD tour I had been considering. Getting the deposit back would also have been super sweet as food money for the airport, if you has spent hat you had in the city.

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Almost at the airport. The train passes by Tsing Yi before hitting the airport, which I enjoy because it's a port area. The weather really is beautiful today, particularly when enjoyed from inside an air-conditioned environment with comfy seats :). A far bit of the train route runs along the water which is really nice.

I think I like traveling alone - or as alone as I am now, equipped with various tech toys to keep me connected. Not sure I'd be able to manage a long trip alone without a way to check my email and call home - not to mention blog :) I've written a lot today - mainly because I know free wifi is coming, and also because being a transit day I'm a bit bored.

Setting your own schedule is nice, not having to consult anyone bar the odd tourist office for advice. Not to mention being able to walk and wander at whatever speed i want. My navigational skills are good, so I've managed to fid my way on my own pretty well, and baring the odd run in with a jade merchant did ok budget-wise too. And I've gotten pretty good at taking photos of myself - though my fellow tourist and the locals here are super nice, and usually offer to take them for me when they see me trying.

I haven't gotten lost or missed a plane yet which is a good sign :)

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Having a yummy lunch at the airport, from the cafe de coral. Luckily you can order by number - I stuck to the meals with pictures, and ended up with porkchops, with separate dishes of veggies and then rice - really good value. Even with adding a taro bubble tea smoothies it comes in at just over 40 HKD.

Will eat, then hole up at an outlet near my gate to charge my devices whole surfing online.

Day 26 - Hong Kong Departure. With pictures!

edit: Honestly, whats up will all of my carefully written captions being missing? Anyways, this is me in HongKong. My first night, despite being exhausted after the delay leaving New Zealand, I headed out to see the skyline - they do this choreagraphed light show every night which is kinda fun, even if the music is dorky electronic, elevator type stuff.

After the light show I headed out to the Harbour City mall - its gigantically massive, in the way that so many Asian malls seem to be. Mainly luxury stores - some which I've only seen mentioned in magazine ads, and never fully realized that there would be actual stores of them. The best part of the mall was this little art gallery, hosting an exhibit on cupcake art. This is me with a giant cupcake.

This is near the water at Stanley Market - they were shooting some kind of movie/tv show. It mainly seemed to involve some westerner on a bike run in to some person carrying groceries. This went on for the entire hour I was in Stanley. Also note the sun parasols in use. Highly recomended for summer in HK. and Beijing. and Tokyo. Hell, probably most of Asia, because when its not brutally hot its raining, so as long as you don't get one of those lace ones you're covered.

Heading up Victoria peak on the tram.  Hence the crazy angle - it gets to 45 degrees which is kind of cool. The view from up top is fabulous, and there are no less than two malls up top.

Currently on hold with my creditcard company sorting things out. Apparently the country hopping did it. Atleast there's a view of the harbor from where I am. Something I did not appreciate last night when I was on hold for 20 minutes. Atleast the phone booth is indoors.
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Well that was faster than expected. Currently at Starbucks having breakfast. Had a free drink with my tumbler purchase yesterday and decided to try he caramel frappucino with coffee jelly. The jelly was perhaps not the best choice, but the food here is yummy. Have an eggwhite sandwich and a peach Danish - all in an effort to slowly use up my currency.

Today will be ridiculously chill. I forgot to account for it being Saturday, and everything opening later. By the time stuff properly opens it'll be time for me to check out and head to the airport. Will probably just walk the waterfront on between getting a load of laundry done. This ofcourse means shopping at the airport. Possibly something duty-free for my return home? Or I suppose I could leave the excess HKD in the Philippines.

Anyways, thought of take the opportunity to post a few pics. Direct from my iPod for added tech savvy :) just a small selection, and not my best pics. Just what I could get my hands on quickly. Also, saving some of the good ones for paintings when I get home.

Day 25 - top of the peak, and then down again

Having a break from the top of the peak. Awesome views of the city from here. Not to mention the presence of at least two shopping centers - one featuring a supermarket, where I picked up some snacks, and bottled drinks. It was so hot earlier in the day that I'm a little concerned about getting dehydrated.

I took the tram up which was kind of fun - though hot, what with the crush of people. I think I'll try to find the bus station to go back down though - returning by tram is about the same price (discount for your second trip of the day) but the bus takes me closer to the ferry terminal, for my return to Kowloon.

Picked up instant noodles for dinner. Currently planning on an early night, to rest up for my time in Beijing. Will veg out in my room watching CNN, one if the few English stations I get that isn't playing sports. Seeing the peak was actually the last thing on my mini list of things to do in HongKong, so rather than filling my time I think I'll just relax.

Tomorrow, the plan is to wander on the Kowloon side a bit, possibly checking out the jade market, then heading back to the airport to catch my flight to Beijing.

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Screw frugal, simple meals. Having dinner at a traditional Hong Kong style cafe. They have a yummy red bean drink I was eyeing earlier, which I've paired with a chicken and rice dish. Spending a bit more is worth it for the additional pleasure. Besides, I have quite a bit of cash left, largely due to my earlier paranoia of getting stranded moneyless after my credit cards failed. II might as well spend it slowly on things like food throughout my time here, rather than blowing it all on airport stuff during my many layovers in the Hong Kong airport. I'm oddly not really in the mood to shop. And actually doing the math, I spend more than this on food at home anyways.

Still at the top of the peak - realized that I dropped my photo quality earlier to take pictures of signs, so will take some more landscape pics at higher quality after eating. It looks like it's getting cloudy though. Or just night time?

Day 25 - Hong Kong

Currently on the bus from Stanley market to Aberdeen. Decided to explore myself instead of joining a tour. I figured it would be more fun this way - and the money I save just makes up for the amount I overpaid buying jade at the market so it kinda works out.

Last night was kind of weird. Was super tired, as even with the low amounts of sleep I need, 3 hours of sleep then a long flight followed by being up till past midnight in the timezone I came from is a bit much.

Getting out of the airport was relatively easy - express train then a complimentary shuttle to the hotel from Kowloon Station. Had a brief moment if confusion, as you can't actually see the hotel from the stop, but made it ok.

The YMCA Salisbury has got to be the nicest YMCA anywhere. Posh lobby, nice room, even a complimentary fruit basket. I checked out my room and them headed back out towards re harbor to catch the 8pm light show. Unfortunately, all the harbor view rooms at the hotel were full, which kinda works as it got me out and exploring. It was kinda cool - the lights from some of the office buildings on Hong Kong island put on a show choreographed to music they broadcast from speakers.

Then walked through the Star Ferry terminal to the harbor shopping centre area, which is this massive complex of super swank boutiques. Fave bit was a little gallery of cupcake art. I was also tempted by the presence of macarons from posh French bakeries, but decided it would be best to find dinner.

I managed to find a food court in one of the shopping centres. It was kind of overwhelming - there seem to be a lot if tourists in HK, but most seem to be Asian, so ordering was difficult. The number of choices was kind of overwhelming, especially when I was so tired and hungry. Almost gave up and ordered mcdonalds, bit ended up getting fresh dumplings instead. I've actually been pretty good food wise. Haven't eaten at McDonalds yet - partly because there's no advantage in terms of wifi, which I pretty much everywhere here. Picked up a complimentary access card at the airport, and they have hotspots pretty much everywhere.

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Back on the bus, heading back to central. Will head to the peak next I think. The bus system here is pretty good. They're all air-conditioned, which is a nice escape from the heat, though it does have the unfortunate side effect of making my glasses fog up when I step off the bus. Or whenever I leave a store for that matter. Ended up buying an octopus card instead of fumbling with exact change all day - they refund your unused balance at the airport, so it's super easy. Haven't gotten lost yet which is good.

Have had a pretty successful day so far. Got a super cheap student lunch special in Aberdeen, and also managed to find a charger for my iPod which was greatly needed.

Decided against getting a ride on a sampan, mainly because being a fishing area, it kinda all smelled like fish. I did pass by a cool little shop run by the fisheries association, where I picked up some cute souvenirs. None of my credit cards worked, which is kind of ominous, as I also had problems at Starbucks earlier in the day (though I did successfully find a China tumbler - never did get one from NZ, but having the Australia label in the Katmandu mug kind of counts). I'll have to figure out collect calling once I get to the hotel, to make sure it's just a weird connection problem, and not something up with my accounts. The lady at the shop was really nice though - she locked up and took me out to show me where I could find cash machines.

The weather has been gorgeous - but kinda hot and sweaty. Still though, as my plane getting here was delayed by rain storms, I expected to spend the day wandering around in the rain. If I mange to get up the peak I should get some awesome views of the city.

Day 24 - HongKong

Starting this post while still at the Auckland Airport - but figure it'll only get posted along with the last two New Zealand posts once I arrive in HongKong and have free wifi in the airport, so it totally counts. Actually still pretty chill about the delay, but that may totally be the sleep deprivation. Not to mention the overfilled stomach. Had a huge breakfast at subway, in an attempt to fully use up the meal voucher they gave me. Still have a leftover cookie in my purse. At this point, I don't think I'd be able to eat anything they gave me on the plane.

Did a little bit of shopping to use up my NZ dollars - bought these fancy cough drops that have NZ honey and kiwifruit in them, which totally counts as a practical purchase as my throat is still a bit sore. The fact that I bought two packs and then a matching hand-cream, charging the overflow to credit card, is completely incidental :) Realized that I may have sent back some of the little gifts I meant to give during my trip home with Hope.

I'm a bit concerned about the weather in HongKong. I'm hoping it clears up enough by tomorrow to allow a little sightseeing. Otherwise I'll just have to spend the whole time shopping. And catching up on my sleep.

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Long flight. Though I do like the service on Cathay. Yummy food, noodle snack, and a good entertainment system. I think I'll embrace the plane rides I have ahead as opportunities to catch up on food, tv, and possibly rest.

Currently in the mega long immigration line. Yay for free wifi :) not to mention having a cellphone I can actually use again.

The weather looked grey but dry outside the plane. Hopefully will get out of here in time to do a bit of exploring after checking in to my hotel.

Day 23 - NZ departure. Next stop - Hong Kong.

Edit: posted late. Excuse the jumbled dates.

I'm really glad I have private rooms booked through to Beijing. It'll be so much easier packing with the lights on. Not to mention having a washroom in the room instead of shared facilities outside.

Relatively smooth start this morning. And there's just 4 of us in the bus which is nice and spread out. Turns out you can recline quite nicely if you move the seat infront ofWe're about an hour outside of Wellington now. The weather is clearing up, so it's actually a really nice drive. We're on state highway one, which is the main highway here in New Zealand. A bit outside of Wellington, it goes just along the coast. It was really beautiful with the dawn breaking.

Pretty much a straight day of driving today, with stops for washrooms, and for lunch along the way. Nat will be dropping us off in Manuka city, where the airport is, so we'll have a quicker commute.

Quite wide awake for this ride. Partly because we're sitting at the front if the bus chatting with Natalie. Also, yesterday was pretty low impact. It's certainly not because of the sleep I got. The Base in Wellington is quite noisy, with people yelling in the halls late at night, and the mattresses were soft and the beds creaky. Made my hip hurt when I rolled, though I feel fine now. Think I'm over my cold too, which is wonderful.

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Photo stop with a gorgeous view of Mount Ruapehu in the distance. Mordor in the Lord of the Ring movies. Doesn't quite look Mordorish at the moment though. They just got a fresh snowfall recently so it's all covered in white.

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Quick stop in Taupo for lunch, and to drop off and pick up passengers. Went down to the lake with a sandwich I made this morning, and some fries I picked up at McDonalds. Still really beautiful, but the visibility was nothing like the last time we were there.

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Day 22 - Wellington.

Edit: posted late. Excuse the jumbled dates.

Passing by some quirky little towns on the road to Wellington. It's our longest drive so far, but will pale in comparison to our drive back up to Auckland tomorrow. So far have passed a giant carrot, aswell as the gumboot (rainboot/wellington) throwing capital of the world - apparently if the weather had been better we would have been bent give throwing it a shot, but it's pretty grey and miserable.

Currently deciding what to do in Wellington. I had been considering the lord of the rings tour, but don't think I'll go with it - the weather is poor, and reading the listing of the sites we pass, I don't actually remember any of those scenes. Though apparently they do show you clips from the movie during the tour. Maybe a museum and some shopping instead?

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Photo stop at a Lord of the Ring site - where they shot part of the river Anduin. Apparently from the first movie where they leave in the canoes - in the movie version it's the bit where there are those two giant statues.

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Going to bed in Wellington. Have a super early start tomorrow to get the bus back to Auckland.

Went to see Te Papa, the national museum. It's free to get in, and it's really nice. It was the perfect thing to do in such poor weather - it was really windy and rainy, which is apparently typical of Wellington, especially in the winter. I particularly enjoyed the Maori exhibits. Ended up doing this cool ride (one of those moving seat movies) which was kind of fun - it was of extreme activities here in new Zealand, and simulated things like bungy jumping or even playing rugby. Getting tossed about was perhaps not the greatest idea when I was already feeling sore from my fall, but I really enjoyed it. Decided against going anywhere else given the poor weather. Though I did pass by the theatre where they had held the lord of the rings premiere on my way home from picking up some snacks at the supermarket.

Ended up having a chill dinner at a Nando's chicken place down the road with what was left of the original group we went out of Auckland with, along with some new ones. It feels like we've all been traveling together forever, even though it's not even been a week, and I'm really going to miss everyone, especially in my solo week in China. We all went back for a quick drink at the hostel bar (after a detour at Starbucks to check for my mug, which is apparently sold out everywhere) and then back up to pack and shower.

Day 24 - Super Early to the Airport

At the Auckland Airport .  Early for my flight, but atleast there's free internet. I had gotten an email from Cathay last night about the delay, but couldnt confirm on the Auckland Airport website - so when I woke up and saw that the Airport still hadnt updated their flight info, I rushed on to an earlier shuttle. Basically got close to no sleep last night, as we were up late working out Hope's courses. Atleast I have a meal voucher to cover my breakfast. And possibly have time to do a little bit of shopping? I have the money I had sat aside for food to spend now.

Will be getting in to HongKong about 3 hours late, but with the really bad rain they're apparently having maybe not a huge deal? will get to my hotel, and then possibly head out to dinner somewhere close. Hopefully the weather clears up in time to do some sightseeing tomorrow.

Day 23 - Mini post from Auckland Hotel

Have a proper post prepped, but unfortunately no wifi on my ipod. will post it tomorrow once I arrive in Hong Kong.

Just chilling out in the hotel. Really glad we chose something pretty. Relaxing here, with the nice sheets, flatscreen, and fluffy robes is a nice change of pace. Managed to order pizza online, so had a yummy meal too.

The prospect of waking up in time for a 5am shuttle to the airport? Not so nice.

Day 22 - Departure to Wellington and single picture.

Leaving in a bit for Wellington. Had a really good sleep, though I woke up kind of sore from the fall yesterday. Doing allright though - I think sitting in the hot tub for hours yesterday helped. Ended up just staying at the lodge, having dinner here and then participating in the movie night where we all sat near the fire and watched the hangover.

Anyways, thought I'd take the oppourtunity to post one more picture of my time in NZ, that Im kind of proud of. This was taken at Cathedral Cove (famous from the Narnia movies) and involved a hilly  3 hour trek. Worth it though - It was really beautiful there, though next time I'm in New Zealand, maybe Ill take the option to boat in?

Anyways, not sure what internet would be like in Wellington, but will be back in Auckland a day after that to catch my plane to HongKong, so will update from there.

Really hope I get over this slight cold by then. But as long as I dont have a fever to set off the weird cameras you walk through at the airport Im ok.

Day 21 - Got back on the horse!

Literally. Did the horseback riding this morning which was really good. Up until the point where I fell off it which wasn't that great, but I was brave and went back up. It was a 2 hour ride through the Kaiteke Valley, which is a bit away from where the lodge we're really staying at. There's some beautiful scenery along there, and we saw some wapiti (elk/deer like animals) along the way which was cool.

Having a bit of trouble taking out cash ehre though. We werent expecting to need any, as the Tongariro Crossing is meant to be the only thing requiring cash in the area, and we're now running into a problem where neither credit cards nor foreign debit cards will work on taking out cash.

Other issue of the day is that the plane ride is a no go. They didnt call back to reception to confirm, and turns out that their one departure would have been at 11 when I was out on the horseback ride. The weather has turned for the worse now, so you can't even really see the mountain properly. One more thing to do on another trip to this part of the world. Or maybe when I get back Ill be fit enough to go for the crossing? Or even better, rich enough to book the private helicopter rides.

Anyways, just in the lodge at the moment watching the tail end of Return of the King. Will grab a quick bite to eat and then head off to the hot tub to relax. Hoping to just unwind for the rest of the day. I've been trying to cram as much as possible into this part of my trip, rather than pacing myself. I still have almost a month to go, so should maybe start slowing down a bit.

Day 21 - Tongariro National Park!!!

At Tongariro National Park. You can see the mountain that served as mount fuji in the last samurai off in the distance, as well as mount doom from lord of the rings. I'm properly cold for the first time this trip. We're quite a ways up from sea level, so I suppose it makes sense. And I am staying at a ski lodge :) Makes me regret leaving behind my gloves somewhere else. I might bring socks to put on my hands just in case. They're kind of like mittens, right?

The lodge we're staying at is really beautiful. I'm staying in this loft room with 3 other girls, and its beautiful with proper mattresses, aswell as a fridge, desk, etc. The place is a bit isolated, so there's not much to do besides hiking in the area. No shops around, so we stocked up yesterday with supplies. I think I may have forgotten some of the food I intended to have for lunch on the bus, which is currently partway to the ski hill, so well see how that goes. Worst comes to worst, I don't mind heading to this nice railway cafe down the road.

As there's not much to do in the lodge proper, I'm planning on booking myself on activities for most of the day. This morning I'll be doing a 2 hour horseback ride around the area, and then this afternoon I'm hoping to do a plane ride over the Tongariro Mountain, as well as Mount Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu in the afternoon. Not quite sure which is which, but between them is Mount Doom and Mordor from Lord of the Rings, as well as Mount Fuji from the Last Samurai.

Hope is currently off doing the Tongariro Crossing, which will apparently have views of the same points. The Tongariro crossing is meant to be the best one day hike in new Zealand, but at 8hrs and 19km, definitely not my speed. And given that you have to pay a guide, and I would have had to hire equipment, it doesn't actually cost that much more to get the plane tour of the area instead. Only problem is that the tour company isn't responding to phonecalls at the moment - The receptionist is still trying to confirm on my behalf but we'll see how that goes. One of the other staff members says that the morning fog we have at the moment usually prevents flights from leaving in the morning, but that getting an afternoon departure should be feasible.

Anyways, going to move near to the fireplace. my hands are starting to get cold sitting here. I'll have internet available the whole time I'm here, so will try to post some pictures later.

Day 20 - Rotorua and Taupo.

At the hostel in Taupo right now - free internet, but not wireless which means I have to rewrite the post I've been working on.

Last night at Uncle Boy's was fun - I enjoyed the poi dancing especially - I got a little prize for it becase they liked my commitment and the swing of my hips :) Woke up well - it was kind of nice all sleeping in the same big room last night, and I had a place near the windows, so was able to watch the dawn break. I also managed to make myself an avocado smoothie at breakfast - hand mashed the way mom likes them, but still a nice change of pace. I also had enough time to post some pictures which I had been waiting to do for awhile. Would have done more, but not enough time.

Pretty good day today overall. Had a great time at the Hell's gate spa (named after the sulfur smell that still clings to me, as well as the steam everywhere) doing a mudbath and mineral spring soak. It was just Hope and I in the public baths so it felt really luxurious. The rest of the group went out whitewater rafting. I feel really refreshed now, and my skin feels nice. Had a quick break in Rotorua where Hope and I checked out the market, and then back on the road to Taupo. Two quick stops enroute - one at a Huka Falls, and another at a bubbling mud pit.

Some of the others are skydiving at the moment - Personally just chilling out at the hostel, hoping to pack up some of my stuff, and maybe relax a bit more. Lake Taupo is really beautiful, and you can see the mountains that served as Mount Doom and Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies in the distance which is cool. We technically saw them yesterday, but this is way closer, and with a pretty lake in between.

Day 20 - Picture Post!

Taking Advantage of having internet to post a few pics. not much time, so not the best selection. Just two pics this time.So essentially the pics span about a week - from Cairns to last night here in NZ.

Hope y'all enjoy, and will likely post a crapload more once I hit Auckalnd and have a proper hotel room, and not just a breakfast table. Though I do have a mushed up avocado smoothie now :)

Snorkelling in the great barrier reef! I kinda look like a seal but eh. It was fun.

Me in the midst of my award winning poi :) 

Day 19 - Waitomo Caves and then our cultural experience.

Sitting on the bus right now - Natalie had to run back to get the gate out of the lodge open. Discussing some of the activity options for tomorrow in Taupo. I was considering sky diving, but think that maybe I should do it another time, when I don't have weeks to go on my trip. Also, it's not something I was really considering until yesterday, and skydiving probably isnt the sort of thing you should do on a whim. There's a special deal on whitewater rafting in Rotorua tomorrow morning that sounds fun - but I think I might stick to my original plan of the mud baths. I also want to avoid having to wear a wetsuit again on this trip. I kinda feel like I should do something 'extreme' while here in New Zealand, as that seems to he the thing to do while on this tour. I might leave it to another trip though - maybe when I'm fitter? If some of the 'leisurely strolls' I'm doing tire me out, doing something that really gets your blood pumping like jumping out of a plane might not be the best idea.

On that note, a recap of yesterdays after dinner post. So annoying that it got deleted. Basically after dinner, rather than going to bed I took another walk. Walked along the lodge driveway to check out some glow worms, and then up a muddy hill towards what turned out to be the sports barn. The mud - particularly in my flip-flops - made that part of the walk really hard. I almost fell in the mud which would have been horrible.

And then after that rather then heading in with Hope and having a chill night watching tv, I follow the rest of the group down the long winding driveway, then down the road , and then down some stairs until we hit the ocean. Part way along the trek, the sky cleared up and we turned out our flashlights and walked by moonlight, and could see the stats overhead. No pictures of any of it, as it was so dark, but the view from near the water was gorgeous. The clouds rolled in and out, but with the moon nearly full everything just seemed to glow. Started back early though, as the entire trek back was uphill, along with one of the girls who was nice enough to accompany me back so I wouldn't be wandering around alone. Was then finally able to enjoy my hot shower and then go to bed.

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Passed by this 'kiwiana' mural, basically lots of things ray are stereotypically kiwi, like the bird, fruit and various products. Other notables were getting stuck on the road for a bit because a cow was running loose which was kind of cool.

Did a Spellbound tour of the glowworm caves in Waitomo. It was really pretty - we walked down this beautiful hillside, then went through the glowworm cave in a boat - once our eyes adjusted it was looking up at the night sky, filled with stars. Except that really, it's hungry glowing maggots. We then stopped for a hot drink wnd some ciokies in this little field. The rolling hills and rock formations, not to mention the massive trees covered in moss totally call to mind the lord of the rings movies - especially with the mountains serving as mount doom and mordor off in the distance. The second cave we went had some nice rock formations, but my favorite part was the cave entrance which had a real 'lost world/jurassic park' feel to it.

I keep saying that everything I've seen here is 'beautiful' or 'pretty' but it really is. New Zealand is a really beautiful country, and we've lucked out weather wise, especially as its winter. Been rained on a bit, but not enough to impede our activites, and today is beautiful, bright and sunny.

After Waitomo, we passed by this place where you can watch Angora rabbits be shorn - theyre strapped into this rack that looks kind of like a midevil rabbit size torture device, but apparently is quite comfy.

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On our way to the marae now - Natalie ran through some rules about ehat to do when we get there, and has been teaching us some Maori words throughout. I only remember hello which is Kiora. Apparently we're somewhere in the Bay of plenty area.

Apparently this is the heart of kiwi fruit (the word kiwi by itself referring to the bird or the person) which is apparently just a big Chinese gooseberry with better marketing - apparently they grow on vines which is cool.

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At Uncle Boy's place - the marae we'll be staying at for the night. We just had a traditional Maori meal called a hangi. Well, quasi traditional - the entire place is pretty modern - hence te availability of wifi. Uncle Boy is from the Te arawa tribe, and at the moment we're Ngati Stray, with the bus as our waka. We're going to go to take part in a ceremony led by our chief - the oldest guy in our group, and will then watch some cultural performances. After that, it's a free night, and then sleeping here in the meeting house.

In for a fun night, and then a chill day at the mud spa tomorrow. It's times like these when I really enjoy my trip.

Day 18 - Raglan continued.

Successfully sent in two posts from the public library in Raglan. After leaving the city we stopped by Wainui reserve and then Manu Bay for awesome views of the ocean - including an area called lefthand break where we watched surfers for a bit.

Sitting in the tv room at Karioi Lodge. They have satellite here which is a nice change of pace - we're watching Monsters versus Aliens. We have the whole place for ourselves again, and it's really beautiful. Its kind if fun traveling in the off season - I'm not sure I would be enjoying myself as much if it was super busy everywhere we went.

The lodge sort of has the same vibe as the place we stayed in the Amazon, where the whole place is built into the forest, except instead of individual cottages it's little rows of rooms connected by stairs ramps and walkways. There's a hammock outside of our room which is nice. Besides the tv room we're in there's also a nice walk, and a games room and a sauna, but shortly after arriving here it started raining, so we really haven't had a chance to enjoy much of it. A few of us did do a quick walk to inspiration point, where we watched the sunset - well, sort of watched the sunset. It's kinda cloudy at the moment, but atleast it's not raining.

Dinner smells nice. I like taking group meals and hope we're able to keep it up throughout the trip. If the weather holds a little, maybe well try the sports barn after dinner? There's things like table tennis and such up there. Overall though I'm aiming for an early night - doing a walk if the Waitomo caves tomorrow.
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Grrrr. Updated this post but something happened and it didn't save. Will recap in the am.

Day 17 - Stray adventure begins.

Sitting on the stray bus - it showed up perfectly on time according to the schedule that two other people who were getting picked up at base. Unfortunately, that meant it was 30 minutes past when Hope and I thought it would be there.

The driver Natalie is nice - currently giving us a stray briefing here up on One Tree Hill. I think we were here yesterday which works out as the view today's pretty much just of fog. Fitting as apparently the Maori name for Auckland is Land of the Long White Cloud. The group seems pretty chill. This seems promising.

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Just finished another stop enroute to Hahei. First we did a quick stop for coffee which was nice as from what Hope said from her time in the south island they went straight through to lunch. After coffee we passed by a fruit and vegetable stand, before stopping at small shopping mall that had a warehouse (kinda like walmart here) and a super market. It was in a really pretty part of a town called Thames, right by the ocean. I picked up some supplies, but I'm not sure if I shopped very smartly. We stop somewhere again tomorrow, so I can think more carefully about it and restock. We're having a group dinner tonight, so I'm at least covered till then.

I also picked up gloves, a hat and an extra sweater. Which once I stepped back outside I realized I probably won't need - it's supposed to get up to like 14 degrees today, but maybe it'll get colder at night? Or I might ruin some if my other stuff given the bad weather. Or perhaps as we head further south I'll get chilly? The plan at the moment is to possibly send some stuff home once we hit Wellington, so I'm not stuck carrying around winter stuff the rest of my trip. And maybe some of my souvenirs? While I'll be ok weight wise as I'd get the full two suitcases leaving New Zealand, I don't want to be too overloaded getting around by myself.

The countryside and mountains around here are really beautiful - sometimes it looks like a forest from back home, but then you turn a bend and there are these massive palm trees, including the silver fern. It's very relaxing - though perhaps my sleepiness has more to do with my just being moderately sleep deprived.

Anyways, two walks coming up today, including Cathedral Cove - will rest up and hopefully write more later.

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Exhausting walking up Paku Hill in Tauro, a pretty little beach town. Stopped part way with a group of others. Quite steep and hilly. Not to mention muddy. Good pictures though. Apparenty if you climb to the top you're meant to return to NZ within 7 years, so maybe I'll just wait 8 to return.

Just entered Coromandel Forest Park on the way to our hostel. The mountains and forests, and then the ocean just nearby remind me a little of driving in Brazil. Going to rest up now before our next walk to Cathedral cove. Though at least that one is broken up in the middle with natural hot springs at the beach.

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Just having a quick snack before dinner. Got back from the walk from Cathedral Cove, which was beautiful. The view there was beautiful - it would have been nice to take a picnic over. You cant actually walk under the cathedral because of a falling rock warning. The walk getting there was very hard and the trip all around took almost three hours. It was long, mainly uphill, muddy, and never seemed to end. We stopped for breaks throughout, which made it doable, but just barely. I'm definetly not going for the Tongariro crossing walk in a few days time. It's supposed to be the best 1 day walk in New Zealand, but it's like 8 hours and 19 km - if this walk was hard that one would be brutal.

Looks like our group dinner is almost ready. After that heading to hot water beach where you can dig your own little thermal bath. Unfortunately only at low tide which tonight is at 10:20....

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Dinner was good - Natalie made roast chicken with vegetables for dinner, including Kumera (sp?) this NZ potato. We also tried this lemon drink thats apparently world famous here - will try to find out what it was in the am. Dessert was apple crumble, served with custard - which comes in milk cartons here along with Hokey pokey ice-cream - another NZ thing which is apparently Vanilla with honeycomb/toffee bits. Yum.

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Exhausted. Will recap in the am.

Day 18 - onwards to Raglan.

Beautiful morning. The sky is clear and the sun is shining, which might be some of the best weather of the trip. Given the ground is soaked, as it rained last night.

The rain almost stopped me from going to hot water beach - I was just so tired and full after dinner that going out in the pouring rain seemed completely impossible. Instead, a bunch of us just bundled up in rain gear, rolled up our pants and got onto the bus. Rupa, one of the girls who I roomed with (Hahei Holiday Accomodations - stayed in a 4 person dorm, in this cabin taken entirely by our group) had one of those forehead lights - which was great as it was actually super dark when we got to the beach. Unfortunately, i forgot that my camera was dead, but some of the other girls also had their cameras, so it worked out ok It was an adventure getting out to the hot pools. We had to cross this cold and rocky stream that came up our calves go up on this sand ledge and then across a cold dark beach in the pouring rain. It was kinda fun though - and once we got there the water really was super hot - sometimes painfully so if the hole you were in got too deep, or if you even stood in the wrong spot. It was too cold outside to get totally wet, though apparently when the weather is nice, it's beautiful at night as houngan lie back and see the stars. And occasionally the freezing cold surf would roll in. The walk back was possibly even colder, but we made it back, and after showering and changing I had a really good sleep.

Right now, just sitting in the bus on the way to Raglan. Actually, just got back in to the bus after popping out to hug the twin Kauri trees. Perhaps not the smartest idea, as they're ginormous and wet. Hugging them is supposed to be lucky, and you also get to make a wish.

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That lemon drink was called L&P for Lemon and Paeroa. We just passed by the L&P Cafe in Paeroa, where I bought a bottle of sugar free ('but still sweet as' - something they say here a lot) L&P. Yum.

Also, what with the rain and then intermittent sunshine there are tones of rainbows around. Another hour till our next stop. Oh, and I'm quite enjoying Natalie's taste in music. Though I still play my own stuff when I'm trying to nap a bit (the first hour or so every morning).

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Another supermarket lunch - Im getting better at this self catering business I'm good again for dinner though - Natalie is turning our leftovers from yesterday into cottage pie.

Just finished a comparatively short walk to bridal veil falls - beautiful view from several Differet viewing platforms - one of which required climbing down (and then back up) about 250 steps. Bridal veil falls. 10 minute walk, followed by like 250 steps up and then down.

Natalie taught us to count to 10 on Maori - though strictly speaking I only really know seven - fetu - which were using to count off. She's been telling us some interesting Maori stories, and explaining what Maori names mean throughout. We just heard a cute one about how the kiwi lost its wings.

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In Raglan. Apparently free wifi at library - will try to post while I'm here.

Day 16 - Auckland Arrival.

Arrived super late last night. Well technically super early this morning. Our plane technically landed a but early, but after dealing with customs, and then a late shuttle bus, checking in and looking around for food to put in our fridge (our twin room at base is nice - tv,fridge, totally hotel like. Only prob is that the elevators are total crap.) it was like 3 am.

This morning was a bit of a pain - got up early to catch our stray day tour of Auckland. Then proceeded to stand at a street corner for about half an hour before Hope popped up back to the hostel lobby, up on the third floor, to find out that the tour start time had been changed by an hour.

I was particularly saddened as during the wait, I dropped my Starbucks Australia travel mug. It's now cracked, and has coffee on the inside. If I can't get the liquid out I may have to throw it out. It's particularly sad as I've been to 3 Starbucks so far this morning and have been unable to track down a New Zealand mug to replace it. Everyone seems to be sold out - I may cave and buy the Espresso cups to pack as a souvenir. And maybe just buy a super heavy duty travel mug at an outdoor supply store we're planning on stopping at tonight. I may also replace my towel with one of those quick drying ones.

Another thing contributing to my less than elated mood is that I also forgot my memory card plugged into my camera, so I only have like 20 low quality shits in the internal memory of my camera.

The tour so far is kinda blah. The guide is nice enough - half cook island Maori, half New Zealand Maori which is kinda cool. At first just watching someone go down the sky tower, then stop to hear about some sailing tours. It's made annoying by the fact that it's cold and rainy. The group is cool though - 2 other girls will be starting the North Island tour tomorrow with Hope and I which will be nice.

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We just got back from Michael Joseph Savage memorial - despite the cold, you have a really awesome view of the city and surrounding islands. I think dad would really like Auckland - it's called the city of sails, and there's boats everywhere. When we stopped by to hear about cruises we saw fancy racing sail boats from the America cup.

Anyways, off to a pub for lunch. More later.

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The pub food was decent. Stopped at Mount Eden in the afternoon for another nice view of the city that would have been greatly improved by better weather. Ended the day on a high nite with a free bridge walk on the Auckland bridge. Which was cold and miserable in the rain, but atleast the view was nice - apparently we could see the larger marina in the southern hemisphere.

On our way back did some souvenir shopping at Victoria Market and then stopped by this outdoor equipment store called Katmandu, where I possibly spent too much money buying stuff for myself. Though at least some of it were essentials - I needed to replace my towel which never dried from Cairns. It smells. A lot. And even if I tried to wash it it wouldn't dry again. So now I'm the proud owner of a new quick dry towel. Not to mention packing cubes and a new travel mug. No luck on the Starbucks front.

Anyways, spent some time in the room watching a movie and packing. Am currently out to dinner with one of girls from the tour this morning, and someone Hope knew from her south island tour. Free wifi, so I'm struggling to get this post ready before it's time to go.

Aiming for an early night - tour in the morning. I'll try to update again when I can.

Day 15 - Cairns recap and onwards to Brisbane/Auckland.

Currently waiting at the Cairns airport - where there's no Internet, so who knows when this will get posted. We got here super early because I was treating it as an international flight, though it turns out we'll have to recheck our bags in Brisbane anyways. Hopefully it still leaves us with enough time to head out of the Brisbane airport before going in for our flight to Auckland. I'm hoping to be able to check out the Koala sanctuary, but worst comes to worst, we head in to town for a nice meal and maybe a museum.

I really enjoyed Cairns. In terms of the vegetation, and some of the architecture it kind of reminds me of Brazil. The trees especially - they have the same kind as in front of the beach house.

Our hostel, the Cairns central YHA was ok - beautiful courtyard, and nice location, though we did have to switch rooms. They were also able to book us on to our tours as soon as we arrived which was convenient. We were originally booked in a 4 person ensuite, but arrived and found the room tiny, and filled with stuff as the other two girls in the room were in the midst of packing. So we went down and got a twin room without baths, which with my HI card only worked to a dollar more per night which was nice. The shared baths had little changing stalls outside each shower, and there was always one free, do it was possibly easier than sharing a single shower with 3 other girls. I think I'm too old for dorms - next trip I might have to stick to hotels. New Zealand should be interesting, but at least I have private accommodations in HK and Beijing.

Our first full day in Cairns we went snorkeling on the great barrier reef. It was definitely worth getting a little sea sick. We went to two different sites, and between them saw a bunch of fish, coral, even a small shark and a ray. The second of the sites, which they called Shark Mountain (oddly not where I saw a shark) was definitely better - the reef was really close to the surface and there was a lot more going on. Some guy claims there was an octopus, but I didn't see it. Still got some really cool shots though - my underwater camera purchase was definitely worth it.

The company we went with was called Reef Quest I think, and they were pretty good - served lunch, and then lent us a towel when we has left ours behind. Mainly because they felt bad for me when I got sick :). If I'm ever out here again I think I'll dive though - it might raise my chances of seeing things like sea turtles.

Our tour yesterday was with a company called Uncle Billy's which was really good. It was a rainforest tour of the table lands outside Cairns - essentially we went to four different swimming holes/ water falls, bookended with little walks through the forest - all the paths were paved which made it easy - though I ended up spending most of the day soaking wet. I did have multiple opportunities to take advantage of the waterproof capabilities of my camera. And even the shockproof capabilities, when I slipped trying to get up a rock slide at one of the water falls. I'm not hurt though I was a little shaken up - considered not going back up, but I'm glad I did because it was really fun.

The tour guide (Cousin Rohan, with his trusty side kick Gus the bus) was really nice, and we engaged in random silliness, like dancing on the bus and waving to strangers all day. Part of the fun was the group we were with - everyone was really friendly.

The food they served was really awesome. Morning tea was cakes and juice, lunch was an awesome homestyle meal of chicken, couscous and salad, with chocolate cake and ice-cream at this little place called the tea house. Where I coincidentally bought tea, grown on a plantation that we passed by - the roads also reminded me of Brazil - lots if sugar cane and bananas growing. Our last snack was hot chocolate and a muffin which we enjoyed while watching for platypuses (platypi?) in the wild - saw one, but not really a good view. They're sneaky creatures. Oddly though, a better sight than at the Sydney Aquarium, where I'm not even sure it was in the tank.

Anyways, they just made a boarding announcement for our flight. More later.

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No go on the koalas. Currently sitting in the art gallery here in Brisbane. Will explore the area for awhile then head to the airport for Auckland. We had found the bus we would have needed to take, but would have had just barely enough time, and weren't sure what it would have cost. One more thing to add to my to do list for the next time I'm in Australia. If it hadn't been for Cairns, it would have been like I came all the way to Australia without really seeing anything on my list of things to see. Still had fun here though.

Next stop: Auckland!

Day 13 snorkelling!!

quick post because I can't check my email and Hopes itouch is aout to die.

Had a day out on tv water - snorkeled h great barrier reef which was fabulous. Sent to two different sites, and saw fish, and sharks and rays....

Am now running off to dinner - need to do landry tonight, and then have an early start for a rainforest tour tomorrow.

Hopefully will have the chance to update his later tonight.

Day 12 - Cairns!

Went out with some of the other student at the conference last night after the last reception so had a late start in the morning. Brunched at a cute cafe, then pretty much spent all day in transit. Will properly recap Melbourne later.

Arrived in Cairns safely, and are just getting a bite to eat. We've booked out tours already (great barrier reef! Rainforest!) and have an early start tomorrow. We also have to figure out a rook change at the hostel before we go to bed. I think my post will be far less regular now that I'm not sitting at the conference all day. But hopefully this means more exciting things to report?

Day 10 - last day of conference !

Tired today. Early start to the programming, but I'm hoping to have a break in the middle and do lunch. There's a mini reception after the closing ceremonies later in the afternoon, hosted by the same people who hosted Bastille day - the organizers of the next ICAP in paris 2014.

There's a student reception afterwards at a local pub, and we might also go out tonight later tonight when Hope gets back from her great ocean road tour, as it's my last night in Melbourne - though I'm kinda tired, and feel like staying in and possibly getting some laundry done.

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Turns out Amanda hurt her leg - so shifted from after work plans to a quick lunch at a Japanese place near her work. Then wandered around with Melina looking for some last minute souvenirs of Melbourne. Currently having a quick break at Degraves Espresso, having a mocha before we head back to the hostel for a quick visit before heading back to the conference. Degraves street through to Centre Place might be my favorite part of Melbourne. Awesome little cafes, some cute stores, and at the end there's one of those really cool graffitied alleys. Still super tired though - will definitely aim for an early mellow night.

Day 9: Gala dinner.

Writing from the gala dinner. Currently waiting for dessert. The food has been decent so far - but it's the the entertainment that has made it really fun. It started with String Diva, this funky trio of violinists, then Opera by disguise, who pretended to be party guest from Italy. Finally there was a live band. For lots and lots of dancing.
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Quick posting then off to bed - early day tomorrow.

Day 9 - Just back from lunch with Amanda.

Just a quick post from an actual computer, instead of from my Ipod touch :)

Just got back from lunch with Amanda - it was fun chatting with her and it was really good to get out of this little strip of Melbourne between the hostel and conference centre. Though I did get a chance to make a quick visit to St.Kilda's this morning to check out the beach. It's a nice little area, though some of the places are closed because its the off season, but I mainly just like being by the water.

Have my second presentation today - its the one on my thesis, so I already pretty much know all of it. Then I have a keynote to attend followed by a quick trip back to the hostel to get ready for tonight's gala reception. This one better be special, if they're requiring cocktail attire. In the Melbourne winter - which during the day is kinda early springish, especially with the rain sometimes, but at night can get really nippy.

As much as I've been enjoying this conference, i'm looking forward to the closing tomorrow, so I can start with the vacation portion of my trip.

Day 8 - halfway through the conference.

Early start today. Decided to go to an 8:30 session, but hopefully my next post is from somewhere in the city. I'm really hoping to get some tourism in today, just in case our plans for the weekend fall through. Having inky really explored this little slice of Melbourne between our hostel and the conversion centre is starting to get really frustrating. Though the reception at the aquarium kind off counts as tourism? I need a break.


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Had an interesting afternoon. Took the free circle trolley to Federation Square, where they have one of the big tourist offices. Ended up getting a little map with a walking tour of melbournes lanes ad arcades which was fun. Stopped for a latte and then lunch enroute, then got back to the convention centre in time for a meeting. Planning on doing a session or two now, then heading back to the room to change for tonights Bastille day reception. Have plans to do a little more sightseeing in my breaks tomorrow, and also have lunch plans with one of Barbs friends that's here in Australia.

Day 6 - conferencing.

I've decided to downscale my travel plans in Melbourne. Possibly still hit the great ocean road, but not all the way to the 12 apostles. The programming is good, and here are talks I want to see most days. I figure Australia will still be here next time - the conference won't.
The australian psych association is hosting a free espresso bar! 3rd latte of the day and it's not even noon. So good. Lunch is apparently also free today.
This morning we explored downtown Melbourne a little. Walked along he river and wandered towards Bourne street, which has a bunch of restaurants we might try later on in the week. For lunch as were booked with dinner receptions for the rest of the week. Tonight there's a reception hosted here at the conference centre, followed by dinner with Esther. I'm hoping for a relatively early night - to catch up on sleep, but sleuth possibly catch the replay of this mornings game - I figure I'll be able to follow more whilst properly awake.
Also, just realized that writing this on my iPod throughout the day and then postin at night means that the entire day will be in present tense - so line breaks will signify different writing sessions.
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Lunch super yummy. Gnocchi with mushroom and lamb, fresh lemonade, and these almond orange cakes. Totally wanted to pack them up and then have then fir my meals the rest of week. I did grab extra cake and some pears for later. Just got out of a really interesting session on resilience in an organizational psych perspective, and am just waiting for Melina and Dean to get out of their session before doing afternoon tea. Not that I need any more caffeine at this point :) just rehearsing my talk for tomorrow, and reviewing my chairing notes.
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Finished for the day. Had stopped by mcdonalds on our way back home, but the Internet wasn't working. So this will end up being posted sometime tomorrow... My last session was about working with the UN where I made interesting contacts, and the reception after was fancy. Had dinner with lab people and am hoping to head to bed soon - not particularly tired but have been up since 4...

Day 7 - Still conferencing

Still haven't found Internet. So this will be coming up at the same time as the post I wrote yesterday. Will not be trying for the great ocean road tomorrow. Headed into the conference a bit late today because I passed by a car rental place, where I essentially decided that driving down tomorrow in a rush may be a mistake.
Will try for an overnight on Friday, heading to port Campbell where the twelve apostles are, overnighting than coming back on Saturday in time for our flight. I'm really hoping it works out. I've been incited to another conference here in melboune at the end of August, but I don't think I have the time or money to attend - still though, the invitation increases my confidence in being able to return to Australia.
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Just finished my session! Chairing went well. Taking a quick break now, before heading to some more sessions and three receptions. Super busy but enjoying myself.

Day 5? 6? - 4am in the hostel bar

I think it's the 6th day of my trip. It just feels like it should be yesterday because it's so early in the morning. And I'm not even sure who I'm going for. Leaving bed for the game was hard. At the hostel bar. Had been planning to head either to the casino for the massive screens or to the docklands for the party, but it's wayyyy too early. And it looks cold out there. The hostel bar also has the advantage of making pajamas acceptable, though I did pull on some jeans.

Still the pregame, so thought I'd check in, as I didn't get he chance yesterday. The bar also has the advantage of reaching the free Internet from McDonalds near the windows :)

Yesterday was really long. Virgin was overbooked like crazy. And when we finally get to Melbourne our luggage takes forever. There was one of those blockage jams for an age, and when our stuff finally does arrive it's on the wrong belt. We then took the sky bus in to the city, checked in, and grabbed a super late lunch.

After lunch we headed back to the hostel to get ready for the conference. Which once we finally got there was super swanky. The venue is brand new, the new bag are pretty and the opening speeches were both decent and were flanked by aboriginal performances which was cool. I'm a little sad that I probably won't make it to any of the day trips I wanted to (great ocean road :( - though maybe the car rental thing will work out. Otherwise I'll just have come back here one day) but the conference organizers are doing their best to make it amusing, and the programming does look good. And maybe I'll atleast have enough free time to do one if the shorter trips?

Anyways, game started already. It's quite full here now, but I have this circular ottoman thing to myself, so yay :)

After the game will probably nap, then walk around the city before heading to the conference around lunch. It's going to be a long day. It's already the half. This post has come out super slow, but I could hardly leave my cushy seat to email from the window :)

Update: Psyched that Spain one. They definitely played the better game. Though really, I'm just glad its over. 7:30 in the morning now. I held someones seat at the half and they brought me tea from the kitchen which was fabulous. Wide awake now, so hopefully I make it ok through to tonights evening reception ok.

Day 4 - Last day in Sydney!

edit: whoops. forgot to post this one - it should have come before the one with the pictures :)

Back at the hostel, packing for our departure tomorrow morning. Had a pretty chill day. Hope and I did some souvenir shopping in the morning, and then met up with Melina for lunch. We checked out this cool market in the Rocks, and ended up buying some jewelry. Ended up having our lunch super late - bought some spinach/cheese pancake things, and some gourmet cupcakes, and took it down to the harbour to eat with a view of the Opera House. I think I'm a little obsessed with it. Though we never actually went to it, it's just so quintessentially Sydney that I try to get it into all my pictures.

We then took a ferry out from Circular Quay. Initially I just wanted to head out to get a good view of the bridge and the Opera House. But then we ended up in Manly, which I really enjoyed. It was a nice beachy town, with a cool little esplanade. We headed down to the beach - caught the tail end of the sunset, and then just sat near the edge of the water and just listened to the waves. We ended up heading back to the esplanade to get hot drinks (and shop a little) before heading back to the beach for one last view of the shore.

The ferry back to Sydney had an amazing view of the Opera House all lit up - I have like 20 photos, but don't think any of them would have turned out.

Day 4 - Photo

Out in the common area of the hostel - It's a really nice space, though as its not even 11 on a Saturday night, Im the only one in pajamas out here. Melly and Hope are in bed already. Finished packing, but thought I'd take advantage of the internet that's already been paid for (bought a 24hr card this morning) and catch up on all the internet stuff I've been missing out on. So I'm sitting out here, drinking some of the diet coke I bought and eating some tim tams (I think the chewy caramel is my favourite - reminds me of twix) and thought that as I'm backing up all of my Sydney pics on my laptop I could post one or two.

Then I realized just how many pictures I've been taking. Sorting through all of these when I get home is going to be a pain. Also, I kinda want to keep some of my favorites private, possibly until the end of my trip. And more importantly, as I sit here trying to choose them it gets later and later, and I realy should probably get to bed. So here are two pictures that I mentioned in my last post.

Clownfish hiding in the anemones. At Sydney Aquarium. Really hoping that we get to see some when we go snorkelling in Cairns in a few weeks time. Otherwise, this totally qualifies as a Nemo encounter. And the Aquarium also had sea turtles! Though the platypus and penguins seemed to be asleep/hiding when we visited.

 And this is quite possibly the best of my super-blurry-night-time-while-on-a-rocking-boat pictures of the opera house and bridge from our return from Manly on the ferry. I still like it though, and the blur is less obvious small. I think I might print this one out, and pass off the blur as artsy-ness.

Day 3 - Bondi Beach!

Took the bus from Sydney CBD to Bondi beach. It's not very far, maybe 20 minutes by public transit. It started raining miserably while we were on the bus, so we ran straight into a restaurant on the shore. Had yummy Asian soups while waiting out the rain. And then the beach!

Rolled up my pants and Stepped out into the water. The beach was beautiful, and I'm sure much emptier than usual - pretty much us, a handful of tourists and suffers. We walked along the beach to this cool mosaic wall near te tide pools.

Right know just enjoying an ice-cream cone at McDonalds while checking email. Will head back to the city soon, and possibly check out the aquarium which Hope has heard goodthings about.

Day 3: Pictures

We're having a bit of a late start today - Melina needs to do laundry, and we're waiting for Hope to arrive. Thought I'd attempt to post some pictures of my trip so far :)

 First view of the Opera House, shortly after arriving in Sydney. I'm hoping for better weather today so I can take some nice day time pictures. Possibly from the rooftop terrace, where you can get a nice view of the bridge and opera house. Not to mention the Canadian embassy :)

The closest I'll get to a (fake) kangaroo :). May possibly go one of the many zoos here in Australia, where you can both feed little kanagaroos, and also hug a koala. Possibly in Brisbane?

During one of the torrential downpours we faced, Melina and I decided to whole up in a Starbucks. This is me with my new starbucks Australia mug. I'm considering starting a collection :) Coffee is the same, but their milk (even what they call skim) seems to be creamier.

I'll post more pictures whenever I have stable internet connections - which may not be that often, but I'll try...

Day 2 - Sydney in the Rain.

Sightseeing today was off to a rough start - I fell walking on the sidewalk just outside the hostel. Didn't hurt myself, my knee will look a bit off next week with a cocktail dress at the conference dinner. Ended up walking back towards the Circular Quay where we wandered to last night, and then followed the harbour around to the Darling Harbour area. Wandered around a bit, checking out the Fifa Fanfest area, where I would have watched the game if I had been willing to get up at 4:30am, and then had lunch at the Lindtt cafe which was yummy. Spent most of the afternoon at Paddy's Market where we did some shopping. Mainly because while the weather was kinda grey and a bit drizzly all day, it was kinda torrential for parts of the afternoon. We got caught under an underpass, and then again later in the day trying to get out of the market. I ended up buying an umbrella. Small, black and practical - Melina talked me out of the clear  plastic one with purple polkadots.

Anyways, what with the miserable weather, we decided to put off our plans to visit Bondi beach, hopefully it's nicer out tomorrow. And then it turned out that museums pretty much close at 5. We considered watching an Imax movie (biggest screen in the world apparently) but the schedule didnt work out. Ended up spending the rest of the afternoon wandering back towards our hostel. I had decided to buy some groceries a long the way, which made the walk a bit annoying, but doable. We had dinner at the pub beside the hostel, which came as part of our package. The place was really nice, and surprisingly popular. The meal was a little pizza, and came with an order of garlic bread and a drink. It was really good, not to mention conveniently located, so we may possibly go back again. Then decided to call it an early night (except of course for me email checking and blogging from my bed :) ).

Hopefully the weather is nicer tomorrow.

Australia (Country Guide)

Day 1 (sort of) - Landed in Sydney!

Just a quick hello from Sydney, as I haven't properly slept in two days - its sort of kind of day two of my trip, but as I spent the entirety of it in transit it doesnt count. Met up with Melina at the hostel, and am just grabbing a quick bite to eat, after wandering down to the quay for a view of the Opera house.

Day 1 - 5am at the Hong Kong airport

Landed in Hong Kong an hour early. The flight went well - only thing out of the ordinary was when someone started having a tantrum over it being too cold. Sadly, just about everything is closed - the only 24hr shops seem to be outside the security zone - and while I do want to head to the 7-11 to buy a sim card, I don't need one so badly that I'd want to go through security more than necessary. There's a starbucks open somewhere (I've seen people with cups) but I've already had way too much coffee/tea on the plane. Though I will have to remember to try this frappucino with jelly they're advertising. Im told that the other restauratns should open within the hour, and the stores in the hour after that.

I explored a little, and am now holed up in one of the 'relaxation lounges' - I'm due to be here 5 more times over the course of my trip, so getting the lay of the land now would be good, while it's all nice and empty. The plan is to sit here till my laptop gives out, then head to one of the 'charging stations'.
Atleast there's free wifi an the chairs are comfy. Another 4 hours to go waiting for my connection in Sydney. Wil spend pretty much all of today in transit, arriving in Sydney in the evening.

I think I might like blogging. It replaces my hard copy journalling, and merges it with my incessant need to be connected to the internet whilst travelling :)

Update: just got an email about chairing one of the sessions Ill be presenting in next week. Which is both exciting and a wee bit worrisome - some of the task descriptions they sent are alarmingly vague. Also, layering already coming in handy. While the plane was chilly, Hong Kong and the airport are kinda hot.

Update 2: turns out that 'charging station' was code for outlet at bottom of display thing. currently sitting on the floor.

Packing. and then more packing.

First post! Day 0 of my trip, as I technically only leave super early tomorrow morning.

Ran some errands this morning, and now have to finish packing soonish, so I have time to make another shopping trip to fill in the things I've forgotten before leaving. In packing for a trip this long and covering a range of climates (6 weeks, 5 countries, 8+ cities), I'm told that the key is layering. And colour blocking, which I like to do anyways. A lot of purple on this trip. I think I'm doing pretty good in terms of the different climate zones I cross - the trick now will be to integrate clothing suitable for the range of activities I'll be doing - from camping, to hiking, to the formal dinner at the conference.

On this trip I'm hiting Australia and New Zealand, then Hong Kong and Beijing, Japan, and the Philippines to visit family. I'll post in greater detail later, likely from one of my many airport stops. Feel free to message me or comment if you have any questions - particularly if I'm supposed to be meeting you somewhere. I don't know what my internet access will be like, but I do plan on buying sim cards while abroad so should be reachable by cell for most of the trip.