Wednesday, January 18, 2012
I went from chasin the sunset in my car in auckland a couple of days ago to sittin beachside in kuta at some mildly-posh Italian restaurant. Hilarious. And still I can't stop thinking about whether or not I'll get sick. I haven't eaten (until just now) in 12 hours and have slept about 3 hours in he last 36. I was feeling a little loopy after one beer and decided I was just drunk enough to pay $10 for a meal in Bali if it made me feel a little more safe.
I think I'll feel better when I get out of kuta. It's a wild town just on the brink of utter chaos all the time. I also didn't think my first marriage proposal would have been a woman squatting on the sand selling shitty leather brace lets, but life is all about the journey I suppose. I observed my first temple ceremony, almost got run over like 4 times, and waded through what I'm pretty sure is sewage seeping up from the middle of the streets. I'm adventurous in most ways...!
Now drinking beers with the owners of my hotel. I'm gonna let them tell me where to go.
Oh god I need sleep.
Taryn
Monday, January 16, 2012
Going to be a day of assholes tomorrow, but getting excited.
Moved out of my car this morning and back into a backpack. Took me all of an hour to do so and I filled up an entire trash can when I was done. Ok maybe not an entire trash can but you know what I mean. Makes me miss traveling with kaleb because he was definitely the more organized one.
Was thinking about all the people I've met in this country and how they are all special and different and taught me different things. Kaleb is this totally amazing man with a lovely intelligence that he keeps secret from most other people. I was lucky enough to be deemed worthy to see it. We had these unexpected and deep conversations a out everything and nothing at all and I don't think we stopped talking for the first few days we were together. It immediately felt like we had been together for ages in a really nice kind of way.
There were the ubiquitous friends that you make in the hostel dorms of course, but some especially fun and forgiving ones were in Byron bay. Super warm and welcoming people from literally all over the world. No one was from the same place.
Then there were the kiwis, some local and some who lived abroad, but all were quick to include me in their conversations and circles. I love that openness.
Then there were the Americans. An immediate connection was there because of the mutual language and culture stuff, but Ryan and of couse kaleb were especially cool.
Ah, the Aussies and Germans. Some traveling together and some alone, but whether I met them in Australia or NZ, they were just fabulous. Sebastian and John whom I know I will never see again, I genuinely wish I didn't lose your emails because it would have been great to have some penpals.
Ah well I must find something to do with my last day here since its cold and rainy and I have al my gear. I think I might hang with the "occupy Auckland" crowd. I have to get rid of my chair and the rest of my food anyways. Gday > bintang?
Taryn
Sunday, January 15, 2012
im not gonna lie, ive gotten really comfortable with the small town, idyllic, sometimes downright pastoral vibe of NZ. it is comfortable and not altogether unforeign, but still exciting and different. and this place is so small its fairly difficult to get extremely lost without some government signpost or a nearly unintelligible local to to guide you back the right way.
auckland is a whole other story, but thats because it qualifies as the largest city in NZ with the largest population of pacific islander peoples in the world (learned that at the auckland wartime museum today- which is awesome btw). its got millions of people and its fairly overwhelming to someone who has spent pretty much the last 6 weeks in towns with no more than 2000 people.
and having said that, im really nervous about going to bali. of course i am a giant pansy when it comes to my throat phobias. im worried that the food isnt going to sit well with me; that ill get sick. im worried about having panic attacks more than usual even though ive had them here and it hasnt really been an issue. im not going to dwell on this thing too much because ive got to find a place to stay tonight, a place to keep my car for the night, and a place to have a beer in the next 15 minutes.
meh, ive done more with less.
the last few days have been just spectacular. i went from camping in the tongariro national park (but didnt do any walking for days because of the multi-day heavy rains) at a ski resort-type town, to taupo where i promptly took the advice of some natives and located a natural (free!!) hot spring and played around for a bit.
after feeling totally refreshed and ready for some sightseeing, i did what i usually do and drove around town a bit before finding a good spot to do some walking and get to know the layout of the town. coincidentally, one of the bikers i met in tekapo was heading down my way and we decided to meet and catch up with beers.
we had a fabulous evening filled with live bands and a wayward attempt to go back to the hot spring after the park had closed. it was such a good time, we decided to hang out there for another day. we toured around the lake on his motorcycle, and he definitely tried to scare me more than once. i totally appreciated the gesture because as you probably know, im a bit self-destructive and love me some speed demons. i think we topped out at 150-180kph? i have no idea because the wind coming through my too-large helmet was making my eyes water.
such a friggin blast. i must get me one of those contraptions.
then it was naptime induced by large lunch and hangover, before doing it all over again. we stayed up all night drinking wine, playing on the camp's trampoline, him trying to describe why cricket is awesome, and generally having the time of my life.
i really hope that the universe lines up and i get to see that wonderful man again. he has to be one of the most gentle and introspective people that i have ever met, and i greatly respect him for those qualities. plus hes super hot! omg those eyes... haha.
i set off from taupo for the coromandel peninsula where i stopped at hot water beach and took the time to pick up a grip of 17 year old hitchikers. they were distracted by the fact that i had forgotten to put on pants after the beach and things were slightly awkward until i began to understand their thick accents. i pulled over in coromandel town and stayed at a hostel that looked like it had been plucked out of santa cruz in the 1970s. it was plush, comfortable, and for universe saw fit to give me a room of my own. i was grateful for the personal space even though the room was clearly haunted.
dont look at me like that, i swear it was haunted!
this morning i stopped a few times on the way here to take photos, but generally stayed on track and went to the tallest mountain in the city and perused the wartime museum. now its beer o'clock.
well on that note ive been sitting here for way too long and its gonna cost a pantload for the internet and i still have to book a ticket home from bali. wish me luck!
taryn.
auckland is a whole other story, but thats because it qualifies as the largest city in NZ with the largest population of pacific islander peoples in the world (learned that at the auckland wartime museum today- which is awesome btw). its got millions of people and its fairly overwhelming to someone who has spent pretty much the last 6 weeks in towns with no more than 2000 people.
and having said that, im really nervous about going to bali. of course i am a giant pansy when it comes to my throat phobias. im worried that the food isnt going to sit well with me; that ill get sick. im worried about having panic attacks more than usual even though ive had them here and it hasnt really been an issue. im not going to dwell on this thing too much because ive got to find a place to stay tonight, a place to keep my car for the night, and a place to have a beer in the next 15 minutes.
meh, ive done more with less.
the last few days have been just spectacular. i went from camping in the tongariro national park (but didnt do any walking for days because of the multi-day heavy rains) at a ski resort-type town, to taupo where i promptly took the advice of some natives and located a natural (free!!) hot spring and played around for a bit.
after feeling totally refreshed and ready for some sightseeing, i did what i usually do and drove around town a bit before finding a good spot to do some walking and get to know the layout of the town. coincidentally, one of the bikers i met in tekapo was heading down my way and we decided to meet and catch up with beers.
we had a fabulous evening filled with live bands and a wayward attempt to go back to the hot spring after the park had closed. it was such a good time, we decided to hang out there for another day. we toured around the lake on his motorcycle, and he definitely tried to scare me more than once. i totally appreciated the gesture because as you probably know, im a bit self-destructive and love me some speed demons. i think we topped out at 150-180kph? i have no idea because the wind coming through my too-large helmet was making my eyes water.
such a friggin blast. i must get me one of those contraptions.
then it was naptime induced by large lunch and hangover, before doing it all over again. we stayed up all night drinking wine, playing on the camp's trampoline, him trying to describe why cricket is awesome, and generally having the time of my life.
i really hope that the universe lines up and i get to see that wonderful man again. he has to be one of the most gentle and introspective people that i have ever met, and i greatly respect him for those qualities. plus hes super hot! omg those eyes... haha.
i set off from taupo for the coromandel peninsula where i stopped at hot water beach and took the time to pick up a grip of 17 year old hitchikers. they were distracted by the fact that i had forgotten to put on pants after the beach and things were slightly awkward until i began to understand their thick accents. i pulled over in coromandel town and stayed at a hostel that looked like it had been plucked out of santa cruz in the 1970s. it was plush, comfortable, and for universe saw fit to give me a room of my own. i was grateful for the personal space even though the room was clearly haunted.
dont look at me like that, i swear it was haunted!
this morning i stopped a few times on the way here to take photos, but generally stayed on track and went to the tallest mountain in the city and perused the wartime museum. now its beer o'clock.
well on that note ive been sitting here for way too long and its gonna cost a pantload for the internet and i still have to book a ticket home from bali. wish me luck!
taryn.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
so kaleb and i parted ways in wanaka. he went on to do
what i can only guess is probably a shitload of mountainbiking. i
continued to winetaste and drive up the west coast then went for a hike
after running out of gas. all in all it was a pretty good day.
i got to the fox glacier and it was truly beautiful but i was tired as shit and unable to admire it properly. so i found a campsite, made a bed and had the best nights sleep i had in a while. then it was back to the glacier to see it like i should have the first time, but i was too distracted by the fact that i lost my car key somewhere among the slate-grey rocks. perfect place for my key to hide. bastard.
true to form, i depended on the kindness of strangers who found my key and then i set off for the Franz Josef glacier. hiked around there for a few hours and even got to walk right up to the glacier itself. kinda disappointing due to th amount of tourists and the fact that the glacier is the color of dirt. haha
when it came time to find a campsite there, i realized that there is absolutely nothing to do in that town but drink. alone. just you and the bartender, if they have one. lame. so i drove up the coast for a few hours and landed at this DOC campsite right on a lake in hokitika. and they have this truly amazing dive bar that even surpassed the Balboa Saloon and Class of '47 in sleaziness. amazeballs. turns out they have been a destination on the Kiwi Experience route for about 20 years and the walls are just coated with the lost dignity and old booze. needless to say, i felt right at home.
so i showed up there at about 5pm and see these two really, really old men at the bar sharing a pitcher of beer and chatting with a bartender in her 50s. they turn out to be lifetime locals and one of the owners! perfect. they gave me the best scoop on where to go and hike in the area.
the next day was made for more driving along what is claimed to be the most beautiful drive in NZ. did some touristy things and bought a necklace from an aritsts' co-op in punikariki (sp?). i finally pulled over in motueka with the intention of spending the next day in the able tasman national park.
the coast tramp there is just spectaular and i spent a good 4 hours there and stumbled across a nude beach. ill let you decide whether or not i took part in the activity. afterwards i made my way across the top of the island by winetasting all the way to Nelson.
i was feeling really out of sorts by the time i got there because i had been on the move every day for what seemed like forever, and no one had said anything in particular about nelson, and i had no idea about where to go or spend the night. that was when i heard some street music. they were playing american oldies and it was calling my name. then i was drawn over to a table with some other travelers who could tell i was alone. we all spent the rest of the day together, ending with a really fab meal and cocktails with alcohols that i coud not name.
the next few days were pretty mild: hiking and camping on beautiful beaches and a lot of driving.
i left picton a couple of days ago on the ferry after spending a couple of great days hiking and lying on the beach getting a tan. beautiful pics to come when i can find a proper portal.
then onto wellington where i spent i beautiful day and had a really great meal again at one of the sport recommended by my guide. i think thats the first time ive ever done that intentionally. funny...
last night i again camped right on the beach in opunake, and i tell you i had a really great night's sleep. even on the ground while it was raining. perhaps it was the wine and huge dinner i made myself, but i woke up happy and satisfied. now i must decide if i want to drive out of my way to see new plymouth before some hiking around the truly stunning mt. taranaki. (seriously it seemed like it just arose out of nowhere when i was driving here.)
hm, i think ill just head straight for the mountain/volcano and then make my way to the tongariro national park, spend a day or so there before heading to taupo. im really gonna try hard to do some bungy jumping there and not be a total wimp.
oh man that was a big update. sorry about that.
i got to the fox glacier and it was truly beautiful but i was tired as shit and unable to admire it properly. so i found a campsite, made a bed and had the best nights sleep i had in a while. then it was back to the glacier to see it like i should have the first time, but i was too distracted by the fact that i lost my car key somewhere among the slate-grey rocks. perfect place for my key to hide. bastard.
true to form, i depended on the kindness of strangers who found my key and then i set off for the Franz Josef glacier. hiked around there for a few hours and even got to walk right up to the glacier itself. kinda disappointing due to th amount of tourists and the fact that the glacier is the color of dirt. haha
when it came time to find a campsite there, i realized that there is absolutely nothing to do in that town but drink. alone. just you and the bartender, if they have one. lame. so i drove up the coast for a few hours and landed at this DOC campsite right on a lake in hokitika. and they have this truly amazing dive bar that even surpassed the Balboa Saloon and Class of '47 in sleaziness. amazeballs. turns out they have been a destination on the Kiwi Experience route for about 20 years and the walls are just coated with the lost dignity and old booze. needless to say, i felt right at home.
so i showed up there at about 5pm and see these two really, really old men at the bar sharing a pitcher of beer and chatting with a bartender in her 50s. they turn out to be lifetime locals and one of the owners! perfect. they gave me the best scoop on where to go and hike in the area.
the next day was made for more driving along what is claimed to be the most beautiful drive in NZ. did some touristy things and bought a necklace from an aritsts' co-op in punikariki (sp?). i finally pulled over in motueka with the intention of spending the next day in the able tasman national park.
the coast tramp there is just spectaular and i spent a good 4 hours there and stumbled across a nude beach. ill let you decide whether or not i took part in the activity. afterwards i made my way across the top of the island by winetasting all the way to Nelson.
i was feeling really out of sorts by the time i got there because i had been on the move every day for what seemed like forever, and no one had said anything in particular about nelson, and i had no idea about where to go or spend the night. that was when i heard some street music. they were playing american oldies and it was calling my name. then i was drawn over to a table with some other travelers who could tell i was alone. we all spent the rest of the day together, ending with a really fab meal and cocktails with alcohols that i coud not name.
the next few days were pretty mild: hiking and camping on beautiful beaches and a lot of driving.
i left picton a couple of days ago on the ferry after spending a couple of great days hiking and lying on the beach getting a tan. beautiful pics to come when i can find a proper portal.
then onto wellington where i spent i beautiful day and had a really great meal again at one of the sport recommended by my guide. i think thats the first time ive ever done that intentionally. funny...
last night i again camped right on the beach in opunake, and i tell you i had a really great night's sleep. even on the ground while it was raining. perhaps it was the wine and huge dinner i made myself, but i woke up happy and satisfied. now i must decide if i want to drive out of my way to see new plymouth before some hiking around the truly stunning mt. taranaki. (seriously it seemed like it just arose out of nowhere when i was driving here.)
hm, i think ill just head straight for the mountain/volcano and then make my way to the tongariro national park, spend a day or so there before heading to taupo. im really gonna try hard to do some bungy jumping there and not be a total wimp.
oh man that was a big update. sorry about that.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
musings from En-Zed:
hahhahHAHHAHA (please read as evil laugh).
welcome to the inner sanctum of my brain. ive been driving pretty much every day for at least 5 hours for about a week and these are some of the things ive been thinking about.
-when they are far away in the fields, sheep look like lice. from personal experience: yeesh.
-sometimes, you just have to stop taking photos because youre going to miss what youre trying to capture.
-all of the cars that ive rented seem to be ultimate POSs. this one has taught itself to whistle quite loudly whenever you drive it longer than it likes. it def causes some stares in these small towns with like 2 people on the streets.
- the clouds in this country defy words. they seem to always be forming multiple layers of beauty; coming from everywhere and delineating the pattern of the wind like something ive never seen before.
-i still hate other people's children. especially at campsites where the walls are actually just tent flaps. their only redeeming quality is the fact that they cant drink yet and i can. its tenuous i know, but whatever.
-vegetarian diet seems to be agreeing with me. probably because i sleep in a tent by myself and can allow myself to do all the things that veggies do to you.
-there are idiots in every country.
-def going to have to come back here. theres too much to see and 6 weeks was not enough.
-people here have no idea what salsa is.
-i seem to be continuously and comfortably redefining myself.
-living out of a car is fairly comfortable as long as you shower regularly as have money for gas and booze. coincidentally, i do.
-the best meal i have yet had in NZ was some take-away fish and chips from a seafood market in a port called Mapua that was accompanied by some locally brewed (like, right next door) beer. that, and wandering through a swap-meet-type market in nelson constituted the best day that ive had in a couple of weeks.
-if he doesnt interest me to the nth degree, its really not worth it. there are a million of him.
-OH MY GOD I HAVE SO MUCH SHTI TO DO WHEN I GET HOME.
-i really must do more camping back in the states.
-i almost said "sweet as" today. kinda cool.
-omg. SANDFLIES. omg. MOSQUITOS.
-i miss you. you know who you are... and to the other ones: just email me crazypants!
-i cant wait for bali!!
-so glad i took some time off from the DocProg.
-i should really think about starting a restaurant around granny's recipes. maybe supported with some serbian cuisine as well. could be pretty awesome.
thats all i can think of for now.
love you,
Taryn
welcome to the inner sanctum of my brain. ive been driving pretty much every day for at least 5 hours for about a week and these are some of the things ive been thinking about.
-when they are far away in the fields, sheep look like lice. from personal experience: yeesh.
-sometimes, you just have to stop taking photos because youre going to miss what youre trying to capture.
-all of the cars that ive rented seem to be ultimate POSs. this one has taught itself to whistle quite loudly whenever you drive it longer than it likes. it def causes some stares in these small towns with like 2 people on the streets.
- the clouds in this country defy words. they seem to always be forming multiple layers of beauty; coming from everywhere and delineating the pattern of the wind like something ive never seen before.
-i still hate other people's children. especially at campsites where the walls are actually just tent flaps. their only redeeming quality is the fact that they cant drink yet and i can. its tenuous i know, but whatever.
-vegetarian diet seems to be agreeing with me. probably because i sleep in a tent by myself and can allow myself to do all the things that veggies do to you.
-there are idiots in every country.
-def going to have to come back here. theres too much to see and 6 weeks was not enough.
-people here have no idea what salsa is.
-i seem to be continuously and comfortably redefining myself.
-living out of a car is fairly comfortable as long as you shower regularly as have money for gas and booze. coincidentally, i do.
-the best meal i have yet had in NZ was some take-away fish and chips from a seafood market in a port called Mapua that was accompanied by some locally brewed (like, right next door) beer. that, and wandering through a swap-meet-type market in nelson constituted the best day that ive had in a couple of weeks.
-if he doesnt interest me to the nth degree, its really not worth it. there are a million of him.
-OH MY GOD I HAVE SO MUCH SHTI TO DO WHEN I GET HOME.
-i really must do more camping back in the states.
-i almost said "sweet as" today. kinda cool.
-omg. SANDFLIES. omg. MOSQUITOS.
-i miss you. you know who you are... and to the other ones: just email me crazypants!
-i cant wait for bali!!
-so glad i took some time off from the DocProg.
-i should really think about starting a restaurant around granny's recipes. maybe supported with some serbian cuisine as well. could be pretty awesome.
thats all i can think of for now.
love you,
Taryn
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