ELI's Blog

Chilling in Chile

23rd October - 2nd November

 Arica - Humberstone - Pica - Iquique - La Serena - Santiago

After 4 weeks in high altitude, we finally got back down to sea level at the Tacna/ Ariea boarder crossing. Paying the few extra dollars and taking a 'taxi collective' from Tacna to cross into Chile was a wise idea. While we zipped through the procedures in a few minutes, bus loads of passangers were in a lengthy cue with no notion of going anywhere soon.

 It was a reifef to arrive in Arica that evening after 10 odd hours on the road from Arequipa, Peru. Desiring the comforts of a hostel and without any Chilean money, we made a quick bus terminal money exchange with an unofficial man sitting on a bench and took a taxi which I thought was ridiculously expensive. Unaccustomed to the prices in Chile and not wanting to put up a fuss we took the taxi to the hostel (which turned out to only be 300m away!) and paid double what we ought to have (not to mention we could have walked had we known how close it was).

We stayed at Sunny Day's which we choose for its proximity to the beach and the Kiwi host, Ross. Greeted with cookies and juice, Ross was a delight as was the hostel and the other travellers staying there. It was a very friendly atmosphere with the all-you-can eat breakfast being especially excellent and it also meant lunch was no longer neccesary. Haha. We were tempted to stay in Arica for an extra night, just for the breakfast feast! But with time not on our side and half of Chile to conquer we had to move on after two nights.

to be cont...

Peru

Puno - Cuzco - ?

October 7th - ?

Forced into recalling dates and days whilst maintaining a blog is great. I have just realised, October 11th, it is my Mothers birthday. It is far to easy to lose track of the dates and the days when on the road. Travelling seems to be more about whether or not you have exhuasted your enthusiam for your current location and then it is a case of taking the next bus to the next stop en route to where ever the final destination happens to be...which, sadly, is usually the departing airport.

Currently im lodged up in San Blas at a hostel called Home Sweet Home which overlooks Cusco. The wind chime on the balcony is a pleasent distraction from the barking street dogs in the distance. Niels and his friend Martijn are in the hills further up from San Blas exploring areas of´sexy woman´, or as its properly known, Saqsaywaman. Peru is a buffet of Inca remains, rich Andien culture, and new flavours of food - too many to be experienced in the few weeks we have here.

Puno 

Located on the edge of Lake Titicaca, Puno is the base we used to explore the Uros - floating islands. Although only taking one afternoon to see (on one of the many rehersed tourisitc tours), we spent two nights in Puno and used the rest of our time to climb the sourrounding hills for the views and for the high altitude exercise. 

The boarder crossing from Copacabana was swift, lack formalities and was not at all intimidating. A 3 hour bus ride later we arrived in Puno, which upon first impressions was pretty average, and remained that way the rest of our stay aside from a few treats - island-hopping the Uros, Rico´s Pan bakery, and a resturant called Sayury.

Our style of finding accomodation involves picking a place listed in the south america guide book, heading straight there upon arrival, checking it out, and checking in. To date, this has worked a treat. We were let down in Puno however as our chosen hostel was two times more expensive than listed in our guide book, had sunked matresses which were sure to sorely concave our bodies during the night, and had no special perks. Instead we found a family home turned hostel called Virgen de Copacabana near by which was a much better deal. 

Under pressure from Niels to finish Memoirs of a Geisha so we could exchange it for a new book (as he had already finished reading the other two novels we had with us), I used this as an opportunity to relax away from the narrow fume infested streets at Rico´s Pan with a malty hot chocolate and a hard-to-decide-upon slice of berry mouse cake (Rico´s Pan has too many tempting sweet treats).

We have now become rather acustomed to ´beggers´. Often we find ourselves confronted by an awkward situation, not that it is our fault intierly. Blame the morals. On the one hand it seems rude to be ignorant or say no, but on the other hand, nor it is practical to help ease the burden of every ´sad story´. Again here in Puno, we managed to come to a compromise by offering what ever food we had in our day pack at the time, often fruit. Whether they accept it or not is up to them, but we feel a good deed has been done, nourishing the needy.    

Bumpy Bolivian Rash

Argentina / Bolivia borader crossing - Tupiza - Uyuni - La Paz - Copacabana - to be cont.

Having endured too many hours in a 4wd jeep batteling the Bolivian mountains, I ended up with a rather unsuspecting injury....all in the name of freezing winds, no showers, and beautiful scenery.

Argentina comes alive

Buenos Aires - Puerto Iguazu & Cataratas del Iguazu - Resistencia - Humahuaca

September 12 - 24

After nearly two weeks in South America, my Spainsh has evolved but im still feeling very amature. Im pink from the sun at 3000m above sea level. Fresh fruit and vege are hard to come by in the small iscolated towns but im glad im not yet ill from getting amoungst the local eat outs.   

 Heading to Bolivia tommorow (Sep 24th)

More to come...internetting is not a priority at this moment in time :)

xxx Elisa

myLIFE back in New Zealand

 8th August 2009

It has been nearly a month since I have returned from the myOE UK tour and I have now settled back into life at home. In fact, the morning after I flew in, it was up at the crack of dawn and down to the farm to help during calving season. Getting straight into it was a good way to counter any jet-lag and I found my sleeping patterns returned to normal almost instantly.

Although the official myOE tour UK tour has finished, my myOE NZ tour has only just begun!  

I became the self-appointed leader of the myOE 2009 Taupo half marathon team. Official event photos of Elisa. Official event photos of Niels.

I have also been getting all my colleagues involved! Unfortunately they are mainly of the non-human form so they can't understand what I am talking about.

 It is fair to say, myOE now dominates myLIFE! It is so severe my friend and ex-flat mate Stella has now diagnosed me with "myObsEssionitis"<---- Click on this link to see what I got up to as the University of Waikato myOE ambassador!!!

Special bonus read: Additional myOE UK tour material

I jumped from the myOE platform and expected only my hands to touch the water. But, the bungee cord did not get tight until I was submerged up to my ankles. Exceeding expectations - I love it this way! The myOE way, I guess.

Having left the UK and the myOE tour I am now able to look back and reflect. Considering how thoroughly I enjoyed my time on the myOE UK tour it comes naturally that I can not stop thinking about the whole myOE experience. In preparation for the trip I read up about each city we were to visit and noted down points of interest. The reality was that I saw almost none of what I had planned to see but I did not mind at all. In fact, I liked it better that way. I saw many things I never could have planned to see. There was never a dull moment and there were many moments of impromptu traveling: the perfect way to travel!

For those considering broadening your horizons and making the move over to the UK, I want to let you know that at all times I felt safe. Whether it was in London or anywhere else in the UK I never felt the presence of violence or tension. This said, we were rather protected traveling in numbers and staying in reputable places (however, our Manchester hostel location was questionable as the local newspaper mentioned the area several times in accordance with a robbery and a suspected murder weapon). Feeling safe and comfortable while abroad has a distinctive correlation to your enjoyment so I recommend being travel savvy and playing it safe. It would also be wise to do your research and seek the advice of established local organizations such as myOE (UK office is in London).

Aside from being and extremely helpful organisation the people at myOE are mostly experienced travelers themselves. While on the UK tour, myOE looked after us on all facets. The people at myOE are genuinely good people and they know how to have fun! There was no “us” and “them”, it was about becoming part of the myOE family.    

The myOE UK tour was just a wee nibble of the UK, its cities, and its lifestyle. I am still hungry. I want the UK buffet! So, the UK, wait for me! Just give me some time to get back home and prepare myself for you. I will be back!

Photo: Group A route....

NEW ZEALAND - London - Newcastle - Edinburgh - Moffat - Manchester - Liverpool - Nottingham - Bath - Stonehenge - Brighton - London - Newmarket - London - NEW ZEALAND

Last hour at the myOE guesthouse, London

11th July 2009 (London) 

My fellow myOE UK tour winners are still warmly wrapped in the comfort of the guesthouse beds as I write this.  I on the other hand will be the first to bite the bullet. I must leave in an hour. And yet, I manage to be able to fit in time to blog....I wanted to express my feelings...but it has come to moments of numbness really. I must soon let go of what I have come to know as being 'my life' (all credit going to myOE for the free 2 week trip!). My departure attire includes my newly signed orange "get it:" myOE t-shirt and my race hat in its full voluptuous feathery state...i'm looking random, bright, and exhusted but right now that is the most appropirate look. It sums the whole myOE trip up - random, bright, and exhusting!

Seriously. Travelling the UK with Tristan, Francis, Hayley, Nic, Jenny, Bash (Bash declares his love for one of our group memebers) , Tayah, Alam, Esther, Maria, and Jamie has been a phase in my life which im a bit reluctant to let go of (my body on the other hand will gladly take a break to recover from not enough sleep, too much party-party, and so much travel).

I'm going to make the good-bye as swift as possible. I will take the good memories. I will take the good friends made. I will take the hundreds of photos. I will take the not-so-good times too (just to create a bit of balance). And I will take the myOE UK travel scholarship experience and tune everlasting goodness out of it.

Happy tears.

Beating the odds at the Newmarket races

10^th July 2009 (Brighton – London– Newmarket – London)

How exciting, we finally get out unveil our Newmarket races outfit at the horse races! Well...not quite. But we tried. London traffic really is a nightmare. Never buy a car in London. Never borrow a car in London. Stick with what your good at - the tube – the train – the mega bus if need be. Otherwise, you may just find your self turning up awkwardly late to events such as the Newmarket horse races. Please note fellow humans: London traffic does not cater for those going for the ''fashionably late'' approach. To kill time on the way to the races we played eye-spy, 20 questions, and drank. Our patience was tested km after km and TT suggested we might be better of to go to a London TAB as a compromise. Had we not needed to get the van to Newmarket (full of Group B’s suitcases), I’m pretty sure the only horses we would have seen today would be those on the television. At 5pm we arrived at the horse races. Just in time to watch everyone heading back to their vehicles. But we held our heads high and formed a myOE wall…charging for the race track. As it turns out, the only horses we saw were on the big screen (our London joke had become reality)…I guess the highlights of today’s races was a good way to summarize what we had missed only hours earlier. So despite not seeing any of the actual races, none of us lost any money to ‘educated gambling’ today!

Photo: Newmarket races with Tayah, Hayley, Esther, Jamie, Jenny, Elisa.

But the outfits did not go to complete waste...the lush after-races hotel pub was more than substantial to do a bit of a cat walk. Many old-fogies to impress there.

This was followed by second show (I know, two fashion shows in one day...quiet hectic!) at the Golden Lion where we continued our interminglement with the Group B. Our two groups quickly bonded….and it is a pity we were not able to travel as one big group. It is fair to say the interminglement caused a bit of havoc with some of Group A (and others in Group B) not quite knowing if we were meant to be heading back to London that evening or would be doing another loop of the UK.

Despite a swift goodbye to TT and François, there were still tears. In fact, so swift that I forgot to return the van keys and started heading towards London with them still in my hand. Clutching on to the myOE UK tour for as long as possible I guess. The myOE UK tour was a looooong two weeks and all 12 of us got pretty tight knit in that time. For me, it was two weeks of not enough sleep, too much partying, and so so so much travel. Intense!

Ben, temporarily ditching Group B, wanted to switch to the A team (or so we were lead to believe) and informed us we were to head back to London to experience the true meaning of OE at the guesthouse. And so we did!! Thanks Ben for letting us know what an OE was all about....and what an OE it was!!!  

Stonehenge and BRIGHTon

9th July 2009 (Bath - Stonehenge - Brighton)

Photo: Elisa at the stonehenge, England

Odd rocks. Huge rocks. Mysterious rocks. Yes indeed, it was the Stonehenge. I have always wanted to visit the Stonehenge, I find such structures intriguing - the mystery behind their purpose and the reason those who constructed them did so. And in the Stonehenge case, how they were able to construct it given our knowledge of the limited tools found in the era the Stonehenge was erected. I believe the Stonehenge is in a similar mysterious class to the pyramids in Egypt or the Nazca lines in Peru.  The myOE team spent a few hours at Stonehenge, despite the bitter coldness, having a picnic and recording more video diaries (again, check out the myOE website at a later date to see the finished video diary). When our tolerance for being in the cold seized and all the food was gone, it was time to hit the road again.

A typical day in the Kombi on the road

 As per the norm of the UK tour, we arrived rather late in the day at our final destination - Brighton. Our St Christopher’s hostel was beachfront which meant we were ideally situated to explore the city (myOE sure did pick some good hostels!) I was quiet excited to see what Brighton looked like as it had been the setting of a few novels I had read in the past. The vision I had created whilst reading those novels was a close match to what Brighton actually looked like. Although, I did envisage Brighton to be smaller and more low key. Its beach was pebble, not sand, which I was expecting, but it was still a bit strange walking on the pebble beach and getting sore feet with each step.   

Photo: Jamie, Nic, Hayley, and Tristan in Brighton. New pier on the left.

Brighton’s Old pier and New pier (just like a city has Old town/ New town combinations) were a highlight. The New pier was a full-on carnival / fun fair attraction while the Old pier was derelict; however, it was once what the New pier is today. It was the carnival atmosphere and the beach which made Brighton a unique stop on our UK tour….not just another city…but a city with an edge to it. Brighton sure was bright, BRIGHT because it is apparently the gay capital of Europe. We didn’t check out that side of the city, but appreciated that it was there all the same.   

We had what was dubbed our ‘’last supper’’ at a place called Fat Leo’s not too far from the hostel but more inland. Accordingly, we went all out (and at the good value this place was, we could afford to do so). Entrees, mains, deserts, and many bottles of wine were consumed. On a mission to get to the club Sam had recommended before the lines got out of control there was a wee bit of wine sculling, which I’m not a fan of, but it had to be done all the same. We headed back down to the beach and clubbed the night away at Honey Comb Club. It had three different music rooms – Indy, R&B, and ?? – which was perfect for our big group as everyone was satisfied that way. Despite our exhaustion, the pressure was on to make it another good night….live it while you still can I guess! By about 2am I called it quits, headed home, and piggy backed Nic up to the comforts of rattling metal hostel bunk beds.

Bath: The running tour

 9th July 2009 (Bath)

 

Due to the intense travel life of the myOE UK tour my half marathon training is only slightly behind schedule. Just one 16km run forgotten about. I lie. I didn’t forget. It was more a case of being outweighed by the opportunity to scope the sites of the UK cities and countryside. 

Not to worry, TT has prompted a new business venture to mix a busy travel itinerary and a healthy lifestyle. Running tours. I tested out the new strategy this morning...running the river side, Victoria Park, Royal crescent, the Circus, and many-a-vintage streets. If fact, the complete Bath tour was done in about an hour - photos included. Yet, unlike the movie Yes Man, I stood still to take photos. Tend to find the quality of them is (slightly) better when being still rather than in motion when snapping away. The fact that Bath is a rather small and compact city (categorized as a city I am not actually sure?!) made it an ideal location to pioneer/debut the Running Tour venture. 

The circus and the royal crescent were both equality impressive. Thanks to the friendly lad from the bakery inside the Guildhall market I am able to expand your knowledge beyond the visuals of these two elite residential areas of bath. Firstly, the Royal Crescent is the bigger, more prestigious, more expensive big sister (they are so elegant and charming I would rather connote them as being female buildings) of the Circus. There are 24 houses overlooking Victoria park, each which comes with a price tag of 4million pounds (about NZ$10million to put it in perspective).  The royal crescent was so big I struggled to capture the length of it in one photo. The circus, I thought, was much cuter as it was less exposed and was tightly formed (in a donut shape). From the outside of the ring, the Circus is much more impressive as one can see just how huge it is! Apparently, rumor has it, Nicholas Cage owns house 3 or 7 (one with out a number as apparently, rumor has it, he removed the number to be more phantom). Also, apparently, rumor has it, according to bakery boy; Johnny Deep also owns a house out in the countryside of Bath.   

Photo: The Royal Crescent

I found Bath to be an adorable city, chocked full of boutique stores – which I love. For example the sausage shop a few meters away from our St Christopher’s Hostel sold prune& cognac, lamb & mint, Thai, Greek, and chestnut flavoured sausages to name a few. There was a shop selling door knobs. A shop selling hats (unfortunately out of our prices range for the Newmarket races). Like I said, Bath has a boutique and vintage feel to it which is something modern day has lost to the department store frenzy. But even so, Bath managed to camouflage its department store (“Gully’s” if I remember rightly) well amongst the rest of the city. Bath was also full of friendly people – the bakery boy for one – and the woman who sold me item number seven of my Newmarket races outfit at the Guildhall market. It was here I picked up oversized bright orange feathers (I had become accustomed to the feathers I initially purchased in Manchester….they just weren’t Va Va Voom enough anymore) and an invitation to come live/work in Bath in future. It was pleasing to hear from a local’s mouth that Bath appreciates young people choosing to live and work here – bringing with them an education and an attitude to enjoy Bath just as the locals do.  Despite all my finds at the Guildhall market, the market itself wasn’t that fantastic. It was extremely old (a Roman building) and had been deemed a heritage site. Aside from that, it was small and housed pretty random stores (such as the $2 type store where I picked up the feathers).  

Back to the hostel, its location was primo. Right in the heart of it all. Which made it ideal as we were all pretty buggered by this stage of our trip and we (well I) was happy everything was right there on our doorstep. The hostels location was not its only good point….it also had some neat views from it’s ‘’chill-out’’ room upstairs. Well that’s if you manage to see out its dirty windows. The dirt mustn’t be too hindering as Tayah and Hayley decided to spend the night up there. I guess they were eager to see the sunrise over the Bath hills and wanted to be right there when it happened?!  

It was in Bath that the “hop-on hop-off” bus tour looked the silliest. We had seen in it almost all other cities we had visited, but I thought this touristy mode of sight-seeing looked out of place in Bath. It just looks so uninvolved, especially for a small city. After internally criticizing the double decker bus, I reflected on my own situation. Was I too looked at as a typical silly tourist...running around in my bright orange clothing yelling “Get it: Live it”. As much as I tried to justify my distance from the sort of tourists on that hop-on hop-off bus, I couldn’t deny I was one of them….only I didn’t use the bus. Thankfully, the myOE Kombi was my main mode of transport, and for that reason alone, I felt less cliché than those hop-on hop-off bus people.  

It has not just been in Bath where I have encountered this strange problem, but several locations throughout the UK have questioned my ability to turn a tap on! It was here again in Bath, at the ASK restaurant on Broad street (very nice by the way and well priced) that I was unable to rinse my hands – which by this point were coated in soap. Sure, sure, the soap did hinder my strength as I was slipping and sliding all over the chrome fittings, but really!? Was I this behind the times in modern day fittings?? It seemed so. I was unable to recognize what exactly to turn/pull/push/twist on some of the tap fittings as they were too advanced for what I had ever been exposed to. I was especially concerned after a drink or two…wondering...does this indicate that I am over my limit!?! I blame it on the savvy, the “keeping up with the Jones’s” type, and the hip.  But at the end of the day (or the end of what must of seemed like a rather long toilet session for those waiting for me on the other side of the toilet walls) I had many great times discovering modern bathroom fittings whilst washing my hands.

On the road: Kombi with a K style

It was appropriate at this point in our trip that the heat wave London was experiencing (and being a summer baby, I was loving the heat) was now retreating. Time to keep trekking on. Newcastle here we come!  

Photo: on the road- Kombi styles

3^rd July 2009 (London - Newcastle)

 

With 460km to drive on day one of the roadie, we decided upon an early 7am departure. This was pushed back to 7.30am when we discovered TT our trusty tour guide was having a breakfast feast at the Hammersmith hotel he was lodging at. Once all buckled up, we zoomed up the countryside, stopping only for lunch at a 13^th Century pub called The Black Bull in a wee village named Boroughbride (corner of the streets called Saint Helena and New Row). A bit of banter with some elderly local men in combination with the pubs very low ceilings made for a cozy and tasteful lunch. Eager to reach our final destination, we pushed on through, with most of the crew indulging in more vertical vehicle sleep.   

The YHA hostel in Newcastle did not quite have a central city location, but making the most of the location regardless, we discovered Jesmond Dene nearby. A very old (it had ruins of old water mills from pioneers prior to the industrial revolution) and large park with a mystical/ Shakespearean feel to it. The river running through the middle of the park sliced it long ways, leaving rather hilly banks on either side. Jesmond Dene made for a very relaxing running track...running from end to end along the riverside and crossing the old stone arch bridges as required and desired. It was good to stretch the legs after a long day on the road and to burn up an appetite for our Italian dinner (which turned out to be quite-a-find as it was also a hot spot with locals – or at least the glammed up young ladies of the city). 

 

4^th July 2009 (Newcastle – Edinburgh)

  

Because the Kombi can only accommodate for 3 passengers (legally) we have been chopping and changing our seating arrangements so everyone has a bit of change of scenery. Today was my first journey in the kitted out Kombi – it has an in-car computer, internet, an amazing GPS system (refer to tour guide Tristan's blog titled “a jersey from Moffat” for more on the amazing GPS system), and a new gearbox too apparently (which also proved to add some entertainment to the trip in the form of stalling too often and coasting the highway/ round abouts/ city centers until the gear (any gear) could be found). As we wandered through the countryside and along the coast en route from Newcastle to Edinburgh the theme song of the vehicle was appropriately on repeat....”We're on the road to nowhere” by Talking Heads.

Not far out of Newcastle we stopped in at the massive rustic structure known as the Angel of the North for a geez/ photos/ and the filming of the first of our video diaries. I believe that our video diaries will be up on the myOE website  once edited / all put together by Nic (group A film guru).

We moved on from the Angel and attempted another to see another attraction with Biblical connotation – Holy Island. Apparently we missed it by 8 hours due to the low-high tide movements. Hmm. Never mind, off to the beach! Those brave/ mad / prepared with swimwear went for a quick pre-lunch swim. After spending close to a week with 30oC+ weather in London, it was refreshing (and homely) to be able to twinkle our toes in the beach water. No time to tan though, we had some off-the-beaten-track driving to do and wanted to get some “Kombi driving in the middle of nowhere”  footage before we continued on our way to Amble for lunch at the Wellwood arms where again we encountered locals. The Wellwood arms was pumping various Aqua songs and the “a pizza hut, a pizza hut, Kentucky fried chicken, and a pizza hut” song when we arrived...to our relief this was not the norm. Inside there were many wee girls in pink frocks celebrating a birthday and their somewhat boozy parents outside enjoying the sun. It was the older parental group who, according to us myOE'ers, represented the local community. We met Mr bon-fire, who proceeded to tell the tale of his burnt bottom, and gave us a sneak-peek too. Well, to be honest, it wasn’t a sneak-peek.....he kept his daks down for longer than any visitors to an English seaside village should have to deal with. We exchanged a myOE.com sweat band for his used plaster and eagerly got back in the vans. Edinburgh, here we come!  

Photo: Angel of the North, Newcastle

Upon arrival at Edinburgh, and before checking-in at the St Christopher’s hostel,  the expectation was to down a bottle of our ''welcome to Edinburgh'' concoction of pimms, vodka, and lemonade. As the myOE crew gathered, we started running out of containers to use, so had to resort to using an empty plastic triangle sandwich container (which, for  future reference, you can purchase at the gas/service station). A speedy check-in, refresh, and dinner meant the night could really get started. However, for some of us (well, actually only me) the enthusiasm of being in Edinburgh was too much for one night as we proceeded on with bar-hopping. Rose ,street, Hanover street, and the surrounding area was our play area for the night......but we all know play time can end badly if you don’t play sensibly. You know you have been defeated when you (A) end up in the wrong room at the end of the night, or (B) end up in the wrong bed, or (C) end up in bed with someone you should not be in bed with (Bash, you are a sexy man indeed!), or (D) your roommates feel at ease when a spew-bucket is placed next to you, or (E) all of the above. Unfortunately for me, Edinburgh starts with an E.

On a more sophisticated note, I caught up with an old friend, Doug, whom had been my neighbour three yeas prior in the Netherlands while we were both on an university exchange. It was great to exchange stories in person of what had and hadn’t changed in our lives over the years. Evidently, not much had changed apart for the fact that we have now both finished with our studies and have started to pursue our chosen careers. I always enjoy seeing foreign friends again as you remember that the last time you said goodbye to them you didn’t know when, or if, you would ever see them again. Also, there is always an airy feeling to such a catch up as you are often only mentally familiar with seeing them in the place you first met. When meeting up on non-common turf I often have this feeling of ''wow, this is bizarre, but cool....like what are we both doing here!?''. Travel – you just can’t experience such euphoric  feelings any other way.

  5^th July 2009 (free day in Edinburgh)

 

Waking at a healthy hour, in an unhealthy state is never good news. But, as my mother once lectured one Sunday during my teen years, ''if you can’t handle your drink, you shouldn’t drink''. Going on that advice, and being rather self-disciplined, I signed up for a morning walk up Arthur’s seat for some city views with Hayley and her Edinburgh-residing friend Sam. I enjoy cites where walking everywhere is do-able, and Edinburgh is one such city. We walked along The Royal Mile and through some of its adjacent streets, which are an attraction in themselves. The architecture, style, and atmosphere of the streets and their buildings are worth taking the time to inhale and inspect. I feel Edinburgh is  one of those cities which is best observed when standing still at any one point and looking in all directions possible to capture all the details which make up the whole. Up, down, across, around, forward, backward, angled....push your neck to its limits!     

Photo: Up Arthur's seat, overlooking Edinburgh

The Grassmarket, although small, passive, and seemingly unassuming, was another hit with me. It’s predominately kitsch and vintage stalls were adorned with hidden treasures only patience (or pure luck) would discover. Should I lever ive in Edinburgh, it would be certain that my house would be scattered with Grassmarket finds.  But it was not only the stalls which made the Grassmarket and attraction, there was also music and folk dancing, and summer fruits with ice-cream. Also, a view of the Edinburgh castle could be found from one end of the market as the market was located at the foot of the hill which the castle rests upon.

All-in-all I found Edinburgh to be a friendly and relaxing city (especially the old town)  whose old age provided for a visual treat. It was also a city which sent out positive vibes, whether this was bagpipes acting as your morning wake up call, or the hearty Scottish accent at your local. The street entertainers are always a hit, and Edinburgh is one such city whose main pedestrian streets are street performer friendly. The weekend while the myOE unit visited, I saw a man lay on his back on a bed of nails, placed a block of concrete on his back, and had a innocent bystander smash the concrete block with a sledge hammer. This was of course his greatest act, but he had many other tricks such as juggling machetes and toying with fire in ways which would make a firer fighter cringe.  

6th July 2009 (Edinburgh – Manchester)

No time to fluff around, today is another day on the road again. 4 hours of driving apparently. But we fluffed around. A lot. It started with the myOE team heading up to the Edinburgh castle for a wee bit of promo work. Unfortunately we were too slow off the gun to capture anything and we were not allowed to film/ take photos on what was classified as a heritage site (or something like that....bureaucrats). But off the record, and for our own personal use, we were able to snap away. All wearing our bright orange myOE t-shirts to the castle was a bit of a coincidence I guess.   

Photo: Painting the Edinburgh castle orange!

After stalling the Kombi enough times to get out of the city center, off to Manchester it was! Manchester in Scotland apparently as it turned out. After re-programming the GPS we were doing well again. Or so we thought. Here is a typical 'road to nowhere' scene. Bugger the main road, the GPS knows a short-cut...and lead us astray through the residential area of a Pebbles. Bugger the roads, the GPS registers that we are driving through the fields! Bugger the GPS, were going old school....back to life before technology, also known as a map. Funnily enough, most New Zealanders have never known anything other than the old school map. As a New Zealander who has experienced travel in the UK with a GPS, I would recommend keeping those old school skills handy to deal to any disobedient GPSs you’re teamed up with.  

GPS issues aside,  it was a closed highway that redirected us once again and this is how we stumbled across old ruins of Neidpath castle and a town called Moffat. Tranquil and tweedful Moffat. For the passengers in the Kombi that day (TT, Hayley, Nic, Tayah, and myself), Moffat was a hit. Having already lost time on the road due to the GPS we intended to stop in for a quick lunch. This turned into a 2 hour Moffat affair. I will say no more, but suggest you abandon the main highways to discover the beautiful countryside that brings you to the gem called Moffat. The part of today’s adventure that gives me the biggest buzz is knowing that the Kombi encountered terrain and routes (such as the B721 and residential Pebbles) that the Kombi will probably never encountered again. This ad hoc nature of road tripping is the secret to discovering the well kept secrets and undiscovered spots of any country. A disorganised journey is a priceless journey!    

Theoretically the trip was to take 4 hours; practically it took us more at least double this. It was a relief to finally arrive in Manchester and driving up Newton Street (where our hostel was located) was an even bigger relief. One could never have guessed it, but the GPS lead us to the wrong Newton Street..... a dead-end street which housed the probation center. Another half hour passed by on the road battling with the GPS until we actually, finally, thankfully, set foot in Hatters Hostel.   

7^th July 2009 (Manchester – Liverpool – Derby - Nottingham)

 

As it turned out, Hatters was located in a somewhat dodgy area...which made for great second hand clothes shopping! The few hours we did have the next morning while in Manchester I spent rummaging through the second-hand stores. Off course I didn't have enough time to devour them all, but I would rather desire more than be satisfied in this case. It means my next trip to Manchester will have greater purpose – unfinished second hand browsing business. It was here, at Affleck’s Palace (a four story new and used/ vintage/ punk/ retro/ accessories/ clothing store on Oldham street), that I picked up article four (dress – always good to wear clothes) and five (feathers and ribbon for my hat) of my Newmarket horse races outfit. I had picked up article one (hat – key piece which would dictate the look I was to achieve), two (shoes), and three (handbag) yesterday at a second hand clothing store in Moffat.  

Manchester, city of red brick, home to the Coronation St set, such a mysterious city I wish I could explore more of. Apparently it also has the biggest park (Heaton pack) in Europe (the hostel receptionist told me this so don't quote me). I discovered more of the city whilst reading the local paper in the car....it seems Manchester is a city of alcohol, drugs, and crime. Possible an explanation for the red bricks!? Bad joke. I did have a laugh, however, when I read about a 20 year-old post man from Manchester who burnt about 400 letters and packages he was meant to deliver because he was too hung over to deliver them. On no, the youth of today!   

The oldies of today, on the other hand, are a respectable bunch. We met up with new found retiree friend Dave (who was befriended at the Newcastle hostel days earlier) in Liverpool for an afternoon Beatles tour. Driving into the city, I couldn't help but notice the many houses which appeared abandoned as the windows and door were boarded up. As it turned out the former house of one of the Beatles was in the same state, in preparation of demolition. Making way for bigger and better things – as our generation seems to do very well at. Among other Beatles associated attractions, we cruised past the old school that Dave and some of the Beatles attended, the strawberry fields, and Penny Lane.   

Photo: Iconic Penny Lane, Liverpool

Derby was our dinner destination for the night. Derby (like most of the world) was using the recession as an advertising opportunity where “all you can eat” means “only two courses, but so much food you cant even eat it all''. It was pleasing to see Alam satisfied with the curry he had after being disappointed with the curry he had in Edinburgh. I find it so fun that each of us myOE UK tour winners had our own little personal missions....and for Alam, this was to enjoy all the curry he could whilst in the UK. For me....well....everyday was a mission of its own.   

It was a long day, and the GPS (once again) didn't seem to make it any quicker. Not far from Derby we took the wrong exit from a round-a-bout which forced us to U-turn. As a result, the Kombi and the rental van got more intimate than their metal panels allowed for. Oops. Blame it on the GPS!! We stayed the night in Igloo hostel in Nottingham, which I felt was appropriately named as there sure were a lot of us in a small space! Although it was nice to have the whole myOE group together in one room, there are limits as to how many bunk beds you should squeeze into one room. Nonetheless, it was cozy.  

8^th July 2009 (Nottingham – Bath) 

Feeling frisky (and noticing my half marathon training was not going according to plan) I woke early for a bit of fresh air and a jog. To be honest, it was hard to find the fresh air as I was running along was seemed like a main road in search of a park. I landed upon Woodthorpe Grange Park, which provided a nice setting to run in and I was able to read up on a bit of Nottingham’s history on the park entrance board.

Feeling energised and in theme with the past few days, second-hand clothes shopping was on the cards! It seems the “taste of UK life'' tour had turned into a ''UK op-shop rampage”...and I was loving it. Article six (gloves – who knew I even needed them!?) for my Newmarket horse races outfit was found not far from the hostel.

I had signed up to do some of the driving, and today was another leg where I took charge. But, the GPS took charge of me! Having a few communication problems (between the GPSs visuals and my interpretation of its visuals) I accidentally drove us into Bristol. Oops. This was not such a wise idea as rush hour was approaching. Ah well, another city ticked off the list I guess. Not that im counting...... 

London antics: the sequel

My first (and only until this trip) time in London was back in the summer of 2006. It was just a stop-over between destinations and I was advised a two week stay would be adequate. It must have been about day three and I'd had enough. I did not like London. The hostel was unwelcoming. The currency exchange was rubbish. 

1^st July 2009

 

We scrapped a day-trip to Oxford (TT making some executive calls regarding the itinerary) in favour of a free day exploring London which was to be followed later by a Brenton led pub-crawl.  

Keen on seeing what the changing of the guards was all about, Nic, Alam, Jenny, and I headed to Buckingham palace for the 11.30am start. I was expecting one guard doing a wee jig and swapping positions with another guard while swishing his gun in a disciplined manner. However, the event was much more than a two man battle and took well over half an hour. The brass band managed to turn the formal proceedings into more a disco affair playing several well known English tunes such as Yellow Submarine by the Beatles and Celebrations by Robbie Williams. 

Tate Modern was also conquered today, an attraction I had read and heard much about. The great thing about London is that most museums are free!! It was only one special exhibition level of Tate Modern that came with a price, but I found the free levels of Tate Modern more than enough for one day. I enjoy contemporary art museums such as Tate as I find the longer I am in one, the more normal everything appears. My personal favourite (although not completely warped) was the installation titled “30 pieces of silver”.  

The sun hadn't even begun to sink by the time we arrived at Lamb & Flag (Westminster area) where the pub crawl was described as being “astronomical” - TT. This may have had something to do with the fact that Lamb & Flag was a typical English pub full of locals and its outside terrace spilled out into the alley way which gains access to the pub. Or maybe the pub crawl was astronomical because the wall of spirits was so hearty that the shelf which housed the Grand Mariner fell onto the register as it was rung. Or maybe, just maybe, the simple act of being submerged in London pub life was astronomical!?

Photo: Happy campers Alam and Bash at one of the many London pubs

2^nd July 2009

 

London antics

London, London, London, where to start!? I often find when I am in large cities I feel disorientated by their vast size. The amount of things to see and do in London is incomprehensible. The city is buzzing day and night and no one individual (I believe) can keep up. London’s personality is contagious and unstoppable and will engulf you whole should you go against its forces.

But then again, I am not conditioned to deal with big cities. My home town has a mere 7500 inhabitants. Size aside, the pace of life in London is another difference I am not used to. Let us pretend that there is a 10 lane highway….the Te Puke vehicle is cruising contently in the 2^nd lane, overtaking only those vehicles from places which do not use conventional motor vehicles. London on the other hand is zooming along in mostly the 9^th and 10^th lane, throttle to the floor, overtaking all in its way. But, you will love London for it. This is life in London after all.

29^th June 2009

The myOE tour kicked off with a nice wee ‘heat wave’ and the fat tire bike tour. Four hours of early afternoon cycling through some of London’s central parks (Kensington, Hyde, St James) was a great way to set our bearings. We passed many note-worthy monuments and iconic buildings including the war memorials at the Hyde park corner, Westminster Abbey, Downing St, Princess Diana memorial, and caught a glimpse of the Big Ben from a distance. The bike tour also included a summarized history lesson on London/England which would have been well digested for those into history.

All-in-all it was an excellent idea from myOE to do the bike tour on day one as it gave us an overview of London and introduced us to many points of interest which we could explore in greater depth later. I recommend anyone to do such a tour – it is a great way to see a lot of the city in a short amount of time. Also, unlike an open-top bus tour, a bike tour means you are able to access more secluded places and take the time to enjoy the scenery/monument (such as to the princess Diana memorial in Hyde park).

After a few hours exercising in 30oC (hottest day of the year to-date apparently) it was time to freshen up. Breeze. Boat. Beer. Three key words. Tristan our trusty tour guide lead us to the Thames to a bar on a boat (opposite the London Eye) where we spent the next couple of hours talking smack and enjoying the ambiance (not the colour of the Thames however). We were later joined by Brenton (myOE royalty) who announced “well, I’ve done my job here” when the second drink was spilt. That was our cue – time to mop up our drinks and move on….

Photo: Breeze. Boat. Beer. The tattershall Castle.

We ventured across the river to get up close and personal with the London Eye shortly after 8pm. We love the long hours of summer light here! All 12 of us comfortably got into a ‘capsule’ (with plenty of room to move…the London Eye is mammoth) and spent the duration of our ride in the Eye setting up tripods/self timers/camera settings/poses! The view up and down the Thames and across the horizon was only limited by our knowledge of London’s architecture – there are so many impressive buildings of varying significance it was hard for us London virgins to identify them. It was apparent we were not yet A+ students when it came to knowing London’s layout. However, the half hour elevated view are A+. If you are keen for a quick wedding- you can get married in the London Eye too apparently.

It was whilst up in the London Eye that Tristan (TT) declared “bags not being the tour guide!!”. Not that it worried us, we were fine with the 'go with the flow' attitude TT had been using to date. This is going to one fun tour!

Deciding to take an alternative mode of transport home to the guesthouse - the bus - may not have been the best decision at this point in time as it took too long for our hungry and tired bodies. But it was another adventure all the same. (Note to self: Slow and scenic with time to spare = bus.  If it is dark and you want to get home quickly = tube. If you think your classy and rich = black cab). However, we got a few kicks out of taking the bus home, and hopefully you will too next time you see a bus driver en route to Hammersmith sporting a bright orange myOE.com sweat band!

Photo: Busing it home to Hammersmith with the tired myOEers

30^th June 2009

It is all the little things that you have never encountered before that make a trip an eye-opening experience. All the little things add up....and before you know it, your whole view/mind-set on a place, a culture, or an event has changed. I like to take a step back from my surroundings and take the time to observe all the little things, and this is exactly what I did this morning when I couldn't sleep. Another short sleep (less than 5 hours) meant I woke early enough to watch a bit of sign language music television video clips whilst laying in bed at the guesthouse (a luxury I've never had – a television in my bed room). It was on channel “4music” if I recall correctly, Chris Brown doing his thing, and a little man in a red sweater in the bottom right corner of the screen was using sign language to communicate the lyrics. The red sweatered man also broke out into interpreted sign language dance moves. I was thinking at the time how wonderful it was that music videos cater for the deaf and how the sign language dance moves would be a good way to bring some fresh moves to the dance floor....

Photo: Elisa and Tayah in London

It is now, the second full day together as a group, that we are getting to know the ins and outs of each other. It is always a bit of a risk putting ten strangers together and hoping that they will connect in a positive way. But I feel our group (the originators – the first group of the first year of the myOE UK tour), despite of vast differences, have bonded extremely well. And fast. We are discovering many mutual commonalities, such as mutual friends, favourite hang outs, music tastes, and in the case of TT and Jamie - a “mutual baby”. How two people have a “mutual baby” is a bit of a mystery, but it can happen! MyOE can make it happen!!

Any fresh blood to London/UK should indulge in seeing the essential sites. This includes Primark (or Pennys as it is known in Ireland). Your one-stop-shop for cheap and (probably) unethically made clothing and accessories. It was unsurprising that some of the girls were keen, but, surprisingly it was the boys who got the biggest kick out of Primark shopping! Upon our return home I can just imagine conversations as follows...

Friend: “Oh wow, thats a cool shirt! Where did you get it from?”

myOE UK tour winner: “Thanks. Actually I got it from the UK, London in fact!”

Friend: (impressed)

myOE UK tour winner: (smug)

We found ourselves in the Nottinghill vicinity in the afternoon awaiting the celebrity tour. Oh wow, there is the house Madonna tried to buy but didn't. WOW! Robbie Williams tried to buy the bed from this hotel but didn't. There is the Robbie William's front door (at the bottom of the hill about 100m, its black). Wow! This was the blue door from the movie Nottinghill (it is now painted cream). Victoria Beckham once bought a dress from this Oxfam store. Wow. There is Elle McPherson's house – it is for sale, got a spare few million pounds anyone!?

There are some things in life which you just need to do once in life to reach satisfaction.. There are other things which do not add any value to your life so you need not bother doing it. Sadly, the general feeling from our group was that the Nottinghill celebrity tour was the latter. It may have something to do with our origins (NZ and Australian) and that we don't really value the tabloids and celebrity happenings. But on a more positive note – we have reviewed the tour for you and saved you many pennys!

One good thing that did come from the Nottinghill celebrity tour was that we passed a pub called the Duke of Wellington which we promptly headed to once the tour had finished. So much walking deserves a bit of a sit down. The beer was optional but we found it was required to counter the heat. Life is pretty tough these days.

The evening found us at the Jack the Ripper tour. For anyone considering doing this tour note the following points. 1. Become familiar with bodily parts to make the most of the tour guides descriptive facts and to ensure a good visual experience. 2. Use only a discreet camera and take only a reasonable amount of photos (our chief photographer TT was publicly told to ease up on the shutter action about 3 times). 3. There are no pub stops along the way.

In addition to Jack's life story, the tour also took us for a wander through London including the Old Spitalfields market – where the tour ended. Phew. What a long day! Not too long though. Still time for the boozer. Accordingly, we headed to the Ten Bells, the pub where Jack used to source his prey (the prostitutes). I found it rather fitting to see scribbled amongst the graffiti in the Ten Bells toilets the words....

"catch me if you can"

 All the little things.

Touch down in London town

29 June 2009

 Top O' the morning to ya!

 
Its currently 4.37am Monday morning June 29th, 2009. I was hoping I would be able to have some shut eye until 5.30am at the earliest but not all things can be controlled in life. I guess the uncontrollables create the fun moments, the spice of our days, and the ad hoc direction of our lives.

 
Having flown across 12 time zones five days prior, there is nothing unsuspecting of blogging at such an hour. Jet lag is a wonderful warp on the body's circadian rhythms. Not only are the hours of light and dark contrary to what I had become accustomed to in New Zealand, but the rapid shift from middle-of winter to middle-of-summer means the hours of light are also at other ends of the pole. Not that I'm complaining about it being summer time! But that is precisely why life is somewhat sporadic at the moment - daylight (perhaps also referred to as ''civil twighlight'' - Bash) has broken around 4.15am in London at this time of year.

 
The majority of the other members of the group flew in only yesterday, I'm surprised by their lack of erradic sleeping hours. Or, maybe, after sleeping in the tiny alloted airplane seat space for the past 24 hours, the beds here at myOE are just too lush to move. On that note, let me introduce you to myOE and its guesthouse located in Hammersmith, London....

 
I arrived at the guesthouse at about 1pm (after taking the tube for an hour from Stratford - East London - where I had been staying my first few days here in London) to met the rest of the myOE UK tour winners group to find them hitting the beers in the spacious (we're talking London here) backyard. Troopers! They had only just flown in 7.20am that morning and had Tristan our tour guide egging us on - drinking is a sure fire way to beat old Mr Jet lag. Apparently.

 
We had a round of introductions and background checks. Check check. Everyone is legit. The group is only as normal as its oddest fellow, and it is evident early in a game, we are all odd fellows one-way or another. Odd in a positive way of course. This is going to add for a great adventure through the UK (see my previous blog entry for the tour destinations). Being here is unreal. The only feeling I can liken the myOE UK tour to thus far (and its only day one!) is that of school camps. This is a London/UK based camp for graduates!? Maybe. I often have shorts internal moments wondering to myself ''what am I doing here?'', ''what am I doing in life?'', ''when did life become so crazy?''. These are all positive curiosities stemming from feelings of euphoria. Life is gooood.

 
The myOE kombi van pulled up outside the guesthouse later in the afternoon. And what a sexy kombi at that! This is what one classifies as ''authentic'' road tripping wheels. Ohhhh yeah! Can't wait to get the machine ripping up some UK highway.

Photo: the Kombi parked up outside the myOE guesthouse

 
The myOE guesthouse is not classified as a hostel - and rightly so. This joint is classy, clean, equipped, and modern. I have been allocated room six. A small but adequate room on the second floor overlooking Lena Gardens tarmac. Other rooms have double beds and en suites, but room six and its single bed does the trick. After all, student life was not one of abundant money so luxuries were just that, luxuries. Anything bigger than a single bed (or a room that fits more than a single bed) is a bit of a luxury I guess and a majority of my University life was spent sleeping on a single bed. Hey, im only one person, right!? Each room is kitted out with heaps of storage space, a television, a DVD player, a desk, a way more mirrors than required - but they are refreshing all the same. Speaking of refreshing, fresh linen on the bed was pretty delicious to climb into last night to relieve tired and bloodshot eyes. The guesthouse has everything one needs upon arrival to perk up and get into the swing of life in London. The myOE guesthouse has all the modcons, a fully equipped kitchen with space to spare, internet and printing, laundry, an outside sun room, and covered bbq area, and chrome toilet seats! Nice.

 
After many-a-beers and a round of cocktails concocted by Tristan (of course) we heading around the corner for a graze of Curry for dinner at Le Cinnamon on Sheppard's Bush Road. We had 007 (also known as Alam) as our chief ordered and curry connoisseur. Our appetites were not particularly mammoth (a side effect of jet lag) but we very much appreciated the high standard of service which included after-dinner hot towelettes to wipe our hands. Aside for getting such towelettes on an aero plane - this was a first for me. Im feeling rather special here!

  
First impressions... it is safe to say they were good impressions. Bring it on United Kingdom!

Educated and unemployed - life as a graduate on the move.

19 June 2009 

"Pens down!" I sat at the conclusion of my last ever 3 hour university exam yesterday, waiting. Waiting for a wave of emotions to overwhelm me. To immobilise me. To my dismay nothing erupted. No emotion. No joy. No sorrow. Numbness. I guess when the process of graduating has taken 4 1/2 years we graduates have had plenty of time to become accustomed with our new status.

Speaking of which, what is my new status? Officially, unemployed. The declaration in the occupation component on my departure/arrivals card with undoubtedly and honestly read ''unemployed''.

Nonetheless, hope is on the horizon. I'm off to the UK in a few days time to scope out employment prospects and lifestyle options in London, Oxford, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Manchester, Nottingham, Bath, and Brighton. MyOE has put together an epic itinerary which shall see the tour zooming through all these destinations in a two week timeframe. Time is of the essence!

On the face of it, it appears to be a relaxing trip on my part as everything is organised and arranged for the tour participants - we just have to show face and have a good time! But do not be deceived by the amount of (niggling and surprising) things to organise. I have lay in bed on countless nights undertaking a very useful strategy which shall (or at least help) ensure a smooth transition (from unemployed and unproductive to unemployed and on tour of the UK). The strategy is ''visualisation''. It is the same strategy I was taught when competing in athletics in my more youthful years. Ok, so maybe visualising a ''UK tour'' and ''competing in athletics'' are slightly different concepts, but the principals are the same.

An example of the visualising strategy includes what to wear? This prompts me to visualise what would be appropriate...practical aspects.....the weather...the occasions. Shorts in summer would be a good start. This leads me to recall the state of my legs after a few months of winter wear. Note to self: book an appointment at the beauty salon to get legs waxed. Summer demands sun protection. Note to self: dig out summer essentials, hat, sun block, sunglasses. And so the snowball of preparatory ideas evolves.

Ok, so that is a pretty superficial example, but the point has been made. Visualise every possible scenario, potential problems, opportunities to seize which require you to be prepared for etc. I recommend using the visualisation strategy in accordance with other information such as that provided by myOE for anyone travelling - no matter the experience, distance, duration, location, or group size. Not being appropriately prepared for any trip can cause huge frustrations...but at the same time, don't be too prepared...it is all a matter of balance.

On a more immediate note, I'm packing up life in my university city. My flat is one 5th empty. My soccer team is one member down. Sayonara Hamilton. Hasta la vista, baby!

Winning a free UK OE!

 Early June 2009

I first heard about the competition to win a free OE to the UK via an email sent out by my University, Waikato University. Waikato was one of the 20 fortunate institutions across New Zealand and Australia participating in the competition created by myOE. The twist was, entrants were (highly encouraged) to make a video as part of the application. Having fiddled around with my standard 5.0 mega pixel digital camera, I decided to take the challenge on. I set my academic priorities on low-drive and dedicated a few days of my life to making and editing my video application.

And here I am - I won! Must say, creating the video was the most entertaining application I have ever filled out. My video involved a Lego woman, ABBA music, myself and the flat mates dressing up as animals in our backyard, and a monopoly board. Let your imagination go wild!! Alternatively, you can view my entry video (helpful resource for those thinking to enter the competition in future) as myOE featured it as one of the best video entries! Mine is the second one down, the one with the die.

So it brings me to this date - a few weeks after hearing the glorious news - sitting in the library. Nope, not quiet in the UK....yet! Lectures, tutorials, and exams shall put a closure to my degree come on the 18th of June and will open me up to the professional world. First stop, testing the waters of London, Manchester, Bath, and Brighton to name a few....

I am also fortunate enough to be able to head over to London a few days prior to the departure of the two week tour. This will allow me to recuperate and adjust to the mammoth time difference...wouldn't want to be off to a tired start. I have planned to stock up on anti-jet lag remedies and have a couple of no-doz pills by my side for those "need to be awake right now" moments.

Now that i'm on the topic of preparation plans, I must mention I am also currently in training for a half marathon (Taupo, August 2nd). Needless to say my running gears will be reserved a place in my suitcase. I hope my fellow explorers are keen to rip up some footpath on a few early morning runs. Either way, I have warned them :)

All-in-all the trip is going to be bigger than myself. The people I will meet. The experiences I shall encounter. The networks which open up. It's all going to be grand!