MyTravels

Ta-da!

Make sure you re-visit all the photo album links on the left-hand side... I am adding more pics from NZ, Fiji and OZ....

graci MLD :-)

MLD World Tour 2005

04.03.2005 - Farewell NZ

Cheers!

To end this unbelievable, once in a lifetime adventure through New Zealand, I thought I would describe my last night in NZ with some Kiwi expressions/words, eh?   

No worries mates, if you get totally lost, check out the web link at the bottom of this post!   This final N-Zed post is dedicated to those who are bored at work, think of this as a sort of interactive/learning experience to help you kill some time if you have some!

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My last night in Christchurch was a beaut!   Around 6pm, our Magic group of 7 had a bun-fight in the hostel.   It is not often you get 3 young blokes to cook for you and not greasies either, I am talkin' rice, vegetables and chicken!   We had enough rice left over to feed a small island in Asia, but it was all good...

Neel convinced us to go to a few gay clubs and we had a wicked time!!   There were a few in our group that were boohai, but they did not want to be wet blankets!   One thing was for certain at the gay clubs-- the music was choice and the club was flash!

I am happy to report that I have finally stopped overdosing on the lolly and the crisps!   Well, I did have one more Cadbury w/Caramel yesterday as a departing gift to myself!    It has taken me about 3 weeks, but I now know what a jumper is!!  hint:  has nothing to do with a bungy cord or sky diving!!

I solicited Cecil (Holland) and Rachael (US-Boston!) to walk me home from the gay club as the streets were a bit dodgy after 3am!

I just finished my cuppa at this lovely internet cafe in Cathedral Square.  It is almost time to ring Neel so that I can suss what happened after I left him at 3am with a very cute blonde boy!

I am still a bit stuffed as I got about 4 hours sleep.....

I will be making my way to the airport around 12pm today, my flight out is at 2pm.   I will try to do a quickie update from Fiji once I land safely...

Helpful Definitions of  Kiwi Phrases/Words:

http://www.inet.net.nz/~waipara.sleepers/kiwiwords.htm#naff%20off:

good on ya, mates!  Cheers!

04.02.2003 - Christchurch - FINAL STOP!

Well, my day didn't start out the best it could be as I got a very alarming email from home regarding my nephew.   THANKFULLY, he is fine and all is well, but my sister explained in great detail that my nephew had an accidental fall on his head and he was rushed to the ER...This was not good reading for me and I had a bit of a breakdown in the internet cafe in Christchurch, but I am doing famously now that I have spoken to Tara and I got to hear my little cherub Zachary's voice dah dah dah, chirping happily in the background.   He even smiled when my sister put the phone to his ear from hearing auntie's voice...

I did send another package home today from the post.   I am staying at one of the BEST hostels BY FAR here in Christchurch - BASE Backpackers.    I was able to get into the Sanctuary, which is a women's only section of the hostel behind a secret door with a special lock to get in.   When I opened the secret door, I was pleasantly surprised to smell an aromatic flowery scent wafting through the air.   It was like a special section for Princesses, or at least that is how I look at it.   I even got a FREE nice fluffy towel and AVEDA hair shampoo and conditioner!!  That was enough to make my day, and at $27NZ a night it is well worth it!

I did not do much today here in Christchurch, my hostel is located right smack in Cathedral Square which is as central as you can get.   I went to the post and then I went to do some email which is when I got the note from home.   As a result, I spent a good amount of time checking in with my sister and my mother, and then I just headed back to the hostel to make some lunch.   

A group of us from the Magic Tour are meeting to make dinner at either my hostel (BASE) where most of us are staying; or, at Neel's hostel which is a bit across town.   The kitchen here at Base is TINY so I am hoping that Neel's hostel kitchen facility is more adequate to prepare dinner for 8 people.   We are all supposed to go out dancing afterward which is a perfect way for me to end my 3 weeks in NZ!   

I am scheduled to fly out of Christchurch tomorrow around 2pm to head over to Fiji!   My arrival time in Nadi, Fiji is 7:55pm (check itinerary for details).  I have already reserved 2 nights at Nomads Sky Lodge in Nadi.   I have no set itinerary in Fiji YET.  My flexibile planning -- winging it -- seems to work out quite nicely, at least it has here in NZ.  I will probably do one more update from Christchurch tomorrow (for Tara) before I hop on the big bird and go to a new country!

Cheers Mates

04.01.2005 - Lake Tekapo

More gorgeous lake scenery...  Blue, blue waters that remind me of the Carribean, mountainous backdrops with snow covered tops... One thing I can say for sure, no matter where you go in this country the landscape is as pictoresque as a post card, and I am not being corny.

The town centre is smaller than the total length of my street at home E 3rd.   We arrived around 3pm and got situated at the Lakefront Lodge for backpackers.   I had 4 other "Magic" mates in my room and this facility was pretty nice.   My personal vote goes to any backpacking facility that gives you a towel.   From the hostel to the centre was apx a 13-15 minute walk through a very wooded, foresty area.   My friend Neel said that he felt like cooking dinner so he went to the market and got us some chicken and vegetables to make at the hostel.   Dinner was fantastic and I surely appreciated a HOME COOKED meal!!

After dinner, I met up with another new friend Joanne from the UK who was waiting for me to finish up din din at the hostel so that we could walk up to the pub together since darkness had fallen and the walk to the pub was a bit sketchy, especially for us city girls.   Yes, that is right your truly...MLD is afraid of trees, bugs, random wild moving animals and the green brush when it is dark and I can't see into the "woods"; or, more than 3 feet in front of me.   I guess I have watched too many Jason movies in my day, call me crazy....  or, on second thought.... ;-)

Joanne and I made our way to Pepe's, all the while I had my flashlight beaming the way for us through the scary forest.   We met up with more Magic Friends and had a few drinks.   Well, I had an ice cream sundae, but that was just me.  We hung out for a good while and then Joanne and I decided we wanted to make our way back to the hostel... Down the scary road...  So Joanne and I are walking along, chatting away, and I must of all of a sudden moved the flashlight beam a little too abruptly which caused her to shriek which then caused me to scream.   We scared each other, but there was nothing coming out of the black forest to kill us...Ironically, we were discussing how most people get killed while they are within minutes of there destination.   This topic of conversation went well while we were walking down a very dimly lit path with not a soul around.   We laughed after the fact but to be safe, I basically clutched her arm around my arm all the way back to the hostel until we were safe!!

We had a cup of tea  before retiring that night since we had an 8:30am departure to my FINAL NZ destination.....   Christchurch!!

03.31.2005 - Dunedin

The 8am bus from Queenie to Dunedin was mostly uneventful.   I met a nice fellow from the UK named Neel.   He gave me some good tips for my upcoming travel to Australia.  I want to add this little bit here, I have noticed that the rivalry between NZ and AUS is somewhat similiar to the whole Red Sox vs. Yankees thing.   Except here it is all about rugby instead of baseball.  But I do find it interesting and I can relate since it can only be truly understood by someone who has experienced the depths of malice and contempt for a rivaling sports team!!!   YANKEES SUCK!!  (sorry Kerry :-) you know I love YOU!!)

GO RED SOX!!

I arrived in the town of Dunedin around noon which gave me the opportunity to call home since it was not some time in the middle of the night in North America.   I spoke to my Dad and then with my sister Tara for a good amount of time.    My sister thought I was being comical by referring to my tour as the "Magic Bus" when in reality, that is actually the name of the tour bus!   LOL   We are definitely related sister, no doubt there!   

I would also like to give a big SHOUT OUT to my peeps who have left me voice messages, I was able to find an internet cafe with headphones today (not all have this option).   So a big WICKED HEY to Teddy, jam master musac lovah; Lori in NY for leaving me a great message on Easter, that was so sweet and thoughtful - I LOVE YOU GIRL!; and to the girl who I have known since 5th Grade, formerly known as ECD, Mrs. Erin Krasco - I love you, miss you, and I am SOOOOO happy to hear that Paul has returned!!   And to my long lost, but then found, best girl Marge in FL, where the HELL are you?????   You don't call, you don't write... hmpf!

I have to repeat myself once again when I say that it so nice to hear from my friends and family backhome, it really makes me happy to hear from my friends!!  Most especially those who I have not heard from in SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE DAYS!!!   You know who you are.... (HINT HINT)   I only have like 30 email addresses, pick one and USE IT DAMMIT!!!   

mld@earthlink.net

mldboston@hotmail.com

mldboston@gmail.com

There's 3 for starters, don't be so selfish and drop me a hello every now and again!!   :-D

I would like to give a special hello to my friends from the Hill/Bird:  Adrienne, Mary, Pam, John, David, Bobby L., Stan, Mikey, Terry, Patty, Kelly and the rest of the gang!

There is not a whole lot to do today in DOO-KNEE-DEN, so I might go see a movie tonight or find some of Bill's friends....In any case, there is no adventure related stories to report today, sorry folks...

Oh, but I do have one more thing that is the most important information that I must share for my friend Tex.... Before I left Southern Laughter in Queenstown, I got to say goodbye to my Swedish friend Maria, that hot babe!   Maria invited me to meet up with her in SWEDEN when I am in Europe... Tex, start looking for flights... LOL   just kidding... You need to worry about picking out tiles and paint color for your beautiful new house with your soon to be wife!!   But as a consolation to you, I did invite Miss Maria to visit Boston someday.   I assured her she would be spoiled rotten by a certain group of volleyball hotties that I chum around with...

okay, back to puttering around Dunedin...

and Tara, since I know you are first to read this.... While walking around town after we spoke, I found this AWESOME SHOE WAREHOUSE... By 2, get one FREE!!  Keep your eyes on the mail!!   ;-)

LOVE ME

I'm Naked!

Now now now... To my silly American friends, this expression "HERE" is the equivalent of saying something like "I am wiped" or "I am exhausted" or "I am out of it"....   I must admit when I first heard this expression it stuck out to me but I didn't stop to query about it, I just sorta said to myself that is a weird thing to say?   The longer I am here, I have heard it a few times now so it doesn't shock me like it did when I heard an elderly woman saying it in conversation... Oooooh, not a good visual.  So now you know another common expression around here and it is one that accurately describes me at this particular moment. 

The pickup time for the tour bus to Milford Sound left at 7am from Queenstown and dropped us back here around 7:30pm....

http://www.kiwidiscovery.com/index.cfm/milford

The bus ride to Milford Sound is apx 3-3.5 hours each way not counting stops.   It was a pretty amazing day in terms of the weather to visit the sub-tropical rain forest.   Supposedly it rains 2 out of every 3 days and today was bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.   I guess I was unusually lucky today in terms of the weather (tex ;-).   

As we traversed through more picturesque mountain ranges heading towards Milford Sound we made several picture stops along the way.   There was a small group of travelers from the UK who were making fun of the Japanese Tour Bus that had individuals who apparently liked taking close-up pictures of grass.   They had a contest going to see who could get the best picture of grass and as I stood amongst this brief conversation, one of the English chaps dived into a bush with his camera intact and said, "I'm going in...."   I always appreciate a good dose of comic relief so I thought I'd share....

Once we arrived to Milford Sound we took a ferry through the region and I saw some spectacular waterfalls coming off the massive peaks of the mountains which lined both sides from port.    I got to see some baby seals sunning on some rocks along the side of the steep cliffs.   It is really quite an amazing place between the high mountain peaks, the lake meeting the ocean and the natural rainforest.   It was a relaxing day and I especially liked the ferry since I was able to get a little sun on my face.  It has been quite cold here in Queenstown, definitely colder South than it was in Wellington and the North Island.

Tomorrow I am hopping back on the Magic Bus to my next scheduled overnight stop which is Dunedin.   A significant fact to note here is that this is where the Cadbury Candy Factory originated!!   I pretty much have a Cadbury chocolate bar at least once every few days and I better knock it off because in exactly 5 days I will be on a beach in Fiji!   Just call me fluffy...   Anyway, my next hostel in Dunedin has been booked and it is called "On Top"...  Just throwing that out there...LOL

So I figured I would come and check my emails and do a quick update and I was pleasantly surprised to get some emails from friends and family.   I love when I get comments on the site too, it helps when I feel a little lonely.   Even though I am constantly meeting lots and lots of wonderful people, the nature of backpacking is to keep moving on... Keep, keepin' on if you will...   We got to watch a movie on the bus ride back to Queenie "A Knight's Tale".   It was nice, I needed a laugh and since I haven't really watched more than a few minutes of TV here and there, it made me start thinking about home.   I had a wave of homesickness (word?) today.   I was so happy to see some comments from friends I haven't heard from (Nicole) and also for some very sweet hellos from Kristen and Tex.   

I met an older woman today while on the Milford Sound cruise who was from Minnesota.  She was amazed that I was traveling alone and for 10 weeks.  The funny thing is that there are so many girls I have met who are doing the same thing that I am, travelling alone and for much longer periods than me!   I feel like a travel baby compared to some of these people!

Well, back to the hostel to shower and get ready for my early morning departure from Queenstown.   When I got back to the hostel tonight I had 3 new roommates.   One girl from Holland and a girl and a guy from Germany.   They are all students in Wellington and they are on Spring Break.    The boy was very nice and cute and seemed very interested in talking to me.   I then became aware of his "Girl" friend who didn't seem so engaged in the conversation so I decided to let them eat their dinner and come to the Internet Depot.....  :-)

Dunedin tomorrow.... NZ portion almost over.... :-(

03.29.2006 - Queenstown

Whew!  I finally got a breather from the hop-on, hop-off Magic Bus Tour.  I am spending 3 nights here in Queenie so I gave myself permission to SETTLE DOWN for a bit!    Since I neglected to update highlights from the past few days, I will give them to you here just so you won't feel like you missed anything!

Sat Night: 03.26 - Greymouth

I met up with my friends from the Magic Bus at the Railway Hotel (bar).   This was definitely a divey little local bar, but they had an all you can eat BBQ for $5 after the brewery tour so I hooked up with everyone after that.  It turned out that I never did pay for my BBQ so I guess dinner was FREE for ME and you all know that it my motto!   While I was waiting for my group to show up at the bar, I struck up a conversation with 3 young local gals from NZ:  Bridgette, Catherine and Jess.   They were about 19 years of age!   Bridgette was the designated driver that night and she was quite witty.   They asked me tons of questions about Boston so I felt it was my obligation to teach them an inside phrase from Boston Locals.   I taught them "WICKED PISSA"...  It took several tries because they kept saying in unison, "wicked pisser"...  To get pissed in NZ means to get drunk, so I decided to teach them some Boston Lingo.   It was pretty funny because a few hours later in the night, they would see me in the bar and yell out "WICKED PISSAH!!" 

There was a good cover band that night and I played pool with some of the local boys.  It was all good fun and a much needed night out.   Since we had another EARLY Magic Bus departure (7:30am!!), Julie (Wales), Maria (Sweden) and I decided to head back to our hostel Noah's Ark.   We slept in the Tiger Room.  It was actually a very cool place, each room was themed after an animal.   Even though I am a big "cat" person, I was bummed that we didn't get the MONKEY room!   

Sunday: 03.27 - Franz Josef

We arrived in Franz Josef at a reasonable time (12pm) so that we could book an activity that day.  I was only staying one night here so I was glad that I could do the kayaking which started at 3:30pm.  I even had time to do my laundry which was becoming a state of emergency.  I must say here that it has made my life extremely easy by packing light and I am getting used to wearing the same clothes every day.   I am not however keen on wearing "dirty" clothes more than once so I find myself doing laundry every 3-4 days.  Anyway, a lot of the Magic Kids went on the HeliHike on the Franz Josef Glacier.   Yeah sure, I would have loved to but I couldn't really fork out the $280 NZ to do it.  So I settled for my own adventure kayaking through the lake region instead.   I already commented on the kayaking so I will skip over that here.

Sunday night I met up with everyone after my kayak and they had already finished dinner so I didn't end up eating.    I played some more pool with a guy named Gary from Pennsylvania, a student at Penn State.   Gary was in NZ for spring break from Sydney University where he and 12 other Americans were studying a semester abroad.   I played a few games of pool, each time my skill coming back just a little bit.  I wouldn't say I am a hustler or anything like that, but I can hold my own.    I might add here that I had my first hostel "situation" at the Montrose in Franz Josef.  I was in a 4 bed female dorm and when I got back from kayaking to change, the other 2 girls who I had met were there and then there was this girl & a guy.   After listening to the "couple" while trying to assemble my stuff to shower, it sounded to me as if they were both staying in my room.   I had the bottom bunk this time and these 2 idiots were planning on shacking up on the twin bunk bed over my head.   I DON'T THINK SO HOMEY!   For $20 a night, you would think they should be able to afford their own respective beds.  I mentioned it to Karl with a K when I saw him at the Blue Bar that night and he resolved it for me.   His take was that he went back and muscled the guy out of there, but I think the true story is that he spoke to reception and they settled it in a hurry.    It is one thing to deal with an unplanned hookup in a hostel, you know it is bound to happen (it already did to me once back in Taupo), but it is quite another to see a couple who are blatantly trying to save money on a bed.  Not in my house... sorry kids!

Monday: 03.28 - en route to Queenstown

Monday was a looooooooong day on the bus.   Granted we had several stops along the way but it was still tough.   It was for this reason alone that I decide to BUNGY off of the K Bridge because our bus was scheduled to stop at AJ Hackett's Bungy Centre anyway so I figured if I got it out of the way I wouldn't have to waste any more time trying to fit it in on my other days in Queenstown.   The bungy was so FRICKEN WICKED!!   I LOVED IT!!   I am a certifiable NUT, I know what you are thinking??     After I bungied off of the 142 foot K Bridge, I collected my free t-shirt and we made it to our hostel here in Queenie called Southern Laughter around 6pm.    My dorm room here is the best so far in terms of total package.   I am in the room with 3 other girls from my bus which is good, and we have our own kitchenette and TV!!   

After I updated the site with my adventure photos I met up with some peeps at the Red Rock Bar.   The music was deafening and it made it tough to talk amongst each other so we went around the corner to the World Bar with the famous "tea pots"!   The girls got teapots filled with all kinds of alcohol-laden drinks and got little shot cups to share it.   I suppose I might of fancied this kind of tea party when I was a kid, I am pretty sure of this actually!

The World Bar was fun, I played pool (again) with a couple of boys from Israel, danced a bit and left the bar around midnight when it started getting a little sketchy. 

Tuesday: 03.29 - Queenstown (TODAY!)

I spent about 3 hours uploading a bunch of photos to the site this morning during the internet early bird special between 9-11am.   Check 'em out under the New Zealand Photo Page.

I spent the afternoon shopping for bargains in Queenstown.  Not an easy task, this place is like shopping in Fanueil Hall in Boston.   Total tourist TRAP!   I did well though, I bought a new book which I will need for my long bus rides between the tour destinations.  I have already finished 2 books so far on my holiday and I feel pretty good about that!  I also bought a few more tops (shirts) because I realized that I was too skim on my choices with these and if I had just a few more to wear I wouldn't have to do laundry every other day. 

So here I am in Queenstown taking it easy today.   I am doing a tour of Milford Sound tomorrow so that should be exciting.   I think I am going to go to the supermarket and buy my picnic lunch right now.   It is much cheaper to eat your own food in the hostel than it is to eat out, especially around here.  And given that I have been quite addicted to ADRENALINE, I have to cut costs wherever I can!

Cheers Mates....  All caught up for now!

MLD

03.28.2005 - BUNGY BABY!!

Been there (AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge, or "K Bridge" the FIRST OFFICIAL BUNGY SITE!!)

DONE THAT!!!!

GOT THE T-SHIRT!!!

http://www.ajhackett.com/index.php?page=kawarau

And this time, I have a DVD of my 142 foot jump from the K Bridge for all those who may be interested!!

For the complete photo rendition, check my New Zealand Photo Album for the complete series of photos!!!

http://mld.typepad.com/photos/new_zealand/

I will update more DETAILS tomorrow, this is the first time I have had a chance to stop and do an update in over a day! Right now, my next priority is to get to the pub and meet up with my MAGIC friends and get some grub! LOL

And by the way, I dedicate this post to Frankey... He was the one who told me I had to do this... It was WICKED!!! I was more jazzed on adrenaline from this than the sky dive!! I am still debating on whether to do the Nevis tomorrow... I get a severe discount for doing another jump in 24 hours... The only problem is that all these high adrenaline sports cost a LOT OF MONEY!!! Oh my budget! But don't be disappointed if I don't report that I did the Nevis. I still need money to eat for the rest of the week and here in Queenstown where I have finally landed, it is the most expensive place in all of NZ!

PEACE OUT DUDES MLD

Brilliant Sunset - Easter Sunday