The Land of Oz

The hours upon hours of economy class, delays and shit airline food finally translated to something other than greasy hair and eight bathroom visits: a week-long trip to Sydney. Coming into the city was like a breath of fresh air...literally. I was so excited to walk outside that I walked long enough to get blisters on my feet. First stop, of course, was the opera house. Every aerial shot of the opera house in Hollywood movies makes it seem so small, but up close it's a monstrosity. It was like...(Hey!) Arnold's hair at age 75. Kudos to anyone who got that reference.

That first day was a big one: the opera house, Darling Harbour, Chinese Friendship Gardens, The Rocks, etc. As my friend put it, "So, you've already done everything?" Though all the touristy attractions had been hit in the first couple days, it was kind of a relief. After the shit storm that was the first quarter of school, being able to wander through parks, gardens and green spaces was the type of relaxation that was needed. Bar hopping during the happy hour(s) didn't hurt either. 

A couple days of wandering aimlessly, lots of good beer and testing my luck at the casino allowed those blisters to heal enough to complete the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee beach. This may have been the best part of the trip. Not only was it stunningly beautiful, but it was just so simple: creating a running path along the water. Coming from a concrete jungle of 30+ million with little green and virtually no areas to walk/run, this was a treat indeed.

As I wrap up the last academic year at my school, I'm looking forward to the free agency period that is the job search. The international hiring period comes before the domestic (US), but I will be giving jobs back home a hard look as five years abroad begins to take its toll. Missing my grandfather's passing was difficult and, assuming I find a school silly enough, I'd very much like to venture back across the pond and be closer to family, friends and cheap wine. Warding off heart disease is expensive here...

Counting the days until my return stateside, which starts in Nashville for an athletic administrator's (NIAAA) conference in December. I'll be sure to bring back a good pair of boots, hat and a love of country music for my brother and family in Colorado. Until then, I'll enjoy my tank tops and 85 degree weather. 'Til next time...

Gandalf-sized in a Hobbit-sized World

Well, the second part of this blog post is long overdue. It only took a four-day weekend to find the time to complete it. Can't wait for June 18th....seven day weekends! On the last post, we left with geothermal parks around Rotorua, which is a fantastic area. I would have gladly stayed there longer, but I had a date with the Green Dragon. When a friend asked me what I was doing that day, I couldn't help myself from saying "I'm going on an adventure!"

Hobbiton was a short-ish trip from the city and when I pulled up, I could only think of one thing: this place makes BOAT LOADS of money. For roughly $60, you could join a tour of 24 through Hobbiton. Tour buses (fully loaded) left every 15 minutes and tours ran from about 8 am to 6 pm. I haven't taken a math class in about a decade, but 'boat loads' seems like an appropriate sum. My boring business mind aside, Hobbiton was pretty spectacular. Kept in pristine condition, taking Gandalf's Crossing into Hobbiton was like entering the mythical Middle Earth itself. All of it ended (where else?) at the Green Dragon, where you were offered a pale ale, dark ale or ginger beer that is brewed specifically for Hobbiton. While tour guides worked like clockwork to ensure tours moved steadily throughout the Shire set, they had fantastic tidbits of information about the movie that would drop the jaws of any LOTR geek, myself included. Did you know that Peter Jackson insisted on four more Hobbit Holes being built on an adjacent hillside just in case the camera panned out and caught that hill in the background? As we'd say here: gila!

The rest of the trip was still pretty great, but it was much more relaxed. At this point, I was running pretty low on cash (No, I did not buy a replica of Gandalf's pipe for $120 at Hobbiton. Wasted wine money!), so I decided to forego the Bay of Islands north of Auckland and took the winding roads to Piha. Kitekite Falls, part of the Hillary Trail, was spectacular and immediately eased any doubts I had about changing my plans. Piha itself was a small, quiet beach town that was not overrun with tourists. Quite the change from the overcrowded Hot Water Beach on Mercury Bay. Anyone who plans to go there best claim their spot two hours before low tide or else....good luck.

With my wallet empty and my knees rubbing my temples, I took my budget airline back to the Concrete Jungle. New Zealand was a wonderful experience which calls for a lot more time if you want to explore it probably. When high school teacher salaries rise to $150,000 in the States and we tack on another month of summer, I'd love to go back. Who knows? Maybe this bad boy will still be available for rent again....

My last month and a half will consist of Sports Day, documentation and final year exams. Such a joyous trio...though I plan on a lengthy Bali visit prior to being stateside by the end of June. Yeah, Bali...no big deal, right? Keep some diesel on ice for me, I'll certainly need it after this Indonesia muck. 'Til then!

When I Used To Think Worms Were Disgusting

After no free weekends and monotony that is Term 2, I was happy to spend whatever necessary to get the hell out of Jakarta and have an enjoyable trip. So I chose Kuala Lumpur....psyche! Jakarta 2.0 was just a pit stop on the way to my true destination: New Zealand. I touched down and fell in love. It's 70 degrees? Heaven.

I wasted little time in Auckland (though it seemed to be an awesome city) before heading down to the famous Waitomo Caves. Thankfully, this is one time my lack of research paid off. In my haste to book things last minute, I reserved a tour which I thought was run of the mill. However, we bypassed the touriest-filled caves and explored two caves with a small group of ten. Spellbound Tours did not disappoint, as the glow worms lit up the underground river cavern more beautifully than anything I've ever seen. The top half of the picture is what my camera caught (get your shit together, Nikon) versus what it ACTUALLY looked like. Surely the trip could only go downhill from here, right? As a wise man once said (for you, Nate), "Not so fast, my friend!" 

I traveled further south and strapped on my trainers to take on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Through most of the first 4k of the hike, a stream flowed steadily within ten feet of the path. The tranquility of it cannot be described, only experienced. Then....whack! Once you cross Apline country, you get smacked with 30-40 minutes of a relatively steep incline and steps. After reaching the south crater, I paused prior to starting the final ascent. While reaching the summit would lead to breathtaking views of the rear crater and the Blue Lake, I was ill-equipped to ascend to the already cloud-covered mountain top (only had a tee and shorts). Swallowing a small amount of disappointment, I made the surprisingly solitary descent back to bottom, back aching and dogs barkin'.

However, the boots didn't stay off for long. I spent the next two days at geothermal parks: Orakei Korapo and Wai-O-Tapu (trying saying those three times fast). As I walked through both parks, I could only think to myself that this is unfair. It's unfair that one country is THIS beautiful. Why can't some place like...I don't know...Jakarta have just ONE thing this beautiful. It'd make life more tolerable. Alas, I had to be content with New Zealand in the now. Though it certainly hasn't disappointed thus far.

....and this was just the first leg! Tune in soon for the stories of the second half of my trip: hobbit holes, natural cathedrals and the happiest of campers!