tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17382934955775248262011-04-21T22:34:48.906-07:00For my friends and family. Enjoy xxHanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.comBlogger931100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-82097032994235136272009-05-31T03:51:00.000-07:002009-06-01T04:03:27.204-07:00

And so I find myself in the same place I set off from, thousands of miles and twenty months lagging behind me reminding me that yes, I have been away. Now I'm back my adventures seem so far behind me already that at times in the last week I seriously wonder whether it actually happened! Nice in a way that everything remains in essence the same. The same faces, some with different jobs, different

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-79529017398595343442009-05-22T04:48:00.000-07:002009-05-22T05:10:14.018-07:00

Three days in Moscow! I was sceptical, most people tell me 'just go to St Peters', but you know what, it's a great city. The centre is clean, safe feeling, and full of magic buildings carefully lit up and on display. It's trying hard, and I was pleasantly surprised. The Kremlin buildings, the Red Square - wow! Certainly worth a couple of looks I'd say. Especially St. Basils Cathedral with all the

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-43201929234339890762009-05-19T21:45:00.001-07:002009-05-19T22:25:32.261-07:00

I sit here thinking, one week and I'm home! One week out of 18 (or is it more now, I lost count) months of being away. One week...so soon! I remember one month ago - one month and I'll be back, and all this to see in the meantime. Now China and the Transmongolian have been and gone - not in a blur of course but rather calmly, in sharp focus. All that amazing contrast and sights and experiences

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-75140656196981541622009-05-14T06:26:00.000-07:002009-05-14T07:49:05.647-07:00

Lake Baikal, a sacred place of Shamans and the deepest purest waters. It is the deepest oldest lake on planet earth with 25% of the worlds fresh water! You have to go there to believe it. I arrived, the lake is mostly frozen, three days later its changed colour, pure deep icy melting waters.Home to the Burat people, there are shrines and sacred places everywhere, poles tied with bright cloth and

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-78330825395979511152009-05-03T07:31:00.001-07:002009-05-03T07:46:21.298-07:00

eToday I did the classic! The climbing and long march of the GREAT WALL OF CHINA! It really truly is a feat of human(han)kind. Well, actually the great emperor Chi (who China takes her name from) started it...then it just got longer and rebuilt and rebuilt for thousands of km, thousands. I got to see a part of the unrenovated wall where there was NO OTHER tourists, and believe me that is an

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-28909800452884386972009-04-28T20:51:00.000-07:002009-05-03T07:30:55.531-07:00

Who'd of thought that a month ago I never even wanted to come to China, and now here I am just in one tiny part of it, Yunnan, commiserating that I can only see a small part of the province. What about Shangri-la and all the small Tibetan villages, what about Dali music festival, starting the day after I have to leave for Beijing, what about all the various Yak products I'm yet to try. There is

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-66660787662451508512009-04-24T21:43:00.001-07:002009-04-24T22:12:58.136-07:00

I did it! I trekked the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge. A really stunning experience, a two day hike up the mountainous paths through Naxi territory ending at the legendary spot where the tiger leaped roaring waters to escape the hunter. This was somewhere I had seen in magazines, a place people rave about, somewhere I assumed I wouldn't make it to. But make it I did! As we were getting on the

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-81300328035503923482009-04-20T03:12:00.000-07:002009-04-20T03:33:36.129-07:00

Today I had the most lovely Chinese day! I think I saw a great part of Chinese culture - the park and tea drinking. I decided that my misadventure yesterday was not so much fun and today I wanted to choose a mission/destination and just go and enjoy it and not get lost.A good sleep helped too as I didn't get much of that on the bus into China, so yesterday was a bit strained. Today =

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-7432457909820327572009-04-19T21:07:00.000-07:002009-04-19T21:21:22.628-07:00

My last supper, Pho in the marketMy first supper, no idea what i ordered but it was HUGE!!Well everyone, I am now in CHINA!!!!!I finally bit the bullet and decided the time was now. I started to realise that once I'm there I will be wanting to make the most of it and see what I can see. So then the inner debate - Dali or Lijiang? Pandas or Terracotta Warriors? I was happy to find a growing

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-81259572953502217092009-04-15T07:41:00.000-07:002009-04-15T08:27:29.716-07:00

I'll be honest. I didn't like Hanoi when I first arrived. It was OK. Another city, albeit a nicer city than most, but the hustling, the pace, the heat all assaulted my senses on arrival. I mean, it was nothing like HCMC, but I like my quiet slow-paced places that you just slip into unnoticed and unharmed.Hanoi, we arrive at 4am, safe in the knowledge that we have (for once) booked ahead with the

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-36391249627157594032009-04-14T01:01:00.000-07:002009-04-14T01:36:09.454-07:00

Today was the first day in Hanoi that leaving my front door and walking for 2 minutes has NOT rendered me lost and head down at every corner scanning the map for my location. Often when I find the location I then proceed to go the opposite direction than intended, sometimes this is good ( I find the unexpected - a street dedicated to bike seat coverings, a Pho stall, a street of creepy puppets)

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-53619665358756086712009-04-12T02:37:00.000-07:002009-04-12T03:02:52.031-07:00

So back I have gone to Hanoi, the lovely Northern city of Vietnam. This is good as there are many things here I haven't seen, many dishes I haven't tasted. Today I came across a whole crowded cafe devoted to Bun Cha. I am ushered upstairs and squeezed on the end of a table full of Vietnamese people all eating the same thing. I am brought -A large plate of salad leavesA bowl of chopped garlic and

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-45911545087242363032009-04-08T05:40:00.000-07:002009-04-08T06:05:45.813-07:00

As China draws near and my lovely travel companion returns to normal life I am left wondering what I have signed up for. Surely a normal person would have just travelled round south east Asia as a long stopover/brief interlude before getting on the quick, easy flight back home? When did I decide it was a good idea to cover this massive distance overland all by myself?? Madness. Having enjoyed the

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-21409097546063757102009-04-04T22:41:00.000-07:002009-04-04T23:14:44.965-07:00

There are many elements that make up the travelling experience. Some days I just love it. Some days I just want to be home in a circle of friends and family, not having to deal with it. Constant packing, unpacking, leaving, arriving, its as tiring as it is fascinating. The towns here vastly different everywhere I've been so far - each have a different feel, the women wearing different traditional

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-65361068390097548702009-04-01T23:39:00.000-07:002009-04-02T00:03:01.931-07:00

Wow, I'd forgotten the good old beach holiday, complete with surfing, sun-bathing, reading (heaps), eating (excessively good food) and sleeping in beach huts. One of life's great pleasures, doing nothing but relaxing. Jungle beach was way way out, you had to know it was there. We didn't plan on it but after a chance meeting of a girl whose only words to us was to rave about the place, well then

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-8743840714642133082009-03-25T21:18:00.000-07:002009-03-25T21:52:26.280-07:00

Did you know that Vietnam is the second largest exporter of coffee? Its EVERYWHERE here in Delat, a mountain town much cooler and calmer than the city. We have been sampling the local delights of course and find coffee to be the winner so far - it is served through little cup-sized filter-cafetiere-type contraptions and STRONG, black or with condensed milk. So very sweet and very black, just like

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-73623339447904288162009-03-24T00:03:00.000-07:002009-03-24T00:10:58.176-07:00

Check out the wiring here!! Banana lady in the middle of the junction!I'm here! Vietnam let me in, phew. HCMC is so different from Bangkok, as Vietnam from Thailand so far. I had half expected real similarities, and of course there are, but its totally foreign again. All the language and customs I just learnt are now different! I have met my friend Simon and we are exploring the city, although

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-68320891663314553932009-03-22T22:21:00.000-07:002009-03-22T22:38:02.957-07:00

It would seem that airport people don't like you leaving and arriving on one way tickets, in fact they hate it and are a bit mean. They let me on this flight to Vietnam after trying to get me to buy a flight out before I left, then they threatened that I may be deported on arrival! I wonder if all people trying to travel overland have these problems initially. I hope they will let me in Vietnam!

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-57785287563431566232009-03-17T04:42:00.000-07:002009-03-24T00:16:19.096-07:00

After a few days here in Chiang Mai I want to stay in Thailand longer!! The people really are super friendly and don't hassle you as I thought they would. The Saturday walking market was spectacular, with stalls packing in for a mile stretch full of hilltribe crafts, clothes, food, Thai silk, and mobile massage units everywhere. I shopped, ate, then had a glorious foot massage with 30 others all

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-44580864817515882352009-03-15T03:18:00.000-07:002009-03-15T03:42:25.365-07:00

lNow the temples are of the religious variety, not the ones found on my head which immediately stopped throbbing as the train rolled into the Northern (and cooler) city of Chiang Mai. Profoundly nicer, calmer and more pleasant than Bangkok, I must say its a welcome relief. On my wanders today I came across many temples but this one in particular had all the action; dancing hilltribe girls, loads

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-73505779430857666242009-03-14T01:11:00.000-07:002009-03-15T03:45:35.571-07:00

Today has been pretty interesting considering I woke up this morning (after 12 hours!!) wondering how to fill the time before i got the night train up to Chaing Mai. I decided no more Buddhas and temples but a day of book reading and sipping drinks. This continued until midday when I thought I'd check out what was around the train station - result= hecticness, and a bag not so much locked up but

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-14565675287184749682009-03-13T00:49:00.001-07:002009-03-13T01:05:49.610-07:00

Phew, haven't been this hot and muggy since...maybe Hong Kong was like this, Ghana definitely was, and I believe I got used to it somehow. I've had three showers already today!Anyway, typical Brit to go on about the weather (please note, not moaning but stating a fact) when there's so much else.Update - turns out Hana got idea of a quick flight over to Thailand a bit wrong. In total it took me 22

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-81600430170805320672009-03-11T15:06:00.000-07:002009-03-11T15:22:55.482-07:00

Hello!New Zealand is a mere speck in the distance, map marked in my mind with all the places I visited, the circles I turned. Amazingly I feel like it is a clean closed chapter. Mission accomplished. I had a lovely time, I almost went to all the places I wanted to go (there's always that one or two that you sacrifice isn't there), I learnt a whole heap of things, I met some lovely strangers who

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-58796201965539695342009-03-08T00:56:00.000-08:002009-03-08T01:17:59.481-08:00

So finally, the cord is cut. I have left Moeraki, land of sea and seals, fish and fishermen. About time, but hard to leave. Hard to wrench away from somewhere that has been 'home' for the last 5 months.I have been filling the week before the big departure with novels, novel sightings, sightings of whales, and long-since-we-last-met friends.Christchurch brought me the best coffee yet, perfect

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-78218932887575546262009-02-27T14:20:00.000-08:002009-02-27T14:44:04.642-08:00

Last night we saw these guys, the wonderful, hilarious and slightly crazy (in the make-you-laugh, wholesome-delicious way) Wellington Ukulele Band. Here they are, the nutty peeps... Yes. The lovely Oamura Opera Theatre has had its revamp and enter Ukulele hilarity (and a good dose of musical talent and singing excellence of course) for the opening night of Oooooooooo, the Opera House re-opening

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-31509259220747495122009-02-10T19:14:00.000-08:002009-02-10T19:40:36.359-08:00

Luscious apricots, fat juicy strawberries, lovely looking rhubarb, plums a plenty, wild passionfruit ripe and dropping to the ground, apples steadily growing, their time drawing near. That's Moeraki now, in summer. Fruit coming out my ears right now. I do love it. Preserving, pickling, freezing summers bounty to be enjoyed later in the year.When I am an old lady you will walk by my little cottage

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-78835346198183807432009-02-08T13:29:00.001-08:002009-02-08T13:49:43.216-08:00

I do love a good hill it has to be said. With all the contours and valleys, sometimes they remind me of the wrinkles of a puppys skin...and sometimes not. The hills in the picture are the Danseys of Danseys Pass, although who Dansey was and what he did pass I have no idea.They were gorgeously stunning, 60km of gravel road through mountains, an odd odd pub slap bang in the middle, nothing else for

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-74983434865403899572009-02-04T00:09:00.000-08:002009-02-04T00:26:45.034-08:00

The world seems to be in financial chaos. I seem to be very much on a plus when it comes to money. That meaning that I have just about enough to get me home the way I want to get home. And then. Well onwards and upwards isn't it? I keep reading about financial recession and downward spirals and doom and gloom on the job market without feeling any actual effects. Maybe I'm lucky. Maybe I'm just a

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-51775697745578962672009-01-28T14:18:00.000-08:002009-02-04T00:28:29.332-08:00

Nothing in my blog since Christmas?? Must mean I have a life says Laura! Life in Moeraki continues as per usual with the normal dose of insanity, craziness and fantastic feats of nature. I can't say I ever find it dull, a normal complaint from young uns passing through "theres nothing here, nothing much going on...". I wondered what they weren't seeing. How can you fail to see the entertainment

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-55053134777330138152008-12-24T18:53:00.000-08:002008-12-25T01:36:45.057-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a wee video I made of Christmas this side of world - packed full of strawberries, raspberries, cherries and apricots in the sunshine! Strange to have Christmas time is the summer, full of different joys - no fires and roasting chestnuts but barbeque's, beaches and beers. Sure is turned upsidedown. Anyhow, I'm really happy just to have some time off work, bit of

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-53739279731149577882008-12-18T01:03:00.001-08:002008-12-18T01:39:09.357-08:00

2008. Almost over?! Where did all the time go? Sometimes it seems only yesterday that i got that bus to Heathrow Airport and landed, alone among millions of teeming, bustling Hong Kong masses. And yet that was a year, over a year ago. And now is the time of another new year, another Christmas, another year gone by, and what of it?Well, so much has happened. I have travelled far in many ways and

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-49021566827626610192008-12-08T23:34:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:02:30.130-08:00

So I'm on a trip!! It occurred to my flatmate and I that we only worked, and on our days off, well we stay in the area, near work. So today and tomorrow we are road-tripping. We are currently at the bottom of Mount Cook, the highest peak in NZ. Its been a great day, great to remind ourselves of the fabulous country that we are in and that life is not solely about work. No matter how good your job

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-84776652838286094612008-11-27T15:11:00.000-08:002008-11-27T15:51:56.835-08:00

The seasons first asparagus 6 weeks ago, the first elderflowers made into grantita and cordial, and now strawberries. It must be summer, and seasonality here plays a key role. It's key in so many vital ways - for me, eating seasonally is the heart of eating with pleasure, anticipation and respect for the natural cycles, rhythms and work that has produced what we put into our mouths. Working

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-69099156354474081002008-11-10T17:43:00.000-08:002008-11-10T18:21:13.305-08:00

Ok, so Ive just watched the video the girls and I made yesterday and laughed my socks off. How um....hmmm well we get in these moods sometimes. Celebrate the crazy.Not quite two days off after all. I've just been cooking for and talking French with a lovely bunch of 20 who Fleur couldn't say no to. The art of saying No. I'm not too good at that either clearly or my morning would have been spent

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-19279637252551586602008-11-09T18:46:00.000-08:002008-11-09T19:24:02.968-08:00

So here I am actually properly introducing the flatmates - lovely aren't they...and I didn't pay them to say nice things about me either (maybe they're hoping for chocolate cake in return for compliments? Good plan girls, good plan) Sorry about the possible sickness induced by the turning of the camera...we are no experts it seems.I realise that my camera is too rubbish to adapt to inside/

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-32703727897257483392008-11-03T20:03:00.000-08:002008-11-03T20:46:36.255-08:00

I feel nervous. This time four years ago I clearly recall being huddled around a radio with my People and Planet colleagues, all of us looking glum and sapped of that little inkling of hope that maybe, just maybe, change is coming. In the form of a new US President. One that isn't a ridiculous war mongering figure of a man, who stole the election 4 years previously. Surely the American public

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-66973944987841127762008-10-29T17:23:00.000-07:002008-11-19T15:17:11.282-08:00

Photos - left to right, Nancy, Ariel and me outside Riverstone restaurant Below - Nancy, Lisa (did a week at the restaurant), Ariel and Me in OmaruSo that last post I wrote a week or so ago, but somehow it didn't get posted up....so next here's the next, short, installment.My Taiwanese flatmates and I have just finished working the bank holiday week - a grueling 65 hour week which has left me

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-80289265822671059562008-10-19T18:43:00.001-07:002008-10-29T17:23:50.977-07:00

So here we have Fleur's Place, the blackboard tells us that today, fresh off the boat from Fisherman Joe we have - Brill, Flounder, and.....drum roll, Mike Hood Music! (I think Mike walked to work actually! He plays his little ditties every day in the bar, lovely chap too). The boats come in just to the left there where there's a Jetty where a Seal lion called Over sized Billy hangs out.

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-7804395135270840732008-10-12T17:28:00.000-07:002008-10-12T17:51:39.706-07:00

Me and the BouldersHello! This is the afternoon news with miss Jonesy.The job is.....AMAZING!! I am actually in PARADISE. Quiet literally, it is paradise here. A wonderful beach community surviving on fishing mostly and then there's this award winning inspirational restaurant there where I am now the Dessert and Entree Chef de Partie (or at least that's what I'm calling myself in my head!!) I

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-83412633138368910462008-10-05T17:03:00.000-07:002008-10-05T17:09:07.543-07:00

I GOT A NEW JOB!!!VERY excited. But also very scared...well not very Just a bit, like the kitchens really small and what if i get in the way more than help...but the head chef is Lovely. He says its a relaxed affair - just very popular and very very busy.Its here http://www.fleursplace.com/Its an amazing restaurant that perches on the edge of the sea in Moeraki, it serves fish from the fishing

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-4906826687282159482008-10-02T15:54:00.000-07:002008-10-03T16:12:07.243-07:00

Dunedin Farmers Market, Arts Festival PerformanceScottish born Dunedin town. Here am I. In the public library trying to find a medical centre that will happily do my immigration medical stuff. I like this city! So far so good. Last night I took myself for a stroll around the Octagon (central city hub) and got myself a nice pint of Kilkenny and sat and people watched for ages. You can do that in

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-56942313141735746822008-10-01T13:32:00.000-07:002008-10-03T16:15:34.722-07:00

Little White in the Snow (Note how bumper is held on by cable ties and lights held in by seletape!! So proud I am)Fiordland - Milford SoundI have had a request! Dad says he doesn't want to see all these pictures of wilderness, he wants to see Little White! So I took a picture of her in the snow of the Fiordlands yesterday and would upload it HOWEVER the camera is in the car. The car is in the

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-5931976649612802062008-09-30T22:07:00.000-07:002008-09-30T22:14:53.491-07:00

Fiordland is the most magical magnificent place. I've travelled for hours and hours, days really, to get here, and despite Milford Sound actually being the most stunning place I've ever been I feel a bit glum today. There's a few clouds hanging over my head that are making a few suggestions to me - we will leave when:You find a town to enjoy staying in and getting to knowYou find at least one

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-77605462525717306632008-09-26T21:33:00.000-07:002008-09-26T22:00:41.152-07:00

After my little adventure yesterday with the Whitebaiters camp I retired to sleepy Haast and decided the time was right to go to the pub and meet the locals. Meet the locals I did indeed. There I was reading my paper, drinking a handle of beer and one by one they curiously creep over and tentatively start a conversation. One bloke asked what I did for work and before I knew it he had ran off and

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-75723933734718486582008-09-25T21:33:00.000-07:002008-09-25T21:55:17.402-07:00

WHITEBAITING SEASON IS HERE!!!Well, actually its been going on since i left Karamea, Today I experience the Ghetto. Whitebaiters lodgings aplenty. O yes.I drove and drove through magnificent scenery, Picking up and chatting with a freindly hitchhiking laddeeCalled Brian.Stopping and spotting many a lovely site on the way to Haast. And onwards, alone again in the peace of my Little White,To the

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-16644695211573660322008-09-23T23:42:00.000-07:002008-09-26T21:32:37.205-07:00

I visited my first Glacier today. A white river of ice pouring down the mountain valley at a rate 100,000 times slower than a river. A magnificent sight. I read all the scientific reasoning's behind it, and it went in one ear out the other quick as lightening. What did still though was this:An adventurous independent Maori woman by the name of Hine Hukatere (the avalanche girl) loved

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-8252273587717150472008-09-23T02:23:00.000-07:002008-09-23T03:09:35.108-07:00

Il bel far niete = the art of doing nothing. A phrase coined and mastered in all its glory by the Italians of course. I feel I am beginning to achieve such great heights on a day like today when it is quite literally raining cats and dogs. I could be in a tent, my car, my old beaten up caravan, a shanty hut for all the noise. Its pelting it down and I feel like hibernating. I have left to extreme

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-31971397477942681142008-09-22T00:30:00.000-07:002008-09-22T00:47:35.689-07:00

Yes. The friendly neighbourhood Kiwis of Hokitika are living up to their name today. Not once, not twice, not thrice but on Every Single Occasion possible today I have had marvellous interactions with very genuine friendly Kiwi folk. For example - Here I am after doing a couple of u'es in Little White, looking at my very small, very ill-detailed tourist map of Hoki when a big landrover pulls up.

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-11859116400840011722008-09-20T20:26:00.000-07:002008-09-20T20:55:52.096-07:00

You are tuned into the wonderful world of HanasHead, and now we have the weather read to you by our very own weathergirl extrodinaire....itttttttts Jonesy.Hello and welcome to West Coast Weather. Today we have a cooooold front moving in from the South and rudely shoving the last two days brilliance out the way. Be sure to do all bike-riding site-seeing in the aptly named Greymouth Town this

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-427040401560147572008-09-17T20:35:00.000-07:002008-09-17T23:25:53.704-07:00

So current public opinion from the blog-following peeps of Devon/Wales/Backabeyond would like an answer to the raving-hippie question of a few weeks back. Here is an explanation (of sorts). Enjoy. hippie The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | Date: 2008 hip·pie / ˈhipē/ (also hip·py) • n. (esp. in the 1960s) a person of unconventional

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-26904347297552441662008-09-14T21:35:00.000-07:002008-09-20T21:07:51.535-07:00

...hidden caves and fur sealsA venture, to the end of the beach, climbing slip sliding up the rocky ledge that leads us to a hidden, human-free hideaway. An ethereal mist hangs over the sea today, creating a pearl effect - colours in bluegreen watercolour, the magic of the coast seeping into the adventurers leaving us in our peaceful bubbles. Exclaiming over a star fish, a bottomless rockpool, a

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-32286542651074139872008-09-12T20:32:00.000-07:002008-09-20T21:03:08.458-07:00

Another pirate radio experience last night! Punakiki Rocks Razza 100.2FM Radio! We did a James and wwoofers show and it was excellent! Really great fun, I'm getting into this community radio molarchy. You never really know if anyone is actually listening though. In Karamea I think maybe 5 people. Here, maybe 2? But it doesn't matter, its a FANTASTIC way to spend an evening. A couple of beers, a

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-42145076739262589792008-09-11T20:19:00.001-07:002008-09-11T20:46:15.159-07:00

Happy Thursday To You Too.When you have a blog, like I do, and actually write in it and enjoy writing in it, as I do, there comes a point when you wonder who reads it and how much you should edit yourself.I mean, I don't put anything in here that I wouldn't actually talk to real people about (writing on a computer does not feel like I'm talking to real people most of the time, it usually feels

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-67602735839767692832008-09-09T22:37:00.000-07:002008-09-20T21:06:29.671-07:00

Photo = housekeeping A team. Me, Scottish Mags, Lisa from the valleys, and hmmm the names already slide away. How awful!a. Do housekeeping somewhere amazingly beautiful. Remember to look up every 5 minutes from your hoovering/mopping/scrubbing to admire New Zealand's rain forest/bush wonderland just there outside the window.b. Sing loudly and out of tune to mp3 player on random (again Oli, thank

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-49575474680106665972008-09-07T00:14:00.000-07:002008-09-07T00:25:19.321-07:00

My little white car has bloomin' gone and broken down! Bad bad car. Although its just decided not to start so maybe it will decide to start tomorrow...fingers crossed. Why would my little car suddenly not start? All suggestions welcome please.So before this I had (and am still having) a wonderful day. Started by waking up (as you do) walking to beach to look for the little blue penquins (not

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-74626582288459818302008-09-05T22:13:00.000-07:002008-09-05T22:31:28.671-07:00

This is a 5 min walk from Te Nikau! I go there every morning.I cycled along this road today - this was my view before I whizzed down the hill.Last night I was brave. I decided to say yes to an invitation. For, wait for it, a dance party where the conditions were:You must danceYou must not be afraid of 40+ yr olds dancing.You must bring a bottleYou must drink the bottle. Upon meeting the above

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-53374854105803484112008-09-04T21:47:00.000-07:002008-09-04T21:57:34.903-07:00

.. to a day definitely helps it along. My day began at half 6, when I realised that it was light already. Horray for spring. I've decided that it is SPRING and that means lots of loveliness everywhere. Dafs, Lambs, sunrise earlier and earlier, planting seeds, lots of joy and new beginnings and hope for a new season of growth. I really LOVE SPRING. I don't care if other people are convinced it's

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-65570745107669618762008-09-03T22:20:00.000-07:002008-09-03T22:32:28.917-07:00

I have a headache. It's rubbish. I've decided its a combination of these three factors.1. Caffeine withdrawal after drinking too much coffee on my way down here. (By the way, any Kiwis reading - your coffee culture is great and you are Fantastic at making coffee, so I now hold you responsible for my only bad habit - coffee. I love it. I drink more coffee than tea these days.)2. SHOUTING people.

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-90714477383158727432008-09-02T21:13:00.000-07:002008-09-02T21:29:40.537-07:00

How can there be no compost bin? I don't understand. Why What How?I've just arrived at Te Nikau, a lovely retreat in the middle of the bush near Pancake Rocks, and I'm doing the whole anxious nervous thing that tends to happen when i just arrive someplace new. The owner Lisa seems lovely, bubbly, Welsh, showed me round with excessive speed and now I'm reeling wondering why I am here. Not because

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-38056725159671191092008-09-01T22:36:00.000-07:002008-09-01T22:56:21.376-07:00

I've just been listening to Laura's Soul Radio Show, a journey through the different Soul eras. I never realised I knew so little about soul music; there's Northern Soul, Neo Soul, Motown etc etc, it's great to be surprised by things you didn't know and realise how interesting these little bits of knowledge are. And where this knowledge comes from. In this case the person is Laura. Fellow wwoofer

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-54573946805841397702008-08-31T00:33:00.001-07:002008-08-31T00:44:27.043-07:00

I've almost been at Rongo (meaning Peace in Maori) for two weeks now. It's been a perfect transition time between Awaroa and getting the wandering vibe on again. I'm definitely in the wandering zone, or this would certainly be in the 'one of those places I'd stay a long long time' category. I've just finished the RosieJane Radio Show - Laura (another British wwoofer) and I did a British music

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-40971098615579986962008-08-28T23:46:00.000-07:002008-08-28T23:53:11.277-07:00

.... I have mostly been gardening!I'm creating a little flower patch at the start of the vege garden for all to see. Lots of digging and wedding and manurification (new specialist gardening term for shite-shoveling). Plus creating a little cobble path and some circles maybe....Annnnd sowing lots and lots of flowers to go in it. It's all very enjoyable.My brassicas I sowed last week have already

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-51946012510004667862008-08-27T22:46:00.000-07:002008-09-01T23:03:41.221-07:00

PHOTO = your average sign on entry to national parkSo no art today. No peacocks either! The little blighters thought their new home unsatisfactory and buggered off...we looked but we did not find. Found a feather, it was a shadow of its former beauty on Mr Peacock. Oh well, Mr and Mrs and their pea(cock) sized brains took off to greener pastures and we learnt that you can't contain beauty. So

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-73965889976724438562008-08-23T22:06:00.001-07:002008-08-23T22:38:38.108-07:00

"Take art off the wall, and out of static displayAdorn the body in wildly wonderful waysCelebrate creativity in lavish and unique onstage spectaculars - that inspire all" The World of Wearable Art, NelsonPEACOCKS.....Majestic birds, so stunning in colour they barely look real, until you remind yourself that all our chemically made colours are inspired by and found in nature in one form or

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-12113647711137494572008-08-20T23:23:00.000-07:002008-08-20T23:32:17.129-07:00

Today i saw the cutest, and i mean the CUTEST little calf. It had just been born, like two minutes ago, and it came to our attention when we saw the herd crowding round to meet the new arrival. I wonder whether it was simply the smallness of the newborn that made it so very cute, or watching it try and find its feet, again and again, falling over numerous times but never giving up. We sat there

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-86011950818888778822008-08-19T00:43:00.000-07:002008-08-23T23:32:18.084-07:00

Karamea, oh lovely sunny Karamea.Check out http://rongobackpackers.com/ to see where i am!Its great to be here. The hostel is full of good energy and lovely fellow wwoofers, there is lots of inspirational floating around and thats really refreshing. I feel like lots of my ideas are being subconsciously worked on just by being here. I'm here for two weeks supposedly, and although i can see why

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-1644867414027064412008-08-16T23:54:00.000-07:002008-08-18T00:08:37.269-07:00

PHOTOS - Motueka market - Disa and freinds busking. Beth and Little White Lilly. Me juggling snow along the way to WestportHello all,I HAVE LEFT!! My last few days at Awaroa went smoothly and by yesterday a new phase of my NZ travels had begun. I have a FRIEND. YES INDEED - her name is Lilly - derived from the name Little White (but in Taiwanese) that her previous owners called her. She is a

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-36849821521145573002008-07-24T23:23:00.000-07:002008-07-25T00:20:51.073-07:00

I've just realised its been a big fat 5 months since my last blog, and to be honest that's probably a good thing as i might have bored you all to tears with the day to day business of Awaroa lodge. So in the heart of winter my time here is coming to an end - and it feels like thats exactly the way it should be too. It's been a varied time at Awaroa, starting at the end of the busy season working

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-9154194030683752612008-03-22T20:28:00.000-07:002008-08-18T00:12:30.345-07:00

PHOTOS - My bread!! Fruit, Rewena and Ciabatta.A new job! Ive now completed my third day of work as a commis chef in the middle of a national park! Its been a really steep learning curve, completely different to CAT restaurant, and will continue to be, but im enjoying it, everyon eis nice and is showing me how to do everything. I think itll all fit together soon enough. I wonder if 6 months will

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-84007790834151380212008-03-19T14:41:00.000-07:002008-03-19T14:47:20.956-07:00

Guess what? I have a landed myself a job in a choice location, its very isolated but very beautiful. When i say isolated i mean it, you can only get there by a 1 hour 30 min water taxi ride (or helicopter) and the taxis only go twice a day! Crazy. Im stuck there most of the time that means but hopefully i will enjoy being there so much it wont be an issue at all. Its a very amazing place right in

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-25629417275083883352008-03-12T19:07:00.000-07:002008-03-12T19:20:32.237-07:00

Hi,Its been a while! I picked and picked and picked until one day i picked up and left. That was four days ago and i now find myself in sunny Nelson on the south island, waiting to hear whether i have a fantastic cooking job or not. The day i left i got a phone call from the one place i have applied for a job to which for me was a clear indication that my on-the-spot decision to leave napier was

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-62774740941058672162008-02-28T19:05:00.000-08:002008-02-28T19:17:29.663-08:00

Imagine this - everyday you get up at 6.30am you get in a van with a bunch of international backpackers to descend on the orchard with the sun rising through the trees. You pretend you are a monkey for 8 hours climbing up and down a 3 metre ladder. You try and pick as fast as you can to make more than $10 an hour (3 quid). You go home covered in dirt and appley goodness with your muscles telling

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-52492296973714010952008-02-18T12:48:00.000-08:002008-02-18T13:26:59.506-08:00

After 2 weekends of festivals I do believe i am 'almost' festivaled out. Meaning, although i reacon i could be persuaded to go to another festival sometime somewhere, i won't be making plans just yet - all that fun is exhausting. I think i may have been burning the candle at both ends and am feeling a little run down and tired. All the goodbyes are tiring too with Janie and I saying bye bye to

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-22800863631584737692008-02-11T22:32:00.001-08:002008-02-11T22:44:25.114-08:00

The festival was.....AWESOME (people say that alot out here and to be honest sometimes i catch myself saying things like 'CRIKEY' but i always deny stringently that i said such a world. im no kiwi yet thats for sure). Anyway so Janie and I are back on the Coramandel peninsula recovering in a lovely hostel in Whitianga. I realised that ive been camping for 3 weeks solidly, bathing in the sea and

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-89988708395833113152008-02-05T23:26:00.001-08:002008-02-11T22:48:15.428-08:00

Work is for people who don't know how to fish?I've just discovered the fun of fishing! Why did noone tell me what fun it was before? And actually, although fishing is clearly wonderful I have also been working this week. I've been sanding down Lauries plastering, coming home each day looking like i've aged 30 years with all the white dusk in my hair! Laurie and I visited a cool community on

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-40281926061564677762008-01-30T22:18:00.000-08:002008-01-30T22:29:45.089-08:00

I find myself in the beautiful stunning Coramandel Penisula staying at the batch of a friend of a friend - it has a 180degree sea view and we're camping in the garden in the little tent Janie and I picked up for cheap. We spent last night sleeping under the stars (so many of them without the light pollution, its even better than Dartmoor and of course we can see all theSouthern constallations too

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-79015690716723170302008-01-21T20:17:00.000-08:002008-01-23T16:13:06.316-08:00

I have just spent the best part of two months in the north of the northland and it was hard to leave. I've met some amazingly kind and genuine people and had too many cool unique experiences to even begin listing them. THe last 2 weeks have been fantasic in the HOkinga Habour and it was made that way by the group of people that JAnie and I met almost by chance.WE left our wwoofing hosts last

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-84732262242464316882008-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:002008-01-23T16:09:52.791-08:00

Yeeeeee haaaaaaI've spent the last 10 days of my life in the stunning Hokianga Habour in the far North of the North Island and it has been a BLAST in more ways than one.Firstly - I've shot 3 guns! you wouldn't expect that of me now would you?!I've been galloping along Opononi Beach on a beautiful stallion, I've been on a 5 hour trail ride up a mountain on a lovely horse called Spider, I've been

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-86908042907933316042008-01-02T22:13:00.000-08:002008-01-02T22:34:55.548-08:00

Well Paihia has turned out to be alot of tourist driven fun! I've spent a proper good amount of money and acted like a proper tourist! It's something that i normally Hate to do but actually it's ok here! Kiwis LIKE tourists, they are freindly and thoughtful and don't look down on you because you are a tourist (something I feel like the British do). If you're hitching you're more likely to get a

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-85913177096156550422007-12-30T01:18:00.000-08:002007-12-30T01:25:45.757-08:00

Well today i arrived safely in Paihia - a journey that took me from 11am to 5pm, one that takes 2 hours max in a car. I hitched! The reason it took so long? Well i got three rides one after another and all of them were lovely people, the last man was off visiting freinds in the area and asked if i wanted to join him to see the sites. I visited two Kawakawa and Kerikeri and went on the little

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-64129329498546943532007-12-28T10:40:00.000-08:002007-12-31T23:38:59.155-08:00

Well im off tommorrow morning so I thought it might be a good time to try and record a bit about what makes this place special and what i learnt here. Things are so easily forgotton when you are off on the next adventure and yet i think the little things I learn along the way should be really very important, the fabric of my journey. How quickly i would forget that I know I want to start Yoga to

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-8082934232729029652007-12-24T16:02:00.000-08:002008-01-02T22:13:03.290-08:00

HAPPY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND SUMMER SOLSTICE!How very strange for me that they come at the same time, instead of celebrating the shortest day of the year knowing that theres more daylight greeting us each day, we celebrated the longest day on the 21st. It's christmas and yet it's summer! How strange but it's definately relaxing holiday time, if i keep going like i have been i won't fit into my jeans

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-37096381408920557932007-12-16T13:35:00.001-08:002007-12-16T14:29:29.223-08:00

A word about eco communities, and islandsLife in this eco community feels like i'm on an island, a similar feeling to what i had on Waiheke island expect there i actually was on an island. Let me explain. Eco communities in my limited experience are designed in many ways to be stand-alone, separated from the mainstream by the lifestyle choices (energy use,sourcing lof food, house building

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-73624567842450965212007-12-12T18:59:00.000-08:002007-12-31T23:45:30.766-08:00

Making my way off Waiheke island and up 90km north i find myself in eco heavon or there-abouts. I am living with a truly inspirational couple called Wolfgang and Sabine. They are a German couple who emigrated here 20 years ago to find a better life for themselves, and find it they have. With a lot of work and dedication they have created a sustainable life for themselves growing a large proprtion

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-69588304585749232952007-12-07T00:27:00.000-08:002008-01-02T22:00:53.784-08:00

The most loverrrly beaches here, most lovely loverrrrrrrly beaches! I went swimming at Palm beach at what turned out to be the local nudist beach - an amusing and revealing experience, there i was swimming away in my bikini then this nice old couple turn up and say hello, before i know it they were butt naked and in the sea too! surprise it was too! In fact ive met a variety of wierd and

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-27482845061505278932007-12-06T00:10:00.000-08:002007-12-06T00:24:25.639-08:00

yumyummy yummy!Do you know that New Zealand's fish and chips, from my limited experience so far, are 'probably' better than Britain's? I had lovelrrrrly crisp on the outside squidje on the inside chips and tasty battered fish (Hoki), not too oily.Nice! I'd have taken a picture but that would've been going too far, way to far, it's bad enough even telling you this as if it were the best part of my

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-34461825041694281282007-12-04T20:03:00.000-08:002007-12-04T20:25:32.058-08:00

Yesterday revealed to me that me and cities, even really nice cities like Auckland, dont mix well. I think cities just leave me feeling tired and beaten down a bit, they don't give me any energy, just steal it it would seem. So i briefly enjoyed Auckland but at the end of the day it's not my kind of place it's not quant and small and breathable despite being the smallest city with a tiny amount

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-50953655300868065092007-12-02T18:58:00.000-08:002007-12-02T19:15:25.987-08:00

Hello Chickens! Im feeling much better today. Yesterday was a bit shaky, i think i had concentrated so hard on getting to New Zealand that when i actually arrived at the hostel i felt at a loss for what to do, everyone there seemed sorted and had their buddies and there was me a bit confused and shakey. But of course after taking a step back and chatting to a couple of people I worked out that

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-88058977612254002582007-12-01T20:35:00.000-08:002007-12-01T20:56:41.628-08:00

Im in Auckland, totally exhausted and jetlagged after another sleepless 12hours on a plane, and I'm trying to work out what i'm going to do now i'm actually here! No more concentrating on getting here, i'm here, what do i do now..... I'm wondering whether i should have saved more money...It was even raining when i got here (dont worry its stopped now and bright suinshine will be here tomorrow im

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-29961716997738379692007-11-30T23:46:00.000-08:002007-12-01T00:27:43.892-08:00

NB - Hana's disclaimer - all bad spelling is due to a funny keyboard and trying to write fast, nothing to do with my intelligence..... Well hello ! I arrived in hong lkong three days ago and now its almost itme to leave - my feet ache, i think ive walked about 100miles around the city but ive ghad a great great time. Its fancinating. The streets are PACKED with people ALL the time, especially in

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-79668445971850723042007-11-26T05:57:00.000-08:002007-11-26T06:04:37.783-08:00

It's Monday!!! Which means I've had 4 days of being intensely fed to fatten me up before the grande departure tomorrow! Ahhh. So a massive goodbye to the Tavy massive, all my freinds and family in the Shire, loads of love and about a million hugs. I miss you all already! I will write again in Hong Kong where the view out my window might be slightly different.....xxxxxxxx

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-45380805128337905562007-11-23T01:38:00.000-08:002007-11-23T02:17:54.252-08:00

Boo hoo - Leaving Machynlleth is really horrible! Its been my home for the last 2 years and it really has felt like home.You cant help but fit in Machynlleth, however weird and wonderful you are. Its very strange knowing that my life there, for now at least, has ended. No more Skinners, no more feeding up the CAT masses, no more Al+Christian's gobbledygooptalk..... It all feels a bit odd. In

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1738293495577524826.post-12222242998036745662007-11-13T07:42:00.000-08:002007-11-23T02:28:14.980-08:00

Well well well. 14 DAYS TO GO! Finally after 8 months of scrimping and saving Im on my way to SUMMER!! I dont really care where i go right now so long as there's some sunshine involved. And the fact that im off to the very very beautiful land of the long white cloud is a big bonus! Wales is amazingly stunning but its cold and wet and damp and cold here now and summer wasnt much of a summer. So i

Hanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10829169680332038868noreply@blogger.com1