(no subject)
xsavvyx and I went to New Zealand and Australia, and I went to Tokyo! This was starting about the 23rd of January and went for not quite a month. It's been a while, so I am a little unclear on details.
We met in Auckland. Kempy had flown in from Hawai'i where she had hung out with her grandmother, and I from SF. We both got in 5:30ish AM. We rented a car (which Kempy drove the whole time) and found our hotel in Aukland. Then we wandered the city, which was neat. Over the next few days, we went to the zoo, went to the top of the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere (which you could jump off of on a cable if you wanted...), went to a beautiful, beautiful beach and went to an art museum.
We drove from Auckland to the Hobbiton set (via another beach, maybe?), which we toured. It was great, if kind of kitschy, but I drank Ale at the Green Dragon, so I'm not complaining (it did not come in pints!). The road to hobbiton was a single lane (not two lane), poorly paved track through hilly farmland, so we were amused to see a sign leaving Hobbiton advising us to go the other way.
Then we went to Rotorua, which had boiling mud. The whole town smelled like sulphur, which was kind of disgusting, but the lake was beautiful. We stayed in a hostel ther e and walked around a lot.
The next day we drove to Wellington. This was loooong but beautiful. We stopped to go sailing in a ~12 foot boat in Lake Taupo (it is a volcano!), drove past some other volcanoes, and went on a hike over a large foothill to some beautiful falls. We barely were able to check in to Wellington, arriving at 11ish, and then we had to find dinner. This was a Saturday night in the Wellngton club discrict. Wellington, it turns out, has experienced a sort of catastrophic club Loudness War Prisoner's Dilemma breakdown. Every place we passed was violently loud, presumably as advertisement. None seved food. Eventually we got delicious middle eastern food and slept.
In Wellington we wondered a bunch and went to the Te Papa, the national musuem. It was great. We saw a Colossal Squid.
The next day we took a ferry to South Island. This was completely gorgeous; probably the best boat ride I've been on. Recommend.
We arrived at Picton at South Island, stayed the night in nearby Nelson, and drove south along the western side of the island. It was completely, completely beautiful. We stopped at one amazingly beautiful beach, and maybe some other places. We got dinner in Westport (NEVER GO TO WESTPORT), passed through Grewymouth, and went up into the Southern Alps to stay at the Arthur's Pass Mountain House.
Here we met a woman from Wellington and her father, who was a character. We learned the word "bogan" and drank a lot of pear cider. A lot.
The next day we went hiking. We accidentally a mountain, which took a while and was hard. Then we came down, which was harder. Then we drove to Christchurch.
In Christchurch we had delicious dinner. The next day we went to the mall (made out of shipping containers, new since earthquake), and to the beach. Then we flew to Melbourne.
We arrived at Melbourne super late and found our hostel. Melbourne was super great. We went the museum, wandered the lovely downtown area. We ate a lot of food in Fitzroy, an excellent neighborhood. Super recommend.
After Melbourne, we flew to Cairns. The next day we took a boat out to the Great Barrier reef and went snorkelling. It was beautiful and exhausting. Kempy went scuba diving, but I did not, as it freaks me out.
Cairns was not particularly interesting other than that. We got out of town and went to the zoo, where I held a Koala.
After this, we flew to Sydney. We were there for about a day and a half, and it was lovely. We stayed in Kings Cross, and walked back and forth between there and down town a lot. We saw the Opera House, and later went on a tour. It is completely beautiful. We ate sushi and chocolate. The next day we took a ferry through the Sydney Hrbor, and looked out over the Pacific from near the entrance, "the gap", to the harbor.
That night, Kempy flew home and I flew to Tokyo.
I spent three days in Tokyo. I stayed in a capsule hotel for Westerners (apparenly realy capsule hotels have complicated enough protocol that staying in one when visiting is considered a bad plan.). I got my own little hole in the wall; it was great. A drunk, purple haired Australian girl named Nikki explained to me again what a "bogan" is. I went to Akihabara (electronics, anime, arcades), Shinjuku (neon, malls), the Imperial Palace gardens, a shrine to a Boddhisatva somewhere northeastish, and other places. I ate lots of delicious food, including wacky street crepes. The subway system is beautiful in its absurdity. I will need to go back some day.
Since returning, I have been looking for a job. Things are looking good! I have been hanging out with lots of people, especially calledtovienna. It has been pretty great!
We met in Auckland. Kempy had flown in from Hawai'i where she had hung out with her grandmother, and I from SF. We both got in 5:30ish AM. We rented a car (which Kempy drove the whole time) and found our hotel in Aukland. Then we wandered the city, which was neat. Over the next few days, we went to the zoo, went to the top of the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere (which you could jump off of on a cable if you wanted...), went to a beautiful, beautiful beach and went to an art museum.
We drove from Auckland to the Hobbiton set (via another beach, maybe?), which we toured. It was great, if kind of kitschy, but I drank Ale at the Green Dragon, so I'm not complaining (it did not come in pints!). The road to hobbiton was a single lane (not two lane), poorly paved track through hilly farmland, so we were amused to see a sign leaving Hobbiton advising us to go the other way.
Then we went to Rotorua, which had boiling mud. The whole town smelled like sulphur, which was kind of disgusting, but the lake was beautiful. We stayed in a hostel ther e and walked around a lot.
The next day we drove to Wellington. This was loooong but beautiful. We stopped to go sailing in a ~12 foot boat in Lake Taupo (it is a volcano!), drove past some other volcanoes, and went on a hike over a large foothill to some beautiful falls. We barely were able to check in to Wellington, arriving at 11ish, and then we had to find dinner. This was a Saturday night in the Wellngton club discrict. Wellington, it turns out, has experienced a sort of catastrophic club Loudness War Prisoner's Dilemma breakdown. Every place we passed was violently loud, presumably as advertisement. None seved food. Eventually we got delicious middle eastern food and slept.
In Wellington we wondered a bunch and went to the Te Papa, the national musuem. It was great. We saw a Colossal Squid.
The next day we took a ferry to South Island. This was completely gorgeous; probably the best boat ride I've been on. Recommend.
We arrived at Picton at South Island, stayed the night in nearby Nelson, and drove south along the western side of the island. It was completely, completely beautiful. We stopped at one amazingly beautiful beach, and maybe some other places. We got dinner in Westport (NEVER GO TO WESTPORT), passed through Grewymouth, and went up into the Southern Alps to stay at the Arthur's Pass Mountain House.
Here we met a woman from Wellington and her father, who was a character. We learned the word "bogan" and drank a lot of pear cider. A lot.
The next day we went hiking. We accidentally a mountain, which took a while and was hard. Then we came down, which was harder. Then we drove to Christchurch.
In Christchurch we had delicious dinner. The next day we went to the mall (made out of shipping containers, new since earthquake), and to the beach. Then we flew to Melbourne.
We arrived at Melbourne super late and found our hostel. Melbourne was super great. We went the museum, wandered the lovely downtown area. We ate a lot of food in Fitzroy, an excellent neighborhood. Super recommend.
After Melbourne, we flew to Cairns. The next day we took a boat out to the Great Barrier reef and went snorkelling. It was beautiful and exhausting. Kempy went scuba diving, but I did not, as it freaks me out.
Cairns was not particularly interesting other than that. We got out of town and went to the zoo, where I held a Koala.
After this, we flew to Sydney. We were there for about a day and a half, and it was lovely. We stayed in Kings Cross, and walked back and forth between there and down town a lot. We saw the Opera House, and later went on a tour. It is completely beautiful. We ate sushi and chocolate. The next day we took a ferry through the Sydney Hrbor, and looked out over the Pacific from near the entrance, "the gap", to the harbor.
That night, Kempy flew home and I flew to Tokyo.
I spent three days in Tokyo. I stayed in a capsule hotel for Westerners (apparenly realy capsule hotels have complicated enough protocol that staying in one when visiting is considered a bad plan.). I got my own little hole in the wall; it was great. A drunk, purple haired Australian girl named Nikki explained to me again what a "bogan" is. I went to Akihabara (electronics, anime, arcades), Shinjuku (neon, malls), the Imperial Palace gardens, a shrine to a Boddhisatva somewhere northeastish, and other places. I ate lots of delicious food, including wacky street crepes. The subway system is beautiful in its absurdity. I will need to go back some day.
Since returning, I have been looking for a job. Things are looking good! I have been hanging out with lots of people, especially calledtovienna. It has been pretty great!