Mexico or bust…..

I was finally on my way home. I had a quick flight to Madrid, cleared customs and hopped aboard an Air Europa flight bound for none other than Cancun, Mexico. Ok, so maybe I wasn’t on my way ‘home’ per say, but I would be back on North American soil and meeting up with friends for the last 2+ weeks of my journey. However, I must confess, I was a bit nervous for my Mexican holiday. Not because I was fearful of Mexicans or because I had to figure out how many Peso’s to the USD, but because of the reason I was heading to Cancun in the first place…..to shoot a friend’s wedding. This is something that I’ve never wanted to do, but for some reason when they asked me about it I agreed to it almost immediately. I’m not sure why, but some where deep down I guess I wanted the challenge. I wanted to push my own limits. Could I be the sole person responsible for capturing their day, their moment of love and commitment? What if I screwed things up? How could I ever look at them again? Sure I’ve received compliments here and there on my photography, but this was huge. So at the end of the day I said ‘yes’. And there I was landing in Cancun……nervous…..wondering what was waiting around the corner, and wondering how I was going to pull it off. I had 2 days in Cancun to talk myself down from the ledge before heading a few hours south to Tulum to shoot the wedding. But the journey begins……… in Cancun….

Now is when I would post some pictures so you can see what Cancun looks like, but instead I’ll just tell you to walk into any travel agency and there are countless brochures for you to gawk over and awe the huge resorts and the pristine beaches. Or maybe you remember from your college days a few months before Spring Break hit and magically fliers promoting all inclusive travel packages from the chilly north east down to tropical Cancun appeared so you and your fellow Spring Breakers could cram 4 college students in a room, binge drink and have irresponsible sexual encounters with practical strangers (i.e. other US college students from other universities looking for the same blissful week in the sun as you), and you can do all of this to your hearts content, for that week anyway. This was Cancun. To put it mildly, and you can quote me on this, “Cancun exudes everything that I’ve never wanted in a vacation destination.” I can not tell you how true that is. I spent 2 days there and that was 2 days too many. If I never go back it will be too soon. So no, there will be no pictures of Cancun to post……and I’m not sorry about that either. If Cancun holds a special place in your heart from those college years with memories of old friends and random hook ups….some a little less blurry than others, then I feel sorry for you. And would tell you that if you want to travel and experience other cultures, you need to get off of this continent to do it.
Now that I have gotten my fill of Cancun bashing out of the way, I returned to the airport to meet up with Jeff, Nancy and Kelly to hop in the smallest rental car we could find and head south to Tulum. We were bound for Brian and Gina’s wedding on the beach, where bare feet and white attire were required. They chose to have a traditional Mayan ceremony where all of the wedding guests gathered in a circle on the beach, the bride circumnavigates her ring of friends and family and enters the circle to join her husband to be. With the Mayan ceremony complete we all retired to the beach front restaurant for refreshments and the awaiting mariachi band. Of course prior to all of these festivities there were a few days for all of the guests to jump aboard the catamaran and venture out into the ocean for some snorkeling. This was followed up by a casual stroll through the local Mayan ruins that sit perched on the ocean front with magnificent grandeur. This is the way to do a destination wedding, friends, family, relaxation by the water and on the water, getting in some exploration of local ruins and to cap it off, circle up on the sand with all of your loved ones for your exchange of vows. Congrats Brian and Gina! I wish you all the best!
In an attempt to not post all of the wedding shots here, I’ve selected a choice few for your viewing pleasure. I would also like to note, once I was knee deep into shooting my first wedding, it really wasn’t all that bad. The stress went away almost immediately and the familiarity of the camera gear and conditions took over and I adjusted as necessary. Would I do it again…..sure thing! In a heart beat. Will I start shooting weddings for work? Not a chance….I value my weekends but would be happy to indulge some close friends to help them remember their special day. Never say never….
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Following the wedding, the Sevich Clan and I filled the tiny rental car yet again and raced inland on the Yucatan Peninsula through multiple police check points and towards one of the great Mayan ruins, Chichen Itza. The huge temple, El Castillo is the center piece of this site standing far above the tree line and still in remarkably good shape. It is an impressive sight to see and well worth the journey. As we were exploring the grounds, we also stumbled upon the Great Ball Court. This was the largest known Ball Court of the Mesoamerican times stretching almost 550 feet long and over 230 wide while the walls towered almost 40 feet up. The single ring on each side were the goals for the teams of the time. Maybe this is where basketball was born, but the stakes were a bit different for sure. While we were at the ruins, we were going from shady area to shady area as it was sweltering. So on the way back we decided to stop off at one of the local cenotes. These are all over the region and all vary in size and depth. They are essentially large sink holes with a swimming hole in the bottom. Very impressive indeed!

It was great to be able to explore and see sights such as these while being at a wedding. I think destination weddings are a perfect cross for a holiday and wedding in one. You don’t end up with a huge guest list just because it takes so much time and effort to actually get there and then you end up with just those that are closest to you to celebrate your union on your own grounds. Very nice indeed!!!!
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

From the Yucatan Peninsula I caught a flight out of Cozumel and over to Mexico City. I was excited for this journey as I was going to get to connect with an old friend of mine Azul. Some call him Azul, some call him Blu and some call him Sergio. He’s a skydiver friend I met long ago and could immediately tell he was a good soul. He’s not only a skydiver, but a singer, an artist an entrepreneur, and a hell of a tour guide. I never got to know him very well before now, but like most of the friends I’ve reconnected with over this journey, he opened his home to me and showed me all that Mexico City had to offer as he invited me into his world.

People often ask me what surprised me most on my journey. I usually say Israel. I was blown away by how amazingly nice it is as are the people. It by far was one of the biggest and best surprises I came across. Well, Mexico City is a close second. I had no idea that it was as hip of a city as it is. Mexico City is just as cosmopolitan as the rest of the major cities of the world. With over 22 million people in and around, it offers all of the modern luxuries, all of the transportation and all of the fantastic restaurants that the rest of them do. The people are generally nice and welcoming and it honestly, seemed like it would be a great place to live for a while. My first venture out I caught a glimpse of a guy riding his Segway, in traffic and talking on his cell phone. Yes, Mexico City. The love of art is evident here as there were public sculptures on display all over the city and even more evident when Azul took me on a tour of artist and activist Diego and Frida’s house and showed me some of the true history in Mexico City.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

We were also able to view a world famous photographer that was holding an exhibition right in the main square of Mexico City, Plaza de la Constitucion. It’s a massive square right in the heart of the city and one of the entire sides is the National Palace. I was quite pleased when I said we should see if we could get into the Palace and Azul replied that he had never been inside. Finally, I was able to share a new exploration with one of my hosts. It’s always nice for everyone involved to be treading on new territory. After we passed the metal detectors and ID checks, we explored the grounds to find several huge murals painted by none other than Diego himself. A very cool experience indeed!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

My last hurrah in Mexico City would be a trip on the back of Azul’s BMW motorcycle out to the Mayan Temple known as Teotihuacan. This was a truly massive site and dwarfed the temples back near Tulum. We scaled the Pyramid of the Sun, strolled down the Avenue of the Dead and ended up at the Pyramid of the Moon. This enormous complex gave tourists virtually unlimited access to run up and down these pyramids and get views that I’m sure in a few year’s times tourists won’t be able to get!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

As I’m sure by now you can tell, I had a blast in Mexico! So much thanks to Brian and Gina for letting me be a part of their day and a million thanks to Azul for being such a gracious host. Mi Casa es Su Casa……that is of course once I get a Casa 😉 I can’t thank you all enough for everything. It was great to get to see Mexico through the eyes of a local and to have my eyes opened during the process.

At the end of April I flew to San Diego and on to my brother’s place in northern Idaho. My summer seemed to turn into a repeat of last summer, driving from one event to the next, from Team Mandrin training camp to the next camp. Some how my summer filled up before I knew what was happening. I find myself spending most of my time between Chicago with the team and Toronto with friends.
I’m currently in search of a new career but also trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. The interesting thing is that as I say this to more and more people, it become more and more evident that even people towards the ends of their working careers in their 50’s & 60’s are still trying to figure out what THEY want to do when they grow up as well. The realization that you do what makes you happy is settling in and I’m just trying to figure out a balance of doing what makes me happy while also providing the independence to travel the world and visit friends. You’d be amazed at what you can accomplish with a laptop, cell phone and a good internet connection. So with that said, the search is on. In the mean time, I’m going to plant my feet some where in North America. I’ve been toying with places like Salt Lake, Chicago, Denver, San Diego and Atlanta…..but currently in the lead is Toronto. I’m excited to see how it all pans out.
In the mean time, I’m going to be working on putting together a coffee table style book of some of my travels. The goal is for Spring ’09, but we shall see. In the mean time the travels are far from over. While the winter will most likely lead to work and actually earning some money instead of spending it, mid October is going to take me back and fourth from the Arizona desert to the islands of the Galapagos off the coast of Ecuador. The Sevich Tsunami is back in action for another tour to be immediately followed by the US Skydiving Nationals in Eloy. Both should be great experiences and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

Once upon a time in Spain….

It’s been a while since I last wrote, so as I sit on a flight from Boston down to Florida I feel it’s time that I attempt to catch up with my delinquent blog…..well, at least some of the way caught up as to where I’m at with my travels.
 

When I left South Africa at the end of March, I headed north towards Spain. Not many flights go direct, so I ended up connecting in Doha, Qatar. Keeping true to the explorer inside, I chose to spend a few nights in Doha and see what sights I could find. Unfortunately my full day of exploration was cut short when I woke and pulled back the curtains to reveal a rather nasty sand storm. While fairly commonplace in the Arabian Desert, not exactly a day you’d want to run outside and bear the blowing sand while hitting the streets…..let alone with a camera. Luckily by the time the afternoon rolled around it had cleared up enough for me to get out and wonder through town. I walked several miles over to the new part of town which would be better described as one giant construction project. I took a picture from the far side of the bay and later counted no less than 36 construction cranes in one shot. Doha is taking after Dubai and investing their money in real estate before the current source of their massive wealth runs out. All of the money there of course comes from oil, and with the experts estimating that in a little over 20 years their vast oil fields will run dry, the city is hoping to transform itself into a center for global business, thus investing in massive buildings and real estate. Walking the streets in that part of town was obviously something that wasn’t done often as I didn’t pass many other people and at times there were no sidewalks, just construction sights to walk across. Eventually I found the mecca of the shopping areas in Doha which came in the form of a giant mall. This brought me back to being in Dubai a few years ago where about half of the men and women were dressed just like westerners, with jeans or slacks and t shirts or dress shirts while the other half were wearing traditional white robes with colored headdresses for the men and full length black burkhas for the women, all the while concealing their faces. It is always interesting to see the changes and the challenges when one culture is influenced so much by another. Attempting to find the balance between what they want and know exists in the west to where their roots come from and the long obeyed traditions of their ancestors.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Eventually I did make it to Spain. I had decided before leaving for my second around the world that I wanted to accomplish something other than travel, so I gave myself 6 weeks to be immersed into a culture and a language. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and never had the time nor the resources. So before I got back to the states, it was time to dive in, get a flat for 7 weeks in Barcelona with my friend Adela from Boston who happened to need a place and take a 6 week beginner Spanish class 30 hours a week. In the beginning, I’ll be honest, it was hard. But once you get the basics and it starts to shift towards really expanding your vocabulary, it turns fun and exciting trying to form new sentences and hold different conversations. Of course those that are familiar with Barcelona are asking yourself why I would have gone THERE of all places to learn Spanish when they speak Catalan?!?! My answer to that is this, I looked at my options in Europe, I could either live in Barcelona, on the water and closer to the rest of Europe, or I could head to Madrid, land locked in the middle of Spain making it much harder to get from place to place. Of course the decision to learn Spanish in Spain came from dinner I had one night in Miami before I left. I was sitting at a table with a bunch of old friends and realized that one was a Columbian, one a Venezuelan and one a Peruvian. It was the perfect melting pot of native Spanish speakers. Of course every country has different dialects, so I asked the question, ‘If I learned Spanish in Spain, will all of you understand me?’ Their response was obvious. They asked if someone from England came to the US would I understand them? It was the same for Spaniards visiting South American countries. While there are little differences here and there, everyone will understand them. And so it was that I found myself signing up for a class in Barcelona in a small attempt to better myself.

Serendipity played a small role upon my arrival to BCN. I say small role because just as I was arriving, the PIA (Parachute Industry Association) Annual Symposium was just coming to a close. So while I wasn’t able to see any of the event itself, I was able to catch the last night closing party and meet up with some friends from around the world that I hadn’t seen in months.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Of course it wasn’t long after that I arrived in Barcelona that I found myself on a flight bound for Palma de Mallorca. It’s an island out in the Mediterranean just off the coast of Spain. Through the wonders of the internet, an old friend and I connected and we decided to take a weekend and explore the island. She had chosen the life of a ‘yachty’ and had finally planted herself on the island to work on a yacht based out of that port. Jessica and I met up and with another friend and proceeded to explore the country side with the windy roads and ancient houses. I should say windy, deadly roads as you’ll see in the pictures below. There was one section where a tour bus had plowed through the waist high barrier and plummeted 50 feet to the steep cliff side below. Since the roads in the area were so tight and remote, their response was to get the people out of the bus and then just fix the barrier, leaving the bus on the cliff below as a reminder to drive more carefully around sharp corners. It is a different world indeed…..

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Upon returning to Barcelona I was invaded once again by the Canadians. This time around Erin decided that she didn’t get enough of the travel and met up with me in BCN only to have both of us hop on a plane for a long weekend and head north…..way north to Oslo, Norway. The land where a small bottle of water and a candy bar costs you $12 USD. That is NOT an exaggeration. With gas over $8 USD a gallon (this is back in April mind you), the Norwegians were used to the expensive lifestyle. Explore the Munch museum, the Viking museum and wondering the streets, we eventually made our way to the Sculpture Park on the northwest side of town that was covered in sculptures of people. It was cold….but it was also beautiful. The Norwegians seemed like welcoming people and summer there must be breathtaking. Just make sure that you don’t have a tight budget or you won’t be able to even get around.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Once back in Spain we met up with Erin’s sister and her boyfriend who had never left North America. It’s always interesting to see those first time travelers and what their take on things are. It was good to have an excuse to go out and get Tapas over and over again. Running up and down the stairs of the Sagrada Familia, the artist Gaudi’s influence was all over the city. From the Gaudi Park to buildings up and down La Rambla, his style was every where and the people embraced it. Between the abundant markets and the iconic architecture Barcelona was a great place to stay for a few months. While the people were amazing, I would also warn tourists or anyone visiting this city, that while violent crime didn’t seem to be a problem, petty crime was ramped. In my first two weeks there I knew of people who had wallets, passports, back packs, $1500 cameras, shopping bags full of goods, bicycles and to some people’s horror, six packs of beer stolen right out from under their noses. If you’re not a vigilant traveler, don’t carry anything of value outside the walls of your hotel. But like I said, aside from the petty thievery, you didn’t have to worry about violent crime or even break ins….it all just seemed to be petty theft. While very inconvenient and costly, it’s still much better than some places I visited and I would still strongly advice you to go to Barcelona if you had the change, just make sure that your guard is up!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

While in Gaudi Park, Erin and I got into some stalking. We caught a glimpse and we had to get a closer look. I’ll be honest, I was mystified and could focus on nothing else. I saw my prey and I moved in for the kill. Switching to paparazzi mode we slapped on the telephoto and moved in for a closer look. While normally I would refer to pigeons as ‘rats with wings’, something was different with this one. And once it took flight we confirmed that it really was a unique bird. Now don’t worry, I by no means am changing my stance on pigeons, but I did decide to make an exception for this fowl. We called it ‘Pigeonkeet’. While it was no doubt a pigeon body with the telltale iridescent markings around the neck, it was also vibrantly colored with greens, reds and yellows of a parakeet. You might recall a picture from above where you saw pigeons pecking at the ground with a parrot randomly in their midst. Well, our theory is that after a late night of drinking from discarded beer cans, a parakeet flew to the wrong nest and well…..one thing lead to another…..and pigeonkeet was born! Long live Pigeonkeet!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Over all Spain was a great place to live for almost 2 months. I was able to take several weekend trips from there also while being able to immerse myself into the culture. Of course I knew before I got there that since the dollar had been the lowest ever against the Euro, it would be one of the most expensive places that I had visited. But all in all it was well worth the journey and the extra cash. From Spain I would leave for North America. Not the US, but Mexico…..the trip was almost over, but to be honest, it was getting time for me to put away the backpack and find a place to call home and start getting some form of a pay check. So while this journey might be coming to an end soon, a new one is just about to begin.

South Africa…it’s really not that far…..you should go!

The desire to go to South Africa has been with me for years. Having befriended over a dozen South African expats in the states, I kept hearing stories and seeing pictures that only fueled my desire to visit and explore the country that was so far away. I had originally planned to head to SA on my first trip around the world, however when the idea of the Trans Mongolian Railroad got into my head I couldn’t say no and SA was yet again, pushed to the backburner. Getting from north east Asia down to the southern tip of Africa wasn’t exactly an easy flight. But my trip to South Africa actually started back in August of 2006 in Gera, Germany at the World Parachuting Championships when I met the woman’s South African National FS 4-way team. Fortunately for me the weather in Germany was not cooperating with the event and rained most of the time allowing for only half of the scheduled jumps to be completed. I say fortunate for me because I had more time to meet new people from all over the world since they weren’t busy jumping out of planes. Long story short, I met Charis and Bev who I kept in touch with and hosted me in SA.

After a 14 hour flight from Sydney, I arrived in Johannesburg to see the smiling face of Charis greeting me at the airport. We had decided a few weeks earlier that we would travel the country together by car through the mountains and down to the coast all the way to Cape Town and back through Kimberly to Joburg. She had become quite an inspiration for me and I turned out to be a bit of a test for her. You see, she had just recently taken over the family business and was attempting to shift things to a virtual office of sorts. Armed with a cell phone and a broadband internet connection for the laptop, my arrival was the perfect excuse to move the office to the road and see if going virtual was actually feasible. So while our SA trip was a test for her, she and her business were an inspiration for me. That lifestyle was what I wanted, and to see someone who was doing it and doing it well gave me hope that when I get back to the states, I can create that business model as well. It’s always nice to see an idea implemented and working the way it was supposed to. But I digress….
After getting settled into the fortress that she calls home, with an 11’ wall topped with an electrified fence, remote controlled reinforced iron gate, security cameras and the security guard who is posted at the end of the driveways on her street, who’s job it is to patrol…that street, we were safely at home and kicked off our shoes to plan the 2 week journey in front of us. I say all of this because crime is ramped in Joburg. Aside from the high walls and electric fences on everyone’s homes, you see the well know “ADT” security sign posted on properties protected by such. However what hits home a bit more than the all familiar ADT sign, is the second half of the sign…..”Armed Response”. Just a sign of the way of life in the big city. Spending a few days at home base, we took a day trip on Safari. A trip to the southern tip of the African continent wouldn’t be complete without seeing some wild animals. Off to Pilansberg we went and got, in my opinion very, very lucky to see the animals that we did. The pictures speak for themselves…..
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Our first night away from Joburg was a trip to see some old friends of Chaz’s in the Drakensburg. These are the mountains which boarder Lesotho, a country completely surrounded by SA. Her friends have been running a camp there for over 10 years and it’s quite a nice place to hike and get out into the hills. After a few nights sleeping in a small cabin with only one light that was powered by a solar charged battery, we were off.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Our next stop was down the coast to Coffee Bay and Hole in the Wall. Yes, there is a town actually named ’Hole in the Wall’. Don’t worry, you’ll see why in the pictures. You’ll also see why cows all over the world dream of life at Hole in the Wall…..there might even be a cow retirement home there…not sure. But I do know that they are living the good life. Aside from the cows, the area is quite remote and we had to travel on a road that had the most potholes that I had ever driven … It was actually impressive with how many potholes there were. They varied in size and depth from what we are used to in the states to bigger than a car and around a foot deep. What was more impressive was we even saw a crew repairing potholes…..something that we both swore hadn’t happened there in years. If you weren’t dodging potholes, you were dodging live stock as they roamed freely across the street. Not a place to be driving at night. But during the day we were able to see the beauty of the area and see the more traditional settlements with spaced out round huts with thatched roofs. When you pass through the settlements the kids see the car coming and when they recognize the white people in the car they come running. They aren’t running for money, they are yelling “Sweets! Sweets!”. Of course there are plenty of people who do want money. One form of the commonly accepted begging whether you want it or not, are the inevitable “car gods”. No matter where you park, they are there. The car gods watch over your belongings and upon your return they stop traffic and guide you from your spot. All of this for a 2 or 3 Rand tip. If you’re wondering it’s 7.50 Rand to 1 USD.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

After spending a night in Knysna, we made the final leg down the coast to Cape Town. Any time that I mentioned I was heading to SA to someone who was from here, they inevitably always told me to, “get out of Joburg as fast as you can and get to Cape Town”. Once I was there I could see why. It was indeed a different world. You didn’t have to worry yourself while sitting at a stop light like you did up north. Things here were different. Just an easier more laid back lifestyle seemed to be the norm. My long lost friend Francis B Jackson found his way back to CT a few years ago and has been calling it home ever since. It was good to meet up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in ages. That seems to be a recurring theme and almost be the norm for me these days, connecting with old friends in random places exploring the far corners of this world. It’s a great feeling to be able to run as far and wide as I have and still have a smiling face happy to see you even if just for a few days.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

I was able to celebrate a birthday while in Cape Town as well. I have now lived for 33 years on this planet and I’m hoping that I’m only a third of the way done with my journey exploring it’s surface. It might sounds like an odd statement, but I feel my age. That is by no means a bad thing. Sure when I was in high school I remember thinking that by 30 I would be married and have 2.3 kids, a dog and a white picket fence. Of course that was just the naivety of a teenager thinking he knew how the world worked. Year after year our experiences build upon one another to make us who we are today. I’ve heard people say that in your early thirties that you get to a point where you feel comfortable with the knowledge that you have and your direction in the world. I understand that now and I couldn’t agree with it more. Of course in the literal sense I still have to find a home and a new career, but that’s just a small, minor detail. On the whole, I know where I am. I know who I am, and I know what I want. This trip has been the biggest present I have ever bought myself and I will not ever forget it. You could almost look at it as an investment in my future state of mind and the returns are already coming in.

Anywhooo, for the annual celebration of my arrival on this world, we deiced to climb Table Mountain and take the cable car down. Francis told me that the hike is hot, very hot with no shade so don’t do it during the middle of the day. He was right….it was brutal out there. Of course when we got to the valley in the rocks ascending to the top, the clouds rolled in so thick and the winds picked up it made us run for shelter. We were in what locals referred to as the ’Table Cloth’. This was the point in time where the mountain was reminding us it was indeed a mountain and to not take it lightly. The 50 yards across to the other side of the climb disappeared as over 30 knot winds blew clouds and cold down from the top. We went from sheltered area to sheltered area just wanting to make it to the top without succumbing to exposure. When we finally were about 5 minutes from the top we heard sirens blaring. We should have had almost 2 hours before the last cable car went down, but if the winds get too strong, they shut down the top and the car and that’s that. We assumed that the sirens were the warning that they were shutting down and made a break for it. We raced and raced and finally made it to the cable car where indeed we caught the last ride down. It was a bit of a disappointment making the 2 hour climb and not being able to spend some time on the top looking out at Cape Town, but I was happy to get back on the ground and into the warmth. The evening was capped by searching out one of the only Thai restaurants in CT followed by ice cream. Yes, despite the near death experience, it was a great birthday and incidentally, my second in a row outside of the USA! The next morning we went to the beach on the other side of the bay to meet up with one of Chaz’s friends and got to see the lunch hour kite surfing fiasco. The beach was packed and I wondered how all of those kites steered clear of one another…..madness! Around 1:30 or so the kites started to thin out as the works returned to their jobs and left the beach behind. Not a bad way to spend a lunch break if you ask me. It also is the perfect depiction of how life is in CT. Everyone we met seemed to have just a much more laid back point of view on things and didn’t mind taking their time to get through the day. I can see why my friend Francis has been here for as long as he has…
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

After CT, we made the long drive up to Joburg with a stop over in Kimberly where the DeBeers Diamond company dug a huge hole in the ground. By huge hole I mean huge hole. So big that it’s actually a local attraction and they charge admission to see it. Apparently there were a lot of diamonds to be had down there. Aside from that, the only other thing that Kimberly had to offer was a place to sleep right in the middle of the drive from CT to Joburg. That last day I got pulled over for traveling 142 in a 120 kph. The fine was 200 Rand, less than 30 USD. We smiled and chatted with the cops, got to play with the laser detector a bit and we were off. We also passed by several townships as they were called. This is where mass people without homes, prop up whatever materials they can find and build a shelter. The government provides electricity and bathrooms and the people build their houses around them. It is a wild scene and the biggest one that we saw was just outside of CT. It’s not exactly a place to stop and take pictures….so most of these were from the car.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

I can’t thank Chaz enough for running me around her country and seeing the sights that my friends have been describing to me for so long now. I can’t wait to return! But my next adventure has me landing in Spain for a few months in an attempt to learn some Spanish. Of course on the way I’ll have a few days to explore the wonderous world of Doha, Qatar. Much like Dubai….Doha is an oasis in the dessert.

New Zealand….the second half….

As I headed up the South Island’s west coast, I stopped off in a little town called Greymouth for an evening. Staying at a backpackers, I randomly bumped into this guy named Noah who was a friend of a friend that I met at Maia’s house on Christmas day back in Queenstown. This just proves once again how small of a world it really is. Noah was hitching his way up the west coast with 2 bags and a surf board, so I gave him a lift the next morning and off we went. I mean seriously, would you stop on the side of the road to pick up a guy with a surf board? We made a few stops, even one to take a picture of a sign warning cyclists of train tracks ahead…..fantastic graphics! I ended up dropping him off in the town famous for their rocks shaped like pancakes. If you have to wonder where the name comes from just take a peak at the pictures and the mystery will be solved….

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

A little further up the road I stopped where I saw some bee hives. It’s very odd to see these bee hives stacked all over NZ as they are just off the side of the road with no warning sign, no fences, just the bee hives, very interesting to say the least. I had stopped at a group of these once before, and when you are still you see the swarm of bees flying through the air. The first time my camera was in the back of the car and I wasn’t about to get out and grab it, I like tempting fate and all but that seemed a little silly. This time it was within reach and I could capture the bees in action. I guess the general Darwin rule applies here as well. Just after that I saw another Buckland sign proving my families British heritage. I couldn’t help but stop and ponder what exactly was up on Buckland Peak, but alas….I pushed onward and upward towards Nelson and eventually Abel Tasman National Park. Abel Tasman is an amazing Park where you can hike in as far as you want, then you can walk down to a beach and take a water taxi back to the trail head. A great way to spend a day! After Abel Tasman, I hopped the ferry in Picton and over to Wellington I went. Yes, I must confess. I gave into the guilty pleasure of seeing the Police live in concert. Why the hell not right? I mean, I’m fairly certain that I will never have that opportunity again in this lifetime anyways. After seeing them perform, I can soundly say that Sting hasn’t lost a thing after all these years. Great show! However I had to stop myself from leaving because the second act was Fergie. No Black Eyed Peas, just Fergie. Don’t get me wrong, she looks great, she can dance, has a voice that could lure the sirens from the shores. However she lacks general talent. While there were 3 or 4 Black Eyed Peas songs that she performed that were quite good, she then proceed to do the rest of her set singing cover songs. Everything from Gun’s n Roses and Sublime to Barracuda. The odd thing about it was that each cover was actually 3 or 4 songs merged into one. To hear her butcher these songs made me get up and leave my seat and head for the door. The only thing that stopped me was that I kept reminding myself that I was there to see the Police and they were up next. So after talking myself down from the ledge when her set ended, I returned to my seat, and Sting and the Police rocked the house! As far as cities go, Wellington is a place that you must see even if you don’t head to the north island, the Gardens in the center of town, the cable car heading up to them, the free open air concerts in the park, short clips of poetry strewn about the city in well landscaped areas. It really did have a nice vibe to it and was easy to get around. In other words don’t miss out!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Jumping back to the South Island, I started to drive south and stumbled rather quickly on a major event unfolding, a forest fire. Half of a mountain range was engulfed and about a dozen helicopters of all shapes and sizes were attacking it from all angles. I grabbed my camera and started shooting from what turned out to be three different locations. The first spot was almost directly under one of their fill up points. Great angles and amazing experience to see these choppers come rushing at me to just stop, swing their bucket over the water and load up for another round of aerial fire fighting. The next angle showed just how much smoke and flames were ripping their way across the range and the magnitude of the fire. It was impressive. Sad to see the forest burned up, be amazing to see these pilots delivering their precious cargo with precision accuracy time and time again.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

After the firefighting photo shoot was over, I headed down past Mt. Cook to meet up with Maia and friends for some climbing. Her friend Dan flew over from NYC and got some great shots of them bouldering with her friend Pip flirting with her fear of heights. Good fun had by all!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Back over to Christchurch for some Punting on the river. Melsinore flew down for the last few days in NZ and joined me in running around town and exploring the peninsula. We ended our time in NZ by going for, what turned out to be, a rainy hike back over at Mt. Cook. I don’t think that Mel had anything to do with it, but once she arrived, so did the rains, they even followed us over to Sydney. Almost our entire time there it rained. Granted it was only 4 days, but still! We walked the streets of Sydney and I got to realize how many places I had been. I bought a book in that store last time I was here…had lunch in that café, went up to that tower, stopped in over there, sat in that park, etc….it was a little walk down memory lane. Superbowl Monday happened while I was in town and where else better to watch it than at Cheers, where everyone knows your name! It was a mixed crowd, with those silly fans from NY and the cool fans from Boston. Then there were the one off Aussies that weren’t really sure why the footballers wore all of those pads? At then end of the game, the Boston fans left upset at the loss of the now, not undefeated Patriots….but alas, some things were just not meant to be. The day I left the sun came out and the only pictures I got were from the SYD airport. For you aviation buffs out there, tell me if you can describe this plane from Singapore Airlines……if it dwarfs a 747 it must be a A380…..the larges passenger jet in the skies.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

The next leg of my journey will take me to a place that I’ve wanted to go for years, South Africa. After that a quick stop in the desert and then a few months in Spain diving into the culture head first. I’m also starting to think about what is next in my life. It’s always been something that’s been in the back of my head during this whole journey, but as the numbers in my bank account continue to get smaller, the reality starts to set in that work is indeed around the corner. In all honesty, I’m excited about it. The scary and exciting thing is that I don’t know what “it” is. I’ve got a few ideas I’m tossing around and I’m not sure which way the cards will fall, but I know with all certainty that whatever it ends up being I’m going to be attacking it head on ensuring that it will not only be a successful venture, but it will also allow me to continue in my new lifestyle of being able to explore and see the world. No more 2 or 3 weeks a year vacation crap that is dealt out by the corporate world. I’m going to be creating or joining a business that will allow flexibility in life and be realistic about why indeed all of us are working. I am truly looking forward to that. In the mean time…..on to South Africa….

New Zealand…the land where hobbits and Kiwi’s roam…

I arrived in New Zealand on Christmas Eve Day after juggling around a few flights out of Tokyo and managed to make a connection in Auckland that allotted me roughly an hour to land in Auckland, claim my bag, clear customs, clear quarantine, transfer from the International Terminal to the Domestic Terminal, and get checked in while attempting to beat the 30 minute prior to departure cutoff that the airlines impose on domestic flights. All of this mind you while having not really slept due to a bad case of ejecting my dinner into a toilet in a room smaller than my old broom closet, at 35,000 feet or more while traveling at speeds over 500 mph. No small task, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do when you get food poisoning on a redeye flight across the Pacific. Oh the joys of travel…..

This however was not the beginning of my trip to New Zealand. To get the big picture, we’ve got to go back. It all started over a year ago in New York City while, with my friend Maia, we were sitting at my travel agent’s desk plotting my course around the world, for the first time. I had plans of spending around 11 days in New Zealand racing across the country seeing all that I could see before hopping over to Australia for about 2 or 3 weeks. Both Maia and Annika (who both have been to NZ before), emphatically told me that I was not allowed to go. I was a bit stumped as everyone that I know who as ever been told me that I absolutely have to go, so curiously I asked why it was that I was not allowed? They both agreed that it simply was not enough time. To which I replied, there’s never enough time! But with that said, Maia told me that her plans would bring her to NZ for the month of Dec. 2007 (We were having this discussion in January of that year). So we agreed that I would bypass NZ this time around and after my around the world trip, I would try and find time to get away from work and spend a month down near Oz at the end of the year. Well, as luck would have it, after my global excursion, I made the conscious decision to not find any sort of employment, forego the income and leave on another journey around the world. After all, despite what cats of the world think, you really only do live once! Wouldn’t you know it that this second around the world would lead me to New Zealand for roughly 6 weeks, both ample time to see the country and experience the culture, while also satisfying both my traveling friends and travel agent (whom btw is a good person to keep happy when you find yourself in a bind half way around the globe!). Thus we return to Christmas Eve Day 2007, and me racing to get to Queenstown where I was greeted by not only Maia and her boyfriend Random, but by about 10 of their friends from around town for a BBQ up the hill at Eric & Pip’s place with a spectacular view of the lake. This was immediately followed up by a pot luck lunch / dinner at Maia’s house on Christmas Day for all of the traveling kids who have found themselves far from home during the holidays. It was great to be with a bunch of people in the same situation that I was in, feeling the holiday blues. So to combat the doldrums of being away from family during the holidays, they arranged a Secret Santa along with the pot luck and spent the evening watching the first 2 movies in the Back to the Future trilogy. I’m not sure where Back to the Future comes into play at Christmas time, I would have guessed something more like the Die Hard series seeing that it’s placed around the holidays, but who was I to question it! And with that, I was firmly planted in New Zealand.

After being treated to snow on the mountain peaks on Christmas Day, one of the first things that I noticed was the intense sun. As I’m sure everyone is about to say, the sun’s just as intense where ever you are in the world as it is in NZ. What you may or may not be aware of is the giant hole in the ozone cause by man made emissions over the years resulting in about 40% stronger UV rays over NZ, helping contribute to Kiwi’s tans year round. While I’m sure many of them thank us profusely for this, most religiously apply sunscreen, probably because NZ has some of the highest rates of melanoma anywhere on the planet. Along with searching for the shady spots on an almost constant basis, I opt for the latter of the two choices and apply sunscreen at the hint that I was going to out and about for any period of time. If you can get past how intense the sun is, NZ really is a breathtakingly beautiful place. No wonder the Lord of the Rings was filmed here.
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of New Zealand. If you’re not an active, outdoorsy type of person, you might as well not even come to Queenstown as you’ll surely be shunned by all for not being willing to jump off a mountainside only tethered by a large rubber band. Within my first few days in town I was introduced to both Frisbee Golf as well as Ultimate Frisbee, repelling and climbing, mountain biking and multiple hikes in and around town. Added to that we took a day trip over to Wanaka which is a neighboring town where they were holding an air show for a few days. Wouldn’t you know it that I bumped into a bunch of skydivers from around the world that I’ve met over the years. Jumpers from France, Austria, USA, New Zealand and Australia were flown down to NZ for a couple jumps each day. It was nice to get a little taste of jumping while traveling and fun to randomly surprise a bunch of old friends half way around the world! That is always a good thing!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Wanting to get out of Queenstown and see what else NZ had to offer, I managed to enlist one of Maia’s co-workers at the outdoor sports store for a journey over to Milford Sound. Now while Maia is here to see the country, she isn’t working at the gear store for the money, she’s working there for the discounts. Don’t be fooled, NZ is an expensive place to visit and to play! Anywhoo, Laura and I made it out to Milford in time to catch the last cruise of the sound for the day which included pulling the boat right up to the edges of the fjords and even under a few waterfalls. The next morning we woke early climbed into a kayak and made our way out on the sound. As much as I hate the early mornings, there is something to be said about being out on the water when it looks like glass and paddling up to rocks where seals are taking a break of the stresses of life and basking at the edge of the sound. As my friend Carrie would say……’it sure didn’t suck!’

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

My next little trip out and away, I managed to get my hands on Maia’s Subaru Legacy wagon and took it down to Dunedin and the Catlin’s. This trip was a treat as I teamed up with a fellow couch surfer and as we pride our way away from the penthouse couch surfing we landed in the center of town, we made out way around Dunedin’s peninsula to see albatross, penguins and the like. Our last and surely our best wildlife encounter was after we hiked down to Sand Fly Beach were we watched two sea lions battle it out over a female. After a few minutes of blows while viciously attacking each other, the female made her way over to the two males and chose ‘the winner’. With that, the loser turned and made haste back into the ocean. It simply was not his day. The great thing about this experience is that I had my camera in my hands and I shot away. Unfortunately it was almost directly into the sun, so the pictures didn’t turn out that great, but you can still see the battle and the selection that followed. As we were making our way back up to the car we ran across a couple of Kiwi teens who were taunting a very unhappy sea lion. I couldn’t help but just snap off a bunch of shots waiting for the sea lion to triumph. After all, there are signs posted all over the place warning you to keep your distance and do not mess with these animals as they will maul you. What can I say….I was rooting for the sea lion, either I’m a cold hearted bastard or a firm believer in Darwinism. Either way I figured I could get a great shot that would be a cover story in the papers the next day setting an example to teens all over Kiwiland, thus paying for my NZ trip in one photo shoot! But alas…..the annoying kids were quicker than the sea lion. Better luck next time sea lion! I’ll be ready!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

I also have a confession to make. While I was in Dunedin, I saw ads for a Cadbury Chocolate Factory Tour. If you eat chocolate down here, it’s most likely Cadbury’s. And as those close to me will undoubtedly know, I have a bit of a sweet tooth. Ok, I have a ridiculously strong sweet tooth. I have my mom to thank for that one. But blame aside, I devour chocolate whenever it is in front of me like it’s the last food on earth. With that said, the factory tour was a must. I could not wait to find me a few Umpa Lumpas to stuff in my bag and take home as souvenirs. I am quite disappointed to report that while the factory did actually have a two story chocolate ‘water’ fall, there were NO Umpa Lumpas to be found. I inquired about getting my money back due to lack of Umpa Lumpas, but I was simply asked to leave. I tell you all of this as a warning. If you ever find yourself in Dunedin, New Zealand, don’t fall for the same trickery that I fell for. The Umpa Lumpas are there….somewhere, but you will not see them on the factory tour. I guess you’ll just have to keep buying candy bars in hopes of finding a golden ticket. Oh well….it was not meant to be.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

After returning to Queenstown from Dunedin, a group of us went for a climb on a rock face that was perched on the lake. Seeing that you had to hike down to the top of the rock face, the only way to start your climb was to repel down to just above the water, clip into one of the anchors there while you swapped over your climbing rope so that you were on belay. Then you could unclip and start your climb up. Just to give you some background, I had never been climbing before outdoors. While I have been probably a dozen times to rock gyms, I’ve never climbed ‘real rock’. It was a bit different trying to grip, but it was still tons of fun! Not sure I’ll be signing up for many outdoor rock excursions as of yet, but I’m sure I will do it again one of these days.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

My next jaunt away from Queenstown included a drive up the west coast which brought me right past the Fox Glacier. Opting to take a guided tour, boots and crampons were handed out and off we went. There are only three spots in the world where you have to hike through a rain forest to get to a glacier and this is one of those spots. Seeing that the glacier averages 180 days of precipitation per year, I lucked out with an absolutely gorgeous day and blue skies littered with white puff clouds. A perfect day to hike on some ice that dates back long before I do! When you get to the edge of the glacier and are about to climb on, the group stops, puts on the crampons, don fleece coats and hats, even though you are sweating from the sun and the hike. Before you know it, the temperature drops almost 5 degrees celsius immediately, even more once you get out to the center of the ice. The guides are constantly chipping away new steps into the ice for the tourists to make there way across. There are also several spots along the trail that are considered very active rock fall areas. So much so that the guide company has rigged a system on the rocks that they think pose a hazard to us wee tourists. The way the system works is one of the guide heads out to the middle of the ‘danger zone’ and flips on the system (which consists of a box with several wires connected to it and a solitary light). The thinking is, if the light goes out, the wires have dislodged and the rocks are on there way to greet you. Upon seeing the light extinguish, the guide is supposed to yell ‘RUN’, in which case you start running as fast as you can in hopes of avoiding your untimely death or severe maiming from a large boulder or several large boulders. In either case, if you see the guide sprinting past you yelling ‘run’, it’s probably in your best interests to follow, unless of course he is in the process of being crushed by said large boulder. Regardless of the dangers, the hike is well worth it, but next time I think I will opt for the guided ice climbing. Now that sounds like a challenge! Either that or I just like the idea of swinging a huge ice axe, not sure which.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

And that my friends, was the first half of my journey in New Zealand. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! It’s a long time to be in one country for me, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. Next up, a glimpse of the north island, helicopters fighting a forest fire and ohhhhh so much more.