Time travelling to a few days ago when I was living the good life on North Stradbroke Island

(I'm back in Auckland where the Internet is fast and free (yay!) so I can finally post what I'd written some 4 days ago.)

Ahhhhhhh…North Stradbroke. 

A bit of geography: North Straddie (as the locals call it) is the second of two large sand islands that lie just east of Brisbane.  It’s fairly easy and cheap, if not quick, to get here via public transport.  From downtown Brisbane you have to take a subway train for an hour ($6.40), then grab a bus from the train station to the ferry terminal (free with subway ticket), then take the ferry for half an hour ($17 return), then another bus from the wharf to the hostel ($4.50).

It’s less touristy than its neighbour, Moreton (where I was last week), but still attracts a fair bit of visitors, especially during the school holidays (which, unfortunately, includes this week).  It reminds me of Balm Beach in Georgian Bay – lots of cottagers and daytrippers who come over from the nearby big city on weekends and holidays, but not so much that it’s become tacky (like Wasaga).

And for good reason.  North Stradbroke is AWESOME. 

I warn you now, my pictures really don't do this place justice. 

I’m almost reluctant to talk about it too much cause I would hate for the “secret” to come out and ruin this little slice of paradise.

But you can keep a secret, right?

I was here last year for only a night or two.  Despite the short stay, it was a highlight of my three-month trip. I’m delighted I’ve been able to come back so soon, and I’m absolutely thrilled that it’s just as amazing as I remember.

Frenchman's beach

The water here is beautiful – impossibly turquoise, as clear as can be, and only steps away from where I’m staying.

(I'd made a snazzy little video showing just how close it was.  I walked from the hostel to the beach in under two  minutes.  Unfortunately, loading the video was taking more than 15X the time it took to make it.  And, though I'm not a busy girl, I do have things to do,so, no video for you. Sorry.)

The beaches are plentiful – most of the dwellings are on one section of the island called “Lookout Point” (why is it called that, you might ask. Well, more on that later).  In that one area there must be 3 km of clean, sandy beach front.  And even with the holiday in full swing, the beaches are anything but crowded.  Of course, there’s a greater concentration of people gathered around the lifeguarded areas (the waves are pretty strong), but if you’re just looking to sit in the sand with a good book, chances are you’ll be doing it in near solitude.

Cylinder beach

So what have my days been like? 

Slothful.

Sinfully slothful, in fact.  Decadently, deliciously, blissfully so.

And as I approach my second month anniversary of unemployment, I can hardly say I’ve earned it…but I won’t lie; it’s fantastic.

At about 6:30 or 7:00 I’m roused from my slumber by the less-than-dulcet tones of a gaggle of excited scuba divers who are preparing for the morning’s dive just below my window.  It’s a bit annoying, mainly because I’d love to be joining them, but given that I’m still ever-so-slightly congested, it could result in a painful – if not damaging – experience for my ears.  Oh well.  There’ll be other opportunities I’m sure.

 The “early” morning wakeup calls are rather nice though, since I’ve been able to participate in the morning yoga classes offered up the beach.  By 7:40 I set out for my 20-minute walk to the yoga site.  After an hour of yoga, I stroll back to the hostel where I make myself a big breakfast, then throw on my bathing suit, pack a bag with some essentials (sunscreen, sunglasses, water bottle, snack, blanket), slap on my big unfashionable hat and either head on out to the beach just outside the door to make camp, or make my way into “town.”

Bustling this is not

I use the term lightly since the downtown of Point Lookout is really just a tiny conglomeration of businesses – a bakery, a coffee shop, a pizza place, two stores selling beachwear and touristy knickknacks and a restaurant or two. It’s hardly a bustling metropolis.  What compels me to walk 45 minutes to get there is the lookout itself.  As the name states, the area just in front of the shops is an excellent lookout point.  A cliff jutting into the sea is the perfect vantage point to spot pods of dolphins, rays, turtles, and during this time of the year, whales. 

In the space of an hour on Tuesday, I managed to see them all.  Squee! (For the uninitiated, that’s the sound of childlike glee).



Dolphins!



and turtles!

and whales, oh my!



At the beach I alternate reading on the sand and tackling the waves. I don’t go out very far, since the waves are pretty strong, and though I’m a strong swimmer, I’m not used to the ocean, so I’m a bit of a coward – especially when there’s the possibility of becoming intimately acquainted with either a riptide or a shark. I did do a bit of boogie boarding (very close to shore) though, which was fun. 



Once the sun sets or clouds roll in, I usually do a bit of writing – for this blog, obviously, but also for a project I’m hoping to develop.  I also admit to vegging out in front of the TV.  Let’s pretend that it’s to study the pop culture of this country (Junior Masterchef?  Too fun).

I’m back to Auckland and meeting up with some friends from home on Saturday.  They’ll be in NZ for a few weeks doing the tourist circuit, and I’m going to tag along for at least a while.  Though I’m not entirely thrilled to return to temperatures in the mid-teens, it’ll be nice to see some familiar faces.

There was no natural place to put this last photo, so I'll leave you with it.




 



Posing awkwardly at the sublime North Gorge

Living the good life on North Stradbroke Island...

I'd love to tell you about it right now, but this Internet connection is crap and it's not letting me copy and paste my text, much less my images and videos.  I've been at it for 25 minutes and nothing is working.  So I'm giving up for now.

It should be workable once I get to Auckland very early on Friday morning, so stay tuned!

So basically, I'm just letting you all know that I'm still alive and kicking (in the surf) :)

A Whale of a good time (hyuck hyuck) on Moreton Island

Have you ever been whale watching?  I have.  Three times. 

The first two were within days of each other and in Halifax harbour.  It was on a fairly small, rusty boat, with two crew members and six passengers. The first time was a bust – the biggest sea creature we saw was a distant seal.  When I decided to give it another go a few days later, we did see the whale, but it was a small thing that popped up periodically, then disappeared back to the deeps. It was a decent experience, but hardly one to write home about.

My third foray into whale watching was in New Zealand’s seaside town of Kaikoura, which gets its name from the Maori word for crayfish, but is mainly known for its dolphins and whales. It was a slick affair.  After paying our $140 we were ushered into an air conditioned room to watch a video on whales, then escorted onto an equally air conditioned boat with plush seating for a hundred. 

We were not permitted to go outside to enjoy the view of the beautiful coastline while the boat was moving. Instead held captive inside while one of the dozen-odd crew members gave us a well-practiced shpeel on the topography of the region, and on the marine life that were drawn there because of it.  This was all done with the help of a video with snazzy graphics.  The boat rocked and roiled, and churned up our insides.  Not being able to go outside to get fresh air, my travel companion lost her lunch.  They used some sophisticated doohicky like a large underwater stethoscope to listen for the whales and then manoeuvred the boat to within a hundred metres from where they’d resurface.  We did see a whale, as promised, and it was cool.  But it all felt so manufactured.  So Disney-fied. 

Why am I talking about whale watching, you ask?  Well, yesterday, I experienced the real deal: The magical thrill of coming upon these giants unexpectedly.  I was on my way to Moreton Island -- the third biggest sand island in the world, and a tourism mecca, by the looks of it. The ferry ride to the Tangalooma resort took about an hour and a half and wound its way through the more unattractive parts of Brisbane River (the part fringed with cargo ships and boat maintenance buildings) before spitting us out into Moreton Bay.  At one point we saw a small pod of dolphins in the distance, and the recoding that was playing over the loudspeakers spoke of the plethora of amazing marine life that lived in these waters – and we could discover them on one of the cruises being offered for a “low price!” that afternoon! 

With about half an hour to go, there was a sudden flurry of activity at the front of the boat.  Someone had spotted something in the water to our left.  The captain dutifully stopped the boat and announced that what the two big dark lumps we were seeing were in fact a female humpback whale and her calf.  Pretty cool, no?  I would have been happy with that.  But we got a show folks.  The calf proceeded to do something that I never really thought I’d see in person.  He jumped out of the water, did a half turn and landed sideways (like this!).  He did this not once, not twice, but four times. How amazing is that? 

Pretty damn amazing, let me tell you.

I wish I had a picture, or better yet, a video, to show you how incredible it was.  Unfortunately, I brought my crappy little underwater camera and not my decent one, and the settings were jammed, and all I managed to capture was this beauty of a shot.

ooooooo....aaaaaaaaa

Oh well.  I remember it, and it was spectacular.

I spent the rest of the day trying to avoid spending money on the many activities they offered on the resort (quadbiking!  kayaking! fishing! segue-ing! etc!) and instead opted to take advantage of the decent weather and parked my caboose on the beach with a book.  Ahhhhhhhhhh

I did rent some snorkeling equipment and go for a swim around some sunken ships not far from shore, and there my underwater camera served me well

fishies!

Let no one accuse me of vanity.

I actually lucked out and happened to be there when a group from a tour boat was also nosing about and they'd brought some bread for the fish, so there were thousands all swimming around us.  It was great.  They were so shiny that I could actually see the colour of my flippers reflected in their scales. 

The main even of the day was the dolphin feed at sundown.  Small fish are attracted by the lights of the dock near the beach and wild dolphins come in to shore to hunt those small fish.  Some 20 years ago the owners of the resort started feeding them a bit, and it's grown from there.  It was a bit of a manufactured experience again, but still, the dolphins were wild and behaved that way.  Only two showed up last night, and for the most part they didn't want to eat the fish we were offering.  Instea they were happy to chase the live fish around and give us a show.  I did manage to get one to eat the slimy offering I was clutching, and I was glad for it, but I think I would have been just as happy to watch them from the dock.

So now I've got a day of nothing ahead of me. I may head back to the man-made beach at South Bank. There are some nice paths, a cool fountain area and some nice shops. I was there the other day, but it started to rain, so I sought refuge in a movie theatre (The Last Airbender -- not great, but not as bad as everyone made it seem).

here are some pics:

I am fascinated by these fountains.  Love it.



This ferris wheel is mostly empty.  Maybe due to the $15 charge.  (!!!!)



The "beach"

Tonight, I'm meeting up with some friends of a friend for dinner.  It'll be nice to be with some non-backpackers and some fellow Canadians :)

Brisbane is much better in the light of day and out of the fog of sickness

Despite my last melancholic post, I’m very happy to be where I am. 

Once the cold started to wane, and the weather cleared, I was reminded just how fetching a city Brisbane is. 



Pretty!

A wide river snakes its way through the city, and inviting paths flow along its banks.  Adding to the picturesque panorama is the slew of attractive and fit Aussies who use the paths as their workout grounds.  As bikers and joggers whipped by me in all their sweaty hotness, I started to regret my impulse purchase at the Krispy Kreme I’d come across (a $3.50 “cream egg donut…mmmmmm.  Expensive AND tasty).

Floating walkway.  It's pretty cool.  There are some sections that I guess swing out to let boats through (near the rich people's houses.

There are plenty of strange and striking trees, plants, bushes and flowers to gaze at.  During the day the sky is alive with birds big (like the funny-looking ibis) and small while at night huge fruit bats take their place.



The ibis' head to body ratio is OFF THE CHARTS!

The downtown’s interesting modern buildings are peppered with old interesting ones, making for striking contrasts. 

Jux...

..ta...



...po...



...si...

...tion!

The people seem nice and content.  For the most part, they’re also quite fashionable, with older women wearing what looks like designer wear and every second younger chick decked out in black tights and short skirts or shorts.  I think I stood out in my rolled up jeans and t-shirt.

What a tourist!

Though the weather at the moment is unseasonably cool, generally, I’m told, it’s really quite lovely.  It should return to its regular loveliness by early next week (Huzzah!).  I’m very delighted, since bad weather can have such a bearing on how I perceive a place.

For instance, yesterday morning when the sky was a monochromatic grey and rain was falling in a mist so light you could barely feel it, let alone protect yourself against it, I was still decidedly anti-Brisbane.  But by time the sun did break through the thick clouds at about three I was starting to sing a different tune. By then I was very happy to grab my book and my aforementioned donut and camp out on a bench for a good read.

One thing I’m still not liking about here is the fact that there is no wifi at the hostel.  Hell, they don’t even have a computer with an Internet connection (!!!).  It’s disappointing, and rather inconvenient, since the nearest Internet café is a 10 minute walk away and I’m stuck paying $4 for each hour I spend online.  I seem to remember that the public library on the South Bank has free Internet and Wifi.  I’m planning on making my way to that neck of the woods today anyway, so hopefully I’ll get a few things done for free!!!

Feeling retched in Brisbane

Make it go away.  I can’t shake this cold.  The headaches, coughing, sore throat and runny nose are really getting me down.  Physically I’m feeling awful and, understandably, it’s having an effect on my emotions. 

As the title of this post states, I’m in Brisbane.  It’s awful to say, but I really wish I weren’t. 

This reticence toward my geographic situation is likely due to many factors

a)      I’m generally displeased with the world as a whole right now.

b)      I like Auckland and I’d rather be there, where I’d made myself a few fleeting friends and had started to get the lay of the land.

c)     This hostel is light years away from cosy, unlike the place I stayed at in Auckland, which really did feel like a house.  Here, the floor of my room (I splurged and got a single tonight in the hopes of getting a better night’s sleep and aid my road to recovery) is bare concrete. 





It’s been painted, but there are areas where the paint has chipped, and little bits of grey rock keeps sticking to my socks and getting transferred to the bed.
The walls in all the common areas are festooned with rules, warnings and admonitions like “Don’t steal!” and “Don’t use the kitchen sink to brush your teeth or shave.”  It’s hardly welcoming, even for those of us not planning on stealing or taking care of our hygiene in the kitchen.  Oh, and there’s no Internet, so though I’m writing this Monday night, I won’t get to post it until Tuesday at the earliest (as predicted, it;s now Tuesday and I'm having to post this from an Internet cafe where pimply, unhealthy youths are talking loudly).

d)      I landed at 5:55 and was greeted with a darkened night sky, pouring rain, and unseasonably cold weather (18 degrees).  I was really looking forward to warmth and sun without the risk of flash rainstorms that Auckland was so often delivering.

The only real reason I’m here is that I needed to land in Australia before October 19^th to activate my working holiday Visa, and I figured I’d take advantage of the warmer climates and get certified for scuba diving.  Alas, not one of the six or so PADI centre is offering a course that fits in to my schedule, so I’m out of luck.   I now wish I’d made my port of entry Cairns (where I’d be sure to find a scuba course) or Sydney (where I could have visited a very good friend).

But in Brisbane I am and I will make the best of it.  I’ll take this time to really relax and hopefully get better very soon.  On Wednesday or Thursday I may also head out to Moreton Island where there are wild dolphins that come in to shore to be fed (though I’m a little against this taming of them).  I’m planning on heading over to North Stradbroke Island, a little slice of paradise that my friend and I discovered when we were here last year.  I’ll hopefully spend a few days walking along nearly-isolated beaches, spotting stingrays and sea turtles. I’m looking forward to it.

Lazy in Auckland

It`s really unpleasant being sick in a hostel.  I'm tired, I'm cranky, I just want to be left alone or be waited upon.  Neither is bound to happen.

I'm also keenly aware that I'm very likely sharing my germs with the four strangers with whom I'm cohabitating.  I know I'd hate having to share quarters with a sicko. Everyone's been very nice though, and I'm taking care to wash my hands frequently and to sneeze into my sleeve. 


There's a fifth bed off camera.  Mine's the one furthest to the right.

There's a nice group of people here at the moment.  On Friday nine of us headed out to a bar downtown and had a pretty good time (I got hit on!  Twice!).  And yesterday five of us went to a nearby Japanese restaurant for dinner.

There's a pair of Scottish brothers who seem hell bent to prove the stereotypes about their countrymen true.  They're a total riot, and I'm amazed at their consumption levels and apparent lack of any repercussions.  There's also deux français who are really great.  They actually jumped to my defence yesterday when another very snooty French chick made some derogatory remark about my accent  (Vache.)

The last two days have been less than eventful.  The combination of cancelled ferries (which were to take me to one of the nearby islands yesterday or today) and the common cold have rendered me lazy and unambitious. 

Yesterday my only real accomplishment was doing my laundry.  The rest of the day I holed up in the room and alternately read or watched tv on the Internet. I finally succumbed to cabin fever and went for a walk at around 3:00, but it wasn't a long one, and I was soon back on my comfy bed.  I did rouse myself long enough to go to that aforementionned dinner however (don't want to appear too antisocial).



Today the weather is predictably unpredictable.  At the moment it's raining cats and dogs but ten minutes ago, it was gorgeous and sunny.  In ten minutes it'll probably be back to blue skies.  When dressing, layers is definitely the name of the game here.  What hasn't been erratic is the wind.  It's been steady for the past three days.  The sidwalks are littered with debree from trees -- branches, palm fronds, leaves, flowers -- and I was cursing my decision to leave the hostel without a hat to keep my hair in check.



This is very likely the wost length of hair to have, wind-wise.  It's long enough that it hits you in the face, but too short to tie back in a ponytail.

 But leave the hostel I did.  I went for coffee (flat white!) with one of my roommates and then I headed up solo to Mount Eden, one of the 49 dormant volcanoes in the Auckland area.  This one boasts the title of highest natural point in Auckland at 196 feet.  There's a cone at the top that's 50 feet deep and pretty cool to see.  (weather update: now sunny and gorgeous).

Some 15,000 years ago, that grassy knoll was liquid hot MAGMA (cue Dr. Evil pinky mouth)

The view from up there is pretty spectacular too.



On top of the world!

Tomorrow I unfortunately have to leave for Brisbane.  I had booked the flight months ago with the idea of just landing here to activate my Visa, then heading up to warmer Australia to do the same.  The plan was to get my scuba diving certification, but it appears that there aren't any courses being offered next week in the Brisbane area. My only option would be to either fork out $400 to take a flight up to Townsville, or sit on a bus for 8 hours each way.  No thanks. 

(weather update: raining so hard it feels like the windows will open)

So looks like I'm headed to Brisbane without a solid plan.  I'll likely head to the marvelous North Stradbroke Island, and take advantage of its uncrowded beaches, and maybe do one or two touristy things. 

Let's just hope the weather is better than here :)

A pedestrian's lament



Smug SOB



At first glance, Auckland appears to be a pedestrian’s paradise. 

Its tree-lined sidewalks are plentiful, safe, and clean – considerably cleaner than those of any Canadian city of comparable size.  I don’t think I saw as much as a piece of garbage or a wad of spit during the many hours I’ve spent roaming Auckland’s street these past few days. 

And the sidewalks are wide.  Often wide enough that two adults could each walk with their arms outstretched to their full wingspan and still let another person pass between them without touching. 

Look how wide Queen street (the main drag) is!

Visually, it’s all very nice too.  The Skytower dominates the skyline, looming impressively overhead.  The waterfront is always nearby, glinting invitingly at the end of many a street.  And the trees are so nice – palm, conifer, leafy, flowery – and many housing some of the many bird varieties endemic to New Zealand.

Skytower looming phalically

It’s really all very pleasant…as long as you never want to cross a street. Cause sweet overpriced cupcake are those crossing signals a pain in the ass.  

It’s not that there aren’t enough places to cross. No.  Rarely do I find myself looking for an access point, but Auckland crosswalks are more of the quantity, not rapidity ilk. 

It’s not uncommon to wait well over  two minutes to cross the street. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but believe me, it is.  Especially when it's rainin. And if you come to one of the too-frequent corners where one side is blocked to pedestrian crossing, and in order to get to where you want to go you have to make three crossings rather than one, well clear your calendar folks, cause you’ll be there for a while.

The red man of idleness.  We're well acquainted

Crosswalks don’t automatically prepare for pedestrians either.  You have to physically push a button to activate the little “walk/don’t walk” men.  If you get the corner on a green, but push the button too late, tough titties. The red man of idleness pops up and you not only have to wait the normal interminable time, but you also have to wait out the time when you’d normally be crossing. 

Hi!  I'm ineffecitive!

What would normally be a five-minute walk quickly mutates into a 15 minute ordeal. Ugh.

To make matters worse, I just found out that In New Zealand pedestrians only have right of way on controlled crossings and footpaths. So in the event that you lose patience and cross somewhere other than an actual crosswalk or during a time when you don’t have the right of way, and you get hit by a car, there's no repercussion for the driver (I should verify this).

Let’s just say that I won’t be jaywalking until I get a handle on this “look right, then left before crossing the street” thing.  I’m just happy I have so much time on my hands that I can afford to spend large portions of my day waiting on street corners. (Wait, that sounds bad doesn’t it?)

Thar she blows!

And blow she sure does today.

New Zealand is going through a baaaaaad storm.  Much of the country was hit with heavy ran, lightning, snow and gale force winds.  Here in Auckland we're pretty buffeted and haven't nearly had as rough a time as the rest of the country, but we did get some rain and a lot of wind.  There's also a chance of hail tonight. 

Early in the day it was quite nice so I took advantage by heading out for a walk to the Domain, a big park in the middle of the city.  According to the map it wasn't far from the hostel, and I figured it would take me half an hour. 

I'd forgotten how much NZ maps suck though. 

I can't really comment on road maps, not having used any, but pedestrian maps are consistently, maddeningly, laughably bad.  Claire and I had experienced these exercises in frustration time and time again last year -- incomplete sections, misleading legends, dead zones -- all designed to lead the unsuspecting visitor astray (and astray we were lead).  The situation is especially mind boggling considering how fantastic the tourism infrastructure is here overall.

For example, while following the map provided by the helpful lady at the i-site (the NZ tourism office), I was led to believe that Wellesley street would take me directly to the Domain from the downtown area.  However, about halfway down said street, I suddenly ended up at a T in the road, where according to the map, no T should be. 

At a loss, I took a small footpath that seemed to be leading in the general direction that the map indicated, only to be brought to the bowels of Auckland University.  This area, which on the map was nothing but a big, empty beige diamond shape, was in fact a labyrinth of narrow construction-filled, dead-end roads and gated footpaths only accessible by key card (of which I, obviously, had none). After more than 15 minutes of fruitless wandering, I finally stumbled upon an ungated staircase that led me back to the street I’d started on (the top of the “T”). 

Grumpy, but resolute to carry out my mission, I got back on track and 20 minutes later, along a rather circuitous route, I finally made it to the Domain.  It consists of a nice big green space which I believe is used for cricket, a duck pond, some nice walking tracks which recreate a typical NZ bush, a winter garden (greenhouse), and the Auckland War Museum. 

The Auckland Museum

Taking advantage of my camera's timer setting and a flat surface

Though I believe this is man-made, it's surpisingly accurate of NZ bush

Why hello there!

Had the grass been dryer and the sky not darkening, I likely would have happily set up camp with my book and read the afternoon away under a tree. 



Batten the hatches!

Alas, the ground was sodden and the sky rapidly becoming charcoal, so I headed back to the downtown (via a much more direct route).

It started raining not long afterwards and I sought refuge in a coffee shop (unfortunately, Starbucks was the closest one) and spent a good two hours reading a truly mindless novel.

I got transferred to a dorm for the next three days, and it’s actually quite nice.  There are five of us, no bunks, and the room is HUGE by hostel standards.  We have our own fridge and computer too -- all for $25NZ a night.  This is probably the best hostel I’ve stayed at in NZ.

I’m meant to go volunteer on Motuihe island tomorrow -- planting trees or putting up fences, something like that – but it looks doubtful that the ferry is going to be running if the wind doesn’t die down.  It could be a long day inside if that’s the case. Cross your fingers for me!

A day of accomplishments and delicious food

There are many obvious great things about being unemployed by choice -- the freedom, the lack of stress, the hours -- but there's one thing that I did not expect to appreciate so much; It's amazing how little you have to do in a day to feel accomplished. Today is a case in point.

This morning was spent checking email, researching possible scuba diving courses in Brisbane for next week (results? None to be had.  Boooooo) and watching True Blood's season finale online (also boooo).  Come afternoon I ran around the downtown setting up a bank account (which took longer than expected), and signing up for WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms, which will allow me to volunteer on farms throughout the country in exchange for room and board).

Now doesn't that sound like productive day?

I thought so. So I rewarded myself with a dinner I'd been looking forward to for weeks -- A Ponsonby Fish & Chips shop's veggie burger.

Ponsonby Fish & Chip shop, 127 Ponsonby Street

I'd experienced this delectable burger when I was here last year and I was hoping it would be as good as I remembered.  Oh my, was it ever.

I'm not sure what Turkish sauce is, except AWESOME 

oThe pattie had full corn kernels and peas and I'm not sure what else, but it was deep fried, then topped with (as seen above) cheese, pineapple, onion, a fried egg, romaine lettuce, avocado, tomato and Turkish sauce.  All on a whole wheat bun.  Ohhhh mama.


Cue salivation

I also succumbed to my sweet tooth (big surprise, right?) and got a pineapple fritter too (for only a dollar!).  It was equally delicious.

That, my friends, is a pinapple round dipped in batter, deep fried to golden perfection then lightly dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Mmmmmmmmm

Jet Lag a Go Go

It's 5:30 p.m. here, but to my body it's 1:30 a.m. and I've been on the move for 36 hours. I had hoped to stay up until at least 9:00, but I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. 

I got in to the city at 8:10 in the a.m. and by 11:00 I was at the hostel.  It's really nice and the owner upgraded me from a dorm room to a single room at no extra charge since it's my first night here.  How nice is that?  I even have my own TV!

I spent most of the day aimlessly wandering the streets of Auckland, occasionally stopping at some of the many second hand shops, popping in to small art galleries or gratefully guzzling a coffee (a flat white, if you please). 

Flat white?  Don't mind if I do

Where I had my coffee

It was glorious.  The weather was really incredible -- blue skies and mild temperatures in the mid to high teens (celcius).  When I was here in mid September of 2004, it was snowing and miserable, and I was preparing myself for that, so I'm really pleased it's so nice.

Victia Park in very early spring

During my meandering today I was mentally composing clever passages about a miriad of subjects to write about, but I can barely put together a simple sentence at this point.  It'll have to wait.  Hopefully I won't forget everything.

OK, well, I know I'll likely be awake by 3:00 a.m. but I can't fight it anymore.  I'm going to eat my store-bought sushi, drink my Weka beer, and take advantage of what's very likely to be my last night in a private room for quite some time.