Hej alla vänner!
Jo, vi har legat lite på latsidan med bloggen ett tag, men det beror snarare på långsamt och dyrt internet än på vår lathet. Kanske kan lata dagar på stranden ha sin roll i det hela också.
Sen sist så har vi tagit oss med nattbuss och båt till Koh Tao, "dykparadiset" i Thailand. Jag kan gå med på att detta är dykmecka, men paradis vill jag nog inte kalla det. Ön är ganska smutsig och milt sagt överbebyggd, med en mindre stad precis vid hamnen, full med bilar, avgaser och motorcyklar.
Vi bor en bit bort, längs strandgatan där man endast irriteras av motorcyklar som ska ta sig förbi en i alltför hög hastighet på den smala gångvägen.
Lina har påbörjat sin Open Water-kurs och har avverkat halva tiden, i morgon ska hon bli en färdig dykare om allt går vägen!
Vi har utsatts för en del prövningar, men det är inget som inte hårdhudade Janssons kan klara av! Natten till idag har vi tillbringat i gratis-bungalowen som ingick i Linas dykkurs, och snåla som vi är så ska vi stå ut med ljudet av förmodade kackerlackor i väggarna (vi tänker inte undersöka saken närmare), toalett med hinkspolning charmiga springor i golvet och en kudde som för tankarna till betongsuggor snarare än de mjuka, omhuldande motsvarigheterna hemma i trygga svedala.
Vi har dock haft väldigt mysigt och acklimatiserar oss väl till den den thailändska ömentaliteten.
Vi har umgåtts med en engelsk tjej som heter Sally, som varit vårt adoptivbarn sedan vi landade på ön. En intensiv och resvan flicka. Vår engelska dialog med henne har föranlett skapandet av en citat-avdelning i resedagboken, då Lina klckte några läckerheter igår, trött och svettig efter vår morgonvandring till andra sidan ön (hon håller raskt på att gå om pappa i klassen "svengelska höjdpunkter" även om hans swamp omelett nog har några år till i rekordboken). Se neadn för en fullständig citatförteckning.
Vi bestämde oss för att speeda upp vår metabolism genom att ta en promenad innan frukost, till Hinwong bay, snett över ön. Det är inte en särskilt stor ö så det skulle ju inte vara något problem. Vad vi dock missat var artt vår karta inte innehöll höjdangivelse och det blev en svettig upptäckt i den gassande solen. En ganska brant kulle gjorde oss mer än varma och det var med glädje vi hoppade upp på ett flak som erbjöds oss på vägen tillbaks av en bofast västerlänning. Vi skulle nog ha tänkt oss för eftersom vi faktiskt sett det tillstånd vägen var i på vägen dit.
20 minuter och en lång radda smärtsamma gupp senare är Lina skadad, med blåmärken på rumpan och till och med en bula, något vi inte visste var möjligt att få där. Men frukosten smakade väldigt gott efter detta äventyr.
Gårdagen tillbringade vi i solen på den lilla remsa som kallas stranden och det var riktigt soft. Klockan fyra var det dags för Lina att sätta sig i skolbänken igen och titta på en fånig videofilm som påpekar nyttan av att inte välja mask efter färg, utan efter passform och kvalitet. Kanske är called for i dessa dagar där man ska matcha husdjur med soffkuddar visserligen, men något överflödig information i vårt tycke.
Jag tillbringar dagen med att söka jobb på nätet (lite småsvettigt läge nu..) och så ska jag lapa lite sol på playan och försvinna i böckernas härliga värld. Jag tänker inte klaga på det upplägget.
I morgon ska jag kosta på mig två dyk, då det är hajstället som ska dykas på!
Alltså, allt fint med oss, många skratt och sköna dagar! På fredag bär det nog av till Koh Lipe
innan vi drar vidare till phi-phi för att fira julen där!
(foton kommer när bandbredden tillåter!)
Berömda citat:
" I dont dare to sit and dingle with my legs I think"
(Lina om att sitta på kanten till ett betongfundament med fin utsikt)
"Och det är därför vi ska åka till Argentina!"
(Katta som replik på Lina uttalande om att Filippinerna är jättebilligt)
"The computer hanged itself"
(Lina till den väldigt förvirrade internetcafe-ägaren, kan datorer göra det?)
"I´m feeling very solky"
(Lina försöker översätta södertugg till engelska, men Sally förstod inte riktigt. Lina hävdar dock bestämt att det borde betyda solkig på engelska)
Wednesday, 12 December 2007
Saturday, 8 December 2007
Elvis is in the building!!!
I got to touch down on Australian ground for a bit on my way to Thailand. Felt sad to once again leave it, but I'm sure I'll be back soon. Below is the Sydney skyline as we were taking off for Bangkok. I also got to see the new Airbus 380, as ground staff were testing procedures for when Quantas will start having the A380 in traffic next year I think. It's a big ass jet for sure!
I had my head in the clouds for a bit there..
As I arrived in Bangkok very late on the night of Dec 5, I realised it was past airport bus operating hours, so I had to take a taxi. Meter on of course...I thought it would be a quick ride, since note even Bangkok has rush hour at 130 am. But how wrong was I! Seems the King celebrated his 80th birthday that very day, so Bangkok was full of activity, and also, cars! Was a pretty sight though, Bangkok was completely drowned in lights and balloons and people with yellow clothes (the king's color).
My first night, I enjoyed the view from the rooftop terrace. Bangkok by night.
Yesterday it was time for me to get my long awaited visit from Lina! I spotted her and had to take a picture, felt very unreal to suddenly see someone from back home after allt his time!
It was a very happy reunion as you might be able to tell!
I don't think I have talked that much in months actually. I did let Lina get the occasional airtime as well though..
We went up to enjoy the pool and the terrace, and we both had our first holiday beer in Thailand, what better beer for that than the world famous Singha...
It's a pretty humbling experience the first time, and I could tell she was slightly intimidated at first, but after having some aussie rum in our room she quite quickly adjusted.
We strolled down Khaosan and had our fancy dinner on the street, it's incredibly good and ridiculously cheap! The total cost for our dinner plus dessert (banana crepe with chocolate) was 70 baht, not even 20 SEK. Gotta love it!
I had my head in the clouds for a bit there..
As I arrived in Bangkok very late on the night of Dec 5, I realised it was past airport bus operating hours, so I had to take a taxi. Meter on of course...I thought it would be a quick ride, since note even Bangkok has rush hour at 130 am. But how wrong was I! Seems the King celebrated his 80th birthday that very day, so Bangkok was full of activity, and also, cars! Was a pretty sight though, Bangkok was completely drowned in lights and balloons and people with yellow clothes (the king's color).
My first night, I enjoyed the view from the rooftop terrace. Bangkok by night.
Yesterday it was time for me to get my long awaited visit from Lina! I spotted her and had to take a picture, felt very unreal to suddenly see someone from back home after allt his time!
It was a very happy reunion as you might be able to tell!
I don't think I have talked that much in months actually. I did let Lina get the occasional airtime as well though..
We went up to enjoy the pool and the terrace, and we both had our first holiday beer in Thailand, what better beer for that than the world famous Singha...
Lina was trying to let it sink in that she was actually in Thailand, on vacation, and after a few confused hours, she got in the holiday mode.
Then I figured she was ready for Khaosan Road...
Then I figured she was ready for Khaosan Road...
It's a pretty humbling experience the first time, and I could tell she was slightly intimidated at first, but after having some aussie rum in our room she quite quickly adjusted.
We strolled down Khaosan and had our fancy dinner on the street, it's incredibly good and ridiculously cheap! The total cost for our dinner plus dessert (banana crepe with chocolate) was 70 baht, not even 20 SEK. Gotta love it!
Since I had spent my lonely days in Bangkok getting manicure and pedicure, Lina thought she might as well invest in her beauty too, so she went there just now. I wish it was this cheap in Sweden, we would be even more beautiful if so...;)
Tonight we will hopefully take a nightbus to Koh Tao, arriving to the boat about 6am tom morning, and to Koh Tao about two hours later.
It's scuba time!!
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Tillbaks i galna Bangkok
Äntligen! Efter en jäkla lång resa, 3,5 timmar från Auckland till Sydney, och sen ca 11 timmar till Bangkok med knän i ryggen och inklämd på fönsterplats, är jag nu framme i billiga, galna, härliga Bangkok!
TOtalt var jag vaken i 24 timmar, då jag verkar ha väldigt svårt att sova på flygplan i allmänhet och framförallt när de har en massa roliga filmer on demand i synnerhet...:) Såg Knocked Up, en rolig komedi och Invasion med Nicole Kidman, och som om det inte var nog såg jag även att de hade TV on demand, och inga mindre än the Chasers (jag berättade om dem i avsnittet om aussie-humor för ett tag sedan)!
Nu knatar jag runt i Bangkok och fördriver tiden tills Lina kommer i morgon, tjoho! Ska bli så roligt att träffa henne, och få en reskompis som jag slipper säga ett sorgligt "goodbye, are you on facebook? Let´s keep in touch" till precis när man blivit bra vänner! Lina är ju min i hela sex veckor, vilket råkar sammanfalla med hur lång tid jag har kvar på den här resan. Galet...
Har unnat mig, faktiskt på Linas förslag, jag hade inte ens tänkt på det, ett bra hotell (vilket är något av en relativ term på khaosan road men ändå) som har takpool. D&D Inn heter det. Känns som en fantastiskt lyx att få ett helt eget rum med egen toalett och dusch, och inte ens betala lika mycket som för ett svettigt, stökigt och toalöst 6-bäddsrum i Oz eller NZ. Dessutom behöver jag inte klättra upp i en knarrig bunkbed på nätterna (klättrandet har dock hållit mig tränad för hemkomsten till min lilla lya i vasastan).
Idag är planen att köpa några toppar och kanske en kjol eller nåt, eftersom jag skickade hem i princip alla sommarkläder från Sydney. Köpte lite billiga grejer i Auckland, men väskan är underligt tom och vägde bara 12 kg i stället för de vanliga 17 (tyvärr ska erkännas att minst 5 av de 12 kg utgörs av necessär och diverse elektronisk utrustning...)
När inköpen är avklarade ska jag lägga mig vid poolen och dra in magen så mycket jag kan och njuta av livet.
Men först - en tvättäkta thailunch!
TOtalt var jag vaken i 24 timmar, då jag verkar ha väldigt svårt att sova på flygplan i allmänhet och framförallt när de har en massa roliga filmer on demand i synnerhet...:) Såg Knocked Up, en rolig komedi och Invasion med Nicole Kidman, och som om det inte var nog såg jag även att de hade TV on demand, och inga mindre än the Chasers (jag berättade om dem i avsnittet om aussie-humor för ett tag sedan)!
Nu knatar jag runt i Bangkok och fördriver tiden tills Lina kommer i morgon, tjoho! Ska bli så roligt att träffa henne, och få en reskompis som jag slipper säga ett sorgligt "goodbye, are you on facebook? Let´s keep in touch" till precis när man blivit bra vänner! Lina är ju min i hela sex veckor, vilket råkar sammanfalla med hur lång tid jag har kvar på den här resan. Galet...
Har unnat mig, faktiskt på Linas förslag, jag hade inte ens tänkt på det, ett bra hotell (vilket är något av en relativ term på khaosan road men ändå) som har takpool. D&D Inn heter det. Känns som en fantastiskt lyx att få ett helt eget rum med egen toalett och dusch, och inte ens betala lika mycket som för ett svettigt, stökigt och toalöst 6-bäddsrum i Oz eller NZ. Dessutom behöver jag inte klättra upp i en knarrig bunkbed på nätterna (klättrandet har dock hållit mig tränad för hemkomsten till min lilla lya i vasastan).
Idag är planen att köpa några toppar och kanske en kjol eller nåt, eftersom jag skickade hem i princip alla sommarkläder från Sydney. Köpte lite billiga grejer i Auckland, men väskan är underligt tom och vägde bara 12 kg i stället för de vanliga 17 (tyvärr ska erkännas att minst 5 av de 12 kg utgörs av necessär och diverse elektronisk utrustning...)
När inköpen är avklarade ska jag lägga mig vid poolen och dra in magen så mycket jag kan och njuta av livet.
Men först - en tvättäkta thailunch!
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
"Not too much really.."
That would be my answer to the question "what's going on" right now, if one of the german, dutch, irish or maybe even spanish backpackers I'm surrounded by bothered to ask me. But they didn't so sadly enough I'm left to chat to my blog. Tragic, huh!
Well I hope I didn't put anyone off about the idea of travelling alone. I have been happy to stroll around in Auckland, not jumping off a cliff, a plane, a ledge, a hill, a pole or even a canyon.
It might sound like a curse in a church-thing to say when in New Zealand, but I have just been getting ready to go to Bangkok, being very pleased with my stay in the land of the long white cloud. The past few days I got my hair cut (so needed. Didn't get a job though, but working on it), I send clothes back home and I've improved my skill of spending change money on little things like latte's, fruit, maybe a pen and "what the heck I need a new body lotion"-purchases. I seem to have gradually redefined change money, and the scientific term now includes 10$ bills (SEK 55).
To sum NZ up in a short, informative sentence: Make sure you go here before you get too settled in a nursing home!
New Zealand has made it clear to me that I need to expand my vocabulary with new adjectives. Apart from the scenery, which I think I have described one too many times perhaps, it is also a very interesting country in the more cultural sense.
One thing that I was happy to see, was that unlike many other countries, where the white men came and made the original inhabitants run to the hills, the maoris and the more recently settled people all seem to be proud of the Maori culture and eagerly want to share it and show it to the tourists all over the country. Of course there has been some arguing and even killing early on, but that's only natural I guess, when taking over a country losing a few good men isn't all that.
I also like the accent, and now I can't understand how I thought the aussie and NZ accent where pretty much same-same before I left the land of the midnight sun. How ignorant of me! The kiwis say i whenever something is spelled with an e, and e when spelled with an i. The aussies don't!
(i.e= fish becomes "fesh", and Brett becomes "Britt". Very confusing sometimes)
Anyway. I thought I'd fenesh weth a taste of brelliant kiwi humor (thank's for the tep isaac!).
Et doesn't git bitter than thes!
Bye, bye New Zealand, and thank's for all the fesh!
Well I hope I didn't put anyone off about the idea of travelling alone. I have been happy to stroll around in Auckland, not jumping off a cliff, a plane, a ledge, a hill, a pole or even a canyon.
It might sound like a curse in a church-thing to say when in New Zealand, but I have just been getting ready to go to Bangkok, being very pleased with my stay in the land of the long white cloud. The past few days I got my hair cut (so needed. Didn't get a job though, but working on it), I send clothes back home and I've improved my skill of spending change money on little things like latte's, fruit, maybe a pen and "what the heck I need a new body lotion"-purchases. I seem to have gradually redefined change money, and the scientific term now includes 10$ bills (SEK 55).
To sum NZ up in a short, informative sentence: Make sure you go here before you get too settled in a nursing home!
New Zealand has made it clear to me that I need to expand my vocabulary with new adjectives. Apart from the scenery, which I think I have described one too many times perhaps, it is also a very interesting country in the more cultural sense.
One thing that I was happy to see, was that unlike many other countries, where the white men came and made the original inhabitants run to the hills, the maoris and the more recently settled people all seem to be proud of the Maori culture and eagerly want to share it and show it to the tourists all over the country. Of course there has been some arguing and even killing early on, but that's only natural I guess, when taking over a country losing a few good men isn't all that.
I also like the accent, and now I can't understand how I thought the aussie and NZ accent where pretty much same-same before I left the land of the midnight sun. How ignorant of me! The kiwis say i whenever something is spelled with an e, and e when spelled with an i. The aussies don't!
(i.e= fish becomes "fesh", and Brett becomes "Britt". Very confusing sometimes)
Anyway. I thought I'd fenesh weth a taste of brelliant kiwi humor (thank's for the tep isaac!).
Et doesn't git bitter than thes!
Bye, bye New Zealand, and thank's for all the fesh!
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Countdown NZ...
So, here I am, back in Auckland in a sort of surreal state of mind. Jumped out of bed (umm..sort of) at 3:30 am this morning, in order to share a shuttle bus with fellow travellers to the airport.
Now you assume that because of my sensible and very mature nature, being an old mare, I went to bed at grandma-time last night.
Well. No. My two favorite welshmen had the decency to keep me out and about until 23:30, and a few beers may have been involved in that shenanigan. I couldn't possibly miss the last opportunity to down a stubbie or three with these higly entertaining blokes and I figured I could sleep it off once settled in Auckland. We discussed everything from what Ryan Giggs has been up to (or into) lately, to an astonishing claim to fame made by Neil. He is practically a Swedish royalty, since his nan's best friends cousins brother or something used to be friends with Princess Lilian. Some hundred years ago. Isn't that amazing?! This naturally quickly became my claim to fame, since I have now had a few drinks with a Welsh Swedish royalty. Top that!
Well, I arrived here (very tired in the head since some 300 koreans at the airport decided to sit down nxt to me while I was supposed to get my beauty sleep on top of my backpack) at 9ish, just to find that check-in couldn't be done until 2pm. Oh, the despair! So I just had to get my sorry bum downtown and wonder around, luckily the sun was shining.
I can easily say that the dullest city in NZ is Christchurch (where I for some peculiar reason spent the most number of days). Auckland is quite nice, but the most beautiful city by far is Wellington.
Below are some pics from Christchurch though, in it's finest moments, around the Cathedral Square.
Soaking up the sun
Not my game, but it's nice to see how it captures people and makes them hang around for hours just to watch.
This is Donna, and she knows the importance of overindulging in sunscreen.
THis is Kat. She doesn't know to what extent she's about to be blown away by the dolphins yet..
Flipper and his mates escorted us on the way back!
They are so quick, even though the boat is going at a good speed, they never even touch it.
This is as happy as it gets I reckon!
Sometimes the Royals wander the streets like regular people...
Today I took a walk along the harbour in Auckland. And little did I know that this is the site where the famous Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior" was sunk, killing one photografer in 1985. Sara, you can show this to your old colleagues, bet they haven't seen it :)
Now you assume that because of my sensible and very mature nature, being an old mare, I went to bed at grandma-time last night.
Well. No. My two favorite welshmen had the decency to keep me out and about until 23:30, and a few beers may have been involved in that shenanigan. I couldn't possibly miss the last opportunity to down a stubbie or three with these higly entertaining blokes and I figured I could sleep it off once settled in Auckland. We discussed everything from what Ryan Giggs has been up to (or into) lately, to an astonishing claim to fame made by Neil. He is practically a Swedish royalty, since his nan's best friends cousins brother or something used to be friends with Princess Lilian. Some hundred years ago. Isn't that amazing?! This naturally quickly became my claim to fame, since I have now had a few drinks with a Welsh Swedish royalty. Top that!
Well, I arrived here (very tired in the head since some 300 koreans at the airport decided to sit down nxt to me while I was supposed to get my beauty sleep on top of my backpack) at 9ish, just to find that check-in couldn't be done until 2pm. Oh, the despair! So I just had to get my sorry bum downtown and wonder around, luckily the sun was shining.
I can easily say that the dullest city in NZ is Christchurch (where I for some peculiar reason spent the most number of days). Auckland is quite nice, but the most beautiful city by far is Wellington.
Below are some pics from Christchurch though, in it's finest moments, around the Cathedral Square.
Soaking up the sun
Not my game, but it's nice to see how it captures people and makes them hang around for hours just to watch.
This is Donna, and she knows the importance of overindulging in sunscreen.
THis is Kat. She doesn't know to what extent she's about to be blown away by the dolphins yet..
Flipper and his mates escorted us on the way back!
They are so quick, even though the boat is going at a good speed, they never even touch it.
This is as happy as it gets I reckon!
Sometimes the Royals wander the streets like regular people...
Today I took a walk along the harbour in Auckland. And little did I know that this is the site where the famous Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior" was sunk, killing one photografer in 1985. Sara, you can show this to your old colleagues, bet they haven't seen it :)
Yep. She's about to break big time in Australia and NZ, heard her UK hit a lot of times in Australia. I think she's about to tour OZ very soon actually. Always cool to see a good Swede get attention, even though, as some of you know, I'm more fond of "old robyn" rather than "new robyn" ;)
Tonight I met Eyren for a nice "fika" since she's also staying at the YHA tonight. Tomorrow she's off to Australia, and so it was another sad goodbye. No one told me about that part of travelling like this. There are as many sad goodbyes as there are amazing meetings!
Well. I'm off to bed. Tomorrow I'll take a nice long walk before brekky. Gotta fit in that bikini soon...
Saturday, 1 December 2007
A day to remember
So, yesterday was a huge day. Finally, after years of dreaming about it I would finally get to do it and probably also at the best place in the world for this kind of activity, Kaikoura.
We set off early in the morning, after Donna, Nathe and Donna's uncle picked me up we went to Jucy Rental at the airport, to pick up our hot wheels for the day. A tiny, red Daihatsu with a not so impressive no of horsepower under the hood.
Anyway, it would transport us the 150 something k's to Kaikoura from Christchurch and me and Donna liked the color. Which is possibly the most important quality to look for when browsing he vehicle djungle.
As we (slowly) made our way through winding mountain roads to Kaikoura we started to worry a bit (well, me and Nathe did, Donna was enjoying a series of dates with Mr Sandman in the backseat) about the weather. As we approached our destination the clouds had gathered and formed a grey mass of boredom and perhaps even shattered dreams.
Me and Donna had already clearly indicated that we would be heartbroken if the weather would put a stop to our plans.
As we entered the office, we anxiously asked the staff whether our boat was going out or not. Luckily it was, however including a strong seasickness warning due to some big swells out on the ocean. Eagerly assuring them of our great swimming abilities and endurance, we agreed to go on the boat and pay the 130 dollars, plus one dollar for seasickness pills.However, Nathan didn't something he would deeply regret...
After an informative film about the events to come and how t make the most of it, we finally got on the bus that was gonna bring us to the boat.
A few minutes into the boatride we realised that they hadn't exaggerated the size of the swells, and some people were already looking for the buckets so to speak, but somehow that braught us all closer together I guess.
After a 40 minute search, just as I was starting to get nervous we wouldn't find them, we were suddenly surrounded by them. The acrobats of the sea. Our playmates of the day (and no, don't even let Hefner cross your mind here). The lovely, charming and playful Dusky dolphins!
I must have presented the biggest smile in the southern hemisphere. The dolphins were literally making the sea look like a boiling pot, their numbers being well above 200. And we got to jump straight into it!
Before I got in the water, I had to stop for a moment, and take a look around. The dusky dolphin is the most acrobatic one, also very curious and playful. All around me I could see them doing somersaults, backflips, sideway jumps and what not. It was so amazing!
As soon as i got in the water I could se several of them, suddenly coming up from underneath me, from left to right, from right to left and also towards me. They would circle around me for a bit, then disappear into the blue just to be replaced by other curious dolphins. They were as close as 20-30 centimetres and if we would have been allowed to I could easily have touched them.
The guides at Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura are all marine biologists or have similar education and training and are really looking after the marine life in this area, which is quite unique, because of a continental shelf that's really close to the shore and therefore creates a very nutrient rich environment for whales, seabirds and dolphines.
They told us a number of times that these dolphins are wild, not trained and are not in an enclosed area, therefor there are no guarantees and if they don't want to play there's nothing to do. We were also told that we were the ones who had to entertain the dolphins and keep their interest up, rather than the other way round. So they taught us some good tricks in order to do so.
(Of course the wannabe in me saw an opportunity to get a crowd going, I don't mind if they're a bunch of krill-eating rubber-mammals!)
Making funny sounds in the snorkel, swimming in circles, diving down and try to be dolphin-like was a few. I felt a bit intimidated and also too astonished to do any of that at first. Therefore the dolphins probably found me boring and went on to the next attraction. After about 5-10 minutes they had left our group to go look at another boat, and we had to get up in the boat again to follow them. We did this about four times in total, once again reminded that they are wild and do as they please!
The last time I went in I decded to put on a good show for the little dolphin that was checking me out. I started doing somersaults (kullerbyttor) in the water, spinning around, and diving down (which was easier said than done because the buoyancy of the thick wetsuit would bring me up quickly!). Suddenly I realised I had 5-6 dolphins circling right below and around me, and I could really see that they were wondering what kind of weirdo I was, they were really curious as I kept refining my routine..
For some reason they stayed with me for several minutes and I just can't begin to put this feeling of interaction in words. It's just mindblowing. I felt like I had a connection with the coolest animals in the world and felt so honoured that they chose to spend some time with me and give me all their attention. However, I couldn't help but feeling a touch of performance anxiety, as I hade these five intelligent mammals watching me, waiting for my next funny move. I just didn't want them to get bored with me!
When I came back up to the surface, one of the guides had seen the whole thing and congratulated me on a really good swimming experience!
I almost thought I would faint from the excitement, and couldn't really speak as I got up on the boat.
After about an hour with the dolphins we were given hoses to put down the wetsuit, giving us a nice warm shower to warm up. The water was about 15 degrees, but I couldn't even feel the cold. I was too absorbed by these amazing creatures!
As we were changing into dry, warm clothes, we could see the dolphins jump around, following the boat and it was probably the best cup of hot chocolate I've enjoyed in my life. The captain took us to a nursery spot, where the mothers and calves hang out to rest during day time. It's the middle of the mating season now and the baby dolphins were so cute.
On the way back we also got to see fur seals chilling beside the boat, as well as the biggest albatross, with a wing span of a staggering 3,7 metres.
Altogether, yesterday made it all the way to the top three of my most memorable moments list.
I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!
For film clips, check out my youtube account. For some reason I didn't take many pictures. I was too busy enjoying, imagine that. Guess I've lost my Japanes mojo?
(The boat we went on)
Today I'm just chilling in Christchurch, at 5am tomorrow morning I have to take the bus to the airport and fly to Auckland.
Au revoir!
We set off early in the morning, after Donna, Nathe and Donna's uncle picked me up we went to Jucy Rental at the airport, to pick up our hot wheels for the day. A tiny, red Daihatsu with a not so impressive no of horsepower under the hood.
Anyway, it would transport us the 150 something k's to Kaikoura from Christchurch and me and Donna liked the color. Which is possibly the most important quality to look for when browsing he vehicle djungle.
As we (slowly) made our way through winding mountain roads to Kaikoura we started to worry a bit (well, me and Nathe did, Donna was enjoying a series of dates with Mr Sandman in the backseat) about the weather. As we approached our destination the clouds had gathered and formed a grey mass of boredom and perhaps even shattered dreams.
Me and Donna had already clearly indicated that we would be heartbroken if the weather would put a stop to our plans.
As we entered the office, we anxiously asked the staff whether our boat was going out or not. Luckily it was, however including a strong seasickness warning due to some big swells out on the ocean. Eagerly assuring them of our great swimming abilities and endurance, we agreed to go on the boat and pay the 130 dollars, plus one dollar for seasickness pills.However, Nathan didn't something he would deeply regret...
After an informative film about the events to come and how t make the most of it, we finally got on the bus that was gonna bring us to the boat.
A few minutes into the boatride we realised that they hadn't exaggerated the size of the swells, and some people were already looking for the buckets so to speak, but somehow that braught us all closer together I guess.
After a 40 minute search, just as I was starting to get nervous we wouldn't find them, we were suddenly surrounded by them. The acrobats of the sea. Our playmates of the day (and no, don't even let Hefner cross your mind here). The lovely, charming and playful Dusky dolphins!
I must have presented the biggest smile in the southern hemisphere. The dolphins were literally making the sea look like a boiling pot, their numbers being well above 200. And we got to jump straight into it!
Before I got in the water, I had to stop for a moment, and take a look around. The dusky dolphin is the most acrobatic one, also very curious and playful. All around me I could see them doing somersaults, backflips, sideway jumps and what not. It was so amazing!
As soon as i got in the water I could se several of them, suddenly coming up from underneath me, from left to right, from right to left and also towards me. They would circle around me for a bit, then disappear into the blue just to be replaced by other curious dolphins. They were as close as 20-30 centimetres and if we would have been allowed to I could easily have touched them.
The guides at Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura are all marine biologists or have similar education and training and are really looking after the marine life in this area, which is quite unique, because of a continental shelf that's really close to the shore and therefore creates a very nutrient rich environment for whales, seabirds and dolphines.
They told us a number of times that these dolphins are wild, not trained and are not in an enclosed area, therefor there are no guarantees and if they don't want to play there's nothing to do. We were also told that we were the ones who had to entertain the dolphins and keep their interest up, rather than the other way round. So they taught us some good tricks in order to do so.
(Of course the wannabe in me saw an opportunity to get a crowd going, I don't mind if they're a bunch of krill-eating rubber-mammals!)
Making funny sounds in the snorkel, swimming in circles, diving down and try to be dolphin-like was a few. I felt a bit intimidated and also too astonished to do any of that at first. Therefore the dolphins probably found me boring and went on to the next attraction. After about 5-10 minutes they had left our group to go look at another boat, and we had to get up in the boat again to follow them. We did this about four times in total, once again reminded that they are wild and do as they please!
The last time I went in I decded to put on a good show for the little dolphin that was checking me out. I started doing somersaults (kullerbyttor) in the water, spinning around, and diving down (which was easier said than done because the buoyancy of the thick wetsuit would bring me up quickly!). Suddenly I realised I had 5-6 dolphins circling right below and around me, and I could really see that they were wondering what kind of weirdo I was, they were really curious as I kept refining my routine..
For some reason they stayed with me for several minutes and I just can't begin to put this feeling of interaction in words. It's just mindblowing. I felt like I had a connection with the coolest animals in the world and felt so honoured that they chose to spend some time with me and give me all their attention. However, I couldn't help but feeling a touch of performance anxiety, as I hade these five intelligent mammals watching me, waiting for my next funny move. I just didn't want them to get bored with me!
When I came back up to the surface, one of the guides had seen the whole thing and congratulated me on a really good swimming experience!
I almost thought I would faint from the excitement, and couldn't really speak as I got up on the boat.
After about an hour with the dolphins we were given hoses to put down the wetsuit, giving us a nice warm shower to warm up. The water was about 15 degrees, but I couldn't even feel the cold. I was too absorbed by these amazing creatures!
As we were changing into dry, warm clothes, we could see the dolphins jump around, following the boat and it was probably the best cup of hot chocolate I've enjoyed in my life. The captain took us to a nursery spot, where the mothers and calves hang out to rest during day time. It's the middle of the mating season now and the baby dolphins were so cute.
On the way back we also got to see fur seals chilling beside the boat, as well as the biggest albatross, with a wing span of a staggering 3,7 metres.
Altogether, yesterday made it all the way to the top three of my most memorable moments list.
I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!
For film clips, check out my youtube account. For some reason I didn't take many pictures. I was too busy enjoying, imagine that. Guess I've lost my Japanes mojo?
(The boat we went on)
Today I'm just chilling in Christchurch, at 5am tomorrow morning I have to take the bus to the airport and fly to Auckland.
Au revoir!
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Christchurch
Dag tre i Christchurch. jag har spankulerat omkring pa formiddagen, trott efter en somnlos natt, varfor vet jag inte da det faktiskt ar svart att kanna sig stressad pa nagot vis i denna o-nation, till och med for mig. Kanske var gardagens aktiviteter en alltfor skarp paminnelse om att livet faktiskt pagar dar i norra hemisfaren, pa rakt motsatt sida planeten.
Tillsammans med mina numera mycket goda vanner Marlou & Bart (annu nagra flygande hollandare), Eyren och Andrew (som blir valdigt lustig i kontakt med vin) tog jag shuttle-bussen mot flygplatsen och steg av vid Antarctic Centre. Detta ar en ganska utmanande turistfalla, fortackt som ett forskningsinformationscenter och aven som den plats varifran de tunga Helcules-flygplanen avgar med den arliga kullen dodsforaktande forskare som ska tillbringa mer eller mindre tid i Antarktis.
Det som avslojar turistfallan kan vara intradet pa 30 dollar (ca 170kr) eller kanske ar det souvenirshoppen i entren dar du bland annat kan inforskaffa dig ett gosedjurs-far eller varfor inte en pingvin i en konservburk. Varfor inte?
Vi foll i alla fall for tricket, nastan enbart pga de blaogda pingviner som centret har i sin ago. Ett gang mer eller mindre defekta sma pluttiga frack-faglar som har raddats fran sitt ode efter diverse close encounters med katter, hundar, batmotorer och fiskekrokar.
I alla fall. Av nagon anledning, som kanske har sin forklaring djupt i de dunkla hemlangtande vrarna av mitt undermedvetna, sa beslutade jag mig for att frivilligt ga in i ett rum fyllt med sno och is och diverse talt och skotrar, dar man simulerade en Antarktisk snostorm med vindhastigheter som uppgick till 44 mph. Det var 8 harliga minusgrader i rummet nar vi steg in, som snabbt utokades till som minst 20 minus nar vindeffekten satte in.
Som en svensk i host-/vinterexil kandes det nagorlunda bekant, pa det dar otrevliga sattet det kan gora nar man nastan har borjat tro att man aldrig mer kommer uppleva en vinter och sen plotsligt inser att det faktiskt fortfarande finns sadana foreteelser som bitande isvindar och knarrande sno. Kunde dock inte kvasa ett litet, knappt kannbart sting av fosterlandsk nostalgi dar jag stod och huttrade med hander som fortvivlat skrek efter varma lovikka-vantar.
Efter att ha overlevt stormen fick vi aterlamna jackorna och bege oss mot pingvin-lagret. Det var otroligt sota sma icke-flygande faglar som motte vara ogon och skojigt nog var det ocksa dags for dem att ata sin middag. Eftersom vissa var blinda och andra bara kunde simma i cirklar sa matades en del pa land och en del i vatten. Film pa detta finns snart pa youtube.
Efter denna langa dag, som foregatts av en halvlang kvall for min och Eyrens del (vissa andra var ganska sa grona i ansiktet efter var avskedsmiddag/utekvall) sa transporterade vi oss tillbaks till det hostel dar bade jag och Eyren skulle husera, och tillagade en harligt nyttig sallad (med vitt skilda ingredienser sasom jordgubbar och avocado, kyckling och valnotter samt groddar - mums) som intogs under stor trevnad och samtal om allt mellan himmel och jord.
I morgon hoppas jag pa att mota upp de valdigt underhallande walesarna Neil och George (kolla in deras skitroliga blogg pa www.koalaparla.com som Top Gear i reseform). Men forst ska jag, Donna och Nathan ta var hyrbil och aka pa aventyr hela dagen!
Fridens pa er
:)
Igloo. Kallt.
Man har ju en del skotervana innanfor vasten..
en tvattakta Hagglunds, som anvands flitigt pa Antarktis.
Jattekallt.
Nagra glada fotter
Denna krake ar helblind och nagot sa ovanligt som en anorektisk pingvin som de maste tvangsmata. Vilket gor henne arg efterat.
Avslutande middag efter an lang dag. Sa hog mysfaktor som det blir i ett gemensamt kok med smutsiga backpackers, vilket faktiskt ar valdigt mysigt.
Tillsammans med mina numera mycket goda vanner Marlou & Bart (annu nagra flygande hollandare), Eyren och Andrew (som blir valdigt lustig i kontakt med vin) tog jag shuttle-bussen mot flygplatsen och steg av vid Antarctic Centre. Detta ar en ganska utmanande turistfalla, fortackt som ett forskningsinformationscenter och aven som den plats varifran de tunga Helcules-flygplanen avgar med den arliga kullen dodsforaktande forskare som ska tillbringa mer eller mindre tid i Antarktis.
Det som avslojar turistfallan kan vara intradet pa 30 dollar (ca 170kr) eller kanske ar det souvenirshoppen i entren dar du bland annat kan inforskaffa dig ett gosedjurs-far eller varfor inte en pingvin i en konservburk. Varfor inte?
Vi foll i alla fall for tricket, nastan enbart pga de blaogda pingviner som centret har i sin ago. Ett gang mer eller mindre defekta sma pluttiga frack-faglar som har raddats fran sitt ode efter diverse close encounters med katter, hundar, batmotorer och fiskekrokar.
I alla fall. Av nagon anledning, som kanske har sin forklaring djupt i de dunkla hemlangtande vrarna av mitt undermedvetna, sa beslutade jag mig for att frivilligt ga in i ett rum fyllt med sno och is och diverse talt och skotrar, dar man simulerade en Antarktisk snostorm med vindhastigheter som uppgick till 44 mph. Det var 8 harliga minusgrader i rummet nar vi steg in, som snabbt utokades till som minst 20 minus nar vindeffekten satte in.
Som en svensk i host-/vinterexil kandes det nagorlunda bekant, pa det dar otrevliga sattet det kan gora nar man nastan har borjat tro att man aldrig mer kommer uppleva en vinter och sen plotsligt inser att det faktiskt fortfarande finns sadana foreteelser som bitande isvindar och knarrande sno. Kunde dock inte kvasa ett litet, knappt kannbart sting av fosterlandsk nostalgi dar jag stod och huttrade med hander som fortvivlat skrek efter varma lovikka-vantar.
Efter att ha overlevt stormen fick vi aterlamna jackorna och bege oss mot pingvin-lagret. Det var otroligt sota sma icke-flygande faglar som motte vara ogon och skojigt nog var det ocksa dags for dem att ata sin middag. Eftersom vissa var blinda och andra bara kunde simma i cirklar sa matades en del pa land och en del i vatten. Film pa detta finns snart pa youtube.
Efter denna langa dag, som foregatts av en halvlang kvall for min och Eyrens del (vissa andra var ganska sa grona i ansiktet efter var avskedsmiddag/utekvall) sa transporterade vi oss tillbaks till det hostel dar bade jag och Eyren skulle husera, och tillagade en harligt nyttig sallad (med vitt skilda ingredienser sasom jordgubbar och avocado, kyckling och valnotter samt groddar - mums) som intogs under stor trevnad och samtal om allt mellan himmel och jord.
I morgon hoppas jag pa att mota upp de valdigt underhallande walesarna Neil och George (kolla in deras skitroliga blogg pa www.koalaparla.com som Top Gear i reseform). Men forst ska jag, Donna och Nathan ta var hyrbil och aka pa aventyr hela dagen!
Fridens pa er
:)
Igloo. Kallt.
Man har ju en del skotervana innanfor vasten..
en tvattakta Hagglunds, som anvands flitigt pa Antarktis.
Jattekallt.
Nagra glada fotter
Denna krake ar helblind och nagot sa ovanligt som en anorektisk pingvin som de maste tvangsmata. Vilket gor henne arg efterat.
Avslutande middag efter an lang dag. Sa hog mysfaktor som det blir i ett gemensamt kok med smutsiga backpackers, vilket faktiskt ar valdigt mysigt.
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Lake Tekapo and some other liquids
Last stop of this NZ-trip is Christchurch, where I arrived today. We had a nice drive to Lake Tekapo yesterday, arriving somewhat delayed after a few mishaps along the way. A pick up of the new bus, since the old one's gearbox decided to hop off this tour, then we lost a man in a small town during a short stop. No one noticed until the driver got a call some 10 minutes drive later, and we had to go back. The dangers of travelling alone I guess..
We also made a short stop to get a kodak fix since this view of Mount Cook wasn't to shabby at all.
Mount Cook is the highest mountain in NZ, some 3700 metres, and apparently 412 people have died while trying to climb it. And no, that's not smoke coming out of the mountain, it's just a cloud with a good sense of photo composition.
WHen we arrived at the hostel, Lakefront Lodge in Lake Tekapo, me, Don and Nathe decided it was time to start living by our new, healthy regim. So we hired some bikes and went for a one hour drive before the pizza and beer-night with the rest of the bus. Haha.
That was a good way of seing this beautiful place (have I mentioned anything about stunning scenery yet?) and Nathe had obviously gotten the bonus package which included a horse-bite and some close encounters with rocks.
WHen back at the hostel we thought a swim would be nice, since we are after all a bunch of smelly backpackers. However the boiling temperature of 13 degress put us off. Instead we threw flat stones (kasta macka pa engelska nagon?) and then had a beer in the sun in the hostel garden.
Lakefront Lodge really lived up to it's name.
Lake Tkapo and oddly enough, flowers from home.
THe beach right below our hostel. Perhaps the best one I've stayed in so far.
Last night the driver, Stu, decided we should all go to his favourite food joint in all NZ, since it was the last night he would accompany us on this trip, and we all pretty much go our separate ways from Christchurch. It was a very fun night, I haven't laughed so much in a long time.
From left to right Nathan, Donna, Erin, me, Andrew, Judy, Marlu and Bart. Our table was the most party-orientated I think, cause we stayed until 11pm whereas the others disappeared at about 10. After two beers I figured I should go back and get some sleep, the bus always leaves early.
This are my two travel pirates, Donna and Eyren (from Canada).
We also made a short stop to get a kodak fix since this view of Mount Cook wasn't to shabby at all.
Mount Cook is the highest mountain in NZ, some 3700 metres, and apparently 412 people have died while trying to climb it. And no, that's not smoke coming out of the mountain, it's just a cloud with a good sense of photo composition.
WHen we arrived at the hostel, Lakefront Lodge in Lake Tekapo, me, Don and Nathe decided it was time to start living by our new, healthy regim. So we hired some bikes and went for a one hour drive before the pizza and beer-night with the rest of the bus. Haha.
That was a good way of seing this beautiful place (have I mentioned anything about stunning scenery yet?) and Nathe had obviously gotten the bonus package which included a horse-bite and some close encounters with rocks.
WHen back at the hostel we thought a swim would be nice, since we are after all a bunch of smelly backpackers. However the boiling temperature of 13 degress put us off. Instead we threw flat stones (kasta macka pa engelska nagon?) and then had a beer in the sun in the hostel garden.
Lakefront Lodge really lived up to it's name.
Lake Tkapo and oddly enough, flowers from home.
THe beach right below our hostel. Perhaps the best one I've stayed in so far.
Last night the driver, Stu, decided we should all go to his favourite food joint in all NZ, since it was the last night he would accompany us on this trip, and we all pretty much go our separate ways from Christchurch. It was a very fun night, I haven't laughed so much in a long time.
From left to right Nathan, Donna, Erin, me, Andrew, Judy, Marlu and Bart. Our table was the most party-orientated I think, cause we stayed until 11pm whereas the others disappeared at about 10. After two beers I figured I should go back and get some sleep, the bus always leaves early.
This are my two travel pirates, Donna and Eyren (from Canada).
We're also going out for dinner tonight, since sadly we will all be splitting up from here.
Alltohether, it's been such a great trip around this country, I've met some really good friends, had lots of fun and to some extent, challenged my fears. But no skydive though. Or Bungy. But who knows, I still have 7 days to kill here in NZ...
Saturday, 24 November 2007
The last day in Qrazytown
TOday I thought I'd do something crazy. I had started to warm up to the idea of something outrageous, but I settled for a more fun and fearless activity. I thought.
Anyway. I also took a steep walk up to Queenstown Hill, in order to really feel the view (pardon the pun)
And then you just go for it, full gas! Back and forth in a deep valley...
I'm flying without wings!
Action pic...
And a very happy kat after 3 minutes of being insanely cool.
Anyway. I also took a steep walk up to Queenstown Hill, in order to really feel the view (pardon the pun)
After a one-hour walk up to the top I realised I haven't taken the compulsory foot-pic in NZ, so that had to be done. There it is, with shoes on and all.. Very arty.
Queenstown down on the right, and lake Wakatipu placed beautifully between the mountains.
Queenstown down on the right, and lake Wakatipu placed beautifully between the mountains.
Then...it was time for adventure....I was psyched!
A thing like this can only ever be created by Kiwis I reckon. It's called "Fly by wire" and you find yourself lying on your stomach, steering a proper plane with a loud engine. It's attached to 3 megastrong wires, set up across the canyon, hanging from them in another wire...
(the photographer was a little arty too it seems)
(the photographer was a little arty too it seems)
You can steer it by making left or right turns when you're at the top of the swing.
And then you just go for it, full gas! Back and forth in a deep valley...
I'm flying without wings!
Action pic...
And a very happy kat after 3 minutes of being insanely cool.
Tonight I'm gonna meet some friends I left behind in Greymouth, as well as Donna and Nathan and also an Argentinian girl I met at the hostel.
Now drinks for me though. Tomorrow morning it's back on the bus for a trip to Dunedin.
See you there!
Friday, 23 November 2007
Just another afternoon...
I know! I am an internetjunkie. But since my last entry, about four hours ago or so, I had a great afternoon with party animals Donna and Nathan, such a fun couple to hang out with! We went for a trip in the Gondola, which takes you up to a mountain top and then you can choose to "luge" your way down on a funny course, 800 metres long. Very funny!
After two very scenic rides in the Luge we went for some golf.
And yes Lisa, I did get grumpy by the time i finished the second course, and finished on a horrible score of 81 after 18...
(oh, and don't forget to click for bigger pics)
View over Queenstown and the lake from the Gondola. Pretty Lord of the ring-ish, don't you think?
The touristy pose-photo.
Don and Nathe. Now with new haircuts!
The helmets are for the Luge. Pretty, hey?
And of course there's a bungy here as well..
The Luge-course...
Ready to go downhill. They had brakes, luckily..
Finally I got to put an end to my misery at the 18th..
This one actually went in the cup..
(hence my surprised look)
After two very scenic rides in the Luge we went for some golf.
And yes Lisa, I did get grumpy by the time i finished the second course, and finished on a horrible score of 81 after 18...
(oh, and don't forget to click for bigger pics)
View over Queenstown and the lake from the Gondola. Pretty Lord of the ring-ish, don't you think?
The touristy pose-photo.
Don and Nathe. Now with new haircuts!
The helmets are for the Luge. Pretty, hey?
And of course there's a bungy here as well..
The Luge-course...
Ready to go downhill. They had brakes, luckily..
Finally I got to put an end to my misery at the 18th..
This one actually went in the cup..
(hence my surprised look)
Well. I'm gonna cook me some dinner and then hang out in my room, early rise tomorrow for some good adventures..
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