I just found out that a good friend of mine from Hastings, MN, Eric Rego, passed away tonight from Pneumonia.

Rest In Peace, Rego, you will be missed.

And then Santa Dropped Trou

50 Japanese guys in Santa Suits on a Drinking parade through Tokyo.

Best Christmas ever :)

The day after the fish market, I was supposed to go see Tamao's friend's Japanese Gospel Christmas concert but the train I needed never came! I was frustrated and felt bad, but I decided to not waste my day and go wondering around Shibuya towards Yoyogi park. Throughout my walk, I had seen a few people running around in Santa costumes but thought nothing of it. As I was walking through an outdoor fair trade market, I saw two Americans wearing Santa suits, as well. I asked the guy what was going on and he said " Santa-Con!" He handed me a hat and a can of pineapple cocktail and told me to join. Basically, it was a group of maybe 50 Japanese and 10 American Santas having a drunk parade through Tokyo...amazing. I met a few people who work with digital editing and graphics and actually hung out with them on Christmas (we'll get to that later). I also met a Japanese woman, Shihoko, who invited me to go to a club with her this coming Saturday called "Pop It!" She also asked me if I liked girls or boys (haha ummm boys) and was trying to come up with a single guy for me...uh, that's ok. I had to cut the night short because I was getting on a bus at 10 headed to Kyoto overnight!

Needless to say, I had no problem sleeping through the entire bus ride. I arrived in Kyoto at five in the morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't goiungn to be meeting Tamao's friend, Hiromi, until noon, so I found a 24 hour internet cafe and hung out there until it was light out. Hiromi brought me to see Kinkakuji, aka the Golden Pavilion, which is a temple covered in gold, and to the Kiyomizudera which sits on a high hill and has a beautiful view of Kyoto. It is also for the springs that run through it; you are able to drink the water which is supposed to have healing power. There are numerous temples and shrines in this little area. I went back a few days later when it was early in the day and sunny out and explored a few of them. My favorite which I am struggling to find the name for, bring you into the basement of a temple. You pay 100 Yen (a dollar), take off your shoes, and follow a handrail of enlarged prayer beads through a windy, pitch-black hallway. The experience is very relaxing (it would have been even more so if people weren't disrespectful and immature and giggling); however, I just closed my eyes and walked slowly, blocking out all the sounds and focused. It's difficult to explain the feeling you get (or at least I had) when coming back out into the light. It's supposed to be like entering the womb of Buddha--to be a cleansing experience where you can focus on your deepest desires.

That first night, I stayed with Hiromi in Kobe; she took me out to sushi before heading back to her apartment (basically a small studio) where i passed out instantly. The next day (Monday) Hiromi had to go to work, so I went to Osaka and sat in Starbucks all day catching up on my journal and making a christmas card for my family. I ended up talking to an 86 year old Japanese man named Nakagawa for about two hours. He was very sweet and his English was fantastic. He told me all about his family; old Japanese traditions between men and women and in society in general, and about World War 2. He was born in the states but lived in Japan since he was very young. His father lived in America and sent money home for his entire life; Nakagawa one and only time he saw his father's face when he went back to Japan soon before he left for WWII--sad. This is actually something I heard a lot about in South America. Older women would talk to me on the bus because they liked to practice their Engilsh and would tell me about their lives--their children, husbands, and working. Many of these women had husbands in the States sending money back for their families; I'm not talking about for a few months or even a few years, I mean 10/15/20 years where they never see each other, they only talk on the phone. Anyway, he told me if I was ever back in Kyoto that he goes to that Starbucks every Monday if I want to chat...so cute.

That night Hiromi and some of her co-workers made dinner and had a few drinks. We had Nabe which is a traditional Japanese hot pot. They basically fill a deep bowl with water or some type of broth and add fresh vegetables, meats, noodles, and fish to make a stew that is continuously eaten. Each person purchased one, maybe two alcoholic beverages and were hammered--the Japanese have no alcohol tolerance--within a half hour the room was filled with red faces.

The next day I said goodbye to Hiromi and took a little trip into Osaka to run around the castle for a while and take pictures; then I took the train back to Kyoto for my two days there. I spent a long day walking around the city; I went back to the Kiyumizudera and then went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, or the Red Gate, where there are 500 Torii gates (basically a tunnel of orange pillars with Japanese writing on them) that represent each of Buddha's disciples. The "tunnel" goes on for about 4km and travels up and down hills through masses of trees and along waterways. I tried to make my way to the Philosophers path up to the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji) but I, of course, got lost. I ended up on a windy road which lacked a shoulder and figured I'd get run over if I continued. I turned around and went to the Nishiki Food market instead and wondered through Gion (Kyoto's Geisha district) on my way back to the hostel.

My last day in Kyoto was Christmas day! I met up with the Americans I met at Santa Con, Craig and John, and we went to see the Nijo Castle; it was beautifully decorated with scenic murals and golden leaf squares. When walking around the castle, the floorboards make a chirping noise (it's know as Nightingale floor) as a security system so they wouldn't be attacked by intruders (ninjas, more specifically). After the castle, we met up with Kathry and Soren to take some pictures of the Kiyumizudera temple and then went out to eat for a, um, traditional (?) Christmas dinner. The restaurant is called Okariba. The chef, Aoki, prepared us food that he hunted and foraged himself. We Sat on tree stumps surrounding a round table with a mini campfire in the middle. He then gave us Boar Skewers, Grilled mushrooms and tofu, miso cooked on a tea leaf in front of us, smoked goose, and BEAR sashimi. We had a dessert of bees and grasshopers in a sweet soy sauce and washed it all down with his own house infused alcohols--current, plum, black snake, red snake, and killer bee....mmmm. He even let us go to the tap and refill our own drinks. It was honestly delicious and Aoki was so helpful. He even gave us all going away presents--Kathryn and I both received hand warmers because he said the next day was going to be freezing and he also gave us chopsticks. Craig got a to go box of Grasshoppers and bees for a midnight snack :) Afterwards, I left everyone to get back on my second overnight bus back to Tokyo.

FOOD CORNER

Bees and grasshoppers. The bees tasted and looked like a soft peanut and the grasshoppers really just tasted like the sauce and were crunchy. Once you get over the fact that you are consuming bugs and all that comes with them, they're not too bad.

Taste 3
Aftertaste 1

AKWARD MOMENT

I am too big for this country. I hit my head on things, I feel like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation; the shower heads are at chest height, I have to contort myself in order to rinse soap out of my hair and get the shampoo bottle off of the floor. This country is small and compact and I am definitely not. That being said, let me tell you about the second over night bus right between Kyoto and Tokyo. Somehow, this bus was smaller than the initial one; and it was, of course, filled to capacity. I had a window seat, and a tiny Japanese girl sat next to me. I had my backpack and a shoulder bag with me with all of my important belongings; I bent over to situate them beneath me and when I tried to sit back in my seat, I found that I didn't fit. I tried to squeeze my shoulders in between the girl and the window, but it was useless--I looked like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy. I had to angle my body and lean against the window. I feel asleep for a bit and woke up a while later because the girl next to me had fallen asleep on her side with her bum up against me in my seat (there generally aren't arm rests on public transportation). I was basically plastered up against the wall. Annoyed and sleepy, I decided to just shove her over into her seat until she woke up and finally moved. Bit of a crude move, but she was half my size, she can't have half my seat! This bum battle went on for the entire bus ride......

Merry Christmas!

Takin' over Tokyo

Konichiwa!

I've been in Japan for four days and I think I am finally getting the hang of this country. I got really comfortable and extremely lazy in New Zealand where everyone was accommodating and spoke English. There really aren't many people here that I can communicate with; I've resorted to smiling, pointing, and bowing. Though I do know a few Japanese words, it's hardly enough to get me from A to B. This has resulted in lots of wondering circles, due to my FABULOUS sense of direction. That's fine with me, though, because this place is SO large and there's so much to see on every street and alley way and in every direction--right, left, up, down...everywhere. I seriously feel like I'm on mushrooms (not that I am...or know what that's like...or...don't do drugs, kids) because I find myself sitting and staring at the smallest things due to noises or blinking lights. This isn't just me being easily distracted, either, because no matter where you turn there is audio and visual stimulation.

Ok; backtrack!

After a three hour nap, I achieved the impossible--I hitchhiked from Queenstown, NZ (South island) to Wellington (Southern tip of the North island) in one day. This, in total, is about a 10 hour straight drive and a three hour ferry ride. Being that I am, well, slightly amazing, I had no problem accomplishing this. I started out with an Australian couple that was jetting to Christchurch in order to catch a flight (5-6 hour drive). After that, I caught a few short rides, one of which was with two men and two poodles who lectured me on the safety of hitchhiking. After about 5 minutes I was offered a beer by the passenger and when I got out ten minutes later I realized the driver had a Corona in his lap, as well. Thank God I didn't ride with them longer! After leaving the Inebriated car, I was picked up by the most adorable older gentleman, Graeme Kerr, who lives in Picton which just so happens to be the tiny town where I pick up the Ferry. I slept on the floor of the boat and crashed at a hostel in Wellington for a few hours until it was a safe time to hitch, again!

I did something I said I would never do. I accepted a ride from a trucker. I know, I know, silly. However, I was trying to carry my bag up a massive hill; with no good spot to stand in sight, I figured he was my best bet. He drove me up and over to the closest gas station so he could stop and get lunch and I would have a better chance at a ride. Safe and sound. Phew. A few rides later, a 21 year old local girl picked me up and brought me all the way to Lake Taupo (about a three hour ride) where I wanted to stay for a night. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we ended up hanging out and lying along the water for a little while. That night, I met three British boys who took me out for my birthday. A little drinking, nothing too crazy. We did break into a McDonald's playground at 2 am, however, I can't resist slides! The next day I got the rest of the way to Raglan where I stayed for a few days with friends until I needed to get to the Auckland airport. I met Jess Weller, a local New Zealander, who brought me all the way to the Airport--we are now Facebook friends :) I got to the airport at four pm, thought my flight wasn't until nine the next morning. I spent my time updating this blog, taking care of errands, and, of course, sleeping.

When I got off of the plane (a ten and a half hour flight filled with five movies and two incredibly filling meals), I had no idea what i was doing. I only wrote down enough directions to get me through the metro system but never had time to download the local map. A Japanese guy took it upon himself to be my guide throughout the subway since I was obviously standing there looking really confused and spinning in circles. He even got off of the train with me to help ask for directions and a map to get me to my hostel! After that, I got lost, again, because few streets are labeled and every road twists and turns over one other. An older Japanese gentleman started talking to me, all of which I could not understand, and had me follow him. I kept saying that I didn't understand but he just kept waving for me to follow and brought me to my hostel! Amazing! I have found that a lot here, that people will lead you to your destination even if it is not along their route. Also, they will continue talking to you in conversational Japanese even though it is obvious that there is no comprehension.

The next day I wondered around Asakusa, the area where my hostel is located. Tokyo is a massive city consisting of 34 wards (neighborhoods) and just as many millions of people. Not ten minutes away, there is a temple called the Senso-Ji which holds a golden image of Kannon, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The entrance to the temple is through the Kaminarimon or Thunder gate; leading up to that is the Nakamise-dori (dori means street) which is an alley with numerous shops selling everything from kimonos to Lamb-raisin soft serve. There are numerous other shrines, temples, and statues in the area, as well. I found it interesting that, while admiring the golden trim of one temple, an amusement park ride was operating in the distance behind it...contemporary amusement combined with ancient culture. The next day there was actually a fair surrounding the temple; Hagoita-ichi...basically a reason to try local food :)

The weather was rainy and depressing on Wednesday. I borrowed (kinda stole) a Lonely Planet book from the hostel and used it as a guide around Shinjuku; basically an area to get the feel of the city in a short amount of time. Once exiting the subway station, I was immediately surrounded by massive video screens and flashing lights. I ended up walking into Golden Gaiwhich is an area of a few winding alleyways with teeny tiny bars that literally only hold a few people. I went here the other night with Fumiki, Paul's friend (the hostel owner in Karamea, NZ) to a small bar that had room for five stools if our backs were all against the entrance door. He treated me to local food and beer. I tried pickled plums which are...sour but not bad in all honesty. I'd never purchase one for a snack, but Im glad I tried it! This area is basically sitting on top of Tokyo's red-light district, Kabukicho, which is an area filled with "performance" shows and Love motels boasting nightly and "rest" rates. Basically, men come here to cheat on their wives.

On Thursday, the weather was bright and sunny again (yet still cold because it is winter here), so I wondered around the Shibuya area, checking out trinkets and apparently one of the busiest crosswalks in the world. There is also a statue of a dog, the Hachiko statue, which people use as a meeting place outside of the metro station, that was erected in remembrance of a dog that supposedly waited there in the 20's for his master after he died. Sad. From there I wondered around the Imperial Gardens, which were pretty, yet I could see how much more impressive they would have been in the summer when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom. Finally, I found my way to the Ueno park and onto the Tokyo National Museum. There were plenty of street performers with flutes, guitars, juggling swords, not to mention numerous shrines and statues and even a Zoo!

Today, I got up early and went to the Tsujiki Fish Market; the auction starts at five in the morning, but I went at eight in order to check out all of the food stalls and eat some samples. I consumed the largest oyster I have ever seen. It was delicious (Oishi in Japanese)! Afterwards, I took myself over to Ginza, which is equivelent to NYC's 5th avenue (According to Lonely Planet, and once there I saw why!) boasting every high end shop you could imagine from Hermes and Tiffany's all the way to the Gap (and, of course, Starbucks). I went into the Sony Building which is five levels of hands on techy fun! I wondered around a few more shops before going to apply for my India Visa (keep your fingers crossed that it arrives before my flight!) and headed on back to the hostel!

AKWARD MOMENT

It's back! I had to go to the 7-11 convenience store in order to make passport copies to obtain my visa. Everything is in Japanese symbols and I have no idea how to work the thing (so sad). An older woman helped me out and while I was making copies, a Japanese guy started trying to hit on me. He was extremely awkward and I bolted before anything got any weirder. i was told that no one was going to find me attractive here. Blonde girl+getting hit on in Japan by a japanese boy+7-11 convenience store=....


FOOD CORNER

SQUID BALLS AKA Takoyaki! Originally, I thought these were deep fried balls of doughy deliciousness..however, it turns out that they are actually balls of sticky rice baked in a pan with an entire baby squid inside, tentacles and all. They brush soy sauce over the top and sometimes squirt on a dollop of mayo.

Taste- 4
Aftertaste-1

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

The other day, my birthday, actually, I got an e-mail from Marathon tours. Apparently, there have been some recent cancellations and I am now off of the wait list for Antarctica!! However, the only problem now is having the money, being that the trip is about $6000!! I originally had a sponsor in Boston, so I am now waiting to hear back from him to see if he is still willing to monetarily support me. Keep your fingers crossed!

PS I'll put up more pictures on my blog soon, promise!

Goodness Gracious, Glaciers!

On my last day at Punakaiki, I had two show one of the new workers, who spoke very little English, how to clean before I took off on my next hitchhiking adventure towards Franz Josef glacier. Hamish, Te Nikau Resort’s owner, brought me to the information center in order to find a ride. From there, a friend of theirs, Brendon, picked me up and brought me into Greymouth; he even brought me to a store, “Warehouse” in order to find a raincoat! We ended up having to sit on the road for 45 minutes because a milk truck had turned over and was blocking the only road (no one was hurt). I found a few more rides that brought me all the way to Wanaroa. It had been raining all day and I had only about 30k left to get me to the glaciers. I started walking towards the corner where it looked like I’d have a better chance of picking up a ride when I noticed about five or six guys staring at me from the porch of the one and only bar in town. The chef, Liam, immediately starting heckling me (in a nonthreatening sort of way) telling me to get out of the rain and get in the bar and have a beer. I figured, why not? He said he’d take me to Franz Josef if I was willing to wait until he got off of work, so I sat inside from 6 pm until almost 11 drinking with all of the young locals (for free). At 11, Liam said he could take me to Franz or I could just stay at his place with him and his cousins since they have a room with beds that they rent out. Free accommodation? I’m there. I hung out with the boys and another girl from Canada, Pascal, for a while and then went to sleep. Pascal wanted to take me on a tour of the town the next day, showing me dairy farms and how cows are milked, I told her thanks, but since I grew up in the Midwest I had already experienced it and really needed to get a move on!

The next day Liam drove me into Franz Josef so I could drop my bag off in a hostel where he knew all of the workers. I quickly took off in order to hike Alex’s Knob…yep, I mounted Alex’s Knob (I love hiking innuendos!). All of my hikes so far have been long but not too taxing incline wise—this was significantly different. Apparently, it is supposed to be a 6-8 hour return trip, however, It took me about 3 hours up and 2 down. The view from the top is GORGEOUS. After going straight up for three hours you finally come to a plateau with a clear view of Franz Josef glacier (assuming the weather is good). On the way down I ran into a mother and son from the states who were on their way to Fox Glacier the next day. I talked to them for a little while and they told me that they would bring me if I could find them, since they weren’t sure which hostel they were staying at. Turns out, my bags were at the hostel they were in, small world, yet again. I rode with them the next morning and they dropped me off in town where I could drop off my bag.

In the hostel, the receptionist told me it wasn't a good idea to hike the Copland track by myself because I might "get washed away by the river." There were four Germans who were doing the same hike that I was (Welcome Flat) and they allowed me to ride with them the 20 k out of town to the start of the track. I hiked with them for a little bit and then took off on my own because I have become a bit of a speedy hiker. It took me five and a half hours to hike up the steep 17 km to the hut that I was staying in overnight. The hike goes over and along numerous streams, so it is impossible to keep your feet dry. I even accidentally stepped in a mud puddle that happened to be deep as my calf…gross. There is also an “active landslide zone” for 500 mteters which is absolutely petrifying to cross. There have been recent slips, so there are few markers displaying the correct path, there are giant cracks in the ground and sand falls away beneath each step—I was by myself and seriously thought there would be a landslide any second so I basically ran across the area to solid ground. At the top there are hot springs that have a view of mountains surrounding the area—the weather was perfectly clear, not a cloud insight!

The next day I got up at 6 am in order to hike back down. I finished in a about four hours and had to hitch back to Franz Josef. Being that I have an awful sense of direction, I walked to the one building I could find, a sheep sheering shed, to ask if I was moving in the correct direction. I really attractive younger guy told me I was, and, once I started walking, an older gentleman told me to walk to other direction (just messing with me, meanie!). Once I got back to the hostel, I found another girl, Luisa from Germany, who was also hitchhiking. She and I teamed up and found a ride that brought her all the way to Wanaka (about 200k) and me about 50 k from my destination in Queenstown. He dropped me off near Cromwell where another man picked me up and brought me to downtown Queenstown where I met up with Marissa and Ryan. They are in New Zealand on a work visa, so they actually have jobs and are living in an apartment in the city. When I got there I was just in time since they were having a BBQ house party. I had a taxi bring me to their place and immediately started playing beer pong…So much fun! The weather was pretty awful the next day, so we just sat around watching movies until it was time to go out! They showed me the Queenstown bar scene and then we went to Fergberger (MASSIVE burgers, so delicious at 4 am after spending hours in the bars).

Land of Pancake Rocks and Blow Holes

The next day Paul, the owner, brought me and three others into Westport in order to catch buses. It was still raining and I needed to hitch another 50 km to Punakaiki, where I would be working in a hostel for the next two weeks in exchange for food and accomodation. One woman from New Zealand brought me part way, telling me I was the first hitchhiker she’s ever picked up (I’ve heard this numerous times, I must still exude “Minnesota Niceness”). After that, two boys from Alaska brought me the rest of the way, entertaining me with crazy stories of their drunken night before with the rowdy Rugby crowd and singing. They couldn’t turn their van off because it wouldn’t start back up, so they were on their way to find a mechanic.

I didn’t end up having to do any work that first day. I just sat in the staff house reading and eating muffins. I started working with four other kids—Theresa and Johannes from Germany, Bastian from Canada (French-Canadian), and Tamao from Japan. We all got along very well instantly, like we’ve known eachother forever. The next day, Bastian showed me the daily procedures. At ten, we meet in reception and find out what beds need to be changed. There are around nine houses with between one and ten beds to clean with their own kitchens and bathrooms. In order to get to these houses, you walk along paths through the bush lined with streams and trees. We finish around two in the afternoon and have the rest of the day to ourselves. The first three days were very rainy so we just hung out around the house. Tamao and I tried to bake cookies, but I accidentally used muffin mix instead of flour so they turned into Mookies (fluffy muffin top cookies☺ ).

The next day was my turn to bake. Everyday one of us gets up at seven a.m. to bake a dozen muffins and four loaves of bread for people to purchase. That night, that same person also has to cook dinner for all the workers. Since it was almost Thanksgiving, I cooked a pseudo traditional meal. I attempted my mother’s cheesy hashbrowns but was missing the majority of the ingredients, they were still good though@ Johannes cooked up some vegetables while I breaded some chicken thighs (with Cornflakes, Grandma Lucius’ recipe) and fried them with a lot of oil—delicioius. There are a few vegetarians here, actually outnumbering the carnivores, so I just did the same with a block of Tofu…I have no idea if that was good or not but they put on a smile for me anyway. I wanted to cut it into the shape of a turkey but didn’t have the time. Also, I baked apples with brown sugar, a favorite fall dessert of mine! The next meal I made was pizza from scratch, dough, sauce and all! Who knew I was so domesticated? I’ve getten a lot better at cleaning, too. The first day consisted of a lot of cussing being that I haven’t made a bed in about a decade. Ask my mom, I’ve been sleeping on the floor since I was 15 so I wouldn’t have to make my bed. On our free time we go on short hikes. Punakaiki is “home of the pancake rocks and blow holes” not as cool or appetizing as it sounds. We went to look at them when the weather was awful..raining with crazy strong winds, but it made the waves crashing against the rocks violent and maginificent. They are called pancake rocks because they develop in thin layers and tower out of the ground. I’ve also been running a lot which is difficult here due to the huge rolling hills. The only other things in Punakaiki are a pub, a café, and an information site. No grocery store, so they buy us food, which I am getting good and fat on:). Tamao has been teaching me Japanese phrases and is putting me in contact with some of her friends in Tokyo. She says my Japanese pronunciation is very cute—Arigato!

My last night in Punakaiki, James took a friend of his, Tamao and I to Murphy’s restaurant and bar in Greymouth where we drank and watched a few bands. The first one was AWFUL (sorry, but I hated it) and the main act was ok. The lyrics were just ridiculous being that they were trying to be serious. "There's a rock in your rockin' shoes" is just the tip of the iceberg. My favorite was the second band called Vorn. It is a one man band (a guy named Vorn) who looks like a life size version of a lawn gnome and plays the accordian and is absolutely hilarious; check out his myspace page http://www.myspace.com/vornmusic!

It's A Small World, After All (again)

Three guys that worked in the Abel Tasman park in different areas brought me into Motueka, a nearby town, one after another (all quite cute, too!). Then, I got two more rides on the way to Westport. The weather was really nice, so I just walked along the road with my thumb out. One car pulled up and asked where I was going; when I told them they informed me that their destination was no where near mine...

" But it's not even in the same direction?"
"No, sorry!"

I've said this before, but there is basically one road going through New Zealand, so they obviously were going in the same direction. Their eyes were so bloodshot though, I'm pretty sure they were high, so needless to say I didn't want to take that opportunity, anyway.

Not even five minutes later, three Irish girls picked me up, who were also heading to the same town (a three hour drive). After riding for ten minutes, two calfs ran out into the street in front of us and down the road, nearly causing an accident. We took it upon ourselves to use the car to guide them back up the road to the farm they left from. When we got to the top a big sign said “BUTCHER,” Oh God, we felt awful ☹

About two hours into the drive, I mentioned something about my blog when one of the girls, Fiona, turned to me saying, “Oh my God! Do you run marathons?” Then Aisling turned around, “ We ate dinner together in Ecuador!” Remember when I said my entire hostel when out to eat in Guayaquil, Ecuador? (You should, being that I’m sure everyone reads each and every word I write….). Well, these girls stayed in my hostel that night; Guayaquil is a pretty random place to be in Ecuador and the fact that we were there together is just crazy.

I stayed with them at a hostel in Westport. The woman gave us a six person suite (with our own bathroom, kitchen, tv and garden) for dorm room prices! We watched tv for a while, which I haven’t done in forever, and then went out to the only open bar which sold pizzas and pitchers of beer for $7.50! When we got there they had already finished serving food, but we were starving, so the bartender gave us leftover pizza and microwaved some single serve meals for us—he even gave us a free loaf of bread! There were only really old men drunk on scotch in the bar; when we were finished eating we left so they could no longer try and hang on us…akward

The next day I went with the girls to do some more underworld caving adventures! We went tubing through incredibly bright glow worm caves and then down some river rapids! The glow worms live on the ceilings of caves; you lay back in your tube and it's like staring at a brilliantly green starry sky.

After that, I left the Irish girls and our guide drove me back to town. I then got picked up two more times, bringing me to Militon. Rosemary, the woman that picked me up, brought me part of the way to Karamea and dropped me off in her town. She then came back about five minutes later and insisted that I stay with her since it was later in the eventing and it might be difficult to get to Karamea before dark. She showed me around the town (Population 27), telling me all about its history with coalmining and showing me waterfalls before cooking me dinner talking with her fiancé, John. They’re quite the cute hippie couple—they are fixing up a house to rent out but live in a a “house-truck” which has gnomes and mushrooms painted by Rose on the sides. The next morning, I was chatting with Rose and John when I started viciously scratching my sandfly bites (47 counted on my feet alone due to the 90 minute beach wait in Abel Tasman); she immediately went into mom-mode and busted out a hot water basin to soak my feet in, as well as disinfectant and anti itch cream. She gave me a travel bottle full, as well as cotton balls to wipe on the liquid. Afterward, she drove me back to the road to continue on my way to Karamea.

The first guy brought me maybe 30km on my way and then dropped me off after a bridge that would be the best spot to get me on the rest of the way. I waited about twenty minutes, playing with stray roosters and waiting for a a friendly motorist. There is very little traffic on this road because Karamea is the last stop. Luckily, a nice gentleman looking for some good fishing was on his way to the same town and brought me all the way to the Rongo Backpacker Hostel. I arrived too late in the day to start hiking, so I hung around the hostel reading for the day. I woke up early the next morning to do two days of hiking on the Heaphy Track. I met a guy, Aaron, from California who was doing a day hike and had a car to bring us to the start of the track (about 16 km from the hostel). I hiked with him and a man from France, Bruno, for a few hours until Aaron had to turn around. Aaron is really into rock climbing, so when he was examining a nice area to climb, I decided to look around and the grass and flowers around me. I bent over and found a four leaf clover! I've looked for one for as long as I can remember and this is the first time I've succeeded! I was really excited, to say the least.

I hiked a total of 35 km along the coastline, across beaches and many suspended bridges where only one person could cross at a time! The trail headed up 300 meters through the bush to the Mckay hut where I slept for the night. I got up early the next day and realized I had finished off my food (a concoction of Muesili, peanut butter, and jelly). Luckily, the other girl in the hut was trying to get rid of food, so she gave me a bag of trail mix for my 8 hour trek back—thank God! The first day was sunny and beautiful, however, my trip back was a consistent cold downpour, which I did without a rain jacket because I’ve been too frugal and stubborn to purchase a new coat after my North Face was stolen in Ecuador. Since I kept moving, it wasn’t too bad. Once I finally got to the end, I realized that I had to keep walking since the weather had refrained people from camping at the edge of the track. After walking about four km, two guys who were doing pest control in the area (possums are a real problem here) drove by and gave me a ride back to the hostel. Horray for a hot shower and warm soup, not to mention, warm clothes!!

That night they were showing a movie in the hostel “Hair” everyone had to dress up in hippie attire. I didn’t really have anything with me, but they supplied many options such as scarves and colorful jackets and flowers to put in our hair (love children ☺ ) . I hung out with four middle aged couples who reminisced about the 60’s and 70’s whicle I sat back and smiled, having nothing to contribute besides the fact that I recognized the songs and read about the scocial lissues of that time in my history books.

So Long Stray! Hello Hitching!

After two days on the phone with the corporate office of Stray (the tour bus company that was the bane of my existence), they finally let me cancel my trip and gave me a little money back--not a lot, but I take it as an accomplishment, regardless. I decided that i was going to hitchhike on the South Island. Now, I would never think twice about doing this in the United States, even in my suburban hometown for that matter, but I have talked to so many people that have used it as their mode of transportation that I figured I should try it.

I woke up at around 6 am in order to catch a three hour ferry to the South Island. Annaliese Rittershaus, my amazing friend from Spot, has family in the city, Nelson that was happy and willing to let me stay with them for a few nights. The ferry lands in Picton, which is about a two hour drive from Nelson. The bus driver from the ferry to the luggage terminal was very excited for me to attempt hitchhiking; he gave me a few tips and then sent me on my way.

I was walking for maybe five minutes when a white car pulled over and waved at me to jump in. An older woman, Katie, was also heading to Nelson and drove me the entire way. Amazing. She’s actually a neurologist from the states and working in New Zealand. We stopped in the town of Havelock, which is apparently the muscle capital of the world, and ate some of the biggest muscles I’ve ever seen, steamed in white wine and garlic. She even treated me—thanks, Katie!.

Once we were about three minutes out of Havelock she looks down and realizes that her gas gauge is on empty. We go back to Havelock and pull into the Shell station only to realize that it was closed. WHAT?? The next petrol station (their word for gas) was about 40 km away in Rie Valley. Luckily we made it there, but we were definitely worried.

Once in Nelson, Lisa Lynch, Annaliese’s aunt, picked me up and I went with her and her husband, Brian, as well as their kids Katja and Karamea to Lisa's friend’s house, Donn and Mary (lots of names in that sentence, I know). They just built a pizza oven in their back yard and Mary painted a giant board white to make an outdoor movie theatre—awesome! When we arrived, it was already cocktail hour—my favorite. We sat around drinking, chatting and consuming hoer d’vours until the sun went down and we could put on some movies. We basically just made our own outdoor concert filled with singing, dancing, and drinking—a few of the headliners were Abba, Bee Gees, and Supertramp.

The next day I went for a run and, you guessed it, got lost. What was meant to be an hour run turned into just short of two. Ugh, leave it to me to get lost when there is only one road. Somehow I missed the house and ran about twenty minutes out of the way—guh!

I stayed at Lisa and Brian’s place that night and they fed me a gorgeous dinner of Lamb steaks, garlic bread, and Greek salad to prepare me for my next day’s adventure—hiking the Abel Tasman Coast track.

Brian brought me to the bus stop at 6:30 am (thank-you so much!) and sent me on my way to Abel Tasman National Park. When I got there I had to repack my belongings, because I have way too much stuff with me to carry on a multiple day hike, and went on my way. I originally booked campsites along the way for a three day hike, however, I ended up walking most of the distance in one day (10 hours of hiking!). At the campsite, I met a German woman who invited me to sleep with her in her tent. Staying in huts costs $30 a night, whereas the campsites are only $12! I figured I’d save money by sleeping in my sleeping bag with a giant trash bags over me to keep me dry—luckily, I didn’t have to test that awful theory.

The next morning, I had to walk through Awaroa bay at a certain time in order to make low tide—otherwise, the water is too high. I had to take off my shoes and socks and walk across shallow rivers between muddy, shell filled beaches. I got to the end a day and a half earlier than I expected. I had to wait on Tontongo beach for an hour and a half for the aquataxi. This would be fantastic if there weren’t sandflies attacking me everywhere they could. I now have a giant scab on my foot from scratching too much—whoops. I’m telling you, these sandflies are more vicious than misquitos and their bite is itchier than the chicken pox.

The hike, itself, is too beautiful for words. Golden beaches and bright blue water--please check out my flickr site for the photos so you can see what I mean!

We rode back along the coast looking at rock formations and seals before finally getting back to Manahu. I grabbed my bags and started hitchhiking towards Karamea to hike the Heaphy track!