Well, our road trip has landed us now in the city of Hamilton at the home of some mutual friends (thank you Joe and Judith) and we are quite excited and appreciative of the home environment! Hamilton it turns out is the perfect location to settle for a bit because it's pretty centrally located and there are quite a few exciting day trips within the radius of a few hours drive time. We showed up and our lovely hosts Julie and Quentin showed us around the extensive gardens they have here in Hamilton, with different sections in the style of different corners of the world - New Zealand it turns out is a places where almost anything grows and thrives which makes gardening fun and weeding overwhelming! Between home-cooked meals and a comfy bed, Clare and I love Hamilton - plus Julie and Quentin kindly offered us the use of their house while they were on vaca for the long weekend, so we've had our run of the place taking full advantage of a kitchen to cook in! :-)
One of the first day trips we took was to a small surf town on the west coast called Raglan, which is only about an hours drive (though it looks much closer on a map, the 'highways' here are tiny and run through many a town center - aka there are tractors driving down the highway.) Raglan was a great town to putz around in because it's a hub of artist cooperatives, so there were tons of artsy handicrafts to drool over and some cool black sand/rock beaches to watch surfers (who ranged from entirely mediocre to pretty impressive) ride some BIG waves. All in all, highly entertaining and relatively nervewracking (reminder: ROCK beaches.)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
sights of northland!
As promised, a few pictures from Northland. These are, unfortunately, all out of order due to similar layout issues I was having with the last post. If you start at the bottom of the post and work your way back up to the top they are pretty much chronological.
Ella in front of the Big Papa of the forest. Keep in mind that she's probably a solid twenty feet closer to the camera than the tree is, so those proportions are off by quite a bit.
The beautiful Four Sisters.
Ella at work constructing our prized tarp. Note our car, the dutchess, in the background.
Me shortly after waking up, still with a zillion layers, with a new friend in the background and rolling green New Zealand hills behind him.
That's on the black sand beach of Goat Island if your back is facing the water. I like to assume that penguins live in those dark spaces on the bottom since there are penguins that live in the area. Unfortunately, we weren't at the beach at the right time of day to see them.
Ella at the edge of one of the rocks at low tide. You can see Goat Island in the back on the right of the shot.
Around that far curve is where the pink beach is. We didn't bring a camera with us so you're just going to have to believe us on the pink thing.
Ella in front of the Big Papa of the forest. Keep in mind that she's probably a solid twenty feet closer to the camera than the tree is, so those proportions are off by quite a bit.
The beautiful Four Sisters.
Ella at work constructing our prized tarp. Note our car, the dutchess, in the background.
Me shortly after waking up, still with a zillion layers, with a new friend in the background and rolling green New Zealand hills behind him.
That's on the black sand beach of Goat Island if your back is facing the water. I like to assume that penguins live in those dark spaces on the bottom since there are penguins that live in the area. Unfortunately, we weren't at the beach at the right time of day to see them.
Ella at the edge of one of the rocks at low tide. You can see Goat Island in the back on the right of the shot.
Around that far curve is where the pink beach is. We didn't bring a camera with us so you're just going to have to believe us on the pink thing.Northland
Ella and I very willingly left Auckland two days after arrival in pursuit of warmer weather and that famous New Zealand countryside we've heard so much about. We decided to rent a car and assumed that we'd spend most nights at campgrounds sleeping either outside or in the car, which ended up being true for Northland. We hadn't considered the complexities of getting out of Auckland in a country where driving on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right side of the car is the rule, but fortunately, Ella agreed to be the braver of the two of us.
Her grip on the wheel loosened a bit and her knuckles returned back to their more standard peach-ish color when we were clear out of the city, heading north on SH1. We made little stops shortly outside of the city to gaze at beaches and try and find groceries for our pursuits, but our first real stop was at the Honey Centre and Cafe. This place was nothing short of delicious, with seemingly endless different kinds of honey for sampling and, to our delight, manuka honey ice cream for sale. This is, in case you were wondering, far and away the most delicious ice cream either of us have ever had. Yum.
Pulling ourselves away, I suggested that we stop at Leigh and the Goat Island Marine Reserve, a bit farther up on the east coast of Northland and a recommended stop in the Lonely Planet Guide we brought along with us as a reference point. In between, we stopped for some necessary portraits at a playground:
We figured that we would stop there for an hour or two and then head up the coast with our sights set much farther north for the evening. How wrong we were.
Her grip on the wheel loosened a bit and her knuckles returned back to their more standard peach-ish color when we were clear out of the city, heading north on SH1. We made little stops shortly outside of the city to gaze at beaches and try and find groceries for our pursuits, but our first real stop was at the Honey Centre and Cafe. This place was nothing short of delicious, with seemingly endless different kinds of honey for sampling and, to our delight, manuka honey ice cream for sale. This is, in case you were wondering, far and away the most delicious ice cream either of us have ever had. Yum.
Pulling ourselves away, I suggested that we stop at Leigh and the Goat Island Marine Reserve, a bit farther up on the east coast of Northland and a recommended stop in the Lonely Planet Guide we brought along with us as a reference point. In between, we stopped for some necessary portraits at a playground:
We figured that we would stop there for an hour or two and then head up the coast with our sights set much farther north for the evening. How wrong we were. We arrived at the Goat Island Marine Reserve (Goat Island itself is a short distance from the shore, easily swimmable, though we decided against heading over to explore) and realized to our delight that we had found paradise. The shore across from Goat Island is a black sand beach that at low tide has plenty of rocks that creep out into the water, filled with tide pools that have little ecosystems milling about within them. The area has been protected for quite some time now, and marine life flourishes. Much to our delight, we saw three eagle rays (like manta rays, which we originally thought they were, though they eat different things) over the course of two days.
That night, we stayed at a campgrounds right up the hill from the beach of paradise. The campgrounds were similarly idyllic- run by a laidback woman, the campgrounds were equipped with a full kitchen and bathroom set-up with hammocks everywhere and sheep, cows, and horses off in the distance in pretty much every direction. Geniuses that we are, we spent the late afternoon building a tarp out of duct tape and every last plastic bag we had with us jerryrigged to our raincoats. We were elated at the opportunity to use our new tarp and both insisted on sleeping outside under the stars which, beautiful and lovingly interrupted by cow's moos into the night, was ultimately a doomed dream given that we were cold. We sought refuge in the car, which sort of fixed the problem, and made a pact to at some point put the tarp to use.
We awoke in the morning to a rooster that refused to stop its morning cock-a-doodle-doos but were saved from being annoyed by that fact by the sights around us-- the morning renewed our amazement in our surroundings, and after breakfast, we headed back down to the beach. Our morning laziness was interupted by the friendly captain of the Glass-Bottomed Boat, the boat that people tour around the bay in to see all the marine life wonders that abound. We were two of very few people on the beach that morning and he was bored, so after making friends he offered to give us a ride to a nearby beach that was about a half hour walk. We agreed and, after a short boat ride, found ourselves in an even more idyllic setting. The sand on the beach was PINK-- seriously, pink-- and there were so few visitors that practically every last shell was uniquely beautiful and unbroken by excessive human footsteps. After Ella took a quick dip, we walked back to the parking lot and, quite unwillingly, continued on our adventure.
The remainder of our three days in Northland was mostly filled with beautiful beaches and drives through the most spectacular countryside I've ever seen in my life. One other highlight to share was our venture up to the kauri forests on the west coast of Northland. We took a short walk through the woods and saw two incredible sights. The first was the Four Sisters, four huge kauri trees that are astoundingly beautiful, and then quite possibly the biggest tree ever which is called the father of the forest. It could be around 2,000 years old and has a diameter of 16.7 meters. I am not really sure how to describe it because even though I had read about it beforehand, words did not in any way do justice to the majesty and imposing size of this tree.
Layouts are being funny, so I'm going to post a separate post for pictures as soon as I can pull that together-- expect some beautiful Goat Island shots and some really beautiful trees.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Top 5: Auckland Edition
Hello everyone!
Ella and I are currently in Hamilton in the midst of our two-week travel through the North Island, but we promised we'd deliver on our five favorite things in Auckland, so here's the list (in countdown style, of course, to add suspense).
5. CARLOS AT THE DESK
We stayed at Surf and Snow Backpackers in the center of Auckland, which is pretty much your run-of-the-mill hostel. The socialites we are, Ella and I mostly stuck to ourselves (and only stayed in Auckland for two days, allowing us next to no time to really get to know anyone), though we were both quite fond of Carlos, one of the guys who worked at the front desk of Surf and Snow. Helpful and incredibly kind, he helped us to figure out a car rental situation and was an exciting face to return to after wandering around an otherwise foreign city for two days.
4. BOLLY BOYS
There was a Diwali festival on at the pier our second day there, so we decided to go check it out. Much to our delight, we chanced upon the 15-and-under division of the Bollywood Dance Competition and stayed through most of it. The kids ran the spectrum of being actually quite talented and very obviously not wanting to be there. Our favorites were the boys who can easily be broken up into two categories. First, there were the poor souls that were obviously forced into dance classes by a parent that probably wanted to help push them through an awkward phase or perhaps to help them socialize more. They were easily recognized by the pout that sometimes looked like it was on the verge of tears and also by the obvious unwillingness to actually do the assigned dance steps. The alternative was the boys who were practically over-enthusiastic about the whole thing, moving every last fiber of their bodies whenever possible. Our favorite moments were when there were several boys dancing at the same time and it was an obvious split in intention.
3. KOREAN PANCAKE
Korean Pancake was a lifesaver. On our first day wandering through Auckland, Ella complained about a lack of street vendor food-- we wanted a step down from the takeaway storefronts all over the place that was cheap and would fill us up in between meals (we are avid consumers of food). We were on the brink of losing all hope when, like a beacon of light, we saw Korean Pancake. For $2.50 or $3.00, a very jovial guy will squash down some dough, fill it with one of several options, and cook it until it becomes a pancake. So greasy, so delicious, so much fun. We were rather upset that Korean pancake did not open early enough for us to have the sweet option for breakfast, but alas, everyone needs some time off from work.
2. THE LIBRARY
Though most of you know us well enough to already know this fact, Ella and I are not exactly seekers of nightlife. It should be no surprise, then, to find out that Auckland became a city of great potential when we stumbled across the city's public library (on the next block from Korean Pancake, even!!). This library had everything- great colors, a nice layout, fantastic music section, free internet, and a very interesting exhibit on New Zealand's first major geologist. What's more is that attached to the library was a cafe that played generally good music where, for $4, you could have a mug of tea that probably had a sizable three cups in it. The tea was great, the banana chocolate chip muffins were to die for, and they were even open until 11:30 PM on the weekends (as if we would stay awake that late)!
1. THE WALKING MAN
Number one on the list for the sheer amount of time it entertained us is the walking man (and this probably tells you why we left Auckland after two days). The walk signal at some major intersections did not just say "walk" or have a person lit up in green to indicate that it was safe to walk. No no, this was so much more. The walk signal was ANIMATED. Yes, that's right, animated. The green man would stroll as though on a treadmill, never moving out of his little circle but constantly appearing to stroll forward while a noise sounded indicating it was safe to walk. The noise, for those of you that are musicians, resembled the sound someone makes when they're trying to teach someone how to double tongue on a wind instrument-- kind of a duh-guh-duh-guh sort of thing. Ella and I are still contemplating posting video examples, but I think we might refrain.
So, that's Auckland. We've moved on and have spent the past few days in a variety of locations, many resembling paradise, but I'll let Ella tell you a little more about that. Hope everyone is doing well, and as always, feel free to comment or e-mail!
Ella and I are currently in Hamilton in the midst of our two-week travel through the North Island, but we promised we'd deliver on our five favorite things in Auckland, so here's the list (in countdown style, of course, to add suspense).
5. CARLOS AT THE DESK
We stayed at Surf and Snow Backpackers in the center of Auckland, which is pretty much your run-of-the-mill hostel. The socialites we are, Ella and I mostly stuck to ourselves (and only stayed in Auckland for two days, allowing us next to no time to really get to know anyone), though we were both quite fond of Carlos, one of the guys who worked at the front desk of Surf and Snow. Helpful and incredibly kind, he helped us to figure out a car rental situation and was an exciting face to return to after wandering around an otherwise foreign city for two days.
4. BOLLY BOYS
There was a Diwali festival on at the pier our second day there, so we decided to go check it out. Much to our delight, we chanced upon the 15-and-under division of the Bollywood Dance Competition and stayed through most of it. The kids ran the spectrum of being actually quite talented and very obviously not wanting to be there. Our favorites were the boys who can easily be broken up into two categories. First, there were the poor souls that were obviously forced into dance classes by a parent that probably wanted to help push them through an awkward phase or perhaps to help them socialize more. They were easily recognized by the pout that sometimes looked like it was on the verge of tears and also by the obvious unwillingness to actually do the assigned dance steps. The alternative was the boys who were practically over-enthusiastic about the whole thing, moving every last fiber of their bodies whenever possible. Our favorite moments were when there were several boys dancing at the same time and it was an obvious split in intention.
3. KOREAN PANCAKE
Korean Pancake was a lifesaver. On our first day wandering through Auckland, Ella complained about a lack of street vendor food-- we wanted a step down from the takeaway storefronts all over the place that was cheap and would fill us up in between meals (we are avid consumers of food). We were on the brink of losing all hope when, like a beacon of light, we saw Korean Pancake. For $2.50 or $3.00, a very jovial guy will squash down some dough, fill it with one of several options, and cook it until it becomes a pancake. So greasy, so delicious, so much fun. We were rather upset that Korean pancake did not open early enough for us to have the sweet option for breakfast, but alas, everyone needs some time off from work.
2. THE LIBRARY
Though most of you know us well enough to already know this fact, Ella and I are not exactly seekers of nightlife. It should be no surprise, then, to find out that Auckland became a city of great potential when we stumbled across the city's public library (on the next block from Korean Pancake, even!!). This library had everything- great colors, a nice layout, fantastic music section, free internet, and a very interesting exhibit on New Zealand's first major geologist. What's more is that attached to the library was a cafe that played generally good music where, for $4, you could have a mug of tea that probably had a sizable three cups in it. The tea was great, the banana chocolate chip muffins were to die for, and they were even open until 11:30 PM on the weekends (as if we would stay awake that late)!
1. THE WALKING MAN
Number one on the list for the sheer amount of time it entertained us is the walking man (and this probably tells you why we left Auckland after two days). The walk signal at some major intersections did not just say "walk" or have a person lit up in green to indicate that it was safe to walk. No no, this was so much more. The walk signal was ANIMATED. Yes, that's right, animated. The green man would stroll as though on a treadmill, never moving out of his little circle but constantly appearing to stroll forward while a noise sounded indicating it was safe to walk. The noise, for those of you that are musicians, resembled the sound someone makes when they're trying to teach someone how to double tongue on a wind instrument-- kind of a duh-guh-duh-guh sort of thing. Ella and I are still contemplating posting video examples, but I think we might refrain.
So, that's Auckland. We've moved on and have spent the past few days in a variety of locations, many resembling paradise, but I'll let Ella tell you a little more about that. Hope everyone is doing well, and as always, feel free to comment or e-mail!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
and then there was fiji.
The flight we had from San Francisco to Auckland was pretty broken up which ended up working out for us quite well. We first flew into LAX (in case anyone had any doubts, the Los Angeles airport is disgusting and poorly lit), then got on the monster plane visible in our last picture post and headed to Nadi, Fiji. We had a scheduled twelve-hour layover and weren't really sure what we were going to do with our time in Fiji, but hoped that we would be allowed to leave the airport and that it could potentially involve a beach. Much to our luck, because our layover was longer than six hours, we had to go through customs and, as a result, had a free pass to explore Fiji for the day.
We stored our luggage at the airport and asked around for some places to go with most people recommending a place called First Landing which was, allegedly, a beach. We found a taxi driver (one of about a million waiting outside the airport) who agreed to take us not only to there but to a few other places not far away. It kills me that I can't remember his name, because this guy was quite kind and informative. He drove us first to a place called the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, situated at the foot of a gorgeous mountain. It's home to Fiji's largest collection of orchids, and admission to the garden comes with a chance to enjoy some homemade fruit juice. There were giant water lilies, tons and tons and tons of orchids, really neat trees with roots that looked like walls- it was a magnificent garden. On our way to the next location, he drove us past his house so we could see his son and wife and two dogs-- definitely sweet.
From there, we went through the Sugar City, one of two big cities in Fiji. The population is about 40,000 and we spent most of our twenty or so minutes there strolling through a market that smelled SO good and SO fresh. This is a good time to mention, probably, that we also learned a lot about the political situation in Fiji from our cab driver-- there have been five coups in the last fifteen or so years, with the most recent one being last year-- and the history sounds quite interesting in case anyone is interested in looking into it.
Our final stop for the day was at First Landing, supposedly the site was where people first landed on the island, though it is now home to a resort and a creepy man-made island that looks like a hand when viewed aerially. The beaches were gorgeous, the water was like warm bathwater and clear reasonably far down, and in general it was something akin to paradise. We enjoyed lunch at a table right on the beach, looking out at the water and not being able to comprehend that this was a layover in the middle of travel.
All in all, Fiji was beyond fabulous- great scenery, great company, and a MUCH better way to spend the day than twelve hours in an airport. We will update on Auckland soon, though we need to go in the meantime to pick up our rented car that will be our chariot around the North Island. Hope everyone is doing well!
We stored our luggage at the airport and asked around for some places to go with most people recommending a place called First Landing which was, allegedly, a beach. We found a taxi driver (one of about a million waiting outside the airport) who agreed to take us not only to there but to a few other places not far away. It kills me that I can't remember his name, because this guy was quite kind and informative. He drove us first to a place called the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, situated at the foot of a gorgeous mountain. It's home to Fiji's largest collection of orchids, and admission to the garden comes with a chance to enjoy some homemade fruit juice. There were giant water lilies, tons and tons and tons of orchids, really neat trees with roots that looked like walls- it was a magnificent garden. On our way to the next location, he drove us past his house so we could see his son and wife and two dogs-- definitely sweet.
From there, we went through the Sugar City, one of two big cities in Fiji. The population is about 40,000 and we spent most of our twenty or so minutes there strolling through a market that smelled SO good and SO fresh. This is a good time to mention, probably, that we also learned a lot about the political situation in Fiji from our cab driver-- there have been five coups in the last fifteen or so years, with the most recent one being last year-- and the history sounds quite interesting in case anyone is interested in looking into it.
Our final stop for the day was at First Landing, supposedly the site was where people first landed on the island, though it is now home to a resort and a creepy man-made island that looks like a hand when viewed aerially. The beaches were gorgeous, the water was like warm bathwater and clear reasonably far down, and in general it was something akin to paradise. We enjoyed lunch at a table right on the beach, looking out at the water and not being able to comprehend that this was a layover in the middle of travel.
All in all, Fiji was beyond fabulous- great scenery, great company, and a MUCH better way to spend the day than twelve hours in an airport. We will update on Auckland soon, though we need to go in the meantime to pick up our rented car that will be our chariot around the North Island. Hope everyone is doing well!
fun in san fran
Okay, so here's a bit more on the highlights in San Francisco (we were there for just under a week):
1) Seeing family and friends (for me, for Clare it was meeting family and friends) was absolutely wonderful especially because the guest list included many with whom visits are few and far between. It was great to get a chance to catch up with family members at Tabitha and Laurie's wedding, which was one of the prettiest ceremonies I'd ever been to - they both wore gold dresses and it was beautiful! Plus, who should show up but my newest little cousin Henry with the biggest smile I've ever seen on a little kid :-) Jealousy abounds among family back on the East coast, I know, but no worries, we will definitely include baby pics upon arrival to Branwyns - I promise. We also got a chance to spend some time with/invade the apartment of my friend Maggie (included is a shout out to her roommates who let us take over their livingroom) which was truly awesome because I hadn't gotten a chance to see her since our stay in Bolivia so it was great to get a chance to see her in her new natural habitat of San Francisco.
2) The wedding itself. Good people, good setting, good music, dancing and food. What more could you ask for? It was themed with fall colors, so lots of golds and rusts and greens. Branwyn made flower arrangements, Ellen the cakes, Laurie's dad sang to the newlyweds accompanied by his guitar, and there was many a heartfelt speech. It was really moving actually. Plus a setting sun in the background. So picturesque. Sigh...!
3) Tromping around the city itself was highly enjoyable. (Except for the parts where our legs were ready to collapse from climbing uphill to catch the bus, or falling downhill to do the same.) The weather however was beautiful day in and day out, sunny, sunny, sunny. We had fun wandering around the wharfs visiting sea lions, exploring the Mission, munching on Russian food, and biking the Golden Gate bridge. (Although we definitely did some walking alongside our bikes uphill on either side, biking over the bridge itself was quite fun!)
All in all, a lovely stay and we set off from there rejuvinated and excited for the next leg of the trip: land of the sheep. Stay tuned...
1) Seeing family and friends (for me, for Clare it was meeting family and friends) was absolutely wonderful especially because the guest list included many with whom visits are few and far between. It was great to get a chance to catch up with family members at Tabitha and Laurie's wedding, which was one of the prettiest ceremonies I'd ever been to - they both wore gold dresses and it was beautiful! Plus, who should show up but my newest little cousin Henry with the biggest smile I've ever seen on a little kid :-) Jealousy abounds among family back on the East coast, I know, but no worries, we will definitely include baby pics upon arrival to Branwyns - I promise. We also got a chance to spend some time with/invade the apartment of my friend Maggie (included is a shout out to her roommates who let us take over their livingroom) which was truly awesome because I hadn't gotten a chance to see her since our stay in Bolivia so it was great to get a chance to see her in her new natural habitat of San Francisco.
2) The wedding itself. Good people, good setting, good music, dancing and food. What more could you ask for? It was themed with fall colors, so lots of golds and rusts and greens. Branwyn made flower arrangements, Ellen the cakes, Laurie's dad sang to the newlyweds accompanied by his guitar, and there was many a heartfelt speech. It was really moving actually. Plus a setting sun in the background. So picturesque. Sigh...!
3) Tromping around the city itself was highly enjoyable. (Except for the parts where our legs were ready to collapse from climbing uphill to catch the bus, or falling downhill to do the same.) The weather however was beautiful day in and day out, sunny, sunny, sunny. We had fun wandering around the wharfs visiting sea lions, exploring the Mission, munching on Russian food, and biking the Golden Gate bridge. (Although we definitely did some walking alongside our bikes uphill on either side, biking over the bridge itself was quite fun!)
All in all, a lovely stay and we set off from there rejuvinated and excited for the next leg of the trip: land of the sheep. Stay tuned...
Friday, October 17, 2008
SF, Fiji, and beyond
Hello everyone! As Ella mentioned yesterday, we have arrived safely in Auckland (though the photo above still stands) after possibly the best traveling experience we could have hoped for. As you will see, we had a twelve hour layover in Fiji, so long that they in fact forced us to go through customs. Being the enterprising young women that we are, we decided not to sit in the airport for an entire day before going through security again and rather decided to go exploring. First, a few pictures and thoughts on San Francisco:All in all, I think it's safe to say that we had a great time. We stayed with Ella's friend Maggie and her roommates, and spent lots of time getting to catch up with (or, for me, meet) Ella's family.
This is Ella and I at Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf. For those of you not familiar with SF, there is an overabundance (as if such a thing exists) of sea lions that hang out on the docks there. So cute.
This is a row of old people eating ice cream. We found it hilarious.
This is, far and away, the best photograph I have ever taken. Ella posing in front of an ad for the SF Zoo.
This is Ella's stylish outfit for our bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. She is truly an international trendsetter.
This is me before the big bike ride, striking an excellent model pose.
I'M SO HAPPY!
Ella is proud of all of the walking uphill we did with our bikes in hand.Without further ado, we present you with Fiji. One of us will get around to writing a little more about it at some point, but the photos are pretty great in the meantime (if we do say so ourselves).
This is the mammoth airplane that transported us across the Pacific Ocean. That's right, folks, two stories in that one. Also, take note of the lovely sunrise and the moon in the background that Ella insisted on including in the frame.
Can you feel the tropical breeze? We could!
Our new best friend.
Despite the fact that this cannot possibly be real, it is. Go figure.
Note the color of the water. We ate lunch there. Yep, that's right. On the beach. In Fiji.
Us on the beach. In Fiji. Right before lunch. Also on the beach. So good.Stay tuned for more pictures and better descriptions! Also, coming up soon: a list of our favorite things about Auckland (high up on the list includes such marvels as Korean pancakes). Hope you're all doing well!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
no sheep in auckland
Just a heads up to any and all - Clare and I arrived safe and sound in Auckland, NZ after having spent a surreal day in the beauty that is Fiji during our lay-over. We will definitely post pictures (which will probably elicit laughter) but just wanted to report difinitively that there are, in fact, no sheep in Auckland.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
making friends
So, pretty much one of the best parts of traveling via Amtrack is all the colorful characters you meet along the way (and also are stuck in an enclosed space for many days with.) That said, it only feels fair to share with a few of the exciting favorites...
First and foremost was Israel based solely on the cuteness factor and what a good little ice-breaker/friend-maker he was. We played camera peek-a-boo all morning in the breadbasket (it's much easier to refer to it as such because it was always a little unclear when and where state lines were being crossed...plus we got a total kick out of it :) Because of the essence of the game, we ended up with approximately a million adorable pictures of which we have included a scant few so that everyone can understand the cuteness that is Israel.
Next came our two elderly sisters who completely adopted us and with whom we spent an enjoyable couple days. They were two of 18 siblings, both of whom had a great sense of sarcastic humor and thoroughly enjoyed making a seemingly endless amount of fun of me (to Clare's great enjoyment.)
After the lovely ladies were on their way, we met another all-time favorite: Larry. Here's a bit of a visual: taaaall, skinny as a rail, wicked tan, skinny jeans, skull bandanna wrapped around his head, and had just turned 50 twenty-six days prior to the trip. 50 had clearly been a major turning point for him, as during the first half of his life he had made a bundle of money (a million dollars according to him but Clare and I felt the reality of this statement may have been questionable) and given it to his family so that he no longer had any responsibilities and now could spend the second half of his life 'just doing Larry.' This entailed traveling where the wind took him and 'fixing things' (he was a do-it-all handyman of sorts it sounded like.) It also entailed running to the closest convenience store at every stop we made to buy cigarettes and then racing back to jump on the train before it pulled out with the whole car cheering him on and patting him on the back upon making it. He also helped all the Amtrack personnel carry heavy boxes and pass things out so as to get free booze. My, what a good samaritan.
Then there was Doug (who happens to be in the background of one of the pictures we posted.) Doug was on his way to a semi-mysterious court date in Nevada, which became problematic as our train got further and further behind schedule. He also, while mid-conversation, whipped off his prosthetic leg to which Larry replied, "show-off." He and Larry would sit around and have deep philosophical conversations in our vicinity. No really, I'm serious.
Lastly, there was Leo the Russian. Leo had one of those stories that sounded straight out of a mediocre comedy: He sold his marijuana farm and truck, broke up with his girlfriend and rode Amtrack off into the sunset to meet up with his internet love. Said true love however was living with her boyfriend and was quite surprised when Leo the Russian showed up at her doorstep. Needless to say, it did not end well and Leo's only interest by the time we met him was drinking and telling Clare about how Russian he was because his ancestors had fled the Bolsheviks and how dare she question his knowledge of Russian geography.
All in all, a highly engaging way to travel. Besides the lack of showering, we ended that leg of the journey with very few complaints. Highly recommended to any and all with no time frame and a willingness to mingle. :-)
First and foremost was Israel based solely on the cuteness factor and what a good little ice-breaker/friend-maker he was. We played camera peek-a-boo all morning in the breadbasket (it's much easier to refer to it as such because it was always a little unclear when and where state lines were being crossed...plus we got a total kick out of it :) Because of the essence of the game, we ended up with approximately a million adorable pictures of which we have included a scant few so that everyone can understand the cuteness that is Israel.
Next came our two elderly sisters who completely adopted us and with whom we spent an enjoyable couple days. They were two of 18 siblings, both of whom had a great sense of sarcastic humor and thoroughly enjoyed making a seemingly endless amount of fun of me (to Clare's great enjoyment.)
After the lovely ladies were on their way, we met another all-time favorite: Larry. Here's a bit of a visual: taaaall, skinny as a rail, wicked tan, skinny jeans, skull bandanna wrapped around his head, and had just turned 50 twenty-six days prior to the trip. 50 had clearly been a major turning point for him, as during the first half of his life he had made a bundle of money (a million dollars according to him but Clare and I felt the reality of this statement may have been questionable) and given it to his family so that he no longer had any responsibilities and now could spend the second half of his life 'just doing Larry.' This entailed traveling where the wind took him and 'fixing things' (he was a do-it-all handyman of sorts it sounded like.) It also entailed running to the closest convenience store at every stop we made to buy cigarettes and then racing back to jump on the train before it pulled out with the whole car cheering him on and patting him on the back upon making it. He also helped all the Amtrack personnel carry heavy boxes and pass things out so as to get free booze. My, what a good samaritan.
Then there was Doug (who happens to be in the background of one of the pictures we posted.) Doug was on his way to a semi-mysterious court date in Nevada, which became problematic as our train got further and further behind schedule. He also, while mid-conversation, whipped off his prosthetic leg to which Larry replied, "show-off." He and Larry would sit around and have deep philosophical conversations in our vicinity. No really, I'm serious.
Lastly, there was Leo the Russian. Leo had one of those stories that sounded straight out of a mediocre comedy: He sold his marijuana farm and truck, broke up with his girlfriend and rode Amtrack off into the sunset to meet up with his internet love. Said true love however was living with her boyfriend and was quite surprised when Leo the Russian showed up at her doorstep. Needless to say, it did not end well and Leo's only interest by the time we met him was drinking and telling Clare about how Russian he was because his ancestors had fled the Bolsheviks and how dare she question his knowledge of Russian geography.
All in all, a highly engaging way to travel. Besides the lack of showering, we ended that leg of the journey with very few complaints. Highly recommended to any and all with no time frame and a willingness to mingle. :-)
pictures!
Ella and I are in our last morning in San Francisco, and we thought it appropriate to try to get some pictures up here before our departure.
This is Ella.
And this is me (Clare).
This is a sunset in the "breadbasket of America" (as dictated by our conductor during his "opening remarks."). I'm pretty sure that's some flooding from the Mississippi River you're seeing in the bottom there.
This is morning mist, still in the breadbasket.
This is a sunrise in Nebraska.. or maybe Colorado.
This is our hands-down favorite person on the entire trip, Israel. He is two, maybe three (he said two but held up three fingers) and kept us highly entertained with morning peek-a-boo. He is one of those kids that definitely knows how cute he is.
See?
Ella and I in Denver, the first time around. Notice the nice morning light and blind optimism.
This is where we spent all of our time. Seriously, just about every last drop of it. The sightseeing car was the happening place on the train.
On our ascent into the Rockies.
The view right before heading into a tunnel. We had to deal with this pretty often that day since there are a lot of tunnels between Denver and the other side of the Rockies, and we passed through twice.
Beautiful Rockies.
Ella and I, in Fraser, Colorado. This was the end point for our Rockies excursion, as it was all (literally and otherwise) downhill from there.
And then we woke up in Utah. Our train had to change crews so we got to walk around a bit. See Ella walking.
Our valiant California Zephyr.
Ella and I are still waking up, but getting to walk around in Utah was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.
My foot in Utah (or an ad for Smartwool, you decide).
This landscape apparently exists in America.
Two+ days on the train is treating Ella really well. Our friend Doug is in the background. Ella will tell you about Doug when she finally posts.
I am similarly doing quite well after a few days. Notice in particular the fact that we are wearing the same clothing in all these pictures.
Ella and I on the train. By the looks of us you'd think we're happy, but we're actually in the midst of a fierce backgammon game and feeling quite competitive.
Entering the salt flats. This might actually be part of Salt Lake. Either way, Utah is pretty cool.
Salt. (Diana, we were of course thinking of you through the duration of our salt adventures.)
The hands of someone used to losing in backgammon. I thought I was pretty good at it until Ella and I started playing. She's vicious.
Our train, riding off into the sunset.
This is Ella.
And this is me (Clare).
This is a sunset in the "breadbasket of America" (as dictated by our conductor during his "opening remarks."). I'm pretty sure that's some flooding from the Mississippi River you're seeing in the bottom there.
This is morning mist, still in the breadbasket.
This is a sunrise in Nebraska.. or maybe Colorado.
This is our hands-down favorite person on the entire trip, Israel. He is two, maybe three (he said two but held up three fingers) and kept us highly entertained with morning peek-a-boo. He is one of those kids that definitely knows how cute he is.
See?
Ella and I in Denver, the first time around. Notice the nice morning light and blind optimism.
This is where we spent all of our time. Seriously, just about every last drop of it. The sightseeing car was the happening place on the train.
On our ascent into the Rockies.
The view right before heading into a tunnel. We had to deal with this pretty often that day since there are a lot of tunnels between Denver and the other side of the Rockies, and we passed through twice.
Beautiful Rockies.
Ella and I, in Fraser, Colorado. This was the end point for our Rockies excursion, as it was all (literally and otherwise) downhill from there.
And then we woke up in Utah. Our train had to change crews so we got to walk around a bit. See Ella walking.
Our valiant California Zephyr.
Ella and I are still waking up, but getting to walk around in Utah was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.
My foot in Utah (or an ad for Smartwool, you decide).
This landscape apparently exists in America.
Two+ days on the train is treating Ella really well. Our friend Doug is in the background. Ella will tell you about Doug when she finally posts.
I am similarly doing quite well after a few days. Notice in particular the fact that we are wearing the same clothing in all these pictures.
Ella and I on the train. By the looks of us you'd think we're happy, but we're actually in the midst of a fierce backgammon game and feeling quite competitive.
Entering the salt flats. This might actually be part of Salt Lake. Either way, Utah is pretty cool.
Salt. (Diana, we were of course thinking of you through the duration of our salt adventures.)
The hands of someone used to losing in backgammon. I thought I was pretty good at it until Ella and I started playing. She's vicious.
Our train, riding off into the sunset.
Friday, October 10, 2008
the journey begins!
Hello everyone!
Ella and I have arrived safe and sound in San Francisco (as of Tuesday night/Wednesday morning or so). Our train trip was long (much longer than we had originally anticipated), but ultimately really fun and an experience we would both gladly do again.
We left New York Penn Station on Saturday afternoon to head out to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited. The trip was not particularly scenic, especially since the lakes we were supposedly passing were all passed in the middle of the night. We had a lovely time, though, slept surprisingly well, and for the most part kept to ourselves. I woke up in the morning to hear one of our neighbors (whose name we unfortunately never found out) talking to another neighbor, Jim, who had boarded the train in Cleveland in the middle of the night and was 59. Jim was talking about how before she died, his mother painted farmhouse scenes and how he brought a digital camera with him to take pictures of houses his mother might have liked to paint. I found him pretty immediately endearing, and Ella and I spent the morning talking to him before arriving in Chicago.
We arrived in Chicago only an hour late (a miracle for Amtrak as we later found out) and met Molly, a good friend of mine from Sarah Lawrence. She took us around town, showed us her new apartment, and went with us to get food that didn't involve adding hot water and waiting for three minutes. All in all, a good visit, but much too short.
In Chicago, we boarded our next train: the California Zephyr. This train was much nicer and larger than the Lake Shore Limited-- we sat on the top of a double decker. Our first conductor was very chatty and during his "opening remarks" (as put them), he reminded us to enjoy our afternoon riding through the breadbasket of America- the greatest country in the world. Apart from being horrifyingly ridden with corn fields, the Midwest is actually quite lovely and, as expected, flat. We spent our afternoon riding through Illinois and Iowa, and rode through Nebraska in the night.
We woke up creeping toward Denver, Colorado, with a very cute three-year-old peering at us over the seatback in front of us. Ella woke up before I did and took lots of pictures of morning mist rising over fields (once we figure out how to post pictures we will definitely do so). We arrived in Denver somewhere around 8 AM and departed soon thereafter to embark on our journey up into the Rockies. (For other baseball fans, this marks the third place we got to see a baseball stadium-- I rode past both in Chicago and then Coors Field. If only there was time to stop and see a game...) This was arguably the most breathtaking part of our trip. We crept back and forth up the mountains and saw some of the most incredible American landscapes I have ever seen. My grandmother likes to ponder how exactly people made it out west without cars or trains, and I found myself wondering the same thing. We rode through a six-mile tunnel and ended up in Fraser, Colorado, which is a resort town. At Fraser, the conductor announced that there had been some kind of train crash up the track from us and that we would have to wait before we could clear it. It turned out that the freight crash was much worse than the conductor had originally realized-- there were six cars derailed and it was blocking up essentially the entire track (east and west bound). He announced that we would have to head back to Denver (two or so hours away from where we were) and that we would be bused to a train on the other side of the collision. Upon reaching the other side of the tunnel (after a brief stint of being stuck inside of it which was terrifying for the claustrophobe in me), our train stopped and proceeded to stay in the same spot for the next several hours. Ella and I weren't in a rush to get anywhere, really, so we relaxed and enjoyed the scenery and were surprised to see that a lot of people were doing the same. There were, of course, plenty of people who were using the train as a legitimate way to get from point A to point B in the time that Amtrak had specified, but the sightseeing car (where we spent just about all of our time) was filled with people who were similarly relaxed about the situation. This is probably one of the starkest contrasts between train and air travel that we noticed-- train travel takes so much longer and there is a more obvious lack of control by the conductors over things like accidents (Amtrak shares the rail with freight trains and the freights take priority), so people seem to be a little more relaxed about it. At any rate, we enjoyed our 12 hour excursion into the Rockies and back to Denver (it was colloquially referred to on the train as the "Train to Nowhere), and arrived in Denver at 8 PM to hop on a bus for a few hours. As we got off the train in Denver, our conductor announced, "Have a good night, everyone. I hope tomorrow is a better day." A pretty pathetic announcement, but we got a kick out of it.
We arrived in Glenwood Springs sometime close to midnight and boarded our new California Zephyr to continue our trip. After a terrible night of sleep in Nebraska, Ella and I made the executive decision to take Benadryl before bed, and I must admit that it was probably the best night of sleep I've had in weeks. We woke up feeling the train stop and looked out the window to see the most foreign-looking American landscape either of us had ever seen. We were in Sphynx, Utah, and it was beautiful desert. Upon first waking up, it looked to me as though I was suddenly transported back to Mongolia- other Americans in Mongolia had always told me that there were many parts of America reminiscent of Mongolia, but this was my first time seeing one. We were fortunate enough to be able to step outside of the train (we stopped there so we could get a new train crew) and felt as though we had stepped off the train and perhaps onto Mars.
We spent the day riding very slowly through Utah (there were signal problems all day), and arguably the best part of our delay was that we rode past Salt Lake during the day. Ella, the undeniable salt fiend of the two of us, spent the afternoon gawking at the mounds and mounds of salt. The big announcement of the day was that our train was so late by that point (fourteen hours or so) that it had to turn around to go back to Chicago in a last-ditch attempt to keep the rest of the California Zephyr trains somewhat on track. We got kicked off the train in Reno and concluded the first leg of our journey on an overnight bus to San Francisco. We rolled into SF around 4:30, finally, and showed up at Ella's friend's Maggie's apartment soon thereafter.
Overall, we had an amazing time. I have always known that the American landscape is quite varied, but until this I never had a chance to see it for myself, and it is truly a beautiful experience. We met a lot of really interesting people over the days on the train, participated in lots of train gossip and other things that come along with the same group of people being in an enclosed space with nothing to do for a few days, and had lots and lots of tea time. I'm glad we did it this way and despite all the delays, I wouldn't have rather traveled any other way. The train ride, while in length resembled the Trans-Siberian, was a completely different experience, though that's a topic I'll hold off on. If anyone's actually interested in my thoughts regarding that, feel free to e-mail me. For now, though, I hope everyone is doing well, don't forget to write, and I will write again soon!
Ella and I have arrived safe and sound in San Francisco (as of Tuesday night/Wednesday morning or so). Our train trip was long (much longer than we had originally anticipated), but ultimately really fun and an experience we would both gladly do again.
We left New York Penn Station on Saturday afternoon to head out to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited. The trip was not particularly scenic, especially since the lakes we were supposedly passing were all passed in the middle of the night. We had a lovely time, though, slept surprisingly well, and for the most part kept to ourselves. I woke up in the morning to hear one of our neighbors (whose name we unfortunately never found out) talking to another neighbor, Jim, who had boarded the train in Cleveland in the middle of the night and was 59. Jim was talking about how before she died, his mother painted farmhouse scenes and how he brought a digital camera with him to take pictures of houses his mother might have liked to paint. I found him pretty immediately endearing, and Ella and I spent the morning talking to him before arriving in Chicago.
We arrived in Chicago only an hour late (a miracle for Amtrak as we later found out) and met Molly, a good friend of mine from Sarah Lawrence. She took us around town, showed us her new apartment, and went with us to get food that didn't involve adding hot water and waiting for three minutes. All in all, a good visit, but much too short.
In Chicago, we boarded our next train: the California Zephyr. This train was much nicer and larger than the Lake Shore Limited-- we sat on the top of a double decker. Our first conductor was very chatty and during his "opening remarks" (as put them), he reminded us to enjoy our afternoon riding through the breadbasket of America- the greatest country in the world. Apart from being horrifyingly ridden with corn fields, the Midwest is actually quite lovely and, as expected, flat. We spent our afternoon riding through Illinois and Iowa, and rode through Nebraska in the night.
We woke up creeping toward Denver, Colorado, with a very cute three-year-old peering at us over the seatback in front of us. Ella woke up before I did and took lots of pictures of morning mist rising over fields (once we figure out how to post pictures we will definitely do so). We arrived in Denver somewhere around 8 AM and departed soon thereafter to embark on our journey up into the Rockies. (For other baseball fans, this marks the third place we got to see a baseball stadium-- I rode past both in Chicago and then Coors Field. If only there was time to stop and see a game...) This was arguably the most breathtaking part of our trip. We crept back and forth up the mountains and saw some of the most incredible American landscapes I have ever seen. My grandmother likes to ponder how exactly people made it out west without cars or trains, and I found myself wondering the same thing. We rode through a six-mile tunnel and ended up in Fraser, Colorado, which is a resort town. At Fraser, the conductor announced that there had been some kind of train crash up the track from us and that we would have to wait before we could clear it. It turned out that the freight crash was much worse than the conductor had originally realized-- there were six cars derailed and it was blocking up essentially the entire track (east and west bound). He announced that we would have to head back to Denver (two or so hours away from where we were) and that we would be bused to a train on the other side of the collision. Upon reaching the other side of the tunnel (after a brief stint of being stuck inside of it which was terrifying for the claustrophobe in me), our train stopped and proceeded to stay in the same spot for the next several hours. Ella and I weren't in a rush to get anywhere, really, so we relaxed and enjoyed the scenery and were surprised to see that a lot of people were doing the same. There were, of course, plenty of people who were using the train as a legitimate way to get from point A to point B in the time that Amtrak had specified, but the sightseeing car (where we spent just about all of our time) was filled with people who were similarly relaxed about the situation. This is probably one of the starkest contrasts between train and air travel that we noticed-- train travel takes so much longer and there is a more obvious lack of control by the conductors over things like accidents (Amtrak shares the rail with freight trains and the freights take priority), so people seem to be a little more relaxed about it. At any rate, we enjoyed our 12 hour excursion into the Rockies and back to Denver (it was colloquially referred to on the train as the "Train to Nowhere), and arrived in Denver at 8 PM to hop on a bus for a few hours. As we got off the train in Denver, our conductor announced, "Have a good night, everyone. I hope tomorrow is a better day." A pretty pathetic announcement, but we got a kick out of it.
We arrived in Glenwood Springs sometime close to midnight and boarded our new California Zephyr to continue our trip. After a terrible night of sleep in Nebraska, Ella and I made the executive decision to take Benadryl before bed, and I must admit that it was probably the best night of sleep I've had in weeks. We woke up feeling the train stop and looked out the window to see the most foreign-looking American landscape either of us had ever seen. We were in Sphynx, Utah, and it was beautiful desert. Upon first waking up, it looked to me as though I was suddenly transported back to Mongolia- other Americans in Mongolia had always told me that there were many parts of America reminiscent of Mongolia, but this was my first time seeing one. We were fortunate enough to be able to step outside of the train (we stopped there so we could get a new train crew) and felt as though we had stepped off the train and perhaps onto Mars.
We spent the day riding very slowly through Utah (there were signal problems all day), and arguably the best part of our delay was that we rode past Salt Lake during the day. Ella, the undeniable salt fiend of the two of us, spent the afternoon gawking at the mounds and mounds of salt. The big announcement of the day was that our train was so late by that point (fourteen hours or so) that it had to turn around to go back to Chicago in a last-ditch attempt to keep the rest of the California Zephyr trains somewhat on track. We got kicked off the train in Reno and concluded the first leg of our journey on an overnight bus to San Francisco. We rolled into SF around 4:30, finally, and showed up at Ella's friend's Maggie's apartment soon thereafter.
Overall, we had an amazing time. I have always known that the American landscape is quite varied, but until this I never had a chance to see it for myself, and it is truly a beautiful experience. We met a lot of really interesting people over the days on the train, participated in lots of train gossip and other things that come along with the same group of people being in an enclosed space with nothing to do for a few days, and had lots and lots of tea time. I'm glad we did it this way and despite all the delays, I wouldn't have rather traveled any other way. The train ride, while in length resembled the Trans-Siberian, was a completely different experience, though that's a topic I'll hold off on. If anyone's actually interested in my thoughts regarding that, feel free to e-mail me. For now, though, I hope everyone is doing well, don't forget to write, and I will write again soon!
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