Good Karma.... atleast for a day or two :)

New Zealand - Lake Taupo June 24th 12:08pm

So the computer crashed on me while writing my previous blog. Basically I was bitching about the fact that i kept having to leave cities early because the weather was piss-poor and i couldn't do much. So my next move from Waitomo was Rotorua.... arrived late afternoon, checked in at the base backpackers.

Still raining and boy does it STINK. I mean literally. The first thing you start noticing as you get within a few miles of the city is this sulfuric, overcooked eggs smell. Rotorua and the surrounding region is known for its thermal pools and geysers. Basically the earth's crust is quite thin here allowing the heat to rise up through the water and mud pools. So what else would I do on a rainy Tuesday evening but head straight down to the Polynesian Spa on Lake Rotorua and soak in some natural thermal pools at 37-42 degrees celcius (thats in the high 90s for us farenheit folks). You come out smelling a bit but so does everyone else.

Called it an early night and hoped for better weather on Wednesday. Of course as my previous blog inferred i woke up to some more downpour and was pissed that i might have to leave yet again and head off to my next destination in chase of some sunny days.

Luckily the girl at reception convinced me to hang around maybe take in a tour of the natural geysers at Te Puia where i'd also be able to get in some maori culture. The sun started coming out as i reached Te Puia although it was still raining. Had a lovely tour of the maori weaving and carving school and a ride around all the geysers. Also got to see the famous New Zealand Kiwi birds which are noctornal and at the moment at this reserve were hopefully in the process of mating (there were only 2 here). Our guide was Maori, his ancestors had lived on this land years ago before 1901 when the government took over all thermal pool lands and tagged them as national reserves. The tribes were forced to move.

So after a lovely albeit generic cultural show of maori song and dance it was time to leave. While waiting for the shuttle I started talking to a group of 2 guys and a girl. Turns out the couple was from Ireland (Chrissy and Shane) and the other guy from Vegas (Casey). They had just met the night before at Hot Rocks the hostel they were staying at. Casey had just come down from Auckland and had bought himself a van and offered us a ride back to town. My luck was turning around.

With the weather looking good we decided to check out Zorbing. I figured if my insurance was covering it (see my previous blog about CYA) I had to check it out. So the four of us drove off to the Agrodome, basically farmland where the adventure activities took place.

So we decided to have a Tripple Bypass - Zorbing, Agrojetting, and Swooping.

Zorbing - get placed inside a passive plastic ball with some water and like a hamster start rolling around down hill - im telling you it looks slow when you're watching someone else but when you're inside getting tossed around in this bubble drenched you completely lose your orientation and have to just give in to the complete chaos that is your life for 2 minutes!

Agrojet - this was a blast although a bit short.... the driver straps you into the jet and starts driving like an absolute maniac speeding to the edge of the course water splashing everywhere... and right when you think you're gonna jump the curve and fly over the fence he makes a hard left and as you try and swallow your heart back down into your chest does another 180 and flies down the other lane.

Swoop - think Bunjee jumping and swinging... Casey and I get strapped into these two podlike bags and get dragged up to about 43 meters off the ground. Previous to going up we duke it out with a game of rock, paper, scissors to see who'll get to pull the rip-cord. I win (scissors beats paper)!!! So at the top the guy at the bottom yells something unaudible to me (I've got earplugs in) so i'm assuming he says get ready - count to three and pull the cord as strong as I can.

Now I've never been bungee jumping but the next 3 seconds of free fall (felt like 60) are indescribable. My stomach is in my throat and my heart I swear has skipped a few necessary beats. Then the cord pulls taught and you start flying like superman. Now I'm not a screamer but dude I could not stop laughing. what an absolute rush :)

The four of us couldn't believe our luck. Guess it just goes to show you that when you least expect it things just have a way of working out (just like you said they would shaun). So why stop there... with everything closing at absurdly early hours (the agrodome shut at 5) we thought we'd try our luck at luging down the side of a mountain. So down the street we hit the skyliners. After a gondola ride up we got some helmets and went luging. What an amazing view - the new moon was just the night before (today is the first day of the Maori New Year) so the full moon lit up the Lake. Took a bit more concentration on the turns down the more advanced track the second time around but made it without any bruises cuts or scrapes.

Its funny how right when you start thinking things aren't as fun as you imagined them to be and start falling into a bit of a rut life has a way of changing just enough where you have faith again in the fact that you're going to be alright and yes you are having the time of your life.

So after a full day of adreneline rush we had some dinner met up for some drinks and said our goodbyes, sort of. Chrissy and Shane were off to Christchurch the next morning but would be back in Dublin by the time I was in England in February so we'll meet again over a Guinness. Casey was on his own until he had to meet up with his mates in ChristChurch on the 1st of July and since we were both working our way down to Wellington asked if I'd like to take the ride down to Taupo and then Welllington.... hmmmm - cramped bus ride with a gazillion and one stops along the way or a cruise in a van with the ipod playing in the car stereo with some good company - no question there.

So Thursday morning we started our 1 hour drive to Taupo. Now some of you may not know this but I went skydiving a few years back when i was in Sydney and loved it. And from all the guide books i'd read the jump over lake taupo was one of the best in the world. I was so stoked to that the weather had let up a little and I spent most of the car ride down trying to convince Casey that he had to try it. He wasn't too keen, but I had faith.

We get to the Rainbow lodge, a backpackers this girl Rachel I had met in Auckland, had recommended to me. It's great - a decent size but still cozy with a free sauna, cinema room and nice warm comfy duvets - oh and no sign of bedbugs. So after check in I immediately asked about skydiving. The girl at the front desk called them up and made a booking for 2. Casey looked at her like she had horns growing out of her head. 'Look she said you're going to do it, if you don't you'll regret it'. Dude, I said, trust me this has to be done.

So at 1:45 a beat up little limo with 'JUMPUS' license plates rolls up and takes us around the lake to the jumpsite. Here we go - 15,000 feet over the beautiful Lake Taupo - over a minute of freefall - OVER A MINUTE OF FREE FALL!!!! We get to Skydive Taupo and they show us the dvd of a previous jumper - I am just shaking so ready to do this - craving that adreneline rush when you have your legs dangling out of that little plane waiting for the okay to lean forward and fly.

So myself and two other girls who were going to jump at 12,000 ft go up. After what seemed like an eternity, the pilot gives the thumbs up and the plastic door gets swung open and within seconds the first set jump out. Now I dont know about other jumpers but I think the part that gets your stomach in knots is watching someone else fall out of the plane and just disappear. Next girl goes. We close the door and ascend another 3,000 ft up. At 15,000ft all you can see out the windows are the clouds below you and in the far distance snow capped volcanoes (Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings to be exact) So we open the door, swing my legs out the plane and hold onto my harness - there's something about having no control on what is going to happen over the next few minutes that some how calms you and makes you think 'screw it - i'm here, i've lived a pretty good life, whatever happens happens'

Hahaha - WWWOOOOHHOOOOO!!!! HOLY MOTHER MARY OF GOD!!!! HEY BHAGVAN! falling through clouds watching the ants on the ground slowly turn them selves into cars and cows and houses The wind blowing my cheeks to my ears and my cheeks hurting like a bitch because i couldn't stop smiling - could not wipe that big as grin off my face - and then it all slows down - the ever so faithful parachute opens fully and we start sailing through the sky. The day couldn't be any more perfect, clear skies, the sun out shining over the lake - the view absolutely breathtaking. Of course it wouldn't be fun without a couple of G-force turns to get your stomach churning and then finally as everything starts to appear at their natural sizes we come into a grass field and land ever so smoothly. As Casey so eloquently quoted JZ it was 'so necessary'.

It was at that moment I realized what i was doing and what i wou.d be doing for the next 9 months - this was just the beginning

Check out my picks by clicking the 'NEW ZEALAND PICTURES' link on the right hand side or go to http://browngirl.smugmug.com/share/JZiu6OP2lQRi6

Marangai, Marangai go away!

Wednesday June 22nd 10:30am

Marangai is the Maori word for rain and there has been plenty of it.

I left the City Garden Lodge Saturday morning with my pack trying to make it to the bus stop in order to catch my bus to the Bay of Islands. Halfway up the hill of course i realized i forgot a few things back at the hostel so had to run back down. Did i mention it was raining? Luckily the bus into downtown came as soon as I got back up there and i made it just in time to catch the intercity up to Paihia

The rain cleared up by that afternoon and I spent the rest of the day exploring the treaty house and grounds in Whatarangai. Saturday evening watched the Lions kick some butt at rugby at one of the local bars, caught a bit of Dan's one man band show at the Beach House and called it a night. Sunday was spent touring the bay of islands by boat and catching a glimpse of some dolphins feeding in the area. Unfortunately the water was a bit too choppy and the weather too cold for us to get in. Went across to Russell for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed a nice walk up to Flagship hill where the flagpole had been cut down a total of 4 times by maori chiefs in protest against the british rule. The view was breathtaking, from all around you could nothing but islands and beatutiful clear waters. I tried but my pics don't really do it justice.

Monday made my way down to Waitomo hoping to be able to try my hand at some black water rafting and abseiling while checking out the glowworm caves. No such luck. It rained all day, i some how caught myself a cold, running a fever and having a sore throat. And to top it off I woke up in the middle of the night with my arm and hand itching... "no f*$king way, tell me this isn't happening".... i turn on the light and start looking at my pillow, flip it over and what do i find - a fat bed bug!!! i catch the thing in a coffee mug and spend the rest of the evening on the couch in the lounge.

In the morning its still raining so i decide to cancel the water rafting and instead catch a morning tour of the glowworm caves so i can then catch the bus to rotorua. I walk into reception, hand her the mug with the bed bug and tell her that 'i'll be checking out today instead of tomorrow can i have my money back, thanks.'

Greetings from the Southern Hemisphere

Friday June 17th 1:10pm


After a bit of a dogdy start - teary goodbye with mom and dad, run in with the security buckets, rude continental agent who told me i wouldn't be flying first class, getting the last seat on the plane, you know the one againgst the bathrooms where the seats don't recline fully.... i landed in sunny LA, boarded Qantas, got to sit upstairs (there was an upstairs!) and sit in my wonderful egg shaped flat bed seat :)

Landed just in time to see the sunrise and was greeted by a brisk 60 degrees... guess i'm about to have the fall season we missed last year.

Spent yesterday tooling around the city visiting the top of sky tower the tallest building in the southern hemisphere (still shy of the empire state building by 100 or meters). One of the guys at the hostel, Lee had a van and offered to take some of us up to Mt. Eden to see the sunset and watch the lunar eclipse with Jupiter. The view was absolutely beautiful, although it was bloody cold up there! Learned quickly how right my guide book was about New Zealanders not believing in central air. With nothing but space heaters keeping the building warm I was glad i packed my fleece.

Decided to buy myself a 55 hour flexi-pass bus ticket. I just have to book my bus the night before and it takes me from one town to another. So tomorrow I'm off to Pahia in the Bay of Islands, hopefully getting to see some dolphins and try my luck at sea-kayaking

miss ya,
L

Just one more...

it's past 4am and i'm exhausted so i'll keep this one short

pack status - 30 lbs (thanks to my mom, andi and jess for keeping me sane and helping me realize the unimportance of bringing that cute pink Banana Republic sweater) - Quality Control!!!

ipod status - ugh... should have kept dsl till the last minute - itunes keeps crashing when i try to purchase some last minute music

browngirl status - deep fried ... hoping 18 hours of sleep on a first class bed will do the trick

talk to you from the flipside
L

Lopa has an exam tomorrow!

Bills have been paid, accounts closed, flights booked, even secret pockets have been sewn into cargo pants, yet i still feel like i haven't gotten much done. Sounds strange, but not if you could see the current status of my house right now. 36 hours and 45 minutes before Lopa leaves and Lopa hasn't packed a damn thing. There are clothes for winter, clothes for summer, bath products, clothespins, cameras, duct tape, safety pins, books, papers, handy wipes, shampoo, drugs, drugs and more drugs ... but nothing is actually in the pack yet!

Feels like i'm in college again, procrastinating till the night before, speaking in the 3rd Person, leaving everything till the last minute. Although this time around the stalling has more to do with the fact that it makes leaving all the more real to me. The leaving I don't mind so much, it's the leaving people behind that stings a little. I know I know, as someone was nice enough to point out - it's not like i'm moving to another state, i am are coming back. But nonetheless, its going to be very difficult to adjust to not having even the littlest of daily interactions with the people in my life

The amount of support, excitement, good wishes, blessings (and a certain 'I NEED CASH' donation box) I've received from friends and family these past few weeks has been overwhelming. Just listening to you talk about how excited you are for me gives me the reassurance that i need that i haven't completely lost my mind. Thanks for telling me i'm not crazy :) I'm going to miss you very much

Okay, so before the waterworks start again i'm going to switch topics back to packing: Here's how i've envisioned it

Box to Sydney - since the first 6 weeks of my trip will be spent in the southern hemisphere i'll need to carry winter clothing. which of course means the summer stuff for the rest of the 7 months will have to be shipped to Sydney where i can pull a switcharoo (you know like kangaroo, the hoppy animals found in australia...haha... oh shut-up i thought it was funny) and then ship my winter stuff to the UK so its there when i arrive in london in feb 06 just in time for winter. This pretty much contains clothes, plus extra contact lenses, a book, etc... think it weighs around 15lbs. All thanks to The United States Postal Services and Ron and Marea Lanham :)


Everything else - so surprise surprise i've decided to utilize the millions of pouches i've acquired as a frequent flyer on various airlines and organize everything into categories and then label them so i know what's inside the pouch without having to open it. Yes, i know, I'm very clever and very sick

So far we've got pouches for
electronics - camera charger, ipod charger, wires, card reader, converter pins
bath liquids - shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, etc
bath dry - 5 days worth contacts, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, razor, pill case with vitamins, advil etc
health dry - extra contacts, razor blades, nail clippers, tweezers extra vitamins, etc
health liquids - sunblock, mosquito spray
meds "i'm in a 3rd world country" - we've got meds for constipation, diaharrea, headaches, allergies, acid reflux, viral infections, flus, heart burn, malaria pills, saline solution, bandages, cotton balls, you name it i got it
beauty - okay come on now this is the smallest pouch i swear and it only consists of 1 lipgloss, tinted moisturizer, mini hair brush and thanks to my mom a miniature bottle of clinique happy perfume, lipliner, and blush.
Handyman - leatherman (thanks again patrick!), flashlight, mini sewing kit, safety pins, these suspender things that help keep sheets in place and can be used to hold up curtains etc, universal sink plugger for handwashing in sinks. duct tape, very handy self-velcro strips, clothes line, hook screws, clothespins

I'll use my daypack as my carryon for the flight, but while traveling hope to only use it when i don't have to carry the big pack. I'll have a messenger type bag as my purse which will have my passport, money, wallet, notebook, guidebook etc in it. I do have money belt for passport and cash for when i'm travelling around as well.

Also the bottom of my pack now has a perfectly fitting rubbermaid container which can be used as a bucket for whatever reasons one might need a bucket (is it me or does it seem like i'm going to be spending all my time doing laundry). I have a combination padlock (don't trust a place that doesn't let you use your own on your room) and also one of those new Travel Approved locks that they can open and lock back up at the airport. Although there really isn't any way for me to lock up my backpack. I'm sure i'll come up with something.

I was debating on getting one of those metal mesh locks to cover the whole pack, but after a bunch of research, decided that although it might deter someone from stealing my bag, it was also going to be a royal pain in my arse to get it on and off and most likely would just get shipped home or left behind.

That still leaves me with clothes - should be the easiest but its the worst. I keep pulling things out of my closet and now i have way too much stuff sitting in a pile on my floor. The plan is to pack less than half of it. I mean worse comes to worse I can buy it if i need it - clothing is the most useful and cheapest form of a souvenir that i can think of. I purchased a bunch of those vacuum seal bags to try and pack with. The ones where you can supposedly take a stack of sweaters 5 feet high and press them down to like 5 inches... i'm a bit skeptic but i'll use them anyways.

Old habits die hard, so i'm going to leave the packing of all this stuff for tomorrow and go update my IPOD

Sweet dreams :)

Testing 1.2.3

So supposedly if I can't access the blogger website from whatever
remote dial-up access i'm trying to use I can email my blog to a
special address which will then post whatever I type up to the blog.

Thought i might test it out while i'm still here, rather then be
severly dissappointed later.