The rest of our time in New Zealand was so lovely. We hopped around the coast, visiting lighthouses and small hidden cottages. Every kilometer brought us closer to Fritha and Rowan and suddenly we were in Napier, hearing their voices on a payphone!
Fritha treated us like queens and it was nice to be with family once again. It's been quite a trip for that. Rowan was large and in charge, as Gwill had promised, and I treasured those moments with him. He is wise and excitable and musical and thoughtful.
We organized a two day tramp through the ethereal Whirinaki forest. This involved driving several hours to the national park and then having a guy drive us to the start of the trail and bringing our car to meet us at the end. Sort of complicated but well worth it. There was a bit of a late start and much of our tramp to the bunk house was in the dusk and darkness. While moderately frightening, this allowed for a peaceful moonlit time in the woods and the sighting of a rare owl. Arriving at the hut we found a group of hunters having a blokely time. They were alarmed by our homemade sushi dinner and tried to get all of us to eat venison. As I lay on my bunk trying to turn the snores from below into soothing lullabies, Maggie and Stacey (Fritha's sister and her husband) arrived! They had left well after dark and clung to the narrow path walls the whole three hours. We had been sure they wouldn't arrive at all as they had just flown in from Chile and had to make quite a journey to meet us. Incredible to see them again! The next day we all high tailed it to the end of the trail to meet our pick up.
Jessica and I had a day of rest back at gorgeous Tauroa farm in Fritha's precious cottage then headed back to Wellington to catch our flight back to the states. On the way I got a speeding ticket. Bollocks.
It is surreal to be back in America. I am living in Winter Harbor and commuting an hour to Bar Harbor most days. Forgetting what it means to sleep quickly... It's good to be near family but hard to be away from my favourite hemisphere. Counting down the days until November 23rd.
All photos from this trip should be up so until next departure, be well and happy!
After a very long driving day out of Auckland we arrived at our hostel in Whanarua Bay. I loved this hostel when I stayed there several years ago. I made a reservation while we were still several hours away but when we arrived well after dark, the already inebriated owner was startled to see us. He didn't remember speaking to me though he had taken the reservation and copied down my name and credit card number. They didn't have a room for us, but the campervan was available which turned out to be a comfortable and comical place to sleep. The door didn't lock, or even fully close, but the window did look out onto the bay so that when we woke the water greeted us first. The owner, who is a very friendly Maori fellow, decided he would awkwardly attempt to engage Jessica and at one point came into the campervan while I was in bed with my pajamas on while heavily intoxicated. The high point of this hostel, besides the fact it is basically a treehouse that looks like it's out of Swiss Family Robinson, is that they let you use their sea kayaks for free. We enjoyed several hours of paddling about the bay once the sun began to shine. This is an extremely relaxing stop on a long drive around the cape.
From here we are heading further east and on towards Hawke's Bay.
It didn't stop raining for the three days we were in Wellington but I was exceedingly happy to be in New Zealand. We rented a car and began to head out of the city. The clouds cleared and the sun started to illuminate the harbor. So beautiful!
We ventured through the gorgeous Tongariro Crossing and on to Lake Taupo for the night. Sitting by the lake we witnessed a breathtaking sunset.
Today we pushed on, unintentionally, through to Auckland. It's a small country and sometimes you're there before you can blink. The hostel we had booked for tomorrow night was full when we called to switch dates but the owner put us up in his sweet B&B in Ponsonby for the same rate. While here we'll be visiting Will and Iona, who we met in Irkutsk, Russia and doing little else. I will attempt to make Jessica bungy jump from the Auckland Sky Tower but I do not anticipate being successful.
I have been terrible about blogging, I know. When my journey is winding down I always kind of fall apart myself and there's no energy to describe a time so rich and full of adventure. But my post on Indonesia will come. It was remarkable.
We flew into Perth and spent several weeks with Dad. It was so so so wonderful to see him, after so many years. We had a grand time. Other than a brief side trip to the Kalbarri National Park, eight hours north, we stayed in Perth for the duration of our Western Australia visit. On this journey to Australia it was all about family for me.
The beaches in Perth are the nicest that I've seen in the world. On days when the temperature climbed above 100 degrees we visited the beach every day. We'd bring George, the dog, and he'd grandly display his neurotic tendencies while we played with the ball. (The video is one of George in the car as we drive towards the beach) On lazier days, when George was sleeping at home, we would float on our backs and let the salty waves dance our bodies out to sea and back to shore. It was hard to leave Perth and harder to leave Dad.
Now I am in Melbourne with Ross. Seriously lazy days. It has been typical Melbourne weather with 100 degree days bordering 70 days. Let me tell you my body is not used to 70 degree days! It feels frigid to me! On the Saturday before Easter we went on a decadent chocolate shop tour that I mapped through the city. We have been sloths but this trip about visiting family and that is being accomplished if nothing else is.
Feeling incredibly ill in KL. We have been sick for ages, the worst of it was during our last days in Laos. But it's still hard to get motivated and nearly impossible to eat. This is a huge shame as Malaysian food is meant to be fantastic.
Our hostel, Anjung II, is very nice though quite basic. Luckily we booked our own room with AC so it's possible to escape when the humidity gets intense. Unfortunately there was a water shortage today and the city shut off all running water. NO showers. MISERABLE.
The only thing we have been up to is visiting the Petronas Towers. We've been there three times in two days. The skybridge walk was good fun. Jessica detailed the scenes of Entrapment that were filmed around the landmark.
Tomorrow we fly to Medan in Sumatra and make our way to Lake Toba.
We crossed into Laos in Huay Xai. Here we met Greg who saw the Winter Harbor address on Jessica's luggage tag and noted that his father had been stationed at the Navy base there briefly. It sparked a conversation that led to his asking us to join him in travelling to a remote village on the Mekong.
The next day we started on a two day boat journey south along the Mekong. The first night we stopped in Pak Beng, a mandatory rest for all boats on their way to Luang Prabang. The next day, about 2 hours shy of the city we hopped off the boat in the middle of nowhere. We trekked up the steep, sandy beach and entered the village through a canopy of trees. Children started to surround us and followed us through the maze of bamboo houses. We were led to the house we would be sleeping in (Peng's Ma and Pa) and the children stood at the window, watching us move our belongings around. It is hard to say how many people lived in the house. Ma and Pa (proud grandparents) slept upstairs and their son and daughter-in-law lived downstairs with their infant daughter. There may have also been several more children who lived there as children seemed to come and go at will. As the sun began to set we wandered down to the beach, followed by close to a hundred children who ran around us, posing for the camera or just watching us with curious eyes.
On our second day we went across the river to work in Peng's rice fields. What an experience! I had no idea what was involved and it was so interesting to see the process. We planted rice alongside the women of the village while they asked persistently about our husbands, children and lives.
The second night we slept at Peng's house. It was easy to bond with Peng right away. She speaks no English, except for one or two basic sentences. But even when she is speaking to you in Lao at rocket speed you can hear the intention in her voice, the kindness. She laughs often. She says she is 38 but in Lao it is hard to tell exactly how old anyone is. Her documents says she is 35. Right now she is living in a stilted bamboo hut as a single mother. Her husband has run away to live in isolation on the other side of the Mekong. When we talk about him she says only that he is "baw dii" (not good). The night before we left her home the whole family had a baci ceremony for us, tying spirit strings around our wrists for protection on our journey.
(above: Me, Greg, Peng's Aunt, Peng, one of her daughters and Jessica at the baci)
She decided to join us on the boat trip to Luang Prabang. Once in the city she and Greg decided to stay the night so we joined them at her family's home on the Xieng Maen side of the river. The next day we were all getting a little teary at the thought of not seeing her again for who knows how long, so we asked her to come travel with us. And to our surprise she said yes! She and Greg went back to the village that night and returned the next day to plan our travels. We had another baci ceremony with more family in Luang Prabang and then left for Vang Vieng. Here, in the shadow of towering limestone mountains we went tubing down the Nam Song river. We also walked the 6km to the Phu Kham cave and swam in its pristine blue lagoon.
From here we travelled to Vientianne. Peng was amazed at the city, the sights, the people. She had never been further south than Luang Prabang and Vientianne is mammoth compared with Luang Prabang. She rode on an escalator and elavator for the first time. It was surreal to see the wonder in her eyes at every turn. Seeing her off we were all an emotional mess. Greg tried to take a photo of the three of us, Jessica and I with tears streaming down our faces and Peng looking at the ground.
(right: out the window of our hotel in Vientiane)
This post will never be able to do justice to that journey. I am still processing it myself. I know that I made a lifelong friend, even if we never are able to meet again. I hope that is not the case. Until I am on that boat again, gliding down the Mekong I know I will be dreaming of that village.
We spent a wonderful new year's eve in the always welcoming Chiang Mai. During the course of the evening we sent off traditional flying lanterns and were nearly struck by the flames of unregulated fireworks exploding too close to the ground.
I hope everyone else had a gorgeous start to the new year! Wishing peace and happiness will follow you all through 2008...
