Coming to an end...

So this is most likely my last post on my time in AU and NZ... although I might update it a bit as I finish some photos... or transition a blog to my life in SF, who knows :)

Let's begin with the NZ trip that I haven't covered.

After Franz Josef, I took a long bus ride through interesting terrain on the way to Queenstown. Initially we were still on the western side of the Southern Alps, which meant we began in lush rainforest and abundant evergreen. We made our way past the alps and into more of the middle of the South Island. The environment changed pretty instantaneously from the green rainforest to high desert... with different flora and whatnot. It was very pretty... reminded me a lot of Rohan from Two Towers. We headed down further past the 45th parallel (half way between the equator and the south pole), which is ideal for wineries. We saw a bunch along the way to Queenstown. Made it into Queenstown fairly late, so I just explored a bit before going to bed.

Woke up really early to start my day trip to Milford Sound. The day was perfect and it was amazing how quickly we became dwarfed by the mountains and forests in Fjordland Park. Stopped in a nice spot for lunch and then headed through the mountain (big tunnel that goes under the mountain). Once out, we made our way down to Milford Sound and took a 1.5-2 hour cruise around. It was awesome.... if you haven't seen Milford in photos, you can check out my facebook album, but googling it is best, because you can see how cool it looks in all types of weather.

After that trip, it was mainly making my way over to Christchurch and then flying out. Christchurch was quite bizarre to see, as the CBD is a red zone, with all entrances to it blocked off by military personnel. To add to that, most houses looked fine, but occasionally you'd come across a partially destroyed home/church or a pile of rubble on a lot. It was also cloudy and cold that day and people were eerily quiet... so it was very post-apocalyptic looking... like something out of Children of Men or The Road.

Early (and I mean early as in 2AM) I got up and got ready to catch my shuttle to the airport. Then I flew back to Sydney. Overall my NZ trip was exactly what I was hoping for, and I can't wait to travel back there and see more of the country... and bungee (didn't this time) :)

So that's it for my last trip. More to come on my final days in Sydney.

:)

South Island!

So it's been a few days since my last update, which, with my busy travel schedule, means that I have been a few places.

Did my lord of the rings tour in Wellington, which was fun... I let my nerd-flag fly and saw parts of Helms Deep, Minas Tirith, Rivendell, Isengard, and the Shire... even better, I was the only one booked that morning, so I got a personal tour :)

Later I took the ferry, which was a bit delayed, causing me to reschedule things a bit for that night. I got into Picton later that evening and checked into the YHA there and made some dinner.

Woke up next morning and went for a run before it started raining too bad. The area was really cool with the rain clouds and foggy patches around the mountains. Later caught the coach to Nelson, where I walked around for a bit and enjoyed the fall colors starting to form... ooops I mean AUTUMN... say "fall" to Australians or Kiwis and they whine about it ;P

Caught a very early bus this morning and wound along some great views of canyons and rivers. Stopped in Punakaiki and saw the pancake rocks (refer to my facebook album for photos), and finally made it to Franz Josef (about a 10 hour drive total).

Now I am warm by the fire, and will hike around the glacier and rain forest tomorrow

After that, another long bus ride to Queensland in 2 days

:)

on a side note, Christchurch had another quake last night, but things appear to be fine for when I get there

In the land of Mordor...

In the fires of Mount Doom!

Got into Wellington after some delays a couple days ago and took a nice coach ride up to Taupo yesterday. It's on a huge lake (Lake Taupo) and has some beautiful scenery in addition to being a cool town.

Today I woke up at 5 to catch a bus up to Tongariro Alpine Crossing. It's an 19.4 Kilometer hike that goes over a ridge and saddle between two peaks (1 of which Mount Doom is based on) and then down around some volcanic lakes, hot springs, and finally into the hills and woods on the other side. You could also go up Mount Doom or the peak on the other side. The Mount Doom one looked a bit intense, so I enjoyed it from afar and did the other summit, which was around an additional 3 k round trip (so about 22.5 k/13.67 miles total).

We started out in some cool fog as the sun began to burn it off up above us. Hiked through some lava fields and up a huge series of stairs called "Devil's Staircase." Then through a crater on the saddle and up another somewhat strenuous ridge. From there I went on the side trail and got some nice views, then headed back and finished off the trip in about 6.5 hours total. And, lucky me (maybe), I got to see and hear a Tui (pictured above... not taken by my camera, because the one I took sucks) in the forest near the end of the trip.

Now I am a bit exhausted, understandably, and am going to have a nice, relaxing evening back in Taupo before catching a bus back to Wellington in the morning.

Back in Wellington I plan on doing the Te Papa museum and also my nerd-indulging Lord of the Rings tour :)

New Zealand-Bound

I have packed my bags and moved out of my apartment and am writing this on the eve of my final big trip.

I leave tomorrow morning for 11 nights in New Zealand, and will be visiting at least 9 cities/areas. I'm really excited for it all and will do my best to leave smaller updates, rather than a long one once I am done.

After that I have a few more days to enjoy in Sydney and am then off to LA and finally San Francisco on the 26th.

Still not sure if I will go bungee jumping or not... you'll find out eventually :)

FLIES!!!!!!!

More on the title in a bit....

I just got back from a 2-night trip to Uluru. It was a great escape from the busy, but fun Sydney I have been in.

I flew in on Sunday afternoon and settled down in the hostel at the resort area. Went on a bunch of walks the whole time I was there (yes around Uluru, but also just around the desert). I was fortunate to come on an off-peak time, so there weren't so many others around.

Another fortune but also misfortune was the fact that it has rained a ton recently in Uluru. The result was a bloom in all sorts of plants and flowers, which made the desert either an intense array of greens (plants) or oranges, reds, and purples (sand and flowers). This made for the perfect time to photograph the area. Now comes the downside: FLIES!!!! (remember the title of this post?). The rains brought an overwhelmingly high number of flies to the area. They didn't bite, so that was a plus. But that's as far as anything positive goes with the flies. They landed anywhere and everywhere on you, and you could sprint or walk and wave your arms around and they'd still find you. I should have just bough the 6-dollar bug nets that you put over your head... but I didn't, so I dealt as well as I could. The biggest inconvenience with the flies came whenever I wanted to take a photo (and this was only an issue during the day when it was hot and they were out). If I wanted to stop and take a photo, I had to plan it out, get the camera ready, take in a deep breathe, quickly hold still and take the photo. If I waited or faltered, they would land on my lips, or in my nose, or on my ears, or somehow get between my sunglasses and my eyes.

OK, enough whining... In the long-run, the trip was great and I am glad I was able to go.

Over the next two weeks I will be most likely just hanging out around Sydney and continuing to volunteer with the bush restoration and whatnot. After that, I am out of my apartment and off on my last trip before I go back to SF. Still formulating it all, but it will definitely include New Zealand (most likely South Island) and will possibly include Cairns or Darwin... we'll see what mood I am in.

Alright, that's all for now... I have been saving, renaming, and editing photos, then uploading them to facebook for the last 3 hours... I need sleep

:)

Youtube Symphony Update

Hey, if anyone is interested, here is the full performance of the finale:

http://www.youtube.com/user/symphony?feature=chclk

The highlights I personally liked are as follows (with time location so you can find them easy if you like):

-17 year old guest conductor did a beautiful, relaxing piece: 00:33:00

-Very cool electronic and improv mix with classical parts in "Mothership": 01:46:00

-Amazing sand artist (although the matinee version she did was better) with a cool violin piece: 02:09:00

-Stravinsky (of course I would add him): 02:20:00

Enjoy :)

RAIN!!!

It's been very rainy for the last few days, but it's not too cold, so I can go out in it :)

Went running with Frontrunners this last Saturday and picked up my Frontrunners shirt (hehe prolly only one of the things I will actually buy here to take back... limited luggage + limited budget = limited souvenirs). And the run was nice because it rained a ton before and then right after, so I got a nice, rain-free run.

Later that day I went to the Youtube Symphony finale matinee (the grand finale was the following night). The program was visually amazing, along with the sounds and songs, of course. They projected images and art all over the inner chambers of the concert hall. During the grand finale they did the same images on the outer sails as well. Highlights for me were 4 pieces. One was conducted by a 17-year-old conductor which was very relaxing and enjoyable: Danza Del Trigo from the ballet Estancia. Another was the premier of Mothership, which featured electronic artists and improvisational pieces by four special guests... it was visually great as well. The third was a violin piece called the Ascending Bird (not to be confused with the Lark Ascending), which was written by two guys in their 30's/40's who were present and playing in the piece. The highlight of the particular piece was sand artist, Kseniya Simonova, who did live sand art accompanying the piece. If you've never seen sand art before, definitely check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=518XP8prwZo . Finally, I loved the finale, which was the final 3 dances of Stravinksy's Firebird. I got hooked on the song when it was written as a suite for Fantasia 2000, which you can check out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oSTyWYGJ6E . I found that piece to be the finest of the film... the one most like the original Fantasia.

Anyways, all of that was very fun to go to and I might go to another show mid-April which will have Nobuo Uematsu's work from the Final Fantasy series performed.

This week is pretty laid-back. I am most likely going to plan a trip for Monday through Wednesday of next week to Uluru or Canberra, but will update before it's finalized.

On a completely random note, I tried my first custard apple yesterday. If you have never had one, I suggest you do... it's a bizarre fruit that is quite delicious. The outside resembles a mix between an avocado and an artichoke. This is broken open or cut to reveal a pulpy-soft inside. The inside peels apart similar to the flakes of a fish fillet (yeah, weird) and the consistency is almost that of a soft custard). It is called different things in other areas of the world, but here is some info on them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vet2wp5j7dI

OK, that's it for now :)

Katoomba on a whim

So I decided on Sunday that I was going to go to the Blue Mountains in Katoomba the next day. Booked my stay at the YHA there and packed for a short trip. Took the train, which was lovely and got there in about 2 hours.

As I left the station, there was this thick mist/fog everywhere that gave a really cool feel to the town. I wandered around a bit and called it a night. Got a somewhat early start the next morning in the same thick mist. It was really nice, because I think a lot of people avoided going out in it and it ended up being a great hike. I started around the top and headed to this "grand staircase" which is about 900 steps, steeply descending along the cliffs. The mist made it all that much cooler. Once I got down all the way, I walked along and eventually back up on another side right around Katoomba Falls. Spent the evening in Katoomba and had some delicious Indian food... I am hoping to get better at cooking Indian recipes... This means you, Biryani! :P

The next morning I had to be out by 10, but it was a drastic difference from the day before, so I took a quick walk to the 3 Sisters lookout and got some great photos.

Took the train back and that was that... short and sweet :)

Now I am continuing to volunteer and find volunteer work. Next on my plate is the youtube symphony at the Opera House this weekend.

:)

Catching Up

OK, Here is part two of my catch-up post

Once I got back from my trip, I moved into my apartment. I found a good group of 3 other people in Redfern, which is super close to the city and I am literally a 5-minute walk from the train station.

Redfern is an interesting area, that somewhat reminds me of something the Mission District in SF would have resembled 5 years ago or so. The area is home to the infamous Block, which was a housing project for Aboriginal people. In the 70's (I think... maybe the 60's), it began to develop some bad drug problems and was rather crime-ridden... something most cities have at some point in their growth. In 2004, a local boy was impaled on a fence and died. It was thought that the police had been chasing him. Locals claimed he was chased down by cop cars and thus killed. Police claimed that the boy was involved in drug activity and that is why they were chasing him. Either way, riots erupted and the area became incredibly volatile... especially between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals. In the following years some drastic changes began to happen. In 2009, the crime rate began to sharply drop. The Aboriginal Housing Commission developed plans to raise the Block and build a mixed-use development. All residents in the Block were given eviction notices. Finally, the once feared areas of Redfern and Chippendale began to gentrify and fill with couples, students, and other young professionals.

I found out I moved in near the final stages of plans to demolish the Block. There are about 10-15 remaining residents who do not want their homes torn down, so demolition has yet to begin, but the area has drastically changed, and it is slowly shedding its reputation. Unfortunately, not everyone sees this yet, but it will get better.

Anyways, I am now living with 2 girls and 1 guy. One of the girls if from Sydney and is going to patisserie school, meaning there are always baked goods coming into our house each evening. The other girl is from the UK and is working as a nurse in a mental health facility. The guy is from Sydney and is studying at uni right now. It's a good mix of people, and the Aussie girl has 2 staffies that visit us on the weekend... Lillie and Zach... both incredibly friendly and fun.

Last weekend was the end of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. I still don't get why it was given the Mardi Gras title, as it originally was in June or July and has no affiliation to Mardi Gras, but who cares? It's a party. The events are about 2 weeks long and kicked off with Fair Day, which was a huge festival in a park right by my apartment. It gets around 60,000 people a year, and it was fun to walk around and people watch, but very hot and humid, so I was spent for the rest of the day. Other events went on for the two weeks, but the main event was the parade and after party. The parade brought roughly 250,000 to 300,000 spectators and performers this year, so it was a little crazy. It was fun, overall, and I would compare it in feel to Bay to Breakers in SF, although this was certainly bigger in numbers and happens at night, while B2B is around 50,000 to 70,000 I believe, and everyone tends to be involved (rather than just watching). It was a great experience to see, and I was really happy with how much the city has embraced the event.

OK... finally, since moving in at my new apartment, I spent about 2.5 weeks looking for jobs. I interviewed with a couple of places and sent out many resumes, but no luck. Seeing how I only have about 6-8 weeks left, I am going to begin volunteering around the city instead, and will take a few, smaller trips. Yesterday I worked on forest/parks cleanup and bush regeneration in Pyrmont, which was fun, but exhausting. I am in contact with ACON and hope to do some work for them as well. Aside from that, I am running with the group, Frontrunners, every Saturday morning, followed by brunch (this group is all over the world, and I run with them in SF as well). I also am a member at a gym fairly close, and have been cooking a lot as well. So yeah, things have become a bit more normal, which I like.

A couple things on the horizon: I just booked my ticket to see the youtube symphony perform at the opera house, which should sound and look amazing. I am also about to book my trip to the Blue Mountains, and am planning on setting up my trips to Uluru and Canberra... and possibly Darwin or Adelaide.

Alright, that's all for now

:)

Oh Yeah, I Have a Blog :X

Apologies to anyone who reads this... Yes, it has been 1 month since my last post (almost 1 month).

I promise I will try to update more often... Try is the key word there ;P

Anyways, last time I was about to head to Hobart for the rest of one of my longer trips while I am here.

-Hobart: I spent the first couple of days in Hobart, which is really quite charming and fun to explore. Fortunately I happened to get there during their wooden boat festival, so there were interesting things to see and booths and food and whatnot.

-Mount Wellington: I took a day trip to the top of Mount Wellington and saw a beautiful view of the city below and all around the shoreline and waterways. It was a bit chilly up there, but well worth the trip.

-Port Arthur: I booked a ride to Port Arthur and we stopped in Richmond, which was really cool... Everyone said it reminded them of a small, New Zealand town, so I will put that to the test when I go late April. There were a ton of small, historic buildings and whatnot, and a really delicious bakery... mmmm, Curried Scallop Pie :) (one quick note: Aussies say "Sk-ah-lop"... while in the US (or at least Utah) we say "Sk-al-lop").

We then headed through wine country and other farms and bays and finally made it to Port Arthur, which is home to a historic site that used to be a prison. Touring the grounds was very interested, and it was also striking to see the remnants of a building where the Port Arthur Massacre took place. In 1996, a gunman killed 35 and injured 37 in the site... Quite tragic. The memorial that now stands on the grounds is a very nice tribute to those who died and those who helped others that day.

I spent the night in Port Arthur and explored away from the site the next day. It was very pretty just walking around, and I came across Safety Cove Beach, which reminded my of a beach you would find in Mexico, but with the hillsides and farms of Switzerland. I explored the tide pools and saw some crab, sea stars, and anemones. I later caught the bus back to Port Arthur and planned my final TAS trip to Wineglass Bay.

-Wineglass Bay: If you ever go to Australia, this, so far, would be one of the places I would highly recommend. I think people have a skewed idea of what Tasmania is like, and as a result, tend to avoid it (even Aussies). I spent a day with some fun people hiking around Freycinet Park and it was amazing. Every beach was perfect and had that beautiful, teal water and white sand. There were few people here and there... Normal beaches this nice are packed with tourists and sun bathers. We hiked to a lookout where you can see Wineglass Bay and learned a bit about it before heading down. It is called Wineglass Bay for 2 reasons: The shape resembles the top of a wine glass, and the bay used to serve as a cleaning station for whalers... meaning the water would turn red with whale blood. After that not-at-all-gruesome story we walked down to the beach, which, once again, was perfect. I realize that I have called many of the beaches in TAS perfect... but the reality is, they pretty much are. The temperature might be a bit colder than ideal, but the beaches themselves are amazing and abundant. Before we headed back, we saw a wallaby and got some photos.

-That was at the end of my trip, and I headed back to Sydney a day later, and to my new apartment... This post is already long enough, so my next one will bring you up-to-date on things here in Sydney

:)

Trip!

Sorry for the long overdue update… I’ve been too busy having fun and not being on my computer, so hopefully you understand.

I am now on the second leg of my Melbourne/Hobart trip, and have 5 more days before I go back to Sydney.

Melbourne has been a great experience. It heavily reminds me of San Francisco in the sense that everyone has a little more laid-back of an attitude and the area is so walkable and has great public transportation. I went to a ton of stuff, so here are a few things:

-Melbourne Museum: I went here on a whim and it was a fun place to go. It had exhibits on Melbourne history, Aboriginal history regarding the conflicts with Europeans, and two really cool exhibits on the Melbourne environment (animals, evolution, minerals, etc) and the mind (a very quirky exhibit, but probably my favorite part).

-Federation Square: A big area near the center of Melbourne (on the southern end though) that has a lot of beautiful buildings and places to explore. I went to the ACMI (Australian Center for the Moving Image) and saw a very cool exhibit on media and how it has changed through the ages, as well as another exhibit on Disney animation.

-One of the best parts of Melbourne was just walking around and looking at all the little micro-environments they have. Cool areas like Chinatown, Chapel (and Commercial) Street, Brunswick Street, and the Docklands all had their own feel and niche of people.

On the Sydney end, I did find an apartment, which is in a great place for public transportation and walking. Now I have to find a job for the next couple of months (maybe 2.5 months). I’ll still do trips, but smaller ones. I plan on going to the Blue Mountains (perhaps a couple of days rather than a day trip), Uluru (Ayer’s Rock), and possibly Perth and/or Adelaide.

OK, I am off to Hobart and the rest of Tasmania. I’ll post something about that half in a bit

Advance Australia Fair

I finally got back early last week. It's HOT... and HUMID... and I love it ;P

We celebrated Australia day which involved eating, drinking, watching the ferrython, and then fireworks later that evening... Oh, and I finally got to sing the national anthem (both verses... that's right... both).

Now I am in the process of accomplishing 4 things. The first two are trips: Blue Mountains (day trip from Sydney) and Melbourne/Hobart (for about 7-10 days, and possibly going to Canberra). The other two are finding an apartment for the next few months and looking for a job. Apartment hunting here may be about as bad as it is in San Francisco, which, if you have tried to find an open room in SF, you can understand is an ordeal. I am positive about it, though, and will find a place that suits me well.

:)

Decisions decisions

Yes it's been a while since I posted anything... been a bit busy going to Gold Coast, Brisbane, Ipswich, and then additional trips to the states.

Christmas in Ipswich was very fun... got to meet friends of Damien and Dan. We had way too much food, good drinks, and played games. Trying to leave to go back to Sydney was a story in itself... as it was raining horribly. We drove to Gold Coast to fly out, but nothing was landing or taking off, so we tried our luck in Brisbane (thanks to Damien driving Dan and I all over in the rain). Our flight there was delayed, but we made it... amazingly, and I was able to catch my flight the next day to the states.

20 hours of not sleeping on my flights and making connections later, I was in Salt Lake again... there for friends (practically family). It's been fun here... freezing cold, but fun. I am incredibly bummed that I missed new years in Sydney... for a taste of it, check out this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48ulv6KnRts But it was more important for me to be with my friends in the states and I can always try to make it again in the future :)

Through all of this, and leading up to it, I finally figured out what I want to do... for the time being, at least. I am going to head back to Sydney on the 22nd after a short visit to San Francisco. From there, I will find a temporary place in Sydney... preferably somewhere around Newtown, Redfern, or Oxford Street. I'll get a job... something fun that will let me meet people and make some spending $$$. Then do some trips... I plan on doing Melbourne and Adelaide in the same trip... maybe a week. I'd also like to visit Hobart and Canberra and maybe Darwin and Perth... oh and hopefully a trip back to Gold Coast if the weather and flooding improves. Then around the end of April, I will do a week-long trip or so to New Zealand... finalize everything in Sydney and whatnot, and move to San Francisco... indefinitely.

It's been an exciting process in figuring everything out, and I am really excited to enjoy the rest of my time in AU (which I will blog more regularly) and then my move to SF.

Stay posted... more to come... maybe I'll even start posting pictures, instead of putting them all on facebook ;)