biz's blog

Final thoughts on NZ, and re-entry

• Jumping out of 2005 and gliding into 2006! (proof at the end of this post)

• "I don't wanna see no more waterfalls, no more sheep, and no more bays!" (Diane in a NYC accent after 8 hours of kayaking).
• "Exactly how does this work? Do you have flares? What are the mortality statistics for this adventure sport?" (Christine, before every adventure activity).
• Hokey pokey flavored ice cream! And lethal-smelling tevas.
• Pupu Springs, the Pipi Patch, and Tekaka Springs, Tekaka Road, Tekaka Falls, Tekaka Drive, Tekaka Hill, Tekaka Valley, Tekaka Mountain.........
• Was that 25 hours we spent in the car? On which side of the road?
• Any negative insinuation about Kiwis duly rescinded! Any impressions of them as sterile and boring transformed into virtuous when I began to notice all of the monuments, memorials and testimonials in various parks and churches honoring such great virtues as bravery and heroism. They are a heroic lot indeed and just happen to combine that with a peaceableness that enables them to utter "cheers mate, no worrries" with sincerity.The contrast to Americans was very clear today when I returned to LAX (which likely embodies the worst extremes of our country), where I was confronted with a grumpy, self-seeking, depleted lot of folk. Plus, the bathrooms are a lot dirtier here.
• Another bummer on re-entry: a happy, smiling framed photo of none other than yours truly as we walked into the terminal. Sigh...I'd spent five weeks of bliss having forgotten about him.

And with all the logistics and transfers I've done over the past 5 weeks (drumroll please: SFO to Lima to Cusco to Lima to Santiago to Buenos Aires to Santiago to Valparaiso to Santiago to Auckland to Queenstown to Te Anau to Milford Sound to Te Anau to Queenstown to Arrowtown to Nelson to Pohara to Abel Tasman to Nelson to Picton to Wellington to Auckland to Waitomo to Auckland to KeriKeri to Auckland to LAX to SFO) -- yes, with ALL of these potentials for mishaps, the ONLY glitch was right here, back home in SFO when our beloved TSA had to detonate some sort of bag before we could enter the gate.

An ignominous end to a fabulous, blessed, refreshing trip...may 2006 be different because of it! God is GOOD. Looking forward to His work in 2006!

 

Wellington, Caving @ Waitomo and (sniff sniff) the last leg in Bay of Islands

• Wellington was so marvy but we sadly didn't have time to do all that is needed there, such as see the WETA studios (Peter Jackson is the modern patriarch) or tour the Te Papau museum. But very cool modern art and architecture adorns the whole waterfront and made for some nice morning touring.
• On to  the Waitomo Caves where we did the coolest most unique thing ever: "Black Water Rafting" , which entails rapelling (or "abseiling" as they call it down unda) through dark caves and floating and walking through icy cavewater, stopping of course for the proverbial civilized tea and crumpets before slidingdown more waterfalls and floating on our backs on inner tubes to view the galaxy-like glow-worms (or more accurately, glow gnats which is of course, less marketable). Yes, we really looked this stupid (we still aren't sure why they made us wear those oversized shorts unless it was for their own personal entertainment).
  
• Note to future travelers: the website for the Waitomo Caves Inn is far nicer than the real deal. Stay somewhere else and spare yourself a Bates Motel experience!
• Divine intervention in planning our last leg on the Bay of Islands...about which we can't say more beyond the fact that it is PARADISE - pure and simple. Aquamarine waters. Dreamy catamaran cruises on the Bay with stops at islets to snorkle. Dolphins that really DO swim right up next to the boat and in large pods to boot. Great hiking. Bright inense sunshine. Fun, age-agnostic bars. Feels like the top of the Maslow ladder to me.

Do we hafta go??!?

Te Anau & Golden Bay

• Vegan horror movie! Me and my travelmates will never forget the sight of the hearty "salad" bar we encountered in Te Anau...replete with raw meat cuts all ready to take to the cooking counter...Mongolian "barbie", as they say in these parts. The British influence was also evident by the other selections, which included pickled onion bulbs (mmm mmm) and hard boiled eggs (or so we think; it was a bit tough to find them floating underneath the pools of curry).
• Please adopt me!! We fell into our best accomodations yet at Ian and Sue McCracken's marvelous Bay Vista House in Pohara outside of Nelson...simply dreamy -- the photos are accurate (even if you can't se the lavender that adorned each window overlooking the bay or hear the birds that chirped each morning!).
• Proprietors Ian and Sue are the parents we all want...they even handmade our raspberry jam each morning AND are related to the famous Kiwi who invented the Tantrix board game sensation here. But you need to be comfortable with a personable, cosy setup: the guest manual instructs guests to "shout loudly" in the event of a fire in order to notify the management.
• The hottub at the aforementioned locale was worth the hour windy drive to and from our kayaking locale on Golden Bay, because, after a full day of kayakaing (ask Lisa to tell you about my paddling prowess, which I of course make up for in my DJ skills), we were able to return to a hot tub. The only lamentable issue was Julie moaning that her arms were too tired to hold up her Pinot Noir glass....the horrors of wealth.
• Hiking Abel Tasman Nat'l Park wasn't so bad either -- especially when God re-did the Hannukkah thing by making our insufficient supply of petrol last the windy, precarious drive  back (had it not, however, we were well-prepared for doom by Christine, who told us exactly how we things would feel just before we veered off the mountain).

When Pleasantville comes in handy

I admit, the sterile perfection of this country (which, in a complete reversal of South America, explicitly advises guests to PLEASE flush the toilet paper down the toilet rather than disposing of it elsewhere to maintain the hygienic standards) was getting to me a little bit...as in, "where's the beef (or flaw or humanity)?" But I sure was grateful for it today when, upon returning from the Tolkien-like theatrical trail outside of our hotel room that provides a not-too-shabby place for morning reflections, I realized that I left my "bum" pak (ask us or Ruth Varney why we use that term) on the bench well within that walking trail.

In a frantic run that provided the only physical exertion I've had in the past several weeks, I high-footed it back to the bench, grimacing at all of the ED-TV Stepford wife nodding and smiling folks along the way only to find two travelers happily nestled on the bench.

"Is a bag there?" I asked desperately, searching for some culturally-neutral words to describe the container for my credit cards, camera and cash. "Oh yes -- we were going to take it back into town when we were done." Smile smile.

Did we mention the service?...

A country of extremes -- weather (from rainforest torrents to extreme sun and heat), topography (from mastestic, towering snow-capped mountains to deep, extensive, verdant valleys), temperament (from "no worries mate" Spacolli-like surfer laidback-ism to high-adventure bungee jumping off of several-hundred metre cliffs)...and service: The same country whose police officers allow us to take photos with them after a friendly issuance of a moving  violation (payable at your local bank) is also a place where the scrumptuous, freshly made food cannot be served in less than 20 minutes -- even when it is pre-made! A mystery which continues to elude us.

The Shipping News

Alas I cannot provide a link just yet to this novel which has been somewhat of our life for the past 24-ish hours as we departed sanitary, hygenic and surreally efficient and beautiful Queenstown for rustic and torrentially stormy Te Anau (rhymes with Keanu?). This much smaller town (with throw-back Brit-style restaurants and decor) was our stopping point so we could make it to the very well-earned destination point of Milford Sound, which was stunning!!

Our original plan was to take a self-punishing 15-hour drive-kayak-trek into this World Heritage location and, being a bit run down, I confess I felt I had some prayers answered when the rains were so bad last night that our tour was cancelled (but I must confess now I am sad as it would have been spectacular....and strangely enough, the tour company insisted on driving out here in the torrential rain at 5:50am to tell us -- is the service so personal that they do not believe in cell phones? Alas I digress...).  Anyhoo, we ate the 6:30am breakfast bar (Wheetabix and all) and then took the suggested alternative of driving the 2 hours to the Sound itself and doing a 2.5-hour natural tour by boat in the Sound (the only option available in today's torrent).

A few blurbs to attempt to capture this indescribable place:

• Mountains "crying" out geyser-like waterfalls that blew back up into the mist to replenish themselves (due to the strong winds)
• Prehistoric glacial rocks imposing over the choppy waters
• 500 million years of God working His handinto the glaciers and tectonic plates to forge a astounding beauty that leaves any observer in awe of His scope and majesty, as He is at the same time, the same God that reaches into our own individual lives here and now.
• And unrelated to the Sound but related to the drive there (or anywhere):       SHEEP! Everywhere....

Signing off so we can dash on to the next overpriced British meal!

Pleasant...Kiwi-Ville

Freshly arrived to New Zealand after miraculously sleeping on the 12-hour flight from Santiago. Initial impressions:

• Vast, majestic mountains, lakes and greenery that make one feel one is surrounded by a national park - constantly.
• Everything is pure and pristine, clean and new: the mountains, lakes and air, as well as the buildings, food and the people. Which is surreal...where is the poverty?
• Is everyone really this content and mellow and pleasant all of the time?
• Switzerland -- but laid back and adventurous. The sun is SUPER bright (thanks to global warming?).
• My travel mates did the bungee jump from the bridge over a crystal-blue river that was the birthplace of bungee.
• And the most shocking factoid from this culturally...interesting?...place: Kiwi refers more to the furry animal than to the fruit -- woo hoo!

Signing off so my travelmates and I can usher in 2006 before you all! :)

Speaking of "Valpo"...

Or, what Chileans nickname this seaside city of Valparaiso -- thanks to the suggestion of Horatio, Alejandra's step-dad, May and I ventured out on our own and stayed over in this beach town after Andres showed us up and down the coast (all of course after spending a fabulous evening at Casa de Rosarita y Horatio en sleepy, dreamy, heavenly Santo Domingo!).

I am in love with Valpo (as well as with Baltazar, or "Balta" as Andres' 7.5-month old baby is affectionately called, but that is another story).  It cries of integration and contrasts everywhere: of natural with manmade, of residential with commercial (which is not imposing in the least sense), of humans with animals, of colors and grays. Every angle and street and corner you turn provides a new delight to the eye. And despite the fact that it looks run down, it is incredibly safe (and thus freeing to walk about, as with most of Chile that I have experienced, regardless of economic status and quite unlike BA). Any given street will look like it is in tatters and yet boast of a beautiful gate or wrought-iron sculpture or bright-colored flower garden right in its midst.

Stunning... so get there before the current renovations are completed and the authentic feel starts to fade.

Spa Herreros and Restoration

I am overflowing in awe of the abundant generosity of my friends Andres y Ale, who have graciously put me and my friend May up for five days, including spending a heart-warming Christmas with their extended families (actually, it was their immediate families...but these are so large that it felt extended :)!

They are simply gold as far as friendship goes...every need is anticipated and catered to and they are just so much fun to boot!  I feel like I am in a luxurious spa of emotional nurturing!

Yes God is so good...putting me in a place of restoration from the depleting, materialistic, in-your-face atmosphere of Buenos Aires: the smoky, humid, stressful, congestion, trauma and pretense of that sprawling metropolis-with-an-attitude have been replaced by a vast, restful, loving, peaceful sense of familiarity and warmth and ease.  Chileans aren't trying to prove anything and they don't need to because they have it all: beauty, family, friends, wealth and infrastructure. It is tempting to pursue Ale's offer to beseech St. Anthony, the patron saint of "lost causes", for a chilean man (or even better and perhaps my preference, San Expedito, aptly named for his reputation of answering prayers swiftly :).  We even got to see the church in Regnata in the Valparaiso area where Expedito's supplicants go. After stuffing ourselves with (of course) Chilean seabass for lunch.

Death by Dulce de Leche

Or, "Eating Your Way Through South America"....I can definitely say God has been answering prayers for health...guess the white bread, high fat diet is what my body needs and PHEW for that!

This delicacy is popular in Argentina and Chile and has captured the hearts of me and my friend May. Along with lomo (ok, that is really May's thing; I'm not quite there yet :), incredible FRUIT and cheeses and just about anything you eat really (oh, May also votes for submarinos purchased in the myriad of cafes in B.A.). I opted for 3-too-many cafe con leches about a week ago and have been paying for it with dehydration ever since. But not bad enough to take away from the joys of traveling in S. America...not enough time and so much to see in this land of beautiful places and people.