Tim and I just had the crazy realization that we arrive in LA before we leave Hong Kong. Our flight leaves Monday night (tonight) at 11:45 p.m. (Hong Kong time), and we arrive in LA on Monday night at 9:15 p.m. (PST). But how can that be you ask? A 15 hour time difference and only (ha) a 14 hour plane ride. Crazy!
Anyway, we are sitting here in the Hong Kong airport killing a bit of time. We literally did nothing today. Our flight got in around 7:00 a.m., and since I was still pretty sick we decided to go for a dayroom close to the airport. Dayrooms are awesome…I didn’t know they even existed until I heard my mom talking about it during one of her recent travels. Tim and I loaded up on sleep and even got to shower. I really needed sleep, and I think we both needed a chill day.
I feel a bit better, and I think resting all day will make for a much less painful plane ride.
We are excited about being home. We really have had a great trip, but there is no place like home.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Farewell to Brisbane
Brisbane is a beautiful city and Diane has been a wonderful host. We'll miss it here!
The Last Supper (Day)
Well, it is Sunday morning here on March 15. We begin our journey home to Atlanta tonight/Monday morning at 12:50 a.m. I don’t think any of us (me, Tim and Diane) can believe our holiday is almost over. It really has flown by, and we have had such great time.
Friday night we had dinner with some friends of Diane’s. It was a standard Aussie BBQ with steaks, potatoes, salad, bread and beer. Not too far off from a BBQ or cookout in the States but fun nonetheless. We had a great time chatting it up with her friends and getting to know them. One standard theme among all Aussies (besides their inclination to shorten every word) is their surprise that most working Americans only get two weeks of paid vacation. Seriously you should see the look on these people’s faces…serious shock. I think this means things should change. I mean this isn’t new thinking for me, I have always thought it was appalling that my previous employer gives two weeks vacations but our counterparts in the London office get six weeks of vacation. This Aussie shock only gives me fuel for the fire. HA!
Anyway, after staying out late Friday night hanging with friends, Di got us up at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday to go waterskiing with some other friends. In my head, when the alarm went off, I secretly hoped she would give up on the idea, but she didn’t. We left the house at 5:30 a.m. and wakeboarding and skiing had begun by just after 6:00 a.m. I wasn’t the chirpiest skier ever. I mean, I call myself a morning person but I don’t think 5:00 a.m. counts. It was rough but still very enjoyable. Check out pics out below:
Tim tried skiing on this round disc thing. It was cool. I only wakeboarded a few times, and Di (of course) did it all – solemn skiing, wakeboarding and disc skiing. She was a pro with all of it all. And today all three of us are paying for it. We are SORE SORE SORE.
Yesterday afternoon was spent napping and relaxing. Diane and I attempted to go Hot Yoga, but it didn’t work out. Guess I will have to try it out back in Atlanta.
We went and saw Di's friend Ben Hooper play at a cafe in downtown Brisbane. He's an up and coming singer-songwriter who has a new record out. Check him out: http://www.benjaminhooper.com.au/
Then last night we went to another party. Di’s friends are about to have their second baby so they decided to have one last hurrah before the baby comes. It was fun. We had the best pizza and homemade cheesecake. Yummy!
Today we don’t have much on the agenda. I woke up with a cold and Di is exhausted from her practice triathlon, so we are just sitting around relaxing. We are quite hilarious. We are all sore and pretty lazy. HA!
At some point Tim and I will pack, and Di is taking us out for one last meal of fish & chips and then it is off to the airport. All flights are confirmed, and Tim and I have seats next to each other – YAY! But one thing that has to be done before the airport - registering Tim and I for the Peachtree Road Race. I am pumped about being in town for it this year. I haven’t done it for two years, and I love having a race to train for. YAY!
We have 26 hours of flying ahead of us. I really hope my cold goes away because I can’t imagine anything much worse than being sick on a 8 hour plane ride, then a 14 hour plane ride and then a 4 hour plane ride. Blah!
Ok – all for now. We have a 14 hour layover in Hong Kong tomorrow, and the Hong Kong airport has free internet access so we will probably blog one last time tomorrow.
P.S. Once Tim and I are back in town, I have to start job hunting. If you know of any jobs in marketing, PR or nannying, let me know.
Friday night we had dinner with some friends of Diane’s. It was a standard Aussie BBQ with steaks, potatoes, salad, bread and beer. Not too far off from a BBQ or cookout in the States but fun nonetheless. We had a great time chatting it up with her friends and getting to know them. One standard theme among all Aussies (besides their inclination to shorten every word) is their surprise that most working Americans only get two weeks of paid vacation. Seriously you should see the look on these people’s faces…serious shock. I think this means things should change. I mean this isn’t new thinking for me, I have always thought it was appalling that my previous employer gives two weeks vacations but our counterparts in the London office get six weeks of vacation. This Aussie shock only gives me fuel for the fire. HA!
Anyway, after staying out late Friday night hanging with friends, Di got us up at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday to go waterskiing with some other friends. In my head, when the alarm went off, I secretly hoped she would give up on the idea, but she didn’t. We left the house at 5:30 a.m. and wakeboarding and skiing had begun by just after 6:00 a.m. I wasn’t the chirpiest skier ever. I mean, I call myself a morning person but I don’t think 5:00 a.m. counts. It was rough but still very enjoyable. Check out pics out below:
Tim tried skiing on this round disc thing. It was cool. I only wakeboarded a few times, and Di (of course) did it all – solemn skiing, wakeboarding and disc skiing. She was a pro with all of it all. And today all three of us are paying for it. We are SORE SORE SORE.
Yesterday afternoon was spent napping and relaxing. Diane and I attempted to go Hot Yoga, but it didn’t work out. Guess I will have to try it out back in Atlanta.
We went and saw Di's friend Ben Hooper play at a cafe in downtown Brisbane. He's an up and coming singer-songwriter who has a new record out. Check him out: http://www.benjaminhooper.com.au/
Then last night we went to another party. Di’s friends are about to have their second baby so they decided to have one last hurrah before the baby comes. It was fun. We had the best pizza and homemade cheesecake. Yummy!
Today we don’t have much on the agenda. I woke up with a cold and Di is exhausted from her practice triathlon, so we are just sitting around relaxing. We are quite hilarious. We are all sore and pretty lazy. HA!
At some point Tim and I will pack, and Di is taking us out for one last meal of fish & chips and then it is off to the airport. All flights are confirmed, and Tim and I have seats next to each other – YAY! But one thing that has to be done before the airport - registering Tim and I for the Peachtree Road Race. I am pumped about being in town for it this year. I haven’t done it for two years, and I love having a race to train for. YAY!
We have 26 hours of flying ahead of us. I really hope my cold goes away because I can’t imagine anything much worse than being sick on a 8 hour plane ride, then a 14 hour plane ride and then a 4 hour plane ride. Blah!
Ok – all for now. We have a 14 hour layover in Hong Kong tomorrow, and the Hong Kong airport has free internet access so we will probably blog one last time tomorrow.
P.S. Once Tim and I are back in town, I have to start job hunting. If you know of any jobs in marketing, PR or nannying, let me know.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Rain Rain Go Away
(Tamara, this one is for you!)
We certainly have struck out on the weather the past few days. We have woken up to cloudy skies and rain almost everyday for the past week. Blah! Oh, well, c'est la vie. We have still been able to do a lot.
So after Milford Sound we just chilled in Te Anau...because there is literally nothing to do there. It is the definition of a small town. Since there was nothing to stick around for, we got up early the next morning on Tuesday and drove eight hours back to Christchurch. Boy was it a long eight hours. The six hours to Queenstown was easy and then the two hours to Te Anau from Queenstown were easy, but put together they equal one long day.
Roads in New Zealand aren't like in the US or Australia. They are two lane roads...not freeways. This means you get stuck behind a lot of slow trucks and cars and oh random road construction where they decide to do blasting in the middle of the day in the middle of a mountain. Yep, real live blasting to make a road. Tim and I saw the sign and thought they were joking, but they weren't. So we turned off the car and opened up our books. We heard the blasting, which didn't make driving around the mountain easy on the mind. I kept thinking a rock was going to come down and hit us. Alas - we survived both the blasting and the drive. One positive to all the driving was the beautiful scenery. New Zealand definitely has every country I have been to beat on that. Absolutely beautiful!!!!
So anyway, we strolled into Christchurch around 5:00 p.m. We checked into our quaint and super cute B&B in the middle of town. It is an old Victorian house with so much charm. I loved it. We got settled and got some dinner. We got Mexican. It wasn't the best Mexican I have ever had, but it wasn't the worst. I mean New Zealand is pretty far from Mexico, and I think the farther you are from Mexico the worse it gets. HAH! Seriously, it wasn't terrible, and we quite enjoyed ourselves. After dinner it was raining (what a surprise), so we ran back to our B&B.
Cave Rock on the beach
The next morning we had a few hours to check out Christchurch, which was pretty much all we needed. We drove to the beach (it was FREEZING AND WINDY and reminded me somewhat of some of the New England beaches) and then walked around Cathedral Square and Victoria Park. Of course, it was raining, so we couldn't stick around long, which was fine because we had a flight to catch.
Old Victorian B&B
The church
So here we are back in Australia for our last few days. I can't believe we leave Sunday night/Monday morning. Time has flown by, but we have certainly enjoyed ourselves. Yesterday and today have been chill days.
We attempted the beach yesterday (Surfer's Paradise), but alas lame-o parking rules got us a parking ticket and bad weather made the water too rough to swim in. Therefore, it was a short day at the beach. We still got sun, though!!!
Also, poor Diane got bit by a nasty spider while were gone. Her hand was very swollen and she had to go to the ER. She is fine, but we have to keep paying close attention to it. YIKES!!!
Ok, all for now. Tomorrow morning (if the weather is ok) we are going waterskiing in the Brisbane River (hope no bull sharks or snakes get me) and then we are doing some HOT YOGA. Tamara, if I like it, maybe I can start going with you.
Oh, and one more thing. I am sooooooooooooooooo happy because I found out today that Timmy D and I don't have to ride Marta when we get back to Atlanta. My awesome Uncle Wayne and my sweet mom are driving all the way to the airport to pick us up. YAY! What a treat.
We certainly have struck out on the weather the past few days. We have woken up to cloudy skies and rain almost everyday for the past week. Blah! Oh, well, c'est la vie. We have still been able to do a lot.
So after Milford Sound we just chilled in Te Anau...because there is literally nothing to do there. It is the definition of a small town. Since there was nothing to stick around for, we got up early the next morning on Tuesday and drove eight hours back to Christchurch. Boy was it a long eight hours. The six hours to Queenstown was easy and then the two hours to Te Anau from Queenstown were easy, but put together they equal one long day.
Roads in New Zealand aren't like in the US or Australia. They are two lane roads...not freeways. This means you get stuck behind a lot of slow trucks and cars and oh random road construction where they decide to do blasting in the middle of the day in the middle of a mountain. Yep, real live blasting to make a road. Tim and I saw the sign and thought they were joking, but they weren't. So we turned off the car and opened up our books. We heard the blasting, which didn't make driving around the mountain easy on the mind. I kept thinking a rock was going to come down and hit us. Alas - we survived both the blasting and the drive. One positive to all the driving was the beautiful scenery. New Zealand definitely has every country I have been to beat on that. Absolutely beautiful!!!!
So anyway, we strolled into Christchurch around 5:00 p.m. We checked into our quaint and super cute B&B in the middle of town. It is an old Victorian house with so much charm. I loved it. We got settled and got some dinner. We got Mexican. It wasn't the best Mexican I have ever had, but it wasn't the worst. I mean New Zealand is pretty far from Mexico, and I think the farther you are from Mexico the worse it gets. HAH! Seriously, it wasn't terrible, and we quite enjoyed ourselves. After dinner it was raining (what a surprise), so we ran back to our B&B.
Cave Rock on the beach
Old Victorian B&B
The church
So here we are back in Australia for our last few days. I can't believe we leave Sunday night/Monday morning. Time has flown by, but we have certainly enjoyed ourselves. Yesterday and today have been chill days.
We attempted the beach yesterday (Surfer's Paradise), but alas lame-o parking rules got us a parking ticket and bad weather made the water too rough to swim in. Therefore, it was a short day at the beach. We still got sun, though!!!
Also, poor Diane got bit by a nasty spider while were gone. Her hand was very swollen and she had to go to the ER. She is fine, but we have to keep paying close attention to it. YIKES!!!
Ok, all for now. Tomorrow morning (if the weather is ok) we are going waterskiing in the Brisbane River (hope no bull sharks or snakes get me) and then we are doing some HOT YOGA. Tamara, if I like it, maybe I can start going with you.
Oh, and one more thing. I am sooooooooooooooooo happy because I found out today that Timmy D and I don't have to ride Marta when we get back to Atlanta. My awesome Uncle Wayne and my sweet mom are driving all the way to the airport to pick us up. YAY! What a treat.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Into Fiordland
Yesterday we drove into Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland, a unique ecosystem of temperate rainforests in southwestern New Zealand. This is the place that put New Zealand on the map -
Te Anau is a small stretch of shops and houses on the banks of Lake Te Anau. Outside of town its rolling hills and sheep pastures, snow capped mountains in every direction.
We drove to Milford Sound this morning - 119km through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. The pastures give way to fields of long grasses, lakes narrowing into rivers, the mountains growing larger and more rugged. There's this mist over all the peaks and forests - low clouds that rise as the sun warms the ground. These are truly Tolkien's Misty Mountains.
We ascend higher into the mountains, above the tree line. There are rivulets of mountain water spiraling down cliff faces, moss of all colors on the boulders. Then a tunnel cut into the rock, dark and dripping, straight through the heart of the mountain.
Milford Sound is a deep fjord where the sea meets the rivers, guarded by the immense Mitre Peak. We spend a few hours walking around, grab a coffee, snap some photos. We're incredibly lucky with the weather - this is truly a rainforest, enormous and dripping moss on every tree branch. But we only have blue skies and the mystical rising cloud.
We drive back out from the sound and check out a few more spots. The Chasm is an amazing sight, where the rushing Cleddau River bores smooth and twisted passageways through black rock in a dense jungle.
We also make short stops at Gertrude Saddle, where the glacial meltstream is clear and pure blue; and Lake Gunn, a mossy forest straight out of the Two Towers.
It's tough to photograph because of the intense contrast between blue sky, icy white peaks, grey stone and lush green forests. These shots can't really do justice.
Amazing place. I'd love to come back and do the Milford Track, named "The finest walk in the world" - 54km through the backcountry, from the Sound to Lake Te Anau.
But for now we must bid farewell to this place. Tomorrow we drive to Christchurch.
Te Anau is a small stretch of shops and houses on the banks of Lake Te Anau. Outside of town its rolling hills and sheep pastures, snow capped mountains in every direction.
We drove to Milford Sound this morning - 119km through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen. The pastures give way to fields of long grasses, lakes narrowing into rivers, the mountains growing larger and more rugged. There's this mist over all the peaks and forests - low clouds that rise as the sun warms the ground. These are truly Tolkien's Misty Mountains.
We ascend higher into the mountains, above the tree line. There are rivulets of mountain water spiraling down cliff faces, moss of all colors on the boulders. Then a tunnel cut into the rock, dark and dripping, straight through the heart of the mountain.
Milford Sound is a deep fjord where the sea meets the rivers, guarded by the immense Mitre Peak. We spend a few hours walking around, grab a coffee, snap some photos. We're incredibly lucky with the weather - this is truly a rainforest, enormous and dripping moss on every tree branch. But we only have blue skies and the mystical rising cloud.
We drive back out from the sound and check out a few more spots. The Chasm is an amazing sight, where the rushing Cleddau River bores smooth and twisted passageways through black rock in a dense jungle.
We also make short stops at Gertrude Saddle, where the glacial meltstream is clear and pure blue; and Lake Gunn, a mossy forest straight out of the Two Towers.
It's tough to photograph because of the intense contrast between blue sky, icy white peaks, grey stone and lush green forests. These shots can't really do justice.
Amazing place. I'd love to come back and do the Milford Track, named "The finest walk in the world" - 54km through the backcountry, from the Sound to Lake Te Anau.
But for now we must bid farewell to this place. Tomorrow we drive to Christchurch.
Queenstown Hike
After the jump we decided to go on a short hike up Te Tapunui, a hill overlooking Queenstown, Lake Wakitpu and The Remarkables (mountain range).
Still life with Kiwi
The Jump
AJ Hackett started the first commercial bungy jump off Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown. Its 43 meters down into the canyon.
Looking Down:
Taking the Dive:
The bridge, canyon and cables:
Getting harnessed in:
Getting harnessed in:
Looking Down:
Taking the Dive:
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