But How Can That Be?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The bridge, canyon and cables:Getting harnessed in:

Looking Down:

Taking the Dive:

We Survived!

New Zealand (at least the south island) is beautiful! So I have decided that NZ is awesome. It is beautiful, and there are no snakes or nasty killer spiders. There are no bears or really anything that can kill you other than people, weather and drowning in lakes and rivers. (-:

We arrived pretty late into Christchurch on the 5th, and we departed relatively early on the 6th for our six hour drive to Queenstown. The drive was picturesque with beautiful mountains surrounding us and a few SUPER blue lakes. It reminded Tim a little bit of Montana (I can't comment never having been to Montana).


When we arrived into Queenstown we met up with the British friends from the boat in the Whitsunday Islands. It was raining so there wasn't much we could do except chill out in a bar and go to dinner. They were great company, and we enjoyed reminiscing about our three day boat excursion and laughing...of course global politics did come up.

After dinner we were roaming around town (the rain had stopped) figuring out what to do when we happened upon a Kiwi Bar Crawl and decided to take part. It was fun, but just like on the boat we were the oldest ones in the group. We are all only 27, which isn't old, but you still feel old hanging out with 20 year olds. Anyway, we had a grand time.



This morning Tim and I got up early to plan our day. We booked our whitewater rafting trip for the afternoon and got Tim all booked for his bungy jump tomorrow (the 8th) morning. I have no desire to do it. I once bungy jumped in Destin, FL when I was 18 and that was enough for me. It was fun, but I see no reason to do it again. One of our British friends did the biggest jump there is this morning. We haven't been able to talk to them, but we are assuming she survived...haha! Anyway, bungy jumping was kind of invented in Queenstown and this is an adventure sport capital sooooo....

Anyway, our whitewater rafting experience was definitely the best I have probably ever had. Most of you know, I love most sports where water is involved and this is no exception. In my short 27 years, I have been on a couple whitewater rafting adventures with my family, sisters and friends. A good time is always had. Tim and I felt that our experience in whitewater rafting made us eligible for the class 5 rapids. There were two options class 2 and 3 and class 4 and 5. We didn't even blink and immediately signed up for the class 4 and 5. I get butterflies in my stomach just typing about it.

Our bus to the Shotover River put in was almost just as "adventurous" as the actual rafting. It was a 45 minute drive around a mountain on an unpaved round that was built in the 1800's for a gold rush. There are warning signs everywhere when you enter. At points, I couldn't even look out the window because you couldn't see the road...only the very VERY deep canyons below. Our little guide dude was a Swiss dude who liked to lighten the mood by saying that no one has ever died on the road...only at the bottom of the canyons. It didn't really help much.

So at the river put in we got into a boat with seven other people and our guide. We were the only Americans. There were two Polish guys, two Irish people and an Austrian. The Polish guys and the Austrian chick had never rafted before...and you could tell. They were terrible paddlers. At one point, I felt bad, but I told the Austrian chick that she could actually put her paddle in the water and that if she stuck it in deep it would actually help. I was nice of course, but seriously, I had to say something because she was practically going to hit me in the head a couple of times. Although, to her credit, she fell out a couple times and by the end was a pro.


Our raft guide was an Aussie who definitely liked to rip on people and cause trouble, although he was hilarious. When he was giving all the safety instructions about when you fall in not standing up blah blah...all stuff I knew and had heard a couple of times, I was thinking no worries. I just won't fall in. I never have, so I won't this time. I am an old pro at this. He proceeds to talk about if the boat flips over and everyone falls in, swim out from under the boat grab onto the rope...blah, blah. Again, all stuff I had heard before, so I wasn't worried.

Oh, Jeff (Cook that is), Tim and I kept thinking of you because there were kayakers with us. They were guides to help the rafts, but it just made us think of you. We miss you! You would have loved this river!

Ok, so the trip starts, and it is seriously one of the most beautiful rivers ever. The water was so clean, and we were so far below in the canyon. It really was picturesque, and I was like so excited because I was just so happy to be rafting. I was thinking I wish this wasn't just a half day trip...blah blah.

Our guide seems like a pro, and we are cruising down the river. Tim and I are pros at paddling, and we never get yelled or lectured at from our guide (everyone else did). So here we are going down, some rapids are ahead but they aren't the class 5 ones. Our guide hasn't flipped a boat or had anyone fall in and is ripping on everyone else bragging about how awesome he is. So during our second or third set of rapids we get stuck on a rock. No worries, I am experienced, and I know this happens. So our guide says for everyone to go to the right, and Tim and I don't think twice. However, as soon as this happens another raft hits us and BAM our raft turns upside down and we are swimming for our lives. I seriously never thought the whole holding onto the boat or not standing up speech would come in handy. I mean survival mode kicks into my head and I am like I need to get the hek out from under this boat and I swim up . But the rapids are rushing and it is hard to hold onto. I have no idea what to do, but I keep holding on. Tim is awesome and makes sure I am doing what I am supposed to do. All of us in the boat are accounted for, and our guide stands on the raft and yells I need to flip the boat. I am like seriously...how the hek is that going to happen. We are supposed to swim to the back, which I do, but we can't stand up or we might get stuck under a rock or something. All of this gets too confusing, so I say screw it and swim to another raft and I proceed to let my paddle go. At this point I don't care, I just want to live. I look behind and Tim is fine, but the people in the other raft just stare at me as the raft continues to go down the river. Seriously, people, pull me up like they taught us. Finally, (I am sure this was only like five seconds but it felt like forever), I hear the other guide yell "PULL HER UP!" So I am rescued. I get in the boat, and look around...Tim is fine. He is in our raft (being the amazing outdoor man I think he actually helped our guide flip the boat), and everyone else is another raft. Phew we made it. I turn to look at everyone in the other raft, and they are staring at me. So I say "well just in case anyone was wondering, that was actually scary." (-:

So a few moments later, everyone gets back into our raft, and we are off. I actually get a little nervous at this point because we haven't even hit the class 4 or 5 rapids. I try not to worry. I say a prayer and focus on the beautiful surroundings.

Well, the class 5 rapids were flipping awesome, and we didn't fall out. All was well. We even had to go through a 150 meter or so tunnel.




The trip was pretty awesome, and I would totally do it again.

OK...that is all for now.