Seatbelts and Jesus on the Naked Bus?

As the sunset was approaching I hopped on a bus headed North to a town called Taupo. I took a taxi to a McDonald's across town from my hostel and in front I was picked up by a cheap as hell bus called The Naked Bus (if you go online at the right time you can buy tickets to so many places for around $20- similar to Mega Bus in Canada)

I had to wonder, what was with the name? The Naked Bus? Was the driver going to be some greasy, middle-aged naked dude encouraging everyone to take it off? Was I hopping onto a bus of fornication? It wasn't exactly what I had imagined. Just in time to beat a gust of rain, I hopped onto the bus as a fully-clothed middle aged dude threw my bags into the cargo space, got behind the wheel, told everyone to put their seatbelts (?) on and said a prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. That was a first! Seatbelts and Jesus on The Naked Bus? Alright! Ill take it! Its better than some drunk guy crapping his pants behind me and a delinquent mother who cant be bothered to soothe her baby's shrill cries for the entire ride...like on every single Greyhound bus ride Ive ever taken back home!

As we departed Wellington and hit the highway I watched the rolling green mountains go by, and thought about how lovely it was that even the suburbs haven't completely taken over nature. Dont get me wrong, there is plenty of development in the area, but still compared to most cities Ive visited you can see that nature is still King. Instead of a sprawling suburbia dotted with a tree here and there, there was a refreshing blanket of green for as far as I could see, and stunning mountains and coastal views with neighborhoods scattered here and there- mixing in, not parasitically reigning like other places Id been recently. The more I traveled New Zealand the more I noticed this reoccurring theme- Nature First. Thanks New Zealand, one more reason to love ya!

I was a little regretful I couldn't spend more time in the quaint, inviting, artistic and colorful city of Wellington but nevertheless, one must push onward. I could feel a great adventure coming my way, and so I told myself "I'll be back" (and I did return). Trying to cheer myself up I turned my focus to the reason I came to New Zealand: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, imagining it in all it's glory. At 3 a.m. those pesky fluorescent lights glared down on me. The Naked Bus had stopped.. Destination Taupo, check point!

Waking Up in New Zealand, Day 1

On the first of my 8 days in New Zealand I woke up at Base-X Wellington Hostel. It's quite a strange feeling to wake up and have to remember where you are, but after almost a year on the road I am getting used to it. As the night before came back to my memory, I remembered I was in New Zealand! YAY! A huge smile crept across my face. It feels amazing to be somewhere that you have imagined for so long.

 ~ I wish everyone could have the chance to experience this feeling.~

It was exactly 9:55 a.m. and check-out was 10:00 a.m. I knew this meant I had to get all my gear together and to the lobby in under 5 minutes but I cheerfully hopped down the stairs with all kilos in hand (after realizing this old hostel's elevators weren't exactly in tip-top shape.) But nooooo worries- I was in such a great mood nothing could get me down! 

I managed to check out at exactly 10:00 a.m.- muahaha....victory was mine! I grabbed a table in the lobby where a yummy breakfast greeted me.  Fresh orange juice after travel=revival of life! Hells yes! While I had a light brekkie, I opened up my daily calendar book, which is where I usually record all of my travel plans. I scribbled in some details over two cups of tea, O.J. and some jam and toast. I decided to spend the day sightseeing around the city of Wellington (which I had heard was awesome) and buy myself some extra travel time by taking a bus up the North Island that night.

My plan was to head North to Taupo (A), the volcanic area of NZ's North Island

Photo Credit: static.stuff.co.nz

But for now, Day 1 in New Zealand was all about discovering "Wellywood." After brekkie I re-arranged my gear so it would all fit in one of the lockers in the hostel's kitchen. While I was wrestling my tent onto my backpack, I struck up a conversation with this friendly fellow named Wallie. He was a middle-aged Lebanese guy who was in NZ on business, but it turned he was very interested in the whole backpacker lifestyle and also had a long history of travel. He had already traveled through many African countries which intrigued me and after a good 20 minutes chatting he asked if he could join me. I thought sure, why not?  We stepped outside into the crisp, clean air. It was a magnificent sunny day in downtown Wellington and the very best weather for a morning stroll around town! The breeze was cool, salty and delicious. After taking a quick inventory of the CBD we headed straight for the water.

Colorful Kayaks at the City Harbour

Sailboats on glistening waters

After strolling around the harbour and stopping for a quick lunch at an Indian restaurant we continued walking towards wherever looked interesting or beautiful (which was everywhere!).

Eventually we decided it would be great to see a view of the harbour from Mount Victoria. I didn't know the way, but Wallie said he did. As we hiked up the dirt and rock path he struggled a lot and had to take several breaks. I was in flip-flops and had no problems with the hike but stopped with him and caught glimpses of the water through the trees. But the further we walked, the dirt path got smaller and less distinct and I was afraid we might have taken a wrong turn. Wallie kept saying he was sure this was the right path, but I wasn't convinced. Looking off the cliff to the road I could see where many cars were lined up and I think the actual path was somewhere around those cars. I calculated the possibilities. 

Either A) Wallie had made an honest mistake and we were rambling up this hill for nothing, unknowingly, B) We were on the right path (but that seemed unlikely because of the lack of wear on the path, or C) We were going the wrong way and he knew it.

I knew what I had to do. Upfront and honest I just said "I dont think this is the right path and I dont want to go any further. Im leaving the track."  I made my way down towards the lines and colored streaks of cars down below. He tried to sway my decision to continue on the path, but I just knew it was a waste of time, and in fact, it could be dangerous. I didnt have proper footwear and more importantly, I really didn't know him at all. Wallie reluctantly agreed, and he too came down to what appeared to be the main route up the mountainside. It was bustling with people and cars and that gave me a feeling of relief. I was finally back in my comfort zone. 

As we climbed up to Mount Victoria, here is the view of Oriental Bay

Looking down on the harbour

 
After walking back into the city, we went down to the New Zealand's best and biggest museum the Te Papa Museum,which in the Maori language means "container of treasures".
I really wanted to learn about the indigenous of New Zealand and this seemed like the place to go and so we did.

Inside, was a massive, interactive museum with several floors and divisions of native Maori installations, as well as many, many geological exhibits. We walked through the maze of history for hours!

After filling our heads with as much information as humanly possible, we walked back to the hostel where went our separate ways. I never saw Wallie again.

Thanks for reading! 



 

A few things I highly recommend in Wellington, New Zealand:
 
Base Backpackers Hostel 
Te Papa Museum
Masala Indian Restaurant

"Crossing the Ditch" to New Zealand

Getting ready in Brisbane

My Roaming Backpack.. on the move again. And this time in search of one of the most beautiful and untouched countries in the world, 

New Zealand!

I was heading to New Zealand, home to the indigenous Maori people, active volcanoes, the flightless Kiwi bird and millions of sheep...(yes, sheep!)

The Kiwi bird on the NZ 1$ coin

I was "setting sail" for an exciting 8-day adventure in which I hoped to conquer the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, get the dry heat of Australia off me and get to some fresh, cool waters, do some kayaking and hopefully see some new wildlife! 

When people speak of NZ the pure and pristine eco-system is always a highlight and selling point.  I heard that NZ customs could be pretty strict on what kind of used hiking/camping gear they will allow into their country so I asked my Kiwi friend, Julia about it.  
Being on a backpacker's budget and not wanting to buy all new gear (NZ is not cheap either!), I decided to wash my backpack, sleeping mat, sleeping bag and then scrubbed my well broken-in hiking shoes with an old toothbrush. It was unbelievable what came off and out of those shoes. Australia is one dry, dusty country!

When I arrived at the Wellington airport, my gear was carefully eyed-up by a young and might I say, rather good-looking customs officer. Within a few minutes he was kind of doing his job while flirting with me.  It all felt kind of strange when he said he would need me to come into the quarantine room where he would inspect my tent, haha! Once inside he and his partner did inspect MY TENT. Luckily for me, they weren't very serious about much. We talked and laughed while they pointed out that I didn't look like the type to fly to NZ to hike the Tongariro, a 25 km hike through giant gorges and mountainous, active volcanic terrain. I knew it was purely based on my appearance, since I was dressed rather girly that day, but hey! After living in a mobile home in the middle-of-nowhere-Australia grading onions and watermelons, I was a little more than excited to be a girl again. Skirt, make-up, yes please!

After a little while longer, the fun wore off and I realized it was nearly 2 am and I was exhausted. The officer pointed to some seeds and dirt in my tent, so I helped him collect it into the corners of the tent which he then sucked out with a Dirt Devil. I was then released from the quarantine, waved goodbye to them and exited the airport.

 I was in New Zealand! Wooooooo! 


It was late and I wanted to get to bed as soon as possible to make the most of the following day. After haggling with local taxi drivers, I found the shuttle I wanted, which took me to the city in half an hour for 20$. I got dropped off at my hostel, Base X Wellington and snuck into the dorm room quietly. I climbed to the top bunk and sunk into what Im sure was the comfiest pillow and bed in New Zealand.It was starting to rain, and I fell alseep almost instantly.

Brisbane: Through My Eyes

Photo Credit: Brisbanetimes.com.au

I left Chinchilla and  headed 2 hours to the east coast, where I would catch my flight from bustling Brisbane. The city was lively, musical, artsy and in bloom. Unfortunately the hostel I chose called The Tin Pan or something like that was dirty, overcrowded and stifling, with not a window in any room. I made the best of it by spending most of my visit in Brisbane exploring the outdoors and the rad art installations all around the city. 

I headed down to walk along the riverbanks of Brisbane, since the city itself is actually 9 km or so away from the ocean. It was really quite beautiful. It's where the stunning modern architecture of the city meets the natural beauty of earth, air, and water. I was giddy about all the great aarchitecture, and became even more excited about Brisbane after checking out the street buskers.  

One stands out in my memory. A slightly overweight woman with a beautiful face. I remember her like it was yesterday. She had dark hair, dark eyes and plumps lips traced in deep red. She was sitting down, proudly playing this full-bodied, enchanting song on her cello. She was dressed in this crimson red dress made of a light, lingering material, which danced in the light breeze, and draped over her body, down to the ground and across the cobblestone path. She caught my eye and as I passed my face turned to keep watching her. When I looked away I realized everyone was doing the same. She was the fire.  The city seemed to be in perfect balance.

Passing under pergolas of vines and flowers, my friend and I (who had eventually got back onto speaking terms) made our way to the outdoor markets and to the revered Spanish Restaurant, OLE.
  
The food and drinks were very good and I enjoyed the atmosphere. I started to think I should have come to Brisbane sooner. The energy in this city was so different from other Aussie cities I experienced. I had been in Sydney many times, and in honesty, it was nothing spectacular. I skipped over Melbourne, which Ive heard has an amazing nightlife (but not much else, of course depending what your interests are) and  made my way to Adelaide, which was likeable- but Brisbane, now that's my kinda place. 

If you like art, green space, local food and a community feeling in a warm, sunny place, Brisbane just might be for you.

 Fortunately my not wanting to leave was combated by the fact that I was headed for New Zealand (!), one of the greatest destinations in the world. It was looking like my wishlist was starting to come true.  

The next day I caught a direct train to the "Brissy" airport and flew over "the ditch" to Wellington, New Zealand.

The Predicament: Wanderlust

The predicament was a multi-layered, multi-faceted, rather CONFUSING travel itinerary.

 See, when I first left home, I knew I wanted to touch base in as many places as humanly possible- that being said, I was rather flexible with the travel route I was going to undertake, but had a rough idea of where i might go: Australiasia, Asia, Africa and most likely some side of Europe. I was flexible, except for one thing- AFRICA. 

It has been a dream of mine for many, many years to do, and being so close to acheiving a dream, I told myself, whatever negotiations or changes happen in the plans, there would be 
no way in hell that I would give up the Africa trip for anything else. I would do whatever it took. Africa was IT, it was everything to me-it was my main goal. 

About one month into my Australia trip I came to realize just how expensive it is Down Under, and I knew that if I didn't plan ahead, that 'Africa-savings fund' I had built up in Canada could easily get eroded away. So I went ahead, took a leap of faith and booked a flight to Cape Town, South Africa there and then. It was pricey, very pricey, and was booked months in advance, but I took the chance because I knew that if I had that flight, it would keep me motivated and keep me goal-oriented. In my mind, with that ticket already bought, I would HAVE to get there. Anyway- anyhow. My flight was booked to leave Sydney, Australia at the end of March, 2013, 7 months away.

Now during my last 3 months in Australia, there was one month when I went unemployed. It was....well, it sucked. It was so boring because I couldn't afford to do much and because I was basically in the middle of nowhere and you needed a car to do really anything at all. It just wasnt feasible to invest 2-3,000$ into a car for only a few months, so I was pretty much immobilized for that month. As I've mentioned in other posts, living with out a job in Australia is walking a dangerous line. Even just eating on a regular basis will throw you into a dark deep hole of debt without income being generated to off-set the hefty expenses of rent and food. (Groceries cost 2-3 times more in Australia than they do in Canada).

Happiness is a warm loaf of bread

 To reduce my spending I tried to find cheap ways to entertain and feed myself. I got more into yoga, spent a lot of time baking fresh bread, foccacia buns, and experimenting with making rice pudding and baking quiches. It was actually really fun- and I discovered middle-eastern spices are amaaaazing in a vegetarian quiche. I also had to humble myself and accept a cleaning job from the local caravan park, "The Happy Apple". Yes, I was the lady who washed the kitchen sinks, scrubbed out the microwave, mopped the floors, wiped the tables, cleaned the toilets, scrubbed down the shower stalls and emptied out the maggot-filled garbage cans. It was not a glamourizing job, at all, but it was definiely a humbling experience and it probably saved me 700$.


While I was scrubbing shower stalls, baking middle-eastern quiches and oh ya, tanning in the backyard, I had a lot of time to think. I mostly thought about how to make money, but I also had some 'DNM', deep and meaninful time to myself. In that time I realized that I ever since I volunteered as a teacher in Thailand in the dry season of 2012, Ive been more interested in teaching english as a foreign language. 

Prepared for the interview!

One day I printed off an application form to take a CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching of Adults) course in Chiang Mai in February. I took my time and spent a few weeks doing the "Pre-interview task", and then finally had a phone interview from Bangkok. I was accepted! I was so happy. Then the interviewer told me the Chiang Mai course was actually full, but since I was accepted they could fit me in the Bangkok one. Afraid and intimidated (Bangkok was not my favourite place lasttime I was in Thailand), I accepted. I knew I would just have to find a way to get the balls to do it. (More on how that turned out later.)

Other then that there was one tic-tac sized problem...........
my flight to Africa!! It was leaving from SYDNEY, at the end of March. Now what was I to do...? Fly to Bangkok for February and then back to Sydney again just to fly all the way back over the same route to South Africa??  You still with me? 

To my luck, and amazingly enough, was able to change my flight so that I could actually leave Australia early, get to Bangkok for the course in February, and then fly out of Bangkok-->UAE--> CPT (Cape Town) at the end of March. And BINGO was his name-o! Mind you, it cost me an extra 400$, but hey- I was satisfied, it was a better alternative than losing the entire flight, or having to back out of the CELTA course!

So- now that Ive got you all caught up, lets just re-cap.
Its the end of December, Im in little ol' Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia.
I have a flight now leaving Sydney on January 15th, 2013 (2 weeks before the CELTA exam) which will take me to Bangkok. Then February 4th I start the CELTA course in Bangkok, I graduate March 1st, and then I have one month with nothing to do until my next plane leaves Bangkok at the end of March.

This leaves me with 2 weeks free now, and March free. Do I stay in Australia for another 2 weeks?(gaaahhh...when will this be overrrr?)  I don't really have much choice, since I NEED to catch that flight from Sydney- I mean, Ive already changed my itinerary once for 400$, Im not changing it again!...................
Then it hit me. NEW ZEALAND.

Flying Solo

To all my beautiful and loyal blog-readers,
You may be asking if I have fallen off the face of the earth- I know, it's been awhile.
The answer is, YES, I have fallen off the face of the earth because I feel like Ive been living in the sky! The last 3 months have been insanely fun and filled with more flights to various destinations than I can count. Since leaving Australia I have been on the go- constantly! In exhausting times I found myself thinking of one of my favourite quotes:

The good news is I have so much to share with you- and I am going to do my best to catch you up on what's been happening to me and My Roaming Backpack as we've been checkin out the world in all it's amazingness.

As you know, Australia was a rough go for me (I can post about that later- but let's just say financially, physically, mentally, the gamble didn't really pay off and the WHV wasn't all it was cracked up to be.) However! The stellar backpacker friends I made in Chinchilla (in the middle of nowhere) were my favourite part of my whole experience and Im glad I met them- otherwise I would have left Australia with a chip on my shoulder, remember all the bad experiences I had there. Saying goodbye to those amazing people on my last days was so hard but it left me departing Australia on a happy note and with good memories. 

*Shout outs to Lydia, Marie, Julia, Elaine, Dori, Dickson, Jack, Sam, Felix and Im sure Im forgetting some people, but you know who you are!*

Now, you may know that I originally flew to Australia with my friend Scott. We had backpacked across Thailand for 9 weeks earlier in 2012 and he proved to be an excellent travel companion, however- when traveling with someone for along time "break-outs" can occur. Scott and I had a pretty massive "falling-out" (of which I won't bother getting into the dirty details) and after this argument I was very, very upset and didn't know where to go, or what to do. All I knew was that it was time for me to get back on the road- and this time, alone. 

Brisbane is beautiful in the summer. Flowers, street music, walking trails...

After we split ways I traveled Australia alone for a month and a half (which is how I ended up in Chinchilla of all places-aka- the sticks, and found my way into a great circle of new found friends in the outback), but after working out in the hot, dusty Australian nowhere I had yet another feeling it was time to get going, again. After awhile you just have a knack for these things- if you pay attention and listen closely to the signs you will know when to stay and when to go.  But then I found myself in a pre-dicament...

New Years in OZ- Ringing in 2013- Monteray Style!

I wont lie- I was very excited to get out of Australia and return back to Asia, but in all honesty, after living with 20 other amazing backpackers and forming some great friendships, I almost didnt want to leave.

 One of the best memories I have/ kind of don't have, was New Years Eve on the farm (which was dubbed 'Monteray') As another breath-taking sunset fell on us, we took it all in and got prepared for a decidedly sloppy night on the farm. A few days before the event, my friend Lydia (from France) and I were making plans for the party and deciding what liquor to buy. I mentioned the classic drink: The Caesar. To my shock her, or anyone else for that matter had never tried one, and didnt even know what it was! I took the liberty of introducing everyone, with what ingredients I could scrounge up from Chinchilla's local IGA. Now, believe it or not, Australia does not have Clamato or any Clam/tomato juice, so I had to make due with some V8 type juice, which is no comparison, but hey! You make due when youre in no-mans land!

i

 PRE-DRINKS!
The Caesars were a hit-a little too much! We ran out of plain vodka and decided to use lemon vodka and yes..ew, vanilla vodka..but hey! Its better than Goon! (a cheap boxed wine popular in Australia, which I dont even think has any grapes in it, I heard it is made from shellfish and other nasty ingredients..) One thing lead to another and soon enough we were passing around the 'boxhead' in "Kings".

We finished the night by walking down the road with a cooler of Corona and limes ( pitch black Australian road in the middle of the outback= super creepy!!)... but we made it and set up a fire down by the river! I remember walking down there with Marie from France and WOW did we have so much fun...lol...long story!

After this point I cant say I remember that much, except for the midnight hugs n kisses, the guys pulling a massive turtle out of the river, Jack being wasted drunk and having to go home early and me getting in trouble for dancing on a car....

A Very Ozzy Christmas in Queensland, Australia

MmMmM...

Champagne &

Pavolva!

Elaines creative decorations!

My favourite German couple- Jan-Felix and Elaine

Lydia, Moi et Marie

Dori and Lydia

15 Backpackers, One Hot Australian Day, Lots of Cold Beers!

Represent, World-wide! England, Ireland, Hong Kong, Belgium, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Canada, and France! WHAT UP!?

After grading onions and harvesting watermelons on the farm in Queensland, Australia for a few weeks the winter holidays were creeping ever closer. When we were hired, we all knew we were expected to work through the Christmas and New Years holiday, but as the holiday got closer the word on the street was that we might actually get a day or two off for Christmas! I, myself dont make much of Christmas these days- traveling sort of does that to you. It would be nice to be with the rest of your family for dinner and so on, but all in all, its not a big deal. Would I trade in traveling to go back for a few days? No.
Still, when I found out that we had 2 days off and there would be free beers for us waiting back at the onion shed... I was pretty happy! And so was everyone else, it was a great surprise. It had been a long day in the Australian sun and a few cold beers would do the trick!

Dickson from Hong Kong and Marie from France, 2 amazing people!

Lydia from France et moi! Man I miss her so much!!

The lot of us! Now theres some hard-working backpackers

Working in Queensland, Australia: Where the Watermelons Grow

The beginning of another beautiful sunrise

I woke up everyday around 4 am, which would give me just enough time to see a beautiful sunrise, wash up, have breakfast, pack a lunch and be out of the door for 5:15 am. Then around 15 backpackers including myself would hop into a rickety old van that could barely hold us all and drove 15 or 30 minutes down some lazy, red dusty back roads until we reached a exspanse of melon fields.

We made sure to always bring  a few liters of water and a good lunch because once we were out in the field there was nowhere to fuel up or go to the bathroom for that matter(even popping a squat was out of the question as there are no trees or grass in the fields) Just flat, red sand on the horizon. Anyhow, somehow the girls made due!

Once we got to the general area of the field everyday, a tractor towing a huge truck bed would meet us out there. The bed is equipped with 2 booms that attach at either side of the bed and these have conveyor belts on them. The bed is also equipped with a conveyor belt (we are sitting on it in the picture below to the left)<----

So how does it work? Once the tractor/truck bed combo is in the proper row, another tractor comes to remove the booms from their storage place on the side of the bed and assembles them to run perpendicular from the bed itself. Then the harvesters walk in a line behind the boom, picking any melons which are ripe and ready. They simply throw the melons on the boom, which then moves down the boom's conveyor belt, which is then transferred to the belt on the bed. The melons then move directly to us, the packers.
Once the melons move their way down the belt, it was our job to sort the melons by size and color depending what the farmer wants. For example, medium light green in one box, medium dark green in another. 

Melon pickers walk barefoot to make sure not to crush any melons

Sometimes youve gotta make your own fun!

<3 Lydia!

 Usually we would work from 530 am-1030am and then break for lunch under what shade was still left under the roof of the truck bed.

Then we would continue on until the afternoon, sometime between 130 and 330 pm. Some days were okay, reasonable heat.. and they passed by quickly. Other days were brutally hot, stifling, you broke a sweat by 8 am and didnt stop sweating until the shift was over! Those days passed so sloooowwwlyyyy.. it as if theyd never end. Luckily most days I worked with Lydia, my bestie on the farm:P Her and I just clicked from the day we met, and we spent most work days just laughing our asses off! She was like my personal stand-up comedian for 8 hours a day, and a great friend to me. Im really glad I had the chance to meet her and cant wait to meet up with her in Asia, (or perhaps in her homeland of France one day?) We both preferred sorting onions to packing watermelons, but working alongside eachother helped pass the days and weeks on the back of that truck bed. Overall, packing watermelons is not the worst job in the world, but I cant say I miss it. I do however miss all the great people I met on that farm. :)