Guess who is back

Sailing
Sun
Snorkelling
Swimming
Scuba

They all rock.

Though it has to be said that having just got off the boat my body is still swaying from the rocking of the sea. And I have just found out that the water is out here in Aeirlee Beach. So no shower till later. The crew that were looking after us on the baot with have a day off with us so we are out on the razz tonight!

I welcome oblivion,

PS have got annoyed with every single bloody travller reading Dan Brown books. I don't approve of burning books, but with the ubiquity and quantity of his books, I approve of this if any one wants to join me! Book bonfire, come join me.

On the subject of alcohol...

Two things to note...
Who ever said australian beer is weak as piss. You were very, very much mistaken.

Secondly... I have acquired a taste for gin and tonic... Dear god get my slippers and pipe because I a turning into an old man!

Since I want to take it easy on the baot... Boooze an sea vessels may not be the best combination. I am taking some G and T with me on the boat for the next three days, it will be pleasant drink to sip on a cool night!

I will be back in the land of the elctronic in three days!

G- over and out (and hopefully not over board)

ALive... yet again

yep just to give you a short thing to say that....

I flew into Cairns... and did bugger all there.
then headed down to Townsville and Magnetic Island.
HAd a bloody amazing time there.
My tan has now been toppped up again!
Got slightly drunk.
Walked on Magnetic Island more than I care to mention.
Have headed down to Aeirlee Beach where I will be staying for 1 night before I go sailing for 2-3 days round the great barrier reef and the Whitsunday islands!
nuff said.

I will update you fully later on.

Consider my life and envy me!
G-short for God (ahhh delusions of grandeur)

Gaetan's more intellectual pursuits.

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• OK so I know I have only Uploaded Photo's of me having too much fun... which is true. But I have also been doing the toursist thing as well .

Places I have visited include :

• The Australia Museum
• Did the Oz trek
• Went to an AFL game (see Photo's)
• Walked all over town
• Visited China Town
• Went to Paddy's Market
• The Opera House
• The Botanical Gardens where I did a fantastic (and free) tour of the whole area. Though I would like to point out that I still dislike Botany.
• Went to the top of the Sky tower. 250m above the city with some amazing views.
• Watched Wedding chasers again (last night) and still pissed myself laughing... it is soooo goood.

I have to say again a big thank you to the Emma and Kathryn for keeping me at their house.

Now on to other details.... I don't know for the next 2-3 weeks about how much access to the net I will have since I will be flying up to Cairns this afternoon. Form there I will be grey hounding down the east coast eventually ending up back in Sydney. On the way I will be going sailing in the Whitsunday islands and also I will be going round Fraser island for 3 days as well. And this just scratchs the surface of where I will be going.

I should Also report that unfortunetly the Work visa thing here in Australia hasn't happened, shame I know, can't explain here online. But I will be spending some time at Questacon in canberra any way to check out some of their programmes. Afterwards it's off down to Melbourne to meet up With Greta!

Party photo's

Here are Just some of the Photo's from a crazy night out in Sydney town last friday night.... Now here is a good recipe for disater for all concerned. Take 2-3 people who know nothing about wine and then take 1 person who does, try to educate everyone on the different types/taste of wines. 5-6 bottles later feel very drunk then head to a club.

We started off by heading to Martin's place bar where the wine drinking/tasting started, A bit of a suited lawyer bar but good place none the less. Then we headed to the establishment bar on George street. It was at this bar I rapidly switched to Diet coke as I know that the wine I had been drinking awas going rapidly to my head. Apparently the girls as they described it where being 'Sleazed on' almost the instant they walked into the bar.

Unfortunatley some of my compatriots did not take the same course of action and woke up the next morning feeling worse for it. The night finished off with a compulsary trip to Mcdonalds and then a taxi back home.

From marnie

Marnie form Canada sent me these photo's of me from when we were drinking in the Side Bar ( the backpackers drinking hole in Sydney). Not the best I know but at least you know that I am still alive.

Sunflower Sutra

I have been wanting to put this up for a while, This a poem that was recited to us on the green tortoise trips ( in America by the Camp fire) by our bus Driver Jimmy and every time I read I love it even more. Have a read of it and feel free to take the piss out of me!

Sunflower Sutra
I walked on the banks of the tincan banana dock and
sat down under the huge shade of a Southern
Pacific locomotive to look at the sunset over the
box house hills and cry.

Jack Kerouac sat beside me on a busted rusty iron
pole, companion, we thought the same thoughts
of the soul, bleak and blue and sad-eyed,
surrounded by the gnarled steel roots of trees of
machinery.

The oily water on the river mirrored the red sky, sun
sank on top of final Frisco peaks, no fish in that
stream, no hermit in those mounts, just ourselves
rheumy-eyed and hungover like old bums
on the riverbank, tired and wily.

Look at the Sunflower, he said, there was a dead gray
shadow against the sky, big as a man, sitting
dry on top of a pile of ancient sawdust--
--I rushed up enchanted--it was my first sunflower,
memories of Blake--my visions--Harlem
and Hells of the Eastern rivers, bridges clanking Joes
Greasy Sandwiches, dead baby carriages, black
treadless tires forgotten and unretreaded, the
poem of the riverbank, condoms & pots, steel
knives, nothing stainless, only the dank muck
and the razor-sharp artifacts passing into the
past--

and the gray Sunflower poised against the sunset,
crackly bleak and dusty with the smut and smog
and smoke of olden locomotives in its eye--
corolla of bleary spikes pushed down and broken like
a battered crown, seeds fallen out of its face,
soon-to-be-toothless mouth of sunny air, sunrays
obliterated on its hairy head like a dried
wire spiderweb,

leaves stuck out like arms out of the stem, gestures
from the sawdust root, broke pieces of plaster
fallen out of the black twigs, a dead fly in its ear,
Unholy battered old thing you were, my sunflower O
my soul, I loved you then!

The grime was no man's grime but death and human
locomotives,
all that dress of dust, that veil of darkened railroad
skin, that smog of cheek, that eyelid of black
mis'ry, that sooty hand or phallus or protuberance
of artificial worse-than-dirt--industrial--
modern--all that civilization spotting your
crazy golden crown--

and those blear thoughts of death and dusty loveless
eyes and ends and withered roots below, in the
home-pile of sand and sawdust, rubber dollar
bills, skin of machinery, the guts and innards
of the weeping coughing car, the empty lonely
tincans with their rusty tongues alack, what
more could I name, the smoked ashes of some
cock cigar, the cunts of wheelbarrows and the
milky breasts of cars, wornout asses out of chairs
& sphincters of dynamos--all these
entangled in your mummied roots--and you there
standing before me in the sunset, all your glory
in your form!

A perfect beauty of a sunflower! a perfect excellent
lovely sunflower existence! a sweet natural eye
to the new hip moon, woke up alive and excited
grasping in the sunset shadow sunrise golden
monthly breeze!

How many flies buzzed round you innocent of your
grime, while you cursed the heavens of the
railroad and your flower soul?

Poor dead flower? when did you forget you were a
flower? when did you look at your skin and
decide you were an impotent dirty old locomotive?
the ghost of a locomotive? the specter and
shade of a once powerful mad American locomotive?
You were never no locomotive, Sunflower, you were a
sunflower!
And you Locomotive, you are a locomotive, forget me
not!

So I grabbed up the skeleton thick sunflower and stuck
it at my side like a scepter,
and deliver my sermon to my soul, and Jack's soul
too, and anyone who'll listen,

--We're not our skin of grime, we're not our dread
bleak dusty imageless locomotive, we're all
beautiful golden sunflowers inside, we're blessed
by our own seed & golden hairy naked
accomplishment-bodies growing into mad black
formal sunflowers in the sunset, spied on by our
eyes under the shadow of the mad locomotive
riverbank sunset Frisco hilly tincan evening
sitdown vision.
Allen Ginsberg

Berkeley, 1955

OK wollongong.

So the previous day Emma and myself that since she wasn't working the next day that we should do something else the next day that she hadn't done. So delving into the copies of Lonely planet before us we looked at the around Sydney section and found Wollongong with the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere.

We stopped off first in wollongong itself In the hope of finding a bike hire place in order to cycle around the area. But eh shop was not to be found. Stopping into a swank beach side cafe/Bar for lunch we asked about the best way to get there. Once they found out that we had no car they suggested that we could walk it.. And it would take about 1hr. Hell they even drew us a map .


Now this is the thing with people who drive anywhere. They have no idea how long it actually it takes to walk to a place especially if the route is meandering. We started to worry about where we were going when we haven't even passed Bluescope steel factory which was early on the map. Em's foot was going crazy painful. And although the scenery of town was nice, the same can't be said of the the steel works and the accompanying industrial park. We are pretty sure that walking along a road that had the noise level of the M25 did nothing for our lungs and the back of our throats had a distinct tingle to them, the sort you get when you have inhaled something BAD.

But after get this... 3 hrs let me repeat that. 3 HRS we got there utterly exhausted and high off of the local fumes. But with only 15 mins to look around things at the temple. I can now tell you that the Dalai Lama visited this temple and said of it it was a 'Lilly in a sea of shit!!'. But on the plus side we did get to see the temple at sunset and it was pretty beautiful but whether it was worth the Gruelling and unending walk is another matter!! My advice is Never go to Wollongong ! Ever.

ok that is now off of my chest. Let me update you on some of the other things that I have been up to. I went for a swim in the Australian swimming Pool here in Sydney which was fun. Went out to the Opera bar by ...Well the Opera house here and had some rather pricey ( well for a backpacker any way) wine. But a good night was had by all. Also and this apparently is a very touristy thing to do but i noticed the bats flying over the Harbour bridge at night. It is so cool. The locals are blasee about it but hey apparently live in the botanical gardens nearby and the bugs that are attracted to the harbor bridge lights, make a nice meal for the bats. So you see these lights reflect off of their bodies.

And A big thank you also to Emma and Kathryn because they are letting me stay at their flat ( the one I helped them move into) for a few days 4-5 days before I go up to the Cairns and also when I get back, completely free. They are complete gems!!

How I landed on feet that meant that I could stay with these two I have no Idea! But it's fantastic. Free accommodation and great company, what else could a guy want for...

ps Sydney Thrashed ....let me say that again..thrashed! Melbourne yesterday at the AFL match. A fun day out. Will update you soon with more Sydney tales next time I am online.

just to quickly say that I have uploaded my new photos to the net from my blog and all of them can be checked out here...

And that this weekend I will be watching an Australian rules football game. Between Melbourne and Syndey... apparently I should be cheering for Syndey? Comments please.

Oh and the blog of Wollongong Is coming along nicely expect a post tomorrow... or today or some time. I hate International Date lines. Laters

Day 4 (Sunday 14th)
Since i got into town I had needed to buy myself a new pair of jeans, so Johannnah and my self headed out to the braodway and to the glamourous K-mart and after getting her a new pair of shoes we sat down and had a little coffee which was a perfect way to get up in the morning. but pretty much after that it was a quiet day with me popping round to the girls house to do some laundry and then I ended up watching Being John Malkovitch again (genius of a film).

But to make sure I maintained my doing something cultural every day thing We , Em and myself, headed to the Power house museum. Which for all you museum affionados out there used to be run by Dr Lindsey Sharp, who now runs.... the science museum in london.

I have to say it is quite a good looking museum and again for all my buddies back in the museum world it does have an exhibition all about Sustainable develepoment and the environment.... sound familiar?

heh heh heh
Day 5 (Monday 15th)

Since Em was waiting to get her criminal record check to come into work (she's a pharmacist) she has had a lot of spare time and there are loads of thing that although she had lived in sydney for 6 months had yet to do. So we decided to do a trip to the Blue mountains around sydney. by taking the train to Katoomba. Now Em bless her heart is not a morning person, not by a long way.And she had wanted to get to the new zealand consulate to sort out some visa stuff at 9.00 am but... it didn't quite go that way. let us just say tha em made it over to me at 10.30 at the hudsons coffee house in opposite the building on Hunter street.



After a few other admin type things she needed to sort we headed to Central to get the train out. When we got to the station at 12.00 wesaw that the next train to Katoomba wasn't until 13.00!! what is that about. so we hung around on the train for 1 hr. and this wasn't the express train either so byt eh time we got there it was 14.30. It stoppped at every damn stop along the way. But it has to be said we were both hopefull that the lovely weather we have been having here in sydney would hold out till the mountains.

So we got to the place but it was looking voercast a littl ebut pretty much ok , except it was really cold! and the winds where practically gale force. We did some of the trails round there and as you can see I took some realy great photos's of the area.

On the way back we decided to stop of fina cool litle book shop in town (at Em's suggestion I would like to point out) for 10 mins, we browsed and then headed up to get a train...

We had missed it literally by two mins. So an hour, a couple of pints and some herb bread later we got on another train that took us back to town. Em also noticed that her foot was startingto act up. A portent of things to happen the next day In WOLLONGONG!

OZ-

OZ day 1 well after two flights and a rapid booking at the 'wake up' hostel while at the stop over in auckland ( thanks for the recommendations Chenie and Rivette). I rock up into town and get the airport shuttle to the hostel. Now I had been planning to hook up with Mel and Marnie from NZ but I had at the time I made the booking no idea where they where. But just as I get to registration desk to check in for the night i get a text from Mel. Lo and behold guess where they are staying? Yep the 'wake up' as well. So I book myself into room 306! I also found out that this place has wireless internet.!!! Pretty much we rocked up downstairs to the room

But this was Also the day when I first met Kathryn and Emma Or as they are known by their Crime Fighting names Higgins and Smithers.
These wo are amazing, they are into thier bad cheesy dancing as much as me... in fact I have to admit this.. they are bettter! Emma is the amazing pharmacist and Kathryn and superb doctor.. or at least that is what they have told me. And together I found my new dancing buddies. And despite the fact I had only just rocked up into town we partied like it were 1999. Oh and honorable mention goes to Tony, who had his Arsed pinched by creepy dancing shirt holding guy.

Day 2

One thing I have found that I enjoy doing and that is really usefull is that I like to try to orientate my self in the city. So i took a liesurly stroll along the main high streets here in Sydney (George and Pitt streets) and ended up in the harbour . So I saw the sydney harbour bridge and the opera house....that is two things off of the list. During the course of the day when I got back tot he hostel or in the Morning (I am not sure which), I Agreed to help Higs and smith move house the following day. Oh and I also purchased a new shirt for australia ... and got a hair cut (You should have seen my hair after Grand Tetons hair cut over a month ago)... things that where both desparately needed.

We went out in the evening again to the Side Bar (the bar attached to the Hostel). and met some other crazy medics who have got of fthe boat and are working over here (naz and Kelly). As you may know when you get a load of 20 somethings together from the Uk sometimes the conversationturns to Kids cartoons we remember, and everyone was genuinely and positively amazed by my level of knowledge. They had a load questions about transformers that i could answer easily.... strange that one.

Oh I forgot to mention that we started to play a drinking game before we went out and we were drinking with Gin and tonic....classy. the Names of Yates & Omar will forever be etched into my memory. nuff said. but later on in the eveving we sat down to watch big brother up stairs with our bottle of gin and just for future reference I should never become a cocktail maker. because by the end of the night there was no blood left in my Gin stream in my body. ow ow ow

PS I am only 4-5 days behind with the blog... .not bad hey! I am actually catching up with this thing. Given a few more days I might be able to get up to the present day.

Day 3

Helped Higgins (Kathryn) and Smithers (Emma) to move house in a Yute other wise known as a pick up truck with the shakiest alluminium back end. After a quick coffee in Liech Hardt, the area where all the Australian Itallian mafia hang out.

I was wondering what they would sound like though:
" What am i amusing to ya mate, Am i some type of feckin' clown to ya..."
Two new people joined our troupe in the house 1 french girl that even days later I have no idea who she was. then we had Johannah come along with us from Germany.

We all went out fro drinks but it was a biut of bust mainly because the party downstaris was shit and that weafter two nights of hard graft werea little bit tired. In fact I don't think I did anything touristy at all this day?

Fiji Time

Fiji

so I supppose i should be telling you of my amazing time and journey in Fiji.... but before i do i should finish off the time i spent in auckland... After the last day in the bay of islands i had some time to kill in Auckland and so Me, Marnie and Mel headed to the Auckland Museum. Now I am going to have to admit that my usual excellent navigatiofailed me we got lost in auckland with these two. Though Marnie seemed to like the look of the French guy who I asked directions from in French. Actually the girls were stunned by the fluent french I was Spouting.But after a two hour walk we got to the Auckland museum and saw some more amazing Moari and colonial exhibitions.


So I, Master chef.. or as one drunken girl (who I didn't cook for kept calling me " it's the fuckin' masterchef", had to cook for a load of people. 10 to be precise and I wanted to keep the budget down after the disaterously expensive Frahijtas the night before. All I am going to say is that you should see how surpised people were at eating food made with the chinese equivalent of super Noodles and canned tomato soup. Then the night descended into the usual end of trip chaos.. I am not sure me relating any of the details of the night would be a good idea... what happens on the final night stay on the final night.

So up nice and early with a slight hang over and to the airport with me... a three hour flight later and the film Madagascar I arrived at Nadi. Where As I was expecting the Usual chaos of an island laid back society and I was not dissapointed, the best bit is that they actually have a name for it Fiji Time.

When I booked the Fee Jee experience I knew that I would have to spend a day in Nadi... I had all these plans for going into town and checking things out.. but what actually happened was that I spent the whole day by the hostel pool in the 30c. So good I tell you. I never thought i could spend a whole day by a pool or beach... but you know what I was wrong! It was genius.

Some of the people I meet up that night were... Rachel from Quebec and Gwen from Nebraska and Mr Jo (you stay one more night mr JO!!)

Gwen seemed very enamoured of the the male dancers they had on that evening, but the less said about that the better... So an early start for us at 7.20 for us all on the Fiji Experience. Oh and I bumped into Lou again from the bay of island trip from NZ, which was sweet!

So what did our trip have in store for us, well first it was a stop in Nadi.. the ciy to which I flown in to and had not seen a thing of the previous day because i couldn't be arsed. We needed to do a money and food stop.It was pretty much at this point that i found out that i would not be able to cook for people. And I was devastated. after wards our first stop off was the beach on the coral coast.


Out came the Boggie boards and we where having fun in the waves for a good hour. There wasn't much surf to baord on... but it was doable. and me who had bearly done it before was showing others how to do it. Nothing like the arrogance. It was also whenlunch was being prepared that i found out that of all the people on the Fee Jee expereince bus (30+) i was the only vegatarian...

The next stop was a genuine fiji village 1 1/2 hours away on the south coast of the island we wondered around this placce and found out more about the nature of the traditional Fijian lifestyle and most of the kids where grabbing the girls hands and escorting them round. check out teh whole variety of amazing shots I took of the town. They are some of the best photos' I feel I have taken while being on holiday. While I was in the village though I didn't have a Sarong. Yes I had to wear a sarong... i know and it just feels wrong on so many levels.

Then it was off to our hostel for the night as the sun came down over the horizon of this tropical idyl. It was a bit of a wierd night first of all there was a dance performance for us here the 'tourists' which made me feel very weird and strange since it seemed to me that they where almost selling their culture to us and it felt cheapened in some way by it... on the other hand it allowed us to experience it. Have a listen for your selves. I did some Audio recordsings of the performances with my MP3 player check them out. Oh and I also did some Sand boarding (But it was better in NZ)

Fijimusic1
Fijimusic2

So I continue with possibly my longest entry any where on my blog, We where heading to the east of the Island and the capital where we would stay for the night. During the day we went ona mild to moderate 3 hour hike throuhg forest hils and 2ft deep river water. Please note the stupid looking fern crowns we all worn... dont ask why.

This was followed by a 25 min river tubing, then a river boat with others for 30 mins. I should be saying more about this I am sure but It was cool. The tubing was a dissapointment though after having done far better rapids in the USA and darker (as in no light) in the NZ.

The only problem with writting this all now is that it must come across a little like
" I Did this and this and this and this... Yawn"
My apologies on that I am trying my best but when writting a blog and Travellling the activities can sometimes be the highlight of the whole day.

The evening was a Kava night, for those of you who don't know what Kava is check out the following link. Kava. Any way the stuff tastes bloody awful and it was meant to have a doping effect. and I reckon It did absolutley nothing to me... I had 10 cups of the stuff and felt pretty much a big fat nothing. Even people who kept drinking the stuff till late in the night still felt that the only thing that hit them after 20 cups of the stuf they felt a sudden and desparate urge to pee.

DAY 3 2 things this day first off was the trip to a village, but his time we would take part inthe sevu sevu ceremony, where the People gather in a Bure ( the town house/hut) and drink.... guess what...yep Kava I can't get away from the stuff.

Check out the video me knocking back the stuff


Oh and I found it hilarious also that when we all had to introduce ourlselves all the boys deliberatly mentioned that they where single.. but the girls made no comment what so ever. hmmm wonder why that was kids?

What was a highlight for me was the fact that I watched as the villagers made thier jewellery, they where preparing some rings made from dried leaves, so i took out some paper and made one of them a ring made origami stunned some of the kids where amazed and so I made them a gazelle as well. as you can see here. oh and we went Bamboo raft piking

The afternoon saw us head for the an island off the north coast, a veritable island paradise . Stunning beechs and a great bar..what else could you want. The night turned into a bit of a drunken mess but on the positive side I did get to lie in a hammock with 2 girls for 4 hours tring desparatly to get to sleep. Nothing more need be said on the matter.

Day 4
With a slight hang over.. I then went snorkelling which i had allways intended to do at some point on Fiji and I tell you now there is no better way to wake up first thing in the morning. I have no idea about the great barrier reef but this was amazing. There were walls 2 metres high of coral. Puffer/lion/parrot/jelly fish. at ;east 8 differnt types of schools of fish with corouls that caught the eyes Electric blue star fish 2 ft across. It was utterly stunning. I don't have the words to describe it properly but it was the best way to wake up. I felt so alive after snorkelling for about 2 hrs. I think that is the best $15 I have ever spent to hire those fins.

So after that the only other thing of note to mention is the goat curry (or veggie in my case)we had in town. 1/2 Fiji's population is from India (indo-fijian). And then the mud pools int he afternoon which were a bit of a dissapointment after that glorious dswimint he morning.. We arrived back at the hsotel had a few drinkand got ready for the flight out to OZ the next day.

Click on the link you Guys and Gals. Trust me.

By the way you must all click on this site and read through it...

http://www.portobellofilmfestival.com/2005/Paradise%20Bar%2013%20August.html

I jest not!

Other New Zealand photo's

These are a load of photo's from my NZ trip that I did not get a chance to publish until now ... fior instance this is a picture from the Maori welcoming ceremony in Roturura
These are the Geothermal pools around Roturua, on the North Island of New Zealand
The last gimpy photo from San Francisco....I know ...


This is a rope bridge that used to be taken by workers at a hydroelctric plant in order to get to work.
Just the picture of the side of the bus
Whis is where I came out of the Black water cavers when I went cave tubing in Waitamo. Loved it

My last SFentry

I have had this written up for ages but not had a chance to write this up yet to the net... this is the blog from my last night in San Francisco... And as they say I left my heart in frisco... I want it back ok!!Well it has been a busy week, If only i could remeber what it was that I have been doing...

I sort have been bumming around town and visting lots of little places.. but nothing of any major consequence.

But on the other hand my alcholism is coming along really well. 2 nights ago.. it was free beer night at the Hostel (I know Free beer!!!) it was also a open mic night as well. Most of the acts where so so.. except for this one woman (girl) who has this almost pip squeeky voice... now when i was discussing her with everyone else round the table (all women) they said that all the men said that she had a sexy voice but they could n't see (or hear) it themselves. I then had to put them in our position and describe what it would be like to be seranaded by a guy with a potet yet unusual voice...

After the free beer had run out I made a new friend, Mr Lemon Bacardi. Everyone round the table also got to know him very well and he next morning.. e veryone wished they hadn't...ouch.

If you are ever in San fran or cailfornia in general there is something you need to check out Called Craigs List. it was one of the possibilites of how i was going to get down to LA on friday to fly to NEw zealand... It is a fantastic website where people can find out about ride shares and much more... check it out.. and if you want a laughcheck out teh casual encounters section. heh heh. in the end though I heard nothing back from the Craigs list which is a shame so I had to do the thing i dreaded most.. get the GREY HOUND... DUM DUM DAH...

.

I don't know if i wrote how much i hated it from my time going down the east coast of America.. but it wasn't something I was looking forward to... In the end though it was uneventfall, except we had the looniest job worthy bus driver ever... if had told us how to hold our penises while we were having a piss in the rest room it wouldn't have surprised me.

one fo the other things i wanted to add was to saywhere i got the idea for my Tattoo, when i was onthe green tortoise trip that took me to all of the National Parks there was girl called Nic who was origainally from New Zealand but had been working as a teacher in North carolina, she had a tatto in mandarin chinese on here ankle that said teacher. I though that was the was to tattoos, somehting meaningfull to your self. Cheers Nic for the Idea.

Going back to things I have been up to this week, thursday night was my last night out in town, and just like a sinking ship I was determined to take everyone down with me. We first hit a place where all the drinks were $1 each for an hour... I know. so we freely abused that privilage. By the way when i say we, the posse Last night consisted of.. If I can remember it and spell their names correctly

Miraim, Kirstie, Stu, Helen, Frances, Alisha, and a load of other people.

Highlights from the night include:
Stu drinking too much in the $1 rinks place and being thown out of the Cat Club after only about half an hour.
Getting a Cab down to the first drinks place and all of us haing a discussion about Breast sizes... Helen's FF to start with... while our stoical taxi river drove on in utter silence

Me dancing like a cheap slut most of the night with at least 8 different non Hostel women. And I think 2 of them snogged me... Details are stetchy at present but apparently all that but wiggling thing I can do is very popular. Thank god i took those 20-30 weeks of Dance mania classes years ago... Oh just had a flash back.. one girl did grab my crotch.

Feeling sad about leaving all these great people I had meet along all of Travels here in the green Trotoise. Boo Hoo
Wierdo german guy that was chatting up the lovely australian women in our group (sorry can't remeber your name), I had to intercept him a few times... bit of a loony apparently.
When the foot loose song came on and I opened up a can of dancin whoop ass on the Americans, they are so easily impressed
Playing late night pool with Kirstie and Serious pool playing girl looking on in dismay.
Staying up till 5 in the morning withthe lovely flora and kirstie listening to Sintra (Nancy and Frank).


Seriously though i can't recmmend the place enough... food, fun, entertainment and so much more. and the greatest people int he world who work there and in the tour buses. Love to all of you.

And to all of you travellers i meet there. thanks for making it a great experience and it is entirely possible i will be seeing you again sometime soon... keep in in touch Y'all

Bay of Islands ...Fiji to follow

yeah I have wireless access again and that means I can upload a load of photo's and so much more...

any way I still have to tell you all about final days in New Zealand.


As I have said before I really wanted to do the north island properly so I headed up north to the bay of islands with the Kiwi Experience again. The Only problem was the early start in the morning. 7.20 am... I don't work well at that time. The early part of the day was taken up with the driving and then stopping off briefly in the lush green fern rain forests. I had already seen with chantel the photo's from the bay of islands but still the Kauri trees we saw there were pretty spectacular.. These things live for about 4000 years.. But since all the old ones have been cut away the oldest one you will find is about 2000 only. Basically because we ripped them all down for wood! Nice one!

The afternoon we had a choice of doing an activity. So I and others Stacy included went to swim with dolphins... .Seriously. Just check out these amazing photo's of the experience.. I think we were a little unlucky as the dolphins were not in a properly playful mood but while snorkeling we saw a pack of 5 dolphins and they swam within about 2 meters of us all... The only problem was that the water was bloody freezing... And they only gave us shorties to wear... not really enough to keep us warm. But hey, I have now swam with dolphins how cool is that.!

Then we headed to our hostel for the night in Piahia , the Pipi patch Lodge. Some how I managed to convince a load of them to come with me to the karaoke that was on offer a few doors down at a quiet local bar for backpackers.. it was hillarious , as we walked in there was another person killing a song... Can no one actually sing in this world! We had a blast also as we watched 2 guys in a sort of a dance off for the attention of a girl it did turn kinda of sordid after a while!. Hilarious to watch.

Next day we hooked up with awesome adventures, which involved us Sandboarding on sand dunes, which when we got used to the gentle slope we proceeded to a more dangerous slope with bumps and jumps and a final slide across a flat river flow into reeds. It sounds scarier then it was. Also that day we headed to the very north of the country and saw where the Tasman and pacific ocean meet. We also did some boogie boarding in the sea. This was the first time i had done it and along with Melissa we had a complete blast doing it. Everyone else was worried that the water would be too cold or chicken to do it.. What ever. I am glad though I took with me my rash vest from surfing a really useful thing to have I tell ya.

Part of the day trip around the area here involves riding this big bus on the 90 mile beach and every now and then we stopped to check out dead animals. From penguins, gulls, seals, jelly fish and more sea food then you can shake a pot of sweet and sour sauce at.

I should also point out, I have discovered that I really, really love (and I think I am good at it as well) cooking for lots of people. In the two nights we were at the Pipi patch I cooked for 10 people one night then 7 the next. Everyone was stunned with the quality and quantity of food bought of seemingly miniscule budget like my apricot and sausage stew with pumpkin potato mash! Sweet as Bro.

But as all things do we had to head back to Auckland and leave Piahia. But had a made some new friends in the form of Mel and Marcy. Who are currently with me over here in Sydney... More to follow

Alive again...

have had an amazing time in Fiji.. I fly out tomorrow.. then i am off to sydney where i will be spending at lest a week in order to sort out a whole load of stuff... catch you down under ....again!

Bay of islands July 31 - august 2

My next trip I Have to blog about took place over three days in the northern most point of New Zealand.. Unfortunately with time so pressing and the internet charges being so expensive it will be a while before I will blog this up ... But it is coming Honest...

thursday-friday then saturday back to auckland

Well it was meant to be at any rate... But the weather around Taupo was a bit of a bust so we couldn't sky dive that day...Damn... So we just chilled out in Town and Stacy got her contacts ... Finally.

I offered to cook dinner as well Which was a Little bit peppery but other wise a lovely wholesome risotto of a meal. In fact it was the start of my reputation amongst the people I have been traveling with of being a db hand as a cook and being labeled as master chef! Which after all the other names I have been called in my life is a good thing.
since we also needed cheap entertainment I suggested for my own benefit to investigate the back catalogue of will Farrell films and in fact over 3-4 days I watched Anchor man, Dodge ball and Meet the fockers... All great films. Highly recommend Anchor man much under represented.

So a nice dinner and drinks later. Well actually quite a few drinks later... And much table dancing with Canadian girls. Table dancing as in I was on the table dancing with them... Before you ask. It descended into the usual sordid quagmire of people copping off with each other or at least attempting to... Except me. The reason why is that earlier on the evening I decided that since I was going to go sky diving I felt a hang over would be BAD THING!!! But I did lots to stir up the unnecessary rumor mill. Apparently the Bus driver tries to do it all the time and the rumor he was putting around was that I had to 'choose' between Chatal and Leslie... hmmmm. Wasn't going to happen.

But any way next day up bright and breezy for the sky dive.. Now I am not going to say much more about it apart fromt eh fact it was amazing.. You want to know more ask me about it next time we meet. But the girls and I , Stacy/Chatal/Leslie all headed to the Spa after wards and duly got our feet more wrinkled than an old Prune. So relaxing.. In fact so much so that we decided to go for a few drinks afterwards down at mulligans in Taupo again. That soon turned into 5 and I duly rolled into bed at 02.00 am.

But for me and Stacy this was to be our last night with the gang we had made as we where heading back up to Auckland the next day. So we said our goodbyes and wished them well for all the adventures they would have on the south island and beyond. Love you all guys stay frosty down there on the glacier.

G sending his love to his South bound posse...XXX


ps i am trying to keep this up to date honest

thursday ...Sky diving friday

well it was meant to be at any rate... but the weather around Taupo was a bit of a bust so we couldn't sky dive that day...Damn... so we just chilled out in Town and stacy got her contacts ... finally.

I offered to cook dinner as well Which was a Little bit peppery but other wise a lovely wholesome rissotto of a meal. In fact it was the start of my reputation amoungst the people i have been travelling with of being a db hand as a cook and being labelled as master chef! which after all the other names i have been called in my life is a good thing.
since we also needed cheap entertainement i suggested for my own benefit to investigate the back catalogue of will Farrel films and in fact over 3-4 days I watched Anchor man, Dodge ball and Meet the fockers... All great films. Highly recommend Anchor man much under represented.

So a nice dinner and drinks later. Well actually quite a few drinks later... and much table dancing with canadian girls. Table dancing as in I was on the table dancing with them... before you ask. It descended into the usual sordid quagmire of people copping off with each other or at least attempting to... except me. the reason why is that earlier on the evening i decided that since i was going to go sky diving i felt a hang over would be BAD THING!!! but i did lots to stir up the unnecessary rumour mill. Appraently the Bus driver tries to do it all the time and the rumour he was putting around was that I had to 'choose' between Chatal and lesley... hmmmm. wasn't going to happen.

But any way next day up bright and breezy for the sky dive.. now i am not going to say much more about it apart fromt eh fact it was amazing.. you want to know more ask me about it next time we meet. But the girls and I , Stacy/Chatal/lesley all headed to the Spa after wards and duely got our feet more wrinkled than an old Prune. so relaxing.. In fact so much so that we decided to go for a few drinks afterwards down at mulligans in Taupo again. That soon turned into 5 and I duely rolled into bed at 02.00 am.

But for me and stacy this was to be our last night withte gang we had made as we where haeding back up to auckland the next day. so we said our goodbyes and wished them well for all the adventures they would have on the south island and beyond. love you all guys stay frosty down there on the glacier.

G sending his love to his South bound posse...XXX

wed 2...something... I have no idea of dates

Some of the people on the bus decided to bug out of the trip for a couple of days to spend more time in Rotorura. But myself and others carried on regardless to our next destination and we where joined by the mad and crazy canadian travel Agent Lesley... (who loves ya Babe). If you ever want to travel and you are atravel agent you have it sorted.. she pretty much gets discounts and freebies everywhere! unbeleivable!

Any wqay the main activity for today, and yet another way NZ has Sapped more of my money was in Wiatomo.

In this Area there are a huge amount of cave networks and a bunch of us decided to do Black water rafting in them. Now for the unitiated in this activity. It involves travelling underground on a large rubber ring in complete darkness at times through cold running river water... so cool.

the best bits as well was that there were Glow worms all through the caves. and they looked so cool when we switched off our head lamps in the complete darkness and see these long glowing strands of liquid green light danling from the ceiling. We also had to jump off water fall into water 3-4 metres down with our ring.... needless to say we got completely soaked. But my persoanl highli8ght was when we had left most of the white water int eh caves and where just drifting in utter darkeness with the river the cave current pushing us along gently and after a while you see a faint light of the day at the end of the cave that comes into view proper once we went around the courner. then we walked out into a lush fern ridden forest that was reminiscent of something from jules vernes Lost world. Amazing. Not much else to report apart from the fact that Stacy fell over about 10 times in the cave.. he he he he.
laters... Ps reall up date.. I am flying out to Fiji Today give me heat!!