New York, New York, so good they had to name it twice!

I was horrifed to see that I haven't blogged anything since I was in New Zealand- where has the time gone. After NZ I, of course, returned to the wonderful continent of Australia where I spent a mostly happy month being a bum and moving around constantly. I did the East coast by bus which is a real experience in Aus. My favourite place was Townsville, although Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef also holds a special place in my heart! The bad times were nothing to do with Australia but all to do with some of the dreadful people that I met in the hostels there- the Irish guys who took it upon themselves to rake through my back pack when I was out and used my camera to take gross pics of themselves, the drunks, the loud hostels where everyone wanted to just get drunk and shag. But a few weeks in Perth and S Australia (Margaret River, Albany, Pemberton, Denmark) with the vineyards and lovely beaches, were balm to a wounded soul. Then Darwin with its beautiful national parks, then Adelaide, then NYC!

Enough about Aus! Manhattan alone is enough to fill this page. I truly love this place. Its certainly not somewhere that is sympathetic, nurturing or caring (I witnessed that myself when I slipped and fell in the rain in the middle of the road. No one offered any assistance and cabs just drove around me shouting at me to get out of the way!) But if you are able to get around and enjoy it, it has so much to offer. The touristy things are of course things like the Empire State Building (wonderful views!), the Statue of Liberty (smaller than I thought but strangely powerful and special) Central Park (where my favourite spot is next to the Jackie Onassis Kennedy resevoir) and things like shows on Broadway. Not to mention Times Square and all that jazz. But what you don't see as a tourist are all of the tiny and out of the way things. The little cafes and patisseries in the East Village. The wonderful and comic pubs and jazz music in the West Village. The deli food in the Upper West Side. The beat and rhythm and soul in Harlem. The snobbishness and uppity manner of those who can afford a place in Midtown. The atmosphere as you stroll the streets on a warm summer night in any of those places. The tiny and inexpensive shopping options on the famous 5th Avenue. I love it. The food, the music, the bars. Oh and the free stuff- even in Manhattan. There are free Shakespeare plays and dance shows and concerts, mainly in Central Park, all throughout the summer. You can sometimes get free trials to the health clubs. And there is always a bargain to be had in the street stalls- whether its bags, boots or bell peppers, its all there!

I'm also enjoying the volunteer work that I'm doing. The Caring Community is one of the few organisations in Manhattan that looks after the interests of older people (in Manhattan, once you turn 60, you're pretty expendable and no one really cares what happens to you.) So they offer food and company and classes to anyone over 60 who wishes to come. I'm doing some work on the social work side of things, since the funding for social workers has been cut very drastically in Manhattan in the last couple of weeks. 4 social workers have had to leave this week because there is no longer funding to pay them to keep their jobs. Of course the one client group that suffers most from loss is the older people, who resent anyone new coming along and don't deal with transitions well. So I'm just doing very basic case management, answering enquiries where possible and helpingout as much as I can. Sometimes this just involves answering the phone- but it saves someone else having to do it!! And I'm working in all 4 centres in different places in Manhattan so it keeps me busy and I get around!

So thats it. Loving life in the good ol' US of A!

Cape Reinga

One of the places that I wnated to visit most in New Zealand was Cape Reinga. Its not quite the most northerly point but it is one of the most important. Cape Reinga is where the Maori believe that the departed souls of the dead begin their journey to the underworld. It goes something like this....

When the soul is sentinent enough to realise that it may be departed, it makes its way to Cape Reinga. On the mountainside there are 2 springs. To drink from one means going onward to the next world. To take from the other means going back to humanity. The spirit must choose and decide which way to go. If they decide they wish to go to the next world, they must drink and then make their way down the path to where the oceans collide. Then they must find the tree on the cliffside. This tree is sacred and only Maoris may go anywhere near it. The roots form rough steps and the soul must make its way down them and be precariously balanced over the rough sea. Then with a great leap and joyousness of spirit, the soul begins its long and arduous journey to the next world.....

The Creation of New Zealand

One day the great Maori warrior, Maui, was out fishing in his waka (canoe) when he caught a giant fish. It thrashed and tried desparately to escape but Maui was strong and hung on, knowing that the fish could feed his family for a long time. But their strength was equally matched and neither could win. The battel went on for so long that they turned into stone. Maui's waka became the South Island of NZ, the anchor for his waka becam Stewart Island and the fish became the North Island. The places where the fish had struggled and beaten Maui with its tail became the mountains and volcanoes of the South Island, which is why its so rugged and mountainous.

Being in New Zealand

Things I like about being in New Zealand:

Being able to walk around at midday in a T shirt. Even though its officially winter.
Being able to look up at midnight and see the stars- and sometimes the Milky Way- without any pollution from lights or other electricity sources.
Being able to smile and say hello to strangers and not have them think that you are crazy/perv/maddo/strange.
Being able to drive for 8 hours and see only 10 cars.
Being able to stop and get out and walk around and be in the country side even though you are on the State Highway- because they are all in the mountains and country side.
Being able to feed the ducks.
Being able to walk sown any street at midnight and not fear for your life/wallet/virginity (ahem!)
Being able to stare into space with your thoughts and not have the locals think you are crazy/perv/maddo/strange.
Being able to be in the rainforest but still admire the awesome glacier- because the live companionably side by side.
Being able to find serviced petrol stations. And occasionally a serviced grocery store (I kid you not!)

Actually....just being.

Fleeting impressions of New Zealand

Photos from top- Queenstown from the bungy platform, me at Abel Tasman National Park and the Remarkables mountain range.

I keep thinking of things while I'm driving or doing something else and thinking Oh I must put that into my blog. Of course by the time I get here I've forgotten all about it and waste valuable compter time scratching my head and trying to remember what it was. So I'm just going to put down a few of my impressions of New Zealand while I recall them. These are in no particular order....

The people. Amazing. Friendly. Helpful. Welcoming. At first we had a few problems with the camper van and folks just broke their necks trying to assist us. Lovely.

The scenery. Awesome. Breathtaking. Loads of mountains and hills and lakes, not to mention the most beautiful coast lines I have ever seen. And the funny thing is that you don't get tired of it, you just get progressively drunker on it.

The peace. So many areas are small with small or no population. So when you turn off your engine all you can here are the birds singing and the waterfall running. Wonderful and soothing for the soul.

The driving. There's been a whole lot of it and sometimes I get tired but in reality it gives me time to think and assess my life and try to figure out what I'm doing next.

Having a friend to share it with. I am so used to travelling on my own that it took my a while to adjust to having Hannah there with me. But for some things its wonderful to Ooohhh and Aahhh over them with someone! Waiheke Island, Auckland, Rotorua- it also helped that she is another LOTR geek so interests in common!

These things deserve a whole entry of their own so I'll just briefly mention them:

Swimming with real wild dolphins at Akaroa. The Hector dolphin is the smallest and rarest fo dolphins so it was a real priviledge to have these intelligent and friendly creatures come up to me and say hello. Really puts life in perspective.

And of course the bungy jump. AWESOME thrill and never been so terrified in all my life. Talk about putting life in perspective!!

The last mention goes to Sarah and John, a couple from Auckland that I met while on a wine tour in Blenheim. We chatted for the few hours that we knew each other and on leaving they provided me with John's business card and their home phone number. Also with strict instructions to call them if I was in Auckland and stuck in any way- from needing bailed out from jail to needing a bed for the night. See what I mean about the people.....

Amazing Australia

So although I was in Aus for 3 months I never did get around to blogging anything about it. There are a number of reasons for this but I think it was most likely that I wasn't working and felt I had nothing to say. Also I felt as though I was living there instead of travelling there so it was a different vibe althogether.

Australis is certainly one of my favourite places so far. The people are friendly and welcoming and ready to assist you in any way that they can. Its beautiful- and, of course, its hot which is high on my list of priorites!

I visited Tasmania, Alice Springs, Sydney and lived in Melbourne. For a city, Mel is very laid back and relaxed and I loved the atmosphere there. Alice was small and not very exciting but of course I was really there to be picked up for my camping safari to Uluru which was the height of cool. I have had an interest in this genuine monolith (the only one in the world!) for some time so it was fascinating to really see it and hear more about its history and the importance it represents in Aboriginal history.

Sydney was quite pretty and I liked being there but I was glad that I was only there for three days. It doesn't have much depth to it and its heavily based around the tourists.

Tasmania was beautiful and amazing. I loved Launceston in the north which is tiny and has a real country town feel to it- very few people live there so its not surprising! Hobart is in the south and that was interesting but not terribly exciting. I also visited the stunning and gorgeous east coast in particular Freycinet National Park, which is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen.

But a lot of my time was spent at the gym and just hanging out and appreciating all the things that you don't get to have when you are constantly on the move (you know- a real kitchen, a shower that you don't have to share with dozens of others, playing a cd or watching a movie whenever you feel like it!) I love travelling but it was good to catch my breath, take stock of what I'm doing and just appreciate standing still for a while. I made good friends, stayed with lovely people and was very sad to leave this land behind.

One small comment that I must make is, of course ,regarding the aboriginal people. These folks are in a real sad state. Especially in places like Alice and the more remote regions its not uncommon to see very drunk and drugged up Aboriginies. They have high unemployment, high drug use, high alcoholism, low education- all the worst social problems. For me the saddest thing was seing a proud and beautiful tribe of people reduced to squalour and it all being our fault (as in the white person's) Remants of the Stolen Generation are still around and the effects resonate to this day. The government has only now begun to recognise that much assistance is needed and is now beginning to give land and so on back to various tribes- but there is a strong sense of too little, too late. There is also still an element of Aboriginals being a bit pissed off that white people are still trying to tell them what to do- albeit in a well meaning manner. My feeling is that they need to be given help and support to solve their own problems. White people have no clear idea of the difficulties faced by black people- so of course it makes perfect sense for white people to make it all better- NOT! I could go on in this vein for days as it is a subject very close to my heart. However, I won't. I will say that the Prime Minister of Australia has recently made a very public apology to Aboriginal people for the way that they have been treated. Maybe this will start the healing process and the long road to recovery for this "Lost People".

We can only hope.

Talking Thai

So I never did get around to posting any blog re my time in Thailand which is shameful given that I was there for so long and was stuck for days in Bangkok. Here it is now though...

Spent 2 days in Bangkok first of all and was not impressed. Perhaps my perception was coloured by my reading about it and thinking about it before I went. I don't know. All I know is that I found it to be big and noisy and dirty, with not that many exciting things to do really. Very disappointing. I also found the people of Bangkok to be different to other Asians. Not so friendly or helpful although it should be noted that this is a generalisation in the extreme!

Moved on to Chiang Mai and the Thailand experience immediately got better. Chiang Mai is an ancient city in the north of Thailand, and is populated heavily by hill tribes who live very peacefully and with only the basic amenities available to them. It's beautiful and not so noisy as Bangkok although its nearly as big. I had some fun there - did some volunteer work with elephants, did a 5 hour zipline course which was amazing fun and met some very cool people there. I also visited the hill tribes and did a days trekking in the mountains- which nearly killed me by the way! The guesthouse that I stayed in was cheap and clean and comfortable and the people who ran it were simply lovely. The only bad thing about Chiang Mai is that it is where I parted ways with Mido which was the right thing to do but made me very sad, so I have some upsetting memories of the place. Otherwise all good.

From Chiang Mai I moved on to Koh Chang, one of the little islands that is situated in the west coast. It has only 5000 inhabitants. I would recommend that it be visited as soon as possible though as it will soon become the Benidorm of Thailand. For the moment however, its got the right amount of amenites and conveniencies without being painfully touristy. The waters are crystal clear, the sand is white and the people are warm and friendly. Beautiful. Also did 2 days volunteer work here- with the Koh Chang Animal Foundation. Run by American Lisa McAlonie, it provides treatment and assistance for the islands small animal population. She also does surgery etc for the islands pets and if the owners cant afford to pay then she doesnt charge them. Lisa is a little bit crazy and I think if I stayed any longer she would make me crazy too! But she is warm and good hearted and I enjoyed the experience.

I stayed in Koh Chang for 6 days then headed back to Bangkok to discover that the airport was shut with protesters at the doors and no flights were taking off. So I had the joy of wasting 5 days in Bangkok- trust me, it was no joy!! But it did give me time to relax a bit and take stock of where I was and what I was doing. 10 months away from home already and it only feels like 5 minutes. Time really does fly by....

Travelling has opened my eyes not only to the differences in the world but also to the similarities. People are just people, no matter where you are in the world. They get up in the morning and try to get through the day, some with a smile on their face and some with a scowl. They have the same trials and difficulties, they have the same joys and celebrations and the same heartbreaks. I remember going to a funeral in Tanzania and although the customs were different, the widow was still a widow and the children had still lost their father. The adults in Kenya were battling Aids with some of the same perspicacity and courage that can be seen at times in Britain. When you suffer a loss or a struggle, you think that you have the toughest of everybody and that no one could understand what you are going through. Travelling has shown me that is not the case and the world is filled with folks just trying to get by. Not to mention the fact that there is a McDonalds on every street corner no matter where you are in the world and that there was a KFC in Cambodia- perhaps not such favourable comparisons. I'll leave it for you to judge, dear Reader.

Till next time.