Thu Aug 31, 2006
New Imports from SouthEast Asia
Just click the link below to take a look at our new Vietnamese Water Puppets...
http://www.amazingtravels.com/puppets/index.html
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linkWed Dec 22, 2004
New eBay store!
Check out our new eBay store: turbanjungle! It's here: www.stores.ebay.com/turbanjungle
We have a collection of handcrafted items we picked up in India, super sweet silk sleep saks from Vietnam (say that five times fast), and other great items. Check it out if you have a chance!
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linkMon Sep 06, 2004
Treading Water in Portland
Well we have technically moved on from our 5 month stint in California and are staying at my cousin's apartment in Portland. She's in Australia at the moment and we are jealous. We are trying to decide if we want to stay here or go across the river for cheaper housing in Vancouver, WA or go up to Seattle where it's alot more $$$$$.
I was unfortunately not able to get a job teaching even though I applied for 30 jobs. All that photocopying and filling out apps and I got zilch. Very frusterating! So we have to pick an area and hope for the best. Once we decide where we have to decide if we want to go cheaper and save to get out again or to go bigger and settle in and be cool with summer travel. It's all very overwhelming and we are having a tough time settling in even though we have been back for 5 1/2 months! Hopefully we can figure this all out in the next 2 weeks before my cousin comes home and wants her bed back!
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linkMon Jul 26, 2004
Hello to everyone still watching...
The last few months have been a blur... we're just now starting to sort through some of our 6000 digital pics...
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linkFri Apr 02, 2004
The Hotels California
Yes...we are home. It's wierd but we are liking it. But before I get into that I would like to recall our last week in NZ or my Uncle John might burst!
Last time I wrote was March 17th in Queenstown, one of our favorites. We spent the day touring around to the little town of Arrowtown (where the LOTR Ford of Bruinen scene was shot) and then drove up the coast of Lake Wakatipu (beautiful azure blue water) and did some Geocaching in the town of Glenorchy. We spent our evening with the locals at The Loaded Hog and went for live music at Pog Ma Thoin Irish Pub (kiss my butt in Irish Gaelic). It was a proper St. Patricks Day!
The next day we slowly made our way to the west coast stopping off in Wanaka. Ryan and I could have spent our entire NZ time in this little town but instead made the most of the afternoon we had. What a great lake front area they have with Lake Wanaka and the mountains in the distance. We spent the night at one of NZ's many free campsite right on the lake. We had the whole area to ourselves to watch the sunset on the mountains.
Up the west coast we checked out the two more famous glaciers in the world. Famous because they crawl nearly to the coast and are actually coming back from their recession. It was a rainy day or maybe I should say rainy year...the west coast gets about 7 meters of rain a year so it rains nearly everyday. Unfortunately the clouds managed to mask the higher peaks in the area so we moved on a little dissappointed.
After another free night, but this time on an ocean beach, it was off to the north coast to Abel Tasman National Park. We spent the next day hiking around to the scenic beaches and vowed to return to NZ with kayaks (or just buy used ones). There is so much to see up here but kayak would be the way to go.
Nelson was a really great town. They get more sun than any other city on the South Island and after the chilly west coast we needed it. Nelson is a city of artists. They have many cute little shops and the whole city has a creative vibe to it. The jeweler who made the One Ring for the LOTR is in Nelson and we were dissappointed to learn that, while he does make replicas for purchase, they are made without the Elvish inscription as this was computer generated onto the rings for the movie. So basically it is just your typical gold ring. Other local jewelers are cashing in and making versions with the writing.
The brewery that made the beer for Lord of the Rings (The Prancing Pony) is also here. It is a dark stout made by Harrington's Brewery. The really nice lady working the shop gave us the taste test. The movie version was the 5% stout watered down to a non-intoxicating 1% brew. I am sure you won't be surprised that Ryan preferred the 5%.
After a couple days in Nelson we drove a little further North and checked out the Marlborough Sound area...another place best seen by kayak. We found a senic secluded bay with a DOC campsite to settle in for the evening and prepare for the trip back to the North Island the next day.
The ferry was non-eventful but a much more somber trip than the southbound trip a couple of weeks ago. We were really not wanting to leave New Zealand yet and the reality was setting in on the boat. Our drive up the North Island took us back around the beautiful Tongariro National Park and Lake Taupo area and culminated in a Holiday Park just south of Auckland where we disposed of our extra food and prepared our bags for the trip home. We ate dinner that night a little stunned that the whole International part of our trip was coming to an end. We have been on the road since June...a new place or country every few days and that would soon be over.
We left Auckland on a Thursday at 4:30 pm and arrived 22 hours later on that same Thursday but at 5:30 pm. That international date line thing really is cool! We arrived in Oakland via Fiji and LAX or as Ryan and I call it, HELL! It was so great to see my Mom wandering the baggage claim looking around for us. Luckily I spotted her first and got the video camera rolling to get her surprise on film. Ahhh, there really is nothing like a hug from Mom.
We are back in the US but not yet done with our journey. We have been quite busy since our return to US soil and have already made a quick trip up to Oregon for an education job fair...reality setting in. Most of our time has been spent at my parents vineyard hanging out with my brother Tim, who manages it. We will be returning to the city to make future plans (travel around the US to visit my Dad and Ryan's parents and brother.) For the meantime we are content with staying in one area for awhile, visiting the city and the country, and making the occasional visit up to Oregon for job interviews (hopefully). But eventually we will head out across the US and will update again. Pictures will be coming soon...not all 7500 of them but some of the selected "good ones". More later! Amy
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linkWed Mar 17, 2004
Welcome to Middle Earth!
Hey we are here and loving it! It really is Middle Earth and the NZ tourism doesn't let you forget it. The slogan is "The story is fiction...but Middle Earth really exists in New Zealand" or something like that. This is all fine with us as we are huge fans anyway.
We arrived in New Zealand just days after the big Lord of the Rings Oscar sweep. The country is still buzzing with excitement...and they should be! Congratulations signs for Peter Jackson and the LOTR crew are hanging in the smallest cafes in the tiniest rural towns. It really was a win not only for the movie but the whole country. So many Kiwis were employed by the movie. They may have been extra Hobbit, Orc or Solider. The services of the local horse farms were in demand and what about all the local prop peole, costume designers, hotel owners and caterers. Peter Jackson even used a stadium full of zealous rugby fans to help out with the sound of the marching and chanting Orcs. Once in awhile we see a Kiwi that would have made a really good Hobbit and it makes us wonder.
Fans of Star Trek are called Trekkies. I am not sure what the name is for those who are huge Rings fans...Ringies? Anyway, whatever it is, Ryan and I would belong in that category. This affinity for LOTR has shaped some our itinerary in New Zealand and not just because we are freaks but also because if you have seen the movies you know how beautiful some the locations were. The scenery here in incredible.
Following some of the shooting locations has brought us to rural areas that we would have not otherwise seen. We have camped in Hobbiton, in the shadow of Mt. Doom, and in the Rivendell forest. It has been really cool and that has just been on the North Island!
New Zealand reminds me alot of Ireland. If you take the rolling green of Ireland, quadruple its size, add geothermal features on the top part, huge snow capped mountains on the lower part, widen the roads and add about 30 million more sheep you have New Zealand. Oh, and the people rank up with Ireland's as well...so lovely!
Livin' in a Campervan...Down by the River!
After landing in Auckland we rented a early 90's model Nissan station wagon. They are called Thrifties. The back turns into a bed and there is an attachment that goes over the rear door that makes it very tent-like and gives us more room. The rental company also includes kitchen stuff, a mini fold up picnic table and matresses. Very cosy.
The first day we set off for Matamata...a rural town with quirky rolling hills where the scenes for the Shire were shot. There is a tour you can take of the old set with the hollowed out hillsides but at $50NZ a pop we declined. We were happy enough with seeing the scenery and camped at the Opal Hot Springs Holiday Park where included in the fee we were able to make use of the hot mineral baths.
Our geothermal tour continued the next day when we went to Rotorua...Sulfur City. We smelled more of the bubbling pools and geysers than we saw as most of them are in the pricey spas or you are charged a heft entrance fee. Near the lake there were a few of them but our highlight of the area was the huge California Redwood tree grove on the edge of town. Not as big as Northern CA but the Sequoia Sempervirens smelled like home to us.
Next we headed for Tongariro National Forst Park where Mt. Ngauruhoe is. This is the symmetrical volcano they used for Mt. Doom in Lord of the Rings. Of course it is not spewing lava or even smoking but was still very cool to see. Also on the adjacent mountain, Mt. Ruapehu is where they filmed the first battle with Sauron where the ring is cut from his finger and it also double as the Emyn Muil where Frodo and Sam capture Gollum. Really great park and here the unserviced National Forest park camping is only NZ$3-5 per person...cheap!
The next day we were off through the NZ countryside again. Big green sheep-covered hills were everywhere. Yes the rumors are true...there are 48 million sheep in NZ. That is 12.5 sheep for each person. They are so cute. Some flocks are so recently shorn (sheared?) that they are pink while others are so overdue that their big white wolly afros wobble to and fro when the walk. We have learned where the term "sheepish"comes from. They all immediately stop eating and turn and run from you when you stop to take their picture I have alot of shots of sheep's butts with great moutains in the backdrop.
Our next overnight stop was my favorite location...Rivendell. Not much of the scenes were shot here but once you walk into the area where they were shot you just recognize it as Rivendell...the Last Homely Home! The trees and plants there were so perfect...I see why they chose Kaitoke Regional Park (just north of Wellington). We had the whole Rivendell forest to ourselves! We camped next to a river and just laughed that there was not other person in site. It is the end of the season and even the ranger was off duty that night.
The next day was a treat for us. We went to The Return of the King (again) but this time we saw it in the traditional but newly revamped, Embassy Theater in Wellington, the site of the World Premiere. It is the largest screen in the Southern Hemisphere and the sound was really great. The Embassy is one of those theaters that only has one screen...the kind I remember from when I was young. The big theater seats have the stars placards drilled into the wooden armrests...left over from the ROTK premiere in December. Oh and the theater had a huge Nazgul with one of the Ring Wraiths on top resting on the roof ...very cool.
The South Island was next for us. We have heard that this is the island to visit but we really enjoyed the North Island as well...the mountains are not as big but it is still very beautiful. THe car ferry was interesting...huge as a matter of fact...and a good thing too as the seas were rough. The 3 hour ride over was relaxing though and we just watched out the window as we passed throught the Cook Straight...it is really narrow!
The drive to Christchurch was really beautiful. It went along the coast and reminded me of CA Highway 1...very curvy with dropoffs on one side and a cliff on the other. The water was a turquoise blue and seals hung out on the rocks. Christchurch was nice with it cute little square but Dunedin (Done-ee-din) our next stop was one of my favorites. A smaller city that has a Scottish background (Dunedin means Edinburgh in Celtic), has great meat pies and is crazy for rugby...and that is just what we did...we went to our first rugby match. The Ortago (Dunedin's county) Highlanders vs. the Cape Town (South Africa) Sharks. We got the cheap seats called the terrace. They were like bleachers without seats and hung out with the 12-22 year old crowd along with the occasional backpacker. They students were just as entertaining as the rugby...many of the had blue hair (the main color of the Highlanders) and wore face paint. It was quite an expereince...those guys smash each other up...without pads! I knew it was a rough sport but when you see it live the crunches are even more spine chilling. Unfortunately the Highlanders lost in the last 10 seconds of the game with a score of 36 to 35. They let the fans storm the field after the game and get the autographs of the players. We went down to see how big the guys actually are and they are HUGE! All of them 6 feet and over and legs like tree trunks...they are some tough, thick dudes!
After a couple of days spent driving through the Caitlins, a series of picturesque dolphin and penguin inhabited bays in the very south of NZ (next stop Antartica!) we found ourselves at Milford Sound. As usual, it was foggy but what we could see of the fiord was beautiful after an afternoon waiting to see if it would clear, headed off to Queenstown...where I now sit.
Queenstown is a smaller town very famous for its adventure sports (Bungy anyone?). It is situated on a REALLY blue lake with the Remarkables (big jaggged mountians) just behind. I keep saying that NZ is so beautiful but it really is...everywhere you look is awesome. I am sort of glad that I am not a Kiwi because I would dissappointed with the scenery every other country has to offer...the place is just draped in natural beauty.
We have one week left and then its CALIFORNIA, USA! I know my mom is just giddy with excitement. Soon enough MOM!
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linkWed Mar 03, 2004
Australia - The Mother of All Rainchecks
We have arrived in Australia. Gone are the days of the squat toilet, manual bucket flushing, and BYOTP. Also gone are the days of being able to eat anywhere we wanted or buy anything we wanted. We are back in the western world with western conveniences and the western prices to go with them. Wow! What a shock!
English speakers! I will no longer have to speak in wierd phrases and the wrong tenses for people to understand me (We go this morning...I think about...We eat already). I have been doing this for the last 6 months that sometime I answer Ryan this way and then he gives me a wierd look like "Hey! I speak English. Remember?"
I just wonder if I will be able to remember please, thank you, and toilet in the 17 different languages I have encountered over last 8 months (ok, make that 16...the Dutch speak better English than many Americans). Come to think of it, I have already forgotten my Hindi and Turkish and I am sure that my Indonesian tolong (please), terima kasih (thank you), and tandas (toilet) will soon go that way as well. Although, Ryan says he will never forget "Ees halem vahr!" ...I have diarrhea, in Turkish.
We landed in Darwin at 6:00 AM on our wonderful overnight flight from Bali. After two different breeds of dogs sniffed every nook and cranny (the black lab for the bombs and drugs and the beagle for the quarantined items) of us and our belongings they let us into the country. Australia has very stringent quarantine controls so as not to introduce any unwanted pests to their ecological system...makes sense. At least they chose the two cutest breeds of dog to sniff you out.
Darwin is in the very north of Australia. It has been destroyed twice in the last 60 years. The first time by Japanese bombers in WWII and the second time by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve, 1974. Our burly yet extremely-chipper-for-6AM shuttle van driver explained to us that it is for these two reasons that Darwin is really only about 30 years old. He had lots of info to share and then added that Northern Territiory people are a bit different than those who live in the more populated areas. He claims that these two disasters along with the harsh terrain seem to have made a tougher person. After 4 days in the N.T., I would have to agree with that...really nice people, but tough indeed. The N.T. is also where many of Australia's indigenous people live. It was really interesting to see the aboriginal people up close. That may sound silly to an Australain but I have seen them on tv programs many times and it was cool to see them in real life.
After we were all checked into Chilli's Backpackers (nice place, we are back in hostels as the ensuite-double-room days are also over) we set off to find some transportation for the next couple of weeks. We hopped a bus to the outskirts of town to look at a campervan and it was to our liking. Lots of compartments and fully decked out with a bed, kitchen stuff, and bedding. We asked the guy if we could have now and he said that he had to service it first. We could meet him at 10 am the next day and we would fill out the paperwork and would be on our way. The next day we were running late and called the main rental number so they could let him know and they told us that there was no longer a van available in Darwin...it had been rented out. I spoke to the manager and he told me that it was rented out last night. I explained that the guy at the depot had told us the van was ours and he still was unsympathetic. He said that we were supposed to put a deposit down first. I told him that we would have gladly done that had the representative for his company asked or made us aware of the "rules". The guy only told us to come back tomorrow morning and it was ours. I calmly told the manager that maybe his people should know the rental process better so that potential customers don't get screwed. He got angry and made some general statements about Americans implying that any Aussie in my situation would not be upset. It really is too bad that Wicked Campervans is run so poorly as it would have been a great trip down the coast. That van was literally THE last backpacker van in Darwin so we bought a Virgin Blue cheap flight to Sydney...there really was no other way. Oh, well...more time for New Zealand.
We did manage to see what we came to see though. We rented a car for 2 days and spent them driving around Litchfield National Park. Our priginal plan was to head for Kakadu...the BIG one, but were told that it gets a bit "DisneyWorld-like" this time of year. We practically had Litchfield to ourselves and were happy with our choice. The campgrounds were deserted (high season is just around the corner) and really quiet. Kangaroos were all over due to the lack of people...they were so cute!
The next day we were off to Sydney on another overnight flight. What a beautiful city! So clean with a great harbor area. After changing our flight dates we explored the city, marveled at the Harbor Bridge and Opera House and had some local brews in the pubs around King's Cross. Today we were off to the beach...Bondi for the day. What a beautiful area. And tomorrow, we are off to New Zealand.
Our stay here was much too short. Hopefully our raincheck will show up in the form of the newspaper someday...in a two for one fashion. Ryan will open up the business section and will see that the International Currency Calculator has two Aussie dollars to one US! I will open the travel section and Qantas will have "Friends Fly Free!" from Seattle or Portland. A girl can dream! Our dollar is so weak right now and that is part of our problem. We are heading home 3 weeks earlier than planned as the travel account is nearing empty. Everything is 20-40% more than we had thought because of our weak dollar. Oh, well...so far it has been worth every penny or maybe I should say every $0.013!
[3] comments (1063 views) |
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