Archive | January, 2013

Photo Friday – Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

25 Jan

The Abel Tasman trek is one of the easiest ‘Great Walks’ in New Zealand.  Most people take 3-5 days to hike the whole thing and camp, or sleep in Dept. of Conservation huts along the way.  We didn’t have the time, or the gear for an overnight trek, but we really wanted to spend some time walking in the park.  It’s possible to take a water taxi to many points along the track, and walk in either direction.  We opted to head to Bark Bay, which is halfway out.  We walked the whole way back to town, normally a two day walk if you are camping, but without the gear it’s totally possible in one day.  We saw some spectacular coast, and it was well worth the absurd cost of the water taxi, even though we did get rained on for the last 12 kilometers.

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Photo Friday – Wildflowers in New Zealand

18 Jan

We are fortunate enough to be tramping around New Zealand in early summer when there are flowers blooming everywhere.  These are super tiny, each flower is about 1/3 the size of my pinky fingernail, but there were so many of them where we were walking this morning that the meadow looked almost like it had a light dusting of snow.

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Photo Friday – Camping in Fiordland, New Zealand

11 Jan

We spent a few nights before the New Year camping at different sites along the road to Milford Sound on the South Island of New Zealand.  It was stunning.  I think we got supremely lucky with the weather because this area is one of the wettest places in the world and our first three days were full of nothing but summer sun, gorgeous blue skies and sunsets like this.

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The Thailand Roundup

9 Jan

Thailand Map

The Statistics

Number of days spent in country –  19

Cities/towns visited – Bangkok, Koh Tao, Khao Sok, Phuket

Number of different lodgings – 7

Flights – 0

Bus journeys – 10

Boat rides – 4

Taxis – 3

The Budget

Thailand chart

Total US dollar amount spent – $1,642

Average cost per day, per person -$43.22

Average lodging cost per night, per person – $11.86

Most expensive lodging, per person – $32 at the Royal President in Bangkok.  I had just gotten out of the hospital in Nepal and we decided to treat ourselves to a few days at a proper hotel.  It was lovely.

Least expensive lodging, per person – It’s a tie at $6.50 for a fan room that was pretty basic at SB Cabana II on Koh Tao, and an air-con room at a dive hostel in Bangkok that was also pretty basic.

Average food/drink cost per day, per person – $17.  Generally our meals were cheap street food in Bangkok, but we splurged big time with meals on Koh Tao and ate out many times at nicer places since my brother was there to give us some great recommendations.  The alcohol accounts for probably half of this total as we made up for all that beer we didn’t drink through Turkey, Jordan, Israel, India and Nepal…

The Best

$1 Pad Thai on the street.  Practically everywhere you look, you’ll find the super-cheap pad thai carts.  They aren’t always great, but they are a great value for a huge pile of noodles with veg, and chicken/beef/prawn on request.

 

Barracuda on Koh Tao – This place is run by a chef who worked for my brother when he had his restaurant on Koh Tao, and it’s easily the best place for a nice fish meal on the island.  Their appetizers are to die for.

 

Lung Pae on Koh Tao – It’s is a bit out of the way, high up on a hill with a great view of the ocean, which makes it perfect for a sunset dinner.  If you don’t have a scooter, they’ll come pick you up.  Interestingly enough, even though it’s a Thai place, they are best known for their steaks, particularly menu item # E4.

Portobellos on Koh Tao – Craving Italian?  This is the place to be.  Excellent thin crust pizzas and a decent wine list.

Sunday Roast at Banyon on Koh Tao – Obscene amounts of comfort food for when you are feeling particularly homesick.  It’s a local’s hangout so you’ll likely encounter bar and dive staff from all over the island at this weekly feast.

Going to the movies in Bangkok –There are massive movie theaters at the tops of nearly all the big shopping centers in the Sukhamvit area.  These are no ordinary theaters though, and they range from huge and classically decorated to enormous and lavish rooms filled with couches, soft lap blankets, and bottle service.  You can choose your level of service/quality of seat (and believe me, even the regular seats are generally nicer than those you’ll find in the States).  It’s a perfect way to deal with a rainy afternoon.  Don’t forget to stand for the national anthem…for real…it’s the law.

Photo by drekne on Flickr

Massage parlors literally line the streets!

$6 massages – Massage parlors are everywhere in SE Asia, and Thailand is no exception.  They run the gamut from sleazy ‘happy ending’ factories, to luxury spas that will pamper you for hours.  We stuck to crowded places with a communal area for Thai massages (no happy endings possible in these!) and if one massage wasn’t that great, we just went for another with a different masseuse!  If you want a super luxury deal (so, not $6) at a fraction of what you’d pay in the States, head to the Jamakiri Spa on Koh Tao.  They’ll come get you for free and you can spend the day getting pampered, and then relax by their pool that overlooks Sharks Bay.

The Worst

Getting random jumbles of noodles with fish sauce at a ‘Pad Thai’ cart in Bangkok.  This happened more than once.  Watch the cart before you order to see if they are really making Pad Thai or if they are just dishing up mixed noodles and veggies to drunk tourists.

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Photo Friday – Tessellated Pavement, Friendly Beaches, Tasmania, Australia

4 Jan

We found huge sections of the beach with these rock patterns

We went for a lot of beach walks on the east coast of Tasmania, and we came across this phenomenon more than once.  It’s rock, but it looks like paving stones on a street.

These are not separate stones! It is one big rock!

The ocean and the wind does creates a nearly perfect grid system that makes the rock look man-made…but it’s all Mother Nature. It’s called tessellated pavement.

The grid lines are almost perfectly straight

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Happy New Year!

1 Jan

Champagne by Anders Adermark on Flickr

We stopped making New Year’s resolutions long ago.  There came a time when it started to feel absurd that we would resolve to change something just because of the time of year, but I suppose it’s as good a time as any to really sit down and really evaluate yourself and your life.

One of the major things Justin and I have done differently in the last few years is to make a conscious effort to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations.  I know, it sounds strange, but it’s been one of the best things we’ve done for ourselves.

It started when I stumbled across a little graphic that looked a bit like this:

Magic

This idea resonated so completely for me that I still use it to help guide my choices.

For us, stepping outside our comfort zone has meant a lot of different things, ranging from small steps, to huge leaps.

It was uncomfortable to quit our jobs without any real plan for what we’d be doing in the future.  It was uncomfortable when I finally decided to quit smoking.  It was uncomfortable when Justin went back to school full time and still had to have a full time job.

All these things were difficult for us, but all of them have ultimately resulted in us being happier and more at ease with ourselves and where we are in life.

Stepping outside your comfort zone could mean lots of things:

  • Taking up a new hobby or sport.
  • Putting aside a shy nature and introducing yourself to new people.
  • Getting rid of things that are cluttering up your home.
  • Leaving a relationship or job that is no longer fulfilling.

It can be difficult to take risks to change your life, but isn’t now just as good a time as any to decide you’re worth it?  We think it is, so we wish all of you a Happy New Year filled with all kinds of magic!

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