America-mura shopfronts in Osaka, Japan

Nara and Hiroshima

I got up to go to Hiroshima this morning but decided to head to Nara for the day instead, and take the train over late afternoon.

(Picture : Nara tourism in 'low' season)   Again I was surround by schoolkids so I just had a pleasant walk around some temples and shrines but never went inside any of them.  Nara Park was pretty cool though - right in the small city, but full of Shika (I don't know how you spell this) - pretty much Deer if you are British.  They are so used to tourists (over?)feeding them that they just mingle around right next to you.

 

 

 

I had passed so many of these prayer block in shrines that I decided it was my turn to leave them.  I'm really bad at thinking up instant wishes though so this one was a bit corny!

 

(Picture : Sin-Osaka station taxi rank!)

I caught the train to Kyoto (faster than heading back to Osaka) to get the Shinkansen.  As I was writing up some travel scribbles I had a flashback that somehow I never had my USB drive I have been using to email.  A quick check and I reckon I left it in the PC at the capsule hotel.  I hopped off the train at the next stop, immediately caugh one heading back (erm, assuming it was the right one), and found out the JR trains to Osaka had stopped running - I'm guessing something happened as it was still early.  I called the place and they reckon they never saw it.  He spoke good English so I decided to cut my losses and head back to Kyoto, loosing 2 hours in the process.

A quick Bento box for my on train dinner and before I knew it was transported to Hiroshima on the Shinkansen.

So tomorrow it's the Peace Park, the A-Bomb dome and if I get lucky I'll manage to pop over to an island before heading to Beppu in a couple of days.

Osaka crazieness and Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi capsule hotel

After the aquarium I checked into my capsule hotel at Asahi Plaza Shinsaidbashi.  But more of that later.

I was going to have an early night but headed out to explore the nightlife area of Osaka.  Apart from being seduced by an outdoors shop after popping in for a brolly, I wandered around the eating, drinking and shopping area.  As the sun set it all became pretty overwhelming.  So much going on, so much noise from people, some touts, pachinco parlours and so many eating and drinking joints.  It was the first time I've felt like that in Japan so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All I wanted was a nice little busy yakitori bar.  There were hundreds.  I got fed up looking for one and walking around the same streets to opted for some Takoyaki - octopus balls.  They like balls of dough (kind of) with bits of octopus inside them, along with some vegetables or something.  I don't really agree with eating them as I'm convinced Japan is trashing the world's population of octopus!  I then found a quiet bar and sat and read an English language freebie magazine, Seek Japan.

So, on to the capsule hotel.  A very bizarre thing, but a very Japanese thing.  The one I went to was bang in the centre of Ameri-mura, or America-mura which is a shopping (and eating/drinking area) where all the shops have an American (or perceived American!) vibe to them.  I'll upload a small slideshow with some shopfronts.  Quite funny walking around there and just people watching.  I'd defintely recommend this place as a good one to try out the capsule hotel experience though as it's in a cracking area.  I went to the capsule hotel, changed into the robe I was given, then headed down for a Japanese style shower, hot bath (like a hot tub type thing) and a sauna.  I then retired to my capsule and almost read the rest of my book.  I had a radio and a television, complete with pay per view porn...if I wanted it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Picture : The capsule 'command centre' and the TV)

My book was so gripping (Dan Brown - 'Angels and Demons') I ended up coming out of my capsule (but that was because of the snorers) and having a beer to knock me out.  2am.

Osaka Aquarium

Yesterday I went to Osaka Aquarium which has one of the largest tanks in the world.  The had a frickin' whale shark and manta ray in there!!!!!  And loads more.  Very diferent from the Sydney Aquarium, which I think I preferred, but very good to see all the things.  I wish I had brought along my earplugs though as there were about 2 billion Japanese miniature schoolkids in there at the same time screaming away (at least it sounded like 2 billion, all wearing bright pink or bright blue, or donning some coloured cap).

They also had king size crabs which looked like mutants.  The appeared to be almost the same size as me (no kidding) and they have pressurised the tank to simulate the depths they usually live at.

 

One good thing about the aquarium was that I realised how much I have managed to see underwater this year.  I was even lucky enough to see an eagle ray in the flesh at the Poor Knights....and the manta was far smaller than the ones I dived with :-) ....and the whale shark was a lot smaller than the one I could have snorkelled with if I didn't turn back to the boat thinking it had left the area (AARRGGG!)

 

Once again I'm happy to be travelling outside the main tourism season as it's busy enough at some places at the moment.  I'm sure the cherry blossoms make some of the places amazing, but it must be absolutely mobbed!

Japan is dangerous place for me

In regards to outdoors shops.

Anyway, I'm sending this from my first night in a capsule hotel. I've just been wondering around the nightlife area of Osaka. I've had my first sensory overload experience since arriving in Japan. Neon lights everywhere, bars and restaurants, Japanese youths pretending they are american homies, so many restaurants I couldn't decide.....so I'm about to go an change into my robes, have a shower/bath and retire to my capsule after 6 octopus balls and 2 beers.
I need to escape the cities here.
I was so not on the ball when I left rainy Kyoto that I booked my train tickets to Beppu tomorrow forgetting that I was going to Hiroshima for two nights (at the moment) en route. But with a Japan Rail pass I don' have to care - I'll just hop on the Shinkansen to Hiroshima in the morning instead.

What I'd like when I get home....the 'perfect' day?

I started typing this to talk about the food and experiences I'd miss when I got back, things I'd like when I get back, and things I'd like to be able to buy back in Scotland.  I kindof got carried away in a 'perfect day' scenario made up of different things.  It's raining outside and I should be heading to Nara.....I think I may need to put more work into this...

• For breakfast I'd have several warm Aberdeen rowies with butter and jam, and maybe one with syrup just to push the boat out
• ...washed down with a nice strong Laos coffee with sweetened condensed milk
• I'd then head out for breakfast for $2, maybe munching on a couple of feijoas on the way out the door.
• ...then decide whether I was going to the glacier or the beach for the day
• On the way there I'd pop in and find some knock off software and music I didn't really need but bought anyway....then I'd stop off at the handicraft shop.
• On the way I'd stop and take some photos of some really interesting people and laugh at the kids waving and looking at me strangely (hey maybe this is realistic ;-> ), while drawing a face on a balloon and handing it to them, communicating using some mangled form of sign language
• The locals passing me would honk their horn and say hello and wish me a good day despite not knowing me
• I'd check out the state of some online/investment/some kindof business that I magically started to see how my cash was doing
• After a great day I'll retire to a funky little yakitori bar overlooking the loch for some munchies, while drinking some Beer Lao, washing it down with a warm sake.  Of course I'd be sitting outside listening to some funky tunes I've never heard before while chatting to some really cool new people sitting at the table next to me.
• On the way home I'd pick up a hooker and fall asleep.
  (KIDDING!)
• Before crashing out I'd sit out on my balcony overlooking the sea, with the mountains in the background, watching for shooting stars
• When I woke up I'd have a stroll through the fresh food market picking out some stuff for a nice breakfast.
• Then go offroading in my 4x4 to reach a mountain bike trail.
• Of course the camping stuff was in the car so tonight is at a cool wee camping spot in the @rse end of nowhere at the side of a loch (lake for international readers!)....with some cheese and wine.
• After heading back and doing a little bit of work (god knows what, but its relaxed and enjoyable), I'll head out for a dive in the afternoon.

Yes, there may well be another version of this when I've had a proper think about it.

Yakitori Sukiyanen

So, if you've wandered what I'm blethering on about, here's the yakitoi place I went to this evening.....  a few dishes, a couple of beers, and a small hot sake.  Hmmm hmmm mmmmmm

Yakitori Sukiyanen by Kyoto Tower :

Hasami yakitori : Chicken and shallots

 

 

 

 

Enoki Bacon - Japanese mushrooms with erm.... you guessed it - bacon.

 

 

 

Cooking it up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the friendly crowd, but the guy who started speaking to me as I entered had to leave.

Kyoto street scenes slide show

Kyoto - Get on yer bike (and more shopping)

If you go to Kyoto, just accept what everyone says and don't faff around like me.  Hire a bike.  It really is the best way to see the city.  I spent a few days getting the bus around which was an easy way to get oriented but it takes longer to get around many places, and one a bike you can stop wherever and whenever you want and you feel a lot better for it.

Initially the maps may make Kyoto seem a huge city and it does appear like that at first (especially if you look at the multiple maps in 'The Book' (Lonely Planet)).

Today I was meant to head to Nara, but I had to go souvenir shopping and still had to see the Nishiki food market so that was my mission.  It was great, and I was great at it.  Which maybe isn't such a good thing.  The food market was interesting - lots of things I didn't recognise, and lots I did but have only seen in Japan!  I ended up leaving there and having a nepalese curry at the Yak and Yeti for a late breakfast / lunch.  I had a quick wander around the downtown shopping area and saw a really cool sake set, which was not as cool a price as I was originally going to spend...but I bought it anyway.  My spending habits seem to be going the other way nearer the end of my trip spending way more for some form of therapy about going home.

(Picture : Some £34 tomatoes..erm I assume they are tomatoes)

 

 

 

 

 

I eyed up a really cool Patagonia lightweight rucksack (like I need another one) then decided not to buy it.  Then I headed to the handicraft shop and spent more than that on not very much, and also decided to ship it home which wasn't cheap but seemed far less hassle.  So sushi candles (apparently the No.1 souvenir winner!), tea set, and sumo ornaments are on their way back mum!

I did dare myself and entered another outdoors shop but walked out empty handed after standing gawping at a Japanese trekking DVD fora  while.

I had to head to another temple after that, but on my way home and more side street exploration I found some hollowed out bamboo to be used as vases......something I was determined to craft myself in Borneo but never got the chance......so in they went to my rucksack.

Hopefully.......that's all my shopping done.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Osaka and maybe a whistle stop side trip to Nara.

Johnnie Jazz, this ones for you mate

I'm really sorry but I couldn't get it in your size.  It seems your reputation and following has spread worldwide.  Check out the t-shirt I saw at a store in Kyoto today....

Even I would've splashed the cash for this for you, but it would have been way too small.  I was gutted.  I was browsing through some old style t-shirts in a shop and had to laugh when I saw this one.  Pure class.

Kyoto - the outskirts and the back alleys

I hopped on a bus a bit too late yesterday morning and went to the Arashiyama area in the North West of the city.  This area was really.....erm...cute.  Loads of old style buildings in narrow lanes, and bamboo forests resting in the foothills of the mountains.  I went to see the Adashino Nembutsuji Temple wich has over 3000 weathered stone faces from previous headstones (or something like that).

 

(Picture : Bamboo forest)

In the afternoon I met up with a couchsurfer and went to a tea ceremony.  Yuko was even more enthusiastic (and knowledgable) about Japanese culture than I am for going for a beer so came along wearing a traditional kimono.  Although it was an informal one (just as well for me!) Yuko was pretty good at explaining it to me, despite not being used to any kind of formalities or traditions usually!

 We then went for a big walk around some craft and gallery areas of the city, however by the time we got there, and it being Monday, most of them were closed.  We headed down some tiny backalleys  around the Gion area (more geishas and geishas in training), and around the Kiyomizu Temple which had all the lanterns lit up in the evening.  I've seen several geishas every time I've been there, but as usual I thought it would be an intrusion to  photograph them.  Now that I've seen every other punter be snap happy I never have my camera out in time.  Being with Yuko I had the training timetable pointed out to me - there it was out in the open, but I would have walked straight past if I wasn't with a local.

If you ever go to Kyoto you have to do sneak up the side streets.  You can see a lot wandering around, but to see the best parts, and the best handicrafts you really have to explore as it would be so easy to miss even many of the touristy areas. 

When you wander up the backalleys you see the fronts of many hostess and geisha entertainment establishments, and get confused at what is a normal restaurant or not.  There are some really cool looking places around but many of the cooler ones I guess would also mean a pretty cool price, if you could even get in as a geijin (foreigner).  The area is pretty lively anyway, as on the other side of the river it's pretty much the centre for the nightlife.

We met another couchsurfer who is temporarily based in Kyoto and went for some yakatori.  I got introduced to sochu, which is the japanese equivalent of vodka - some made with sweet potato, some with rice and some with.....some other stuff.

Another fab evening in Kyoto.  It's always great to meet a local person.  Thanks Yuko!

What did you do to save the planet today?

Jeez, that's a bit deep eh?  Anyway, I'm in Kyoto.  Yes, the only reason most people have heard of it is because of the Kyoto Protocol to lower worldwide emissions....which some of the biggest countries and worst offenders kindof ignore (hmm, I really should research this before writing).  So did you leave that tap running today?  The light on?  Throw the newspaper into the normal rubbish bin?

Tsk, tsk.  Read this story about an Alaskan town who's suffering because of melting permafrost.

The snow monkey videos are here!

If you want to watch a couple of pretty lousey, but cute videos of the monkeys from last week, have a look at the wanderingscotsman snow monkey video from the Yudanaka Monkey Park.

I've also added many pictures to previous posts from this week (e.g. me making soba noodles), so page down a lot, and I've uploaded the following galleries :

Japan, Tokyo

Japan, Nagano

Japan, Matsumuto and around

Japan, Kyoto

Kyoto days and nights

I'm at my third place of accommodation in three days, but it's great compared to the rest.  Of course, that wouldn't be too hard.  Last night I stayed at 'Kyoto Cheapest Inn' and it was clear why.  To be honest, the place was as expected, but it was a 20 person dorm, the showers, toilets and chill out area were downstairs, and the reception, beds and internet PC were all in one room.  Not nice.  For a couple of quid more I'm in the fantastic K's House in Kyoto.   I've also booked with them for their place around Fuji which is good.

(Picture : Gion traditional architecture)  Anyway, on initial impressions Kyoto is just another Japanese city.  Once you know it a bit better there are nicer greener or more traditional areas like the Imperial Palace Gardens, the Philosopher's Walk, or Gion, however it is hard to escape crowds completely, even in low season some places have many schoolkids around on tours.

I've went to see a few places but to be honest, like in Asia, as fantastic as temples are they just don't do it for me.  A fleeting visit is as much as I need, unless I took a book and could chill out in the gardens or whatever.  In saying that, they are impressive, beautiful and can have amazing gardens.

I'm more interested in finding out about the Japanese culture and speaking to people, but that's the part that's hard here.  I should have got a guide but I was never organised enough to know where I was going and when.  I went in to watch some of the locals paying Pachinco, a pinball type gambling machine of some sort.  The noise was incredible when I opened the door but I had no idea what they were doing and didn't even purchase any steel balls to play with as I couldn't fathom out what they were doing! (Picture : Pachinco hall)

I still laugh when I see the plastic food displays outside cafes and restaurants though - all kinds of displays are made to match the food - even plastic beers,or ice creams!

I have also managed (shock horror) to make up a list of my souvenirs to buy from the craft museum!

I even went to a traditional show at Gion Corner last night which was a waste of my £12 - yet again, nothing wrong with it (apart from all the seats in the theatre being at the same level ensuring a poor view if you weren't at the front).

Last night I went into a local type bar close to the lively Gion area (I keep getting taken back there) called A-Bar.  It was full of locals with some gaijin too.  I went along there because it was meant to have a good vibe, and  served yakatori style food.  So I ordered a beer, and some fab dishes like 'Avocado and sashami salmon with wasabi may sauce' and 'sashami makura(?) - tuna'.  Superb.

Just as I was paying to go, the locals whose table I was sat down at started pouring me some beer, so I ended up having quite a good laugh with them with broken English, and we got the beer pouring ritual going well (it's considered almost admitting you are an alcoholic if you fill your own glass....you may thin k I should have carried on but if you fill up theirs, they quickly take the hint ;-> ).  It was my second night in Kyoto and my second taxi home due to missing the last buses.

  (Picture : Kyoto Tower)  Today it was the palace, another temple and a chilled evening in the hostel, as it's the first I've stayed in in Japan that has a decent chill out area, similar to the hostels in New Zealand, but with a Japanese style.

Anyway, tomorrow it's the tea ceremony with the 'couchsurfer', maybe another temple (there are loads but I'm only going to see a few) then the next day I'll visit Nara for the day, coming back to Tokyo for the night, before going to Osaka the following day.

Japan Plans

For once I have made a rough travel plan.  I am in Kyoto until Tuesday night (and I still haven't really seen a shrine) then head to Hiroshima for a couple of nights.  I am them going to head to Beppu for some hot springs, and after a couple of nights there I'll go and visit Mount Fuji for a couple of nights before returning to Tokyo.  I've even booked accommodation!  Yikes - how organised.

First night in Kyoto

I toiled to get accommodation so will beon the move between places while I'm here.  That helped me have a bit of a brief lonely first night in a new city kinda feeling.  With only one thing to do, I went out and wanderered around Gion.  Unlike normal, after I stood around getting my bearings and finding out exactly where the bus had dropped me off, I popped into the Irish Bar to grab a pint and some food.

I was asked to move from my seat as a group reserved it, so I ate at the bar.  One of the group came over and apologised and asked if I wanted to join them, so I spent the rest of the evening drinking with a bunch of people studying over here - from Guatamala, Mexico, Japan, Canada, UK, France....  great evening.  Luckily they all disbanded before they went to karaoke so it was a short taxi ride home.

I'm off to wander around Kyoto today.

Kyoto

Oh well I woke up and it was pissing down today, so I'm now off to Kyoto, just finding it hard to get accommodation there at the last minute, but hey something will work out - got tonight sussed out. And got my tea ceremony and a walk round Kyoto area on Monday organised!

Google searches

I'm particulalry impressed by someone recently hitting my travel blog putting in the search terms 'labuan hookers'. Will need to check that out if I'm ever back there....

Japanese Alps

Well I'm kinda in the Japanese Alps National Park, or at least pretty close to it.
I left Nagano yesterday and got to Matsumuto. A much smaller city and the best vibe to it so far, even though I'm not doing very much there. I think the vibe is increased just having my own hotel room for a couple of nights.  It's cheap, but has signs of ageing, in particular the stereo in the room....
I pestered the tourist info place again and took a train to a place called Hotaka today, hired a very feminine bicycle and cycled to a wasabi farm, and had some wasabi ice cream, which was actually quite nice.

.(Picture : My lovely bike in Hotaka)

The most frustrating thing at the moment is having (very hazy) views to some pretty spectacular looking mountains, and not having the gear, or the people to do them with. There is still quite a lot of snow on them, and all the routes in the Hiking in Japan book are multi-day "jeez I wanna do that" kinda routes.
So tomorrow I am planning to get a bus to Kamikochi which is a superb place for hiking. Unfortunately it also has superb prices on all the accommodation there so no overnighting. Boo. I'm expecting pretty awesome views from there but will only be walking around the valley.

(Picture : The scenic part of the wasabi farm)

From there I may head back to Matsumuto, or ideally get a bus to take me onto a place called Takayama which is meant to have managed to hang onto its historic charm.

(Picture : Matsamuto castle)

In Kyoto I've made contact with someone there through couchsurfing who is going to take me through a Japanese tea ceremony on Monday, so that's where I'll be hitting on Sunday night and staying for a few days.

I got another mention in the The flightless writer blog today on the weekly tour and got a few extra hits, and an enquiry about travelling this area in Japan. All good.

I'm also getting more into travelling in Japan. When I was visiting the Monkey Park I thought I'd get pretty bored not meeting other westerners but I'm starting to enjoy pestering the tourist info people (while they speak English!), and making hand signal conversations (like taking my dirty laundry out of the bag to find a coin-op washing machine). I even did what I always feel I have to do in a new country....get a hair cut.

Anyway, I have some email catching up to do, but I guess I better make this stay in the internet cafe worthwhile. I had to 'join' for 200 Yen, show ID, get a wee plastic card as a member etc. before I could check my email. The net cafes here are as described though - drink and food machines, game lounges, overnight private booths, comics and magazines, and this one even has its own video room, table tennis and dartboards.

There is one bad thing though. There are good outdoors shops here.
Yesterday in Nagano I bought a titanium spork (only 3 quid), mug, and today I ended up buying a funky little outdoors mug just because it had a climbing karabiner as a handle..........I mean how cool is that!?

Oh yeh, and like I needed another top that's probably too small for me....

Anyway, sorry no pictures as I don't have my laptop.

Nagano Soba Museum

I spent another night in Nagano after seeing the snow monkeys. Helpfully the ryokan owner in Yudanaka helped me book it over the phone. I was greeted in an empty youth hostel by someone the same age as my mother, but probably fitter than me. She sat me down for some tea and gave me some cakes, and a home made banana cake (fantastic!). Despite being happy to wander around and get some food she pointed me in the direction of a cheap chinese noodle place half way back towards the station. Before I got my shoes on, she was leaving too. I quickly realised this was to show me the way, despite me knowing where she was sending me. I was almost jogging down the street, speeding up my relaxed holiday walking pace, to keep up with her.
Food ordered, and off she went, me slurping some soba noodles, and spending more time pondering the Lonely Planet, JR timetables, and generally not deciding where to go.
The next morning I took the bus to the Soba museum to get my hands dirty. After spending twenty minutes gawping at the snow covered alpine peaks in teh distance, I arrived and explained using pictures that I wanted to make some soba noodles. Ushered through the doors, I then spent a very entertaining hour getting a cooking lesson from a Japanese menu card using motioning hands, and speaking in different tongues.
I did end up making soba noodles though. Started with the flour, water, and a big bowl with chopsticks to mix it up, then a large rolling pin to roll it out in the correct manner. The best part was cutting my own noodles with a large sharp chefs knife, from a folded up 70cm piece of paper thin dough.
Sixty minutes later I was sitting down eating my own noodles after they got cooked for a couple of minutes.
The best part? It's not in the Lonely Planet, and it only cost 1000 Yen (around 4 quid). About the same, if not less, than it would to order your own in a restaurant.

Mind you if you got sucked into a buying a bowl to knead the flour in it would've set you back a cool $200 USD.

 

I then took the bus and went for a wee hike around a few shrines, but ran out of time to tackle the bloody steep forest track up to Mt Togakushi at 1911 metres. It was too hot and hazy anyway - when I arrived back in Nagano at 5.45pm yesterday is was 26c.
Before catching the bus back to get the train to Matsumuto I popped along the road while chatting to a Japanese woman, and went to the wood carving 'factory' where an old guy shaves bits of wood and makes them into amazingly cheap intertwined ornament. Unfortunately I saw something that was really funky, that would probably cost 35 quid upwards back home, and it was only about 6 quid I think. I ended up carrying this thing, the size of a football, away with me. God knows if it will make it to Bangkok with me, never mind Scotland.
I think that with my main rucksack, and my 'hand luggage' bag of camera gear, laptops and chargers I must be lugging around 35+ kilos around. Luckily I finished a book today....................!?!? Now there's a weight saving.
Oh I can't wait until I hit Kyoto and dump some stuff in left luggage. Dave, if you read this, Darren's little rucksack, which he gave me in exchange for my computer before I left, is providing me with a handy little day bag at the moment so pass that on. It's also 'done' New Zealand, and the Abel Tasman walk (although that bit was not with me).

I saw snow monkeys today (Japanese Macaques at Jogokudani Yaenkoen Monkey Park)

I feel I can leave Japan quite happily anytime from now.  Not that I feel I've seen enough of it, but I'm just over the moon that I saw the snow monkeys I really wanted to see here.  Small things maybe I know, but they really are as human like they say.  The pictures will speak for themselves.  You could easily see them get annoyed, jealous, help pick thingsout of each others hair, argue and more.

 

I guess I was very lucky to see lots of juvenile monkeys there too.  I never got to bathe with them like I thought you could, but then I never went to the onsen next to it either (which I'm kicking myself for now a bit, but it was still fantastic).  Highly recommended.

I was going to head back to Tokyo tomorrow and dump my rucksack but I'm heading up to the Soba museum, and maybe doing a big hike, but realistically I won't have time to come back down the same day.  I'm not sure where I'll head tomorrow night but I've pretty much decided after another day or so in Nagano I'm going to head back to Tokyo and leave half my stuff in left luggage and take the hit of £50 or so for ten days, and ease the pain of lugging it around.  I'm then going to head over to Kyoto.  If I'm back too late tomorrow I'm going to get my first overnight room in the internet cafe I'm in just now - 6 hours for around £8 UKP if you come in late and leave early, then I'll jump on the shinkansent to Tokyo, then onto Kyoto.  Oh the joys of a Japan Rail Pass.  You could feasibly come up to Nagano just to buy some souvenirs for the day if you wanted to.

Anyway, I'm waffling, check these pictures out, and far more in my snow monkey gallery.  All together now..... Aawwwwwwwwwww  (I did)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are sitting in the office you can check them on the monkey park webcam if you get the right time.

Nagano and Yudanaka - my escape from Tokyo

Last night I decided I was going to head from Tokyo as long as I got accommodation booked which I did, so off it was at the last minute to get the shinkansen to Nagano.

Like every other transport I've done so far (I stress so far!) it was pretty plain sailing.  I never required a ticket for this train (as marked on the JR timetable) but I went along a few minutes before the train just to check as it was the first time I used my pass.  Due to the location of my accommodation I never even had to pay for a metro today, and I decided to catch it from Ueno station rather than trudging through the main Tokyo station.

As soon as I was on my way from the hostel it felt great to be leaving the city.  As exciting as Tokyo is, it can be a bit of a pain in the arse even finding a building sometimes (e.g. main Tourist Information office tucked away on the 10th floor)

The train signs can be a bit daunting at first though........

 

....but if you wait around a minute or so they'll get a bit easier :

 

Just incase you are reading this and about to head to Japan, the train name is also shown for Shinkansen lines (and maybe others) as well as the destination, so take a note of both of them although if you know the time of departure that should be enough to.  And yes, you could set your watch by them.  Some trains have reserved and unreserved carriages, but you even know where to stand for your carriage in Tokyo - yes that's the number on the right above!

About forty minutes into the journey I saw snow on the distant peaks and passed my first ski slope, although there was no snow there of course.  A great feeling to be out and about.  I popped my overweight rucksack into the coin lockers in Nagano then headed to the superb helpful information office in the station. I decided to get a later train to Yudanaka and headed to the Zenkoji shrine in town.

 They apparently have the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan (in 552!) here.  You can also get the closest you'll ever get to the image by paying 500 Yen, and walk through a pitch black wooden tunnel  for 20 metres or so, groping the wall on the right until you feel something metal -the 'key to paradise'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I never go the spiritual awakening as mentioned in the leaflet, however (no disrespect  intended) feel a bit entertained by walking through a pitch black tunnel groping along the wall and not being able to laugh about it to anyone, or at least not in an understandable way, as I was definitely the only gaijin (foreigner) around.

 

Off it was to Yudanaka, luckily realising I had a train change on the way.  I got there knowing I would pretty much be the only visitor in town.  It's midweek.  It's off season.  I'm the only person staying in the ryokan.   Luckily the extremely helpful English speaking owner gave me plenty pointers to go with the information and bus / train timetables from the tourist office.  I guess I better milk this English help while I can!

Off for my dinner it was, unfortunately missing the hand made soba (noodle) restaurant as he had obviously finished his lot for the day.  These noodles are a speciality of the area, and I may try my hand at making them if I spend a while around the area.  It was amazing seeing them hand cut them in a Nagano restaurant window today.  Again I was the only person in the restaurant.

 

Seeing Yudanaka like this, it's hard to imagine it as the centrepoint for the 1998 Winter Olympics.  The snowboard park is just along the road (despite the winter trail map saying it is still full of skiing only areas!), and the downhill ski route about 30 minutes away.

I was out of the city into more of the 'real' Japan, however it may get more 'real' as I go on depending what route I take.

As if to cement my decision to get to the countryside I was treated by one of the reddest sunset skies I've ever seen, although the pictures don't show it justice.  I look out to a mountain view (through the electricity cables of course).  I headed back and donned my 'yukata' (light kimono) laid out for me in my private room (private hostel tonight!) and headed down to soak in the onsen in my birthday suit.

Anyway, I should stop writing such large blog entries - I should be reading guidebooks and leaflets and planning my route a bit.

Japanese food pictures

Almost everything in Japan deserves a photograph of some kind as it's just so different. Sometimes it's not that different to other parts of Asia, then some of the traditions, food or language come into play.  Whether all this is a good thing for travelling solo or not I'm still trying to get my mind round!?!?!  Here's a round up of some of the food so far....  I've still to find the Tamagochi restuarants....I mean Yakatori bars...but if you know what a Tamagochi is I wouldn't be too surprised to see them eating them somewhere!

You can't really get dehydrated too easily around the parts of Japan I've been to yet.  There appears to be vending machines for drinks all over the place. Unfortunately the coffee that comes out of most of them are cold, but here's a sample of the drinks on order.  Beer is available too.

Just incase you aren't sure what part of the animal you are ordering, sometimes you can get a useful guide :

At some of the food stalls at the Sanja Matsuri festival it was quite difficult to work out what was being sold.  Some were a bit more obvious though :

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone for octopus (above) or freshly barbequed fish?

 

 

 

For cheapo food, especially if you are away to board a train, there is always the bento box.  I had my first one today on the train from Nagano to Yudanaka, and it was surprisingly tasty.  A snip at 500 Yen (roughly £2.50 UKP).

 

 

 

 

 

I had my second sit down meal on my own today.  Yesterday I was able just to point at a picture on the menu at a place close to the hostel, but today I had to be a more creative.  Despite having the English name for them next to it I'm still getting up to speed (yes, it had the name in English, but not what it was). 

Local menu next to the Lonely Planet's food pages.

 

 

 

 

I've had my fair share of Japanese tea tonight in my ryokan, but they always have cheesy wee phrases in English on everything here.  It almost puts you off as you almost start laughing.  This was on the side of the insulated flask :

 

 

 

 

 

Of course you can get a few of the snacks you get elsewhere in the world (although I've noticed a distinct lack of chocolate in the grocery shops).  Here's a kitkat I just had to try tonight.  I recognised the taste, but I can't think what it was, but I know I'll be going back to the normal chocolate version next.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sure I've got a lot more learning to come my way over the next few weeks.

Some more pictures from the Sanja Matsuri Festival and Tokyo

Here's some more snaps from the festival parade I went along to at the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Nightime in Asakusa.  This is a very historical part of Tokyo so if you keep your head down you can almost feel like you are out of the city for a couple of minutes.

 

Getting the munchies.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

They start them early with technology here and look how they end up!

 

Yudanaka, Nagano and hopefully some snow monkey

After initial disappointment with places looking full I managed to get the Youth Hostel owner to speak to a place just outside Nagano which luckily had a room for me.  Nagano held the 1998 winter olympics but I'm off a bit further outside the city in the hope of finding snow monkeys to share my onsen with at Yudanaka.  I've booked into a traditional ryokan called Uotoshoi Ryokan in Yudanaka.  At £18.50 UKP a night it's not that bad for Japan :-)

Have a look at the Jogokudani Yaen-koen Wild Monkey Park - there's also a webcam!

First day, and first all nighter in Tokyo

When I was in the aiport in NZ I made contact with a couchsurfer in Tokyo and loosely arranged to hook up with her and her fellow English teachers on my first afternoon.

 This weekend was also the Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa.  I went for a wonder around the area waiting for the international mob of English teachers - Canadian (my couchsurfing contact), English, American, Welsh - all fresh off the plane by two weeks.  Just before they arrived I was interviewed on the street corner for a Japanese TV show asking what I thought about Japanese food.  Needless to say I couldn't comment much as I had just arrived, and hadn't really plucked up the bottle to order much yet. 

(Pictures : Sanja Matsuri festival)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The group then spent the afternoon milling around the area and generally having a laugh at the festival, joining in as much as we could, and had a few beers along the way.  We also looked at lots of things wondering what they were about, with noone around to ask. (Picture : Liz wandering how long it would take us to match the Japanese on the chopstick with the trays displayed)  To be honest, despite being around the festival for several hours I still don't really know what it's about apart from loads of different groups carrying around temple shrines on their shoulders, chanting some Japanese mantra, and men walking around in no 'pants'.  Despite this description coming from a Canadian (so it  was trousers), many of them really did look like they were wearing no pants, as the pictures will show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It didn't take long for Liz to buy myself and another guy some Octopus balls (no, not their actual balls, but octopus in a batter with some sauces) - see the pictures below.  All kinds of food was on display.  We pretty much munched throughout the afternoon - my only snack for breakfast was a 'chocco  banana' which looked pretty fallic when there were loads of them lined up.

 

 

 

 

d

Needless to say the beers kept flowing and as we ate and drank outside we quickly became the tourist attractions with Japanese coming over to take our pictures all the time.  An older couple then came and joined us, fleeced us for some beers, but sat down and had a real laugh with us, as other Japanese popped over for a photo and joined in small conversations.  It was an absolute blast.  Before we knew it  we were being offered kimonos to try on and more as our celebrity status slowly escalated.

My new found friends :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the group went back home to freshen up around 8pm, with a very Tokyo type arrangement made : "We'll meet you in Roppongi at 1am"

 

 

We met, we drank, we karaoked, we conquered.  You see once you are out at that time you have to make it until at least 5am to get the train, and my curfew was long gone in the hostel anyway.  We did have the slight excuse it was one of the crowd's birthdays, but it wasn't like the excuse was required.

I must admit I was really grateful for them letting me tag along to the celebrations - a fantastic crowd having a great laugh that just let me join in their socialising for 18 hours without even knowing me.  One of the group even managed to get our karaoke extended when they tried to kick us out at 5am as we hadn't had a chance to get our two hours unlimited drinks.  As the sunlight hit us I popped in for a nightcap around 7am.  The heavy beats took us into into what seemed a very obvious hostess bar as a large Nigerian guy thanked us a lot for coming in as he thought he had spoken to me in the street earlier....  The rest of the group were still outside on the pavement allowing daylight to sink in, along with the hangovers.

 

I parted with a farewell thanks, knowing I only had a couple of hours to get back to the hostel, freshened up, and out again as it's pretty normal to have to leave the hostel during the day in Japan.

Amazingly I type this relatively late having been on the go all day, activating my rail pass, and floundering around as I forgot to take out my guidebook.  I was about to write I survived mingling through the electronics shops in Akihabara but I just remembered I bought a new camera lens.  A nice 50mm f1.8 fixed lens - great to get that bluury portraits (erm, that I ahem always take - of course it was an essential purchase)...but it is the cheapest one you can buy.  I did manage to walk away without a new MP3 player though - it seems they are too much of a fashion accessory over here with hardly any of them getting more than 8 Gigs capacity to keep the size down!

I was hoping to leave Tokyo tomorrow but I haven't planned a thing, so will see how it goes.  I could do with leaving the city as I spent a fortune last night and it's just full of electronic temptations.  To be honest I've got a bit lazy so I'm not so sure how I feel about heading to the sticks and having to struggle with the language, but I'm sure it'll all end up good in the end.  I'm also hoping I can just jump on a train as I can't really be bothered with all this reservation malarky!  I don't even know if there is much happening in terms of public transport in the Mount Fuji area as it's well off season for climbing it.

Watch this space.

Yokoso Japan (Welcome to Japan)

At least I think that's what it means.  After years of wanting to get here I've finally made it to Japan.

The day of the flight was a bit of an ordeal, not helped by myself staying up most of the night before in Auckland airport on wifi.  I felt obliged to accept the stewardesses offer of extra wine to kick myself to sleep during the Sydney to Tokyo leg.  The flight was more than half empty so there was plenty of space to stretch out.  After a bit of a delay in leaving due to the rain I never got into the hostel until after 11pm.  Luckily the flight delay was due to horrendous rain in Sydney, and not me.  My name called out on the tannoy in the airport to get my bootie to the gate, despite it only just turning to the time they said the flight would board.

Tokyo isn't as hard to get around on the trains as people make out.  It has its odd confusing moments, but it's far easier than trying to navigate around the streets and find Tourist Information Offices tucked on 10th floors of buildings (I mean, come on....)

Japan I love you ｔｏｏ

Imｈａｖｉｎｇ　problems　ｗｉｔｈTHISkeyboard,ivehadaｆａｂ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　night　In　TOKYO　drinking　ｗｉｔｈ　ａ　ｃｏｕｃｈｓｕｒｆｅｒ　ａｎｄ　ｌｏｃａｌｓ．ｉｔｓ　１０４０ｐｍ　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ａｍ　ｍｅｅｔｉｎｇ　ｔｈｅｍ　ａｔ　１ａｍ　ｔｏｃａｒｒｙ　ｏｎ　ｆｏｒ　ｓｏｍｅｏｎｅｓ　ｂｉｒｔｈｄａｙ　ｉｎ　ｒｏｐｏｎｇｇｉ．　ａｎ　ｏｌｄｅｒ　ｃｏｕｐｌｅ　ｍｅｔ　ｓｔａｒｔｅｄ　ｄｒｉｎｋｉｎｇ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｕｓ　ｔｏｎｉｇｈｔ　ａｎｄ　ｗｅ　ａｌｌ　ｔｏｏｋ　ｐｈｏｔｏｓ　ａｆｔｅｒ　ｗａｔｃｈｉｎｇ　ａ　ｆｅｓｔｉｖａｌ．　ａｂｓｏｌｕｔｅｌｙ　ｓｕｐｅｒｂ．　　ｗｈａｔ　ａ　ｐｌａｃｅ．　　ｔｈｅ　ｒｅｓｔ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙ　ｍａｙ　ｈａｖｅ　ｔｒｏｕｂｌｅ　ｋｅｅｐｉｎｇ　ｕｐ！　　ｎｏｔ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｔｏｒｕｓｈ　ｊａｐａｎ　ａｎｄ　ｔｏｔａｌｌｙ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｔｏｇｏ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｌｏｗ．　　ｍａｙ　ｃａｔｃｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｆｉｓｈ　ｍａｒｋｅｔ　ｏｎｍｙ　ｗａｙ　ｈｏｍｅ　Ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ．
ｊａｐａｎ　-　ｂｒｉｎｇ　ｉｔ　ｏｎ！

Poor Knights Islands picture gallery uploaded, and a diving video from Similan Islands

I've uploaded some diving pictures from the Poor Knights Islands to my wanderingscotsman picture gallery.  If you don't dive and have been reading my blog, AND you have a broadband connections, check out this video from the Similan Islands on Google Video.  You'll get an idea of what it can be like.  I saw most of the stuff on this video in one shape or form including the mighty Manta Ray, but I went back to the boat before the whale shark shown re-appeared (arg).

Last day in New Zealand, parcels and 'work'

I sent off my final (hmmm...Japan?) box home today bringing my total shipped back from my trip to around 100kg.  God knows what!  Actually a lot has been gear I had but wasn't going to use anymore, and the tent I bought here just slipped in the box too, along with my underwater camera stuff, jacket and climbing stuff.

After the post office I was $300 lighter! Admittedly being a mere $300 lighter was a bonus.

First thing this morning I thought I had lost $800 from my pocket last night. I'd been carrying it around.....actually I started with $1300 after selling the car......until I got to Auckland to get some Japanese Yen.  I was gutted.  The best part of £300.

I finished packing up the van, sellotaping the box, and I realised in my haste to get to the pub I had left the driver's window of the van wide open last night - yes, with a van full of computer, photography and other kit.  But hey, it was quiet and I was lucky.

I was just getting myself prepared to go round and ask at the pub as I found my $800 on the van floor, obviously falling out my pocket one night as I stripped down for bed!  Lucky bugger.

More luck was had at the post office.   My box was 1kg short of the 20kg limit and I sent off my first submission to a picture library for quality control so fingers crossed.  Out of the thousands of pictures I have take I found it really hard to select only ten to send.  It wasn't even that they were all good I was just very critical of my photos - e.g. a cracking photo of a young monk but his shadow was cut off and more things like that.  I wish I had looked at them so critically before as I learned a lot in the few hours I was doing it.

As well as that I've just submitted a couple more hints 'n' tips to a travel magazine, I've got my fingers crossed for my first article request, and I have to write a book review for possible submission.  Nothing definite yet but fingers crossed.

Meanwhile I really should get off this free wireless in the airport.  I dropped the van off after 4pm and don't fly until 6am so I have the night at the airport.  My bag still seems full, but not as heavy so more internetty time and I'm off to make myself into a south park character from one website I just had pointed out in an email.

Sorry New Zealand my time has unfortunately come.  You've been great and I hope to be back again some day.  Maybe soon.  Maybe later.  You are so diverse.  You are hot and cold, have some great wet spots, but some fantastic icy ones too.

New Zealand - I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night in Tutukaka

The holiday park in Tutukaka was mobbed last night - I mean there were FOUR campervans in it!

After dinner and my bottle of Feijoa wine I had sitting in the fridge (now that I just remembered that, not wonder I was so bad this morning as that was after my post dive pint!) I went out to the pub to see if it was still open, asking along others at the site.  Only an Austrian girl came along, but there were a couple of English girls from the site there too.  I had been praising the diving, but a tad jealous I wasn't going out with them all the next day.  The two girls were travel writers in one shape of form (real ones, sorry if you guys read this!) so had a bit of a chin wag with them.

The bar manager and a local manager of another bar joined us and we stayed there until well after closing time until it got too cold.  We then headed back for a display of Poi - fireball dancing to you and me (I never even knew it was called that!).  Pretty neat but boy I was a bit rough finishing packing another box to send home this morning.

 

 

Ouch!  Who's got hot balls!

 

 

 

 

Poor Knights Islands - Day Three

I got back to the Tutukaka and had another day's diving during my last full day in New Zealand.  As soon as I had it in my head I knew it was the right thing to do and I was eager to get back.

There was a new crew on the boat, but again they were all superb.  Total professionalism, extremely educational, and with a total right on attitude towards the marine reserves.....but with the essential fun thrown in too.

To be honest my first dive in the morning was one of the worst I've ever done.  Leaky mask, foggy mask, and it's the first dive I've done in around forty dives without taking a second mask down as I completely forgot.  I was a bit panicky at first and couldn't wait to surface, but thought I'd stick it out so see how I got on.  I spent the whole time holding the front of the mask.  Horrible.  Heavy breathing, running through gas quicker than my Subaru did, and I wasn't able to focus on looking at things, although I still managed to see another short tailed Stingray.  I was so glad I didn't have my camera down with me as well as that would have just been another thing to look after.  Like my previous post mentioned I thought I should have left my diving experiences on a high.

(Picture : Kelp 'forest')  I knew it would be the last diving I'd do for a while so had to go out again and get the vibe back, so on went a hire mask, and it was absolutely fantastic.  The skipper helped me out with my underwater casing and put a different plastic knob on the end of it and it worked a treat.  It's so bright there you don't even need a flash for mediocre images.  I even took my first underwater video but annoyingly it was a bit of an afterthough just before I surfaced but it was great.  It really made me want to take this up!  I tried to upload this to YouTube but the file was too large.

We entered another cave and finally I got my own pictures of one of the cave entrances.  We saw another ray, several nudibranches and were diving through the kelp forests.  Unfortunately we never saw the carpet shark that sometimes hangs around one of the dive sites.  In exchange for some photoshop info I even got a Poor Knights CD from one of the guys there.  I also spent the boat trip chatting away to an English girl doing her divemaster there.

What a superb day and an ideal way to leave New Zealand.  I was so sad knowing that I wasn't going out the next day as despite only being there three times I walked in in the morning to 'Hi Darren, you came back then.' and that wasn't even from someone who was out on the boat with us.  When I left someone said 'maybe see you next season for your divemaster then.', and I went away with the email address of one of the guys incase I made it to Malta to dive when he was there.

The Poor Knights Islands really are a pretty special place even without the diving.  Above and underwater there are loads of arches, caves and 'bubbles' in the rocks from the previous volcanic activity, and it's a sacred place for the Maoris due to the history.  Due to the lack of human activity on the island its one of the few places, if not the only place in New Zealand that is free from pests and rodents so you get very special creatures including the only remaining 'dinosaur' species around. The caterpilars are huge due to the lack of predators.  Humans are not allowed to land on the islands apart from the odd DOC or scientific representative.  Hearing about this place really brings it home how much man has buggered up New Zealand in the past and present day introducing foreign species, trashing the marine life with fishing practices and generally all the things that lie under the covers of New Zealand's 'clean and green' marketing.  New Zealand isn't alone with this but the longer you spend here the more you realise how much bullshit is being marketed compared to what really goes on.  There are many opponents to the Deptartment of Conservation here, and even their practices, but it's great to see some of the things they preserve and try their hardest to maintain and that they make some of the reserves very easily accessible (e.g. Goat Island) for people that maybe wouldn't experience the environments otherwise.

One day I'll be back :-)

Oh and to finish on a good note, here's a really special picture of a seahorse I took.

I actually got sent this from a traveller I met in Laos.  Apologies to the copyright owner as it's not my picture!  (oops).

Northland and a return to the Poor Knights

I left Tutukaka yesterday morning already wondering why I hadn't just stayed to dive.  I knew I wanted to see the North, but I had kindof already decided I wouldn't head to Cape Reinga as it would be too much driving, and I got fed up of that recently. Immediately I felt like I had turned into a 'tick off tourist' just cruising past the sights with no time to take them in.

Straight past Bay of Islands, straight past where they signed the historic treaty, straight past Doubtless Bay, and a quick snap on a misty 68 mile (sorry '90' mile) beach.

I decided I had to head back to Tutukaka and spend my last clear day in NZ doing another dive at Dive Tutukaka by the Poor Knights Islands.  I've constantly thought about diving and doing my divemaster since being there, so if any generous and wealthy reader has some spare pocket change you could give me a birthday present of flights and divemaster course for my birthday once I return home!  I'm just hoping the weather over there has stayed better than in the west.

It's a bit like a good days climbing.  Do you do another climb after the last superb one you just did, or do you leave it incase the last one you try isn't as good and taints the memory?

Anyway, they are a great bunch there and probably one of the most professional (but not boring) dive outfits I've ever went out with, alongside probably Borneo Divers.

Hi Tech travelling

I've lasted pretty well so far lugging all my gizmos around but it's a bit of a hassle as well. I've got compact camera, digital SLR with a few lenses, laptop, MP3 player and I've acquired a few external hard drives for holding music, pictures and the odd video.

(PIcture : Chargers and leads galore)

 

I've also always purchased a SIM card for my phone in every country except Cambodia (you needed a local ID card there) and Myanmar, and I won't be able to in Japan.

(Picture : My seven SIM cards : Left to right clockwise - since I know you are really interested - Malaysia DTC, Australia Optus, Vietnam somethingorother, NZ Vodafone, UK Vodafone, Laos Tango, I think XPAX is Thailand as well I can't remember, and in the background the purchase card for my Thai Happy SIM!) 

And of course, taking as many photos as I have the last 12 months, you have to expect a camera memory card to get confused and become useless at least once...luckily I never lost anything and had a spare with me as it was at the start of my Mount Aspiring walk!  Of course I had to take it apart to have a look.

(Picture : External hard drives)

But I'd struggle to travel without all the stuff!

Another Classy New Zealand sign

To be fair it this sign probably had nothing to do with a Kiwi.  I saw this scribbled on the back of a toilet door in a holiday park yesterday....

Vodafone in New Zealand

Writing my Hi Tech blog made me think about cellphones (or mobiles) in New Zealand. It's obvious from the start it is a monopoly country, and I guess it may stay that way due to the population.

You have Telecom, who have some stupid old system that doesn't use SIM cards, and Vodafone who has a monopoly for all the travellers, and many Kiwis as well so they can roam with it.

But it's expensive.  It's like the UK years ago.  90c a minute for a call (about 30 pence), yet you can call the UK just now for 30 minutes for $3.

Considering the low population density the coverage is pretty good though, but gets poorer around parts of the South Island for obvious reasons - terrain, national parks and low population.

In saying that you can pretty much tell that if you are in a place you think that is remote but you have cell coverage, I reckon it's a pretty good indication there are some pretty expensive baches (holiday homes) just tucked around the corner, or in the North Island, you are just about to hit another bunch of JAFA's holiday homes (Just Another F!?"ing Auckland - sorry I just had to get that into my blogging somewhere).

Also, Vodafone's service is terrible.  Text messaging not working, long waits on hold to the call centre, voicemails delivered several days later - all really bad when you pretty much have a stranglehold on the market.  I've been with them in the UK for years and they've been great. 

Come on - give the Kiwis what they deserve Vodafone!  Cheap calls, great service and even better coverage - you're one of, if not the, largest phone company in the world!

Return to Poor Knights

Just a quickie as my time on the net is running out and my accommodation in Japan has fallen through...
I'm heading back to Tutukaka for another days dive probably as I've turned into a 'tick off tourist' again and don't like it. And I've always been thinking of diving....

More soon.

I've failed as a traveller!

Not quite, but here I am sitting grabbing internet time, contemplating going home, flights booked, a 'free' trip home effectively, and I'm still enquiring about my divemaster at Dive Tutukaka, and then I get an email from my Melbourne host titled "Come to India"...."I'll be there in two weeks"  yet I reject the idea!

Bloody money!

Long day of travel ahead to Tokyo

Eeeek.  I've a long day on Friday.  Staying at airport overnight, then a 3ish hour flight to Sydney, then a few hours wait there, and a 9hr 55min flight to Tokyo!!  I never realised it was so far away, but I guess my route takes me a longer way round.

I've already started to witness the anal way of doing things in Japan.  I emailed accommodation I've used in Bangkok the other day to book a room.  A confirmation came back.  No worries.

I sent an email to a ryokan in Tokyo the same day. Admittedly I got my dates wrong, but I said that if there were rooms on my real dates then I wanted it, and to let me know step 2 of the booking process.  I then got a reply informing me there were rooms and to let them know if I wanted it...........

Arg!

Day 2 at Poor Knights Islands. Middle Channel and Trevor's Rocks

I was out diving at Poor Knights again today, and again had a fantastic day.  There were a couple of lads from England on the boat so the three of us buddied up and went out on our own - my first time without a guide (although these guys had recently done their divemaster but I think had only dived in Thailand). It was superb just having a bit of freedom to do our own thing.  (Picture : My buddies - one clearly very pleased - at a cave entrance, me looking out to sea. The image just doesn't do it justice)

With a bit of playing around I also got my camera to function correctly for most of the first dive, but unfortunately not the second one when we entered a cracking cave and had a few decent swimthroughs.

The first dive was at  Middle Channel which was the gap between the two major islands in the chain.  Superb visibility, we followed a steep wall to the open channel where we were lucky to see an Eagle Ray swimming away from the first set of divers. I also managed to catch a large nudibranch (which eats other nudibranches) hanging out on the sandy bed.  (Pictures : diver next to wall and seabed, and 8 inch nudibranch)

We then headed back towards a kelp forest, and popped into the start of a cave giving the typical amazing Poor Knights views out to the sun.  You enter a dark cave, then turn round to a picture perfect underwater postcard view.  The north stonefishes are far larger than their counterparts you see in Asia (and I believe quite a bit less dangerous!).

 

We made the compulsory stop in Riko Riko cave but unfortunately didn't dive there again, although the light bouncing off the sea to the cave's roof was far more impressive today. (Picture : Riko Riko cave - so clear you can see the bottom in the picture too)

Dive two took us to Trevor's Rocks which is a set of three pinnacles, with some nice little swimthroughs, and ended up swimming round a nice archway into a cave with yet another picture postcard view.

It was once again a superb day and I was really tempted to dive for a third day but reckon I will head up north for some sightseeing.

 

 

 

One of the many fish. I think this one is a leatherjacket (Kokiri)

 

 

One of the open caves we swam around, and into on the second dive, giving a picture postcard view out to open water.

 

 

I have so much loved my time diving in this location and having been a few months since I've dived it's really motivated me for it.  I'm just pretty gutted that I am not managing to do my divemaster before I head back home, but it's still something I'd love to do whether I would ever take it further or not.

And tonight also ends well. A beer with one of my buddies, sitting the van under nature's disco lights, with the odd shooting star, and the milky way above as well.  A perfect end.

Poor Knight Islands Diving with Dive Tutukaka. A new religion. And just like the brochures.

Today was spiritual, and I'm not religious.

I've had my unfair share of 'Shit Hot Dive Sites of the World' during my year.  Similan Islands, Sipadan, Malapascua and others.  When in New Zealand I'd be crazy if I didn't try diving at the Poor Knight Islands.  I'm getting pretty skint, but as I said at the end of the day to the guide - there are two sports that instantly make me ignore my bank balance.  Heliboarding or diving.  It doesn't matter, I just sign for it, or enter my PIN.  But would it live up to the hype?  The Poor Knights Islands contain one of Jacque Costeau's Top 10 dive sites of the world.  Dive Tutukaka recently won a prestige tourism award. Blah blah blah.  Wade Oak who has done a lot of photography, research and more in the area is often quoted as saying '...what is distinctive about Poor Knights is I dive in them, not at them" as there are so many volcanic remains, cavees and swimthroughs around the area.  Spoilt I know but after a while you start to think that any 'attraction' can spin something great or other.  But this was diving.  Hardly any of the world's population sees this stuff, so why not?

The first dive was at Brady's Corner.  We exited the superb dive boat with the volcanic cliff edge only a few feet away.  The Poor Knights used to be a volcano, and used to rise 1000m+ above the sea.  I won't pretend I can remember all the stuff, but basically now you dive over the volcanic remains.  In a marine reserve.  I could tell before I surfaced after jumping in that it would be a great dive.  Great visibility of around 20m, and a kelp 'forest' to swim around.  If you don't know it, think of kelp as a forest of seaweed trees that you can swim through.  I've never dived in an environment like this before - I've always been spoiled by wonderful coral gardens. But this was fantastic too and very different.  I was also pleased that I spotted two large (by my standards) short tailed Stingrays before the guide did - both about about 1m+ wide.  There were also several Northern Scorpionfish which are far larger than their Asian equivalents, and less harmful.  These were around three feet long, totally camoflagued with their surroundings.  There were also loads of other fish I haven't seen befor along with many sponges, a few nudibranches, yellow eels, starfish quite different to ones I've seen before, and loads of sea urchins.

I was quite lucky to come out of the water with my nose just spouting out a lot of snot - I've never seen so many people seasick on a dive boat before.  Maybe they shouldn't bother trying to dive in Asia!

Dive two was where it all came out.....

Off it was a few metres round the bay to Riko Riko cave (Picture : interior of the cave).  This is thought to be the worlds largest sea cave.  It's so large you can anchor several boats in it, and ours was quite large (and the only one - yaaah, off season travel rocks!).  It has a 35m cavity above the sea level, and measures 134x80 metres, going from around 9m to 26m at the entrance.  Riko means something like reflection so it was named after how the sun reflects from the cave's roof.Apparently the acoustics are superb and Neil Finn has even recorded here.  And I dived it in May meaning with a low sun, it penetrates futher than normal into the cave.

I stepped off the boat, popped my goggles under the surface then popped my head up.  My first words were :

'For once, it's just like the brochures.'

(Picture : Riko Riko Cave entrance above the surface)  When you looked out towards the entrance to the caves, the visibility was stretching up to around 40 metres.  The volcanic rock formations were silhouetted against the incoming rays of the sun.  Other divers were silhouetted against the rays.  And this was the day I couldn't get my frickin' underwater housing buttons in line with the camera buttons so it was useless.  I left it on the boat.  I was absolutely gutted as all over the place I was lining up some of my best ever diving shots, and I was without a camera.  I kept pretending to take photos and banging my head to the guide.  The amazing scenery lasted the whole dive.  This was, and is, one of my best ever dives so far, despite not seeing that much marine life compared to other dives.

(Picture : One of the smaller Dive Tutukaka boats inside Riko Riko cave)   One of the marine life highlights was seeing a large 3 foot Northern Stonefish lying on a rock with a small yellow eel sitting alongside with its mouth wide open, both of them quite happy just sitting there posing away.  Despite me never being able to capture a picture to give it justice, I kept imagining hovering there lining up a perfect image of both of them with the silhouetted background of the cave's entrace with the sun's rays beaming in.

And then it got better.  As some of the group surfaced as their air reduced, three of us went to the back of the cave.  From here you looked out to a majestic view which was like an underwater amphitheatre.  I could have stayed there for hours.  As you left the rear of the cave you could look up through the 10 metres or so of water and slowly catch the sun bouncing off the cave's roof which gave you a completly different perspective. 

(Picture : A dive boat heading towards the cave entrance which looks deceivingly small in this shot) Just as I thought I had the best we started heading back to the boat.  From around 9 metres, with the guide in front of me I had a perfect silhouette of the hull of the boat, the dinghy off the back, the guide in front of me, and a school of fish to the side.  I can't even describe how pissed off I was at not having a camera in my hand.  I've heard several comments recently (partly in Dylan Moran's comedy show!) that you should ditch the camera and enjoy the moment, but any description just wouldn't do this sight justice, especially if you are a non diver.

When the guide surfaced he immediately grabbed his digital SLR and housing and went in again.

 

 

 

When I relucantly surfaced (I could have stared at that sight for hours) I had that amazing feeling of witnessing something truly amazing and honestly almost 'spiritual'.  Yes get the sick bags at the ready, but it was amazing.  I was like this until well after coming on shore, which is probably why I have babbled on about it so much. 

What a day.

It wasn't even ruined by me realising that I hadn't bought oyster sauce to make my dinner, and that the campervan had the fridge turned up so high the sour cream was for my alternative burrito meal was almost frozen.

Oh and I didn't even question what was on the plan tomorrow.  I sat around reading the articles around the Dive Tutukaka office, looking at the fish ID books and had already signed up for another day's diving.  I definitely won't say the other operators in the area aren't as good as I've not experienced them, but Dive Tutukaka were excellent.  A great crew who coped well with the range of people and experience on the boat, and a professional approach that still let everyone do what they wanted to do, whether it be diving with a guide or with a buddy. Highty recommended.

Tutukaka Marina.

 

 

 

 

 

Me blogging offline in the campervan.

The van is a high top so you can stand up in it.  If you ever get one I'd recommend this if you can as it just makes everything from cooking to moving around so much easier, and you feel far less claustrophobic.

Route to Tutukaka. Goat Island (Okarkari Point) Marine Reserve

I only had one stop on the way to Tutukaka in Northland.  My mate in Wellington told me about another marine reserve called Goat Island that had another snorkelling area. This was the first marine reserve in New Zealand, set up in 1977.  Apparently in summer, there can be around 3000 visitors here at a weekend.  Being off season I only had to share it with a few others.

(Picture : Goat Island Marine Reserve) Unfortunately it was quite rough so reluctantly I never went snorkelling but what a great setup.

 

 

 The campervan at Goat Island Marine Reserve.

 

 

 

 

The Department of Conservation do it again with their information signs encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves.

 

 

So it was off to Tutukaka.  The van ran great, easily breaking the speed limit if required, and if I placed my MP3 player carefully it would play in stereo.  Until I hit a bump.  Despite already sending a box home last week I still loaded the van up with :

• my main backpack
• my manbag with laptop, 3 external disks, notebooks etc
• my $10 Vietnamese 'North Face' hand luggage with camera gear
• a plastic bag with last minute things taken from the car
• a plastic bag with some clothes, recent purchases(hey it was only socks and two expensive British magazines)
• My food bag
• Another rucksack with god knows how many New Zealand leaflets that I feel compelled to send home in the ever lasting hope I'll write some articles one day
• A plastic box which was meant to be holding everything else that I wasn't taking to Japan with me. Tent (purchased here, couldn't be bothered to try and sell), climbing harness, rock shoes, classy 'Pure Local' NZ hoodie, classy Cactus Climbing canvas jacket ('Our clothes get worn in, not out').

Needless to say the van looked like I had lived in it for my 9 weeks despite only having it for an hour.  I may need to send a bigger than planned box home.

(Picture: Looking to the back of the campervan from the drivers seat)

 

 

The passenger seat.

 

 

 

 

My friends at the marine reserve.

Road trip music - get it on your stereo. Now.

Yes I know. You are sitting there wondering what new tunes you can listen to.  And I am sitting here alone in my campervan so I feel compelled to tell you about some of the great stuff I've (clear throat) bought on my travels.  Largely inspired by what my mates have had of course, and some stuff I've read about.  Definitely not all new.

• The Knive - 'Deep Cuts'.  Dave T - if you read this, buy it now.  It contains the original of Jose Gonzalez's now famous tune from the Sony bouncing balls advert.  I loved that, but I like the original better.
• Mark Ronson - 'Version'.  Just out.  If you like dance, electronic, Robbie William's 'big band' album or anything inbetween.  Get it.  Just out.   It's more than a mash up of tunes.  No XXX 'versus' YYY.  It's new take on many songs from Radiohead, Stone Roses, that chick that sings 'Toxic', and many more inbetween.  Despite being covers of some shape or form, it's original.  Love it.
• Manu Chao - 'Proxima Estacion'.  I hardly listen to this, but play track 15  - 'Homens'.  You may recognise it.  It's in French.  It's great.
• Stars - 'Set Yourself on Fire'.  From 2007 but got this early  in my trip.  Try it.  Superb.
• The Beautiful Girls.  Just try anything.  I saw them in Adelaide a few years ago.  Only just got their stuff.  Good.
• The Fratellis. Guess if you are at home you'll know this Scottish band.
• Ben Harper ' 'Both Sides of the Gun'.  A bit funky.  You'll love it or hate it.
• Boards of Canada - 'The Campfire Headphase'.  Chilled out tunes.  Chromakey Dreamcoat is my fav.
• Carus - 'Acoustic at the Norfolk'.  A folky Melbourne band. 
• Cold War Kids - 'RObbers & Cowards'.  Martin you may like this, despite having thought my music taste is 'up my arse' the last few years.
• Emilia Torrino - 'Fishermans Woman'.  Female artist.  If you like that kinda chilled out female vocals, definitely try this. I first heard one of her tracks on the Ministry of Sound Chilled Out 8 - but don't let that put you off if you're not usually into this kind of album.
• Evermore - 'Real Life'.  I have to mention a Kiwi band.  Their track 'Running' is played all the time hear and for a good reason.
• Faithless ' 'To All New Arrivals'.  They always deliver a quality album.  Worth it just to hear a boshed about version of one of the Cure's classics.
• Gomez - 'How We Operate'.  If you like Gomez, get this.  A fantastic album.  Even if you don't like them - try it.
• Nelly Furtado - 'Loose'.  Yes I used to love her first album (or was it just her?) but I can't believe I'm adding this to the list.  I love 'Priscuous' - it's the kind of song that would get me on a dancefloor if bladdered, but don't hold me to it when I get home.  I like this largely due to the fact that you heard the background riff round every corner in every shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu in Borneo.  But strangely I quite like 'Maneater' as well.  Ooops.
• The Fray - 'How To Save  A Life'.  Did I really leave this until last?  I guess you'll know this if back home.  Saw it was high in the Australia charts, thought I'd see what it was about without ever hearing any of their stuff.  Absolutely superb.
• The Living End - various albums.  My friend Tracy from Melbourne was once their rock star photographer (kinda) as her and her bro knows them well.
• The Waifs - 'Sink or Swim'.  God (probably) knows where this band is from but they have an Irish folky kinda vibe to them.  Superb 'fiddly diddly' but funky music.
• Tosca - 'Dehli'.  If you want some chilled, funky, kinda dance music, for some lazy listening DEFINITELY try this one for size.  Listen to 'Gute Lounge''.
• Groove Armada - 'Soundboy Rocks'.  Not sure if it lives up to the rest - good, but I've only had it a day or so.

So you can waken up nowif you have read this far and  get your download manager on the go.........

Hiring a campervan from Apollo Campervans in New Zealand

Just don't.  Did I say don't hire a campervan from Apollo Campervans in New Zealand?  I'll get to that later.

With a bit of hangover I got up and headed to the airport with no breakfast inside.  A recipe for prolonging the pain if ever I've heard one.

I was all excited by picking up the campervan.  A mere $200 for 6 days.  Bargain.  I even extended it by a day.

It was all great until........

On the phone to the call centre I said 'Are there any extra charges?'

'No.  That's it.  Unlimited kilometres and only more if you take out extra insurance'

Fantastic.  That was until I sat there at the desk going through the formalities and the guy on the counter explained that if you don't take extra insurance they take $5000 off your credit card, and by the way there's a 1.5% surcharge for credit cards.

'That's ridiculous, is there any way I can avoid it or pay by cash?'

'No.'

Even if you take out extra insurance they still take a bond, albeit smaller, off your card, and you still get charged for the credit card fee.  I was just lucky I didn't have American Express as that was 4%.  So here I was with a $200 rental, having to pay a non refundable charge of $75 for something I would hopefully never use.  If I had an American Express card, by credit card fee would have been $100 more than my rental.  Absolutely outrageous.

It is my mission to get the $75 back but I know I've got no chance.  Basically I was sitting there, got by the goolies as I only had 6 days, wanted to rent from elsewhere, but never had time to sort it out without eating into my limited time.

I'm going to email the tourism authorities responsible for giving these idiots a New Zealand Tourism Qualmark award indicating their great service to tourists.  By the way they also operate 'Cheap Camper' vans.

I felt sorry for the guy serving me as it wasn't his fault, but to be honest it took all the excitement of renting a camper from them.

Anyway, I got on my way, pleased to have a fridge on the move so my purchases consisted of a 6 pack of Monteith's Golden lager, a bottle of Feijoa white(!) wine, bread, meat filled pasta, nacho kit, guacamole, sour cream, onion, cheese, biscuits (I still had some wine left), cereal, chocolate, milk and feijoas.  A truly balanced diet.

I purchased some karma points by giving away my duvet and pillows to the hostel, and my cooking set of gas stove, gas bottles, plates and pans to a Taiwanese couple in the hostel that had missed out purchasing my car.  It was interesting to see how easily they were taken when free compared to the $30 (£11) asking price on the hostel noticeboard the night before.....maybe it wasn't noticed but it felt better giving it other travellers anyway.

Couchsurfing.com - My first 'meet'

I went out for a great night out to see Dylan Moran as part of the Auckland Comedy Festival with FLYNGAL from couchsurfing.com - Selina, she does have a real name.  Anyway, it was my first couchsurfing hook up.  No couch, but always great to hook up with a local in a big city - once you've been to a few they all kinda seem the same and you really need to hook up with someone who knows the sneaky wee spots the tourist 'punters' don't normally get to - or at least some of them.

First stop was Rakinos in Auckland.  A bar that to be honest could have been in any city, but it was far better being there than the average 'get drunk, get sh...ed' backpackers bar (a generalisation if ever there was one).  But you don't get Feijoa wine in every city or bar (like that Kirsty in 'Wellytron'?).  I didn't buy any but I tried it.  Not bad, if not a bit sickly (but that didn't stop me stocking up on some on my travels).  I opted for my first Stella Artois for a while.

The comedy? Not bad, not brilliant, but it got funnier as he got more risky.  Just before he finished.  At $50 it was almost the same price you'd pay in the UK which is a tad pricey for here, but it's always good to see a comedian in a different country.  And he mentioned Scotland, and not in a bad light, so he got my vote (I never knew he lived there).

And on it was to the next stop.  Shanghai Lil's.  Now we're talking. As we walked past, Selina wasn't convinced it was the right bar as people were dancing to old style big band type music.  It was the right bar.  Quirky, full or old hideous, but pleasing at the same time, ornamental.....ornaments.  From chandaliers to sofas, to big marble type elephant pot stands.  Like a very 'upmarket' version of The Pond in Edinburgh if there could ever be one.  The crowd were mixed to say the least from cool youngsters (like myself!?!) to a group of older women dressed in classy dresses, just out for a meal and a good night.  The manager (I'm guessing) made the place.  I'm sure I could have got my residency through him, but rather than as a skilled migrant, it would have had to be through a same sex marriage.  After discovering we weren't 'together' he complimented me on my looks, and eventually I couldn't escape going up to dance with him, but I fear my lovely Earth Sea and Sky trousers, and my Boom Boom Music Cambodia clothes weren't a match for his old school red velour dinner jacket. 

A quality pub, off the beaten track, and drinking pints of 'Dave's' draft lager (after a compulsory Feijoa vodka, Apple and Lychee juice cocktail) until about 0230.

Travel towels

So you're wondering which travel towel to take away with you on your next trip?  TekTowels or all the other towels I've forgotten?

I think it's about high time I introduced you my lovely travel towel.  Ever tried to find a large towel in Kota Kinabalu in a hurry?  I did, but to no avail.  The largest one I could find in a hurry in one of the department stores was one which unfortunately make me feel like a kiddy fiddler every time I use it due to the colourful characters on it.....but it's lasted the pace, is light, and doesn't smell.  It's also got an amazing ability to cover everything in the washing machine with it in little white balls.

Drum roll......................and here it is :

Modern backpackers

This photograph shoes the way that some flashpackers are travelling now - 3 laptops using wireless on one table, wine and beer.  Quality.  A recent poll showed that MP3 players were the most popular item to take travelling nowadays, and after wandering around Auckland's CBD today with music coming through only one ear, it's frustrating when they don't play ball.  There are definitely more and more travellers with laptops now too.  If you head to a hostel that mentions wireless in it's description, it's even more obvious.

Car Sold. Campervan Hired.

I sold my car today.  Yaaah. Bought for $1900. Sold for $1300.  Only cost me $600 for 9 weeks which is around £200 UKP. 

Plus the $2000 of fuel or whatever I guess and a new set of tyres at $180.

So what did I do?

Hire a campervan.  So I pick up an Apollo 2 berth Hi Top Cheapa camper on Friday (complete with hangover maybe after comedy festival?) until Wednesday afternoon, giving me one full day in Auckers before I head to Japan to purchase all the books that I think I'll maybe get round to reading.....despite having three excess books lugged through New Zealand.  My campervan hire is only costing me $200 - just over a tenner UK per day as it's low season.  And I cannot wait to get out an about it in as I always 'promised' myself a camper in NZ.

So now I have the best of both worlds. A sports car, and a campervan.  And I've just booked diving at at Dive Tutukaka at the Poor Knights Islands on Saturday.  I'll probably have more than one day but will suck it and see.

So a few hours ago I got £1300.  In the last hour I've just committed myself to $440.  By the time I return from the Poor Knights I may have blown the lot.  But hey.  I'll be diving, and I'll be in a campervan.

The Man Upstairs and His mistake making Scotland - Part II

So I was thinking what other hindrances Him upstairs put in the way of Kiwis to try and satisy myself.....

I guess he never thought about broadband coming along....  I mean New Zealand...how do you expect to attract IT people with a piss poor home broadband service with tiny little download capped limits?  And NZTV is trying to promote downloadable TV? Come on.....

And 100km/h speed limit?  Yeh I guess that'll make them take even longer to get from place to place.....

Little things......

Updated photo gallery - again

I've added many more pictures again today after my wireless connection died in the early hours of this morning..... see the Wandering Scotsman Gallery for a complete update from New Zealand - Mount Aspiring to Coromandel and everywhere inbetween.

Long way from home. The joys of travelling.

 It scares me coming home. While travelling (especially by yourself) you are in your own little world.  There are no politics of the office.  No bitching.  No @rseholes (if there are you leave them although I've been lucky to meet only one - a pissed English guy on St Patrick's Day).

(Picture : Distance to London from Mount Eden, Auckland)

You don't even care if the amount of petrol you put in doesn't end up in a nice round number.  $63.46 is fine thank you.  No need to make it $63.50, or $64.00 (Shit!  Was that just me that did that?).  You don't worry if you scratch your car. Or loose your travel speakers*.  The only folk that piss you off is people who don't clean up after themselves in hostels.  And tour buses.  You get up when you want to.  And you don't mind always wakening at 0700.  (But that doesn't mean you have to get up eh?)

(One funny sign in a hostel said : "Your mum is not with you.  Please clean and put away your dishes."  Scribbled after it was : "Could you please translate this to German as they don't seem to understand."......although most of them do).

There is also no supply of money.  Which is a problem. 

You see I have £2.12 in my savings account.  This month is the first I haven't paid off my credit card in full.  I still have 5 weeks left.  Mostly in Japan.  And I may be meeting investment bankers there to socialise.

In saying that I am writing this on my laptop in Ponsoby in Auckland, just having finished my Salmon and Cream Cheese bagel and a flat white coffee in a cafe that Zara Phillips apparently ate in a while back (according to the poster on the wall).  Still, it was 'only' $11.

I've pimped my car around a few hostels, but to be honest I can't be bothered.  If I don't sell it by Thursday I'm quite happy to leave it at the auctioneers and let them have their $350 commission, depending how much they sell it for.  If they sell it.  You see time's short.  I don't want to sit around depressing backpackers car markets while the sun is shining. I just hope I don't end up exchanging it for a bag of weed like I heard another guy do recently in his desperation to get at least something for it (no, mum, I won't).  It would give me some good Buddha karma points giving it away before I reach Asia!

I bumped into a couple of girls at my hostel whom I met in the Nelson hostel I stayed in.  And I've just received some tips on how to preparemy pictures for one of the photo libraries :-)   I never recognised them at first as they had their hands deep in the fridge cleaning for free accommodation at the time.  I'm heading in to see Dylan Moran with a couchsurfer on Thursday night as part of the Auckland Comedy Festival.  Kate from Raleigh in Borneo who tried to keep me on the straight and narrow,, and who I constantly disappointed with my pictures ;->, has given me potential contact in 'Tokers' (Tokyo) to show me the bars and finally blow that budget before heading back to cheap 'n' cheerful Asia.  I also got some Japan hints from another couchsurfer in Nagano.  I've not had too much luck with the couchsurfing.com enquiries I've sent off for Japan though which is a bit of a blow.  But I did order my Japan Rail pass from STA Travel today.

Unfortunately I've probably put the motorbike hire on hold as it was £130+ per day...and $165 for the BMW I wanted.

What is good about coming to the end of my trip is that I have flashbacks from the previous 12 months.  I often think I haven't *really* travelled as it's all been so easy.  I often forget how much I've done until I double click on Picasa and open up the photo library of thousands.  Sharing bus journeys with cool strangers.  Getting a remote Laos village  playing with multicoloured balloons with faces drawn on them. Wading through floods to the guesthouse in Inle Lake, Myanmar after hard bargaining for a 5 hour ride on the back of a pickup with new friends.  Watching the hungover horror in Tracy's face as she woke up ten minutes before her scheduled flight departure to Cambodia.  Paying way too much for cool 'hand made, one off' pictures that I just remembered I sent back from Bagan in Myanmar.  Watching as participants realised they had just cut down the wood for someone's house to support water tanks in a tiny village in Sabah.  Crapping myself hearing a rustle in the dark forest while walking on my own to see glowworms without having to pay $70 for the pleasure. Drinking the nicest tea ever (Buddha tea) in Hanoi.  Running into relative strangers a few days after meeting them and feeling like they were best mates.  Making kids cry when they saw a strange white man lifting his camera to take a photo of them beside a cockfight.  Seeing frogs beaten over the head in a Cambodian market.  Working out what to do when 2/3rds up Mount Kinabalu and a participant gets a suspected broken ankle. Buying a car with no mechanical check.  Having a drinking competition with a waitress in Nah Trang as she challenged me on a bottle of vodka, which was bought by somone I met an hour earlier.  Running out of petrol between army checkpoints on the Thai / Myanmar border.  Walking away from a heated discussion having retrieved my passport and only put down 1/3rd of the asked rental fee in Laos after my motorbike broke down.  Being offered a 'smoke' from a long tail boat 'captain' in Thailand.  Saying hello to a 3m wide Manta Ray which hovered a few feet above me.  Having a $1000 camera lens returned to me after finding out a traveller on my dive boat handed it in to a guesthouse in Phnom Penh.  Purchasing my third compact camera of the trip due to previous flooding and dropping.  Talking the same shit with John, but this time on a Thai balcony in Ao Nang and not his flat after a red hot curry. Getting up early to walk 12 hours off a mountain.  Talking my way into a closed 'illegal' late night bar in Laos. Swimming with 400 dolphins.

Zara Phillips still hasn't came into the cafe again.  I'm off up Mount Eden.

All good.

(Picture : Auckland CBD from Mount Eden)

 

A slice of reality.  Central Auckland traffic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* - I did actually give a shit about loosing my travel speakers - I just don't know if it was on a Philippines islands, Bangkok airport where noone told me my bag was open, or somewhere inbetween.

Blog Correction

You know you're not ready to go to sleep when you lie in a hostel in your sleeping bag and realise.......shit, I wrote Control-K on my blog and it''s really Control-ENTER!! So if you read my post in I've Been Linked To....  and tried to write 'wanderingscotsman' in your address bar in your internet browser, hit Control-K and nothing happened.....try it again and press Control-ENTER.

Ooops. 

I think it's high time I went to bed soon.  It's 0139 and despite all the lights being on, I'm the only one up......and tomorrow is meant to be a busy car related day.

Updated Photo Gallery

I've taken the liberty of using and abusing my $10 24 hour internet access to make a well overdue update to my Wandering Scotsman Photo Gallery.  I hope you enjoy!  Sorry, there are no captions with the images.  Jeez, gimme a break.  I'm on holiday.  It's 0124, I've had 5 beers and I'm feeding my internet addiction.......

The Man Upstairs and His mistake making Scotland

As I drove along the Coromandel coast, it was the first time I started to think The Man Upstairs made Scotland on a Saturday, and New Zealand on a Sunday. 

I think He made Scotland thinking he had made the ultimate country.  Small, great people, Aberdeen rowies, great access to the outdoors, world class secluded beaches, beautful islands, great accessible mountains, climbs, camping and kayaking, drinking water (Whisky) and all the rest.  The Best Small Country In The World.  It wasn't until he was out with the boys on Saturday night that he realised after a few beers that he forgot to add the long term glaciers (ok, ok, I know the valleys and mountains of Scotland are cleary made as a result of glaciers), rainforests, and as he added cold water to his Whisky he realised he had made the sea too cold to swim in unless you're completely canned at 0430 in the morning (like me after my Mountain Leader course in Kintail).

He didn't know what to do.  He thought he would make New Zealand to rectify his oversight from his busy day's work.

'Shit, what can I do?'  he said to his mates.

Suddenly a brainwave hit him.  Like every 9-5 monkey he decided a cover up was the best option. 

'I know, I'll put it as far away from Scotland as possible - just off that block of ice at the bottom of the world.  I'll add the rainforests, the different climates in one country, and I'll split it up into two - North and South.  That way, they'll have to travel much further to go from the snow to the 'tropical' north in the winter.  The Scottish folk will never find out about it, but if they do, it'll be too far away anyway, and jeez, the Scots only have to drive a few hours from one end of their country to the other so I'll make the Kiwi's suffer and make them drive a couple of thousand kilometres and take a ferry to boot.  In fact I'm so sure they'll never find out I'd be as well call half the mountains the same names as Scotland - that'll save me some time as I work out this rainforest malaky, heck I'll even cut corners in Dunedin and make most of the streetnames the same as Edinburgh.  Just incase they do ever find out, which they won't, I'll make some compromises and make some of the towns have a layout a bit like the place I plan on creating in a few thousand years called America'

And there it was.  Like all best plans made over a beer.  New Zealand.

Coromandel to the Big Bad City (Auckland)

Very reluctantly I sat on Hahei beach this morning in perfect sunshine, dying for a swim, keen to go back to Hot Water Beach...and decided to head towards Auckland. 

 (Picture : seafront road in Whitianga) I never called up any accommodation until two thirds of the way back incase anywhere took my fancy, but luckily as I passed through Whitianga (erm, check my spelling on that!), Coromandel town and Thames I realised I made the right choice staying at Hahei.  In saying that, during this journey I really did believe the guidebooks.  You just wouldn't do the Coromandel justice if you only drove up either the east or west coast, they really are very different.  The east has some amazing beaches, and the west is more rugged.  I expected a cliff lined coast though, but instead, every house on the west seems to be within a few k's of a beach, a boat ramp and almost all have stunning outlooks across the bay.

As I stopped at the viewpoint above Coromandel town my decision to hit Auckland was made.  The car had started to steam from the bonnet like it did early on in its tour in Christchurch.

Not a problem as it was only burning oil, but I did decide to treat it and actually put some oil in it after covering around 8000km or more.  Like everyone said they did, two minutes after popping the bonnet over a friendly Kiwi stopped to check that everything was ok.  (Picture : View over Coromandel town)

So here I am sitting in a hostel in the Mount Eden area of Auckland (Bamber Lodge Claudia - ta for the recommendation but it's miles from town!).  I posted another 12kg home (I think my total posted weight home from this trip sits at almost 70kg including the partially smashed 27kg of Vietnamese ceramics).  And I even put the car through a carwash.  If it wasn't for the exhaust needing fixed because of me reversing into a gravel dip in the road, the front of it needing fixed, a new strut required to stop the oil leak, a new windscreen due to the crack that was there when I bought it, and the excessive tapping noise from the engine when you rev, I'd love to take my Subaru home with me. (By the way fixing all that may only cost less than $500-600NZD over here using second hand parts).

I did a bit more sorting stuff out after arriving in the hostel.  I then popped out to get a pizza and a 6 pack for about 7UKP as I felt lazy and am posting this on the hostel's $10 24 hour charge for wireless net access.  No Rough Guide or map in the car - piece of piss.  I'm so switched on when it comes to getting my bearings in a new place.  I realised I may not be as switched on as I thought in the dark as I continuously drove around the block looking for my street, with no street name for the hostel written down. Needless to say I should've followed my instinct as I ended up driving a couple of k's to a main road only to find myself coming along the one I hummed and hawwed about turning up several times.

I may stay in Auckland until the weekend, depending how I decide to punt the car - I could either go the 'plaster the hostels with flyers' route, lower my trademe price to stupidlow, or just take it to an auctioneers for an easy life and little cash.  I'm tempted with the third option.  There's a few folk I met over the last few days that are in town for flights home this week so I may have the odd beerio.  I may stay here untl the weekend.  Not that I want to be in the city, but I'll see.  Then I may get a hire car.....or ideally motorbike (far more costly - probably more than a hmmm campervan) to take up to diveat Tutukaka which will hopefully have more pristine beaches, nicer weather to top up my tan (it's two hours further north), and great diving to take my mind off the fact that I'm not in Vanuatu right now.

Tidy up the car day in Hahei

It is definitely low season in NZ just now.  Generally everyone seems to pass through Hahei for one night only. I decided I needed to take some time out and prep the car for getting shot of it in Auckland.  I ended up in Hahei for three nights and almost felt like I should have got my residency due to my 'long term' status.  I even got my internet check for free from the guy there.  After the last few days it was definitely time for a clear out as you can see from the following pictures taken enroute from Froggat to Coromandel.  Note the classy towel drying method of having it over the front seat.  The back seat was even fuller than normal as I had bought a box to send my first parcel home, in the hope that I would finally travel light in Japan (Dad, there's another 12kg box on it's way around the end of May! - another one to follow in a week's time!  And I guess another $170 postage!!!).

Passenger seat and rear seat.

 

 

 

 

Rear seats in all their glory.

 

 

 

 

The essentials : Coffee, and the lead to the MP3 player (getting more annoying as time goes on as it is getting harder and harder to force it into stereo playback due to a loose connection - an upgrade is calling me in Japan!)...and the Christchurch Antartic Centre visitors sticker on the dashboard.

 

MP3 player, maps, blueberry muffin brown bag, laptop manbag at footwell (my compulsory purchase in Sydney) and waterproof jacket - hardly used :-)

 

After a while sorting this out and packing a box, there was only one thing left....another afternoon visit to Hot Water Beach!

It felt like I was the only person in the accommodation that night as everyone else (erm, three people) kept themselves to themselves in their rooms while I struggled to find some decent TV while backing up pictures.

Oh here's a random picture I took on my journey from Froggatt.  You have to love some of the advertising you see around here with the Kiwi sense of humour - click the picture to enlarge it and have a read.

Hahei on Coromandel Pensinsula - Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach

From Castle Rock / Froggatt I drove up to Hahei on the North East tip of Coromandel Pensinsula - the weekend retreat of Aucklanders.  I say it's the North West, but only as far as the main roads take you - gravel roads will take you quite a bit further north but I decided not to take the time to explore them.

 

 

When I drove into Hahei I realised this was the sort of place I needed to get over the repetitiveness of moving from place to place.  The whole drive up the peninsula was great but it was a long windy road to get there.  Arriving at Hahei was like a mini Krabi (Thailand) or Halong Bay (Vietnam....erm, but I didn't make it there).  Although the karsts and islands cropping out of the ocean aren't quite as impressive it was a beautiful setting and made me switch on my own cruise control. 

(Picture : Hahei beach) The weather was almost tropical at around the mid twenties - hard to believe a few weeks ago I was climbing on glaciers.

 

 I had a pretty action packed day (for me!) the next day and went for a wee stroll to Cathedral Cove, which you could walk to from the accommodation (obviously I took my car for 10 mins and saved myself one hour return).  On the way you walk past Gemstone Bay where the Department of Conservation (DOC) have set up a snorkelling course, marked by three buoys which have displays of what you can see in the area.  I thought the Forestry Commission back home did pretty well setting up mountain bikes trails, but a snorkelling course in a marine reserve?  Only in New Zealand.  Superb.  The water was fresh but absolutely fine after the first thirty seconds.  Being spoiled by recent dive and snorkel trips I stupidly never went round the whole course - if I did I would have probably seen loads of crayfish etc but it's just not the same on your own I guess (lame excuse!).  Despite having seen shedloads of them, I did get a bit of a move on when I saw a one metre long stingray (not sure of the exact type) 10 metres from the shore.  (ok, ok, I know the picture's crap)

 

A further 5 minutes took me to the real Stingray Bay which was an ideallic little cove with crystal clear water.

 

Fifteen more minutes and it was Cathedral Cove.  What a cracking place - two beaches, but one accessed through the cove.  I sat down, went for a swim and read my book for a bit.

Like everyone here, I followed the tide times and went to Hot Water Beach just before low tide in the afternoon.  You have to see it to believe it but basically there is a natural hot spring on the beach running below the sand, everyone takes a shovel ($5 to hire), digs a hole, hope they get lucky and hit hot rather than cold water, then voila - your own little hot spring in the sand.  I had three failed  attempts to find gold (hot water) but managed to hijack someone else's pool which was at a perfect temperature.  Yes, even the temperatures vary just like the real hot springs you pay loads of cash for....the closer you are to the hottest part of the sand....erm, the hotter your pool is.  If you strike it perfect you can use the sea water to regulate your temperature.  At the hottest part of the beach you can't even stand on the sand it's so hot!

Considering I had merely hijacked a pool I was quite happy sitting back, drifting asleep in the sun while everyone tried to either warm up or cool down their pools.  Bliss.

The accommodation in Hahei (Tahipi Lodge - will have to check the name!) was great as well.  The second night's bunch were fare more talkative, all gassing about travel and loads of other stuff as I sat there necking a bottle of vino, and we all tucked into the stash of Feijoa fruits that appeared in the kitchen (yes Kirsty if you read this in Wellington I bloody love these now!)....

 

(Picture : Diggers at Hot Water Beach)  This picture was taken by somone else staying at the same place as me so I copied it from him.  I'm lying there in the middle, half asleep with my Hoi An tailor made board shorts from Vietnam.

Hahei and lovin' the life

I'm still alive. I came up to Hahei on the Coromandel peninsula and loving the chilling out. I went to Cathedral Cove and Hotwater Beach yesterday, and returned to Hotwater beach today. Hahei is a superbly chilled out tiny town on the coast. Just what I needed.
I even took this morning to prep a box to send home (one of two before hitting Japan) so I travel lightly...ish.
It was a great scene this afternoon - sitting in a hot sandy pool of hot springs on the beach, while watching guys grab mussels from the rocks, another guy surfing, and a scottish guy bouldering on the rocks on the beach.
You've gotta love the diversity of New Zealand! Heading back to the big bad city this week to get shot of the car asap before heading further north for a few days before eeek, leaving here two weeks today. Still kinda wished I had squeezed inVanuatu if it wasn't for the cash though!

Bryces Climbing and Froggatt Edge

(Picture : Climbing under a rainbow at Froggatt)

I headed up to Te Awamutu to drop of my mate's ice axes at his folks (thanks Gareth!) then rather than bomb up to the Coromandel Peninsula I headed 20km's down the road to stop off at Bryce's climbing, next to several well known climbing areas such as Froggat.
Luckily for me there was a well bored Czech guy staying there just gagging for someone else to arrive and climb with. I stayed and climbed for a day and stayed a second night.

 The sun was out, and despite being almost beaten by some grade 16s (hey I've hardly done much climbing) we had a great long afternoon and had a couple of superb wee routes, including a few leads and a few seconds.

The crags were a great setup.  They are privately owned and even have signposts to tell you which is which - unheard of Scotland - I struggle to even make out a route from a crag top half the time!

Crag signposting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me about to start abseiling from the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you got bored from sitting around in the evening  or non climbing days there's an excellent bouldering cave next to the kitchen for guests - fantastic!

 

 (Picture : Main Cliff at Froggatt Edge)  Despite being tempted to stay another night I am on my way to the Coromandel Peninsula as the forecast is great this weekend. It took me a wee bit longer to get away from Bryce's than I thought, although I did manage to walk away without buying any climbing kit. Amazing. You see the car didn't start. Dead. Nada. Not even a tick over.

I went over the garage and someone came over with a battery to try and start it.
Just before I was about to try it I wanted an instant earthquake in NZ to swallow me up and save me the embarrasment. You see, despite driving this car for 8 weeks someone today I forgot that I needed to put the security key into the immobiliser for it to start. Unfortunately I didn't remember until the garage guy came over.
At least I gave him a bit of a laugh, and a few bucks to go and buy a beer. No doubt he took the piss out of 'bloody backpackers' when he went back to the game of pool I interrupted.

Onwards to Coromandel and in Auckland midweek to get shot of the car in some shape or form before heading north for some diving. I have one interested party so fingers crossed.

I've been linked to! The life of a lonely blogger

Although I've enjoyed writing my blogs when being away I often wonder who reads them. After pouring over Google Analytics I know I get read worldwide from Ghana to Galway and Washington to Wanaka....but I never know who by.
I can tell what words people use to stumble on my site if they use google..... from 'big cocks' (an article about cockfighting in Cambodia) to 'Koh Lanta Koh Lipe speedboat' to 'foldable cup. I can never understand the people who are still searching for 'wanderingscotsman' or 'wandering scotsman' via google and not just typing 'wanderingscotsman' in the address bar then hitting CTRL+ENTER (try it!).
I can tell the figure hovers at .....not very high.
But today I received a lovely short email from a Kiwi author saying she's been reading my blog recently! Yaaah! It may have only been one entry as she is about to get a book called 'Ripples On The Lake' published, based in locations around Lake Taupo. Check out her blog The Flightless Writer. Dawn I'm afraid I never filled up my car in Taupo so it wasn't me that got the free coffee.
So if you are reading this whether be friend or stranger, drop me a note now and again. I know I've just been playing catch up recently on my laptop to avoid the people that ruin NZ's fabulous hostels, but in Rotorua I found a chilled one! Despite sitting in it just now though I don't know its name....

I'll be on the move tomorrow. Over to Te Awamutu (hmm..check spelling) to return Gareth's ice axes then onwards from there. I've had my Warrant of Fitness done on my car (hmm...inspection report anyway). I'm over paying to see natural things and do more of the same things so I received some inspiration when I spoke to the guys at Dive Tutukaka this morning.....so I'm going to hot foot it to go diving and blow cash at the Poor Knights Islands....yet another top 10 destination according to Jacques Costeau (spelling!) - I'm spoiling myself diving again. 20m visibility and a chilly 18c just now.
I'll probably stop briefly in the Coromandel Peninsula and Auckland to get the car posters up on the way.

Taupo and the Craters Of The Moon

 After having a sneaky couple of drinks with 'Stan' (he French guy) in the bar last night I offered him a lift to Taupo with me.  Another amazing person to meet as he had just went up Mount Ruapeu and worked as a Captain's Mate on supply ships to the French Antartic research stations based out of Tasmania.  I tried to see if they ever took stowaways but I never got anywhere......  maybe one day I'll get an email eh Stan?  Please???  Oh how I'd love to go there.......

I was keen to hang around and try going up to the ice and snow to the crater on Ruapeu (the location of the recent lahar landslide)but the forecast was stinky so we drove to Taupo in the rain.  Booked on his bus to Rotorua we both sneaked in a visit to the Craters Of The Moon - a geothermal area on the outskirts of town.  Amazing.  Flumes of steam popping out the ground in all shapes and sizes, some of them as loud as a small generator.  Despite walking around in waterproofs in the rain it was well  worth it.  Apparently the area didn't have much activity until the creation of a geothermal power station which altered the underground activity.

 

After a bacon and egg sarnie with Stan I left him at the bus station  and opted for the flashpacker option of staying in a newer hostel in Taupo so fingers crossed for no snorers.

Tongariro Crossing and Mount Ngauruhoe...and how I'm starting to hate staying in hostels

I bombed up the road to National Park and was greeted with a forecast that didn't look very promising.  I almost decided to give the walk a very reluctant miss (it's the one walk I really wanted to do) but decided to get up in the morning and have a look.  Lukcy I did.  As soon as I looked out I could see the outline of the mountains - clear skies.  Excellent.  7am it was on the bus.

The crossing is heralded as one of the world's greatest one day walks.  Whether it is or not is up to you but it is a pretty spectacular crossing of active volcanoes, only slightly spoiled (in my humble opinion) by the necessary paths that DOC have had to construct on the northern side of the trail (walking through bush on a path booooores me).

 I reckoned I'd easily make the walk before the bus so headed up Mount Ngauruhoe (2292m) as a side trip. It's pretty hard going going up the volcanic debris but it is totally different to any surface  I've walked on before.  Even before you get to this point you have been walking across loads of volcanic rock from previous eruptions.  Luckily I got up before the clouds came in, although watching the clouds roll up the cone shaped peak was impressive in itself (see picture).  I had spectacular views across to Mount Taranaki on the west coast.  Despite taking me the best part of 90 minutes to get up, I got down in around 20 mins jogging down the volcanic scree like I was telemark skiing.  I think the last eruption was in 1975 but at the top it's clear it's still active as you can see by the flumaroles (I think that's correct) coming through the rocksand the noises coming from the impressive crater, also shown in the picture.  The only other volcano I've been up was in Hawaii but it wasn't nearly as impressive (except the 30+km bike freewheel to the beach from the summit!).

There's so many images to see from the crossing I've only put a few up here.  After my descent I made it over the red crater (see picture) to the much publicised Emerald Pools.  There were amazing moon type landscapes in the distance and if I had only done a bit more planning rather than turning up at the hostel at 8pm the night before, I would have maybe stayed overnight in the hut up here.  There was a mad crowd that were about to launch an inflatable dinghy on one of the lakes, and there was an apprehensive paraglider considering a launch (he decided to launch from near the end of the trail instead as he wasn't sure of the weird thermals).

Me above the Emerald Pools, taken by the paraglider.

 

 

 

 

Emerald Pools.

 

 

 

Unfortunately the walk in this direction ended with a slog downhill through the bush - despite my walking poles my knees were starting not to like this very much,and god do I hate paths and 'forest walks' despite how amazing the plantlife is in New Zealand.  If I did it again I think I would do the walk in the opposite direction, getting the bush walk out of the way, take the hit of the extra 400m climb, stay overnight in the hut and do more exploring around the park.

 

 

 

I found out Rob (who I missed phone calls from) had headed to the South Island so decided not to rush away and stay in the hostel another night.  I had a quick play on the climbing wall that was part of the hostel and totally chilled.  As it was a Sunday night and this is low season (inbetween the madness of summer and the start of winter) it was only a frenchman and I staying in the huge place which was great.  I managed to sit and watch tele with magazines and a coffee, and have one of my best kips for ages. 

It was just what I needed as the previous night I had moved to the TV room at around 4am after sharing the room with a bunch of professional snorers...they also announced their arrival into the room pulling all of their belongings out the most crispy sounding plastic bags ever.  The TV room bordered our dorm and a loud bigoted '...I'm not a racist though...' English guy was spouting off about the state of England in the tele room with the TV turned up too loud.  I almost shouted obscenities at him when I heard him ask the staff if he could keep the TV on all night.  Quite ironic really as he was just spouting off about how bad the English youth are nowadays and how inconsiderate they were (although he did say the Scottish were the best people in the UK).  I must have eventually drifted to sleep after knocking on the wall (which bordered the TV Room).  Despite having several professional snorers in the room, one of the guys was so loud that on around the seventh pull of the pillow over my head and curse that this was the one night I left my earplugs in the car, I seriously considered stepping over and breaking his nose.

I'm starting to f**(ing hate hostels and sharing bedrooms.  Kiwiland has to contain some of the best hostels around, but despite having a bunch of really cool travellers in them they have their fare share of inconsiderate, selfish loud mouthed twats in it.

 The indoor climbing wall taken from my dorm's doorway.  A bit like having bedrooms surround Edinburgh's Alien Rock climbing wall!

Rafting at River Valley, Rangatiki River

After the comforts of a real bed, a Korean meal, seeing the state I'll be in when I'm home (sorry Natalie, just comparing the no job, 'depression' etc!) and a few drinkies I headed north from Palmerston North to National Park.....  well at least that's where I thought I was heading when I left. By the time I bought supplies and left the supermarket car park I had a quick glimpse of what there was in the area in my Rough Guide, made a quick call and was on my way to rafting at River Valley outside Taihepe.  I couldn't get a space until the next afternoon which pretty much meant some time chilling.

I popped into have a look at Gravity Canyon on the way - home to the North Island's largest bungee, a large 'flying fox' and a bridge swing. The pciture shows a funny message on the riverbank directly under the bungee rope.  I managed to keep my wallet in my pocket but it was in a great location.

 

 

Of course I took the back gravel road to the rafting meaning my car getting much dirtier.

 

 

 

(Picture : taken from next to the rafting lodge)    River Valley rafting is in a superb location on the riverbank down a steep gravel road.  It would have been ideallic as I took the time to catch up on a few things -  emails, a bit of writing etc...river flowing noises, sun out, no sandflies, sneaky beer in hand.....until the Kiwi Frickin' Bus inconsiderate twats asked me to move so they could play cricket in my camping patch.  So it was all shouting and the likes.....  inconsiderate buggers.  It could have been one of the nicest spots I had stayed in NZ.

 

(Picture : 'Writer' at work)As darkness fell a bunch of off roaders arrived with 4x4's and dirt bikes in tow for a huge school fund raising event the next day - 600 of them started a few kilometres up the road in the morning, so I went up to have a peek.  I wished I was taking part - all the farmers had opened up their land to give a 110km off road track.

As usual, once the place had my booking we were told the river wasn't that high so the rafting wasn't quite as mad as I hoped so I kinda wished I had kept my cash.  In saying that it was meant to be grade IV's (although I don't think they were) but they were technical rather than mental.  I shared the raft with two 'Slaves' who worked there for the week in return for food and accommodation...and a raft trip.  We had to react to the guide's orders to swap sides, do whichever paddle stroke he commanded and more to get us through the rocky rapids.  Despite letting go of the paddle handle I managed to keep my two front teeth as it clattered off them as I was jumping over the other side of the raft.  The river was in a really cool canyon apparently created by the tectonic plates in the area shifting as well as the waters flow.  Still a good day out. 

I then bombed up to National Park as darkness fell, missing two calls while I was out of reception from a mate who is over on honeymoon so sorry I missed you Rob!