October 14, 2006

Bay of Islands

The land and water of amazing color, Paihia/Bay of Islands has incredibly lush green pastoral lands and blue seas. The day was spent on a boat cruise of the bay, which consisted of dolphin watching and geographic surveying. We had the lucky fortune of seeing a juvenile hump back whale. He did an especially good job of dodging the boat. I almost felt sorry for him as we chased and he tried to avoid. (single fin picture below)




The supposed highlight of the tour and the geographic wonder of the area is a hole in a rock island that was literally large enough to drive a tour boat through. It was interesting and a novelty but not as brilliant as the hype would suggest. All in all the trip was well worth the effort, however, taking the catamaran sailing venture would have been more to my liking. After a few hours, the drone of the motor was a little wearing.





I met a woman, Tammy, from Orange County on the boat, which made the day and evening a little better. It was helpful to have someone else to talk with during the day and later for dinner.


The Bay of Islands marked the transition from Honolulu hotel living to the world of Backpackers. Well, not completely as I ended up renting a single room in the hostel and not a single bed in a dorm room. Good enough for now.


Road Term
Backpackers = Reasonably priced lodging with typically a choice of solo room, double, quad, or some form of dorm arrangement with multiple beds (same sex or mixed)

October 13, 2006

Honolulu to Auckland & Paihia

Whew, the 11:55pm flight from Honolulu to Auckland was hardly restful. But, I did happen to sit next to a guy who is finishing a similar trip of his own. The world is traveling and the US has no idea. (n of 2)




The rental car pick-up was a disaster. The cheapest company, booked through Expedia, was actually a “clearing house” for these little Mom & Pop operations. The rental company wasn’t at the airport. So after having to figure all this out and wait for a half hour to be picked up and another 20-minute drive to the lot, there I was surrounded by crappy cars galore. The people ended up being nice enough and we had tea while the owner flooded me with tourist maps and lodging guides. So, with insurance, $32 US got me an ancient Mazda clunker and I was off. They would love for me to drive one of their cars down to Christchurch, but it will have to be one hell of a deal because there are ample companies with far better rates and much better cars.



The trip to the Bay of Islands was about 5 hours. Everything is fairly close in miles, but traffic moves very slowly, as in less than 45 mph for most of the trip. I really need to be more aware of how tired my body feels. Everything was feeling reasonably good and “bam” I was almost asleep at the wheel. (Instant adrenaline rush.) The next café was an immediate stop.



The café was very quaint, with dial-up internet and a location within a few yards of a train track, which was actually in use. It was fun to see the train lumber by at such a close distance. With all the massive fields, it is funny that the house was built just there. One organic soda later, combined with an hour or so writing e-mails and I was fit again to drive.

Not long after the sleep demon was after me again. Have no fear chocolate malt balls and diet mountain dew are near. That definitely did the trick. Zoom… Paihia and the Bay of Islands were right around the corner.



I am staying in a Hostel for about $55 per night which is reasonable, given that I have a solo room. Dinner was had at a truly amazing restaurant next door The Pepper Corn. The chef was unbelievable and served a cream of carrot & ginger soup, Dory Fish on a bed of grilled vegetables and mash, followed by key lime pie. I really must take pictures of the food as I go along. This was true fine dining for a $25 pre-fix.

October 8-11, 2006

Honolulu

The days after Karen's wedding were spent exploring the island. The "North Shore" was beautiful and Pearl Harbor was touching. Riding the ferry to the Arizona Memorial made me wonder what it will be like to visit Hiroshima and experience the impact of the ending of the war now that the beginning was clear.







One more thing before hitting the road. It was time to lose the hair and start anew.

October 7, 2006

Karen's Wedding

What can you say about the wedding of a beautiful person, in a beautiful location? She was stunning and the wedding was filled with her style, gracious nature, and warmth.












I loved the fact that the ceremony and reception honored both Nick's Korean family and Karen's Chinese family. The most compelling "take away" from the wedding was the definitive impression that these "two families" were recognizing and overtly solidifying their established bond, as opposed to the typical "two individuals" making statements of "their feelings towards one another" followed by dinner.














The speech that stole the show and left barely a dry eye in the room was when Karen's brother, Daniel, choked back tears in acknowledging Nick's official entrance into the family while sharing his gratitude for having him specifically as the brother he never had.













After the wedding and reception, I drove over to Pearl Harbor to enjoy the sunset over the Arizona Memorial and USS Misssouri.

October 6, 2006

Off to Hawaii

It was a little sad to be leaving home and family but the world and Karen's wedding were calling.


Kudos to Mom, who after conversion to the reality of the trip, has been a constant cheerleader. She even drove me to the airport instead of the customary Marin Airporter drop.






It was a classic ascent out of SFO through the fog and a gorgeous view of Mt. Tam peering above the marine layer. As expected, nothing but water until the Hawaiian coast line.














After landing there was ample time to tackle the heat and Diamond Head. What a classic and beautiful view of Waikiki.














Karen was her typical overly gracious self and invited me to the rehersal dinner. It was lots of fun to see both families having a great time together, along with the life of the party and swing dance buddy Julianne.

Setting Out

My hope is that you will enjoy taking this journey with me over what will hopefully be the next year and a half.

The itinerary will start with Karen Lee's wedding in Hawaii and stretch to New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and back for Lianne's graduation in June. Should my house sell, the second leg will lead back to Europe, then Central/South America, Antarctica, and back to Thailand for a 40th birthday celebration with Todd.

I love that so many friends and family have an interest in the daily experiences of the journey. This blog will hopefully keep everyone in the loop. It may be too much detail for some and a little light for others. I hope you all are able to find something to enjoy.

Cheers,
Paul


World Travel Itinerary

Oct 6 - Oct 11: US, Hawaii (Karen Lee's Wedding)
Oct 13 - Oct 28: New Zealand
Oct 28 - Nov 12: Australia
Nov 12 - Nov 22: Japan
Nov 22 - Nov 25: Korea
Nov 25 - Dec 18: China
Dec 18 - Jan 02: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam
Jan 02 - Jan 21: Nepal (Everest)
Jan 21 - Feb 02: India
Feb 02 - Feb 04: South Africa
Feb 05 - Feb 21: Malawi (Rafiki)
Feb 21 - Mar 23: Tanzania (Rafiki & Kilimanjaro)
Mar 23 - Apr 10: Kenya (Rafiki)
Apr 10 - Apr 27: Ghana (Rafiki)
Apr 28 - May 2: Egypt
May 02 - May 10: Turkey
May 10 - May 17: Greece
May 17 - May 21: Budapest
May 21 - May 25: Prague
May 25 - June 05: Deutchland (German Friends)
June 05: Cleveland (Lianne's graduation)