I'm leaving for Sydney tonite and I can't believe it! I've thought about this day ever since I realized that I had to go to Australia. This is gonna be awesome--can't wait to see the harbour, to see all the buskers, to eat that gigantic ice cream thing I saw AND the best part--celebrating new years! It's gonna be amazing :)
Right now I'm experiencing alot of emotions--excitement, gratitude, nervousness, uncertainty and pride. I've accomplished a hell of a lot here in New Zealand, not only with my personal excursions and adventures but also through spending time with my extended family :D I've learned so much from them--how to love one another unconditionally, how to learn to accept certain things in life, how to follow your heart and how to be happy. My barki maya--or aunt--is a huge inspiration for me. She barely knew me and yet she took so much care of me, it's like she was my mom! And the stories she told me, the important life lessons she told me were great and I really appreciate everything she's done for me. My uncle and aunt from my mom's side were also very kind--so kind that I was surprised. They showed me so much love, they cooked for me and always addressed me sweetly (they called me princess or doll, it was really cute) and out of all the places I visited, theirs was the only house where I felt like I was truly welcome and accepted. -->to the point where I had full control of their ps3 and big screen t.v. all day while they were at work! SCORE! lol
There's no doubt that I'll miss these kind-hearted people, however I have realized that people will come and go in your life and all you can really do is make the most of the time you have :) And I hope that I have made the most of the time I've had with these great people.
New Zealand was full of surprises for me, all welcome surprises as they were all learning experiences too. Meeting all the family I have in New Zealand was great and in a way it kind of changed the purpose of my backpacking trip. I'm still going to travel and try new experiences and live through my senses BUT I'm going to make meeting family members more of a priority. I know I said that would just be a "bonus" of the trip-that if I found any great, if not then no biggie-but now I want to find people and I want to know about my grandparents, about life in Fiji. Anything Samujh related, I wanna know! After all, I'm Samujh right? (i miss everyone calling me that at work :(...even if it did annoy me at times!)
As for my adventures in Sydney, I hope to meet lots of people there too who will help me learn more about life-->someone told me that they hoped I would come back a bit wiser and knowledgeable about how life works and I can safely say that after three weeks, I have learnt alot. But there's still alot more to see and do!
Take care and next time we talk, I'll be in the land down under!
EEEEEEEEEEEEE! lol
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I do now!
When I "planned" this trip--I use the term loosely--I didn't really think I'd have alot to do in New Zealand, hence allotting only 3 weeks to see this beautiful country. Yes I knew NZ is the adventure capital of the world and I had every intent to participate in anything I could and then head out without a second thought...BUT i'm in love
...
With the country of course! lol NZ is lush, green and full of so much life. Since day 1, NZ has welcomed me with open arms and gave me so many wonderful memories. Arriving in NZ felt like I came to an alien world--it was so weird; the people all looked the same but the behaviours and customs were totally different.
There are many cultures that live in New Zealand; however, the percentages are quite different from Canada. For example, NZ has the Maori ppl who have a lovely culture and interesting customs--like having big dinner feasts called hangi. The hangi food is cooked underground, sorta like fijians and their lovos and they eat all sorts of stuff! And one of the coolest things about the Maori is their pronounciation of certain words-->the letter set "wh" is pronounced f--so a place called whakanaka is pronounced fuckanaaka. i started giggling the first time i heard it, very immature i know but i can't help it! lol thankfully my cousin was warning me about it and it wasn't a maori person saying it to me. there's lots of places over here that start with wh so i was a bit in trouble travelling on my own lol--but i got thru it, i waited till i was alone and then started giggling. ...and watching maori t.v., don't get me started every other word starts with fuck this fuck that. love it!
Aside from the interesting people over there, i really do love the landscape and the stories behind the creation of the lakes and valleys, etc. Lake Rotorua and Lake Taupo are a result of volcanic activity! The lakes are actually craters which were filled in with water later on! & thank god it did--it's beautiful there. NZ has many earthquakes, apparently alot of little ones during the day--i'm fortunate to not have experienced one, but I did experience alot of simulations at various museums-those rocked!
The Maori feel that the volcanic activity which led to the birth of lake rotorua was due to the humans angering the spirits. When the europeans first came to NZ, they heard about the hot springs and flocked to Rotorua to experience the comforts of bathing in a mineral spring. Unfortunately, this disrupted the environment and the lives of the maori people by introducing foreign objects into the ecosystem and social lives. Trees were cut down, alcohol and drugs were brought into the community and men took advantage of women--all this angered the spirits which then caused a volcano to erupt and killed 100s of people in the process. -->i love hearing stories like this and i never expected to find this in new zealand!
NZ has a rich culture, lush landscape and....amazing activities. There's parasailing, skydiving, bungee jumping, farm trips, ATV stuff, zorbing, hikes, camping, swimming and so much more. And you can pretty much do all of this in one day IF you plan your schedule very well. I love this about New Zealand; so much excitement is at your fingertips, all you have to do is make the decision to enrich your life and go for it :)
I <3 NZ and will try to come back
When I "planned" this trip--I use the term loosely--I didn't really think I'd have alot to do in New Zealand, hence allotting only 3 weeks to see this beautiful country. Yes I knew NZ is the adventure capital of the world and I had every intent to participate in anything I could and then head out without a second thought...BUT i'm in love
...
With the country of course! lol NZ is lush, green and full of so much life. Since day 1, NZ has welcomed me with open arms and gave me so many wonderful memories. Arriving in NZ felt like I came to an alien world--it was so weird; the people all looked the same but the behaviours and customs were totally different.
There are many cultures that live in New Zealand; however, the percentages are quite different from Canada. For example, NZ has the Maori ppl who have a lovely culture and interesting customs--like having big dinner feasts called hangi. The hangi food is cooked underground, sorta like fijians and their lovos and they eat all sorts of stuff! And one of the coolest things about the Maori is their pronounciation of certain words-->the letter set "wh" is pronounced f--so a place called whakanaka is pronounced fuckanaaka. i started giggling the first time i heard it, very immature i know but i can't help it! lol thankfully my cousin was warning me about it and it wasn't a maori person saying it to me. there's lots of places over here that start with wh so i was a bit in trouble travelling on my own lol--but i got thru it, i waited till i was alone and then started giggling. ...and watching maori t.v., don't get me started every other word starts with fuck this fuck that. love it!
Aside from the interesting people over there, i really do love the landscape and the stories behind the creation of the lakes and valleys, etc. Lake Rotorua and Lake Taupo are a result of volcanic activity! The lakes are actually craters which were filled in with water later on! & thank god it did--it's beautiful there. NZ has many earthquakes, apparently alot of little ones during the day--i'm fortunate to not have experienced one, but I did experience alot of simulations at various museums-those rocked!
The Maori feel that the volcanic activity which led to the birth of lake rotorua was due to the humans angering the spirits. When the europeans first came to NZ, they heard about the hot springs and flocked to Rotorua to experience the comforts of bathing in a mineral spring. Unfortunately, this disrupted the environment and the lives of the maori people by introducing foreign objects into the ecosystem and social lives. Trees were cut down, alcohol and drugs were brought into the community and men took advantage of women--all this angered the spirits which then caused a volcano to erupt and killed 100s of people in the process. -->i love hearing stories like this and i never expected to find this in new zealand!
NZ has a rich culture, lush landscape and....amazing activities. There's parasailing, skydiving, bungee jumping, farm trips, ATV stuff, zorbing, hikes, camping, swimming and so much more. And you can pretty much do all of this in one day IF you plan your schedule very well. I love this about New Zealand; so much excitement is at your fingertips, all you have to do is make the decision to enrich your life and go for it :)
I <3 NZ and will try to come back
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
15000ft got nothing on me!
Hey everyone!
Today is the kind of day that will go down in history! I went Skydiving in Taupo and it was Supercalifragalistiexpialidocious or however the hell you spell it!
I had a bit of a crummy birthday in the sense that I was disappointed I didn't get to bungy as I had planned--but as a friend told me, i'm on vacay there's no such thing as planning! So I took the bull by the horns and decided to go skydiving today. And it was not scary at all--totally weird, cuz i was terrified during the skyjump but this was easy peasy. ...well for the most part.
The dude I was paired up with was an old guy inbetween the ages of 35-45 and he helped me put on my suit and whatnot which was kind of awkward but that's not the most awkward part. when we got attached to each other we were pretty damn close--it was freaky and reassuring at the same time! ha ha but he was very friendly and kept asking how i was and made me feel very comfortable and even did little spin things when we were floating with the parachute. IT WAS AMAZING! The view was amazing, the adrenaline rush was amazing, the experience was--wait for it--amazing! lol
I'm really proud of myself for doing it; never in a million years did i think i'd do it! It was great! ...uber expensive but well worth it!
when you first jump/dive (really you roll) out of the plane you can't comprehend what's happening and the body and mind kind of separate--then adrenaline kicks and and its flight or fight time! it was so cool and i smiled the entire time...except for one part where we went from 10000ft to 5000ft, that's when it got really hard to breathe :S then after the freefall camera dude left my dude pulled the parachute and we floated up a few 1000ft feet it seemed and i enjoyed the lovely view down :) the weather was perfect for skydiving, nothing but clear skies, sunshine and gorgeous views. i had a stupid cap on and goggles and the dude took the goggles off so i could see and man oh man it was breathtaking. and i had the entire sky to myself! ha ha just like a princess :)
landing was fun too, you have to do a weird sitting pose (like ur sitting on the floor with your legs outstretched) and ur hands are pulling up your legs and then you land and slide on the ground on ur butt! smooth landing lol. and then the parachute falls on ur head, that was fun, thought i went blind lol.
oh ya, ears still kind of hurt but it should be better by tomorrow i hope. AND i got a hot pink t-shirt for free :) and free "exit" photo where i'm not even looking at the camera in true suzanne fashion lol joking, i'm very photogenic, just not when i'm 15000 ft in the air!
afterwards the group had to wait for all the dvds and pic cds to be made and we all got certificates--i'm now part of the skyhigh club lol and then i got taken back into town and decided to stop by at this lakeside cafe and boy was it worth it! they made me pancakes (even tho it was 1 lol) yummiest pancakes ever with a flambe banana, whip cream and eggs. yummers! that is exactly how i pictured celebrating my bday :) and then i walked around the lake with my gigantic backpack, got tired then headed to the travel center to catch my bus.
all in all it was a great day, and now i feel like i'm actually 23 :) i know it sounds crazy but it's true
*muah* will post pictures soon!
Today is the kind of day that will go down in history! I went Skydiving in Taupo and it was Supercalifragalistiexpialidocious or however the hell you spell it!
I had a bit of a crummy birthday in the sense that I was disappointed I didn't get to bungy as I had planned--but as a friend told me, i'm on vacay there's no such thing as planning! So I took the bull by the horns and decided to go skydiving today. And it was not scary at all--totally weird, cuz i was terrified during the skyjump but this was easy peasy. ...well for the most part.
The dude I was paired up with was an old guy inbetween the ages of 35-45 and he helped me put on my suit and whatnot which was kind of awkward but that's not the most awkward part. when we got attached to each other we were pretty damn close--it was freaky and reassuring at the same time! ha ha but he was very friendly and kept asking how i was and made me feel very comfortable and even did little spin things when we were floating with the parachute. IT WAS AMAZING! The view was amazing, the adrenaline rush was amazing, the experience was--wait for it--amazing! lol
I'm really proud of myself for doing it; never in a million years did i think i'd do it! It was great! ...uber expensive but well worth it!
when you first jump/dive (really you roll) out of the plane you can't comprehend what's happening and the body and mind kind of separate--then adrenaline kicks and and its flight or fight time! it was so cool and i smiled the entire time...except for one part where we went from 10000ft to 5000ft, that's when it got really hard to breathe :S then after the freefall camera dude left my dude pulled the parachute and we floated up a few 1000ft feet it seemed and i enjoyed the lovely view down :) the weather was perfect for skydiving, nothing but clear skies, sunshine and gorgeous views. i had a stupid cap on and goggles and the dude took the goggles off so i could see and man oh man it was breathtaking. and i had the entire sky to myself! ha ha just like a princess :)
landing was fun too, you have to do a weird sitting pose (like ur sitting on the floor with your legs outstretched) and ur hands are pulling up your legs and then you land and slide on the ground on ur butt! smooth landing lol. and then the parachute falls on ur head, that was fun, thought i went blind lol.
oh ya, ears still kind of hurt but it should be better by tomorrow i hope. AND i got a hot pink t-shirt for free :) and free "exit" photo where i'm not even looking at the camera in true suzanne fashion lol joking, i'm very photogenic, just not when i'm 15000 ft in the air!
afterwards the group had to wait for all the dvds and pic cds to be made and we all got certificates--i'm now part of the skyhigh club lol and then i got taken back into town and decided to stop by at this lakeside cafe and boy was it worth it! they made me pancakes (even tho it was 1 lol) yummiest pancakes ever with a flambe banana, whip cream and eggs. yummers! that is exactly how i pictured celebrating my bday :) and then i walked around the lake with my gigantic backpack, got tired then headed to the travel center to catch my bus.
all in all it was a great day, and now i feel like i'm actually 23 :) i know it sounds crazy but it's true
*muah* will post pictures soon!
Monday, December 6, 2010
It's been a while, hasn't it? :P lol
Hey guys,
Many of you may be wondering where I've been or why I haven't updated in a while, well here's my story.
Along with being incredibly gorgeous, New Zealand has the worst free wifi availability. I'm loving the sights and the experiences, don't get me wrong BUT it's incredibly frustrating when I can't find places that have cheap internet. And when I do find internet cafes, they aren't exactly the type of places where I can upload my pictures onto the computer...so ya, hence the lack of updates.
I've been dealing with alot too--I've dealt with fear, intimidation, joy, excitement and a bit of self-enlightenment. It's only been two weeks but my journey has been full of surprises, disappointments and alot of self growth. My perception of "city girl" has changed alot--I'm the type of girl who wants to live and work in a place where everything is centrally located so that I can walk or bus to anything and get wifi wherever...which is what made me really frustrated with New Zealand at first. Rotorua and Taupo are two very smallish towns where the downtown is really a street like Kingsway lol and on some days the shops close at 5pm. EVEN CAFES! very frustrating. BUT on the upside, everything--and i mean EVERYTHING--is centrally located such as the supermarkets (two or three on same block!), post office, library! So despite it being kind of suburban/rural, in a way its kind of urban too lol. & I was so excited to get to Wellington, the capital of NZ, because its a CITY and I thought i'd experience the same comforts and accesibility I enjoy in Vancouver--WRONG! lol its worse than the rural towns in that the streets are so unorganized and nothing is close by. It's kind of a mess really, there are a bunch of attractions but they're all sporadically placed in the town, plus there are bus services to each but those don't arrive at the time of the tours, etc so you end up wasting time. So, I'm learning to be patient and follow my heart--it's very confusing because I was hoping to spend my birthday in a metropolitan place where there would be lots to do, but most of the activities are over at like 5 and then all you can really do is eat afterwards and then call it a night...or venture into the scary part ->seriously, their "happening places" are located in a downtowny-eastside area...so ya, wellington is a bust and i can't wait to get back to a suburban/rural area where i can find everything within walking distance :) plus there's more nature/adventure type stuff to do there!
anyhoos, that's all for now, will update about more specific stuff later
love ya!
Many of you may be wondering where I've been or why I haven't updated in a while, well here's my story.
Along with being incredibly gorgeous, New Zealand has the worst free wifi availability. I'm loving the sights and the experiences, don't get me wrong BUT it's incredibly frustrating when I can't find places that have cheap internet. And when I do find internet cafes, they aren't exactly the type of places where I can upload my pictures onto the computer...so ya, hence the lack of updates.
I've been dealing with alot too--I've dealt with fear, intimidation, joy, excitement and a bit of self-enlightenment. It's only been two weeks but my journey has been full of surprises, disappointments and alot of self growth. My perception of "city girl" has changed alot--I'm the type of girl who wants to live and work in a place where everything is centrally located so that I can walk or bus to anything and get wifi wherever...which is what made me really frustrated with New Zealand at first. Rotorua and Taupo are two very smallish towns where the downtown is really a street like Kingsway lol and on some days the shops close at 5pm. EVEN CAFES! very frustrating. BUT on the upside, everything--and i mean EVERYTHING--is centrally located such as the supermarkets (two or three on same block!), post office, library! So despite it being kind of suburban/rural, in a way its kind of urban too lol. & I was so excited to get to Wellington, the capital of NZ, because its a CITY and I thought i'd experience the same comforts and accesibility I enjoy in Vancouver--WRONG! lol its worse than the rural towns in that the streets are so unorganized and nothing is close by. It's kind of a mess really, there are a bunch of attractions but they're all sporadically placed in the town, plus there are bus services to each but those don't arrive at the time of the tours, etc so you end up wasting time. So, I'm learning to be patient and follow my heart--it's very confusing because I was hoping to spend my birthday in a metropolitan place where there would be lots to do, but most of the activities are over at like 5 and then all you can really do is eat afterwards and then call it a night...or venture into the scary part ->seriously, their "happening places" are located in a downtowny-eastside area...so ya, wellington is a bust and i can't wait to get back to a suburban/rural area where i can find everything within walking distance :) plus there's more nature/adventure type stuff to do there!
anyhoos, that's all for now, will update about more specific stuff later
love ya!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Day 2 Rotorua
These first couple of days being on my own has been a bit tough--I thought i'd be fine but it's SO TOUGH! But I kind of faced these feelings when I first left home and got to my cousin's place in Auckland so with time, I will get used to the way backpackers travel--at least I hope so!
I met a few nice people already which was awesome! Last night I met a couple, Matt and Laura--Matt's been backpacking for a while and he gave me lots of pointers which was awesome :) Super friendly and gave me company during my dinner :) I met them again in the morning before they left for Wellington. One thing that will stick with me the entire trip is the story Matt told me of the deaf German backpacker who's backpacking in NZ and doesn't know any english--if he can do it, anyone can says matt! Today I met two girls--Chrissy who is German and Shandae or something like that who is from Wales--we stuck with each other while touring the Agrodome which is a farm land with lots of sheep and farm animals. I saw a sheap shearing too which was kind of scary, plus a dog show and a cow milking show. It was nice having people to share that with!
After that I went to the Skyline on my own which is like the Grouse Mountain of Rotorua without the snow--gondolas, big restaurant, walking paths AND luge! that was fun, it's like a go cart made of plastic with no power except some sort of mechanism that's attached underneath to the handlebars. After that, you take the chair lift back to the top of the mountain for more! I did it twice and it was fun. Last may be my favourite--Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter or something like that--it showcases NZ's wildlife from all the birds, reptiles, fish and of course the KIWI!!! and yes i saw a Kiwi but it was sleeping so all I really saw was its butt lol. The bird sanctuary has to be my favourite because there were so many different kinds of birds!
I went back to the hostel to afterwards to ask them about the bites I had on my arm. The first guy said it was fleas and that I should leave the room and they'll get me another one--I asked for an upgrade and they said they didn't have any so I said can I get a refund? They said yes, so I packed and got all my stuff and then when I was about to return the key they said they had an upgrade available and when I saw it I took it--it's no 5 star place but i have my own fridge, t.v., washroom, microwave, toaster and kettle so i'm happy with that. The second guy who looked at my bites said it's mosquito bites...i have no idea cuz i don't think i've ever been bitten--or noticed it! Then I went to the pharmacy and asked them and the girl was probably my age and said it looks like an insect bite...doesn't help but whatever lol as long as they're not itchy. So ya, for two more nites, i'll be staying in a room w/my own t.v.!
Last night (aka my first hostel stay) wasn't too bad--ppl kept checking in all night so I kept waking up till 12 then I woke up at 3am, then 5 am, then finally 6 am cuz of the damn construction outside the hostel! BIG TIP: don't book all your accomodation ahead of time--except weekends cuz those tend to be busy! but ya, I was safe :) Slept with my security scarf (the one sana gave me lol ) as usual!
AND i was gonna wear my jeans today only to find out they were ripped. i'm so mad cuz they were my fave jeans and i didn't do anything to them! :(
anyhoos, that's all for now, i'll leave u with pictures as per karen's request :)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Stop 1: Rotorua
Hey all
Today I have started my north and south island explorer trip which means i'll be out and about for 12 days. It's kind of daunting really, especially today.
I got the bus at 830am and got here at 1230, got my bearings and loads of help from the tourist office, then headed over to my first hostel. I'm not 100% in love with it, i'm not going to lie--I chose the hostel cuz it was convenient and i got a private room! and the area of the building i'm in is pretty sweet, top floor in the back plus key access so no one can get into my room or floor. but its not very homely or comfy looking. the beds comfy, just no chairs or table to put my bag on...not loving the idea of putting my bag on the floor YUCK! but in all honesty, the floor looks pretty clean. there's no mirror tho, but that's fine. what else...i guess i just don't like the fact that there's nothing really going on at the hostel and not lots of people staying there but who knows, more people may mosy on in on the weekend. i'm excited about leaving this hostel and seeing the other one's i've booked. it was kind of hard picking the hostels because some are run by hostel chains which offer discounts for members, others are run by families, etc. I guess it'll be trial and error...my dad kind of worried me cuz he asked why i would want to stay for 2 weeks at one hostel in sydney--one main point was at least i'd have a home for two weeks and that way i can get my bearings and figure out how australia works--the other, it was soooo hard booking accomodation for this time of the year in sydney, crazy hard! i know if i end up not liking it i'm screwed but at the same time, you gotta roll with the punches--as long as you don't let the punches knock you out, you're all good.
oh ya another thing to look for when booking hostels--even if it says they have wi-fi internet, that means nothing unless its free! my hostel wants to charge me 8 dollars for wifi whereas the public library charges 3 for the entire day. so that's where i am today.
this is what i hope to do today: see the government gardens and just walk around and see some free stuff, then tomorrow the skyline gondola agrodome sheep shearing and zorb! and then some natural park thing with kiwi birds! saturday i will go to the geyser thing and spend half a day there then not sure about the afternoon but i'll figure it out :)
today was the first day when I actually got to carry around my backpack too--everywhere i went starting from when i left home, someone would carry it for me lol (either my parents, or the plane cuz i had it checked in, or my cousin) it was kind of hard to carry it, not going to lie but with some repacking on sat nite, i'll make it better. there's one point i didn't consider: the fact that my hips make a figure 8/they rock side to side and with that so does my backpack! lol kinda funny
anyhoos, here i will bid u adieu for a couple of days, not sure when i'll get wifi access again, perhaps saturday night i'll try to get to the library again--that sounds so dorky, i'm going to the library during my trip lol
take care and lots of love
Today I have started my north and south island explorer trip which means i'll be out and about for 12 days. It's kind of daunting really, especially today.
I got the bus at 830am and got here at 1230, got my bearings and loads of help from the tourist office, then headed over to my first hostel. I'm not 100% in love with it, i'm not going to lie--I chose the hostel cuz it was convenient and i got a private room! and the area of the building i'm in is pretty sweet, top floor in the back plus key access so no one can get into my room or floor. but its not very homely or comfy looking. the beds comfy, just no chairs or table to put my bag on...not loving the idea of putting my bag on the floor YUCK! but in all honesty, the floor looks pretty clean. there's no mirror tho, but that's fine. what else...i guess i just don't like the fact that there's nothing really going on at the hostel and not lots of people staying there but who knows, more people may mosy on in on the weekend. i'm excited about leaving this hostel and seeing the other one's i've booked. it was kind of hard picking the hostels because some are run by hostel chains which offer discounts for members, others are run by families, etc. I guess it'll be trial and error...my dad kind of worried me cuz he asked why i would want to stay for 2 weeks at one hostel in sydney--one main point was at least i'd have a home for two weeks and that way i can get my bearings and figure out how australia works--the other, it was soooo hard booking accomodation for this time of the year in sydney, crazy hard! i know if i end up not liking it i'm screwed but at the same time, you gotta roll with the punches--as long as you don't let the punches knock you out, you're all good.
oh ya another thing to look for when booking hostels--even if it says they have wi-fi internet, that means nothing unless its free! my hostel wants to charge me 8 dollars for wifi whereas the public library charges 3 for the entire day. so that's where i am today.
this is what i hope to do today: see the government gardens and just walk around and see some free stuff, then tomorrow the skyline gondola agrodome sheep shearing and zorb! and then some natural park thing with kiwi birds! saturday i will go to the geyser thing and spend half a day there then not sure about the afternoon but i'll figure it out :)
today was the first day when I actually got to carry around my backpack too--everywhere i went starting from when i left home, someone would carry it for me lol (either my parents, or the plane cuz i had it checked in, or my cousin) it was kind of hard to carry it, not going to lie but with some repacking on sat nite, i'll make it better. there's one point i didn't consider: the fact that my hips make a figure 8/they rock side to side and with that so does my backpack! lol kinda funny
anyhoos, here i will bid u adieu for a couple of days, not sure when i'll get wifi access again, perhaps saturday night i'll try to get to the library again--that sounds so dorky, i'm going to the library during my trip lol
take care and lots of love
Jumped off a building today!
Hey all
So today I did it--I skyjumped off of the Auckland's SkyCity Tower which is a gorgeous infrastructure (cost 82 million to build!). It's got a casino, restaurants with buffets, cafes, hotels AND the infamous SkyJump and SkyWalk. The SkyJump consists of jumping off the edge of the SkyCity platform--SkyCity is the highest building this side of the earth. I jumped 192m at 83km/hr and it was freaking amazing.
I tried not to freak myself out so I acted like I was fine prior to getting "kitted up" and in all honesty, I was totally fine. After we all got our suits and harnesses on, we took the elevator to the jump deck and man oh man that ride up pretty much made me realize what I was about to do. As we kept going higher and higher, I got more and more scared. At one point I said holy shit only to realize there was a kid in the elevator too lol. We got to the deck and none of us wanted to be the first one so the greek guy went. And it was not a good idea to see him go first because that scared me even more to see how the wires just start flying out of the holding thingy as the guy is plummeting down to the ground--ok i shouldn't be that dramatic lol but it was scaryyyy.
I decided to go next and the helper people could tell I was nervous so they kept talking nonsense to calm me down. But when your up so high on a ledge and all you can see is sky and the tops of the buildings and no ground then nothing can calm you down lol. Getting clipped in only built my nervousness and finally when the last and biggest rope got attached to me, I was terrified. I did not want to move. And then the countdown started and I had to jump. The jump part was fine cuz i just kind of floated there and then without notice, I started falling and then stopped at 10m down so they could take my damn photo--at a time like that I don't care about a damn photo I just wanted it to end. and then at that point, people in the observation deck can see you too lol i waved of course and then again without warning i started falling down again and it was so abrupt. i screamed so much but at the same time i had a lot of fun. i felt ridiculous for doing it but i'm glad i did. amazing views for sure and great adrenaline rush. i got to the landing pad and i was short of breath and couldn't stand or walk lol. the man who went before me congratulated me and his girlfriend gave me a hug :)
oh ya, so they weigh us after we get dressed and write our weight on our wrist! in permanent marker! i took a shower and its still there!!!! the damn number will remind me of all the crap i've eaten the past month--all those going away meals and me having to eat indian food over here...
anyhoos, tomorrow's a big day-I start my north island and south island exploring gig :) wish me luck, i'll keep you updated
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