A Note on Packing and a Side Note on Visa/Customs/Immigration

Three posts in one day, why not!

Every time that I go on a trip somewhere I tend to overpack, a lot. For instance, when going to Sao Miguel in 2010 for 6 weeks, I packed two, 50 pound suitcases that had more clothes then anyone could possibly wear in the time I was gone. I also took at least six pairs of shoes, two of which were heals. I don’t even remember the last time I wore heals. Obviously I am a very inefficient packer and so packing up my life for half a year, with all my ski equipment, was rather challenging. After many freak outs about not being able to send my skis for less than $500 and not wanting to deal with the hassle of carrying them around NZ with me, I finally decided to send them through a company called LuggageForward. They have been great to deal with and according to my tracking they were delivered to Springfield on Friday. Im just waiting an email from bossman to let me know that he has got them and then I will be able to relax. My ski boots however, were not sent ahead and so they are currently taking up about half of my bag. Also, ski boots are heavy. Leaving Spokane Airport, my bad weighed in at a whopping 43lbs. No wonder my shoulders are achy. And so, today, I am giving in and I am ready to admit that I am not Hercules and I am going to mail my boots from Waitomo to Springfield and I am praying that they get there safe and sound. 

I brought with me my dads historic backpack that he took to Europe with him when he went just shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Im amazed at how much I have been able to fit into it and thankful that the zippers are somehow super man strength and haven’t exploded the contents of my bag during traveling. At every airport, while we are waiting to collect our baggage I half expect to see a big blue bag with piles of clothes exploding out of it coming towards me on the carousel. 

I know that when I started writing this post a couple days ago it had a point. And now I have no idea what that point is supposed to be, other than I am a super packer and my dad used to live with the dinosaurs.

And so I’ll move on to my side note - visa!

When I started to seriously consider coming to work in NZ (around the end of January), I knew I would need a visa and so I jumped on the computer to apply only to figure out that my passport needed to be renewed! Right then and there I decided the trip was not going to happen and called it quits. I figured that 3 months to get a new passport and 3 months to get my visa - I just wouldn’t have everything I needed in time. But the next day I sent of my application for a new passport and 2 weeks later my horrifying mug shot was printed in my new passport. I then applied for a visa and again decided that this trip was not going to happen because they weren’t going to let me into their country. However I didn’t get a chance to finish that tantrum because less than 20 minutes later Immigration New Zealand had emailed me and approved my working holiday visa. It seemed like this trip was going to happen, until of course I decided I wasn’t going to be given any job offers and went and re-fractured my arm a couple times. By the time that I left Trail on June 2^nd, I figured that this trip might actually happen, but obviously not without great difficultly clearing customs at every stage. At the Waneta Boarder, the guard was super confused as to way I would want to go somewhere where it would be cold and wintery. At Spokane Airport, they couldn’t have cared less about my visa. At LAX, they decided I was a special case and it took a whole 2 minutes to sort out (Im not even sure what was wrong; It probably had nothing to do with my visa). Leaving Sydney, they wanted to see my return ticket and the man at immigration asked if I had ever instructed before. When we arrived in NZ I had to declare that I had sports equipment on my little sheet, but that was about as hard as it got. The moral of this story - I should probably apologize to Michaela for so many unnecessary freak outs and, of course, my dad used to live with dinosaurs. 

More Sickness

Our day in Waitomo yesterday went nothing like planned. We left our hostel at 6:30am and walked about 20 minutes into town to catch our bus to Waitomo. Walking with an extra 43lbs strapped to my back was not pleasant and I was exhausted by the time I got to bus station and more than happy to just sit for the next three hours. Our bus driver man was amazing and told us all about the history of Auckland and New Zealand. Being the history freak I am, I absolutely loved it! I feel like when I am a little more ancient I am going to love those geriatric bus tours (What I actually mean is, I know Im going to because I already do) ! I was happy to leave the city behind and see rolling green fields with mostly cows, but some sheep as well. That was about the only excitement of my day because I decided to ruin the rest of the day by getting the stomach flu! Once we got to Waitomo, Steph took care of me and checked us into our hostel and put me to bed. I managed to get a few hours sleep throughout the day and Steph bravely ventured to the caves by herself and she loved them. In the evening we played a couple card games (which I won; Winning!) and called it a early night in hopes that I feel better for tomorrow and our adventure to Rotorua and the Zorbs!

After showering this morning I feel pretty great so I am optimistic that today will be a better day and I will be able to venture out side of the hostel. I am so excited to go zorbing, but not even close to as excited as Stephanie is. I think that zorbing is half the reason that she wanted to come on this trip with me.l. What could be more fun! 

Autumn in Auckland

I wrote this post on Sunday, but had no internet so here it is now.

We're getting really good at this whole waiting thing. On Saturday, we left the hostel in Sydney just after 9 and took the train, which was luckily right across the street, to the airport. After waiting in lines to check in, we learnt that our flight was delayed due to maintenance and instead of leaving at 12:15 we would be leaving at 4. However, they gave us vouchers for food, we had a bottle of baileys, there were comfy chairs and free wifi so we couldn't have been happier! We passed the hours eating sundaes with baileys, people watching, wandering the stores, trying to identify where everyone is from based on their accents and of course me freaking out about my visa and come up with countless reasons as to way they would not let me into their country. But more on that later. We took off shortly after 4:30 and by 11 NZ time we had collected our baggage, cleared customs and immigration and taken a taxi to our hostel. Sunday morning got off to a slow start but we finally ventured downtown and decided to embrace NZ culture by going to Dennys! We weren't feeling like the most adventurous tourists out there. We wandered around downtown and explored a grocery store and then took a ferry (We LOVE ferries!) to the little town of Devenport, which we really liked! Its so cute and quant and there was a beautiful yarn store that gave me so many ideas for different toques! We walked up "Mt." Victoria  (We aren't too sure why its called a mountain as we've seen bigger ant hills) and enjoyed the view of the city sprawled out below. We thought that we could be a little more adventurous and walk down the wet grass instead of the road like everyone else. After a couple falls/rolls we made it to the road with a group of people watching and laughing at us. At least we provided entertainment for someone! After that we took the ferry back to the city center and bought some laundry detergent for our newly muddied clothes. This evening we made friends with the people in our dorm and went down to the lounge to play cards and make more friends. 

Tomorrow we are off to Waitomo to the Glow Caves. We're loving life so much these days.

30 Hours in Sydney

So after that last wonderful post, things are going a lot smoother now! We decided that we would much rather spend the night sprawled out on airport benches than stay in a crack-addict terror motel. Our shuttle came and picked us up just after 4am and we were looking forward to checking our baggage, going back up to our terminal, eating airport food and making a nice camp out for the 18 hours before our flight. How silly of us to think that things would actually go smoothy from there and not be torturous! Once at the airport we realized with great disappointment that we could not be able to check our baggage in until 6 pm and so our home became some rickety plastic benches with no food or entertainment. In retrospect, we are laughing at this incident and our first world problems really weren’t anything to write home about (see Dad, I still have your awful humor even when you aren’t around) but by the time we checked our bags and made it up to the terminal with slightly comfier chairs and food, we were ecstatic! 

The flight went smooth and surprisingly quick as I slept for almost 10 hours, which is extremely impressive for me! The meals were interesting. For dinner they served an option of chicken, beef or pot roast. Steph and I both decided on the chicken, which was in some weird, oddly tangy sauce served with undercook (more like uncooked) rice and a hard roll. We passed about an hour drinking some wine and coloring in our coloring book (we got some odd looks for that, I think they were just jealous), I slept for a good 8 hours, before walking up to a breakfast of a cheddar omelet and what they said was potatoes but what I think was leftover pot pie mixed with cauliflower mixed with soup and baked a little.

Once we landed, we cleared customs in a breeze which surprised me since I had expected there to be problems with my visa (There was no reason for there to be problems with me visa, I just tend to always think the worst). We took the train to our hostel, dropped off our bags since it was too early to check in and then took off to explore the city! Our first stop was the harbor where I took about a thousand pictures of the opera house and harbor bridge, because it is completely necessary to have a picture from every angle (Thank goodness for digital cameras). We adventured over the bridge to North Sydney but other than Luna Park (Mary-Kate and Ashley anyone?) there wasn’t much to do there so we took a ferry back to the harbor. We then decided to go around the harbor twice because it was so beautiful.....and because we were tired and the boat had free Wi-fi. I love how beautiful the architecture is! The old houses are so detailed and I can’t help but wish that I knew more of the history of the city. We were lucky enough to have clear blue skies, although that just gave me an excuse to take more pictures. We went to a cafe for lunch and then walked over to Darling harbor, of course going on a little misadventure was necessary. The people here all seem to be in such a rush to get somewhere and no one smiles. In that way, it seemed a lot like the States. At Darling Harbor, we wandered around the warf and then went to the Sydney Wildlife park. My favorite animals were the koalas and the wallabies. I though that I would love the kangaroos, but they all looked so grumpy and mean! Nothing like A.A. Milne made Kanga and Roo look like! 

After that, I started to not feel very well so we decided that it would probably be best if we headed back to the hostel to get some rest so that we don’t get ourselves run down. Neither of us have showered since disney so we both feel amazing after showering and laying in a proper bed. 

Although my time in Sydney has been very short, I found it to be beautiful and have enjoyed my day here. I am hoping that I’ll be able to come back and explore more, maybe before I head home after season.

Tomorrow we have a noon flight to Auckland but because of the time change we will get in just after 5. Then the difference between home will be 21 hours ahead. 

Im missing home more than I thought I would, but I am looking forward to exploring NZ and making 200 new friends in Springfield! 

Peter Pan, Puking, Patience and....Paradise?

Today has been the most eventful day so far! Which I guess isn't saying a lot since I've only been gone 4 days, but I am hoping that the rest of the trip goes a little smoother than today has. It started of great! We managed to sleep in a little bit and pack up our room and head off to the park for the last day without problems. We thought that since we had done almost every ride we would just spend our last day doing our favorites. We had yet to ride on Peter Pan because we didn't want to wait in line, but today we finally gave in and waited through a 45 minute line, but in the end it was worth it as we both really enjoyed it. We also went on Star Tours, Astro Blasters, Indiana Jones, Captain Eo, the Railway, and did lots of pointless wandering and people watching. I think that people watching may be one of our favorite Disney attractions because there are just so many peculiar people there. Captain Eo is by far the most odd rides at Disney. Its a 3D show of Michael Jackson as Captain Eo on a ship of elephants and other odd things trying to save someone from something and just before they are going to capture him, good old Michael defeats them with music by turning them into dancers. I wish I was making this up. We left the theater speechless - not in the good way. As we were leaving Disney to head back to our hotel to catch the shuttle, Steph decided to ruin the day by becoming sick. We aren't sure if it was too much sun or food poisoning or the side effects of Captain EO, but by the time we had made it through security and were ready to board the plane for Aus, Steph had decided that she was too ill to travel. However luck was on our side and because there were already too many people booked on the flight, they offered us a $500 voucher for another trip, meals and a hotel if we were willing to take tomorrows flight instead. That seemed like the best option and we figured that we could have a nice relaxing night, catch up on emails and sleep and enjoy not having to do anything. Sadly enough, those plans didn't last long. It took nearly 2 hours for them to print off all the vouchers and organize a hotel and shuttle for us. Because there is some sort of convention going on in town, there weren't very many rooms available and they ended up putting us up in the Days Inn Torrance. Describing this .....hotel (if you want to call it that...) is no easy feat. Pictures don't do it justice, but they will follow shortly. Stephs description of this haunted house is "Creepy, disgusting, flea-baggish nightmare, ................there aren't words to describe how gross this is." The stairs to our room are all rickety and the hallways look like a murder scene. The rooms only got worse. We had some trouble opening the doors, because the bed sticks out about half a foot into the door way. There are stains all over the carpet and beds and there are burn marks in the bathtub (?!). Steph was feeling very brave and was going to take a shower but that dream was also short lived because it doesn't work. The room has an interesting odor - a mix of smoke, stale feet and wet dog......or bowling alley smell according to Steph. We decided that the airport is looking like a fabulous odor free, murder free hang out and so we are waiting for out shuttle to come back to collect us so we can spend the next 17 hours being hobos in the airport. We are hoping that tomorrow they will feel bad for us and upgrade us to business class. We were already upgraded to economy plus, which my long long legs are very grateful for (Note the sarcasm  Mum). So our plans for today look a little like this: Leave this scary place behind and avoid getting murdered, sleep in an airport for 17 hours (So much time for people watching!) and then 15 hours of coloring!!!!!!!! (Yes I brought a coloring book for the plane.)
Be jealous of my day.

June 4th - Airplanes, Aches and Awkward Moments

We left for Dland shortly after 8. Our plan of attack was to spend the first 2 hours in Disney doing the rides that we hadn't gotten to the day before/had been too impatient to wait in line for more than 20 minutes for. First we went to Fantasy Land where we went on Its A Small World, the Tea Cups, Alice in Wonderland, and Story Book Land Canal. Its a Small World is way longer than necessary and rather creepy as well. We then went over to California Adventures with the intention of spending the rest of the day conquering every ride there. Maybe its just me, but there doesn't seem to be that many rides in California Adventures and I think that I would find it slightly boring to spend more than 3 days between the two parks. We managed to go on Tower of Terror, Monsters Inc., Soaring over  California, Goofys Sky School, Swinging Symphony, California Screamer, Ferris Wheel, and Its a Bugs Life. I was happy that Soaring Over California is still as enjoyable as it was 10 years ago, although I was disappointed that it no longer smells like oranges. Also, Goofys Sky School has got to be one of the most boring, odd, pointless roller coasters yet. I was very proud of myself for facing my fear of riding the Symphony swings, as they were terrifying to me back in the day. After wandering around with achy feet and Stephanie spilling water down the back of a ladies leg, we made our way back to Dland, where we went on Finding Nemo, the monorail, Fantasmic and the Jungle Cruise once again before we called it a night. Steph and I felt like celebraties because we got to ride in the very front of the monorail all by ourselves! Fantasmic was amazing and very enjoyable, but it would have been better if we weren't crying silently from painful feet. Im not too sure if it was Steph and I being over tired or an amazing tour guide, but the Jungle Cruise was even funnier than the day before and we got lots of weird looks from laughing so hard at all the corny jokes. And that was day 2 of Disney!

Big Thunder Railroad, Burns and Blisters

          Today started off bright and early as we adventured off to the happiest place on earth! Our mission of today was to do as much as Disney Land as possible and overall it was a very successful day. We were at the park bright and early, which was great as we avoided most of the lines and crowds as well as the heat.  Our first ride this morning was Snow Whites Scary Adventure, which was far too scary for us! Going through the woods was really creepy and the Queen is a terrifying person. We left those awful memories behind and went to the Pinnochio ride, which didn't scare us as much.  The favorite rides of the morning were Big Thunder Railroad, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones, and Space Mountain. We also meet Tigger, Eeyore and Winnie the Pooh! In the early afternoon, the smog lifted and we were left with a beautiful clear, hot day and lobster skin. By 2, our energy levels were crashing and we were not patient enough to wait in lines, so we enjoyed the Columbia cruise, riding the railway and watched Great Moments with Ab Lincoln. I put my driving skills to the test on Autopia, and I am sure that if this was in Canada, I would have had my license taken away. My car and I didn't get along very well and so it would just turn itself off when ever it felt like it. It also didn't turn very well, and so the drive was very bumpy and giggly. We also wandered over to ToonTown, which is my favorite land, and we had our pictures taken with Mickey (He says Hi to you Papa!).  Other highlights of today were climbing through tarzans tree, nearly breaking my camera and laughing at our flamboyant guide on the Jungle Cruise, where we also made friends with a guy who skied in Whistler for 5 season. In the evening we went over to California Adventures where we wandered around and gained many blisters and went on the new ride, Ariel's Undersea Adventure. For dinner we went to Napoles, in Downtown Disney. The meal was good, and it was wonderful to sit, relax and complain about our sore bodies. After dinner we packed in two more shows - the first was Aladdin the Musical which was very well done and funny! We then did a little souvenir shopping and ended the night by watching World of Color which was absolutely breath taking. Somehow we managed to hobble/limp back to our room and collapse into bed.
           Tomorrow we are planning on getting up early to go back to Disney and get in as many rides as we can well the weather is cool and the lines are small, before we spend most of the day at California Adventures!
          Despite all the complaining about blisters and burns, we are having lots of laughs and enjoying every minute. After all, as Paul Theroux said, Traveling is only glamorous in retrospect.
Here are some pictures of the day.

An hour in Vegas

Yesterday, after goodbyes with the parents (who I miss already!), my friend Stephanie's mum drove us down to the Spokane airport. Stephanie is traveling with me until June 17th and will come with me as far as Christchurch. I am so happy that she was able to come with me! There were a couple wrong turns on the way to the airport and many laughs, but no trip is complete without a few mishaps. Check in was very uneventful and our geriatric flight was rather quiet, well other than for Steph and I (mainly I) at the back of the plane cheering the pilot on and playing a very elaborate game of Go-Fish. We landed in Vegas, however we were asked to unload the plane because the front lavatory was not working and needed to be fixed before we could take off. We were happy to do so, as I was already getting very fidgety after sitting for only 2 hours. We were delayed for over an hour, but it gave us a chance to explore the airport and do some people watching, and play some slot machines. Our plane landed at LAX and our baggage was collected by 7:30, but we weren't all checked into our room until shortly before 10. We walked the short block over to downtown Disney and had a wonderful meal at the Rainforest Cafe. We are both so so excited for all the rides today! First stop, soaring over California! Im off to let my inner child out. Those 5 year olds had better be ready; Im not going to let their cuteness stop me from fighting them for the front of the line.

Prepare for Takeoff

               And so it begins! Here's the first awkward post to begin what is going to be a fabulous adventure to a town a twentieth of the size of my humble town of Trail BC. Except this town is going to be 20 times more awesome, because the majority of people living there will have accents.
Tomorrow morning I am off for the next 6-8 months. The weather in the Kootenays is starting to warm -the water is almost warm enough to not give you a heart attack when you dive in, the flowers are blooming, there are plenty of puddles to splash in, the sand will soon feel hot beneath your feet and bear sightings are being documented on facebook. And here I am, with my backpack stuffed with sweaters, ski boots and crochet hooks for making heat-conserving toques. I am heading down south to Springfield, NZ, to forgo all the wonderful summer happenings and instead spend my days working for Porters Ski Field (check it out! http://www.skiporters.co.nz/ ) shredding the Magic Carpet and perfecting my pizza and french fry. Hopefully I'll also be able to shred some powder, meet some people, gain an accent,  and have an overall amazing experience.
           Since I began ski instructing in 2006, I have always dreamed of doing a season working overseas. It was something that I never thought would actually happen. In high school, I planned to go away to University and become a boring person with a boring job. However when it came time to actually move away, I couldn't imagine only being able to ski for about 2 weeks when I would come home for Christmas break and Reading Week. And so (along with other reasons) I decided that by staying home and studying at Selkirk College, I would be able to both ski and do school. That worked great for those two years, until I moved on to the University of Victoria and thought I was going to have to finally move on from Ski School life. However a brilliant and amazing friend came up with the idea of taking winter semester off so that she could come home and ski and then go back to school for spring and summer semester! It seemed like the perfect plan and I was thrilled to be able to come back home for the winter. While in Victoria, I figured out that school wasn't where I needed to be right now and with no idea what I actually want to study, it gave me the perfect opportunity to take some time and travel! And so, I was finally able to make the dream of ski instructing overseas come true!
           The journey begins in the morning with a drive to Spokane and a flight to LA were I will spend 3 days acting like a tacky tourist/ sugar-fed 4 year old at Disneyland (!!!!) before I fly to Sydney, then Auckland, and will then make my way south before I finally get to the hustling town of Springfield around June 18th.