Van vs the Volcano...

and other trials and tribulations. So while I do have wireless access at the YWCA, it sucks ass. It was fine last week, but on Friday things sorta went to hell. I did a connection speed test and was getting a whopping 700 bytes/s. Bytes for fucks sake! Of course noone had a clue what was going on. So if anyone has a clue, please let me know.

Anyway, on Friday I went up Rangitoto, a nice volcanic island about 20min ferry ride away. Only 600 years old, it's extinct (they think), and about 260m tall. Took us about 50 minutes to walk up. I'll have to admit I was pretty tired by the time I got to the top, and I'm going to blame it on the loose rock and lack of breakfast (or lunch, I had a PB&J sandwich around 10:30). The view from the top was well worth it though. I have some pathetic attempts at panoramic photos, which didn't come out all that well, but I'll post them somewhere. I'll add a link once they're uploaded. Also checked out some lava caves while we were up there. Pretty neat too, would've been much more fun with a flashlight. Trying to navigate a cave with the flash from one's camera is not a great idea, especially when navigating a slick, uneven rock surface.

So I should probably make a mention of the people I've been meeting/travelling with. The jerks are all abandoning me. Well most of them. Of the 7 that I met first, only two (Craig from Scotland, Susan from England) are left, and I feel a little bad for them cause they're both so quite and passive. Sometimes I feel like I'm bullying them. Been starting to make new friends at the YWCA though, however talking to girls in the bathroom still feels really weird. Especially when all I have on is a towel and a smile, while trying not to look too happy to see them...

Chicken McNuggets

in New Zealand suck ass. That is all. For now...

New Digs!

Long-ish day today. Checked out of my shared room at Auckland Central Backpackers, before heading to my orientation session. My 3 hour long orientation session. At least I discovered a few more places I wanted to visit. There's one place on the east side of the island where a highlighted activity is "possum shooting"...interesting to say the least. Apparently they're a pest and need to be controlled, so one is helping the environment right?

So after all that and grabbing lunch, headed over to the bank to set up a bank account, just like half the other people at the orientation. By the time that was all said and done, it was after 4, so I headed over to my new place, the YWCA.

My room is tiny, maybe the size of my half of my dorm room from first year, and painted in this crappy pale blue which makes the room seem even smaller. But at least I have my own room, right? The most interesting part is the bathroom setup. I'm on a coed floor, and the bathrooms and showers are coed. May take a bit of getting used to. Also, no alcohol permitted, but the girl at the front desk said that as long as no one working there knows, it's okay. A good thing I guess, though drunk people in a co-ed shower could be interesting...

Anyway looks possibly like a geeky friday night. Still don't know too many people, and don't feel quite up to going to bar by my lonesome. Maybe I'll get drunk and pass out in my room playing video games.

Also considering selling out and putting ads on my blog :) We'll have to see how desperate I get for money :D

What's the opposite of smooth?

Me. So there's this nice blonde girl that's been on the same plane as me from Toronto, and we finally get to talking near the end of the flight to NZ. She's in New Zealand for 3 weeks before heading off to South Africa to work on a wildlife reserve. Like me, she's never been to NZ before, doesn't know anyone here, and will be in Auckland. Of course, stupid me doesn't think to ask for her e-mail, despite the fact that she hints at needing a travel buddy on more than one occasion. What a dumbass.

On a more positive note, I am finally in New Zealand. So far, based on the drive from the airport, it's not too much different from Canada. Except for the driving on the other side of the road part. Which is freaky.

I'm in a room with 5 others, 3 of which were sleeping, 2 of which are out somewhere I assume. Hopefully I did dump my stuff on the right bed, otherwise I'm in for a rude awakening at some point. Speaking of bed, I think I'm off there now. I may have my jet lag beat already :D

Wo-oh, we're halfway there...

Wo-oh, not quite living on a prayer :) (Lame yes I know, but noone's here to stop me.) (And screw you I'm tired.)

So Singapore Airlines rocks. First thing I get when the plane hits cruising altitude, "Excuse me sir, would you like a drink?". Yes, yes I would. And they have scotch! Admittedly it's only Jonnie Walker Red, but it'll do, and the price is definitely right (free all flight!). And they come by every few hours offering more. The video on demand service is pretty sweet too. On the Vancouver->Singapore leg, I killed the time watching X-Men 3 (they have the first two as well!), Mission Impossible 3, Lucky Number Slevin, and the Inside Man. Napped for a bit as well, and fairly comfortably given that I had three seats to myself. The hostesses were actually cute/hot too, and nice, unlike the crap-tastic service you get on Air Canada.

So now I have 7 hours to kill until my flight to Auckland. My battle with jet lag seems to be faring well. I've gotten maybe 4 hours sleep total since leaving Toronto so in a weird state right now. Sorta tired, sorta not, but I will need sleep at some point, and I'm debating between sleeping in a chair, or shelling out some cash for a bed. The bed's pricey, but might be worth it. If not, I'll follow Mel Josee's advice, and get smashed upon arrival at the hostel and pass out right away. Might not leave such a great first impression, but Auckland's only one city :D

One thing I definitely need though is a shower. It's not too horrible yet, but I am getting noticeably ripe and have no deodorant or cologne, stupid new restrictions. $8 a shower though. However, I don't know if I could deal with my own "fragrance" after another 17 hours without a shower.

Anyway, enough for now. Might post some more before I take off again, but who knows.

Je suis tres fatigue...

It's 1:30am now, and I think my attempt to fight the jet lag early is doomed. The lids are starting to sag, and I'm not sure I'm making full sense anymore while talking to people on MSN. On the plus side I did find out a few things.

First, and this could be a hassle, I may have to re-check all my baggage when I get to Vancouver cause I'm switching airlines. Not sure though, cause the Air Canada site says it only applies to those with two tickets, and I'm hoping that mine counts as one ticket.

Second, and this'll be good for the people beside me on the flight from Singapore to NZ, I can buy access to a shower and nap time at Changi airport. $8 for a shower (including a warm drink), or $10/hr for the nap facilities w/ a free shower if I sleep for more than 3 hours. There are a bunch of other packages I may check out as well. And if I need to feel pretty, they offer a wide range of facials, massages, and various 'cures (crystals/stickers/nail art only $3 a nail!) Plus they have free wireless :)

Third, a 10 kilo backpack is heavy. I've had it on for a couple hours to get a feel for it, and while all the straps help, it's still friggin heavy. The massages are probably going to be very appealing by the time I get to Singapore.

On that note, I think it's time for a power nap. And don't worry, the posts will become much less frequent and much more interesting once I make it to New Zealand.

Edit: Yay, my first comment!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, goodbye!

So 10 hours till liftoff, 6 hours to kill to screw up my sleep schedule. This should be interesting :) Random factoids are always interesting, so here are some details about my trip (one-way):

• Mileage flown: 15,284
• Flight time: 32h17m
• Stopover time: 12h38m
• Total time: 44h55m

And that's assuming there are no delays.

Hopefully there'll be free booze once I leave the continent, otherwise I'll have to count on the Gravol to knock me out. Of course X-Men 3 is playing once I leave the continent as well, so I could always watch that 15 times assuming I'm lucky enough to get a new play with video on demand...hmm...decisions, decisions...

As for the stopovers, hopefully they don't charge too much for a net connection, and I can find an outlet for my laptop. Then I can bore everyone with even more inane blog entries :) Or maybe people will regale me with wonderful tales about their day at work. I know you CIHI folk must have some drama/gossip to share ;)

Anyway, that's enough for now. Stay tuned, there may be another post at 4am. Who knows, I may be slightly loopy due to lack of sleep!

ps. Can anyone explain why Blogger would insert an extra blank line after the set of bullets?

The procrastination starts...

So I've finally gotten around to setting up a blog, mostly cause I need a break from packing/burning. I think this will be the "motivation" behind most of my entries, I have nothing better to do, might as well chatter away on my blog. Hopefully I won't have too many entries then :D

Anyway just a quick entry for now, more to come later, especially during the wonderful 8 hour stopover I'll have in Singapore.

3 sleeps till lift-off. 5 sleeps till touch-down. No sleep 'till Brooklyn...