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...