Monday, October 15, 2007
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Drastic change has occurred since the last email. Quickly covering ground from Melbourne through Canberra back to Sydney, anticipation grew because the TRUCKS were due in. Part of the premise of The World by Road is that the same trucks will be driven through 96 countries to demonstrate the durability of the Toyota name. The trucks are a 2007 Tundra and Sequoia. Australia has never seen a Tundra before and a UFO rolling down the street would probably draw as many stares. People actually stop in their tracks and point.
Coogee beach became our home as we anxiously awaited the arrival of the vehicles. Easter holiday in Australia encompasses four days which meant a lot of beach time as well as ultimately delaying acquisition of the Toyotas for four more days. On top of the delay frustration, there were a number of hidden fees that the Steve's dealt with. Our patience, a necessity when travelling or when dealing with bureaucracy, eventually paid off but not before Steve Bouey almost went crazy. After passing through customs inspection, we hit the roads of Sydney with smiles wide and the beats of the snatch soundtrack blaring from the sound system. The World by Road officially began.
Leaving Brian (Chappy) and Kira in Coogee beach due to differing traveling philosophies, we picked up Jimmy Swift, an LA producer, and hit the road for the Blue Mountains.
The numerous Eucalpytus plants cause a blue haze to cover the mountains. As dark descended, we followed vague directions a couple miles down a narrow 4 wheel drive track to our campsite, a clearing with a firepit. The Tundra contained a literal treasure trove of camping, climbing, and scuba gear. In the middle of a remote clearing, we dug through the gear with the excitement of kids on Christmas morning. The luxury of our live out of the trucks lifestyle lies in plush air mattresses, new marmot tents, and a fancy Coleman stove that we saw for. Australian food generally consists of fried meat product and fried potato product so being able to cook is key. Steve cooked up a nice chicken and rice dish and we all fell asleep content in our new makeshift home. The dinosaur-like screeches of the birds woke us up and we drove to Katoomba to find some canyoning maps.
Canyoning means you become one with the water and follow the path it does. In order to start canyoning you have to find the access point. These are usually not well trodden which was why the maps were necessary. Unfortunately, we left the maps in the truck and ended up hiking all over the park before settling on the one that we "thought" was the one the guy in the gear shop suggested. Quite randomly it ended up being the correct river, we just ended up entering it a mile further upstream than suggested. Starting out slow we walked alongside the river. Then we started walking in the river which then progressed to wading. The murmur of the river grew louder and suddenly there was a drop off, cannonball! Swimming, diving, and jumping through pools and small waterfalls, we made our way to the exhilarating finale a 100 meter abseil down a large waterfall.
Taking leave of the mountains, we set off for Byron Bay, a self-described "hippy" community an hour out of Brisbane. Although hippy had now become more of a selling point than a reality, my first ocean scuba dive definitely made it a worthwhile stop. The St. Criox river (the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin where I've spent most of the time in the water) does not compare to sea turtles, eels, pools of colorful fish, sharks, and great visibility. The personnel at the dive shop thought our group of misfit divers a bit odd. I have the most experience but none of it in the ocean, the Steves have all the expensive gear but have only gone out 7 times, and Swift nearly floated away mid dive.
Chilling on the beach, disc in hand, helped to pass the time before we headed for the outback.
Stay tuned for more gripping details about the life and times of Elena in forthcoming emails!
Cheers,
Elena
Coogee beach became our home as we anxiously awaited the arrival of the vehicles. Easter holiday in Australia encompasses four days which meant a lot of beach time as well as ultimately delaying acquisition of the Toyotas for four more days. On top of the delay frustration, there were a number of hidden fees that the Steve's dealt with. Our patience, a necessity when travelling or when dealing with bureaucracy, eventually paid off but not before Steve Bouey almost went crazy. After passing through customs inspection, we hit the roads of Sydney with smiles wide and the beats of the snatch soundtrack blaring from the sound system. The World by Road officially began.
Leaving Brian (Chappy) and Kira in Coogee beach due to differing traveling philosophies, we picked up Jimmy Swift, an LA producer, and hit the road for the Blue Mountains.
The numerous Eucalpytus plants cause a blue haze to cover the mountains. As dark descended, we followed vague directions a couple miles down a narrow 4 wheel drive track to our campsite, a clearing with a firepit. The Tundra contained a literal treasure trove of camping, climbing, and scuba gear. In the middle of a remote clearing, we dug through the gear with the excitement of kids on Christmas morning. The luxury of our live out of the trucks lifestyle lies in plush air mattresses, new marmot tents, and a fancy Coleman stove that we saw for. Australian food generally consists of fried meat product and fried potato product so being able to cook is key. Steve cooked up a nice chicken and rice dish and we all fell asleep content in our new makeshift home. The dinosaur-like screeches of the birds woke us up and we drove to Katoomba to find some canyoning maps.
Canyoning means you become one with the water and follow the path it does. In order to start canyoning you have to find the access point. These are usually not well trodden which was why the maps were necessary. Unfortunately, we left the maps in the truck and ended up hiking all over the park before settling on the one that we "thought" was the one the guy in the gear shop suggested. Quite randomly it ended up being the correct river, we just ended up entering it a mile further upstream than suggested. Starting out slow we walked alongside the river. Then we started walking in the river which then progressed to wading. The murmur of the river grew louder and suddenly there was a drop off, cannonball! Swimming, diving, and jumping through pools and small waterfalls, we made our way to the exhilarating finale a 100 meter abseil down a large waterfall.
Taking leave of the mountains, we set off for Byron Bay, a self-described "hippy" community an hour out of Brisbane. Although hippy had now become more of a selling point than a reality, my first ocean scuba dive definitely made it a worthwhile stop. The St. Criox river (the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin where I've spent most of the time in the water) does not compare to sea turtles, eels, pools of colorful fish, sharks, and great visibility. The personnel at the dive shop thought our group of misfit divers a bit odd. I have the most experience but none of it in the ocean, the Steves have all the expensive gear but have only gone out 7 times, and Swift nearly floated away mid dive.
Chilling on the beach, disc in hand, helped to pass the time before we headed for the outback.
Stay tuned for more gripping details about the life and times of Elena in forthcoming emails!
Cheers,
Elena
The World by Road
While aimlessly wandering around the Sydney airport Steve and Steve materialize out of thin air and my theworldbyroad experience begins. For those of you who do not know how this came to be.....After graduating I went online to figure out what travel experience would be the best use of this new free time I had found. While perusing the Internet for overland travel through Africa I came across theworldbyroad.com. Steve and Steve (yes they really are both named Steve) have plans to drive around the world over the course of the next two years. Toyota, Lonely Planet, and a few other companies are sponsoring this adventure. I sent in my join the team submission not really believing I would be allowed to partake in such an adventure. But here I am today, an official team member of The World By Road.
Steve, and Steve were joined at the airport by (Brian) Chappy, a bald, scuba-diving seaman and we set off for the hostel. Everyone seemed a little disheveled from traveling but nonetheless the around the world adventure had begun! The next day Caki showed up and really added some spirit to the group. She'll be a good friend and partner in crime along the way. Kira, a blond from New Jersey showed up later in the evening. She's a photographer and took the picture that is my bio picture on theworldbyroad.com . The group spent the next couple of days getting to know each other and doing some of the many errands that need to be done on a project like this. We're sponsored by Toyota which gives us some authenticity to our expedition. The Steve's also have press credentials because we'll be doing stories along the way. One task each group member has to do is research stories and then create the contacts to make the story happen. Right now, I'm looking into the huge Australian drought and how it might be coupled with global warming. I like diversity though so I'm also looking into getting onto a radio show in Melbourne and getting hooked up with a surf camp. We'll see if any of those pan out.
We did this sort of thing for a couple days but soon tired of Sydney. Despite being a beautiful city with a plethora of activities, it seems fairly similar to most major American cities. It was soon time to move on down the coast. We rented two brits camper vans and hit the road. As you can imagine, things get really tight when trying to cook, clean, sleep, and just live in a van. We got to know each other even better…..
The first night we stopped next to the beach where kangaroos, parrots, and other strange birds meandered about the campsite. The Steve's are really good chefs and whipped up a lovely meal to top off the day. I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean waves. This was pretty much par for the course for the next two nights as we worked our way toward Melbourne stopping off now and again for short hikes. Then we went to Williams National Promentory which is located on a peninsula. Let the bogey boarding begin! We played in the surf and sand until dark.
The camper vans are an interesting affair. The back has a sink, microwave, and a few cupboards. There are two benches facing each other in the back. A table can be set up but otherwise acts as the middle section of the lower bed. Caki and Steve share the lower bunk and I get the bat cave all to myself. The bat cave is composed of three large plywood planks that get pulled out to form a bed that is two by four by eight feet. As far as camping goes though, it's great!
The birds here are crazy and wake us up intermittently throughout the evening and into the morning. We then wake up reorganize by putting the beds away and storing our luggage back up in what is the first third of my bed. (I'll take pictures so this is easier to visualize) Then we make a little breakie (Australian for breakfast) and hit the road.
We stayed in Melbourne for three nights while the Steve's worked out more logistics and I did more research on the drought and what we should do up on the Gold Coast. It was also Brian's birthday so we went to the Italian section of Melbourne for a scrumptious meal of pesto gnocchi and bruschetta. If you are ever in Melbourne go to the Woodfire Pizza. We also tried to go out on the town in celebration only to be turned away. Why? We weren't sure at first either but it turns out that you can't wear sandals to most bars. What, this is Australia!?
We started down the Great Ocean Road. The road lived up to the fact that Australians were audacious enough to call it THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD. Needless to say, I was excited to get back on the road and closer to the beach. The journey started off with Duane, our new friend, who also happened to be the captain of the jetboat in Geelong. It turned out he was actually from New Zealand, the home of adventure/thrill sports. He took us out at full speed for over two hours. He giggled with glee after announcing that he was going to soak me. He proved true to his word and I looked like a salt monster for the rest of the day.
The lighthouse, rainforest walk, sleeping in some villas, and a winery tour were other perks of traveling with The World by Road and highlights of the Great Ocean Road.
The lighthouse was great because we got hooked up with free everything….hot chocolate, pizza, entrance, and the inside scoop on everything. The tour guide regaled us with stories about ufo sightings, ghosts, and ship wrecks. Gale force winds that accompanied a hurricane off the coast of Tasmania made the top of the lighthouse quite exciting. My hair was perpendicular to my face and I almost blew away.
The rainforest walk was similar to the one I did in Ghana except it was sturdier. Scaring Caki was the fun part of this venture. Educational elements were also interesting because of the ongoing drought which has almost halved rainfall in the region.
Because we were doing a story on the villas, they were free. After sleeping in camper vans for a couple nights, the luxury of a bed and clean shower is almost overwhelming. We watched TV and ate a nice meal. Sleep was also luxurious due to a plush featherbed and lack of birds to wake us.
A gem in the Great Ocean Road experience that can't be forgotten is a small opp shop in the town of Anglesea. Opp shops are opportunity shops that are equivalent to our goodwill's. At said shop, I found the most amazing wetsuit in the whole world. Bright pink and blue with a rainbow pull, this ripcurl suit has everything the 80's has to offer. That's when it was made. Later on in the day, Steve and Steve bought a surf board and my surf lifestyle began!
The Winery we visited is also related to surfing, as most everything is along this coast. Matthew the co-owner of Longboard winery and his adorable daughter Lulu took us around the estate for over three hours. The wine was good, but the stories were better. Matthew knew everything there was to know about surfing. I made the mistake of asking him if he used to surf. He looked at me surprised and said that he surfs about three days a week. Matthew oozed zen. The wine and surf lifestyle must foster this cool, laid-back attitude.
Now, I'm back in Melbourne working on hooking us up with some Rugby clubs to do some interviews and catch the action up close and personal.
Much surf, sand, and love,
Elena
Check out my pics at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youmisselena/
Steve, and Steve were joined at the airport by (Brian) Chappy, a bald, scuba-diving seaman and we set off for the hostel. Everyone seemed a little disheveled from traveling but nonetheless the around the world adventure had begun! The next day Caki showed up and really added some spirit to the group. She'll be a good friend and partner in crime along the way. Kira, a blond from New Jersey showed up later in the evening. She's a photographer and took the picture that is my bio picture on theworldbyroad.com . The group spent the next couple of days getting to know each other and doing some of the many errands that need to be done on a project like this. We're sponsored by Toyota which gives us some authenticity to our expedition. The Steve's also have press credentials because we'll be doing stories along the way. One task each group member has to do is research stories and then create the contacts to make the story happen. Right now, I'm looking into the huge Australian drought and how it might be coupled with global warming. I like diversity though so I'm also looking into getting onto a radio show in Melbourne and getting hooked up with a surf camp. We'll see if any of those pan out.
We did this sort of thing for a couple days but soon tired of Sydney. Despite being a beautiful city with a plethora of activities, it seems fairly similar to most major American cities. It was soon time to move on down the coast. We rented two brits camper vans and hit the road. As you can imagine, things get really tight when trying to cook, clean, sleep, and just live in a van. We got to know each other even better…..
The first night we stopped next to the beach where kangaroos, parrots, and other strange birds meandered about the campsite. The Steve's are really good chefs and whipped up a lovely meal to top off the day. I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean waves. This was pretty much par for the course for the next two nights as we worked our way toward Melbourne stopping off now and again for short hikes. Then we went to Williams National Promentory which is located on a peninsula. Let the bogey boarding begin! We played in the surf and sand until dark.
The camper vans are an interesting affair. The back has a sink, microwave, and a few cupboards. There are two benches facing each other in the back. A table can be set up but otherwise acts as the middle section of the lower bed. Caki and Steve share the lower bunk and I get the bat cave all to myself. The bat cave is composed of three large plywood planks that get pulled out to form a bed that is two by four by eight feet. As far as camping goes though, it's great!
The birds here are crazy and wake us up intermittently throughout the evening and into the morning. We then wake up reorganize by putting the beds away and storing our luggage back up in what is the first third of my bed. (I'll take pictures so this is easier to visualize) Then we make a little breakie (Australian for breakfast) and hit the road.
We stayed in Melbourne for three nights while the Steve's worked out more logistics and I did more research on the drought and what we should do up on the Gold Coast. It was also Brian's birthday so we went to the Italian section of Melbourne for a scrumptious meal of pesto gnocchi and bruschetta. If you are ever in Melbourne go to the Woodfire Pizza. We also tried to go out on the town in celebration only to be turned away. Why? We weren't sure at first either but it turns out that you can't wear sandals to most bars. What, this is Australia!?
We started down the Great Ocean Road. The road lived up to the fact that Australians were audacious enough to call it THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD. Needless to say, I was excited to get back on the road and closer to the beach. The journey started off with Duane, our new friend, who also happened to be the captain of the jetboat in Geelong. It turned out he was actually from New Zealand, the home of adventure/thrill sports. He took us out at full speed for over two hours. He giggled with glee after announcing that he was going to soak me. He proved true to his word and I looked like a salt monster for the rest of the day.
The lighthouse, rainforest walk, sleeping in some villas, and a winery tour were other perks of traveling with The World by Road and highlights of the Great Ocean Road.
The lighthouse was great because we got hooked up with free everything….hot chocolate, pizza, entrance, and the inside scoop on everything. The tour guide regaled us with stories about ufo sightings, ghosts, and ship wrecks. Gale force winds that accompanied a hurricane off the coast of Tasmania made the top of the lighthouse quite exciting. My hair was perpendicular to my face and I almost blew away.
The rainforest walk was similar to the one I did in Ghana except it was sturdier. Scaring Caki was the fun part of this venture. Educational elements were also interesting because of the ongoing drought which has almost halved rainfall in the region.
Because we were doing a story on the villas, they were free. After sleeping in camper vans for a couple nights, the luxury of a bed and clean shower is almost overwhelming. We watched TV and ate a nice meal. Sleep was also luxurious due to a plush featherbed and lack of birds to wake us.
A gem in the Great Ocean Road experience that can't be forgotten is a small opp shop in the town of Anglesea. Opp shops are opportunity shops that are equivalent to our goodwill's. At said shop, I found the most amazing wetsuit in the whole world. Bright pink and blue with a rainbow pull, this ripcurl suit has everything the 80's has to offer. That's when it was made. Later on in the day, Steve and Steve bought a surf board and my surf lifestyle began!
The Winery we visited is also related to surfing, as most everything is along this coast. Matthew the co-owner of Longboard winery and his adorable daughter Lulu took us around the estate for over three hours. The wine was good, but the stories were better. Matthew knew everything there was to know about surfing. I made the mistake of asking him if he used to surf. He looked at me surprised and said that he surfs about three days a week. Matthew oozed zen. The wine and surf lifestyle must foster this cool, laid-back attitude.
Now, I'm back in Melbourne working on hooking us up with some Rugby clubs to do some interviews and catch the action up close and personal.
Much surf, sand, and love,
Elena
Check out my pics at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youmisselena/
Friday, March 16, 2007
More Adventure
Hey All,
I suppose we'll start off with me bleeding all over a photography store.....(money and blood) and continue on to the next day where I just hung out before we headed of to a beach on the west side of Auckland. Strangely enough there were several large sand dunes in between lush mountain slopes. These sand dunes were steep and due to the nature of New Zealand culture this means you should jump, slide, or surf down them. We didn't manage this quite as successfully as those who brought real boards but nonetheless it was fun. Especially when we proceeded over to the lake to jump off trees. I jumped (but only from the lower one, unlike my more daring comrades).
The next day, I joined up with a bus tour and headed out toward Rotorua. With my limited time in New Zealand, I was told this was the best way to see everything. I am going to attempt to avoid these buses in the future though. I met some nice people along the way but there was also something of a sheep mentaility as we were herded from tourist sight to tourist sight. I also found the attitude of other travelers toward Americans to vary from that of local New Zealanders (kiwis). Perhaps it was just the ignorance of a few people I met, but the United States does really need to work on its international reputation. Luckily with my Macalester background, I am more than capable of debate. Over a beer at the local pub, I believe I changed a few minds and perceptions.
Back to Rotorua....I went to local Maori Hangi. The Maori are the people who were here before the Europeans began settling. The evening included dance, music, and a traditional dinner. Good times all around. Rotorua is sort of like yellowstone in that it has boiling mudpools, geysers, and hot pools. Cool!
Then on to Taupo which was the most action packed of all the cities I visited. Primarily because I went skydiving. Everyone must try this at some point in your lives precisely because it is an experience you can't find in any other way. I told my tandem partner I wasn't scared going up in the plane and he got a macavillian grin on his face. Two backflips and a number of breakneck spirals later, the freefall stopped and the parachute opened successfully. Needless to say I smiled like an idiot the whole time.
The next day I hiked (tramped as the New Zealanders would say) the Tongariro Crossing. It is supposed to be the best one day hike in all of New Zealand. It lived up to its billing. The pass goes between two volcanoes one being Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings. There is a steep ascent followed by a windy plateau and a series of crater lakes. The weather wasn't perfect but there was still a scenic 360 view of other mountains and Lake Taupo.
Wellington was my last stop on the North Island and it was particularily nice because Sam (ultimate frisbee friend) and his girlfriend Sarah were kind enough to give me a royal tour of the botanical gardens and a good idea of the life Americans live in New Zealand.....an inspiration to return and work here and maybe even participate in an air guitar contest (we witnessed one and they are quite entertaining).
Then I took the ferry to the South Island where I will begin my story later on.
I'm having a great time. Everyone should try to make it to New Zealand!
Cheers,
Elena
I suppose we'll start off with me bleeding all over a photography store.....(money and blood) and continue on to the next day where I just hung out before we headed of to a beach on the west side of Auckland. Strangely enough there were several large sand dunes in between lush mountain slopes. These sand dunes were steep and due to the nature of New Zealand culture this means you should jump, slide, or surf down them. We didn't manage this quite as successfully as those who brought real boards but nonetheless it was fun. Especially when we proceeded over to the lake to jump off trees. I jumped (but only from the lower one, unlike my more daring comrades).
The next day, I joined up with a bus tour and headed out toward Rotorua. With my limited time in New Zealand, I was told this was the best way to see everything. I am going to attempt to avoid these buses in the future though. I met some nice people along the way but there was also something of a sheep mentaility as we were herded from tourist sight to tourist sight. I also found the attitude of other travelers toward Americans to vary from that of local New Zealanders (kiwis). Perhaps it was just the ignorance of a few people I met, but the United States does really need to work on its international reputation. Luckily with my Macalester background, I am more than capable of debate. Over a beer at the local pub, I believe I changed a few minds and perceptions.
Back to Rotorua....I went to local Maori Hangi. The Maori are the people who were here before the Europeans began settling. The evening included dance, music, and a traditional dinner. Good times all around. Rotorua is sort of like yellowstone in that it has boiling mudpools, geysers, and hot pools. Cool!
Then on to Taupo which was the most action packed of all the cities I visited. Primarily because I went skydiving. Everyone must try this at some point in your lives precisely because it is an experience you can't find in any other way. I told my tandem partner I wasn't scared going up in the plane and he got a macavillian grin on his face. Two backflips and a number of breakneck spirals later, the freefall stopped and the parachute opened successfully. Needless to say I smiled like an idiot the whole time.
The next day I hiked (tramped as the New Zealanders would say) the Tongariro Crossing. It is supposed to be the best one day hike in all of New Zealand. It lived up to its billing. The pass goes between two volcanoes one being Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings. There is a steep ascent followed by a windy plateau and a series of crater lakes. The weather wasn't perfect but there was still a scenic 360 view of other mountains and Lake Taupo.
Wellington was my last stop on the North Island and it was particularily nice because Sam (ultimate frisbee friend) and his girlfriend Sarah were kind enough to give me a royal tour of the botanical gardens and a good idea of the life Americans live in New Zealand.....an inspiration to return and work here and maybe even participate in an air guitar contest (we witnessed one and they are quite entertaining).
Then I took the ferry to the South Island where I will begin my story later on.
I'm having a great time. Everyone should try to make it to New Zealand!
Cheers,
Elena
The Adventure Begins
Hey all,
I'm finally on the road and it's amazing. The snow and sleet rain attempted to slow me down in Chicago but I prevailed and it only delayed me for 40 minutes which just meant a bit of running in LA. The 15 hour plane ride was a little different. I thought I would have the luxury of an open seat next to me when a fairly overweight man and his 3 year old miniature bolted onto the plane at the last minute, dripping in sweat. The man also happened to have a dutch accent and talked to his kid saying everything was "little"....do you want some of this little cookie?.....I think you had to be there but it was straight out of a SNL skit. I was also fortunate to begin plotting my own version of LOST (I being a Kate type figure and saving people including the 3 yr old next to me and spearing polar bears....(disregard this if you haven't seen lost)) when the cabin lights were shut off for about an hour because of smoke in the galley. Needless to say I am writing you so things went swimmingly. It was a refrigerator malfunction.
I had a layover in Sydney. Enough time to see the Sydney Opera house, get burned, make some friends, and take a dip in the Hilton pool.
Back to the airport where I took a luxury flight to New Zealand....not only did they have little tv's but the guy next to me gave me his ice cream!
A friend of a friend, Doug, was quite hospitable and picked me up at the airport, offered up his couch, and been an amazing tour guide. Such amazing hospitality.
I climbed a volcano, Rogitoto yesterday putting some actual images behind much of my geological knowledge. It was gorgeous. Unfortunately, I won't have any images to show you as I was trying to get out of the way of a picture and gracefully tripped falling a couple feet down a volcano breaking my camera in the process. It's unfortunate but if I were to ever break a camera at least I broke it on a volcano.....cool, huh?
Today, I'm off to the beach, a hike and possibly surfing down sand dunes.
Love,
Elena
PS Enjoy the snow!
I'm finally on the road and it's amazing. The snow and sleet rain attempted to slow me down in Chicago but I prevailed and it only delayed me for 40 minutes which just meant a bit of running in LA. The 15 hour plane ride was a little different. I thought I would have the luxury of an open seat next to me when a fairly overweight man and his 3 year old miniature bolted onto the plane at the last minute, dripping in sweat. The man also happened to have a dutch accent and talked to his kid saying everything was "little"....do you want some of this little cookie?.....I think you had to be there but it was straight out of a SNL skit. I was also fortunate to begin plotting my own version of LOST (I being a Kate type figure and saving people including the 3 yr old next to me and spearing polar bears....(disregard this if you haven't seen lost)) when the cabin lights were shut off for about an hour because of smoke in the galley. Needless to say I am writing you so things went swimmingly. It was a refrigerator malfunction.
I had a layover in Sydney. Enough time to see the Sydney Opera house, get burned, make some friends, and take a dip in the Hilton pool.
Back to the airport where I took a luxury flight to New Zealand....not only did they have little tv's but the guy next to me gave me his ice cream!
A friend of a friend, Doug, was quite hospitable and picked me up at the airport, offered up his couch, and been an amazing tour guide. Such amazing hospitality.
I climbed a volcano, Rogitoto yesterday putting some actual images behind much of my geological knowledge. It was gorgeous. Unfortunately, I won't have any images to show you as I was trying to get out of the way of a picture and gracefully tripped falling a couple feet down a volcano breaking my camera in the process. It's unfortunate but if I were to ever break a camera at least I broke it on a volcano.....cool, huh?
Today, I'm off to the beach, a hike and possibly surfing down sand dunes.
Love,
Elena
PS Enjoy the snow!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Ode to the joy of dentistry.....
In the process of preparing for my Feb 28th departure, I am currently working on tying up all the loose ends. The most recent of these being the dentist. I had not been to the dentist in over two years. I could attribute this to being in St. Paul and not going through the trouble of finding a dentist up there. As the cleaning commenced and little metal probes were thrust into my gums and scraped along my teeth, I decided that the prolonged absence was more of a subconscious decision.
A decision that probably hurt me in the end because the dentist discovered two cavities. I felt as though this was some sort of backhanded revenge at recouping all of those checkup fees because my teeth felt tip-top.
Once the novacaine set in, I felt like a big fish, likely a bottomfeeder because of the size of my lip. The drill came in creating wafts of burning teeth essence that were only slightly better than the hor d'oeuvre of the hour.....ground up teeth.
The best part of the visit, however, was when the drill drifted from the cavity side of my mouth to the sealant side and began poking around. "aha"....it said. "Look at how much fun it is to grind teeth to bits, lets do some more" the drill said with a mischievious grin. My two cavities quickly turned into three and time in the chair quickly increased.
Now at least I have more complex dental records to aid in identifying me if the need arises....
A decision that probably hurt me in the end because the dentist discovered two cavities. I felt as though this was some sort of backhanded revenge at recouping all of those checkup fees because my teeth felt tip-top.
Once the novacaine set in, I felt like a big fish, likely a bottomfeeder because of the size of my lip. The drill came in creating wafts of burning teeth essence that were only slightly better than the hor d'oeuvre of the hour.....ground up teeth.
The best part of the visit, however, was when the drill drifted from the cavity side of my mouth to the sealant side and began poking around. "aha"....it said. "Look at how much fun it is to grind teeth to bits, lets do some more" the drill said with a mischievious grin. My two cavities quickly turned into three and time in the chair quickly increased.
Now at least I have more complex dental records to aid in identifying me if the need arises....
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Pre-Dinohaul 2007
The holidays proceeded smashingly. Eggnog was in great abundance. Cheer, joy, and family the whole shebang. We had that typical family Christmas: opened gifts, ate breakfast, went for a family run (all 6 of us), saw little miss sunshine (everyone should see this movie), and then went for Japanese food. We had our own little booth or closed off room. As a perfect example of my family, when our server left the great minds of my family all strived to find the best way in which to attach chopsticks to their person. "hehe....next time I'll knock....says the server as he enters.
A few days later.....I left for DINOHAUL 2007.
What's this dinohaul you ask? Only THE greatest dinosaur migration since they dropped out of existence. The dinosaur is a majungasaurous. This guy was important because he is the first evidence for cannibalism. Luckily, Ray and Kristi found him. Calling on their magnificent resources they chose myself and my cohort Krista as the most reliable and efficient drivers on the face of the earth for this very important task.
As a reward, I was able to fly out to visit friends and enjoy New Year's in New York City.
Here's how it went.....
Not wanting to miss out on the ongoing festivities at my house, I am dropped off at the airport with 30 minutes to flight departure. Just barely making the plane, I fly to Hartford, Connecticut. This is the closest airport to Amherst, Massachussestts where my lovely friend Leah lives. Amherst is a quaint little town that defies the current American trend of strip malls and defines quintessential New England. The town is surrounded by colleges and contains many delectable coffee shops. As a side note, this is also where ultimate frisbee was invented. Through visiting this town I better understand spirit of the game.... I also happened to stalk down one (julie) greene another frisbee invention of Amherst. It was a fun time....met all of Leah's friends. I tried to show them what drinking car bombs was all about but I think they saw through that when my pong strategy of underhand throws went horribly awry.
We took the amtrak to New York. The conductor was a kindly older gentleman. When he discovered I was going to NYC for the New Years, he said, "Don't let them take all of your money and behave." I thanked him for his advice and continued to report in that I had been behaving throughout the two hour train trip. The excitement for the New Year was building!
As Leah and I wandered about Penn Station yelling "ELI"....I discovered that New York truely is different than the rest of the United States. I would ask directions and people would answer in languages other than English.
Eli with the assistance of his friend Jakob the snake-ob, gave us a grand tour of NYC. We walked over the Brooklyn bridge and walked through neighborhoods people watching more than sightseeing....if I want to sightsee I can watch the Discovery channel.
We were also able to catch up with the infamous Zaxelrod and many other Macalester compatriots. Interestingly enough, Eli and I had been commenting on the fact that it would be amazing if shadow were around and lo and behold guess who shows up at this random Macalester gathering.....?
New Years Day:
After further exploration of the city and an expensive beer but cheap hat later....
We are prepared for the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah concert...the anticipation builds. Eli and I have both seen this band previously but concur that the environ that is NYC on new year's creates an entirely new base from which to build. As the opening bands open...the excitement can do nothing but wane....for some reason people came to see this band and don't even know who CYHSY are.
I had seen them before with Architecture in Helsinki and they were overshadowed but the minute they came on stage they captivated the audience....jamming out....new songs...old songs...balloon drops..confetti...screaming...encores....It was AWESOME!
A few days later.....I left for DINOHAUL 2007.
What's this dinohaul you ask? Only THE greatest dinosaur migration since they dropped out of existence. The dinosaur is a majungasaurous. This guy was important because he is the first evidence for cannibalism. Luckily, Ray and Kristi found him. Calling on their magnificent resources they chose myself and my cohort Krista as the most reliable and efficient drivers on the face of the earth for this very important task.
As a reward, I was able to fly out to visit friends and enjoy New Year's in New York City.
Here's how it went.....
Not wanting to miss out on the ongoing festivities at my house, I am dropped off at the airport with 30 minutes to flight departure. Just barely making the plane, I fly to Hartford, Connecticut. This is the closest airport to Amherst, Massachussestts where my lovely friend Leah lives. Amherst is a quaint little town that defies the current American trend of strip malls and defines quintessential New England. The town is surrounded by colleges and contains many delectable coffee shops. As a side note, this is also where ultimate frisbee was invented. Through visiting this town I better understand spirit of the game.... I also happened to stalk down one (julie) greene another frisbee invention of Amherst. It was a fun time....met all of Leah's friends. I tried to show them what drinking car bombs was all about but I think they saw through that when my pong strategy of underhand throws went horribly awry.
We took the amtrak to New York. The conductor was a kindly older gentleman. When he discovered I was going to NYC for the New Years, he said, "Don't let them take all of your money and behave." I thanked him for his advice and continued to report in that I had been behaving throughout the two hour train trip. The excitement for the New Year was building!
As Leah and I wandered about Penn Station yelling "ELI"....I discovered that New York truely is different than the rest of the United States. I would ask directions and people would answer in languages other than English.
Eli with the assistance of his friend Jakob the snake-ob, gave us a grand tour of NYC. We walked over the Brooklyn bridge and walked through neighborhoods people watching more than sightseeing....if I want to sightsee I can watch the Discovery channel.
We were also able to catch up with the infamous Zaxelrod and many other Macalester compatriots. Interestingly enough, Eli and I had been commenting on the fact that it would be amazing if shadow were around and lo and behold guess who shows up at this random Macalester gathering.....?
New Years Day:
After further exploration of the city and an expensive beer but cheap hat later....
We are prepared for the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah concert...the anticipation builds. Eli and I have both seen this band previously but concur that the environ that is NYC on new year's creates an entirely new base from which to build. As the opening bands open...the excitement can do nothing but wane....for some reason people came to see this band and don't even know who CYHSY are.
I had seen them before with Architecture in Helsinki and they were overshadowed but the minute they came on stage they captivated the audience....jamming out....new songs...old songs...balloon drops..confetti...screaming...encores....It was AWESOME!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
The Adventure Begins
Hello All,
I've graduated! Woo-hoo! Now, I venture forth into the real world. With real being relative...... because the first thing I intend to do with this unstructured freedom is to travel around the world. I was trying to find someway in which to travel through Africa overland. I went to Ghana last summer and, as trite as it is, fell in love with the small chunk of Africa I saw and wanted to see more. In my online perusing I discovered a group The World by Road ( www.theworldbyroad.com) composed of Steve, Steve, and Duane who were attempting to drive around the world. What an amazing idea! I decided to see if I could join up with them. Success!
This blog is too keep those of you who miss me (note blog title) to keep tabs on my whereabouts and thoughts over these next couple of months without forcing you to keep hitting that delete button in your inbox. This does not mean, however, that I will not respond to emails....I look forward to them and find myself checking my inbox quite frequently. If you write, I will respond.
Phase 1: Acclimate to travel by inter United States travel
After leaving Macalester college following the truely Macalester-esque experience of a throat singing concert in the raquetball court, Andrew and I began driving to Colorado. The manageable 14 hour excursion turned into an inhospitable adventure at about the half-way point when I gracefully allowed Andrew to begin his driving segment. The rain turned to sleet, turned to snow, turned to white-out conditions. In the midst of conditions in which I was driving by looking out the side window ( attempting to keep myself about 5 feet from the poles lining the road) the windshield wiper landed with a thud on the hood of the car. We brought the brick of a windshield wiper in the car, dethawed it and reattached it. Shortly afterward we watched in dismay as the windshield wiper wings off into the snowy abyss. Andrew runs to the front of the car to attempt to take the passenger side windshield wiper and put it on the drivers side. I run back on the snowy highway to search for the wiper but hope of that is destroyed as a plow sweeps by. Luckily there are many lights to follow on this plow and the poor little front-wheel-drive toyota corrolla courageously fights through to Denver.
I think the roads were closed while I was on the way to Boulder where I was snowed in. Sound disappointing?....hardly....it's fun....difficult for it not to be with my good friend, Jimmy, and three feet of snow. With the accompaniment of Joe, Jimmy's friend, we hike about and eat at all these sweet places in Boulder. The joy induced by three feet of snow and resigning yourself to the fact that most businesses are closed and you just MUST enjoy the snow is quite contagious. Everyone was out skiing, snowshoeing, trudging, and sledding (Target ran out of sleds).
A day later and many plow hours later, the roads reopen and Jimmy and I make our way into Denver. When we pull up to Steve and Steve's house where they have just finished skiing from behind their truck all over the streets of Denver. An idea many have had but most have not been brave enough to pursue. Luckily we were able to live vicariously through their video footage later on that evening. We also went out to eat at the red room...a nice dining experience. It was actually pretty considerate of them to stay open as many dining venues had closed to the inclimate weather. On the way into the restaurant we jumped a couple of snowbanks only to realize that one was actually a vehicle. It was a good evening and it only makes me more excited to travel with them.
On the way back, I was driving on some pretty bad roads. Jimmy was asleep. The semi in front of me starts fish tailing, the semi next to me is about to start fish tailing...I have almost no control over the car.....JIMMY...(I yelled him to consciousness so that at least we would die together) but as you ARE reading this blog we made it.
Along the way back the muffler decided to take leave and almost did. We pulled over to the side of the road. A truck happened to be there and happened to contain luck in the form of Kevin and Linda. This couple had tools and reattached the muffler...drove us to a hardware store bought the pieces to really fix us and then insisted on taking us to lunch. I messed up by eating before we prayed. This just goes to show you that half of luck is the kindness of strangers.
The highlight of driving through Nebraska was the stop at Mr. Keith Graul's house. It happened to be his sister's graduation party and there was a three tier chocolate fountain and more food than 100 people could possibly eat. We met a lot of his friends and he gave us the royal tour.
Unfortunately, the visit was short. Pressing family holiday obligations (fine food, relatives, presents) dictated an early departure. Jimmy and I arrived safe and sound back in a Madison for a not-so-white Christmas.
I've graduated! Woo-hoo! Now, I venture forth into the real world. With real being relative...... because the first thing I intend to do with this unstructured freedom is to travel around the world. I was trying to find someway in which to travel through Africa overland. I went to Ghana last summer and, as trite as it is, fell in love with the small chunk of Africa I saw and wanted to see more. In my online perusing I discovered a group The World by Road ( www.theworldbyroad.com) composed of Steve, Steve, and Duane who were attempting to drive around the world. What an amazing idea! I decided to see if I could join up with them. Success!
This blog is too keep those of you who miss me (note blog title) to keep tabs on my whereabouts and thoughts over these next couple of months without forcing you to keep hitting that delete button in your inbox. This does not mean, however, that I will not respond to emails....I look forward to them and find myself checking my inbox quite frequently. If you write, I will respond.
Phase 1: Acclimate to travel by inter United States travel
After leaving Macalester college following the truely Macalester-esque experience of a throat singing concert in the raquetball court, Andrew and I began driving to Colorado. The manageable 14 hour excursion turned into an inhospitable adventure at about the half-way point when I gracefully allowed Andrew to begin his driving segment. The rain turned to sleet, turned to snow, turned to white-out conditions. In the midst of conditions in which I was driving by looking out the side window ( attempting to keep myself about 5 feet from the poles lining the road) the windshield wiper landed with a thud on the hood of the car. We brought the brick of a windshield wiper in the car, dethawed it and reattached it. Shortly afterward we watched in dismay as the windshield wiper wings off into the snowy abyss. Andrew runs to the front of the car to attempt to take the passenger side windshield wiper and put it on the drivers side. I run back on the snowy highway to search for the wiper but hope of that is destroyed as a plow sweeps by. Luckily there are many lights to follow on this plow and the poor little front-wheel-drive toyota corrolla courageously fights through to Denver.
I think the roads were closed while I was on the way to Boulder where I was snowed in. Sound disappointing?....hardly....it's fun....difficult for it not to be with my good friend, Jimmy, and three feet of snow. With the accompaniment of Joe, Jimmy's friend, we hike about and eat at all these sweet places in Boulder. The joy induced by three feet of snow and resigning yourself to the fact that most businesses are closed and you just MUST enjoy the snow is quite contagious. Everyone was out skiing, snowshoeing, trudging, and sledding (Target ran out of sleds).
A day later and many plow hours later, the roads reopen and Jimmy and I make our way into Denver. When we pull up to Steve and Steve's house where they have just finished skiing from behind their truck all over the streets of Denver. An idea many have had but most have not been brave enough to pursue. Luckily we were able to live vicariously through their video footage later on that evening. We also went out to eat at the red room...a nice dining experience. It was actually pretty considerate of them to stay open as many dining venues had closed to the inclimate weather. On the way into the restaurant we jumped a couple of snowbanks only to realize that one was actually a vehicle. It was a good evening and it only makes me more excited to travel with them.
On the way back, I was driving on some pretty bad roads. Jimmy was asleep. The semi in front of me starts fish tailing, the semi next to me is about to start fish tailing...I have almost no control over the car.....JIMMY...(I yelled him to consciousness so that at least we would die together) but as you ARE reading this blog we made it.
Along the way back the muffler decided to take leave and almost did. We pulled over to the side of the road. A truck happened to be there and happened to contain luck in the form of Kevin and Linda. This couple had tools and reattached the muffler...drove us to a hardware store bought the pieces to really fix us and then insisted on taking us to lunch. I messed up by eating before we prayed. This just goes to show you that half of luck is the kindness of strangers.
The highlight of driving through Nebraska was the stop at Mr. Keith Graul's house. It happened to be his sister's graduation party and there was a three tier chocolate fountain and more food than 100 people could possibly eat. We met a lot of his friends and he gave us the royal tour.
Unfortunately, the visit was short. Pressing family holiday obligations (fine food, relatives, presents) dictated an early departure. Jimmy and I arrived safe and sound back in a Madison for a not-so-white Christmas.
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