"Excuse me, is this the town?"

Where in the World: The tiny towns along New Zealand routes 1, 6, and 7 between Kaikoura and Franz Josef.

The Inspiration: Nostalgia etc.; I did warn you. Once upon at time exactly two years ago, I stopped at an intersection near Victoria Forest Park, New Zealand. We got out of the car, and I approached a man walking down the side of the road, and said, "Excuse me, is this the town?" It was a reasonable question. Other than the "T" intersection of the highways that matched the map, there were only three buildings to indicate any sort of town-ness. The man laughed, and told me it actually was Springs Junction, and asked me what I had been expecting. At the puzzling advice of the woman from whom we tried to rent a motel room, we pressed on to Reefton for food and shelter that night. The next day we drove to Punakaiki, and then south down the coast to Franz Josef. Since I'm all misty-eyed over it, and I'm not sure you actually exist, lovely reader, I'm going to show off some more of the photos that are inspiring me. It's also worth noting that neither words or photos could ever adequately capture the beauty of that landscape.

This was on the "highway" across central New Zealand.












The plains run right up to the mountains, and make the geology lessons about the power of glaciers make sense.




This drive was unbelievable













As we got closer to the coast, the snow on the mountains vanished and was replaced by vegitation that looked delightfully prehistoric.




Here's me at the Pancake Rocks, which are amazing rock formations on the west coast. It was freezing cold, and raining, and I was so happy to be there.


The Maori name for New Zealand translates to "Land of the Long White Cloud," so when the views were obscured by fog I felt like I was at least having an authentic Kiwi experience. It actually added to the landscape, and gave it a sort of mythical property. This is one of my favorite photos.

New Zealand

Where in the World: New Zealand

The Inspiration: Nostalgia, and the fact that I didn't really want to leave the first time I was there. Two years ago, I left LA on a flight around 11pm on June 25, and 15 hours later I arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, around 7:30am on June 27. That's not a typo, the first part of my trip to New Zealand actually involved time travel, and I think that's crazy cool.* Of course, that's just the beginning. My trip lasted a total of 40 days, and so for the next 40 days I'm predicting that I'll be daydreaming about revisiting most of the places that I went to on that adventure. With that in mind, it's only fair to share a bit of what I saw on my first day in NZ.


I met up with my brother in Auckland, and we flew together to Christchurch. This is what NZ looks like from the air.






We rented a car, and drove from Christchurch to Kaikoura. We had to stop a few times on the way there, because it was simply too beautiful to just drive by.


Kaikoura is in an area with several marine sancutaries. We went directly to the beach to see the seals. I was just a little excited.






We then went for a walk along the cliffs. I was thrilled to be looking east towards the Pacific Ocean, and the scenery just took my breath away.



I may have chased these sheep a little bit, and then decided it was proof of my natural shepherding skills, and that I could live there forever.



This photo doesn't do justice to the colors we saw there; it was unspeakably beautiful. That's why I need to go back to see it again. =)





*You know what else isn't a typo? The spelling of "New Zealand". The spell checker keeps underlining it like it's wrong, which I think is pretty irksome. It's a country, for goodness sake! It's not like I'm using the Maori name, Aotearoa.

My Favorite Trail at the Park

Where in the World: My Favorite Trail at the Park

The Inspiration: Today's non-adventure. Class let out early this evening and it was such perfect weather that I was really excited to be able to go to the park. I went home and got Angie, my dog, and arrived at the time of evening that comes right before dusk, where the eastern part of sky is almost white, and the opposite edge is just getting darker. Angie was all fired up because it was cooler, and the animals at the park are more active and more fun to chase.

We started towards our favorite trail, a wide dirt road that loops outside of the paved circle, and I felt a little pang of guilt because I had promised not to go there by myself; a man who could be reported as "a streaker" at best had been seen in the woods recently, and when my parents saw a sign about it they made a point of asking me not to go alone. As we approached the trail, I realized how long it's been since I was there in the evening; the trees' leaves have grown in, and the trail was a lovely, dusky green, perfected by the combination of rains earlier in the week and today's heat. It was beautiful, but already almost too late to be setting off into the woods. I paused at the trail-head and read the homemade sign for myself. It warned women not to travel alone, that a "NAKED CREEPER GUY" had been spotted in the woods, and that he had put shorts on and run away when he was seen, and the police were investigating. So I sighed, and remembered what I'd told my parents, and looked at Angie, who had bounded ahead and was watching me expectantly. Then, dear reader, I swear that it bubbled into my mind and I just had to say it:

"Come on Angie. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep..."

We turned around and walked around the big, paved loop. I was stunned at how few people were there, considering the fantastic weather, and for most of the walk it was like being in the woods except for Angie's nails clicking on the concrete. The road did have the other advantage of showcasing one of my favorite summer sights at the park: a family in a car driving as slowly as possible with sleepy but wide eyed children in the back seat, peering out the windows with flashlights, hoping to see coyotes. =)

We finished our walk with just a bit of daylight left, an inch of orange stretched across the horizon. Driving home I had to laugh: with the danger of creepers and coyotes, who wouldn't consider a walk at the park to be a little adventure?

A Culinary Tour of Europe

Where in the World: A Culinary Tour of Europe.

The Inspiration: Accurate stereotypes. Seriously. And, if you haven't noticed yet, a fondness for delicious food. Today I was reading and writing about ethnic stereotypes and humor for one of my classes, and came across this joke:

“Heaven is where the police are English, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized by the Italians.”

It was in the article “Science gets the last laugh on ethnic jokes” by Kathleen Wren, and although she said it was an old joke, I hadn’t read it before, and thought it was hilarious (the rest of the article is pretty interesting, too). I haven’t visited Switzerland yet, and I’ve only been to the airport in Munich (which was, incidentally, a model of efficiency on which all international airports could be based) but it got me thinking about the fact and fiction of stereotypes that I encountered when I’ve been in Europe.

When we were in college (for the first time) my best friend, who has always been braver than I am, decided to spend her junior year studying the French political system while in France. I promised to visit her, and since I always work very hard to keep my travel promises, I went at the end of her school year in Paris. I took French in high school, which was close to useless, and a year of French in college, which was marginally better, so it’s generous to call my linguistic abilities “limited”. So, stereotype in mind, I was really worried that I would have a terrible time in Paris not being able to speak to anyone. Of course I was wrong; I loved all of it. I had S to speak for me when my words were inadequate, and I didn’t encounter a single rude French person. Every time I tried to speak French, I was met with encouragement, understanding, and often a reply in English to help me along. I read somewhere a few years ago that the number of tourists visiting Paris ever year is nearly 10 times the size of the population. When I imagine living in a place where only one out of every ten people on the street is a citizen, I find it staggering that the locals would acknowledge the visitors, let alone go out of their way to be kind to the deluge of tourists. However, when I got myself a wee bit lost on my independent day in the city (S was finishing a term paper) I met several Parisians, and that’s exactly what they did.

There are a zillion lovely things that I could tell you about my week in Paris, but I started writing today with the intention of telling you that the food in Paris lives up to whatever lofty, stereotypical expectations you may have, from the street vendors to the nicest restaurant we could afford (which, notably, was far from the best restaurant in Paris). The only meal that was less than excellent was when we went to the Mexican restaurant that S took me to because it was where she would go when she was a bit homesick; the food was beautifully prepared with quality ingredients, but it was astonishingly bland. However, after that dinner I got my first taste of gelato, the most delightful dessert on the planet, so it was a great culinary evening after all.

Lovely reader, I was going to tell you all about how I went to Rome for the history and the food, and how each exceeded my expectations there as well, but I think that will have to wait for now. In the meantime, I did dig up some photos of my trip to Paris. They’re each worth a story of at least 1000 words, but this will have to do for now.

This scene was on the cover of my high school French book, so when I was in Paris I had to go have my portrait drawn. This artist is Damien, and he has twinkling eyes, and only one arm, so he'd hold one pencil in his teeth while drawing with another.




This is where I first tried real gelato. I was excited enough to be taking pictures before I'd even tried it.















S and me at Versailles. There are somethings that you have to see to believe; Versailles is hard to believe even once you've seen it. =)

Melbourne

Where in the World: Melbourne, Australia

The Inspiration: Good friends and a cheap plane ticket. Here's a true story: Last night I was up until 3:00 (which is midnight in California, and therefore the last minute for the sale that ended on June 16) staring at my computer screen, trying to figure out how to take advantage of amazing air fares. I had to called my friend JC in Melbourne twice, first to make sure the dates worked for visiting, and then because I had run out of ideas and was still indecisive, and he was the only person I knew who was awake. Okay, that's half true: I could have called my friends N&P, who also live in Melbourne, but N would help me be excited and not reasonable, when JC could try to be both. In the end, at 3:02, I closed the window asking for my credit card information, and the logical, responsible half of my personality beat out the adventurous half. Now, I know that was the better choice, but today Qantas extended the sale (although all the tickets have gone up by at least $100 each way) and after spending a day imagining all the fun I'd have visiting Melbourne and some of my other Aussie friends, I just want to get there soon, and I'm pouting like a two year old about it.

I visited Melbourne for the first time almost exactly two years ago with my brother, when JC was unfortunately out of the country and I hadn't even met N&P yet. We had a fantastic time without knowing anyone in the city, and I can only imagine it being better with delightful friends. Since I have photos from that trip, I thought I'd share.


This is my brother in Melbourne. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of this bridge.








In most major cities, you're encouraged to avoid the alleys. In Melbourne, they tell you to go check them out. It turns out that they're full of wonderful restaurants and interesting little shops.












We also took a day trip from Melbourne to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade, which is one of the most charming natural phenomenons in history. We were not permitted to photograph the penguins, but the whole trip was full of fun sights.



I fed kangaroos at a petting zoo.

















We stopped at gorgeous beaches on the way. It was winter there, so they didn't have many visitors, which made them all the more majestic.





And before we left Phillip Island, I spotted the best sign I've ever seen.








I can't wait to go back!

Pittsburgh!

Where in the World: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Inspiration: Hometown pride! I know that I've said this is a blog about traveling, but it's also about where I want to be, and right now I'm happy to be at home in Pittsburgh. On Friday night, the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in a heart-stopping, odds-defying game seven Stanley Cup final, and it's such a great thing! Pittsburgh is the first city to win both the Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup in the same year, and fans here take sports so personally, it really is a victory for the city. Today I also was able to attend part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, and even though I got there late, it was lovely. I took a friend who is new to Pittsburgh, and had the opportunity to show off the rivers and fountain at Point State Park, some of the architecture downtown, and ride the Duquesne Incline to take in the whole Pittsburgh panorama. People were friendly everywhere we went, and we finished the evening with some fantastic midnight ice cream at Oh Yeah! in Shady Side. Pittsburgh is a world class city, but it's also simply home, and I love it. =)

While You're Waiting

Where in the World: Wherever you're stuck.

The Inspiration: I read this delightful article today by Bruce Turkel in the New York Times. In it, he talks about how he loves all parts of travel, and usually takes a harmonica and a sketch pad with him on business trips for when he is delayed or laid over at airports. Since lay overs and delays are such a big part of air travel these days, it makes sense to be prepared for it with something you enjoy. I usually travel with at least two books and a notebook, since I'm a bit of a bibliophile. I'll take a new book, and an old favorite, and have every intention of journaling in the notebook which usually gets lists instead of thoughtful, detailed entries. Now I'm wondering: what do you do while you're waiting? Do you plan for it? Would a spontaneous guitar and harmonica jam session between your fellow travellers bring you joy or aggrivation?

This also made me think about delays, and the reasons and stresses behind them. I think the worst kind of delay is when there is a storm somewhere else that is going to impair your chances of making your connecting flight in Chicago. Delays to check on something mechanical about the plane always make me nervous; I never want them to hurry up on those ones, but they make me antsy until the plane lands at the destination. The strangest delay I've ever experienced was when I flew from Singapore to London. Before we left the gate, the pilot came on the loudspeaker and said we'd have to wait a little while before taking off, we wanted to make sure the timing would be right and Afghan air space would be clear for us; I thought, "PLEASE, take all the time you need!"

"Once in a Lifetime Trips"

I want this book.

It's Once in a Lifetime Trips: The World's 50 Most Extraordinary and Memorable Travel Experiences by Chris Santella.

It looks gorgeous.






It's full of photos like this. Doesn't that ship in the Spice Islands look like it sailed out Arabian Nights? *Swoon*





I'd also love to write books like this one, although I think that wish is pretty obvious.

Timbuktu

Where in the World: Timbuktu, Mali

The Inspiration: Timbuktu! Seriously! First of all, it exists. For a good portion of my childhood, I thought Timbuktu was as real as Never Never Land. I've wanted to go since I thought I'd need to take the second star to the left to get there; my desire didn't decrease with actual accessibility of the place. The fact that it is a traditional center of learning, full of scrolls of hidden ancient knowledge, the pinnacle of an empire that was expansive, powerful, and largely unknown... well, as a person interested in books, archaeology, anthropology, and travel, what's not to love? (Okay, the average temperature in the winter is 85˚ which is less than ideal for me, but the dry arid climate has been kind to the ancient scrolls, so I can handle it.) Plus, it was an important city for the nomadic groups in western Africa, and I think nomads are absolutely fascinating.

Two more things about Timbuktu: It was an important part of the Songhai empire. I recently read "In Sorcery's Shadow" by Paul Stoller, about his anthropological apprenticeship to Songhai sorcerers in Niger. It's a pretty amazing book, and provides some great background about the region if not directly Timbuktu. The second thing is that I realized I need to mix up my wish list a little bit; Chicago and Seattle are both very nice, but they're not very exotic. If you have an suggestions of places to research and dream about, I'd love to know about them.

Chicago

Where in the World: Chicago, Illinois

The Inspiration: Another lovely friend, who will be running the Chicago Marathon in October. I am not a marathoner. I'm not even a runner. However, I'm really impressed by marathoners, and I would love to be there to cheer her through the race (which is much more my speed). Also, I love Chicago. I visited once, as part of a shopping trip for a wedding in which I was a bridesmaid (file that story into the "fabulous extravagant things I'd never choose to do myself" category). That trip had lots of lace, sparkles, and satin, which could have been overwhelming if we hadn't balanced it with tons of delicious food. I'd love to go back and explore more than the bridal circuit, checking out the museums, more of the wonderful places to eat and to dance, and take in some real Chicago blues.

Seattle

Where in the World: Seattle, Washington

The Inspiration: My brother, because he lives there. He actually came to visit for a grand total of 21 hours this week, so that he could go to the hockey game on Tuesday (Go Pens!). The thing about little tiny visits like that is they can make you suddenly miss someone so much more than before. I helped him move out to the Seattle area in 2007, but I haven't been there since. When he moved there our sightseeing time was limited, so there's still a lot on my Seattle must-list. This includes the view from the top of Space Needle, actually purchasing and preparing food from Pike's Place, seeing live music, and hike to the top of Mt. Si, which is his favorite place to take visitors for day trips.