March 29-30
At sea
Nothing to say here, we were just making our way back to Sydney. Seeya
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Wellington
March 28
Wellington
Today was my last visit to Wellington and the last time I’d be in New Zealand during this contract. The plan was to meet up with my friend again, Lex, and just hang out for a while with him and one of the dancers from the ship (Lindsey) who also knows him. We met up around 12:30 and headed straight for lunch seeing as Lindsey and I hadn’t eaten yet.
Lunch was good, Lindsey and I spit two dishes, one was a breakfast platter, the other a burger. One of the things I’ve been most impressed by in this part of the world is the quality of their burgers. Considering burgers are more of an American stereotype, New Zealand and Australia have mastered the art of make burgers. Also, with this being our last day in NZ, Lindsey and I wanted to spend what was left of our Australian money. The meal with drinks cost 57.50NZ, we had 56NZ…and they gave us a 1.50 discount – nice. But enough talking about lunch…
Next we headed towards Lex’s neighborhood where he said they were having a block party, something I didn’t want to miss. When we got to this park area the sidewalks had a bunch of stands set up selling crafts, a few people cooking up sausages, and a stage set in the middle where one guy was beat-boxing (vocal percussion) and another was looping tracks and freestyle rapping over them. I’m not the biggest fan of rap and really never listen to it when given a choice, but what this guy was doing was absolutely amazing. Freestyle rapping means that they make up lyrics right there on the spot, something that I have actually tried doing many years ago. And this guy was improvising rhymes, stories, messages, and really just a long political poem to the rhythm of the other guy beat-boxing. Meanwhile, I’m sitting on the hill in front of the stage watching all the hippies dance, which was pretty humorous in itself. But it was a really nice time being able to go to a local festival and feel what the vibe of the city is all about, something you can’t really get on a tour. After hanging around there for a bit we realized we were running short on time, said our goodbyes to Lex, and began walking back to the shuttle drop off point.
It was a really nice day though, even though not as exciting as getting lost on a mountain, days like today are some of my favorites cause you get to actually feel like you live in the city for a second instead of treating it as a museum exhibition where all you try to do is see everything possible. Just being able to go to a great place for lunch and a block party with a friend is the perfect day, so a big thanks to Lex for hosting us and I hope to see him sometime soon in Chicago! Thanks for reading!
Wellington
Today was my last visit to Wellington and the last time I’d be in New Zealand during this contract. The plan was to meet up with my friend again, Lex, and just hang out for a while with him and one of the dancers from the ship (Lindsey) who also knows him. We met up around 12:30 and headed straight for lunch seeing as Lindsey and I hadn’t eaten yet.
Lunch was good, Lindsey and I spit two dishes, one was a breakfast platter, the other a burger. One of the things I’ve been most impressed by in this part of the world is the quality of their burgers. Considering burgers are more of an American stereotype, New Zealand and Australia have mastered the art of make burgers. Also, with this being our last day in NZ, Lindsey and I wanted to spend what was left of our Australian money. The meal with drinks cost 57.50NZ, we had 56NZ…and they gave us a 1.50 discount – nice. But enough talking about lunch…
Next we headed towards Lex’s neighborhood where he said they were having a block party, something I didn’t want to miss. When we got to this park area the sidewalks had a bunch of stands set up selling crafts, a few people cooking up sausages, and a stage set in the middle where one guy was beat-boxing (vocal percussion) and another was looping tracks and freestyle rapping over them. I’m not the biggest fan of rap and really never listen to it when given a choice, but what this guy was doing was absolutely amazing. Freestyle rapping means that they make up lyrics right there on the spot, something that I have actually tried doing many years ago. And this guy was improvising rhymes, stories, messages, and really just a long political poem to the rhythm of the other guy beat-boxing. Meanwhile, I’m sitting on the hill in front of the stage watching all the hippies dance, which was pretty humorous in itself. But it was a really nice time being able to go to a local festival and feel what the vibe of the city is all about, something you can’t really get on a tour. After hanging around there for a bit we realized we were running short on time, said our goodbyes to Lex, and began walking back to the shuttle drop off point.
It was a really nice day though, even though not as exciting as getting lost on a mountain, days like today are some of my favorites cause you get to actually feel like you live in the city for a second instead of treating it as a museum exhibition where all you try to do is see everything possible. Just being able to go to a great place for lunch and a block party with a friend is the perfect day, so a big thanks to Lex for hosting us and I hope to see him sometime soon in Chicago! Thanks for reading!
Christchurch
March 27
Christchurch
Today was my last visit to Christchurch and I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do for weeks now…more mountain climbing. And after our rehearsal at 11 that’s exactly what I did, got off the ship and headed for the highest point I could find. I managed to bring a friend along, Tina, who was supposed to go skydiving (as was I had it not been for my rehearsal) but had the trip cancelled due to high winds. I knew Tina was into fairly extreme hiking so I was happy to bring her along.
Be got into the city at 2:00 (long rehearsal) and needed to be back on board at 5, meaning I wanted to be at the shuttle around 4:30 just to be safe, 4:40 at the latest. We immediately set off through the city to find the trail that took us up the mountain, found it, and began our trek.
The first part was nice, it was a fairly rigorous climb, but we had a marked trail and a good idea as to where we were going. The first stop when we got to the top was at the Gondola, situated at one of the peaks overlooking both our port city of Lyttleton and the main city of Christchurch. We spent some time looking around there before heading off to the highest peak, the next one over from where we were.
The trail around this point was taking us in a different direction, and being the extreme hikers that we are, made our own way through the grasses and rocks till we reached the top, which we soon found to be easily accessible by road. At this point it was 3:30, we had taken all of our pictures and I was planning our route back, one that we would have to accomplish in the next hour. I wasn’t too worried because going down is always faster, so Tina and I kept pushing on in the original direction hoping to find another path down the mountain, and having spotted some resemblance of a trail much further below, we figured that we’d fight our way down to it and then follow that down to the city – wrong idea.
Anyway, we saw the path below us, found the best place to jump a fence and began making our own way down the side of the mountain to the trail. Our own way was fairly simple till the slope increased and the friendly vegetation turned to a species of thorn bush ten times more deadly than anything I’ve seen in Chicago. Undeterred we pushed (carefully) our way through, slowly approaching the trail we figured we could reach. It got ugly when, with time running out, we’d made it too far down to turn around and go back but were faced with a series of 10-15 foot drops all covered with this hideous thorn bush. But as I said, we couldn’t turn back, and with some debate over the least masochistic route through the brush we pushed forward down the rocks, through brush taller than me, and over the thorns of death.
Well, we made it, not without our fair share of scratches and cuts, but we made it! It was now approaching 4:00 and I was starting to get worried, and unsure about whether or not the trail we were on would take us to the city, we started running with the slope. The trail, however (as I later figured out), was part of the 2 km crater rim hiking trail, and we were running towards the wrong side of those 2 km. We figured out our error relatively quickly, but at this point it was 4:00, we’re in the middle of some mountain, not positive exactly how to get down, and at T-minus 30 minutes till our shuttle left. Time to get moving.
From this point on we ran, or moved as fast as our already tired legs could carry us, and followed this gorgeous trail through the forests and under the rock structures, allowing no time to stop and admire anything that we were running past. Furthermore, the trail was narrow, rocky, and anything but straight, allowing ample opportunity to twist an ankle, trip, or just flat out fall into the brush, but we didn’t have time to heed these dangers and ran relentlessly toward the only path we knew would take us back to the city.
After 35 minutes of semi-constant running through the winding, rocky trails, running at barely controllable speeds during the decent, and continuing the run through the paved city streets which offered no escape from the constant slope we’d been fighting, we did in fact return to the shuttle drop off point, boarded, and were back on the ship with 10 minutes to spare.
35 minutes might not seem that far, but when you’re stuck in thorn bushes on top of a mountain unsure of the route back to the city, the distance looks unfathomable. I was slightly nervous that we weren’t going to make it, one of the few times during these contracts that I’ve been legitimately worried about returning, and the added danger of a sprained ankle wasn’t in our favor. But we made it, it was as much excitement as I was willing to handle, and my legs have hurt for three days since the run.
So there’s my extreme hiking experience, not recommended for the faint of heart, but one that (so long as you make the deadline) is totally worth every step. Thanks for reading!
Christchurch
Today was my last visit to Christchurch and I’ve known what I’ve wanted to do for weeks now…more mountain climbing. And after our rehearsal at 11 that’s exactly what I did, got off the ship and headed for the highest point I could find. I managed to bring a friend along, Tina, who was supposed to go skydiving (as was I had it not been for my rehearsal) but had the trip cancelled due to high winds. I knew Tina was into fairly extreme hiking so I was happy to bring her along.
Be got into the city at 2:00 (long rehearsal) and needed to be back on board at 5, meaning I wanted to be at the shuttle around 4:30 just to be safe, 4:40 at the latest. We immediately set off through the city to find the trail that took us up the mountain, found it, and began our trek.
The first part was nice, it was a fairly rigorous climb, but we had a marked trail and a good idea as to where we were going. The first stop when we got to the top was at the Gondola, situated at one of the peaks overlooking both our port city of Lyttleton and the main city of Christchurch. We spent some time looking around there before heading off to the highest peak, the next one over from where we were.
The trail around this point was taking us in a different direction, and being the extreme hikers that we are, made our own way through the grasses and rocks till we reached the top, which we soon found to be easily accessible by road. At this point it was 3:30, we had taken all of our pictures and I was planning our route back, one that we would have to accomplish in the next hour. I wasn’t too worried because going down is always faster, so Tina and I kept pushing on in the original direction hoping to find another path down the mountain, and having spotted some resemblance of a trail much further below, we figured that we’d fight our way down to it and then follow that down to the city – wrong idea.
Anyway, we saw the path below us, found the best place to jump a fence and began making our own way down the side of the mountain to the trail. Our own way was fairly simple till the slope increased and the friendly vegetation turned to a species of thorn bush ten times more deadly than anything I’ve seen in Chicago. Undeterred we pushed (carefully) our way through, slowly approaching the trail we figured we could reach. It got ugly when, with time running out, we’d made it too far down to turn around and go back but were faced with a series of 10-15 foot drops all covered with this hideous thorn bush. But as I said, we couldn’t turn back, and with some debate over the least masochistic route through the brush we pushed forward down the rocks, through brush taller than me, and over the thorns of death.
Well, we made it, not without our fair share of scratches and cuts, but we made it! It was now approaching 4:00 and I was starting to get worried, and unsure about whether or not the trail we were on would take us to the city, we started running with the slope. The trail, however (as I later figured out), was part of the 2 km crater rim hiking trail, and we were running towards the wrong side of those 2 km. We figured out our error relatively quickly, but at this point it was 4:00, we’re in the middle of some mountain, not positive exactly how to get down, and at T-minus 30 minutes till our shuttle left. Time to get moving.
From this point on we ran, or moved as fast as our already tired legs could carry us, and followed this gorgeous trail through the forests and under the rock structures, allowing no time to stop and admire anything that we were running past. Furthermore, the trail was narrow, rocky, and anything but straight, allowing ample opportunity to twist an ankle, trip, or just flat out fall into the brush, but we didn’t have time to heed these dangers and ran relentlessly toward the only path we knew would take us back to the city.
After 35 minutes of semi-constant running through the winding, rocky trails, running at barely controllable speeds during the decent, and continuing the run through the paved city streets which offered no escape from the constant slope we’d been fighting, we did in fact return to the shuttle drop off point, boarded, and were back on the ship with 10 minutes to spare.
35 minutes might not seem that far, but when you’re stuck in thorn bushes on top of a mountain unsure of the route back to the city, the distance looks unfathomable. I was slightly nervous that we weren’t going to make it, one of the few times during these contracts that I’ve been legitimately worried about returning, and the added danger of a sprained ankle wasn’t in our favor. But we made it, it was as much excitement as I was willing to handle, and my legs have hurt for three days since the run.
So there’s my extreme hiking experience, not recommended for the faint of heart, but one that (so long as you make the deadline) is totally worth every step. Thanks for reading!
At Sea/Dunedin
March 23-26
At sea x3/Dunedin
We had three sea days to our next port in New Zealand, meaning not much to write about. About the only exciting thing I remember is that the captain was inviting crew up to the bridge as we sailed through the New Zealand sounds, so I went up with my friends, examined the bridge, and got to see the ship navigate the sounds. And yes, Dad, I took a lot of pictures for you.
I was in Dunedin on the 26th with the plan being to do one thing…Paintballing. For those of you who don’t know what paintball is, it’s a game where you shoot paintballs at each other at 300 feet per second, causing the paintballs to break on contact with people and denote when you’ve been hit. It can be a little painful at times, but that aside, is a great rush and tons of fun.
Paintballing today was split into two teams of 9, where we were each thrown into this large pine forest and instructed as to what games or missions we played, usually involving some form of capture the flag. The area was absolutely immense and loaded up with bunkers and wood barricades and a fake helicopter, all fun stuff to jump behind and shoot people. We played one game the simulated Saving Private Ryan and that opening scene at Normandy where the soldiers jump out of the boats and onto the beach, directly into enemy fire. For us, this was simulated by the opposing team situated at the top of the hill while we waited in a wooden box for a large panel to open and let us out. I was one of the unlucky ones this time as I got picked off by the barrage of paintballs in the first seconds of play. It was still really exciting and gives you so much respect for what those soldiers did.
We played for about 90 minutes before the bus returned to pick us up. My team ended up winning, I didn’t suffer any bad paintball wounds, and it was just an all around great time. I’m also proud to say I shot more people than shot me, so that I’ll chalk that up to a win in my book. Anyway, we picked up the bus, returned to the port city, I tried to find a café somewhere with no luck, and headed back to the ship. And that’s about it, Seeya!
At sea x3/Dunedin
We had three sea days to our next port in New Zealand, meaning not much to write about. About the only exciting thing I remember is that the captain was inviting crew up to the bridge as we sailed through the New Zealand sounds, so I went up with my friends, examined the bridge, and got to see the ship navigate the sounds. And yes, Dad, I took a lot of pictures for you.
I was in Dunedin on the 26th with the plan being to do one thing…Paintballing. For those of you who don’t know what paintball is, it’s a game where you shoot paintballs at each other at 300 feet per second, causing the paintballs to break on contact with people and denote when you’ve been hit. It can be a little painful at times, but that aside, is a great rush and tons of fun.
Paintballing today was split into two teams of 9, where we were each thrown into this large pine forest and instructed as to what games or missions we played, usually involving some form of capture the flag. The area was absolutely immense and loaded up with bunkers and wood barricades and a fake helicopter, all fun stuff to jump behind and shoot people. We played one game the simulated Saving Private Ryan and that opening scene at Normandy where the soldiers jump out of the boats and onto the beach, directly into enemy fire. For us, this was simulated by the opposing team situated at the top of the hill while we waited in a wooden box for a large panel to open and let us out. I was one of the unlucky ones this time as I got picked off by the barrage of paintballs in the first seconds of play. It was still really exciting and gives you so much respect for what those soldiers did.
We played for about 90 minutes before the bus returned to pick us up. My team ended up winning, I didn’t suffer any bad paintball wounds, and it was just an all around great time. I’m also proud to say I shot more people than shot me, so that I’ll chalk that up to a win in my book. Anyway, we picked up the bus, returned to the port city, I tried to find a café somewhere with no luck, and headed back to the ship. And that’s about it, Seeya!
Hobart, Tasmania
March 22
Hobart, Tasmania
Today was another day off the ship with the fotogs, but instead of looking for exotic animals, the plan for today was to rent a car and go driving well outside the city for a much more scenic look at south Tasmania.
I’d originally gotten off the ship with Terry and was instructed to meet at some shop around 12 to pick up my ride. I walked around the city for the morning, got a cappuccino, and then waited at the shop for 20 minutes waiting for my group to pick me up. After 20 minutes of bewilderment, I decided to start walking hoping to run into them driving through the city somewhere, and by pure coincidence, I made the right turn at just the right time and found them within 5 minutes of searching. Apparently the fotog who gave me the instructions completely forgot where and when he told me to meet him. No harm done though, and 6 of us squeezed into a car meant for 5 and we started the excursion.
I was kind of hoping to drive and actually was almost needed to rent the car seeing as I have a license from an English speaking country, but the honors instead went to the Canadian who had slightly more experience driving on the left side of the road. That was probably for the best.
After getting turned around by a confusing highway system, we eventually made it onto the right road and drove over an hour to our destinations. The first of these points was tessellated cove, or something like that, which is a long slab of rock separated by straight lines into a remarkable grid, all naturally occurring. Something about the salt water breaks the stone in long straight lines, resulting in an interesting picture of square and rectangular stones perfectly aligned.
That was followed by the “blow hole”, an inlet from the ocean that flows through a cave and opens up to a large hole in the ground, one that focuses the waves and causes large splashes to shoot up over the hole. It wasn’t exactly as exciting as I’d hoped, but it was still good for a few pics and much better than sitting in my cabin. We then did some hiking around the area, jumped a few fences, walked along some gorgeous cliffs, and just enjoyed this part of the world. It was a really nice time, and seeing as we had our own car, it was extremely laid back as we didn’t have a schedule. Everyone was having a great time. This was followed by a lunch from a lunch stand where I got a smoked salmon sandwich, one that was surprisingly delicious, even more so considering I don’t necessarily like fish.
This was followed by one more quick stop to Devil’s Kitchen, where we quickly snapped some pictures of the cliffs and rock formations only to run back to the car and speed our way back to the city. The driving was great though and is always, as I believe, one of the best ways to just get a feel for the area. My favorite part of the drive though wasn’t the scenery or the freedom, but the signs. Where we have deer crossing signs with sketches of deer, they show sketches of kangaroos and Tasmanian Devils...neither of which were seen, but just the possibility of seeing them was enough for me. The drive back went fine, my Canadian friend adapted to the roads very well, and soon we were back in Hobart dropping off the car.
Back in town I joined my friends for a drink, hung out for a bit, and eventually walked back to the ship. We had a later than usual departure time and the night off, meaning I had a little more time than usual to see stuff, time that I felt was well used. I’d say my first and only visit to Tasmania has been a great one! Thanks for reading!
Hobart, Tasmania
Today was another day off the ship with the fotogs, but instead of looking for exotic animals, the plan for today was to rent a car and go driving well outside the city for a much more scenic look at south Tasmania.
I’d originally gotten off the ship with Terry and was instructed to meet at some shop around 12 to pick up my ride. I walked around the city for the morning, got a cappuccino, and then waited at the shop for 20 minutes waiting for my group to pick me up. After 20 minutes of bewilderment, I decided to start walking hoping to run into them driving through the city somewhere, and by pure coincidence, I made the right turn at just the right time and found them within 5 minutes of searching. Apparently the fotog who gave me the instructions completely forgot where and when he told me to meet him. No harm done though, and 6 of us squeezed into a car meant for 5 and we started the excursion.
I was kind of hoping to drive and actually was almost needed to rent the car seeing as I have a license from an English speaking country, but the honors instead went to the Canadian who had slightly more experience driving on the left side of the road. That was probably for the best.
After getting turned around by a confusing highway system, we eventually made it onto the right road and drove over an hour to our destinations. The first of these points was tessellated cove, or something like that, which is a long slab of rock separated by straight lines into a remarkable grid, all naturally occurring. Something about the salt water breaks the stone in long straight lines, resulting in an interesting picture of square and rectangular stones perfectly aligned.
That was followed by the “blow hole”, an inlet from the ocean that flows through a cave and opens up to a large hole in the ground, one that focuses the waves and causes large splashes to shoot up over the hole. It wasn’t exactly as exciting as I’d hoped, but it was still good for a few pics and much better than sitting in my cabin. We then did some hiking around the area, jumped a few fences, walked along some gorgeous cliffs, and just enjoyed this part of the world. It was a really nice time, and seeing as we had our own car, it was extremely laid back as we didn’t have a schedule. Everyone was having a great time. This was followed by a lunch from a lunch stand where I got a smoked salmon sandwich, one that was surprisingly delicious, even more so considering I don’t necessarily like fish.
This was followed by one more quick stop to Devil’s Kitchen, where we quickly snapped some pictures of the cliffs and rock formations only to run back to the car and speed our way back to the city. The driving was great though and is always, as I believe, one of the best ways to just get a feel for the area. My favorite part of the drive though wasn’t the scenery or the freedom, but the signs. Where we have deer crossing signs with sketches of deer, they show sketches of kangaroos and Tasmanian Devils...neither of which were seen, but just the possibility of seeing them was enough for me. The drive back went fine, my Canadian friend adapted to the roads very well, and soon we were back in Hobart dropping off the car.
Back in town I joined my friends for a drink, hung out for a bit, and eventually walked back to the ship. We had a later than usual departure time and the night off, meaning I had a little more time than usual to see stuff, time that I felt was well used. I’d say my first and only visit to Tasmania has been a great one! Thanks for reading!
Burnie, Tasmania
March 21
Burnie, Tasmania
I was excited for today because it was to be m first time in Tasmania, one of those areas you don’t really think about all that much back in the states. The plan was to get off the ship with the fotogs (photographers) to go walk along a river looking for a duck-billed platypus!
After a shuttle ride to the visitors center, we hunted down a cab which would take us the 4km out of the city and into the woods where the river lay, a river renown for platypus. The river itself was beautiful, and being with the fotogs, I knew I was going to get some good pictures. Our timing for the trip, however, was wrong, meaning our chances were next to nothing and the results reflected that. But regardless of not seeing a platypus, the hike provided beautiful scenery and the inherit fun in looking for a platypus made the trip well worth it. I did see a gigantic crayfish, but that’s not really the same thing.
The cab met us back at the road where we were returned to the ship. Not exactly the longest or most exciting day off the ship, but fun nonetheless. Thanks!
Burnie, Tasmania
I was excited for today because it was to be m first time in Tasmania, one of those areas you don’t really think about all that much back in the states. The plan was to get off the ship with the fotogs (photographers) to go walk along a river looking for a duck-billed platypus!
After a shuttle ride to the visitors center, we hunted down a cab which would take us the 4km out of the city and into the woods where the river lay, a river renown for platypus. The river itself was beautiful, and being with the fotogs, I knew I was going to get some good pictures. Our timing for the trip, however, was wrong, meaning our chances were next to nothing and the results reflected that. But regardless of not seeing a platypus, the hike provided beautiful scenery and the inherit fun in looking for a platypus made the trip well worth it. I did see a gigantic crayfish, but that’s not really the same thing.
The cab met us back at the road where we were returned to the ship. Not exactly the longest or most exciting day off the ship, but fun nonetheless. Thanks!
At Sea/Melbourne
March 19-20
At Sea/Melbourne
So I’m a week late writing this, I remember nothing from the sea day, so we’ll skip that. Melbourne was nice though, so I’ll give you that story…
I’ve actually been looking forward to Melbourne for quite some time because I have a friend from Chicago land who is studying abroad there. My friend, Steph, is one of my students’ sister, and we’ve been talking back and forth since before I left about meeting in Melbourne. Today was meant to be the big day where months of talks were meant to culminate into some epic meeting…and I overslept our meeting time.
We’d been emailing back and forth pretty recently and I recommended meeting at the ship at 9 am, that she’d take me to her 11:00 class, and then we’d figure out something from there. Well, my alarm didn’t go off, my roommate’s alarm didn’t go, and I finally came to my senses at 10:50, way later than I’d expected. So I wake up freaking out (sort of) that I totally just messed up the plan and got on my computer as soon as possible to check for any emails about what’s going on. Luckily, Steph had sent me an email that morning informing me that she was feeling ill and wasn’t going to be at the ship to meet me, and that if I wanted to meet up somewhere I should take the tram into the city and meet her at the university. This made me feel better knowing that she wasn’t outside the ship all morning waiting for me and I quickly got my things together and left the ship.
In the process of figuring out the situation I did make one air headed mistake…I left my ear buds (headphones) on the chair where I was working on my computer. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I’d left them and I was back within 10 minutes to pick them up, however, they’d already been stolen. This didn’t exactly lighten my day seeing as these headphones cost me about $100, but on the bright side, I’ve had them for almost 2 years and the left sheathing was cracked above the ear, meaning the wire was exposed and offered a really uncomfortable scratching sensation. This sensation was then only heightened by the scotch tape I’d applied to remedy the situation. So really, I did need new earphones, I just didn’t want to expedite the process via the present situation. But oh well, I took a deep breath and made a point to step off the ship with a smile, I wanted to have a good day :)
I figured out my way into the city and found my way onto the right set of trams to drop me off at the front door of Steph’s dorm. And after finding a payphone for a phone call (because reception was of no help), we were soon up in her room getting ready to head out to the beach.
We met up with a couple of Steph’s friends on the beach and everyone just hung out tanning. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to lay in the sun when there’s a whole unexplored city behind me, so I left for lunch (fish and chips), checked back for a minute, and then left the group to catch a tram back into the downtown area.
Now starting to run low on time, I picked the one area of the city that was closest and most interesting, leading me into a nice museum/art gallery, a wonderful walk over some bridges and through Federation Square, a artsy downtown area known as “Melbourne’s meeting place”. I had a great time just walking around taking in the sites for what they were, and slowly made my way back to the tram that would eventually take me back to the ship.
The tram back to the ship was an experience in itself. Seeing as I was running low on time, I took the latest tram possible for my all aboard time, which was anything but an original idea. When the tram had finally gotten to my stop (10 minutes late) I had to literally push my way into the car, and turned facing the doors, my nose might well have been pressed against the windows…that’s how packed this tram was with people all trying to get back to the ship. It dropped us off right at the all aboard time, and after a good run down the pier to try to get on the ship in time to not get in trouble, me and a number of friends made a successful return.
The city itself has been one of my favorites. It feels similar to Chicago, is a little less busy, a little more green (more trees), and has some wonderful architecture. I would have loved more time in the city and hope to return sometime for a longer stay. Thanks for reading!
At Sea/Melbourne
So I’m a week late writing this, I remember nothing from the sea day, so we’ll skip that. Melbourne was nice though, so I’ll give you that story…
I’ve actually been looking forward to Melbourne for quite some time because I have a friend from Chicago land who is studying abroad there. My friend, Steph, is one of my students’ sister, and we’ve been talking back and forth since before I left about meeting in Melbourne. Today was meant to be the big day where months of talks were meant to culminate into some epic meeting…and I overslept our meeting time.
We’d been emailing back and forth pretty recently and I recommended meeting at the ship at 9 am, that she’d take me to her 11:00 class, and then we’d figure out something from there. Well, my alarm didn’t go off, my roommate’s alarm didn’t go, and I finally came to my senses at 10:50, way later than I’d expected. So I wake up freaking out (sort of) that I totally just messed up the plan and got on my computer as soon as possible to check for any emails about what’s going on. Luckily, Steph had sent me an email that morning informing me that she was feeling ill and wasn’t going to be at the ship to meet me, and that if I wanted to meet up somewhere I should take the tram into the city and meet her at the university. This made me feel better knowing that she wasn’t outside the ship all morning waiting for me and I quickly got my things together and left the ship.
In the process of figuring out the situation I did make one air headed mistake…I left my ear buds (headphones) on the chair where I was working on my computer. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I’d left them and I was back within 10 minutes to pick them up, however, they’d already been stolen. This didn’t exactly lighten my day seeing as these headphones cost me about $100, but on the bright side, I’ve had them for almost 2 years and the left sheathing was cracked above the ear, meaning the wire was exposed and offered a really uncomfortable scratching sensation. This sensation was then only heightened by the scotch tape I’d applied to remedy the situation. So really, I did need new earphones, I just didn’t want to expedite the process via the present situation. But oh well, I took a deep breath and made a point to step off the ship with a smile, I wanted to have a good day :)
I figured out my way into the city and found my way onto the right set of trams to drop me off at the front door of Steph’s dorm. And after finding a payphone for a phone call (because reception was of no help), we were soon up in her room getting ready to head out to the beach.
We met up with a couple of Steph’s friends on the beach and everyone just hung out tanning. I wasn’t exactly in the mood to lay in the sun when there’s a whole unexplored city behind me, so I left for lunch (fish and chips), checked back for a minute, and then left the group to catch a tram back into the downtown area.
Now starting to run low on time, I picked the one area of the city that was closest and most interesting, leading me into a nice museum/art gallery, a wonderful walk over some bridges and through Federation Square, a artsy downtown area known as “Melbourne’s meeting place”. I had a great time just walking around taking in the sites for what they were, and slowly made my way back to the tram that would eventually take me back to the ship.
The tram back to the ship was an experience in itself. Seeing as I was running low on time, I took the latest tram possible for my all aboard time, which was anything but an original idea. When the tram had finally gotten to my stop (10 minutes late) I had to literally push my way into the car, and turned facing the doors, my nose might well have been pressed against the windows…that’s how packed this tram was with people all trying to get back to the ship. It dropped us off right at the all aboard time, and after a good run down the pier to try to get on the ship in time to not get in trouble, me and a number of friends made a successful return.
The city itself has been one of my favorites. It feels similar to Chicago, is a little less busy, a little more green (more trees), and has some wonderful architecture. I would have loved more time in the city and hope to return sometime for a longer stay. Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
At Sea/Adelaide
March 17-18
At sea/Adelaide
The sea day was as usual, just with a St. Patrick’s day thrown in, meaning little more than a big party with a lot of free drinks. I stayed in my room and practiced my didge. And that’s about it for the 17th.
Adelaide was the next port of call, and I got off the ship after my rehearsal, hopping on a shuttle around 12:30. The port time was cut short by the 40 minute shuttle ride into the city, leaving Terry and I a couple hours before we needed to be back on a shuttle back to the ship. We stopped for lunch where I got this amazing beef burger, complete with gourmet bread, a huge chunk of beef, bacon, eggs, caramelized onions, and who knows what else, but for $15 it was one of the best burgers I’ve had.
My burger stop was followed by a stop to listen to one of the street performers, an aboriginal-looking man, dressed in a red loin cloth, covered in white paint, playing didgeridoo! So after my quick didge fix and already having annoyed Terry with didgeridoo talk for the past week, we moved on.
Then we did some shopping for the usual necessities (chips, cheese, wine…) and headed back to get on the shuttle. Oh, I did buy another hat, similar to the first, but this one is black sea grass and was only $5, so I couldn’t pass it up for that price. The shuttle bus back took us the scenic route while our driver acted out his dreams of being a tour guide. It was actually a nice ride back though, I learned a few things about the area, and the beach we drove along was beautiful.
This brings me to now, sitting on the ship typing this. Tonight we’re playing Terry’s show, so that should be fine, and that’ll be about it for today. Thanks for reading and I’m going back to some more didge practicing!
At sea/Adelaide
The sea day was as usual, just with a St. Patrick’s day thrown in, meaning little more than a big party with a lot of free drinks. I stayed in my room and practiced my didge. And that’s about it for the 17th.
Adelaide was the next port of call, and I got off the ship after my rehearsal, hopping on a shuttle around 12:30. The port time was cut short by the 40 minute shuttle ride into the city, leaving Terry and I a couple hours before we needed to be back on a shuttle back to the ship. We stopped for lunch where I got this amazing beef burger, complete with gourmet bread, a huge chunk of beef, bacon, eggs, caramelized onions, and who knows what else, but for $15 it was one of the best burgers I’ve had.
My burger stop was followed by a stop to listen to one of the street performers, an aboriginal-looking man, dressed in a red loin cloth, covered in white paint, playing didgeridoo! So after my quick didge fix and already having annoyed Terry with didgeridoo talk for the past week, we moved on.
Then we did some shopping for the usual necessities (chips, cheese, wine…) and headed back to get on the shuttle. Oh, I did buy another hat, similar to the first, but this one is black sea grass and was only $5, so I couldn’t pass it up for that price. The shuttle bus back took us the scenic route while our driver acted out his dreams of being a tour guide. It was actually a nice ride back though, I learned a few things about the area, and the beach we drove along was beautiful.
This brings me to now, sitting on the ship typing this. Tonight we’re playing Terry’s show, so that should be fine, and that’ll be about it for today. Thanks for reading and I’m going back to some more didge practicing!
At Sea
March 16
At Sea
Usually I’d combine this with tomorrow’s post, but I’m on a roll right now with writing these and don’t feel like stopping. Nothing big today, a sea day and a night off, meaning I get to entertain myself all day. However, I ran into a problem today, my didge is cracked!!!!! I picked it up this morning to show my roommate that I found the best place for my embouchure, and when I played it I could feel a leak blowing onto my hands and thinning out the sound. I guess this is what happens when you buy a didge with 15 minutes of time available to check them out. I went online looking for remedies, of which I found a recommendation to play the didge no more than 15 minutes a day for the first week, 30 mins a day for the second, just to allow the wood time to get accustomed to being played. Maybe my 3 hours a day over stressed the wood a little…oops. Anyways, I took some gaff tape and taped up the crack, making sure to seal off any leaks, and then took string and tied up the top of the didge. Though I didn’t read it anywhere, I figured that binding the crack would not only keep it from growing, but would help the didge vibrate better, which after 45 minutes of wrapping and tying string, I have a didge that not only looks cooler than before, but probably even plays better. So, problem solved, at least for the time being, and I’ll be going back to my 3 hour a day practicing without further worries for that crack.
The rest of the night is off for me, which is nice. I’m writing this on the 16th just to get it done and don’t expect anything exciting for tonight. So thanks for reading, send up a prayer for my didge, and I’ll talk to you later!
At Sea
Usually I’d combine this with tomorrow’s post, but I’m on a roll right now with writing these and don’t feel like stopping. Nothing big today, a sea day and a night off, meaning I get to entertain myself all day. However, I ran into a problem today, my didge is cracked!!!!! I picked it up this morning to show my roommate that I found the best place for my embouchure, and when I played it I could feel a leak blowing onto my hands and thinning out the sound. I guess this is what happens when you buy a didge with 15 minutes of time available to check them out. I went online looking for remedies, of which I found a recommendation to play the didge no more than 15 minutes a day for the first week, 30 mins a day for the second, just to allow the wood time to get accustomed to being played. Maybe my 3 hours a day over stressed the wood a little…oops. Anyways, I took some gaff tape and taped up the crack, making sure to seal off any leaks, and then took string and tied up the top of the didge. Though I didn’t read it anywhere, I figured that binding the crack would not only keep it from growing, but would help the didge vibrate better, which after 45 minutes of wrapping and tying string, I have a didge that not only looks cooler than before, but probably even plays better. So, problem solved, at least for the time being, and I’ll be going back to my 3 hour a day practicing without further worries for that crack.
The rest of the night is off for me, which is nice. I’m writing this on the 16th just to get it done and don’t expect anything exciting for tonight. So thanks for reading, send up a prayer for my didge, and I’ll talk to you later!
Albany
March 15
Albany
Albany is another lovely little town with a main street for shopping and not much else. I walked into town alone and quickly found some friends in the small downtown area who were going to head to the beach after lunch, something that sounded just fine to me (despite yesterday’s waters being cold). Having already eaten myself, I did some exploring which led me to someone dancing in a gigantic chipmunk-like costume, a Dixieland band playing really poor Dixie music (not that I think the Chipmunk minded), and not much more. I met up with my group some time later, we took a cab to the nearest beach, found out that the water was too cold and the cool sea wind wasn’t helping the situation, and opted to play Frisbee in the grass instead. My group then split up to get back to the ship in time for their shift, a problem I didn’t have to deal with, and I hung out eating a muffin outside a café (all of which are totally useless details).
I made the walk back to the ship along a boardwalk that stretched from the beach, along the water front, to very near to our pier, a walk that would take about an hour to complete. It was gorgeous though, the sun was shining, I had nowhere to hurry to, and I just enjoyed the fresh air and scenery.
Back on the ship I had the night off, which means one thing, more didgeridoo practicing. I think I’ll try to popularize the didge in Chicago, which would be awesome…just so long as I can get my playing chops together before I get back to the states. Maybe I’ll even make up some crazy story about being stranded with aboriginal bush people for a few months where I was taught how to play didgeridoo while going on a spiritual journey through the bush. Yeah, that’ll sound good, but you’ll know the truth – thanks for reading!
Albany
Albany is another lovely little town with a main street for shopping and not much else. I walked into town alone and quickly found some friends in the small downtown area who were going to head to the beach after lunch, something that sounded just fine to me (despite yesterday’s waters being cold). Having already eaten myself, I did some exploring which led me to someone dancing in a gigantic chipmunk-like costume, a Dixieland band playing really poor Dixie music (not that I think the Chipmunk minded), and not much more. I met up with my group some time later, we took a cab to the nearest beach, found out that the water was too cold and the cool sea wind wasn’t helping the situation, and opted to play Frisbee in the grass instead. My group then split up to get back to the ship in time for their shift, a problem I didn’t have to deal with, and I hung out eating a muffin outside a café (all of which are totally useless details).
I made the walk back to the ship along a boardwalk that stretched from the beach, along the water front, to very near to our pier, a walk that would take about an hour to complete. It was gorgeous though, the sun was shining, I had nowhere to hurry to, and I just enjoyed the fresh air and scenery.
Back on the ship I had the night off, which means one thing, more didgeridoo practicing. I think I’ll try to popularize the didge in Chicago, which would be awesome…just so long as I can get my playing chops together before I get back to the states. Maybe I’ll even make up some crazy story about being stranded with aboriginal bush people for a few months where I was taught how to play didgeridoo while going on a spiritual journey through the bush. Yeah, that’ll sound good, but you’ll know the truth – thanks for reading!
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