Can it get any hotter?  The answer is yes.  Even more hot and humid.  Now, let me inform you that we have now entered into a third world country where drinking water is going to be a problem.  Also, bathroom facilities are sub-par.  You adjust quickly to only seeing a hole at the bottom of the stall with a hose attached to wash yourself off.  Let me back up.  After this quick 50 minute flight to the island of Penang (we are not on the mainland of Malaysia), we get through customs and convert our leftover Singaporean money into Malaysian Ringitts.  At the time, the US dollar was equal to $1.70 MYR.  Our taxi ride is approximately a half hour to where we’re staying.  We pass through all kinds of trailers, run-down areas.  You can get a feel for just how poor these people are.  We continue on into the historic area of George Town to look for our hostel, called the Penang Guesthouse.  This accommodation was going to be the most leery of the trip.  As the driver turns onto Love Lane, we begin to see bars on the windows and trash everywhere.  This city is not near as clean as Singapore.  And the Malays all ride motorbikes.  Let me talk about the motorbikes for a minute.  They are very small mopeds if you will, and will have an entire family riding on them.  You will see a child seated on the handlebars.  There are no enforced road rules for these bikes.  They will come up along side of you on the left or right.  We even saw where they would zip in-between each other too.  Very noisy and scary.  You have to be very mindful of them, as the biggest crime here is theft.  Snatching a handbag from an on-coming motorbike is common.  The rider will slow down, and the person sitting behind would grab the bag and drive off.  The Penang Guesthouse is interesting.  The desk with two chairs in front as you enter this hostel is your lobby check-in.  No air-conditioning throughout.  Old wood flooring, a small tv and sitting area, adjacent to a dining area with tables and chairs for your free continental morning breakfast next to the “lobby”.  I had purchased the only private room with the ensuite bathroom here, as others either had only a private room, or dorm beds with all public showers and lockers.  At the foot of the stairs, we were instructed to take off our shoes and walk barefoot throughout the upstairs level to our room.  This was a new experience for us.  Everyone’s shoes were either piled up at the bottom of the steps or in cubbies alongside it.  Our room was actually very simple and nice.  There was a red floor lamp, air-conditioning unit, bed, and nightstand with another table lamp.  No tv or any other amenities.  You stepped down into the tile bathroom which thankfully included a Western toilet and shower.  Very clean.  No door leading into the bathroom.  We unpacked our backpacks and sent for our dirty clothes to be cleaned the next day.  Everything is pressed and folded, a big bag of laundry for $8 US.  We gave ourselves 2 1/2 days in Penang to see as much as we could.  We  walked around near our hostel and noticed a cruise ship had come in for the day.  Not knowing if we were in a safe area or not, we stayed on main streets.  We found an outdoor cafe and ate a pork lunch, and proceeded to keep walking.  I was very cautious to eat only freshly cooked meats and vegetables during my time here, and to avoid any raw fruits/vegetables.  We stumbled across Fort Cornwallis and strolled through the ruins.  The Penang Harbor Lighthouse was just outside the fort, so we climbed up.  As the steps narrowed, only Tim continued onto the absolute highest point.   Funny thing happened at this lighthouse.  As I was enjoying the views of the water (cyan blue but murky), Tim was bartering with a British couple up above.  Little to my knowledge that he was in a desperate need to find a Singaporean $2 coin, which we apparently never managed to keep while in Singapore.  It turns out that this couple had also just come from Singapore, so as Tim was talking with them, he explained his situation.  He luckily exchanged MYR for a $2 coin!  Everywhere we travel, we like to collect full sets of notes/coins as much as possible.  Continuing our walk now along the water, a few street vendors pulled up to the sidewalk and opened shop.  Their food is tasty and unique here.  The way it works is, since everything is basically sold on a stick, you pay for how many sticks you have and that is the price.  So we chose wontons and chicken sticks.  Delicious.  We continued walking through historic George Town to discover an art center was sponsoring a jazz concert that night.  The tickets cost $10 US, so we purchased two seats and decided to walk back to our guest house and change.  As we strolled, there was a couple on a motorbike directly in front of us who pulled up to a residential construction site and the person in back of the motorbike, without getting off the bike, began filling up a bag of bricks from this site.  Then they drove off.  You can’t always see their faces because of the helmets they wear.  Tim and I still laugh about this six months later.  An hour later, we are back at the venue and realizing the doors weren’t officially open for seating, we questioned a few locals for good food nearby.  They suggested the bulk of hawker stations along the water.  Think outside food court.  The chicken satay is very good here.  Not only being cautious of food, but also drink.  Water isn’t potable here, so unless you specify, the locals will bring you water from a tap, rather than a bottle.  It is twilight now and the wind is picking up.  You could see storm clouds looming over, so without umbrellas, we figured that by the end of the show, we would be walking back to our residence in the rain.  This center was beautiful inside!  White slipcloth chairs, chandeliers, big round windows with elegant sheer window coverings, wood floors.  Not expected from the condition of this historic town!  There was a stage set up, so we chose two seats near the aisle and sat down.  By the looks of this place inside, it is multi-purpose, so this was not your basic auditorium.  I am a people watcher, so I was kept busy by noticing how fancy everyone was dressed up for this concert.  Few women were in gowns, and many others certainly in black cocktail dresses.  Men were dressed in slacks and button down collared shirts, some even with suit jackets.  Tim and I felt very under dressed for this affair.  The concert was fantastic!  A local community jazz band, accompanying 4 jazz soloists.  Quite impressed with the vocalists.  Only one singer was local, others had flown in just for this performance.  Great night out, and especially when finding it only hours before!  We walked back to the hostel and went to bed.  The next morning we woke up trying to figure out public transportation.  There is no metro through the city unlike Singapore, so you must rely on local buses.  The Malays do not speak English quite as well as those who reside in Singapore.  Therefore, you basically “pigeon” your way through English, so they may understand you.  Using short sentences and taking many pauses.  We ate a small continental breakfast at the guesthouse and then headed outside for more sight-seeing.  What a long day!  I was very interested in seeing as many temples as I could, so we searched everywhere for them.  The drains throughout the island are worth mentioning.  The streets of Penang are very narrow, and the storm drains are very deep and run the entire length of the street on both sides.  Therefore, the row houses have just an asphalted slant across the drain to the sidewalk so the locals can walk to their homes.  If you are not paying attention, you will fall into these huge drains and at the least, sprain your ankle.  The smell is absolutely nauseating and you’ll also find trash in them.  I had already begun feeling the effects of this stench by today.  As we walked, we located one of their main markets.  Food, clothing, everything.  Inside the building is 2 levels, and you can find everything from fish to chicken to pashmina scarves.  We climbed the steps to the second floor where you could capture an aerial view of the stalls.  You can see customers selecting the specific fish they wished to purchase, then watching it filleted before bagging it, followed by observing how the vendors will throw the guts away.  We came out of the market back onto the main street, observing temples and other outside markets.  The people of Penang are hard-working and simple in their daily activities.  They don’t spend anymore money than they have to get by with what they need.  We found lunch on the side of the road with a large cast iron stove on the back of a trailer.  Not speaking much English, we said we wanted one order of what she was making.  It was by far the best char koay teow (pork/noodle/vegetable).  There was no seating where she was stationed, so we sat on the dirty sidewalk and ate.  You learn to practice patience and acceptance in a world that is not similar to your own.  With our map of Penang in hand, we meandered our way to the Clan Jetties.  These jetty dwellings were historically for Chinese immigrants who worked on the water and could not afford housing on land.  In some ways, it can seem peaceful to live atop the water, but the trash and the lack of proper bathroom/waste facilities would make living here much less pleasant.  Each jetty approximately housed 20-30 shacks for families, all sharing the one narrow pier for entering and exiting the jetty.  There are mini shrines everywhere you walk throughout the city of George Town, with no exception to the Clan Jetties.  After spending an ample amount of time here, next we walked in the direction of the Peranakan Mansion.  Beautifully decorated interior which our tour guide offered information in each room of the mansion.  This property is situated on a small lot, so there was only the mansion to tour.  There were no gardens, etc, which you  normally would expect to also see.  We purchased two artist pencil drawings in the gift shop.  As it was now 5pm and the day was ending for us, many trishaws had lined up inside this mansion’s parking lot.  Trishaws are nothing more than a means of transportation throughout the city.  A bicycle with a seat behind it for people to sit.  If you’re lucky, you will get one with a canopy to block the sun.  We walked partway back to our hostel, then finally decided to flag a ride home, as we were absolutely exhausted.  The “driver” gave us a mini-tour of Penang as we rode and mentioned a Chinese opera which would be presented tonight at 9pm at one of the temples in town.  We kept this information in mind.  Looking for dinner, we strolled 2 blocks past our hostel onto the main street, and located street vendors.  We picked a cart, where similar to before, is basically a buffet of food on a stick. Again, everything from a spring roll to barbecued pork.  This time, each stick has a different color on it, which means the different colors charge different prices.  You pay for the number of sticks with those colored prices.  We stood next to a young British couple there and chatted with them awhile.  They were both living here on medical doctor internships.  Both had already been in Penang for 6 weeks and had no previous stomach problems with the food.  That was reassuring, but they also mentioned having previously lived in India with no problems either.  We told them about the chinese opera at the temple and asked if they would like to join us later.  They agreed to meet us later, so as we split up, I continued down the main street for more food options, settling on more char koay teow.  It was dark out, so since they knew where we were going, we let them lead the way.  En route, there was another Buddhist temple ceremony, which the four of us decided to stop in and observe.  The guy we were with was quite disrespectful as he went past the bar (non-Buddhists) and got in their way, talking loudly and laughing during the ceremony.  He also took an item from the offering and put it in his pocket before walking out and throwing it on the ground.  Tim and I were embarrassed and certainly annoyed.  Anyway, we moved on and realized that by the time we got to the other temple at 9pm, the opera was ending.  Needless to say,  the man driving the trishaw did not understand us and told us the time it ended, not when it was to begin.  So, we decided to walk around the city a bit at night and the girl we were with, asked if we wanted to eat at a very good local indian restaurant called Kapitan.  This place had also come highly recommended by other locals.  Kapitan was very busy and the only seat available was close to kitchen, which is not separated from the dining area.  One entire length of the restaurant is open to outside, and if you weren’t next to it, there was no breeze.  Very stuffy inside.  The three of them ordered a tandoori plate, and not overly hungry, I stupidly ordered a chicken appetizer and mango lassi.  My drink came with ice cubes and the chicken was served cold.  Two big problems.  I ate them anyway, after listening to her reassuring me that I will be fine.  Should have ordered the tandoori.  The four of us had a pleasant chat and headed back to our lodging for the night.  The next morning we got a relatively early start, because I was very excited to visit Kek Lok Si!!  This temple is simply magnificent and unbelievably huge.  Very well-known Buddhist temple in Malaysia.  Well, our experience started with figuring out the local bus system.  We finally got on the correct bus near our hostel and didn’t exactly know where the temple was, so wasn’t sure where to get off the bus.  Luckily, there were other Americans on the bus with us having the same problem.  The bus driver did not speak English, so we stayed on the bus as long as we could taking in the sights of the city.  We were in Air Itam, just outside of Penang, with beautiful views of the city below.  The bus slowed down, and looking way up at the temple, we assumed this was our stop, so all the Americans got off.  Yes, we were at the bottom of the hill, with quite a steep climb to the top.  What more could you ask for on a hot and humid day?  Chatting with the foursome to the top of the hill, we learned that they were here on vacation from Beijing.  They teach English in the school systems there and quite enjoy living in China for free.  Anyway, the pictures will not do this temple justice.  There is such a peacefulness here that is really indescribable.  Water fountains everywhere and each miniature temple inside was so colorful!  This is called the “Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas”.  The most impressive sight I’ve ever seen.  We walk into the bottom of the pagoda and start the climb.  Each level is a different Buddha with different decor.  You get to the 7th story and enjoy a breathtaking view of everything below you.  There is also an impressively large bronze Buddha statue on the grounds, which you can only get to by a funicular.  We spent hours here and enjoyed it immensely, taking many photos, as this site is situated amongst rain forests.  Today was another huge highlight of this trip thus far.  From here, we walked down the hill to find lunch.  We were in love with the char koay teow, so we got another order of this.  The next part of the day was tricky.  Not knowing how to get another bus or when it would arrive, (we learned that buses “get there, when they get there”, no schedule at all), we did the unthinkable.  We luckily found a parked taxi nearby, and pointed on the map to the northern part of the island, saying “how much”?  This is where pigeon-talk comes into play.  He didn’t understand me, and we didn’t understand him.  After trying to make conversation for 10 minutes, we paid for 4 hours of time for this driver to literally drive us around a bit of the island, with several stops along the way.  We had been in the city for 2 days and really just wanted to see more of the island.  A month before this trip, I somehow managed to watch the episode of the Amazing Race where the location was Penang.  The “Tropical Spice Garden” was listed as something the teams had to visit.  So I put it on my list for the afternoon.  We drove along the coast, passing the beach town of Batu Ferringhi, until we arrived at the garden.  The driver said he would park and wait for us, since we had agreed on a price for the afternoon, and he gets paid when we get back.  We agreed on $40 US.  Anyway, slightly nervous that he would drive off, we crossed our fingers and entered the lush gardens.  Beautiful!!  Tim loved checking out all the native spices.  The garden was on a hillside, which three different pathways led you to observing different things.  For instance, one path was strictly the spice plants, another was for native flora, and the third was the jungle trail.  Several views of the sea were also very picturesque.  There was a large wooden swing above a pond on the trail, which we both got on and swung out overlooking the rain forest!  That was so much fun!.  We stopped for a bite to eat at the Tree Monkey Restaurant, which was located inside the gardens.  I craved mango and sticky rice, while Tim ordered satay.  Yes, I was hesitant to eat the fruit but took the risk.  We didn’t want to stay here too long, in case our driver gave up on us.  This restaurant really was incredible, where it really reminded you of a treehouse set atop the trees with a view of the sea below.  Here’s the problem:  Monkeys swinging above us.  Yes, they are cool to see in the wild, until one began urinating below on a table of four diagonal to us.  Well, urine splatters.   We checked to make sure nothing got on us or our food and finished it quickly.  The managers came out and cleaned up the mess saying to that table, “This never happens.”  Yeah, right.  Interesting experience.  The monkeys carry so many diseases that you really don’t want to be around them at all just in case.  We found our driver (right where he said he would be!) and continued further up into the island.  We stopped off at a reservoir dam for a quick photo opportunity before turning back around to begin the trek back.  One main road around the entire island, and its narrow and windy too.  Tim and I didn’t press the driver for too many additional stops and prolong the time we set with him before.  We did ask, however,  for a visit to the Penang Botanical Gardens, near Penang Hill (tallest hill in Penang and usually you can ride a funicular to the top; however closed for renovations when we were there), which we did near sunset.  More monkeys!  Could not get away from them.  Not many flowers growing here but many shaded trees.  Popular spot for bikers, walkers, and runners.  As we continued our trek, we asked for our driver to drop us off at our airport hotel, Krystal Suites.  Hilarious.  We pointed at the address, so we didn’t have to explain it to him, and as we got closer, he kept getting more lost and stressed.  We finally said, to relax and just let us out anywhere near the hotel, after the third time around the block 3 times.  We did give him a tip in addition to our already agreed price as a thank you.  He was very appreciative, as they don’t tip here.  The hotel upgraded us to a penthouse suite at check-in.  Now, before you get too excited, let me tell you that their standards of living are quite different than ours.  The penthouse at this place is not that exciting, although very spacious.  Still, quite run-down and old.  We did have a separate bedroom and living room area.  For dinner, we walked around this very bustling trendy area of Penang for food options.  We first walked along the highway and realized that the street vendors did not have anything of interest other than seafood.  A few restaurants only did buffet style meals, which for obvious reasons, I will not do.  So we decided to eat at a chinese place near the hotel which served a chicken teriyaki dish.  Next door was a gas station, which we looked for airplane snacks and this Malaysian chocolate twinkie dessert caught my eye.  Um, gross.  We had an early flight, so we went back to the room, and went to bed.  The next morning, we called for a taxi (which was late) and went to the airport.  Having to deal with entering and exiting through customs was starting to be a pain. The bathrooms in the airport were horrendous, and if my stomach wasn’t feeling the effects of something I ate, then I wouldn’t have used the facilities.  And so the beginning of my stomach virus begins…Flying over the Cameron Highlands on the mainland were beautiful through the clouds.  If we had more time, then I would have taken a trip to them.  Malaysia is a place we would certainly consider going back to.  Penang reminds us of authentic Asia, where Singapore is modern Asia.  Great experience.  This place is very humbling and to use the knowledge that I have learned here, I would take these experiences and travel the Mainland next time.  The final portion of this trip takes us to Bali, Indonesia.

Okay, so we had to take on a whirlwind trip of Asia,living so close.  A month before we were due to exit Australia, we booked this trip.  This crazy adventure included only taking backpacks and choosing what to fill them with.  And most importantly, to pack chewing gum or not. Now, the drive to Perth was even more interesting.  The flight into Singapore was not scheduled to leave until 12:30am, so Tim decided to work the full day.   Normally, this would be fine; however on our travels, something bad always happens.  So, as we’re driving in the dark 5 hours to get to the international airport, we finally see a sign that says “Welcome to Mingenew”.  For the average person, this means nothing, but to us, this meant we just spent 50 km traveling in the wrong direction.  The only turn off on this main thoroughfare between Geraldton and Perth, is the road we missed.  So, panicked, we turn around, and continue onward.  We were already rushing because we left later than we meant to.  At check-in, we realize they have started to board, so we get our seats on a brand new aircraft.  Jet Star, in all its brilliance, recently built the most uncomfortable airplane with no reclining seats.  Therefore, our overnight 5 hour flight into Singapore has just turned into the night from Hell.  The Singapore Changi Airport is beautiful, landscaped gardens inside, the cleanest floors and benches you will ever see, and hand sanitizer stations everywhere.  Customs was surprisingly easy, as long as you declare those 3 pieces of chewing gum.  At 5:30am with no sleep, we decided to spend a couple hours wandering through the airport.  Our first experience of real asian food was in the food court…pork.  Delicious.  Luckily, we only had our backpacks, which made sight-seeing easier downtown.  We got to know the MRT very well while here, and this train is one of the easiest systems to learn.  Hopping on the MRT during morning rush hour was interesting.  Our big packs were bumping into people, but somehow no one minded.  One word about Singaporean people, they are the most friendly people you will meet (as friendly as Aussies!).  Everyone has manners and all you hear on the train is “Pardon Me.  Excuse Me.  I’m sorry for bumping you.”  No one was talking loudly on the train either.  Whispering to each other and speaking quietly on cell phones.  Very respectful country.  We used the train a lot over the 2 days we were here, and the ride was consistent each time.  Not knowing where to go, we decided to take the City Hall stop and walk through the Government district.  Very hot and humid though.  From here, we walked along the riverfront for pictures.  Of course we stopped by the Merlion sculpture for photos!  The riverboats cruises were running, so we took a 30 minute trip along the very colorful city.  Modern architecture mixed with ancient.  Interesting sculptures along the river as well.  At the time we were here, we were averaging $1.25 to the US dollar, so a little discount for us.  Singapore can be very expensive, especially for restaurants and shopping, unless you go to a hawker station (food court style) and then you can eat for next to nothing.  After our boat ride, we spent some time at the National Museum of Singapore offering Singapore’s history.  The Singapore River used to be so incredibly filthy, but looks much cleaner now!  Unusual art throughout this building including photography and film.  Some displays were very dark, and the biggest Buddha I have ever seen was looking down on you too.  We then looked for lunch and decided to walk along the riverfront for to find food.  We chose Muchos Mexican restaurant in Clarke Quay strictly for the ambiance.  The outside dining along the river is spectacular.   There are shade coverings that overlap tables, which make it much more enjoyable away from the hot sun.  We experienced a passing rain shower while we ate, and the breeze felt great.  Many Singapore restaurants will do a “set lunch” menu, basically a 3 course meal for $15 which includes your drink, salad (mango dressing was delicious), (entree) which here was fajitas or a fish, followed by ice cream for dessert.  We had already been up for 30+ hours, so we decided to take the train and find our hotel.  Staying in Little India gave you a much more authentic feel of Singapore without the modern city life.  You could tell when you got off the train that you were the odd person out, and it was more run down here.  Not dirty, let me stress that.  Singapore is a fine city.  You will see t-shirts of this “saying” everywhere you go in Singapore.  Why?  Because it is a great place to live, and the government will literally fine you for everything.  For example, littering is a $500 fine.  Okay.  Not flushing a toilet is a fine, chewing gum is a fine, homosexuality is a fine, swearing in public is a fine.  Now for more serious crimes, such as vandalism, well now you’ll be caned.  Murder?  Hanged.  It’s up to you to decide if these punishments are too harsh, but with millions of people around me the entire time I was there, not once did I feel unsafe.  And the city expects clean streets, which is why chewing gum is outlawed.  You will not find trash anywhere in Singapore, no matter what time of day, someone is always cleaning the street, bathroom, car park, windows, etc.  Back to Little India and all it’s glorious Indian food smells.  We had been craving Indian food for a very long time, and we finally had it!  Markets everywhere, and I learned the hard way that Asia is known for its bargaining.  You’re encouraged to bargain with them. Oops, paid asking price for a pirated CD.  We stayed at the Broadway Hotel, which is only a 10 minute walk from the MRT station.  We found our room, which the door was only so sealed.  It was a very old place but clean.  We instantly crashed for a 2 1/2 hour nap and had to force ourselves to wake up.  Showered and changed, and once again, we were off to explore more of Singapore.  We strolled Little India’s colorful markets and went to our first Buddhist temple.  Let me note that through our Asian journey, we visited so many temples, that I will not be able to list them all by name.  However, I will mention that each one is very ornate.  It is respectful for you to remove your shoes before you enter and stay behind the bar if there is a ceremony happening.  People will typically bring food as a peace offering and light an incense candle before they pray.  We did get to experience such a ceremony where each Buddha statue is recognized and almost celebrated.  A red flower necklace is placed around each Buddha during the ceremony.  Music is played by the drum and a woodwind instrument that has the sound of a saxophone.  We next walked to Chinatown.  Lights are strung everywhere along the streets and music is heard.  There was the authentic section of Chinatown, and then the touristed area.  We walked through both to see the difference.  The Chinatown where people lived was where the locals were sitting around playing Chinese board games, kids playing in the sidewalks, people taking a break from the heat.  The touristy Chinatown was a lot more hustle and bustle, music playing everywhere, vendors trying to sell their items in the streets, the infamous red lights strung.  Much flashier.  Chinatown is a place where you can’t just enjoy a meal at one restaurant.  Here, you had to find assorted things to eat everywhere you went, so we did.  Steamed pork buns will always be our favorite food of choice.  Second is the bamboo wrapped chicken.  Moist and just phenomenal flavor.  Pork jerky is sold by the kilo and on every street corner.  Well, Tim really wanted to try some, so he stood in line at one of the market vendors asking for a slice of pork jerky.  He got a strange look but was in love with the flavor of it.  We visited a few more temples on the outskirts of Chinatown, and I must mention the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.  This name I remember, and it was one of the most ornate buildings I’ve ever seen.  Words really can’t describe the gold in this temple.  Just breathtaking.  We walked a lot of miles today, and our feet let us know it.  Since we were getting tired and wanted a somewhat early night, we decided to walk back to the MRT and retire at the hotel.  Sleeping solid, we woke up to enjoy our second day here.  We walked through Little India once again, and found the hawker stations where the locals eat.  Uncomfortable at first, but no one was rude to us.  We were definitely in the minority here.  There was a big batch of biryani being made at one of the stalls, so Tim asked for a photo of it.  One of his favorite Indian dishes.  It smelled amazing and just looked gorgeous!  We enjoyed a flavorful Banana roti and a Cheese Roti for breakfast.  It comes with a curry sauce if you want to dip the bread in it.  Fantastic.  Onward, we headed back to the waterfront to see if we could pick up our reserved tickets for the night’s opera, but unfortunately, the box office was closed.  So we took the MRT  to Bugis in search of Kampong Glam.  There was a mosque there, which I was hoping to visit, as well as markets.  Many antique shops and other boutiques.  A much older part of Singapore, away from the modern buildings, more row houses, architecture.   I looked for pashminas, hand bags, and other clothing.  We ate lunch across the street from the mosque at another fantastic Indian Restaurant.  The curries were just so spicy and full of flavor and the garlic naan was incredible!  There was only one table for two outside, and since it was available, we sat here and enjoyed a quiet meal.  Through lunch, we heard the call for prayer at the mosque.  Luckily after lunch, the prayer was finished, and you were allowed to tour inside.  Tim and I both had to borrow full length robes to wear to enter.  I also had to wear a sarong over my head and we removed our shoes.  The mosque is actually quite plain inside, as opposed to its exterior.  The lighting fixtures, glass, and carpet were given to them as gifts from Saudi Arabia.  There are two levels, the top floor for the women, and the main level for the men.  It is required that women pray upstairs, so that men and women side by side don’t get distracted during their prayers.  Our tour guide even finds that funny.  Women are also allowed to remove their berkas once upstairs following their prayers.  Traveling through Glam, we noticed more street markets.  You will find dried seafood everywhere, which to us never looked appetizing.  So we found the busiest street markets you will ever see in Singapore.  Literally shoulder to shoulder, but again, no one was pushy or unfriendly.  But hot and humid days made it borderline miserable.  Visited several temples in this area, and found one of the funniest “healers” ever.  This bald headed woman caught my eye, as I watched her kung fu her patient to death.  Tim was even entertained.  In fact, we found a curb to sit and watch this woman hit the back of this man’s head before pinching his arm.  All you could do was sympathize for this man as he winced in pain.  Whatever she was healing, she ended up creating other problems.   But hey, a returning client!  We watched her for 45 minutes, and by the time we left, she had drawn quite a crowd of passersby watching as well.  There was a line of “healers” near a temple, and she was by far the craziest.  Anyway, time to get ready for the opera.  We were seeing Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at the Theatre by the Bay.  Excited!  We kept dinner easy by eating at the Indian restaurant in the hotel.  They also included a $20 voucher since we were staying there, which didn’t make that decision very difficult.  Tandoori is always good, and after that, we were on the MRT.  Riding the MRT I’ve already explained, but fares I have not yet mentioned.  Everywhere within downtown Singapore is a $2.20 fare, which at the end of your ride, you get $1 back for returning your fare card.  So riding around all day is quite cheap, no matter if you’re 1-2 stops away or 9-10.  Or you can just walk everywhere too (within reason).  The walk from the MRT to the theatre was actually quite long.  The Theatre On the Bay stop is actually at the end of the mall.  Convenient, so you can shop while you stroll to the theatre.  Just didn’t plan a lot of time for that extra walking.  This theatre is in the shape of the durian fruit, a popular fruit over there which we never felt like trying.  Apparently, when just opened, it smells like a skunk.  Oh, and it’s a fine if you open one on the MRT!!  Anyway, because of their National Holiday coming up and planned activities in effect, there was so much traffic congestion that the opera start was delayed 20 minutes.   Very nice theater inside and comfortable seats actually.  Usually, theatres don’t provide enough leg space.  Anyway, this Mozart opera is quite comical and entertaining.  From here, we had to walk the riverfront one last time before our flight into Malaysia the next day.  The nights cool off to a tolerable temperature, which is why you see many more people out at night.  Everything is air-conditioned over there too.  Just too hot.  Anyway, there was a concert going on in the distance downtown, so we walked to it.  Apparently, the kid who won the Singapore Idol this year was the headliner.  Singapore was chosen for the Junior Olympics, and this concert was to support that.  Continuing on, we strolled along the other side of the river now and there was a food festival going on.  You had to buy a card and charge money to it, and then go to the vendors to purchase your food items.  Sounded great but we decided to pass, since there were people everywhere and the lines were long.  We strolled further along the bright and vibrant riverfront and noticed a chinese opera going on.  Was there anything Singapore didn’t do for nightlife?  It was actually a puppet show outside the mall.  People were sitting there laughing, but we had no clue what the dialogue was, but we watched it anyway.  No subtitles!  Nice night for red bean ice cream.  Yum!!  We got back on the MRT and headed back to Little India.  The Mustafa Centre is a gigantic 6 or 7 level store with anything and everything in it to buy.  It was recommended by friends of ours to at least check it out.  It’s open 24 hours a day, and at midnight, we ventured in.  No kidding.  It was packed full of people.  You can buy anything from a piece of gum to a watch, to a tv, to fabric for sewing to groceries.  Didn’t buy anything but enjoyed the people watching.  Went to bed late and woke up to catch a morning flight to Penang, but not without another banana and cheese roti for breakfast.  Oh, the coconuts you drink from I didn’t care for.  Not sweet, more like sour water…So we take the MRT to the airport for our first real Asian experience of flying.  If we would have had checked luggage, we would have missed this flight altogether.  Check-in was insane.  There was one counter open for Penang, and the line was wrapped around twice.  Boarding was in 30 minutes.  The line never moved.  People were checking animals, food, all kinds of stuff.  Insane.  Boarding was now to start in 5 minutes.  A lady came up  and said “Web Check-in here.”  Well, we weren’t already checked in, because we didn’t think it would be a problem.  I told her we had no checked luggage, so she nodded and let us in that line.  10 minutes later, we were heading to the gate.  Will only travel to Asia again with carry on bags.  It is worth the hassle of taking less stuff.  Missing that flight would have been a real pain.  So a 50 minute flight and we land in Penang.

We had no plans for the day, except that we needed to be in Haast that night.  So we drove from Hokitika (yes, we stopped off at a bakery before we left) and continued until we got the first glimpse of Franz Josef’s glacier.  Absolutely striking.  Have never seen a glacier before, and certainly not one that is surrounded by temperate rain forest.  Our original thought was to stop in for lunch in the town of Franz Josef and take a hiking trail to the base of the glacier, but we decided to be spontaneous that day.  We asked what the price of a helihike was.  Being closed 8 previous days due to inclement weather, they reopened that day, and there were spaces available.  Excellent, we’ll suffer the price later.  We had 1 hour to grab lunch in the town and meet for an afternoon of helicopter rides to/from glacier and 2 hours of ice hiking.  Let me explain.  There are other glacial hikes available through these companies, but on the 1/2 day or full day hikes, you would hike a little over 1/2 way up.  Why do that?!  The helicopter takes you 3/4 way up the glacier, where the blue ice is.  Besides, the base of the glacier was very dirty, so we didn’t care about walking through that.  Warm day outside, but they still gave us warm pants/socks/boots/coat to put on during our “pre-flight” discussion, etc.  I soon realized I had too much warm clothing on and sweat the entire time.  This was our 2nd time in a helicopter, but a first for this type of helicopter ride.  There were 9 of us in the group, so it took two helicopter runs to get everybody on the glacier.  It was a 12 minute ride to the glacier from where we started.  Never thought of a helicopter ride being scary, until you experience a ride with the driver we had.  He thought it would be cool to turn our ride into a roller coaster.  Rather than landing on the glacier, he would do a 180 degree turn so that we were basically looking upside down at the ice before turning us again the opposite direction.  Very fun but quite disorienting.  Not a good way to start an ice hike mind you.  So, we got out of the helicopter and stepped foot on the ice.  We then had the pleasure of learning how to put on crampons.  Not funny at the time.  The idea is to walk naturally and not turn your foot inwards to lose balance.  Easier said than done, but managed on the trek.  Our guide was great.  Tim loved watching him break through the ice with his pick to create pathways.  Remember, this is a living glacier, and pathways change all the time.  How to describe the colors of the ice.  The most beautiful blue color you can imagine.  Listening to the sound of running water, as the glacier is melting and ice droplets falling on you as you enter a cave is beyond describable.  Also, a glacier hike is not complete without a tasting of that pure water.  An experience we both will never have again or forget.  Halfway through the hike, I managed to step wrong and land in running water.  Awesome.  Quite cold if you’ve never done that before.  You might ask where my husband was to save me….at the front of the group, while I was in back.  My savior indeed.  You do get used to wearing crampons, as you step casually over  ice pinnacles (the glacier isn’t flat).  Our final part of the trek was to hike down a portion of an “ice hill” with carved steps,  and our guide offered us a rope in climbing down.  Cool.  Exhausting but incredible experience.  We took a very normal helicopter ride back down to our base and couldn’t believe we had just done something so wild and crazy.  Highlight of entire trip for both of us.  It was very late afternoon as we got back to the car and still had quite a drive.  We stopped briefly at Fox Glacier for a quick look and decided against the terminal walk to the base.  Not exciting once you’ve been on top of one of the largest NZ glaciers, especially since there are over 3000 reported NZ glaciers.  From Fox, we drove until Bruce Bay.  This stop off was recommended by several of the locals for its rock art.  Where rain forest meets the sea.  Bruce Bay is special, in that almost every available space of beach land is taken up with a sampling of one’s creativity of rock art and shells.  As the sun was setting, we used what we could find in leaving our trademark artwork behind for others to enjoy.  Not knowing the history behind this tradition, there was still something very spiritual about being participating.  We stayed long enough to build our rock art and left before we were eaten by gnats.  Haast is an interesting place.  Nothing there.  We booked a room at one of the only motels in town.  Luckily, we got there by 8pm and, although we had already pre-paid for the room, the reception was closing in the next 20 minutes, and we would have been stuck without our room.  No hospitality here.  Where was dinner?  The receptionist said everything was already closed in this small town, that we would be feasting on their ice cream bars, but we took a chance and found the only tavern open and another good night of comfort food by a warm fire.  The next morning, we were on the move to look for more jade, and stumbled upon a necklace Tim really liked.  Very warrior-like, the one he chose.  Anyway, the lady at the gem place told us of a local beach where we could find serpentine.  So, of course, we had to stop off!  We came back with several handfuls of nice rocks.  We then took another scenic drive through Haast Pass stopping for several waterfalls hikes and the well-known “Blue Pools” walk.  These pools are glacier-fed and once on the swing bridge, we looked down into the pools and noticed their clarity, seeing all the way to the bottom.  Another surreal moment.  A barbecue ribs lunch stop in Wanaka for Tim and “Puzzling World” for me!  I love any and every kind of puzzle.  This outside puzzle’s goal was for you to set foot in every corner tower (there were 4 total).  Mostly a ground level maze, but there were 2nd level bridges (which kept you from looking down and seeing the pathways) to use as well.  Took us 40 minutes to complete.  The bulk of our time was actually trying to get back out.  From there, we settled in Queenstown.  Tim liked this city very much, and I have to agree that I could live here.  Lots of shopping, great restaurants, and very gorgeous views indeed.  Bought several souvenirs here and ate at the popular “Fergburger”.  The menu is very comical, simply for its bizarre factor, so we kept one for a souvenir.  Upscale town with lots of nightlife, and yes, another casino.  The one thing New Zealand has, is clean towns.  You will not find trash anywhere.  The drive from Queenstown to Te Anau, is incredible.  We had to catch our boat at noon, so we were limited on how many photo stops we made.  The lakes are amazing.  They’re so clean that they don’t look real.  We arrived in Te Anau to wait for the next part of our adventure.  We took a boat across Lake Manapouri, which was relaxing.  Cloudy and it looked like it would rain any second, but never did.  We enjoyed feeling the wind on the top deck as we ate our gourmet box lunches.   It took about an hour to cross the lake until we got to the power station, where our bus met us for transport to where our ship would be.  Now we are officially in Fjordland National Park, the most isolated area around.  The dirt road our bus driver took us through was insane.  Very mountainous and curvy.  He did allow us several photo opportunities through the park, before we safely arrived at Doubtful Sound.  Milford Sound is accessible by car, Doubtful Sound is not; therefore, much less visited.  We settled in to our quad bunks (luckily we had the entire 4 bunk room to ourselves) with warm muffins and coffee waiting.  The weather was ominous now and just depressing.  Our ship started up and off we went through Doubtful Sound.  It started to rain, and rain it did.  Blowing horizontally even.  We didn’t see the sun again for another 4 days.  Anyway, the Sound was still very stunning.  We observed a seal colony, blue penguins and endless waterfalls.  I have never seen so many, and I can’t believe I was overwhelmed with the amount I did see.  Never thought I would admit that.  Fjordland averages 200 days of rainfall a year, which makes you quickly realize you are in the heart of a rain forest.  15 metres of rain a year = 45 feet.   Did that let us down?  Only slightly.   Although we couldn’t stand outside on the ship’s balconies, we did enjoy the views from inside.  We docked for the night in a sheltered cove, and the activities began.   Tim and I decided to kayak in the rain.  Cold?  Yes, but who cares, when you can kayak very close to huge waterfalls through the fjord.  Looking up at the steep cliffs makes you also realize just how small you are.   First kayaking experience for us both and we loved it.  The rain was steady, but somehow we could still feel the stillness and isolation.  Next, the skipper made an announcement on board for those who wanted to do a polar bear dive off the back of the boat.  Stupid?  Yes, but there’s something exhilarating about jumping in ice cold water and your body becoming instantly numb afterwards.  Tim was more stupid, because he jumped twice.  Hot showers next and time for dinner in the saloon.  We listened to a slide show presentation after dinner about Doubtful Sound, followed by me playing the piano in the saloon for an hour for the guests.  We weren’t ready for bed yet, so then we played Scrabble.  Tim slept much better than I did.  Could still feel the slight motion.  The next morning was an early 6 am start.  Men and women shared the same bathrooms, so scrambling for space was interesting.  You never expect to share a toilet with a member of the opposite sex in a public restroom, but we did.  Breakfast was good, and although it was still raining, we stayed outside (no wind today) for many more photos.  Still cannot believe how many temporary waterfalls we experienced on this journey.  We followed the same course of taking the bus ride back, followed by our boat ride across the lake.  I kept laughing at the skipper, since we were inside this time.  He was reading a book while he navigated the boat.  We grabbed a Chinese lunch in town, went to a version of an IMAX experience on Fjordland National Park and decided that a trek to Milford Sound was a good idea.  Wow.  Gorgeous drive and many stops, including the Mirrored Lakes.  The drive to Milford Sound was scary towards the end.  There was so much rainwater, that several waterfalls were spilling quite close to the road.  A landslide occurred the week before, so we saw the debris as we drove through.  The tunnel into Milford Sound was unbelievably weird and scary but we managed.  We got pictures of this.  Milford Sound, although half the size of Doubtful Sound, is still very picturesque.  We hiked a short trail around the opening of the Sound for photos.  The drive back to Te Anau was less than pleasant.  Rainy, curvy roads, and getting dark.  Nice views of Lake Manapouri from our motel that next morning.  We got an early start, since we had another full day’s drive ahead of us.  Let me back up.  It wasn’t supposed to be a full day of driving, but Tim decided to extend our plans so we drove the entire Southern scenic route (400+ km) across the southern tip of the island, just to see what was there.  Lots of hills (reminded us of Britain) and sheep!  We expected to see many sheep on this trip, but none until then.  Beautiful countryside here.   From the historic fishing town of Riverton, we landed outside of Tuatapere, to “Monkey Island”, so had to check it out.  Luckily, the tide was out so we walked to the little mound.  We continued through to Invercargill for a bite to eat and ventured onward through the Catlins for a hike to Purakaunui Falls.  It was very late afternoon, and as we hadn’t set up lodging beforehand (since we changed our itinerary), we kept driving, passing Nugget Point, another scenic spot for fur seals and a lighthouse to find a motel in Balclutha.  Not much good to say about this town, especially when dinner was Chinese take away at a fish-n-chips place (only thing open at 7pm).  NZ food is very bland.  Our best meal on the trip was at a pizzeria.  After dinner, I was on a mission to find more glowworms, so we made the stupid mistake of driving 45 minutes to Manuka Tunnel to look for them.  Common sense should have told me that the tunnel would also be dark during the day, but didn’t realize that then.  In the pitch black in the middle of a forest, I decide quickly that I’m too scared to go searching for a tunnel to find glowworms.  We turn around and try again the next morning.  Much better.  The tunnel’s darkness was still quite intimidating (sorry but NZ has huge spiders), but no snakes) but we managed to see a few.  Back in the car after another quick stop at a lakeside recreation park, we prepare for the hardest hike yet on another tunnel trail.  This hike was a challenge.  Very steep going down but gorgeous coastal scenery allowed you to forget the pain.  Once we made it to the large rock at the bottom, a small tunnel was carved out to get from the arch to the beach.  Hard to explain but very cool indeed.  Warm sunny day to hang on the beach.  However, the steep ascent was not fun.  Arriving back at the car, we drove rest of the way to Dunedin, a Scottish city with very interesting architecture.  The only disappointment was there were no Scottish restaurants, shops, or museums.  I was excited to tour the Larnach Castle, the only castle in NZ.  The woodcarver carved lizards in his work as his trademark.  Exquisite!  3 stories and landscaped grounds overlooking the Otago Peninsula.  From here, I made Tim take us to Baldwin Street, the steepest residential street in the world.  It’s also recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records.  So Tim decided we walk up the 35% grade street, although my plan was to drive it.  After we walked back down, I did make him drive us up, which was fun too.  The Friend’s Hill Lodge was ridiculous.  Hard to find outside the city, and even on the street they were on.  There was a side entrance we had a hard time finding.  Plus a “For Sale” sign posted outside the property.  We opened the gate and drove down the lengthy driveway to inquire as to our stay.  Now, we had pre-paid in advance (yes, we’re back on driving schedule again) and as we pulled up to their large house, the man came out and stood inside the other gate which led to the house (they kept livestock).  We were standing outside of that gate with our luggage in tow, and he would not let us in.  So we talked about nonsense until I finally had enough to say we’d like to check in.  After I explained who I was and what room we had already paid for, he let us in.  The woman popped out of the house to check on her grandchildren playing in the yard, but never acknowledged us.  Our room was a joke.  No heat/air-con, tea/coffee facilities, tv, bathroom, etc.  I could go on about this place, but I’ll save my word count on the blog.  A terrible night’s sleep and ready to get out at the crack of dawn, but not without making a big deal that they got up extra early to serve us breakfast, which by the way consisted of a box of already opened cereal and a piece of toast.  Thanks, but no thanks.  Oh, turns out he is an accountant.  Anyway, we got out of there and checked out the town a bit more.  The art gallery was fantastic, the train station was interesting, and we also made time to tour 2 cathedrals within the city.  And alas!  There was a Scot playing bagpipes!  We drove from Dunedin onward along the coast to the famous Moeraki Boulders. These spherical large boulders are located on a small stretch of beach along the Otago Coast.  Made of mud and clay, several were already cracked open, so we could see the orange quartz-like inside.  How and why they’re there, nobody knows, and for how many thousands of years even.  Bizarre. Continuing on, our next stop off was in Oamaru, a Victorian town.  Ornate houses and buildings allowed you to step back in time a bit.  Very quaint.  We stopped for the night in Timaru, settled in early after a spicy Indian meal, and hired a DVD to watch in the room.  The next morning, we again changed our plans, and instead of driving the 2 hours north to Christchurch for a day of relaxation, we decided to be much more adventurous.  We drove west for a day of sight-seeing at Mount Cook.  It was very cloudy that day, so we never actually saw the peak; however, the drive to/from Mount Cook was spectacular.  The lakes just got bluer in color.  Very surreal, even with gray skies.  We decided on two short hikes in the park, which offered views of a glacier which terminates into a lake.  Wow.  The first of the two hikes was the overlook looking down into the lake (very steep climb to the top) and the second hike we walked to the base of the lake down below.  We were tired and hungry after the afternoon nonetheless.  The drive back was long, but luckily, there was a non-profit group who was set up on the side of the road offering free food to cars, encouraging a stretch break and lack of fatigue.  Sweet!  Free lunch.  A few other stop offs for photos, then continuing on to Christchurch for our final night in NZ.  We did a night driving tour of Christchurch and found nothing of interest actually.  Supposedly designed as an old British town, but the architecture seemed very modern to us.  Nice thai dinner, then on to bed for an early morning flight.  I must address the departure tax issue leaving NZ.  After an awesome, although extremely expensive trip, we encountered a $25 NZ departure tax per person in the airport.  What?!  Not included in our overpriced airfare.  Everything in NZ costs money.  Tim’s joke the entire trip was “You want to see our tree?  $5.”  He’s right, unfortunately.  We did not expect so much commercialism here, even though their main industry is tourism.  They nickel and dime everything.  Oh, and New Zealanders are not as friendly as we expected them to be.  Food for thought, but overall, a fantastic journey we would do again.

Why has this entry taken so long?  We’ve been so busy here in Australia trying to enjoy our last few months, but now as I have the time to enter another blog entry, I remember this island like we just came back yesterday.  After arriving to Picton via the Interisland ferry (rough waters for the first half of the journey, breathtaking as seen from the previous blog entry), we picked up another little Hyundai and were off to check in at the hotel.  We were complimentary upgraded to a waterfront room, then we set down our luggage, checked out the views from our balcony, and walked through the downtown area.  Taking in a few shops, grocery store (had to see what they sell!), and a Scottish meal for dinner, we walked back to the room and enjoyed chatting on the balcony for hours with our neighbors.  Glasses of wine and desserts through the night as we also enjoyed watching the large ferry come into port all lit up.   Very peaceful night, but chilly!  The next morning, we began our first of many drives through the South Island.  We drove through Blenheim (overrated town, couldn’t even find a bakery!), Blenheim’s wine region, which had tasty pinot noir,  and trendy Nelson, where we stopped off at a pizzeria for lunch and walked through its downtown, browsing many shops and galleries.  We still had quite a drive until we reached our destination, so we continued on.  Not exactly knowing where our accommodation was, we drove through the port town of Westport, realizing it wasn’t there, although the cottage had a Westport address.  Tricky.  As darkness was now upon us and no cell phone, we took a guess to go out to Cape Foulwind to see if our accommodation was there.  It was!  And nothing else around except for a few other cottages, a local tavern, lighthouse, and seals.  Dinner was absolutely delicious.  It was cold that night, so comfort food by the fire was a great idea.  Cozy little place, very open floor plan inside.  The next morning, I took advantage of the sunroom and got a laugh out of the wekas.  These creatures are brown flightless birds, who are very nosy.  I opened the french doors and one tried to come in.  There were two on them on the property and neither of them ever made a sound, so if you weren’t careful, they would be right next to you.  Rather big though (size of a chicken?).  The weather was cloudy, as it rained the night before, but a walk to observe the seal colony was a must.  They were right there in front of us!  Could listen to them bark all day.  Let me back up.  Our first impression of the South Island, although gorgeous, was that the landscape wasn’t as lush or mountainous as we were expecting.  Many people say to not waste your time on the North Island and only visit the South, but that few days, we thought the other way around.  You will soon realize just how much of this island we saw by our driving routes alone.  My plan was to zigzag through the south island, through the mountain passes to take in all of NZ’s beauty.  So, after the seals, we drove to Reefton and stopped for a short walk through this old mining town browsing a couple galleries and antique shops.  It’s funny what our minds have us remember.  Reefton will remain in our thoughts for the brightest blue painted courthouse you will ever see.  Could not take anything seriously once you come across such a silly building, with the word “Courthouse” written in the likeness of a child’s handwriting.  Next, we traversed through Lewis Pass, admiring a few snow-capped mountains of the Southern Alps and hiking several trails through the valleys of Springs Junction.  Barren, rocky landscape.  Well, I decided we should detour into Hanmer Springs, which turned out to be a very snooty ski town.  I was interested in the thermal pools there, and well, pass.  Neither of us were happy we drove a bit out of the way, especially since I had been hearing good things about this town.  Think Vale but not Vale at all.  Anyway, we got lucky in that we settled in for the night at a self-contained cottage on a newly planted vineyard.  We strolled through the young vines at sunset.  Dinner that night was in the downtown city of Rangiora, a satisfying tavern, with an even more satisfying casino nearby.  I’m not usually a fan of video slots, but quite entertaining and if the machine keeps teasing me with small winnings, I’ll keep playing.  A hearty breakfast the next morning at the cottage, as we geared up for another full day of driving.  Our start led us to “Castle Hill”, in the Canterbury region of the high country.  Castle Hill is 700 metres above sea level, an area of limestone boulders giving an impression of castle ruins.  Although bees were prominent everywhere and I didn’t like them swarming me, there was a peaceful stillness on the hill walking around.  Traveling onward, today’s route led us across the very well-known Arthur’s Pass.  Although a sunny, but windy morning to start, the rain kept coming the closer we got to Arthur’s Pass National Park.  I refuse to let a little cold and rain to stop me from a waterfall hike.  So with a hot cocoa in hand, we set off on a very steep and slippery climb to the 131 metre waterfall, “Devil’s Punchbowl.”  Wow.  You can see this waterfall at a distance from the road, but the minute you hike close to it, the sound is just incredible.  With the rain, this waterfall was massive.  Well worth us having to thaw out after we got back to the car.  As you can see, the further south we drive, the more lush the South Island becomes.  We drove onward and got to our destination, the town of Hokitika, before the shops closed.  Tim was on a search this entire trip to find jade, so we stopped in several jade factories in Hokitika.  We stayed in a quaint little cottage for the night and enjoyed the woodstove and rocking chair.  French doors off the main bedroom led to an outside verandah and manicured backyard.  Antique furniture throughout and a window seat in the hallway.  Our accommodations after this night went downhill fast.   Looking for dinner, we considered the only french cafe in town.  Delicious!  It had been quite a while since I ate venison, so a nice treat for me.  And you can never go to a french restaurant without a delectable Crepe Suzette to end.  Pleased that they flambed the crepe at our table.  Now, yes it was still lightly raining.  Tim absolutely refused to go see more glowworms, but he’s not the only one on vacation, is he?  So I decided we must go find this magical glowworm dell.  Wow.  We walked 3 minutes with flashlights until we reached where they are, and once our eyes adjusted to the light of the glowworms, it really is magical.  Just no other way to describe the rich blue colors.  They were everywhere.  You instantly felt that you were in some fairy tale.  We stayed there for a while, listening to the rain in the grotto enjoying the “night lights”.   We woke up the next morning to beautiful blue skies, and headed south towards the glaciers.  There is so much to share in these next several days, that it’s best to stop here with this entry and pick back up with our unexpected helicopter ride over the Franz Josef glacier.  Enjoy!

After a 5 hour drive to the airport and an overnight nonstop flight into Auckland, we arrived at 5:00am with bloodshot eyes.  Although extremely tired, we were thrilled at finally being in a country we’ve always wanted to visit.  We quickly got through customs (luckily without a $200 fine for forgetting to declare my hiking boots) and got our little Toyota Yaris.  We decided to take a driving tour through Auckland, since this would be the only time on the trip to actually see the city.  Drove around the harbor, by the skyline tower, and ended up at the domain.  It’s now 8am and we’re wondering where the sun is.  Oh, that’s right.  Daylight savings is still on, and it’s autumn.  Took a stretch break and walked through the park, admiring the gardens, native plants, and sculptures.  Driving across the bridge, we kept driving until we could look for a nice overlook of the harbor bridge.  No luck, whatsoever.  Every time we would drive around a bend for a photo of the bridge, it would end in a private driveway.

From Auckland, we continued eastward, then north to drive the length of the Coromandel Peninsula.  Spectacular scenery here.  A little white knuckle driving as we had a narrow, windy road with absolutely no shoulders and straight drops right into the water.  When you only see a white line and a big drop on a blind curve, you wonder what big truck could be coming around the corner.  Beautiful overlooks everywhere.

Every little village we stopped in to view either artwork or pick up an energy bar.  We checked into our 3 star hotel (not as nice as a Super 8 ) and asked about a good place for dinner.  The lady gave us a local map of Whitianga, and I was curious as to the whereabouts of Hot Water Beach.  She looked up the tide tables and said we were okay to go and handed us a shovel.  What is this place?  The coolest place ever.  There is a hot spring fed through a portion of this beach, which at low tide, you can shovel in the sand, and literally build out your own hot tub.  We got there, and it was buzzing with people.  You had to be careful to not dig too deep, or the water was absolutely scalding.  We were there long enough to enjoy our hot tub with many other ethnic people, and once the tide quickly began coming in, it was quite chilly.   Once the cold water got you, everyone began shouting out how cold it was in 20 different languages.  Absolutely rejuvenating.

10km from the beach, we had just enough time left in the day to hike down to Cathedral Cove.  Beautiful sea overlooks and little islands close by, the hike took you through the rain forest around several bends until you got to the bottom for another secluded beach area.  The cove offers a steep arch formation which resembles the spires of a church cathedral.  It was also a window to look through and see another beautiful formation.

Our energy was quickly wearing thing for the hike back uphill.  Dinner was scarce, so we ended up with a very basic chinese takeaway meal.  For those that love chinese food as much as we do, need to understand that New Zealand chinese is terrible and unflavored.  The sauce is very thin and is very bland like gravy, and the chinese “restaurants” are actually tied in with fish and chip places.  How can you make a good sweet/sour pork and fried fish at the same time?  After being up for 30+ hours, it didn’t matter tonight how bad the food was or how many bugs were in the room.  The next morning we continued south to the well known city of Rotorua.  It’s a huge tourist destination, simply because of the geo-thermal activity there.  We arrived into the city in a reasonable time to explore Wai-O-Tapu pools.  This is the only bit of research Tim is given credit for on the planning of this trip.  Fantastic place.  Tucked away in the mountains, we walked several km through the park, noticing the many craters and pools there were.  His favorite, the  ”Champagne Pool” offered beautiful blue and orange hues and it’s temperature at the surface was a “chilly” 74 degrees celsius.

We also hiked through the park and spotted the hot waterfall, which fed into a hot water lake, which was quite unusual.  My favorite pool was “Devil’s Bath” for its neon green coloring.  We checked into the historic hotel in town, Princes Gate Hotel and got our room.  Things got very interesting here.  I called Mitai Village for our booking that night of the Maori experience, and checked to make sure their bus was still picking us up at our hotel.  They couldn’t find our reservation for the evening and set me in a panic.  Luckily, I had a printed email receipt as proof.  Anyway, the bus was going to pick us up within the hour.  Turns out, the bus was already there and we rushed to catch it, as it was also making other stops throughout the city before entering Mitai Village.  Could it get worse?  Yes.  Tim and I both forgot our cameras.  Unbelievable.  Once we arrived he asked the bus driver if there was any possible way to take him back to our hotel and pick up a camera?  She obliged and then we were fine again.  I had been looking forward to this night for months.  So, a traditional hangi experience, is when food is cooked underground.  As everyone was settling into their tables for the night, the emcee began welcoming us in the Maori language.  He requested that one of us become the chief for the night.  The emcee then began welcoming our tribe and finding out how many countries were represented.  He would then welcome them and speak in their language.  We ended up being the “Tribe of 22 nations”.  Phenomenal job he did with this.  Then they bring us outside to unveil the food.

From there, our huge group of 200 was led to the fairy spring in their village, where the warriors steered a canoe through the spring at dusk and presented their intimidation faces (bright corneas and tongues sticking out).

We were then led to their cultural ampitheater, where our chief was to meet their chief in a ceremony.  The maoris performed many song and dance by the fire also explaining their weapons and culture.  We sat in the front row for this.  Time for dinner!  It was a buffet style, which although in the front row for the show, I was the last for dinner.  Chicken, lamb, potatoes were all cooked in the hangi and absolutely delicious smoky flavors.  Our water was directly from the spring and so good.  After dessert and completely at night, we were led back through their fairy spring by torch light to experience their village lit up  at night.  Beautiful rainbow colors.  We saw glowworms!!!  Another thing very high on my NZ list.  Fly larvae that literally glows at night.  We also saw some of the endangered wildlife, such as the kiwi, which are protected there.  Memorable night, as their bus took us back to the hotel.  The next morning, we decided to eat breakfast in the hotel.  Their menu suckered me in with french toast and grilled bananas.  As we sat in the ballroom, I noticed the grand piano there and played for a while.  After breakfast, another quick stroll through government gardens and a few more hot pools, and then we began our drive into Napier.  Being the adventurers we are, we took the alternate rain forest to get there.  Little did we know at the time, that it was going to include 95 km of gravel road.  Basically, rough roads ahead.  The road was so incredible narrow and windy that we didn’t have many opportunities for photos, although this experience of solitude was amazing.  Just listening to the birds and driving by waterfalls and a substantial lake was unforgettable.  Mokau Falls are 37 meters high.

The landscape changed to rolling hills alongside a river for the remainder of this trek.  We arrived in Napier for the evening.  A friend had suggested to me prior to the trip, that the black sand is worth a stop.  She’s right, it was.  Although, it was of pebble, still very cool indeed.

We walked through this art deco town, previously devastated by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt.  Indian food for dinner (average) and off to bed.  Realizing now how difficult it is to wake up with energy to explore NZ before the sun even thinks of shining, we seem to fall into a 9am pattern.  Can’t seem to get out the door before then this entire trip.  We’re used to traveling and being on the road by 8am.  Another quick stroll through the town and into a few quaint shops, then on to wine region, Hawke’s Bay.  Known mostly for their pinot gris, we did find a few reds we liked.  We ventured into 2 different wineries that morning (yes, morning) and had fun tasting.  The first, Mission Estate, was great.  This man was British at heart and absolutely hysterical.  Tim and I laughed the entire time with him.  We walked the grounds, toured the gallery, and bought several bottles for the trip.  We drove westward into Wanganui.  The drive took a bit longer than expected, since the fastest speed limit in NZ is 100kmh (60 mph).  And every little town you drive through, you slow way down to snail speed.  Anyway, we arrived in Wanganui looking forward to driving a portion of the well-known Wanganui River Road.  As there is always a glitch when traveling, our plan was to check into our accommodation (very historic farmhouse) before driving onto this river road.  However, we had to drive 24km out of the way just to get to this accommodation, which after arrived, not expecting the gates to enter were locked.  No cell phone, no anything to get in touch with them to ask how to get through this gate.  This bird sanctuary/rain forest bushy park residence is set on several hundred acres of land, so you can’t see the house until much farther inside the property lines.  Anyway, as we begin driving back into Wanganui, we stop at a local tavern to ask to use a phone.  The owner already knows the number for bushy park and tries to contact them directly.  She leaves a message asking urgently to contact her since her customers can’t get through the gate.  Long story short.  We decided to drive part of the river road and then get dinner, followed by calling bushy park from a pay phone and finally getting through.   This river road drive, although very scary, was so picturesque and quaint.

The overlook inside the valley was picture perfect and getting stuck behind a huge herd of sheep was the highlight.  As we inched forward, they slowly began parting.  Otherwise, we’d still be stuck there surrounded by them.

Bushy Park ended up being a fabulous visit.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to explore the hiking trails within the property until the next morning, but the house was just gorgeous.  We had a beautiful room with a settee and very high ceilings.  There was no en-suite bathroom, but luckily, we were the only visitors that night, so it worked out perfectly.  The next morning, we hiked a portion of the property through protected, uncut rain forest, and enjoyed a nice continental breakfast on the large verandah.  Beautiful morning it had turned out to be.  Then the mad rush down to Wellington, so that we could catch the interislander ferry into Picton, the South Island.  We only chose to enjoy 4 days on the north island, so that we could maximize our travels in the south.  It has been suggested many times to us to do this.  Although, we were happy to spend the 11 remaining days on the South Island, we were pleasantly surprised with all the beauty that the North Island offers.  Another day there would have been satisfying.  As we drove into Wellington, the rains came and refused to quit.  This 3 hour ferry ride was anything but peaceful.  3 metre swells didn’t bother Tim, but they surely annoyed me.  I never want to sit inside on any boat ride, but with torrential rain and heavy wind, there was no other option.  So we rocked for the majority of the trip.  However, this is always a silver lining…as we entered the channel to the south island, the rain stopped and there was partial clearing. So I enjoyed the remainder of this scenic trip outside.  How do you describe, in words, one of the most beautiful boat rides you’ve ever taken?  You can’t.

What you see for the last 45 minutes of this trip is iconic NZ and every picture perfect postcard is what we saw, even if the sun wasn’t out.  This inter-island journey is already what makes New Zealand so magical.  The next entry will most likely be split up in at least 2 parts, because we’ve taken 3700 photos, and want to provide as many of them on the blog as possible.