World Tour Diary Part 10: 08 03 07 – 24 03 07
There's no fu'**in number after 8
I know…it’s not number 10. But…as I hate the figure which comes after the 8…this is WorldTour Diary Part 10.Could be as well only a short Australia report, cos…last time I wrote was just before hopping to Sydney…and this time is just before leaving Australia.
Here we go.
Arriving in Sydney on a Friday morning by plane. Shocking. That was NOT what I expected!!! I expected a damn big city like all the others I had seen before, London, Paris, whatever.
But…from the plane…it just looks already sooooo different.
So much green, so many little small harbours, water everywhere in and around the town. Great view! Thanks to the pilot!!!
Arriving in Sydney citycenter I was still high from the flight. And…thanks to Corinna and her music on my mp3-player nothing, just nothing could bother me.
All hostels full? No worries!! Everything even more expensive than in New Zealand? No worries. Packed with my 20kg bagpack, I dances the streets, singing, clapping my hands and just enjoying the sun. People looking at me strange?!?!? Who cares. Hey guys, I’m in LOVE! I’m in love with me, with travelling, with sun, with music. No worries!!!
After a few hours I finally reached my mate Steve, an English bloke I had met in Bolivia and ,,,had a stay for the next week. What a relief…not because I was worried about not finding a stay…more because …from the first moment I didn’t like hostals here.
Later more about that…but I just hate paying exaggerated 20 EUR for crappy hostals…and I hate planning and booking a hostal in advance….
In each case, I had my bed, although my “bed” meant once again sleeping for a week on a sleeping mat…but I was lucky. Soooo lucky.
Lucky to stay in an apartment, lucky to be able to relax, sleep in (what of course means never longer than 10 am for me), cook properly, watch Television !!! (yes, me!!) and stuff like that.
9 days in Sydney…9 days of joy and for me relatively relaxing, organizing some stuff.
Boring stuff, but…I needed it…and of course..there’s the other side of the life. Sydney itself. Don’t know how it is in winter (my brother found it pretty boring) ..but in summer it rocks. On the weekends and after work, people hang out in the streets, on the harbour, in the millions of bars and just enjoy the sun. Don’t know, but I really felt this “No worries” spirit…and…to be honest….I am jealous. I am jealous to all that people who haved sun and more than 30 degrees nearly everyday. Sun just makes us all happy.
So…my first Friday evening in Sydney and I went out with some blokes from Steve’s company. Interesting ….and really showing what Sydney means. There were 2 Ozzys in the company…and the rest were foreigners….Multicultural Sydney and Little Jochen within…
Multuculti?!?? Forgot to tell you about another interesting aspect of Sydney. It’s Little Asia. I would guess some 30% up here are Asian which often makes you feel like in a Non-English speaking country…and makes you see a lot of weddings. I saw 4 weddings in 9 days…either in the great Botanical garden or….at the Opera House.
Haven’t had the chance of seeing a show in there, but from outside it’s impressive, just beautiful!! As the Harbour Bridge!! When it’s lit up…fantastic!!
To finish the sightseeing, I did some beach tours, visited some museums and the aquarium. Seeing sharks, little Nemos n stuff like that in an aquarium is already impressive…but…”Must be more impressive in real life, or?”.
So…I did a 4day diving course and am now allowed to dive wherever I go…jipiee!!
Loved the first dives…and was really really impresses by the colourful reefs of Sydney…and….although I didn’t want to believe it first…saw my first shark already!! Only 1meter..but nevertheless…
Besides…..partied the “green party” (St.Partrick’s day), enjoyed the mass of beautiful women in Sydney and…did not appreciate at all a live rugby game.
There’s no sport like soccer, is there?
Week went to quick, and…jeep…another flight I headed to Central Australia. Uluru / Ayers Rock, the biggest monolith stone in the world. 1 stone, 2km lon, 1km width, over 300m high…impressive..at least for the few moments of sunset and sunrise when it’s lit up in a beautiful red!! The rest of the day…hm…not my kind of stuff…but yeah…aftrer 2 days of not eating much, because prices just were damn too exaggerated over there I flew to Perth, Western Australia.
Not that impressive, but nice beaches, nice parks, nice people and TOO MANY FUCKIN travellers!! My couchsurfing didn’t work out, so I had to get a place in one of those crappy, crowded hostals….As I hate them…and….I hate the majority of travellers here. I do agree with the best band on the world “ Duerfen Faschos auch verreisen,? Wenn’s nach mir gehts tun sie’s nicht….Ich will nen Sommer nur fuer mich!!”…
There just too many stupid travellers here…and although I like Australia, I like Australians, I love the weather….if I come back…I will only travel here by car and tent…and won’t stay in a hostal. Bang….too many stupid people here!!!
>From Perth I did some short trips too Freemantle, watching one of the most secure and most ugly prisons of the world, realizing that Death penalty was allowed here until 20 years ago….and nearly would have slept in there ,-)
As I didn’t book a hostal in advance…and all were full…I asked whether I couldn’t stay in there for a night…,-) honestly!!! Made me a receive a big smile and sleep at the private home of the owner of a hostal. For free of course ,-) Nice one.
Took a boat to underwater world paradise Rottnest island…which was fun….but…due to incredible bad weather couldn’t do a dive. What a pity!!!
Went back to Perth and partied. Of course….you know me…on a special way ,-)
Got to a party of a friend of sb I met in Brasil and had a good time.
And…of course, today…we’ll gonna celebrate my last night in Australia. Seems to be like a custom to go out the last night before I leave the continent….,-)
Guys…it’s only for being tired in the plane ….
Think I haven’t said anything yet about the following weeks.
Guys…including tomorrow, I’ve taken 5 times the plane within 3 weeks…and now after having travelled 6 nearly half a year….I’ll arrive at the place where I really really really wanted to go. Now…REAL travelling starts.
PUTAIN!!! AFRICA IS WAITING FOR ME!!!!
Keep you updated about my experiences on the black continent.
And…am just uploading some pics from Australia…so…have a look at my homepage.
Sonntag, 25. März 2007
Donnerstag, 8. März 2007
Worldtour diary- Part 8
DIARY PART 8
@ ALL HOME IN EUROPE:
I'm not really in the mood to write, cos you guys out there disappointed me.
I asked for music and received..NOTHING! 2 little presents (THANKS ALEX & CORINNA) are defienetely not what I expected as I support for a lonesome rider far far away. fuck that men!
You don't know how you could have pleased me. Anyway, internet is free today, so at least I keep my promise to keep you updated...
@ALL TRAVELLERS:
As some of you guys asked me for some 'updates' on my travelling, I' added you to my newsletter list.Check out my
my SOuth America report on my homepage.as well
http://www.little-jochen-around-the-world.de/306/index.html
.Some of you are mentionned ,-)
Hope to hear from you soon, enjoy travelling or working ,-)
WORLDTOUR DIARY PART 8 - 10 02 07- 08 03 07
South Island New Zealand
When I wrote for the last time, Bertram and me were just in the most Southern city of the North island of New Zealand, Wellington.
Due to ou local guide Emilie we saw not only the city center, but as well all those loveley shores around Weelington.
Unfortunateley, due to bad weather...we did not have the chance to see the Adventure Games Olympics, some kind of championchip on how to jump best with a skateboard, BMX or kinda thing over a bramp into water. Next time!
Then...after a night in a proper bed at Emilie's place we went "South"...and adventure travelling started really.
Firstly sleeping on the ferry to Picton a whole bunch of short-sleep nights followed...'cos..the South island is much colder than the Northern one.. At least at night...and at least when you're sleeping in a tent without a proper sleeping bag (mine is +14 degrees).
Anyway...waking up every night at least twice to put on some new layers, I nevertheless had the force tor travel more than 4500km in even not 4 weeks.
>From National Park to National Park, always asking myself " How is this possible? Why is this country just so crazily beautiful? Why everywhere? "
Really, I can tell you...it is a tough job for your eyes when you ride from one WOW to the next.
But let's keep it in order.
We started with the Queen Charlotte sound, a fjord how iI would imagine them in Scandinavia.
Forest, beautiful coloured water and all around you just silence and some boats.
Driving along the coast we started our 'sports' part.
Kayaking the Abel Tasman National Park. Stunning white beaches along rainforest coast, rough isolated islands with seals and sealions.
All could have been sooooo nice..if...yes...if there wouldn't have been storm.
Made the sea pretty' rough' ,our first day paddling experience an 9 hour experience (instead of 5) and me realize " Men, you're only born for doing sporst with your legs"...
Day 2 was calm and let us forget about all the pain and just enjoy the sun.
Doing some short walks (what shall I say. Just beautufl green everyhwere here!!!) in the region and visiting the Ngoroad caves (scenery of Lord of the Regions as so many places out here), watching the spectacular stalagtites and stalagnites, created over the last thousadn of years...and then...just driving into hell.
Hell is called Nelseon Lakes National Park and...if you wouldn't know where you are, you could say. "Lake of Annecy". Mountains surrounding a terrific sea, nice and warm at daytime.
The problem. It's not entirely like the French counterpart. There are about 500.000 sandflies on a squaremeter more, which made me receive more than 100 bites one day ( wow, this even topped the jungle in Bolivia!!!). And...it's only warm at daylight.
At night it was some 0 degrees..which is NOT pleasant in the previuously descrivbed sleeping bag and tent.Even with 2 pullovers, 2 shirts,long pants I was shivering the whole night, having some hallucinations about Schalke being champion and basicaly couldn't close my eyes until//until the sun got up again.
A nice 5 hour walk later we made our way to the Westcoast. Close to the 'most Kiwi town' f New Zealand I had the best sunset I have ever seen. Unfortunately I wasn't alone as at Macchu Picchu, so I had to jump out of joy and take off my clothes instead of just sitting there and crying. What an emotional moment!!!
Nexty day was not emotional, although it eventually should have been. Visiting a beer brewery, camping on the beach and cooking on the pavement in the middle of the town...yep...that was my birthday. At least people had a laugh about our nice meal including Birthday cake and "Happy Birthday" sign lying on the street.
But..who cares about a birthday when you get presents everyday??!?! And who cares about your birthday when you're 17.000km away from home? Thanks to the few who wrote me a message !!!
Our road continued and...after having been on tons of beaches , l"European"-like forest, oads of waterfalls, blowholes, rocky coast (with interesting features like stones shaped like stapled pancakes)..we arrived in...the middle of Switzerland adn Brazil. Both at the same time.
Hiking or flying by helicopter on/ over a glacier such as the Fox glacier is amazing. White everywhere. Blue sky. Sunshine. And...the rainforest just starting at the bottom of the glacier. Incredible.
Our road trip continued and...if I could vote one road in the world as 'the most scenic' one, then it;s definetely this between Haast and Wanaka.
The amount of mountains, forests, lakes and thos colours are just amazing. I highly recommend you to have a look on my homepage www.imagestaion.com/members/Jochen.Kemmer to have a look at some of the belonging pictures.
Finally we arrived in Queenstown, the adventure capital. 4 different type of bungeejumping, skydiving. rafting, canyon-wsinging, abseiling,, paragliding...you can just do every kind of adventure in this town. I decided for "Riversurfing" which means to 'surf'' (and paddle with your feet !!!) down a river lying on your bodyboard.Good fun..at least if we forget about the 50 cramps I had. As I already said. Don't seem to be born for watersports,
Before heading along the East coast to get some insight into NZ wildlife (penguins, seals, albatross, dolphins), our eyes still had to survive the "Highlight" of New Zealand.
We might complain about the bad weather we had on our boat cruise into the Doubtful Sound (the less travelled sister of the well-know Milford Sound)...but we don't. Rain increases the amount of waterfalls drifting down the mountains along this fjordland. Imagine a waterfall every 10 meters running donw beautiful green mountains in the middle of nowhere. Only one boat in the whole sound. Imagine pure silence. Or just come to Milford sound.
Before heading to my last stop Christhhurch, a 100% English town...we had to finish' on the top'.
On the top of Mount Cook, another glacier, another dream in white, green, blue.
Travelling New Zealand made me definetely aware of a few things.
1) The world is unfair. Nearly every country has some beautiful landscapes. But...I believe there is only one country which is beautiful everywhere.
2) Wir werden NIE Deutscher Meister. All the Up's and Down's of a soccer fan in only one country. From 12 points advance to a strong feeling of "Und am Ende wird Bayern wieder Meister"
3) You can get EVERYTHING. Everything. really. Believe, ask for it annd you'll get it.
You can camo everywhere. You can shower for free everywhere (especially in Base Backpacker Hostals & Top 10 Holiday parks ,-) ) . You can get a discount everyhwere.
And you can be happy 7/7. 24/24.
"How are you?" If somebody asks me that now, I just could answer. "Perfect". Because, and travelling with a guy like Bertram made me realize even more, IT"S ONLY YOU. Nobody can destroy your mood, your life. Nobody. Just be happy. Show it.
Then people will say " On a marqué les gens" and people will remember you in the hostal in Auckland yoiu just have stayed one single night explaining you " I saw about 3000 travellers in the last 6 weeks. And I hardly can remember a face or name. But...I remember that I have hardly ever met such nice, positive, friendly and poliute guy like you"
Thank you!!
and thank you Bertram for more than 5 awesome trave weeks!
So...even if I still don't have a plan what happens when I come home, even if there might be days where I'm feeling insecure, alone or whatever. Guys, we are blessed with fortune.
I am blessed with fortune. Tomorrow I'll gonna go to Sydney. In 18 days I'll gonna be in Johannesburg. With or without your music ,-)
Check my pictures, it's all updated. hear from you soon.
Jochen
@ ALL HOME IN EUROPE:
I'm not really in the mood to write, cos you guys out there disappointed me.
I asked for music and received..NOTHING! 2 little presents (THANKS ALEX & CORINNA) are defienetely not what I expected as I support for a lonesome rider far far away. fuck that men!
You don't know how you could have pleased me. Anyway, internet is free today, so at least I keep my promise to keep you updated...
@ALL TRAVELLERS:
As some of you guys asked me for some 'updates' on my travelling, I' added you to my newsletter list.Check out my
my SOuth America report on my homepage.as well
http://www.little-jochen-around-the-world.de/306/index.html
.Some of you are mentionned ,-)
Hope to hear from you soon, enjoy travelling or working ,-)
WORLDTOUR DIARY PART 8 - 10 02 07- 08 03 07
South Island New Zealand
When I wrote for the last time, Bertram and me were just in the most Southern city of the North island of New Zealand, Wellington.
Due to ou local guide Emilie we saw not only the city center, but as well all those loveley shores around Weelington.
Unfortunateley, due to bad weather...we did not have the chance to see the Adventure Games Olympics, some kind of championchip on how to jump best with a skateboard, BMX or kinda thing over a bramp into water. Next time!
Then...after a night in a proper bed at Emilie's place we went "South"...and adventure travelling started really.
Firstly sleeping on the ferry to Picton a whole bunch of short-sleep nights followed...'cos..the South island is much colder than the Northern one.. At least at night...and at least when you're sleeping in a tent without a proper sleeping bag (mine is +14 degrees).
Anyway...waking up every night at least twice to put on some new layers, I nevertheless had the force tor travel more than 4500km in even not 4 weeks.
>From National Park to National Park, always asking myself " How is this possible? Why is this country just so crazily beautiful? Why everywhere? "
Really, I can tell you...it is a tough job for your eyes when you ride from one WOW to the next.
But let's keep it in order.
We started with the Queen Charlotte sound, a fjord how iI would imagine them in Scandinavia.
Forest, beautiful coloured water and all around you just silence and some boats.
Driving along the coast we started our 'sports' part.
Kayaking the Abel Tasman National Park. Stunning white beaches along rainforest coast, rough isolated islands with seals and sealions.
All could have been sooooo nice..if...yes...if there wouldn't have been storm.
Made the sea pretty' rough' ,our first day paddling experience an 9 hour experience (instead of 5) and me realize " Men, you're only born for doing sporst with your legs"...
Day 2 was calm and let us forget about all the pain and just enjoy the sun.
Doing some short walks (what shall I say. Just beautufl green everyhwere here!!!) in the region and visiting the Ngoroad caves (scenery of Lord of the Regions as so many places out here), watching the spectacular stalagtites and stalagnites, created over the last thousadn of years...and then...just driving into hell.
Hell is called Nelseon Lakes National Park and...if you wouldn't know where you are, you could say. "Lake of Annecy". Mountains surrounding a terrific sea, nice and warm at daytime.
The problem. It's not entirely like the French counterpart. There are about 500.000 sandflies on a squaremeter more, which made me receive more than 100 bites one day ( wow, this even topped the jungle in Bolivia!!!). And...it's only warm at daylight.
At night it was some 0 degrees..which is NOT pleasant in the previuously descrivbed sleeping bag and tent.Even with 2 pullovers, 2 shirts,long pants I was shivering the whole night, having some hallucinations about Schalke being champion and basicaly couldn't close my eyes until//until the sun got up again.
A nice 5 hour walk later we made our way to the Westcoast. Close to the 'most Kiwi town' f New Zealand I had the best sunset I have ever seen. Unfortunately I wasn't alone as at Macchu Picchu, so I had to jump out of joy and take off my clothes instead of just sitting there and crying. What an emotional moment!!!
Nexty day was not emotional, although it eventually should have been. Visiting a beer brewery, camping on the beach and cooking on the pavement in the middle of the town...yep...that was my birthday. At least people had a laugh about our nice meal including Birthday cake and "Happy Birthday" sign lying on the street.
But..who cares about a birthday when you get presents everyday??!?! And who cares about your birthday when you're 17.000km away from home? Thanks to the few who wrote me a message !!!
Our road continued and...after having been on tons of beaches , l"European"-like forest, oads of waterfalls, blowholes, rocky coast (with interesting features like stones shaped like stapled pancakes)..we arrived in...the middle of Switzerland adn Brazil. Both at the same time.
Hiking or flying by helicopter on/ over a glacier such as the Fox glacier is amazing. White everywhere. Blue sky. Sunshine. And...the rainforest just starting at the bottom of the glacier. Incredible.
Our road trip continued and...if I could vote one road in the world as 'the most scenic' one, then it;s definetely this between Haast and Wanaka.
The amount of mountains, forests, lakes and thos colours are just amazing. I highly recommend you to have a look on my homepage www.imagestaion.com/members/Jochen.Kemmer to have a look at some of the belonging pictures.
Finally we arrived in Queenstown, the adventure capital. 4 different type of bungeejumping, skydiving. rafting, canyon-wsinging, abseiling,, paragliding...you can just do every kind of adventure in this town. I decided for "Riversurfing" which means to 'surf'' (and paddle with your feet !!!) down a river lying on your bodyboard.Good fun..at least if we forget about the 50 cramps I had. As I already said. Don't seem to be born for watersports,
Before heading along the East coast to get some insight into NZ wildlife (penguins, seals, albatross, dolphins), our eyes still had to survive the "Highlight" of New Zealand.
We might complain about the bad weather we had on our boat cruise into the Doubtful Sound (the less travelled sister of the well-know Milford Sound)...but we don't. Rain increases the amount of waterfalls drifting down the mountains along this fjordland. Imagine a waterfall every 10 meters running donw beautiful green mountains in the middle of nowhere. Only one boat in the whole sound. Imagine pure silence. Or just come to Milford sound.
Before heading to my last stop Christhhurch, a 100% English town...we had to finish' on the top'.
On the top of Mount Cook, another glacier, another dream in white, green, blue.
Travelling New Zealand made me definetely aware of a few things.
1) The world is unfair. Nearly every country has some beautiful landscapes. But...I believe there is only one country which is beautiful everywhere.
2) Wir werden NIE Deutscher Meister. All the Up's and Down's of a soccer fan in only one country. From 12 points advance to a strong feeling of "Und am Ende wird Bayern wieder Meister"
3) You can get EVERYTHING. Everything. really. Believe, ask for it annd you'll get it.
You can camo everywhere. You can shower for free everywhere (especially in Base Backpacker Hostals & Top 10 Holiday parks ,-) ) . You can get a discount everyhwere.
And you can be happy 7/7. 24/24.
"How are you?" If somebody asks me that now, I just could answer. "Perfect". Because, and travelling with a guy like Bertram made me realize even more, IT"S ONLY YOU. Nobody can destroy your mood, your life. Nobody. Just be happy. Show it.
Then people will say " On a marqué les gens" and people will remember you in the hostal in Auckland yoiu just have stayed one single night explaining you " I saw about 3000 travellers in the last 6 weeks. And I hardly can remember a face or name. But...I remember that I have hardly ever met such nice, positive, friendly and poliute guy like you"
Thank you!!
and thank you Bertram for more than 5 awesome trave weeks!
So...even if I still don't have a plan what happens when I come home, even if there might be days where I'm feeling insecure, alone or whatever. Guys, we are blessed with fortune.
I am blessed with fortune. Tomorrow I'll gonna go to Sydney. In 18 days I'll gonna be in Johannesburg. With or without your music ,-)
Check my pictures, it's all updated. hear from you soon.
Jochen
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