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