Saturday 25 February 2012
Franz Josef, winaka, and back to queenstown...
so i'll make the rest short, before i forget it all intirely!
We went on to Franz Josef, a breath takingly beautiful place! we stayed in a hostel right in the middle of town (though it is quite a small town). By this point in our trip we were considerably lower on funds, so we decided we wouldnt do anything that would cost too much, and just make the most of all the free or cheaper things (although this didnt stop us buying food...) So we passed on the hike up the mountain and instead went kayaking in the lake, much to Holly's pleasure! It was stunning here, probably one of the most beautiful places ive been, but our brief visit soon passed and we were on our way to Winaka!
Winaka, known mostly for its beautiful lake and small lakeside beaches was again, beautiful. When we got here it was quite hot, so everyone made their way to the lake side to sunbathe and risk the bitter cold waters. I remember feeling happy and calm whilst we relaxed and had no worries or anything to do. It was just so nice. Winaka is said to be how queenstown was before it became such a huge tourist place with its crazy night life and even crazier extreme sports and activities! I could imagine this to be quite true, and i hope that Wanaka doesnt change too much, as it really was a very lovely place.
We stayed there just for the one night, and then went back to Queenstown, ending our incredible three weeks in New Zealand!
We were so excited to be back in Queenstown! It was a farmiliar place making it somewhat easier to feel more at home, and we were craving another ferg burger like crazy! (oh what i'd do for one now!) The last few days in New Zealand were a bit surreal. We spent most of our time just me and Holly, but went out with the others from the bus in the evenings. Traveling with a friend was very different from Kenya, we didnt realy get that close with anyone else, and i didnt feel i would miss anyone we had met, though it was lovely to meet everyone and i have some amazing memories. It was surreal because New Zealand is in so many ways like a fantasy, its so beautiful, you never feel like youre looking at something real, everything is so picturesque, the locals were so friendly, the stuff we got up to was so dream like i hardly believe i did it anymore. How i did that bungy jump i will never know... But mostly, it was so sad, because me and my childhood best friend were about to be seperated for the longest we had ever been apart for before. It would be 6 months, and so many different lives apart, and we didnt know what to expect. We were excited, for ourselves and for each other, but we were also scared. Holly was nervous to start something so new and different to anything she had experienced before, but i was sure she would have the time of her life, and told her she wouldnt want to leave Australia (she was going to teach Art in a school for 3 months) by the end of her trip. And im so very happy to say she had the time of her life, became part of her very own Australian family, who she loves and misses so much, and did something that i am so proud of her for doing.
So after a tearful goodbye (blubbering mess much?) we parted ways, and i set off for a thirty something hour flight back to England, on my own, and didnt manage to get lost of miss my flight once!
We will never ever forget the people we met, the crazy sky dive man "scruffy", our perhaps even crazier kayaking guide who lured us into the wilderness and almost had me convinced he was going to kill and eat us, our charming bus drivers, the even more charming inbred locals, the obsurd man and his wife who owned the bizarre hunters resteraunt and "museum", the poo pub and its ancient owner with his many many hats, Julie and her entertaining lord of the rings tour (still amazing, never gay), FERG BURGERS, and the ice cream parlour where we went every day while we were in Queenstown. The lakes, the rainforests, the old sweet shop in Queenstown, the breakfast place where we had our monster breakfast (mmmmmm), the Canadian guys we met in a bar (NOT AMERICAN, i will never make that mistake again) the bar with the teapot shots, and perhaps most of all, our bungy jump and sky dive! And so so so much more.
We went on to Franz Josef, a breath takingly beautiful place! we stayed in a hostel right in the middle of town (though it is quite a small town). By this point in our trip we were considerably lower on funds, so we decided we wouldnt do anything that would cost too much, and just make the most of all the free or cheaper things (although this didnt stop us buying food...) So we passed on the hike up the mountain and instead went kayaking in the lake, much to Holly's pleasure! It was stunning here, probably one of the most beautiful places ive been, but our brief visit soon passed and we were on our way to Winaka!
Winaka, known mostly for its beautiful lake and small lakeside beaches was again, beautiful. When we got here it was quite hot, so everyone made their way to the lake side to sunbathe and risk the bitter cold waters. I remember feeling happy and calm whilst we relaxed and had no worries or anything to do. It was just so nice. Winaka is said to be how queenstown was before it became such a huge tourist place with its crazy night life and even crazier extreme sports and activities! I could imagine this to be quite true, and i hope that Wanaka doesnt change too much, as it really was a very lovely place.
We stayed there just for the one night, and then went back to Queenstown, ending our incredible three weeks in New Zealand!
We were so excited to be back in Queenstown! It was a farmiliar place making it somewhat easier to feel more at home, and we were craving another ferg burger like crazy! (oh what i'd do for one now!) The last few days in New Zealand were a bit surreal. We spent most of our time just me and Holly, but went out with the others from the bus in the evenings. Traveling with a friend was very different from Kenya, we didnt realy get that close with anyone else, and i didnt feel i would miss anyone we had met, though it was lovely to meet everyone and i have some amazing memories. It was surreal because New Zealand is in so many ways like a fantasy, its so beautiful, you never feel like youre looking at something real, everything is so picturesque, the locals were so friendly, the stuff we got up to was so dream like i hardly believe i did it anymore. How i did that bungy jump i will never know... But mostly, it was so sad, because me and my childhood best friend were about to be seperated for the longest we had ever been apart for before. It would be 6 months, and so many different lives apart, and we didnt know what to expect. We were excited, for ourselves and for each other, but we were also scared. Holly was nervous to start something so new and different to anything she had experienced before, but i was sure she would have the time of her life, and told her she wouldnt want to leave Australia (she was going to teach Art in a school for 3 months) by the end of her trip. And im so very happy to say she had the time of her life, became part of her very own Australian family, who she loves and misses so much, and did something that i am so proud of her for doing.
So after a tearful goodbye (blubbering mess much?) we parted ways, and i set off for a thirty something hour flight back to England, on my own, and didnt manage to get lost of miss my flight once!
We will never ever forget the people we met, the crazy sky dive man "scruffy", our perhaps even crazier kayaking guide who lured us into the wilderness and almost had me convinced he was going to kill and eat us, our charming bus drivers, the even more charming inbred locals, the obsurd man and his wife who owned the bizarre hunters resteraunt and "museum", the poo pub and its ancient owner with his many many hats, Julie and her entertaining lord of the rings tour (still amazing, never gay), FERG BURGERS, and the ice cream parlour where we went every day while we were in Queenstown. The lakes, the rainforests, the old sweet shop in Queenstown, the breakfast place where we had our monster breakfast (mmmmmm), the Canadian guys we met in a bar (NOT AMERICAN, i will never make that mistake again) the bar with the teapot shots, and perhaps most of all, our bungy jump and sky dive! And so so so much more.
Thursday 17 November 2011
Inbreds, anyone?
We left christchurch and headed for Westport, a small town where we were just staying for the night. Our lovely bubbly bus drive, Flea, mocked the small town and told us it was full of inbred beared men. We couldnt wait.
There was a competition to see who could get a photo of the ugliest man there, and the prize was something like a bungy swing or something amazing!
So we got there, and naturally me and holly went straight to the nearest subway. That night everyone was going to this pub to get nice and drunk, so we got some wine and predrank in our room. We were sharing our dorm with some Norwegian peolpe ( or were they swedish?), 2 girls who looked like barbies, and two guys, ohe who looked (and danced) like something out of Grease. We then started drinking games with them. Probably the stupidest most simple drinking game ever, just flicking the bottle cap into a dirty pint, then if you flicked it in, you were safe, but if the next person missed it they had to drink, if the person before you gets it in but you miss, you have to drink. I was next to Grease guy, and he was good. I. Got. Mortal. I dont remember the rest of the night, but what i do recall was us somehow getting to this pub, for some stupid reason getting a bottle of wine to share, attempting to play pool, going to the toilet then insisting that i had lost my camera all night. Poor Holly had to cope with me all night until we finally came home and i munched on the most disgusting cereal bar ever. I woke up the next day in QUITE a state.
We then had to get on the bus again to head to Greymouth, much to my dismay as to my terrible state. But somehow i managed not to vom once!
The point of going to Greymouth is basically to stay in this hostel and pub called "the poo pub" where a guy called Les owns and the Kiwi Experience people have grown to love him and stay there with all their busses. Now, Les is an interesting character. He is quite old, has a big bushy beard, wears the same hat that he has worn for years and looks fairly inbred in himself. He is a stern, strict man who says serious things that no one can help laughing at. He was lovely under it all, and such a laugh, everyone loved les.
There was also a beach and a lovely lake there, but the main focus of the brief time spent there was to once again get mortal. Everytime a bus stays there they have a big old piss up and a fancy dress theme, and Les and his bar maids make us food, which basically consisted of venison and potatoes.
The pub was a strange place, the ceiling was covered in hats, the walls were covered in polaroid photos from previous bus groups, the bar maid was a beefy woman. It was dark and dingy and had so much character!
The hostel section of the place was interesting in its self. We felt like we were kept in a prison or some kennels... The rooms were essentially a tank, with 2 bunk beds in each tank.
The theme of our night was anything begining with the letter of your first or last name, nice and easy! On our way to Greymouth we had stopped at another town to get cheap costumes, so everyone was all excited to show everyone what they had. There was a prize again for a bungy jump or something so everyone was keen.
Me and holly decided to go as tramps, sexyy!
Everyone was getting ready and it was all hilarious. Les, an interesting man had set some ground rules. No body paint, no mess, no cardboard. Why he had something against cardboard no one knew.
Me and holly tramped ourselves up with back brushed hair, scruffy clothes, bin bag shoes and even a stick with a plastic bag package on.
The other girl in our room was going as a pool, so she had a safety inflatable ring around her waste, safety bands on her arms and then painted her legs to look like water, and it looked so good! We all went to the pub and Flea came over to her and told her that Les would go mad! and that she had to wash it all off! We couldnt stop laughing, she had spent so long on it!
It was a fun little piss up, the costumes were hilarious. 3 guys went as girls, full out, one girl went as a condom, one girl went as a hangover complete with bowel with fake sick, it was quite a giggle. The winner was one of the guys who went as a girl, he did look good but damn scary!
There was a competition to see who could get a photo of the ugliest man there, and the prize was something like a bungy swing or something amazing!
So we got there, and naturally me and holly went straight to the nearest subway. That night everyone was going to this pub to get nice and drunk, so we got some wine and predrank in our room. We were sharing our dorm with some Norwegian peolpe ( or were they swedish?), 2 girls who looked like barbies, and two guys, ohe who looked (and danced) like something out of Grease. We then started drinking games with them. Probably the stupidest most simple drinking game ever, just flicking the bottle cap into a dirty pint, then if you flicked it in, you were safe, but if the next person missed it they had to drink, if the person before you gets it in but you miss, you have to drink. I was next to Grease guy, and he was good. I. Got. Mortal. I dont remember the rest of the night, but what i do recall was us somehow getting to this pub, for some stupid reason getting a bottle of wine to share, attempting to play pool, going to the toilet then insisting that i had lost my camera all night. Poor Holly had to cope with me all night until we finally came home and i munched on the most disgusting cereal bar ever. I woke up the next day in QUITE a state.
We then had to get on the bus again to head to Greymouth, much to my dismay as to my terrible state. But somehow i managed not to vom once!
The point of going to Greymouth is basically to stay in this hostel and pub called "the poo pub" where a guy called Les owns and the Kiwi Experience people have grown to love him and stay there with all their busses. Now, Les is an interesting character. He is quite old, has a big bushy beard, wears the same hat that he has worn for years and looks fairly inbred in himself. He is a stern, strict man who says serious things that no one can help laughing at. He was lovely under it all, and such a laugh, everyone loved les.
There was also a beach and a lovely lake there, but the main focus of the brief time spent there was to once again get mortal. Everytime a bus stays there they have a big old piss up and a fancy dress theme, and Les and his bar maids make us food, which basically consisted of venison and potatoes.
The pub was a strange place, the ceiling was covered in hats, the walls were covered in polaroid photos from previous bus groups, the bar maid was a beefy woman. It was dark and dingy and had so much character!
The hostel section of the place was interesting in its self. We felt like we were kept in a prison or some kennels... The rooms were essentially a tank, with 2 bunk beds in each tank.
The theme of our night was anything begining with the letter of your first or last name, nice and easy! On our way to Greymouth we had stopped at another town to get cheap costumes, so everyone was all excited to show everyone what they had. There was a prize again for a bungy jump or something so everyone was keen.
Me and holly decided to go as tramps, sexyy!
Everyone was getting ready and it was all hilarious. Les, an interesting man had set some ground rules. No body paint, no mess, no cardboard. Why he had something against cardboard no one knew.
Me and holly tramped ourselves up with back brushed hair, scruffy clothes, bin bag shoes and even a stick with a plastic bag package on.
The other girl in our room was going as a pool, so she had a safety inflatable ring around her waste, safety bands on her arms and then painted her legs to look like water, and it looked so good! We all went to the pub and Flea came over to her and told her that Les would go mad! and that she had to wash it all off! We couldnt stop laughing, she had spent so long on it!
It was a fun little piss up, the costumes were hilarious. 3 guys went as girls, full out, one girl went as a condom, one girl went as a hangover complete with bowel with fake sick, it was quite a giggle. The winner was one of the guys who went as a girl, he did look good but damn scary!
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Christchurch to Nelson
We arrived in Christchurch after a long drive. There was alot of trouble trying to find everyone accomodation, all the hostels were jam packed, but we found somewhere not too far from the town centre.
Christchurch had had a series of serious earthquakes recently, and you could see this is some areas, but at this time there was no major damage, just tumbled building every now and then. (this was about a month before the major one in the centre that took hundreds of lives.)
We stumbled into our hostel where we were staying just for that night, then we would have to find somewhere else to stay of hope they had another room that would open up for our last 2 nights there. We were shattered after the long bus ride and had seen a subway accross the road.
I must have been tired, because i had a little paddy, i dont even know what about now, probably about the stress of nearly not finding a room, and lauren with no food = utter downfall. We checked into our room, which for the first time was a twin room, not a dorm. This was more expensive but due to my sudden state of ridiculousness was probably best. They had some old school chunky computers, so we had our daily quick check on facebook, and then went across the road for a subway, and more importantly , two bottles of wine.
We went back to our room, and got merry.
This was one of those times i was glad to be there with my best friend. Boy, can we wind each other up sometimes, but there are very few people in the world who know how to handle me when i have one of my, what we liked to call, "episodes", and she is one of them. Food and booze, that'll just about do it.
We went to sleep (or passed out) and walked into town the next day. Christchurch is meant to be the most british town in Newzealand. I think i could understand this. It felt farmliiar, but i dont know why. We went to the main square, where the Cathedral then stood (it came down along with everything else in the earthquake), a market, shops, internet cafes, tourist information centre and other buildings. There was a Shopping centre just round the corner, and lots of cafes and things. We went into the information centre to see what we could do, and before we knew it we had booked a jet boat ride, tickets to the art gallery and to the Ron Mueck exhibition (yay!), and also to go punting up the river (why not!). So with the 2 days we had there full we were quite content.
We also met up with some friends from school, young Phillip and chino and their friends. It was the strangest thing seeing them! and what a bizarre night.
We then went on to kaikoura for a night. This was a cute little town on the coast, most known for its whale watching and swimming with dolphins. Ideally we wanted to do both, but with a lack of money we decided to go with the whale watching as thats not something we'll get to do again any time soon. It was a nice little afternoon and we saw loooads of dolphins and a sperm whale, yay! That night we had a bbq with everyone on the bus back at the hostel.
Then we went onto Nelson, one of my favorite places we went to! Nelson is quite a quirky little town near the beach, with fun little shops, restaurants and bars. I fell in love with a little bead shop which i dragged holly to and spent a good half an hour in! There were also rivers that run through Nelson that are perfect to go to for an afternoon cool down, and to sunbath on the rocks. Our hostel was also above a pub, which was pretty good.
We also did our amazing Sky Dive over the Abel Tasman national park of 16,500ft! AHHHHHH!!!!
This really was the most amazing feeling. ever. Again, we got picked up by a van and a bubbly woman with another couple, a boyfriend and girlfriend travelling together who were really nice, and we drove off to the skydive place. We came to a small airfield and as we walked in they talked us through the safety things and showed us a video. As much as we wanted to, we didnt get the photos and the video, because it was about £100 more, so we just got the standard sky dive. We had to go into another room where we put on a sexy jump suit and a helmet with plastic goggles attatched. Me and holly were tickled at each others appearances so took some quick photos. We had to wait for another group to go up first, so we watched them go up in their tiny little plane. Oh my god. That looked scary in itself. Im not big on flying, and that creeped me out more than the jump!!! We watched them go up, up, up, then eventually saw a small dot coming down. The closer they got, the more we heard their excited cries and woo's, then they landed screaming and laughing. Then the others came down. They all looked so happy and excited i could not wait! ahh!!! Then it was our turn! We waited for our Sky dive man people to come out, who we would be strapped to... oh please give me a really sexy guy.. please... everyone else had their guy, i will still waiting. Then i heard his voice. "hello... My name is Scruffy" oh god. no. not him. hes mental. He looked like he had been electrocuted but i thought hey, if he can do it, so can i.. that or i die...
So we got in the creepy tiny plane. I thought it would have seats along the side faceing each other, but instead there were two metal planks along the middle, and you had to go in backwards and slide on up. Our men then strapped themselves to our backs, me with a mentalist, and they talked us through what we had to do next. Why do they always do this? tell us important things when im clearly not listening to a word they're saying! This time i couldnt even hear the guy the plane was so loud! and i was staring our the window. Shit we were so high up! We were so high i liturally thought we were going somewhere!! How is it possible to jump out of something THIS high!?!?! Jeez christ.
So the couple went out first. Just like that. They shuffled forwards... then they were just GONE out of a fucking PLANE! OH MY GOD YES THIS IS SO CRAZY! then it was my turn! fuzzy of scruffy or whatever his name was shuffled me forward, crikey, and then OUT WE WENT!!!! DOWNNN DOWNNNN DOWNNN! This time we had a 75 second free fall! THAT IS HUGE!!!! Im so glad i didnt have a man taking photos, because i could feel my face being whipped around in all directions, i could imagine my mouth just open wide, i wasnt sure if i was dribbling or not, but it was INCREDIBLE! After the shock of jumping our of a plane the feeling was amazing! Then all of a sudden it had stopped, and we were floating. The parachute was up, (YES IT WORKED), and we were floating down. I then realised how amazing the view was. The world was at a curve, i was so high up, and so happy, so free! like a bird! oh so merry. it was amazing. Then fuzzpot goes, "you want to do some spins?" Yeah why not!!! Ouch. We did a few spins, and oh my god i thought my groin was going to split in to! I thanked god i didnt have balls, then he stopped chuckling like a psychopath. "You want to go again?" No i did not want to go again, but oh boy, we went again. And there was that pain in my groin. Jesus, how do i humour this man, do i laugh or do i scream!? So i screamed. and he stopped laughing again. Oh yes its all very funny when a girl can never use her vagina again.
But the view was amazing, the best thing ive ever seen, the best feeling in the world. It was all so amazing! I instantly loved the sky dive more than the bungy and never wanted it to stop!
Then land was coming in closer, and closer... Scruffles was telling me to do something with my legs for when we land, so i put them out straight and he shouted OH NOT THAT MUCH.. jesus man make your mind up.. and then i landed on my arse. Or oh his lap, god knows, i was too happy to care. We got up and he released me and i felt amazing. Holly then came down and we skipped along merrily. Then we went back into the office, got out of the ridiculous overalls and then went into the main waiting area waiting to go back for our well deserved victory pint. Then the best thing ever happened.. The woman.. i cant remember her name.. who picked us up came out with beer! free beer! YEAH BOY! We drank them happy as can be and then went back to our hostel.
Christchurch had had a series of serious earthquakes recently, and you could see this is some areas, but at this time there was no major damage, just tumbled building every now and then. (this was about a month before the major one in the centre that took hundreds of lives.)
We stumbled into our hostel where we were staying just for that night, then we would have to find somewhere else to stay of hope they had another room that would open up for our last 2 nights there. We were shattered after the long bus ride and had seen a subway accross the road.
I must have been tired, because i had a little paddy, i dont even know what about now, probably about the stress of nearly not finding a room, and lauren with no food = utter downfall. We checked into our room, which for the first time was a twin room, not a dorm. This was more expensive but due to my sudden state of ridiculousness was probably best. They had some old school chunky computers, so we had our daily quick check on facebook, and then went across the road for a subway, and more importantly , two bottles of wine.
We went back to our room, and got merry.
This was one of those times i was glad to be there with my best friend. Boy, can we wind each other up sometimes, but there are very few people in the world who know how to handle me when i have one of my, what we liked to call, "episodes", and she is one of them. Food and booze, that'll just about do it.
We went to sleep (or passed out) and walked into town the next day. Christchurch is meant to be the most british town in Newzealand. I think i could understand this. It felt farmliiar, but i dont know why. We went to the main square, where the Cathedral then stood (it came down along with everything else in the earthquake), a market, shops, internet cafes, tourist information centre and other buildings. There was a Shopping centre just round the corner, and lots of cafes and things. We went into the information centre to see what we could do, and before we knew it we had booked a jet boat ride, tickets to the art gallery and to the Ron Mueck exhibition (yay!), and also to go punting up the river (why not!). So with the 2 days we had there full we were quite content.
We also met up with some friends from school, young Phillip and chino and their friends. It was the strangest thing seeing them! and what a bizarre night.
We then went on to kaikoura for a night. This was a cute little town on the coast, most known for its whale watching and swimming with dolphins. Ideally we wanted to do both, but with a lack of money we decided to go with the whale watching as thats not something we'll get to do again any time soon. It was a nice little afternoon and we saw loooads of dolphins and a sperm whale, yay! That night we had a bbq with everyone on the bus back at the hostel.
Then we went onto Nelson, one of my favorite places we went to! Nelson is quite a quirky little town near the beach, with fun little shops, restaurants and bars. I fell in love with a little bead shop which i dragged holly to and spent a good half an hour in! There were also rivers that run through Nelson that are perfect to go to for an afternoon cool down, and to sunbath on the rocks. Our hostel was also above a pub, which was pretty good.
We also did our amazing Sky Dive over the Abel Tasman national park of 16,500ft! AHHHHHH!!!!
This really was the most amazing feeling. ever. Again, we got picked up by a van and a bubbly woman with another couple, a boyfriend and girlfriend travelling together who were really nice, and we drove off to the skydive place. We came to a small airfield and as we walked in they talked us through the safety things and showed us a video. As much as we wanted to, we didnt get the photos and the video, because it was about £100 more, so we just got the standard sky dive. We had to go into another room where we put on a sexy jump suit and a helmet with plastic goggles attatched. Me and holly were tickled at each others appearances so took some quick photos. We had to wait for another group to go up first, so we watched them go up in their tiny little plane. Oh my god. That looked scary in itself. Im not big on flying, and that creeped me out more than the jump!!! We watched them go up, up, up, then eventually saw a small dot coming down. The closer they got, the more we heard their excited cries and woo's, then they landed screaming and laughing. Then the others came down. They all looked so happy and excited i could not wait! ahh!!! Then it was our turn! We waited for our Sky dive man people to come out, who we would be strapped to... oh please give me a really sexy guy.. please... everyone else had their guy, i will still waiting. Then i heard his voice. "hello... My name is Scruffy" oh god. no. not him. hes mental. He looked like he had been electrocuted but i thought hey, if he can do it, so can i.. that or i die...
So we got in the creepy tiny plane. I thought it would have seats along the side faceing each other, but instead there were two metal planks along the middle, and you had to go in backwards and slide on up. Our men then strapped themselves to our backs, me with a mentalist, and they talked us through what we had to do next. Why do they always do this? tell us important things when im clearly not listening to a word they're saying! This time i couldnt even hear the guy the plane was so loud! and i was staring our the window. Shit we were so high up! We were so high i liturally thought we were going somewhere!! How is it possible to jump out of something THIS high!?!?! Jeez christ.
So the couple went out first. Just like that. They shuffled forwards... then they were just GONE out of a fucking PLANE! OH MY GOD YES THIS IS SO CRAZY! then it was my turn! fuzzy of scruffy or whatever his name was shuffled me forward, crikey, and then OUT WE WENT!!!! DOWNNN DOWNNNN DOWNNN! This time we had a 75 second free fall! THAT IS HUGE!!!! Im so glad i didnt have a man taking photos, because i could feel my face being whipped around in all directions, i could imagine my mouth just open wide, i wasnt sure if i was dribbling or not, but it was INCREDIBLE! After the shock of jumping our of a plane the feeling was amazing! Then all of a sudden it had stopped, and we were floating. The parachute was up, (YES IT WORKED), and we were floating down. I then realised how amazing the view was. The world was at a curve, i was so high up, and so happy, so free! like a bird! oh so merry. it was amazing. Then fuzzpot goes, "you want to do some spins?" Yeah why not!!! Ouch. We did a few spins, and oh my god i thought my groin was going to split in to! I thanked god i didnt have balls, then he stopped chuckling like a psychopath. "You want to go again?" No i did not want to go again, but oh boy, we went again. And there was that pain in my groin. Jesus, how do i humour this man, do i laugh or do i scream!? So i screamed. and he stopped laughing again. Oh yes its all very funny when a girl can never use her vagina again.
But the view was amazing, the best thing ive ever seen, the best feeling in the world. It was all so amazing! I instantly loved the sky dive more than the bungy and never wanted it to stop!
Then land was coming in closer, and closer... Scruffles was telling me to do something with my legs for when we land, so i put them out straight and he shouted OH NOT THAT MUCH.. jesus man make your mind up.. and then i landed on my arse. Or oh his lap, god knows, i was too happy to care. We got up and he released me and i felt amazing. Holly then came down and we skipped along merrily. Then we went back into the office, got out of the ridiculous overalls and then went into the main waiting area waiting to go back for our well deserved victory pint. Then the best thing ever happened.. The woman.. i cant remember her name.. who picked us up came out with beer! free beer! YEAH BOY! We drank them happy as can be and then went back to our hostel.
New Zealand Baby!
We set off at the begining of jan for our 3 week adventure!
We were going to travel around the south island via Kiwi Experience, what a treat!
So after a short 33 hour flight, we finally arrived in Queenstown, dazed and confused and not quite knowing what meal we were supposed to have due to our jetlag.
We spent a few days in queenstown just to get our barings and before we knew it we had booked a lord of the rings tour (HEHE) and a 134m bungy jump! (The Nevis bungy)
We absolutely fell in love with Queenstown. We loved the atmosphere and the lake, and above all FERG BURGERS! The biggest most amazing burgers we had ever seen. mmmmmm.
We went on the lord of the rings tour for poops and giggles, but actually it turned out to be a really fun day! It was just the two of us on our tour, and we got picked up in a 4x4 by a woman called Julie who was from Australia. She was such a sweetie. She told us all about queenstown, then we set off to various filming sites of the lord of the rings films, telling us all about them! (i also found out that queenstown was the base filming site for the film 'Willow'. shocking) She showed us the mountains where they filmed, the river where they rowed up at the end of the first film before that big battle, the river where smeagol first steals the ring.. and loads more, along with Shania Twains holiday house, and Aragorns favorite cafe to eat in! Towards the end of the tour she showed us the first A.J. Hacket bungy site. This one was above a river, and you had the option of being dunked in the water head first. She then said to us, that this bungy jump was about 1/3 of the size of the Nevis bungy. Oh goody, we couldnt wait. Laughing at us for having to do this monster bungy the next day, she dropped us back off at our hostel. She was such a babe.
The next day we woke up early. We had booked one of the earliest jumps so we wouldnt have to sit around waiting and thinking about it all day. We had to get a bus to our bungy jump site, then another smaller bus up a windy road. Then we arrived at a building and they went through some safety info with us. Holly had been nervous this whole way, and it was only now that it was starting to hit us. We got into our sexy harness and walked outside. There was a cabel car, and you had to get a carriage out to the platform which was where we were about to jump out of. It hit me. Looking down all i could see was the edge of the cliff, rocks, rocks and more rocks, then alllll the way down was what looked like a piece of blue string, that was probably a decent sized river. Shit.
A girl who worked there came over to talk to us. "nervous?" she asked us. Nahhhh course we werent, we're hard core baby! She talked us through it, she'd done this jump loads of times and she still got nervous every time she jumped, but she said it was the most amazing feeling. I was buzzing, i couldnt wait, and yet i couldnt even imagine how it was going to feel!!! She said if we wanted to look really good, when we jump we have to do the swan position. This meant, we jump, chest pumped out, head held high, arms back. Yeah man, i was going to do this, and i was going to look fucking awesome.
So we were waiting in that box in the middle of these two cliffs. watching everyone else go first. this made me feel better, they were shitting themselves, but when they came back up they were ecstatic! We waited until they called one of our names, who was going to go first!?
It was me. I was happy with this, i didnt want to see Holly's reaction incase it was a bad one, then have to go after knowing i was probably going to shit myself on the way down. The free fall was about 8 or 9 seconds, thats a long time to fall. At this point i was fine, i was so excited, i was so ready! I sat in their dentist like chair while he strapped me up and talked me through what i had to do. As i sat down the chair jumped, i thought i was going to fall out of this stupid box, and then i was nervous. He went on to say he would count to 3, i would jump, i would fall, after the 2nd or 3rd bounce i would lean upwards and yank out this strap from the harness and i would come upright again and they would pull me up.
Wait, what? My mind was blank, i hadnt taken in a thing he had said. FUCK. WHAT. im going now??? OOHH shit. I tried to get up, tried to walk towards the edge of this stupid box, but you try walking when your feet are tied together, its not easy. I could hear Holly giggling at my penguin like waddling. Shit. There was the edge. Try not to fall now. Oh my god. That is a long way down. "Are you ready?" he said.. i heard a feeble little voice say no, but oh wait, that was me! he started to count down from 3. "IM NOT READY" i blerted. "Am i going to have to push you?" he said. "yes please" i said, but oh no, he wasnt going to do that was he. Ohhhh my god im about to jump out of a fucking box. ohhhh myyy goooodd. He counted down from 3 again... 3... 2... 1.. I DID IT! did i jump. or did i just fall out of that box. i dont care i did it. oh my god im falling! SHIT! SHIT! IM NOT STOPPING! IM GOING TO DIE! SOMETHING WENT WRONG! OH FUCK THIS IS THE SCARIEST THING IVE EVER DONE! IM NOT STOPPING! WHERE IS THE BOUNCE! WHAT DID HE SAY AGAIN? OH GOD WHAT DID HE SAY?? hmm i really want a pint. and a burger... OH MY GOD IM GOING TO.... bounce. YES. IM ALIVE. OH MY GOD. THAT WAS AMAZING... bounce.. FUCKING HELL THAT WAS FUCKING AMAZING.. bounce.. oh wait.. wasnt i supposed to do something now... i tried to yank this strap from the harness around my ankles.. oh it wont come out! oh god!!! Then i felt myself fall. Yet again i thought i was going to die, then when i oppened my eyes i was upright, and was slowly being pulled back up to the cable car. I looked at my surroundings. It was amazing. The best thing i had ever seen. And it was just me, hanging there, in the middle of all of it. It felt like forever, but then it felt like no time at all, it had all happened so quickly, and i wanted another go! AGAIN AGAIN! I got to the top stuttering like a fool, shaking. "that was amaazing ohmygod OHmyGOD that was AMAZING" was all i managed to get out of my mouth.
Then it was Hollys turn. I couldnt stop smilling. "YOURE GOING TO LOVE IT HOLLY". man i must have been annoying. she sat in the chair, giggling everytime the man said anything, probably taking in just as little as i just had. she then waddled over to the edge. Hey, that is pretty funny to watch... She went to the edge, and she just jumped. What the fuck. Why did she make it look so easy? Goddamnit.
She came back up in no time at all, with the same goofy smile i had on my face! We were buzzing for more! We went back across the cable thing with a quite nice looking guy who worked there, i wanted to pretend i was dead cool but no, i looked like a spaz. all me and holly could properly say was "OMG" and "cant wait for my victory pint".
We got back to the main building to get our stuff back, feeling like we were fucking well cool.
Then the first thing we both did was go on facebook.
Whatevs, we're still mint.
We bought the video of our jumps then got the bus back to Queenstown.
I dont know if it is because of the hour long journey back or because of the run down from the adrenaline, but i was knackered. i was so tired, and my head was banging. And I think holly felt a bit rough too.
We got back to the hostel and i swear to god all i wanted was a nap. So much for being amazing.
We also did the Milford sounds tour while we were there. We got up early, once again, and went on facebook to check our emails from our boyfriends and family and friends. I cant remember why now but something upset me, i probably didnt have a reply from the boyf, so i was all teary and holly was trying to chear me up, then the bus was there! ahhhh quick, regain all self control!!!
Then we went on probably one of the most beautiful bus journeys ever! it took maybe 2 hours to get to the boat dock? maybe 3 with stops on the way to look at beautiful waterfalls and a walk through a rainforest. Then we finally got there and went on a boat ride, complete with food, YAY!
It wasnt a very sunny day, infact it was really quite clowdy, but we were told that milford sounds looks most beautiful on the most miserable of days. When it rains, the sounds shine, and they did! The waterfalls were full and playfull, seals were everywhere, it was stunning! We went up to the top deck to get a better view and to get some happy snaps. What a bad day to wear dresses. We went upstairs and the second we opened the door, BOOM, Hello knickers!!!!! We tackeled the strong wind and our dresses, and crawled our way over to the benches and sat down. oh christ, how would we ever walk back to the door. And oh good, theres a chinese man with a fuck off massive camera. Good times. A guy we met oh the bus was laughing at us, well.. who wasnt.. and took a humorous photo of us both in the wind with our dresses going everywhere, and our hair the state of a yeti. Hilarious.
Later on we stopped at this strange building in the middle of nowhere, and we were one of the few who had tickets to this place, which we didnt even know about but hey ho, off we went! It turned out to be a little fishy museum type thing, and you could go down all the way into this glass room which let you look out into the sea to see the fish that were swimming around, it was awesome!!!
We then got back on the boat, back to the docks, and back on the bus, for a long drive back to our hostel.
The next day we were off to Christchurch!
We were going to travel around the south island via Kiwi Experience, what a treat!
So after a short 33 hour flight, we finally arrived in Queenstown, dazed and confused and not quite knowing what meal we were supposed to have due to our jetlag.
We spent a few days in queenstown just to get our barings and before we knew it we had booked a lord of the rings tour (HEHE) and a 134m bungy jump! (The Nevis bungy)
We absolutely fell in love with Queenstown. We loved the atmosphere and the lake, and above all FERG BURGERS! The biggest most amazing burgers we had ever seen. mmmmmm.
We went on the lord of the rings tour for poops and giggles, but actually it turned out to be a really fun day! It was just the two of us on our tour, and we got picked up in a 4x4 by a woman called Julie who was from Australia. She was such a sweetie. She told us all about queenstown, then we set off to various filming sites of the lord of the rings films, telling us all about them! (i also found out that queenstown was the base filming site for the film 'Willow'. shocking) She showed us the mountains where they filmed, the river where they rowed up at the end of the first film before that big battle, the river where smeagol first steals the ring.. and loads more, along with Shania Twains holiday house, and Aragorns favorite cafe to eat in! Towards the end of the tour she showed us the first A.J. Hacket bungy site. This one was above a river, and you had the option of being dunked in the water head first. She then said to us, that this bungy jump was about 1/3 of the size of the Nevis bungy. Oh goody, we couldnt wait. Laughing at us for having to do this monster bungy the next day, she dropped us back off at our hostel. She was such a babe.
The next day we woke up early. We had booked one of the earliest jumps so we wouldnt have to sit around waiting and thinking about it all day. We had to get a bus to our bungy jump site, then another smaller bus up a windy road. Then we arrived at a building and they went through some safety info with us. Holly had been nervous this whole way, and it was only now that it was starting to hit us. We got into our sexy harness and walked outside. There was a cabel car, and you had to get a carriage out to the platform which was where we were about to jump out of. It hit me. Looking down all i could see was the edge of the cliff, rocks, rocks and more rocks, then alllll the way down was what looked like a piece of blue string, that was probably a decent sized river. Shit.
A girl who worked there came over to talk to us. "nervous?" she asked us. Nahhhh course we werent, we're hard core baby! She talked us through it, she'd done this jump loads of times and she still got nervous every time she jumped, but she said it was the most amazing feeling. I was buzzing, i couldnt wait, and yet i couldnt even imagine how it was going to feel!!! She said if we wanted to look really good, when we jump we have to do the swan position. This meant, we jump, chest pumped out, head held high, arms back. Yeah man, i was going to do this, and i was going to look fucking awesome.
So we were waiting in that box in the middle of these two cliffs. watching everyone else go first. this made me feel better, they were shitting themselves, but when they came back up they were ecstatic! We waited until they called one of our names, who was going to go first!?
It was me. I was happy with this, i didnt want to see Holly's reaction incase it was a bad one, then have to go after knowing i was probably going to shit myself on the way down. The free fall was about 8 or 9 seconds, thats a long time to fall. At this point i was fine, i was so excited, i was so ready! I sat in their dentist like chair while he strapped me up and talked me through what i had to do. As i sat down the chair jumped, i thought i was going to fall out of this stupid box, and then i was nervous. He went on to say he would count to 3, i would jump, i would fall, after the 2nd or 3rd bounce i would lean upwards and yank out this strap from the harness and i would come upright again and they would pull me up.
Wait, what? My mind was blank, i hadnt taken in a thing he had said. FUCK. WHAT. im going now??? OOHH shit. I tried to get up, tried to walk towards the edge of this stupid box, but you try walking when your feet are tied together, its not easy. I could hear Holly giggling at my penguin like waddling. Shit. There was the edge. Try not to fall now. Oh my god. That is a long way down. "Are you ready?" he said.. i heard a feeble little voice say no, but oh wait, that was me! he started to count down from 3. "IM NOT READY" i blerted. "Am i going to have to push you?" he said. "yes please" i said, but oh no, he wasnt going to do that was he. Ohhhh my god im about to jump out of a fucking box. ohhhh myyy goooodd. He counted down from 3 again... 3... 2... 1.. I DID IT! did i jump. or did i just fall out of that box. i dont care i did it. oh my god im falling! SHIT! SHIT! IM NOT STOPPING! IM GOING TO DIE! SOMETHING WENT WRONG! OH FUCK THIS IS THE SCARIEST THING IVE EVER DONE! IM NOT STOPPING! WHERE IS THE BOUNCE! WHAT DID HE SAY AGAIN? OH GOD WHAT DID HE SAY?? hmm i really want a pint. and a burger... OH MY GOD IM GOING TO.... bounce. YES. IM ALIVE. OH MY GOD. THAT WAS AMAZING... bounce.. FUCKING HELL THAT WAS FUCKING AMAZING.. bounce.. oh wait.. wasnt i supposed to do something now... i tried to yank this strap from the harness around my ankles.. oh it wont come out! oh god!!! Then i felt myself fall. Yet again i thought i was going to die, then when i oppened my eyes i was upright, and was slowly being pulled back up to the cable car. I looked at my surroundings. It was amazing. The best thing i had ever seen. And it was just me, hanging there, in the middle of all of it. It felt like forever, but then it felt like no time at all, it had all happened so quickly, and i wanted another go! AGAIN AGAIN! I got to the top stuttering like a fool, shaking. "that was amaazing ohmygod OHmyGOD that was AMAZING" was all i managed to get out of my mouth.
Then it was Hollys turn. I couldnt stop smilling. "YOURE GOING TO LOVE IT HOLLY". man i must have been annoying. she sat in the chair, giggling everytime the man said anything, probably taking in just as little as i just had. she then waddled over to the edge. Hey, that is pretty funny to watch... She went to the edge, and she just jumped. What the fuck. Why did she make it look so easy? Goddamnit.
She came back up in no time at all, with the same goofy smile i had on my face! We were buzzing for more! We went back across the cable thing with a quite nice looking guy who worked there, i wanted to pretend i was dead cool but no, i looked like a spaz. all me and holly could properly say was "OMG" and "cant wait for my victory pint".
We got back to the main building to get our stuff back, feeling like we were fucking well cool.
Then the first thing we both did was go on facebook.
Whatevs, we're still mint.
We bought the video of our jumps then got the bus back to Queenstown.
I dont know if it is because of the hour long journey back or because of the run down from the adrenaline, but i was knackered. i was so tired, and my head was banging. And I think holly felt a bit rough too.
We got back to the hostel and i swear to god all i wanted was a nap. So much for being amazing.
We also did the Milford sounds tour while we were there. We got up early, once again, and went on facebook to check our emails from our boyfriends and family and friends. I cant remember why now but something upset me, i probably didnt have a reply from the boyf, so i was all teary and holly was trying to chear me up, then the bus was there! ahhhh quick, regain all self control!!!
Then we went on probably one of the most beautiful bus journeys ever! it took maybe 2 hours to get to the boat dock? maybe 3 with stops on the way to look at beautiful waterfalls and a walk through a rainforest. Then we finally got there and went on a boat ride, complete with food, YAY!
It wasnt a very sunny day, infact it was really quite clowdy, but we were told that milford sounds looks most beautiful on the most miserable of days. When it rains, the sounds shine, and they did! The waterfalls were full and playfull, seals were everywhere, it was stunning! We went up to the top deck to get a better view and to get some happy snaps. What a bad day to wear dresses. We went upstairs and the second we opened the door, BOOM, Hello knickers!!!!! We tackeled the strong wind and our dresses, and crawled our way over to the benches and sat down. oh christ, how would we ever walk back to the door. And oh good, theres a chinese man with a fuck off massive camera. Good times. A guy we met oh the bus was laughing at us, well.. who wasnt.. and took a humorous photo of us both in the wind with our dresses going everywhere, and our hair the state of a yeti. Hilarious.
Later on we stopped at this strange building in the middle of nowhere, and we were one of the few who had tickets to this place, which we didnt even know about but hey ho, off we went! It turned out to be a little fishy museum type thing, and you could go down all the way into this glass room which let you look out into the sea to see the fish that were swimming around, it was awesome!!!
We then got back on the boat, back to the docks, and back on the bus, for a long drive back to our hostel.
The next day we were off to Christchurch!
The next Adventure
Culture shock hit me hard for months after. i just couldnt get over it and i found it so hard being back home. I missed my Kenya family so much, and longed to be back in Kenya.
It was winter in England. It was cold and grey, and brought be down so much more.
Me and my best friend holly were talking one day. She was going to Australia for 3 months at the end of Jan, and i was going to South America in march. She was nervous about going to Australia, as i had been before Kenya. She said she wanted to travel more before she went to Australia for a 3 month teaching placement in Shepparton. At this point i was miserable and desperate to travel more, just to be away again. We got carried away talking, and the next thing we knew, we had booked flights to New Zealand for three weeks time.
We went to the STA travel office in brighton to arrange some last minute bookings and activities. An eventful day in many respects. We decided to drive in to Brighton, rang the office to see if we could get an appointment and were told we could see them in an hour. We jumped in my car and went in straight away. The thing about Brighton, is that the parking is impossible, and expensive. We got there with no problems, but then realised we hadnt thought about where to park, and didnt know where the STA office actually was, just where the road was. We had 10 minutes to go until our appointment. Shit.
We drove up the main road along the sea front, looking for a place to park. Then we realised we could just park along the road in the pay and display parking slots, perfect!! we parked in the first one we found, no problem. Then we made our way to the office. I knew Brighton reasonably well and thought i knew the way to the road it was on, but wasnt sure where it was after that. We walked up to the road i thought it was on but there were no sigh posts so i wasnt sure. "oh shit Holly i think we're in the wrong place, i havnt got a clue!!" Holly asked a man in the closest shop where the road was, and he said we were on it. PHEW! We walked back out but then i had another panic "But where the hell is the office!! we have 2 minutes we're never going to find it!!" Holly looked at me as if to say "retard" and pointed up the road we were walking along, it was right there in front of us. Nice one Lauren. So we sorted out a few trips and tours for us to go on when we got to New Zealand and got us booked onto the Kiwi Experience Southern Round up for the 3 weeks we were there for. Buzzing and excited we left the office chatting about what silly antics we would be getting up to. Then we realised that we were hungry, of course. So we went into a cute little italian place (the first thing we found) and ordered. It was all find and dandy until a man walked in with a guitar. oh god. please dont be a serenader. please. But oh joy. He was. It was fine at first, he was just staying in one place. but then.. then he went over to table of girls. They sat awkwardly looking around whilst he sang, not ver well, right at them. Me and holly looked at each other and practically inhaled the rest of our food hoping we could leave before he came to us. But oh no, he came over. I think we both suddenly had the thought that if we ignore him, he'll go away. Eventually he did and im sure we each broke a rib trying hard not to laugh right in his greasy little face. We left the restaurant and made our way back to my car. "how funny would it be if i got a ticket" i said to Holly. I spoke to soon. We were walking along the sea front towards my car, and we noticed a removal truck in the road. "haha what wanker forgot to pay" i said. we laughed and walked on. Holly then said, "isnt that your car with the lights still on"..."Nahh.. cant be... its also got a ticket on but we paid and we're back intime..."i replied. "isnt that your car that that man's about to tow.." she answered back.
"noo.. cant be.. no.." it was.
I panicked, as i do, and screamed "ITS OK HOLLY. WE JUST WALK PAST. PRETEND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHO'S CAR THAT IS". She totally ignored my rational decision and ran flapping over to the man "STOP!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" The man looked up aghast, asking if it was her car. She then stopped and said, "no its hers" pointing at me frozen to the spot.
He then explained i had parked in a motorcylcle parking space. i was livid. i demanded there was nothing to suggest it was a motorcycle parking space, and it was unfair that i had a ticket. He then pointed at a huge sign above my head with a motorcycle on it. He then went and pointed at some writing by the space i had parked in. oh crap. I then babbeled on that he couldnt tow my car because i needed it to drive home. He said he wouldnt tow it but i had to pay the ticket and also... did i know my lights had been left on.
We drove home holly in stitches and me not terribly amused. I then went on to accidently drive into the other lane without realising on the dual carriage way, and almost running a red light. i just wasnt on form that day.
No biggie.
It was winter in England. It was cold and grey, and brought be down so much more.
Me and my best friend holly were talking one day. She was going to Australia for 3 months at the end of Jan, and i was going to South America in march. She was nervous about going to Australia, as i had been before Kenya. She said she wanted to travel more before she went to Australia for a 3 month teaching placement in Shepparton. At this point i was miserable and desperate to travel more, just to be away again. We got carried away talking, and the next thing we knew, we had booked flights to New Zealand for three weeks time.
We went to the STA travel office in brighton to arrange some last minute bookings and activities. An eventful day in many respects. We decided to drive in to Brighton, rang the office to see if we could get an appointment and were told we could see them in an hour. We jumped in my car and went in straight away. The thing about Brighton, is that the parking is impossible, and expensive. We got there with no problems, but then realised we hadnt thought about where to park, and didnt know where the STA office actually was, just where the road was. We had 10 minutes to go until our appointment. Shit.
We drove up the main road along the sea front, looking for a place to park. Then we realised we could just park along the road in the pay and display parking slots, perfect!! we parked in the first one we found, no problem. Then we made our way to the office. I knew Brighton reasonably well and thought i knew the way to the road it was on, but wasnt sure where it was after that. We walked up to the road i thought it was on but there were no sigh posts so i wasnt sure. "oh shit Holly i think we're in the wrong place, i havnt got a clue!!" Holly asked a man in the closest shop where the road was, and he said we were on it. PHEW! We walked back out but then i had another panic "But where the hell is the office!! we have 2 minutes we're never going to find it!!" Holly looked at me as if to say "retard" and pointed up the road we were walking along, it was right there in front of us. Nice one Lauren. So we sorted out a few trips and tours for us to go on when we got to New Zealand and got us booked onto the Kiwi Experience Southern Round up for the 3 weeks we were there for. Buzzing and excited we left the office chatting about what silly antics we would be getting up to. Then we realised that we were hungry, of course. So we went into a cute little italian place (the first thing we found) and ordered. It was all find and dandy until a man walked in with a guitar. oh god. please dont be a serenader. please. But oh joy. He was. It was fine at first, he was just staying in one place. but then.. then he went over to table of girls. They sat awkwardly looking around whilst he sang, not ver well, right at them. Me and holly looked at each other and practically inhaled the rest of our food hoping we could leave before he came to us. But oh no, he came over. I think we both suddenly had the thought that if we ignore him, he'll go away. Eventually he did and im sure we each broke a rib trying hard not to laugh right in his greasy little face. We left the restaurant and made our way back to my car. "how funny would it be if i got a ticket" i said to Holly. I spoke to soon. We were walking along the sea front towards my car, and we noticed a removal truck in the road. "haha what wanker forgot to pay" i said. we laughed and walked on. Holly then said, "isnt that your car with the lights still on"..."Nahh.. cant be... its also got a ticket on but we paid and we're back intime..."i replied. "isnt that your car that that man's about to tow.." she answered back.
"noo.. cant be.. no.." it was.
I panicked, as i do, and screamed "ITS OK HOLLY. WE JUST WALK PAST. PRETEND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHO'S CAR THAT IS". She totally ignored my rational decision and ran flapping over to the man "STOP!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" The man looked up aghast, asking if it was her car. She then stopped and said, "no its hers" pointing at me frozen to the spot.
He then explained i had parked in a motorcylcle parking space. i was livid. i demanded there was nothing to suggest it was a motorcycle parking space, and it was unfair that i had a ticket. He then pointed at a huge sign above my head with a motorcycle on it. He then went and pointed at some writing by the space i had parked in. oh crap. I then babbeled on that he couldnt tow my car because i needed it to drive home. He said he wouldnt tow it but i had to pay the ticket and also... did i know my lights had been left on.
We drove home holly in stitches and me not terribly amused. I then went on to accidently drive into the other lane without realising on the dual carriage way, and almost running a red light. i just wasnt on form that day.
No biggie.
Makongeni, Our final week.
The second we returned to probably our favorite place we had been to, i think it hit everyone right then that it was our last week, and then that would be it. Bye bye kenya, and Bye bye Team tusker!
We all tried to ignore it and make the most of our final week together, but it was at the back of everyones minds.
We spent the final week plastering and painting the walls of a new classroom built in a near by orphanage. The kids here mostly werent actually orphans, only a few were, but most of them had no parents and lived with other family members. They were adorable. We lost each member of the group one by one as we each got tempted too much and would leave our painting and go and play with the children. They were just too cute!!! And i think we had all lost interest in our work too. We spent the last few days here just mucking around with each other and playing with the kids. One lunch time we were sitting around, each of us with a child on our laps, playing and laughing, then they started singing a christmas song!!! it was the cutest thing. When they finished i looked up at the girls and 2 of them were crying. It wasnt just because of how CUTE these kids were, it was just such an emotional time. We really didnt want to leave.
On our last day we asked Rosie if it would be ok for us to skip working that day and spend it at the beach one last time, buying souvenirs and just preparing to leave. She said this was fine, although Duncan wasnt best pleased. But by this point we were so fed up and angry with Duncan we couldnt have cared less. He was a passionate man and wanted the best for his village and the people around him, but his organising skills were abominable and half the time he wouldnt know what to do with us and would get us to do petty tasks, making us feel like there was no point in us being there at all. The week Katie was in hospital he didnt know how to handle it or what to do, so he practically ignored it and her parents were one of the last to find out. I cant fault The leap in the slightest, but Duncan didnt know how to be responsible over a group and this really got on our nerves towards the end. Bless him. Rosie however became like another member of the group, like Stevie, and we loved spending time with her.
So we spent a very emotional last day stocking up on hand made items and having our last ever day at Fourties all together in the sun, eating our bodies weight in samosas, chips and burgers and cocktails. We had a farewell thing in the evening with african foods for the last time, and packed our bags.
The next day, Tina was the first to leave, as she was going on with her travels, going to Australia. This was when it really hit everyone that we were leaving. We were all in tears, all hugging, some of the girls could hardly talk. It was awful. She drove away on her own and the rest of us just waited in silence until the rest of us had to go. Keira, Sarah, Ben and katie were all staying for an extra week, but Jen, Emma, Ann, Bry, Rory and i were all going back home, So we all went together to the office to get our passport and other documents we had left there. We said a brief goodbye to Duncan, and yet another teaful good bye to Rosie, to Combo and all the other members of the camp at Makongeni. We arrived at the office to get our stuff. We were all quiet, watching the clock, waiting. It was so awful. Then Andrew came out and said it was time to go. That was it. Everyone just broke down, Jen had ugly cry face going on (loveyou), we were all such a state. We got in the truck and drove off. It felt like the worst break up ever, it was so hard to say good bye. The rest of us got the the airport and had another sad farewell, this time with Andrew, our loveable driver. It was so awful flying home, none of us wanted to leave.
what felt like days later, we finally arrived at Heathrow Airport. I felt so numb and so sad. We collected our bags and walked to arrivals like zombies, the others were getting trains or further flights to where they lived, it was just me and Rory getting picked up here. We walked through to arrivals to meet my parents. For some reason i felt really nervous. Then i saw their faces waiting right at the front, my mum was smiling and her eyes were all teary. I gave them a massive hug, did a quick introduction to the others. Then we all said goodbye. I knew i was seeing jen, ann and bry the weekend after, but it just didnt feel right having to say goodbye to them. We were all crying, hugging, demanding each other to stay in touch, saying we'd see each other soon. But it just wasnt right.
A year has past since this day. And i cant believe it. I think we can all agree that we each left a piece of our hearts in Kenya. These were some of the happiest memories i think i will ever have. There is not a day that goes past where i dont miss kenya. And there still arent words to describe how much i miss the group.
We have had many meet ups since then, and each and every time it feels like we were never apart. I could never have imagined such a special friendship as we each have with each other. They are much more than just my friends. We were like a little family. We may have bickered, we may have wound each other up at times, but i love these crazy kids so much more than i could ever say. I dont even know how i could ever thank you all for the best 3 months of my life. And i think you are all the only ones who could know what i mean. I have definitely made friends for life from this trip.
A special thankyou to The Leap, thank you so much for giving me this experience.
I would like to say RIP to Edward. It hit me hard when i read Tina's email. I will never forget your big toothy smile.
And Team Tusker, i miss you so, so much.
We all tried to ignore it and make the most of our final week together, but it was at the back of everyones minds.
We spent the final week plastering and painting the walls of a new classroom built in a near by orphanage. The kids here mostly werent actually orphans, only a few were, but most of them had no parents and lived with other family members. They were adorable. We lost each member of the group one by one as we each got tempted too much and would leave our painting and go and play with the children. They were just too cute!!! And i think we had all lost interest in our work too. We spent the last few days here just mucking around with each other and playing with the kids. One lunch time we were sitting around, each of us with a child on our laps, playing and laughing, then they started singing a christmas song!!! it was the cutest thing. When they finished i looked up at the girls and 2 of them were crying. It wasnt just because of how CUTE these kids were, it was just such an emotional time. We really didnt want to leave.
On our last day we asked Rosie if it would be ok for us to skip working that day and spend it at the beach one last time, buying souvenirs and just preparing to leave. She said this was fine, although Duncan wasnt best pleased. But by this point we were so fed up and angry with Duncan we couldnt have cared less. He was a passionate man and wanted the best for his village and the people around him, but his organising skills were abominable and half the time he wouldnt know what to do with us and would get us to do petty tasks, making us feel like there was no point in us being there at all. The week Katie was in hospital he didnt know how to handle it or what to do, so he practically ignored it and her parents were one of the last to find out. I cant fault The leap in the slightest, but Duncan didnt know how to be responsible over a group and this really got on our nerves towards the end. Bless him. Rosie however became like another member of the group, like Stevie, and we loved spending time with her.
So we spent a very emotional last day stocking up on hand made items and having our last ever day at Fourties all together in the sun, eating our bodies weight in samosas, chips and burgers and cocktails. We had a farewell thing in the evening with african foods for the last time, and packed our bags.
The next day, Tina was the first to leave, as she was going on with her travels, going to Australia. This was when it really hit everyone that we were leaving. We were all in tears, all hugging, some of the girls could hardly talk. It was awful. She drove away on her own and the rest of us just waited in silence until the rest of us had to go. Keira, Sarah, Ben and katie were all staying for an extra week, but Jen, Emma, Ann, Bry, Rory and i were all going back home, So we all went together to the office to get our passport and other documents we had left there. We said a brief goodbye to Duncan, and yet another teaful good bye to Rosie, to Combo and all the other members of the camp at Makongeni. We arrived at the office to get our stuff. We were all quiet, watching the clock, waiting. It was so awful. Then Andrew came out and said it was time to go. That was it. Everyone just broke down, Jen had ugly cry face going on (loveyou), we were all such a state. We got in the truck and drove off. It felt like the worst break up ever, it was so hard to say good bye. The rest of us got the the airport and had another sad farewell, this time with Andrew, our loveable driver. It was so awful flying home, none of us wanted to leave.
what felt like days later, we finally arrived at Heathrow Airport. I felt so numb and so sad. We collected our bags and walked to arrivals like zombies, the others were getting trains or further flights to where they lived, it was just me and Rory getting picked up here. We walked through to arrivals to meet my parents. For some reason i felt really nervous. Then i saw their faces waiting right at the front, my mum was smiling and her eyes were all teary. I gave them a massive hug, did a quick introduction to the others. Then we all said goodbye. I knew i was seeing jen, ann and bry the weekend after, but it just didnt feel right having to say goodbye to them. We were all crying, hugging, demanding each other to stay in touch, saying we'd see each other soon. But it just wasnt right.
A year has past since this day. And i cant believe it. I think we can all agree that we each left a piece of our hearts in Kenya. These were some of the happiest memories i think i will ever have. There is not a day that goes past where i dont miss kenya. And there still arent words to describe how much i miss the group.
We have had many meet ups since then, and each and every time it feels like we were never apart. I could never have imagined such a special friendship as we each have with each other. They are much more than just my friends. We were like a little family. We may have bickered, we may have wound each other up at times, but i love these crazy kids so much more than i could ever say. I dont even know how i could ever thank you all for the best 3 months of my life. And i think you are all the only ones who could know what i mean. I have definitely made friends for life from this trip.
A special thankyou to The Leap, thank you so much for giving me this experience.
I would like to say RIP to Edward. It hit me hard when i read Tina's email. I will never forget your big toothy smile.
And Team Tusker, i miss you so, so much.
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