New Zealand

New Zealand
Arriving in New Zealand was a culture shock to say the least. From leaving the poorest country in Latin America and arriving in one of the cleanest and least populated countries in the world, to be honest, it was a shock but also a welcome break.



Leaving Bolivia on December 19th and arriving on the 21st, i was picked up by long distant family member Brian Knolles, and i was grateful to him. It was 4am. I spent a little time with Brian and his family that day, and very welcoming they all were, before taking a bus to the West coast to surf. Raglan beach. Famous for its consistent decent waves in New Zealand.





Raglan
Raglan is a small, very friendly chilled out kind of town, famous for its surf, with the nearest surf beach being five minutes away. I found a really great hostel in Raglan, i rocked up at 6pm, asked what time it got dark, they said 9.30pm, also saying i could take the hostel car and go with surf board and wetsuit to the beach for a few hours. Game On! Just what i wanted. Along with a couple of others at the hostel i took the car and surfed a few hours that evening, watching the sunset in colours of red, violet, blue and orange. Caught some great waves and just soaked up the big nature. I stayed at Raglan for three days before returning to Auckland for the families Christmas day and Boxing Day festivities. I felt so welcome and at home and i am truly thankful to Brian and Delia for my days with them, very relaxing and enjoyable. Thank you.




South Island, Queenstown





From Auckland in the North island where i spent a week (far too short) i visited the south island for two weeks, flying into the majestic lakes and mountains of Queenstown. Queenstown, perched on a huge lake with mountains all around is a lively fun town with many outdoor adventure activities. I rented a mountain bike a went cycling in the nearby forests. Hardcore tracks to say the least. The forest in Brussels is a walk in the park compared to the steep hills me and a mate had to deal with. Also went river surfing which is basically body boarding down a river with rapids. I have to say i still prefer white water rafting the original way, but it was fun. Ashamed to admit it but i didn't have the nerve to do a bungy jumpy, its just not my thing and i never managed to arrange a sky dive. That being said if i had to choose, it would be sky dive, although i am not mad on either. Give me a wave any day.


Below some pics of the New Zealand landscape of the South island.











Milford Sound Fjord
Once settled in i managed a visit to the famous Milford Sound Fjord. After taking the bus there i boarded a boat and sailed down the fjord with its 1000m high rock faces and waterfalls on either side. The water being an emerald green, the rock faces a dark gun metal grey black. To be honest i find it hard to describe this astonishing beauty, i hope the photos help to set the scene.




The fjords did remind me of the fjords i saw in Norway many years ago. Just magical.




I came back to Queenstown for New Year, had a blast with the fellow travellers in my hostel then headed up the north west coast to visit the glaciers.

Franz Jozef Glacier
Franz Jozef is one of only three glaciers in the world (one other Fox Glacier, is 20mins down road and one in Patagonia) that actually reach temperate climbs of 300m above sea level. This was a special experience and i know i am very fortunate to walk on a glacier.

We were given all the equipment and boots and crampons to wear. We walked almost 1km up the glacier, it went on for another 13km! I saw a blue crystal like colour in the ice and its walls. I saw water gushing like waterfalls within the glacier. The guide told us that in fact the glacier was not shrinking as we all thought might be happening with regards to global warming but in fact was in a healthy condition.





Arthur's Pass
From Franz Jozef i took the scenic train from West to East across the south island stopping at Arthur's Pass, one of the many big walking areas in New Zealand. The next day the weather wasn't great but i told the local tourist board where i was going so they were aware. I walked for about 2-3hrs uphill to get to the top of Arthur's Pass mountain. I reached the snow level and had a cold windy picnic at the top. No one around at all. Again pics don't do it justice but hey, its better than nada. I don't think one could do this kind of walk in winter. the top was very precarious, loose rocks and gail force winds.



Finally after having spent only three weeks in New Zealand, just enough to get a flavour, i found the country and its nature huge, awesome and breathtaking. With quality of roads that they have everywhere all nature was made easily accessible. The Kiwi's are just fun loving friendly people, many a time i hitchhiked here and enjoyed the conversations we had.



Anyway from here i flew to Sydney before going on to Asia and i met my parents for 4-5days in Sydney. I was so happy. Remember that i haven't been away from home like this ever before, to not see my family for 6months was a long time. We had a wonderful few days together in beautiful Sydney. Visited some of the sights, walked through the botanical gardens and stayed at a very plush huge penthouse apartment. Pure luxury. I loved it and the time i spent with them. Thanks Mum and dad for coming out that way, holidaying in New Zealand making it possible for us to spend some time together. It was great. Thank you both.





The view from our apartment terrace of Sydney at night.

My Thoughts on Latin America

It surprised me how easy it was to travel in Latin America, buses going to all places, all the time and frequently. Usually costing between $1-2 per hour travelled, and when it came to switching buses, the next bus was there waiting for you. Sometimes they were not the most comfortable of buses or roads to ride on, but you got their without fail, even if the bus broke down, which happened rarely.

People
My overall feeling of the people and the continent for that matter was one of warmth. Although the people are poor, they are rich in heart. i felt that throughout my travels in Latin America and it was proven to my time and again on buses, boats, roadside cafes and bars. I would be sitting there on a bus and then suddenly a local teacher would begin chatting me, in Spanish! I think the only place where i did not feel this warmth was in Dangriga Belize. They weren't to keen on me and i don't think it was anything personal, more like the colour of my skin and their history (ex-British colony now overrun by Americans). Aside, all the other people were very friendly and despite what the negative propaganda says, Colombia was one of the cleanest, modern and friendliest countries of them all.

It became clear to me the American's had a hand in most of the recent histories in Central America. For example i learnt that 95% of the banana plantations in Honduras are actually owned by the US, not the locals. There are other examples, regards this 'interfering' but i found less so in South America, aside from in Colombia, where the US like to earn $500Mil PA for their gun sales, for the supposed war on Cocaine.



Culture
I loved the strong indigenous cultures i interacted with and was extremely happy to see these peoples and their cultures still very much in place today. I was happily surprised at how pervasive they were. I know i am fortunate to experience this first hand. They are not like us Westerners. They are from another place, another custom and value system. Both the Mayans of Gutemala and the Inca's of Peru and Bolivia seemed to be very proud of their ancestral past and it was shown in their dress, dance, sacred sites (Tikal, Machu Picchu, Coban) and knowledge of natural medicines of rain forests. The local Shamans knowledge of the medicinal purposes of plants, flowers and trees in the rain forest was so in-depth, simply amazing. I am glad to say i came across two projects, one in Ecuador, one in Peru, whereby the shamans along with the help of the village elders and their governments, are now i the process of formally documenting their knowledge of the medicinal plants before the older generations die, and the knowledge received from their ancestors, dies with them.



Nature
The landscape sometimes left me speechless, which i think is the best way. Be silent, behold and admire. Just immerse yourself with the nature and enjoy. No thought, just wonder! The magical volcano lakes of Guatemala was my first great natural experience (see video), then the Primary tropical rain forests of Isla Omepete in Nicaragua (see video) to the jungles of Ecuador and Bolivia to the amazing Salt Flats of Bolivia (see video) and the pure sun drenched San Blas islands of Panama (see video). Of course i cannot forget to mention the Andes. Snow capped colossal mountains towering 6500m high, second only to the Himalayas. Now place for people prone to altitude sickness. Being a nature a lover i tried to get a good balance of beach, forest, mountains and anything in between whilst visiting the colonial towns and experiencing the different cultures. On that note, i found all the capital cities to be awful, dangerous, polluted with ugly buildings, bar La Paz, where i had a good time going down The World's most Dangerous road on a mountain bike and visiting San Pedro prison. What a place! In fact i only enjoyed the Colonial towns such as Antigua, Cartegena, Leon and Granada. They were vibrant towns filled with colourful, beautiful architecture. As for the Capitals, absolutely nothing compared to London, Paris or Madrid.



Food
I must be honest though, i did not like the food much. Throughout the entire continent you get served Beans, Rice, Platano (fried banana) and some meat, fried! No herbs. No spices. No sauces. Dry as the Kalahari desert. I had no choice so i had to get on with it, but i lost my beer belly in the first three weeks, due to diarrhea. Lets call it acclimatising. The only food i really enjoyed was the soups. Flavoursome, wholesome and full of vitamins and goodness. In my mind there is definitely room for a 'Culinary school of Cuisine'. They have good earth, great climate and rain, most of the fruits and veggies you can think of, they just don't have a clue how use herbs and cook. Oh well. They seem to eat it, even if it is greasier than a lorries engine and it shows. I was surprised at the number of poor overweight people. It reminded me of Brazil. Sad but true. Poor diet and now exercise. Oh well.

Music

Music is absolutely verywhere, buses, houses, streets, everywhere, so much so i don't think they like silence... Music is part of their soul, living in their hearts and under their skin. I observed this best in the bars and clubs of Colombia. The hot throbbing of bodies so close and yet so in tune with each other when they dance. Beautiful to watch. My advice to anyone thinking of visiting Latin America, have some Spanish classes before you go and some there if needed but also do take up a few salsa classes, it makes a big difference on the dance floor.

Hostels

The majority of hostel were good and more importantly they had dorms with communal kitchens, communal lounges and bars. It made it easier to meet other travellers. I am not a big fan of guest houses, everyone in their own rooms.

Overall i loved Latin America and i do look forward to visiting the rest of the Continent someday soon. I would definitely advise anyone who wanted a real cultural, warm and exciting experience to visit and would be happy to offer any help or information i can give.

That's all for now Friends, so onwards and upwards to New Zealand.