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TwoSouls

33 Blog Entries
9 Trips
834 Photos

Trips:

Evolution: Additional visa pages & other prepatory adventures
Exit Stage Left: Saying Goodbye
Indonesia: So many islands, so little time
Malaysia: Historic Ports and Jungle Forts
Thailand: You Want Massage Mista?
Cambodia: Light, Shadows and a Layer of Smog
Ya Ready to Go Home? Yeah, Me Too...
New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
Australia: Hot Days and Cool Reefs

Shorthand link:

http://blogabond.com/TwoSouls


We are going to explore the unknown and there's no turning back now. Why explore? Here are a few reasons why we start on this journey...

- To breathe deeply, appreciate the moment and SLOW DOWN
- To let go of our fears
- To rebel… prove that we can live outside the system
- To challenge ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually
- To stretch our wings and do things we’ve - never done before
- To share stories and inspire others to take risks
- To send silly postcards to our loved ones
- To make lifelong friends across the globe
- To embrace diversity, open our minds and find ourselves
- To take advantage of having no ties (kids, mortgage, debt, etc.)
- To strengthen our marriage
- To gain insight & beauty by seeing the world
- To meet and learn about different people & cultures
- To live simply – understand core needs vs. learned desires
- To learn about political & social situations around the world (NPR is good, but this is better)
- To re-set and reconsider the rat race

So please follow us as we set out to see the world and gain insight into who we are, individually and as a couple.

If you friends or family abroad that you'd like us to say hi to, send along their info. If you have good stories or advice to share, we are all ears. If you are thinking about a vacation abroad, find out where we'll be and meet up with us! And if you can't, just remember that there is beauty right there in your backyard... all you have to do is take a deep breath and open your eyes.

Lots of love,
The Hulls
hullacoasters@hotmail.com

Into Indo... Happy Nyepi!

Ubud, Indonesia

Hello friends and family...

Tim and I have been in Ubud (Bali) for 2 days and are LOVING the beauty and kindness this country has to offer. I am having difficulties uploading photos, so I can only offer a few - when I get to the next reliable connection, I promise to share more.


Breakfast on the beach in Seminyak
We arrived in Denpasar on Wednesday, just in time to celebrate Bali's New Year celebration. We didn't know that this coincided with our travel here, so we felt lucky to be a part of it. Our hired driver, Sukarena, picked us up at the airport and told us all about the history and rules related to the Hindu celebration. The following day, Sukarena drove us to a beautiful temple on the coast. We laughed at the monkeys and enjoyed watching people prepare for the holiday. That night, there were ceremonies and parades in the streets across all of Bali to celebrate thisand on Nyepi, ALL of Bali is closed down. They put a tarp up across the entrance to our hotel and we were not allowed to go anywhere. The hotels still served food and offered electricty (gotta cater to the tourists), but the locals stayed at home and did not cook, work, or turn on any lights. It was a nice break from the hustle of the tourist circuit in Kuta.


Tim and our driver, Sukarena in Seminyak
On Friday, Sukarena gave us a ride to North Bali with his family and we saw more beautiful countryside, temples and monkeys... the monkeys are the only "pickpockets" we've seen in Bali - they will steal your hat or purse if you aren't careful! We Stayed in Lovina that night and got up very early to take a boat our to see the dolphins. We thought this might be a bit of a hoax, but we saw A LOT of dolphins. I was willing one to jump over the stern of the boat, but they didn't get close enough to touch. After a couple hour drive south, Sukarena dropped us off in Ubud and we said our goodbyes. Ubud is known as the artist community in Bali and I tell you, it's been difficult to refrain from shopping. I very much like Asian art, so this place is right up my alley. We found a great little reggae bar last night and managed to coax Tim onto the dance floor (photos to come soon). We also found a room for $6 a night, so we are happy to see our dollars going a little farther. we've enjoyed Ubud very much.

Tomorrow, we take a bus to the coast and then a ferry over to The Gili Islands. The plan is to kick it on the beach for a few days - perhaps do some snorkeling or diving, but not a whole lot more than that. After the islands, we will go to the mainland in Lombok and try to find some hiking. After Lombok, we will go to Java and Sumatra before heading up to Malaysia, so 4 islands in one month... phew.

We will report back after our island stay. We miss you (as always) and a very happy Daylight Savings Time to you all! We are now 15 hours ahead of you, so please don't be mad if we accidentally call you at 2:30 in the morning!

Love, love, love,
Jen


Tim and Jen at the coast

permalink written by  TwoSouls on March 10, 2008 from Ubud, Indonesia
from the travel blog: Indonesia: So many islands, so little time
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The Great Barrier Reef and Beyond: Goodbye to Oz

Brisbane, Australia

Wow, it's HOT here! Here is Airlie Beach, Australia- and even though it spits rain every now-and-again, it's not enough to cool things off.

We have successfully recovered from the long bus ride and are aboard a 105' sailing mega-yacht (Annaconda III) cruising out toward the Whitsunday Islands and beyond (Great Barrier Reef).


Tim prepares for his night dive off the Barrier Reef

The main purpose of this venture is scuba diving on the reef and relaxing aboard this monster-of-a sailboat. Sounds good, huh? Well almost...the seas got rough (3+ meter swells), all the crew smoke ciggys like chimneys, belowdecks is in a state of disrepair, and the food is less than desirable. People were seasick and wrenching over the rails. The weather was so uncooperative that we were only allowed one dive on the Great Barrier Reef (and it was a night dive only for certified divers- lucky I'm certified!). Five of us splashed into the water that night with two dive instructors leading the way. One guy immediately freaked out from the combination of darkness and heavy swell and had to be hauled back to the boat. That left a perfect two-and-two as we descended to about 18 meters amid huge towers of coral teaming with sealife. It was fabulous and I was awestruck as our underwater lites spotlighted huge turtles, moray eels, schools of fish, and things I've only seen on Jacque Cousteau. At one point a large turtle swam straight toward us as if to say hello and welcome to my reef. AWESOME!!! I still have to develop my underwater pictures, but am sure I got some sood ones.


Preparing ourselves for a rough ride away from the reef
Aside from that dive and some snorkeling in the shelter of the Whitsundays, the weather (and the food/crew) was a real drag for a majority of the passengers. Jen and I actually enjoyed the rough seas and stayed above decks to watch the bow plow through the swell. The occasional large wave would hit the side and spray would wash all the way over the stern, soaking everyone brave enough to be topside.


Happy Birthday to Jen - I can't believe I'm 33
Back in Airlie Beach on the 3rd, Jen's Birthday! We went to check in to the YHA and found that their computers had gone down and our reservation was lost. The friendly staff made good by upgrading us to a suite with all the extras. Funny how things work out! I promptly ran across the street to a bakery and purchased a slice of carrot cake, a slice of chocolate cake, and a slice of a vanilla custard cake (figuring I couldn't go wrong with all the choices). No candles but a birthday kiss and hug along with the traditional song did the trick. The only thing I couldn't help with was the feeling of being homesick. E for effort!

The following day we flew to Brisbane, catching a train into town from the airport to meet Beni- our couchsurfing host for the night. Beni was a great host and had been to the States when he was young. He brought out a journal his parents made him write while travelling. Besides Yosemite, San Fran, Disneyland, and many of the normal tourist hotspots- he'd even been to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It's indeed a small world, Beni.

On March 5 we attempted to board a flight bound for Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia and were refused due to lack of onward flight booking. We tried to get by with showing proof of funds and itenerary but to no avail.....and ended up running over to the Quantas desk and paying full price for a refundable ticket out of Indonesia. OUCH! Refundable minus $200+ for booking fees, etc. Oh, well...Bali, here we come!


Views of Sydney on our flight out of Australia

Oh yeah!...Did I say we miss you guys!
Love, Tim

permalink written by  TwoSouls on March 5, 2008 from Brisbane, Australia
from the travel blog: Australia: Hot Days and Cool Reefs
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Funny how we find ourselves lingering in places that feel like home...

Airlie Beach, Austria

Let's just get my first thought our of the way... make us all feel better.

No joke... we really do.
I'm not sure where Tim left off, but I think it was somewhere in the midst of our stay in Noosa. We ended up staying there almost a week. It had a great vibe, the weather was nice, our Couchsurfing (CS) hosts were FANTASTIC and it reminded us of Santa Cruz a bit - a funky harbour town that faces North when it should really face East. We connected with Ross (our fourth CS host) on Saturday and immediately jumped on a bus to the famous Eumundi market. It was HUGE... and almost 100 degrees out, so we ended up literally shopping til we dropped. Luckily we dropped ourselves into a cool little pub/bistro and enjoyed sharing a couple of jugs while "Uncle Bob's Jug Band" played a few tunes. It was classic and silly and air-conditioned, so we were all smiles. While we were able to escape Eumundi without breaking the bank, I did manage to get an early birthday gift from Tim - a beautiful amber ring, something I'd been looking for for a while, so it was a very nice surprise.

Another new friend for Jen... we named her Brittany

Awesome local band at Joe's wateringhole in Eumundi


Noosa Main Beach... very cool clouds
After a well-deserved swim back in Noosa, we enjoyed a BBQ with Ross and two other couchsurfers he was hosting at the time. We swizzled back a bew beers, exchanged stories about the ups and downs of travel and life in general and had quite a few laughs. Ross is a really wonderful person and we had a great time with him over the next few days. We were sad to leave, but we decided to jump on the Greyhound and head to Hervey Bay for an overnight stay. Hervey Bay is the jumping off point for the very popular Frasier Island tours, but we took the advice of some locals and decided to skip it. We basically lounged by the pool most of the day and took the opportunity to find some reprieve.

Hot sun and a cold beer... Jen's in heaven!

Sharing beers with our CS host Ross

It was an all-night bus ride to Airlie Beach - sounds like a great way to save $$ on a night's accommodation, right? Well, yes, nice to save a few bucks, but those buses are not too comfy for tall folks like ourselves. The Greyhound truly is a great way to see Australia, but it makes for a grouchy Jen Jen from time to time. We wandered around Airlie Beach and I met a friend this morning - this little bugger was getting cheeky with me in the shower! We will wander again today and then set sail for a three 3 night trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef... we are both VERY excited and the weather looks to be in our favor (although it could change drastically by the time I finish this blog). So we will be off-line until next week... but we promise to return with some more great photos - Tim bought an underwater camera, so it should be a very memorable experience.

Jen looks a little haggard after a 12+ hour bus ride

Jen's shower mate... I named him Rufus

We love you very much...
Jen


permalink written by  TwoSouls on February 29, 2008 from Airlie Beach, Austria
from the travel blog: Australia: Hot Days and Cool Reefs
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Welcome To Oz

Sydney, Australia

Good Day from Down Under!


Views of the Opera House across the bay

We are now in the land of OZ, as tthe locals call it. To the rest of the world, it's Australia (and not as barren or lacking mountains like you might think). Many of you folks out there are probably wondering if we have reached the middle-of-nowhere yet... well, we still haven't managed to find it (Middle Earth in NZ was pretty close). Though... our track seems somewhat endless, and occasionally we've felt we needed to pick up the pace. Fortunately right now we have found a place to settle in for a few days and enjoy the weather and our surroundings. That place is Noosa and Sunshine Beach, in Queensland on the East Coast of Australia.


Our flight from Christchurch to Sydney

We left New Zealand early on the 12th from Christchurch and arrived in Sydney, still well before noon. After a phone call and a short wait, we were picked up by a Russell - who we had met a couple of weeks prior in Queenstown, NZ. Russell was very welcoming and offered up his place in Lane Cove for us as a Sydney base, as-well-as give us a grand tour. We went out for Thai food in the Glebe District on Wednesday - Excellent! Thursday, Jen and I caught a bus into town and split for half-a-day to see sights of our own interests.

Sydney Opera House

Jen headed to the Opera House and the Botanical Gardens while I crossed the bridge to check out the Maritime Museum and a sweet replica of the Endeaver (Capt. James Cook's boat). We met in the afternoon at the Queen Elizabeth Building, purchased 'hop-on hop-off' Greyhound tickets North as far as Airlie Beach, and then bussed back to Russel's.

A girl plays the sax outside Queen Victoria Building

Friday was great despite the lingering percipitation. Russell took the day off and drove us up into the Blue Mountains outside Sydney. There were sheer cliffs, gorgeous waterfalls, and views of a region I vaguely remember seeing in National Geographic.

Popping a squat after a walk around downtown Sydney

Blue Mountains with Russell

Saturday we said goodbye to Russell and caught an overnight Greyhound to Byron Bay.We had an hour-or-so in Byron Bay before being whisked away by Jim's Alternative Tours and taken to Nimbin some 2 hours away. The tour was fantastic with loud music, a narration by our comical driver, and a 40 minute stop-off at a pub for refreshments.

View of a waterfall in the Blue Mountains

A very memorable tour and one we'd recommend to all

The "Hippie" town of Nimbin is like something right out of the late '60's.....a town that sprouted up from commune type living. All sorts of colorful art and homegrown products filled the shops and cafe's. It was a busy place with an open market, live music, and lots of curious visitors walking around. That night we stayed close to Nimbin at the YHA Rox hostel in order to get the "proper" amount of time needed for the local experience.

The strip in Nimbin... back to the seventies


Unfortunately, our stay here was short, so not enough relaxing in Byron Bay
The next day we continued the tour and stopped off at an 30 acre place owned by a very "hippie" expat from New York who had dodged the draft for Vietnam and never returned home. It was loads of fun talking politics with this guy.....what a riot!

Inside Art's Factory Lodge - very cool hostel

Back in Byron Bay we checked in at Art's Factory Lodge and managed to find a tentsite in this filled-to-the-brim hostel. All of the cabins, teepees, yurts, and bunkhouses were full- plus the camping area had probably 50-60 tents in it! Totally like a festi! Entertainment for the night was a mixture of wild turkeys and rats scratching around the camping area, and a beautiful 6 foot white and yellow python in the kitchen. I'm surprised Jen was able to sleep that night! ...a short Greyhound trip to Brisbane the next morning...where we were met by Anne- a contact and friend from couchsurfing.com. We had an enjoyable stay with Anne one night and she was kind enough to give us a lift to the bus the next day. Thanks Anne!

Art's Factory Lodge campsite... kinda like a festy

Tim's friend the Python in Byron Bay...

Our next stop was Noosa, where we are now. Couchsurfing again...with a wonderful couple Andrew and Sabina. These two are very active and close to us in age so we've hit-it-off really well. They have a strikingly modern house that they recently remodeled. Both of them have travelled alot and also spent time in California...Lots to talk about!
This morning, Jen and I went for a long walk from their place in Sunshine Beach around the coast (3 hrs) and into Noosa Town. The sky was finally clear of clouds and boy was it hot and humid! Around the point, the good-sized waves were crowded with surfers. In a Eucalyptus tree we saw a sleeping Koala. And once we reached town, the beach was packed with people. I guess that's what happens when it's been rainy for 3 months.
Never-the-less...We found space, shared a 7-11 slurpee, and went for a much needed swim in the Tasman Sea.
We have now shortened our Australia leg substancially and will be flying to Bali on March 5. I have a feeling our internet access might be limited in Indo, but we will do our best to keep you all appraised to the haps.
Thanks so much for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! So many of you are here with us in spirit. Please give us some feedback via emails to this blogsite or our hullacoasters@hotmail if you can.....we'd like to know who is following us!
Thank you and much love!!!
tim


permalink written by  TwoSouls on February 21, 2008 from Sydney, Australia
from the travel blog: Australia: Hot Days and Cool Reefs
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Goodbye Kiwi land - a look back...

Christchurch, New Zealand


The angel is protecting us... so need not worry about us!
Hello family and friends... we can't believe it's already been 2 months on the road, but we feel lucky to have jam packed many memorable times into those 2 months and look forward to our upcoming adventures in Australia. Our last few days in New Zealand were a bit anti-climatic, but we did manage to wrap up some of our business and lighten our load for the trip to Sydney. We were lucky enough to stay with a friend we met up in Takaka and it was really helpful to have a "base" to get organized - big thanks to Braden and his family for being so generous and kind! Below are a couple of thoughts we put together on our time in New Zealand... we managed to agree on most of it, so I guess we are pretty good travel companions!

Top 3 Spots - North Island:
1. Mt. Mauganui
2. Wellington
3. Rotorua

Top 3 Spots - South Island:
1. Takaka
2. Queenstown
3. Wanaka

Top 10 Kiwi Experiences (in order of occurance):
1. Alabar Ranch
2. Mitai - Maori Huka
3. Sailing on Lake Taupo
4. Mapua Holiday Park Annual concert
5. Able Tasman Track
6. Global Village Backpackers
7. Franz Joseph Glacier
8. Milford Sound Track
9. Queenstown Gondola (hike, views, lounging with Noel)
10. Tim - Wai-o-tapu Geothermal
Jen - Secondhand bookstores

Why New Zealand is cool:
- lots of free overnight camping
- lots of free public toilets
- fantastic scenery!
- short hops between cities
- flat whites (espresso beverage)
- generous locals
- lots of i-sites (information)
- cool movie theaters
- Kathmandu 50% sale

Why we wouldn't move here:
- sandflies
- lack of good dark beer
- lots of rain
- overpriced outdoor gear
- most towns close up at 5 pm
- increasing theft and violence
- too far from YOU!

We'll visit with you again in Oz!

Oh, and thanks for the care-packages... we love you!


Care packages - you love us, you really love us!

permalink written by  TwoSouls on February 12, 2008 from Christchurch, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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Newsflash: Trampers now back on pavement

Christchurch, New Zealand


Hanging up our boots...
Holy hotdogs... it's been over 2 weeks since our last blog! We've been on the trail and off the trail and then back on and now we find ourselves in Christchurch, preparing ourselves for our Feb. 12th flight to Sydney, Australia. It is with sadness and relief that we clean Lucy up, pack up our bags (harder than one would think) and enjoy our last few days in New Zealand. I'll try to catch you up a bit on our latest adventures.

Stoney, Jen and Tim enjoy a beer together at the Cardrona Motel

Another beautiful day!

After staying a few days in Wanaka, we drove south to Queenstown for a quick overnight stay before starting the Milford Track. We gave our friend Stoney (we met in Greymouth) a ride with us and enjoyed crossing paths a few times before we left for Te Anu and the start of the track. We didn't feel that we got to see enough in Queenstown, so we decided to change our route a bit and head back there after the tramps and spend a few more days there... we just needed to be careful not to spend all our money on the plethera of adventure options, including bungy, sky diving, canyon swing, paragliding and heli-biking.

After some laughter-filled goodbyes, we drove to Te Anu and found ourselves a Holiday


Jen rests on the last mile marker on the Milford Track
park to spend the night and prepare for the 4 day tramp into Milford Sound. I don't to see Tim much more excited than I do when he's preparing for a backpacking trip - he has a great system and I feel very safe with him on the trail, as I know he's pretty much thought of everything (outside my need for chocolate)! We took a ferry to the start of the track and had an easy first day - just an hour and a half to the first hut. We got to know our fellow trampers and relaxed that evening after heading down to the swimming hole for some COLD water fun. The next day was a beautiful hike and we plopped down int he hut around 2 pm, only to decide to keep trekking to the top of the pass so we could see it in the sunshine - a 17 mile hike altogether! But it was worth it and we got some great photos.

Taking a break to enjoy the views

Tim looks at the statue at the pass

Day 3 was tough, as we had to ascend to the pass again and then head down for many hours - again, the views were breathtaking and we really enjoyed ourselves. Tim's favorite point was his venture behind Sutherland Falls - the tallest waterfall in NZ... I didn't catch a very good photo, but I think he'll remember it for a long time to come. Day 4 was fairly flat and we arrived in Sandfly point (aptly named) just in time to have a snack and catch the ferry back to Milford Sound. We stayed the night in the lodge and got up early to experience the Sounds by kayak. I was hesitant to spend the money, but it was well-worth it - the guides were awesome and we had quite an adventure when two of the other kayaks in the group (4 total plus 2 guides) capsized... a bit of a windy day, but everyone managed to get back to shore safely and we laughed all the way back to our car on the bus.


Who's in charge of this here kayak?

Our last morning on the trail at Kepler

We had another night in Te Anu to prepare for Kepler Track. I decided I was too tired to do the whole trail, so Tim prepared for his departure and I booked myself into a nice en-suite unit in a near by hostel. Tim left about noon on Wednesday and we met up again at the last hut on the trail on Friday afternoon about 5 pm... he had a really good time on the trail, although it sounds like it was pretty tough. He ran into our friend Sepp and hiked in with him and Andrea, a really nice German gal. I lounged around town at the lake and the park and did a lot of reading and walking around... it was a perfect break for both of us and we were very excited to see each other on the trail those few days later. it rained ALL DAY on Friday, so we were both drenched when we arrived - it felt to warm our bones by the fire and we felt relaxed as we spent out last night together on the trails of the Fiorlands. We hiked out, hitched a ride back to Te Anu, ran a few errands, picked up a young couple that needed a ride and headed back to Queenstown to relax.

SLOW DOWN... and enjoy the view

A rose garden on the mini golf course? Sweet!

Queenstown doesn't look that specatcular from the ground... it's a party town and it can be a little busy and unkempt. But we enjoyed wandering around town and spending some time with new friends. I finally got Tim to play minigolf (no wonder he doesn't much like it) and we hiked up to the gondola and spent the evening in the Skyline Lounge. Words can't describe the views from up there, and we had the pleasure of getting to know the musician that plays there from time to time... he's a sailor, a musician and a poet, so he touched both of our hearts and we hope to keep in touch with him. We spent a little more time in town before leaving on Monday evening - making our way to the East Coast for the first time. We arrived in Christchurch on Tuesday and cozied ourselves into the van for ONE LAST NIGHT. Today, we made breakfast at the beach and cleaned up Lucy. We are staying at the point Break Backpackers in New Brighton (outside of Christchurch) and we connect with a local friend that we met in Takaka... after a few days at his place and another few days seeing the sights here, we will head to Sydney.


A bottle of Jacob's Creek in the Skyline Lounge

Ah... doesn't seem like we've gone two months, but I have certainly been homesick and I can't tell you how much we think of you guys. I'll see a killer bike trail and I'll say "Oh man, Brian (Lowe) would love that" or we'll pick up a couple shells on the beach and think about our newphews, Anthony and Alex. it goes without saying that I think of my mom and sister all the time, and I definitely feel my Dad watching over us... thank you again for all your e-mails, phone calls and shouts of support. We are glad you are enjoying the blog and we'll try to get back on-line soon.

Miss you!
Jen

permalink written by  TwoSouls on February 6, 2008 from Christchurch, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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West Coast New Zealand...

Wanaka, New Zealand, New Zealand

Seems like forever since it was my turn to blog. Thanks so much for all the e-mail from you back at home in response to our postings - we love hearing from you! Okay... let's catch up a bit.

Views of Buller Gorge area on the way to the west coast (Jan 13)

After leaving Takaka (The Golden Bay), we made our way to the west coast via Murchison and the Buller River Gorge. The route took us through some beautiful farmland, past crystal clear rivers and scenic gorges. We probably should have stopped more often to take photos, but it was raining off-and-on and we were anxious to get to the coast. Sunday evening in Westport was quiet and the town didn't seem to have much to offer, so we made a quick dinner on the beach, played around in the sand a bit and headed south for Greymouth.

I decided to pull over at Fox River to sleep for the night and drove right down next to the river. Little did I know that we were so close to the beach that the tide would affect the water level. A few hours later, we woke to water slooshing around under the van and up into the slider step. Luckily, we were able to start the van and quickly back up to safer ground (sputter, sputter). But the van died after that and wouldn't re-start - not easy to fall back asleep. Fortunately, the next morning she did fire up again, with about 20 minutes of choking and complaint. Determined to get her healthy again, I kept the revs up until she dried out - Whew!


Lucy didn't like the high tide at Fox River

We REALLY enjoyed Global Village!

Greymouth was a welcome site and we decided to stay at Neptune's hostel near downtown. Our double room had a TV, a sink and a balcony! We cooked big, tasty meals, did some laundry, walked around town, relaxed and took in a movie in the room. We also heard about another highly rated backpackers in town, so we drove by to check it out. BBH Global Village turned out to be fantastic - wonderfully decorated with Indonesian and African themes, free kayaks and mountain bikes, sauna/gym & spa, free range eggs from their chickens and super hice hosts. We booked two nites and wish we could of stayed longer! We also ran into our friends from Abel Tasman again. On our second night in Greymouth, we did a brewery tour at Monteith's with them and had a blast. It's funny how travelers paths will cross so many times unexpectedly, even when those routes aren't really planned out. We connected with our firends from Isreal here and again in Hokitika, the next town down the road (and made a point to finally do dinner together).


Brewery Tour at Monteith's - a lively bunch

Kayaking on the lake behind Global Village Hostel (Jan 16)


Tim took me up to the mouth of the glacier

There is meaning all around... (Jan 20)

Out of Hokitika, we had our sights set on the glaciers (Franz Josef & Fox). I really wanted


Tim and his guide, Gavin (Jan 18)
to do an all-day guided hike up one, so I decided on Franz Josef after asking around for advice. While I was on the glacier, Jen reserved an en-suite room for us (broken TV = $30 discount) and relaxed around town for the day. The hike turned out to be great and our guide, Gavin (from Ireland), was superb - please check out the photos! The next morning, I led Jen to the foot of the glacier for a 1/2 day hike and we stopped and had some snacks near the big ice cavern. Huge chunks of ice were calving off and then rolling down the river - it was pretty exciting!


Views of the river outside of Wanaka (Jan 20)
After the hike, we drove down to Wanaka with a scenic spot to sleep next to Hawea Lake. We are in Wanaka today and checked into a campsite for 2 days. It's a cute little town and we are looking forward to a couple days to relax and give Lucille a little TLC. Today is out 1-year wedding anniversary, so we'll log off now to enjoy the rest of the evening and will catch up with you in a few days.

Cheers,
Tim


permalink written by  TwoSouls on January 21, 2008 from Wanaka, New Zealand, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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Abel Tasman - the long way around!

Takaka, New Zealand

Cheers family and friends!

Do we look like we are ready to hike? (Jan 06)

Starting the 4 day adventure... a little hung over (Jan 06)

We are finally back from our 5 day tramp, but we ended up making it a two part adventure. We started the track on Sunday and planned to walk the entire track through to Thursday. But the weather took a nasty turn on the second evening and after two nights camping in the rain, we took a vote and decided to take the next water taxi back to headquarters and dry our boots while sipping on a pint in the local pub. It was a beautiful hike as you can see from the photos, but it just ain't no fun camping in the rain, especially with stinky toilets, wet socks, critters getting into our tent and the ever-famous SANDFLIES! We are still recovering from some pretty nasty bites, but it's all a part of the backpacker lifestyle.


Stopping for a breather on the track (Jan 07)
We headed back to Nelson to regroup in a backpackers with our old friend Arne and our new friends from Germany, Flo and Sepp... after a big BBQ and a hot shower, we stayed the night in the van and decided to head up to the north end of the track (the end we never made it to) to enjoy the hut we had booked for the next night.

Late dinner with the boys at the hostel (Jan 09)
We backtracked through Motueka and up to Wainui to get ourselves back on the Tasman trail. After a short twilight hike, we made dinner on Whariwharangi beach and slept in the old hut - built back in 1897 by John Handcock. It was well worth taking the long way around to hit this section of the track and we recommend it to anyone heading this way.

Dinner on the beach at Whariwharangi Beach (Jan 10)

After finishing up the hike, we settled into Takaka. It's a cool, artsy little town on a river and has been a great jumping point for us during the last Tasman hike, a day trip up north to Collingwood and for an outdoor concert we have tickets for later today. On Thursday, we walked around town, caught a movie (Lions for Lambs by Robert Redford - highly recommended by both of us!) and watched the locals kick their feet up at Open Mic night at The Brigade.... it was quite a fun day. After a night in the van, we drove up north on Friday and then found a watering hole for Tim to do some cliff jumping. It was a bit chilly for me this time around, but I'll get there eventually! Then to Pupu Springs to chill with some new made friends by the campfire and a good night sleep in the van on the river.


Cool mural in downtown Takaka - 48 people painted it together (Jan 11)
This morning, we ran some necessary errands, walked around the Saturday market and will head to Cobb Valley for 24 hours of live music and camping. So we will say goodbye to Takaka, a town we've grown to like very much, and start heading south again. We've been lucky to meet very cool people and find some great spots to camp... and we've managed to forego the cute artsy, fartsy stuff that I so much want to buy. It's just serious-strength bug repellant, sunscreen, cookies and beer for now. We are missing you all and hope you are well. Once we get to a more affordbale internet city, we will publich a few e-mails and do another blog - it's Tim's turn.

Big hugs and WICKED (NZ slang for "cool") fun!
Jen

permalink written by  TwoSouls on January 12, 2008 from Takaka, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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Finally some sunshine in Nelson!

Nelson, New Zealand

Hello from sunny Nelson in the South Island!


New Years toast with Mate and Veronica (Dec 31)
Happy New Year to all of you and thank you for all your kind e-mails and loving thoughts you've been sending these past days and weeks. We wish that we had more time to respond to the e-mail and update the blog site, but we don't want to spend the bilk of our days in these crappy little internet cafes... we do hope you know how much we are thinking of you and that we see you in so much of what we do!

After a great night out on New Year's Eve, we relaxed in Baelena Bay most of the day and soaked in the sun. We walked through the Botanical Gardens and spent a little more time tripping around town before preparing for our ferry ride on the 2nd. We really enjoyed Wellington (#3 on the list thus far) and met some really great people in the North Island, a few of whom we are connecting with now in Nelson. We are traveling with Arne from Holland - we met him in Rotorua and will be hiking Able Tasman with him staring tomorrow for about 5 days. It's nice to have anothe traveling companion and we've enjoyed camping in a local holiday park on the outskirts of town


Views from the ferry - brrrr! (Jan 2)

Sleepy New Years Day smiles...

We hit a farmer's market this morning and are doing a little shopping for the trek tomorrow - we need to make sure we have lightweight dry goods and plenty of water, especailly since it's been so warm these past few days. Tonight we will head south of town, meet some friends at a house-party (some sort of 80's New Zealand band) and try to find a free place to camp tonight before hitting the trail. I'm excited to get some exercise, althought we've all thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing on the beach and just tripping around town. Able Tasman is supposed to be one of the most beautiful tramps in NZ, so we will defintely have some great photos to share.


Tahuna Beach camping with the boys (Jan 05)
I am going to keep this short so that I can tag some of our photos. We are doing fine and have managed to slow down on the money spending a bit. Most of the residue from the theft has been taken care of and we are being A LOT more careful with our belongs - so need not worry - we DID learn our lesson, at least the best we know how. There are bound to be negative things that happen while we are on the road, so all in all, we are in good shape. I am missing my family and friends... I keep wanting to buy all sorts of gifts and goodies for you, but I will refrain for now, at least until I get to Asia.

Big hugs to you all... and be sure to take a few days off here and there - you deserve it.
Love - Jen(naynay)


Sunset at the campground (Jan 04)

permalink written by  TwoSouls on January 5, 2008 from Nelson, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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A Knock Down, But Not Out

Wellington, New Zealand

While enjoying a quick dip in Spa Park back in Taupo, our van was broke into and we lost some important things- phone, Jen's passport, credit cards, mp3 player, and Jen's toiletries. Admittedly, we were lax and left things in plain view (and didn't notice one window wasn't latched). We learned the hard way this time aroundRegardless, Taupo was great and we enjoyed a trip out on the lake aboard the Barbury,

We're on the Barbary on Lake Taupo (Dec 23)
Errol Flynn's old sailboat. Sailing to some Maori carvings for photos and a swim...I was the only one who wanted to swim- pretty cold water and the weather still being so-so.
We had planned on doing the Tongariro Crossing which some have said is better than Milford, but the break-in caused us to just want to move further south. Christmas day we arrived on Wellington at the YHA Wellington City
This YHA has a 4-star rating and is very comfortable but busy. We checked in for the one night in dorm style beds, freshened up and went downstairs to prepare dinner.....the two kitchens were both full of people cooking large X-mas meals (smelled awesome!), so we opted to just have pizza (a large delivered to hostel members for $6.50) and drinks. This was a very different sort of X-mas for us - we miss our family and know they are missing us too...!

Tim and Jen self-portrait on top of Mt. Vic (Dec 30)

Who would of thought... Two Souls Bistro! (Dec 31)

Hopefully, everybody is having a great holiday and getting some time to check our blog.
The YHA has become like a second home. Even though we take off to sleep in our van at night; we cook, shower, hang out, and make new friends there. We recently did a pub crawl with a group from there- fun, fun! Wellington is beautiful and there's much to see and do. Te Papa museum is new and huge (a whole day's worth)...free too! The veiw from Mt. Victoria is fabulous 360....Cuba Street is full of shops and pubs....Botanical Gardens, Parlaiment, the waterfront and more. This is also the windiest city I've ever been in...almost never stops.

Views of Wellington (Dec 30)

Downtown Wellington - where the hip hang out... (Dec 31)

Yesterday, we made contact with our first Couchsurfing host. We visited at a great place (Southern Cross) and met again at his house for a stay-over. CSurfing will hopefully become frequent throughout our trip. It's definitely a good $ saver and way to meet locals.
Well, this is the last day of 2007 and I hope this blog finds all of you in good health and dandy spirits!.}

Wellington hostel (Dec 30)
We love you all and hope hear from you via email!
Happy New Year!!!
Tim and Jen

permalink written by  TwoSouls on December 30, 2007 from Wellington, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand: Santa Wears Burmudas
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