South Africa!

Hello!



I'm coming to you from Hazyview, just a hop, skip and a jump from Kruger National Park (where we're going for a safari in a couple of days - exciting!). 



There's so much to update, and not that much time (internet is surprisingly expensive), so I'll do my best...



We started off with me spraining my ankle in Joburg in a pothole in the pavement, which could have been absolutely disasterous, but thanks to some Macgyver-esque strapping with a pack handle the crisis was averted and it's only slightly sore now. We watched a football game then drove up through the night to Rustenburg. Our car is great - roomy enough and already lots of chips and dents so we won't feel too bad if we make too many more!



Rustenburg was FREEZING. Absolutely so, so cold. However, my fantastic new sleeping bag was a star and kept me nice and toasty. Adam on the other hand was slightly less prepared and spent a first pretty uncomfortable night before borrowing some thermals to sleep in the next night. The first game in Rustenburg was great fun, particularly due to that brilliant late goal! We stayed in a camp site in a nature reserve which was ok, and spent a lot of time at the malls just getting camping gas, new gloves, pies etc. We also went out to Sun City, which is this apartheid-era resort which was absolutely crazy. It's all completely over the top, but we saw these crocodiles at their crocodile reserve which were incredible. A) I've never seen that many crocodiles, B) I've never seen any that big before (some were over a tonne!) and C) I'm glad it's winter and they're not so active...



After Rustenburg we drove into Limpopo province to a small town called Thabazimbi where we stayed at the Thaba Nkwe Bushveld Inn with some really nice people. We were the only people camping (and they thought we were insane), but they took us out on a hunt one morning (fortunately none of the shots were successful) and we ate the biggest steaks I've ever seen. We also went to the Marakele National Park where we saw giraffes, warthogs, lots of varieties of antelopes and even a herd of elephants!! That was very cool - and slightly scary when our car somehow got caught between them, but a brilliant experience.



From Thabazimbi we drove down to Joburg to pick Emilia up via a town called Bela-Bela which has this big hot baths complex. I've got a massive bruise on my cocyx from bumping down these incredibly fun hydroslides (we're all just big kids really). From Joburg we've come out here to Hazyview. Yesterday was the NZ vs Italy game which was fantastic. The goal at what, minute seven, led to everyone being drenched with beer, hugging complete strangers and generally just being extremely excited. If NZ goes through our travel plans are completely shot (we'll have to drive down to Cape Town...) but wouldn't that be amazing.



We've been watching pratically every other football game going which has been a bit of an overload for me, but the others are absolutely loving it. There are lots of tourists about, probably about 500-750 NZers I'd say, and everyone seems to be in a pretty good mood.



I'm sure there's lots I've forgotten to say, and I wish I could post some photos, but rest assured you'll all get bored with them when I finally do!



We're having another braai (bbq) for lunch today, then off to a reptile park and potentially some waterfalls this afternoon too.



I'll check in soon!

20 hours in Singapore

It's official. I am seriously, head over heels in love with Changi Airport. Singapore, how did you get it so right?!


Let me backtrack...right to the beginning.


My flight (Singapore Airlines) to Singapore was pretty uneventful - bar a bout of twitchy leg starting before I even got on the plane and which got progressively worse until (sorry Dr Stone) I couldn't take it any longer and had to take a sleeping pill... It took about 45 minutes to kick in, but gave me a blessed three-four hours of relief. And it was a way shorter flight than anticipated (just under 11 hours, rather than 13, which made so much difference) so I got off the plane in not too bad shape.


However, I had a plan. I've done a bit of research on the airport and heard so much about it from everyone else that I knew all the things I wanted to do. First stop, book myself in for a free tour. I got on the tour at 11am so seeing as at this stage it was only 7am, it was off to search for a reclining couch for a bit of shut-eye. I had nearly two hours of sleep once I finally found them - genius!


Then it was up and out for my tour. I had landed on the 'colonial' one which was all about the city's heritage (rather than the 'cultural' one which went through Chinatown etc.). It was really interesting! I had no idea this Raffles character was such an important guy (apart from giving his name to a hotel of course). Our guide was pretty frank - telling us bad things as well as good about Singapore - and it made it much more interesting compared to a bland from rote tour. We got off the bus near the main city buildings and WHAM. It is rather hot here I must say... Ok, no, can't keep up that charade. It is HOT, H-O-T. The humidity slapped you in the face and it's like walking around in soup. I know this will come as no surprise to the vast majority of people who may read this, but it's all a novelty to me!!


Back on the bus and then back to the airport, where I immediately turned around and booked myself on the other free shuttle to get into town. I love you Changi! I got dropped off at a place called Suntec City which is a giant mall, which I immediately left and made for the subway to get downtown to go for lunch at a hawker food centre called Lau Pa Sat which I gather is a bit of an institution. For $4.50 (one of only two choices available at the place I chose to go to) I had 'braised meat ban yian' which was delicious (the proof of which is splattered all over my t-shirt at the moment). I honestly think I could live in Asia just for the food alone!!


After lunch I wandered back towards Suntec via Chinatown, finding interesting temples and parks and things to fritter away memory space on my camera (I'll try and upload pictures as soon as I find a computer where I can and it's not too dodgy). Several things intrigued me: what is the toasted sandwich-like thing that everyone's eating? Also what is the dried pork all about? And are televisions particularly cheap here as I seriously saw at least 20 being checked in as luggage (mostly it seemed to India??). I love the grass - it's all fat-leaved and was lovely to walk on. And all the (hundreds!) of ships up and down the coast - are they heading to China?? I also saw a Swensens! (Mention of that is just for you Mum).



Then, back on my, again free, shuttle to the airport, where I went to the rooftop pool for a swim and a shower. That's right, the ROOFTOP POOL. Auckland Airport, avert your eyes in shame! You have a lot, I repeat, a lot, to learn from Changi. A swim and a shower was glorious and prepped me for my $3.80 (no, that's not a typo) laksa from the airport food court. $3.80!!! And it was delicious! I don't know what's different about Singaporean laksa, but it always seems browner, richer somehow than Thai laksa (or is laksa not really from Thailand and I just have no idea). Anyway, totally yum. 



Now I'm making use of the free internet, before I go down and watch Algeria vs. Slovenia on the big screens they're showing all the World Cup matches on. Honestly, it's going to be hard to get on the flight!



Sorry it's been such a long one, but I do have five more hours to kill until I even have to be at my gate, so you'll just have to lump it!



Next stop, Johannesburg!!!!



(P.S. Slovenia won 1-0! If they can do it, surely NZ can...)

Bafana Bafana!!!

So, the day has finally arrived - we're off to South Africa for the World Cup!! The excitement (and nervousness) has also finally kicked in... It's somewhere that I've grown up hearing about and have always wanted to visit - and while to go at a time like this is admittedly a bit crazy and full-on, it's going to be AWESOME. I can just feel it.

Here's the map of our trip (click on it or the link in blue underneath to explore!):




View South Africa 2010 in a larger map

We'll try and keep up the posts - maybe not photos depending on the security of the internet cafes - but a few words at least. I've got a first stop in Singapore (somewhere I've also never been) so will see what I can tell you about that.

(Oh, and Bafana Bafana translates to 'The Boys, The Boys' and is the colloquial name for the South African football team - they drew 1 all with Mexico last night so here's hoping they can improve their form. We're hoping for a New Zealand vs South Africa final doncha know?!)

Photos from Oz-tray-ya

In an effort to be more diligent about posting photos, here are a selection from March and April of the various trips I've been doing in Australia. I was in Canberra, then Sydney, then back to Canberra, then down to Melbourne, and now back in Canberra... Oof! (And don't even go there on the carbon miles, I know, I know...).


I've been doing a bit of sightseeing in Canberra and should hopefully have some more after another round of visiting stuff this weekend. Sydney was a lovely day just wandering around in the sun and Melbourne (and Hamilton in rural Victoria) was a wonderful, relaxing Easter with Jesse, Arte and the absolutely adorable Clio. We played golf, ate roast goose and lots of Easter eggs, drank fantastic wine, hung out in the garden reading books and generally enjoyed being alive - can't complain at all!

I also saw a game of Ozzie Rules at the MCG, went shopping in Fitzroy, caught up with the lovely Amy and sat in an airport terminal for five and a half hours waiting for a delayed flight back to Canberra. Yes, well, the last one isn't so fabulous but definitely worthy of mention (do not, I repeat, do not fly Tiger Airways if you want to get somewhere on time...).

But this I think is the video of the trip so far:

Yikes!

Oz-tray-ya

Howdy!

Just a little update to let you know that I'm in Canberra at the moment - working on the Australia-New Zealand bid for the Square Kilometre Array. And hopefully this means I'll have a bit more time to give some updates on what's been going on in our lives!

To give you a bit of a teaser, Adrian's been to Windsor and Salisbury, and I've been to Auckland and now am here in Canberra. I'll also try and put up some photos of the fascinator I made for the races if the photo tool behaves this time!

A bientot!