My buddy Kirk had sent out his top 25 most influential albums list on Facebook this week. Due to my jet lag, I've had a lot of time to think about mine between the hours of 3 and 6 AM. It occurred to me that much of what I listened to or liked in the early 80's was based on what I saw on MTV. Then I realized that there is a whole generation out there who have never known cable TV without MTV. Then I also realized that there will be a new generation of viewers who will watch MTV and NEVER see any music videos.
I really miss those days. Do the words "Hello, I'm Dave Kendall, and you are watching 120 minutes on MTV" make you smile. For those hardcore MTV fans, you should remember the first 120 minutes host Kevin Seal. Whoever thought of the concept of the music video was a genius. I'm not talking about live concert footage pieced together. I'm talking about Michael Jackson's Thriller video. A music video so powerful, there was a "Making of Thriller" video for the video. How about Mick Jones and Joe Strummer playing in an oil field with a pet armadillo running around in the video for Rock the Casbah. Oooooh, and David Lee Roth swinging a samurai sword around and doing the splits in the video for Panama. Men at Work, Talking Heads, Flock of Seagulls, Phychedelic Furs, Beastie Boys, Elvis Costello with those red boxing gloves, I can go on and on remembering videos from the 80's to early 90's.
I was able to pare my list of top 25 albums down to about 30. These would not be my favorite albums, just those that I remember during specific moments of my life. Maybe I should compile a list of top 25 music videos too.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wellington and The Start of My Backpacking Trip
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
I decided to take the Overlander which is the train that links Auckland to Wellington. The route cuts right down the middle of the north island. The ride would be a long one, but at least I would get a chance to see the scenery. The landscape is green and lush. All of the mountains seem to be covered with grass. There are so many cows and sheep lining the country side that they seem to be part of the landscape itself. I would arrive in Wellington just late enough to grab dinner and check my emails before going to bed.
Maybe it is the part of town I'm in, but I'm getting a good vibe from this place. I found an excellent coffee shop called Fidel's (Castro) which is right across from a giant adult book store. No matter. The place is punky so I immediately liked it (or Ponkhay and Agyness Deyn would say with her Manchester accent). Yup. She's my flavor of the week. It quickly struck me like a Mike Tyson bitch slap that Wellington is actually a mini San Francisco. My friend Peter did tell me this before I left, but I only noticed it in the houses when walking up to Mt. Victoria lookout. The town is brimming with personality and it has a very arty and poetic feel to it.
I spent the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon at the Te Papa museum. There were about half a dozen school groups waiting outside the museum when I arrived. It reminded me of the scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when Ferris, Cameron, and Sloan were at the Chicago Museum of Art (Cameron starring at the Seurat painting with the Smiths "Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" playing in the background). I was in luck because the Monet Exhibit just arrived less than a month ago in NZ. The exhibit was slammed with people. There were art students taking notes, collectors, critics, and tourists making their way through the maze of impressionist paintings. I have noticed what I have coined the 'art critic' pose. You should know this one. It's the one where one hand cups the elbow of the opposite arm. The other hand is scratching the chin as the person stares intently at the painting expecting to discover its soul. Chill dude! The painting ain't moving. Besides the Monet exhibit, the other long standing installations were also good. Who can resist the real life giant squid? I wish I had another day in the city, but I must push on to keep to my schedule.
I finished the Alchemist much more quickly than I expected. It took me a while to find a few more good books to read. More weight for the backpack. I'll definitely send stuff home when I reach Sydney.
I decided to take the Overlander which is the train that links Auckland to Wellington. The route cuts right down the middle of the north island. The ride would be a long one, but at least I would get a chance to see the scenery. The landscape is green and lush. All of the mountains seem to be covered with grass. There are so many cows and sheep lining the country side that they seem to be part of the landscape itself. I would arrive in Wellington just late enough to grab dinner and check my emails before going to bed.
Maybe it is the part of town I'm in, but I'm getting a good vibe from this place. I found an excellent coffee shop called Fidel's (Castro) which is right across from a giant adult book store. No matter. The place is punky so I immediately liked it (or Ponkhay and Agyness Deyn would say with her Manchester accent). Yup. She's my flavor of the week. It quickly struck me like a Mike Tyson bitch slap that Wellington is actually a mini San Francisco. My friend Peter did tell me this before I left, but I only noticed it in the houses when walking up to Mt. Victoria lookout. The town is brimming with personality and it has a very arty and poetic feel to it.
I spent the rest of the morning and much of the afternoon at the Te Papa museum. There were about half a dozen school groups waiting outside the museum when I arrived. It reminded me of the scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when Ferris, Cameron, and Sloan were at the Chicago Museum of Art (Cameron starring at the Seurat painting with the Smiths "Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" playing in the background). I was in luck because the Monet Exhibit just arrived less than a month ago in NZ. The exhibit was slammed with people. There were art students taking notes, collectors, critics, and tourists making their way through the maze of impressionist paintings. I have noticed what I have coined the 'art critic' pose. You should know this one. It's the one where one hand cups the elbow of the opposite arm. The other hand is scratching the chin as the person stares intently at the painting expecting to discover its soul. Chill dude! The painting ain't moving. Besides the Monet exhibit, the other long standing installations were also good. Who can resist the real life giant squid? I wish I had another day in the city, but I must push on to keep to my schedule.
I finished the Alchemist much more quickly than I expected. It took me a while to find a few more good books to read. More weight for the backpack. I'll definitely send stuff home when I reach Sydney.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Auckland and the Family
Well... I don't think I'm going to see too much of Auckland while visiting with the family. It is just a fact that I'll have to deal with during my travels. I had some hint of this while travelling in Taiwan, so I should have expected the same thing while here. I've been doing a lot of family oriented things the past few days which is fine. Some of these cousins or nephews I'm seeing for the first time or the first time in over 23 years.
My brain is finally catching up with the language. Most of my communication with my family has been a mix of Taiwanese and English with a bit of Mandarin mixed in. For the first day, I kept on saying Spanish words such as "Si" and "Pero." Eventually, I was able to shake the habit. It is also kind of weird seeing a whole set of relatives with Aussie/NZ accents.
My cousins and I decided to drive up to the bay of islands for the weekend. My cousin in law Raymond is the perfect stereotype for bad Asian drivers. He drives super fast on the winding NZ roads and doesn't believe in blind spots. When we got in the car, he put these big sunglasses on top of his normal glasses making him look like a male Yoko Ono. Also, he speaks Taiwanese like Archie Bunker where everything seems to be totally obvious to him and everyone around him is stupid. The rain on the drive up made me a bit uncomfortable with his driving, but we arrived in Paihia unhurt. The day was a total loss. Even the cultural show at the museum was closed due to flooding and rain. The next day was clear and we booked a cruise in the surrounding bay (along with all the other retirees). The boat ride was nice and we were accompanied by two pods of dolphins. Overall the trip was not a total disaster. The next two days were spent with family at Cornwall Park (none tree hill) and the suburb of Devonport. Auckland reminds me of a combination of both Santa Cruz CA and Portsmouth NH. Don't get me wrong. I like the place, but it is similar to other places I've been before. I'm looking forward to head to the South Island soon.
One thing I can always count on when visiting family abroad is that they will feed you until you burst. Every night, I've had excellent Chinese food and a lot of it. Even during the day, the aunts and cousins will offer up fruit (which is excellent in NZ), snacks, and coffee. All of the weight I lost tramping in Patagonia will be gained back in a week.
My brain is finally catching up with the language. Most of my communication with my family has been a mix of Taiwanese and English with a bit of Mandarin mixed in. For the first day, I kept on saying Spanish words such as "Si" and "Pero." Eventually, I was able to shake the habit. It is also kind of weird seeing a whole set of relatives with Aussie/NZ accents.
My cousins and I decided to drive up to the bay of islands for the weekend. My cousin in law Raymond is the perfect stereotype for bad Asian drivers. He drives super fast on the winding NZ roads and doesn't believe in blind spots. When we got in the car, he put these big sunglasses on top of his normal glasses making him look like a male Yoko Ono. Also, he speaks Taiwanese like Archie Bunker where everything seems to be totally obvious to him and everyone around him is stupid. The rain on the drive up made me a bit uncomfortable with his driving, but we arrived in Paihia unhurt. The day was a total loss. Even the cultural show at the museum was closed due to flooding and rain. The next day was clear and we booked a cruise in the surrounding bay (along with all the other retirees). The boat ride was nice and we were accompanied by two pods of dolphins. Overall the trip was not a total disaster. The next two days were spent with family at Cornwall Park (none tree hill) and the suburb of Devonport. Auckland reminds me of a combination of both Santa Cruz CA and Portsmouth NH. Don't get me wrong. I like the place, but it is similar to other places I've been before. I'm looking forward to head to the South Island soon.
One thing I can always count on when visiting family abroad is that they will feed you until you burst. Every night, I've had excellent Chinese food and a lot of it. Even during the day, the aunts and cousins will offer up fruit (which is excellent in NZ), snacks, and coffee. All of the weight I lost tramping in Patagonia will be gained back in a week.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
They Lost My Bag Again!
My backpack was delivered 30 minutes before my shuttle to the airport. I dumped out all of the camping gear and switched out some of the clothes, but not all. The weather in New Zealand is similar to Patagonia, so I would require the same things. Since I booked the huts for the Routeburn Track, no tent or thermarest was needed. The only addition to my gear was the pocket rocket and mess kit. And so I would arrive to see my relatives bringing a lot of dirty laundry with me. I mean nothing in my backpack was clean when I left the house. I did have enough time to buy some chocolates for the family so I didn't arrive empty handed.
I was waiting at baggage claim for about an hour when they paged me over the intercom. Apparently, my bag was en route to Brisbane. Not Again! The airline had lost my bag twice within 48 hours. At least I was getting picked up by family and I could hang out without worrying about my bag. I was thinking about all the stuff I could buy if the bag was lost. Jane introduced me to a NZ clothing company called Icebreaker last year which uses wool for all their products. The great thing about wool is that it doesn't stink. I've had better results using natural fibers over synthetics in the past (only for base layers) so I'm going to load up before heading back to the US. Also, the dollar is very strong against the NZ dollar, so my travels should be fairly cheap this go around.
Upon my arrival, I realized that I hadn't done too much planning for my trip. I had a basic outline, but I knew that I would cross out a bunch of things due to time. Four and a half weeks in Patagonia was no where near enough time. How could I expect to adequately see New Zealand AND parts of Australia in five! My thoughts ran back to Florence who was the French gal I met on the Navimag. She had the same delima trying to squeeze in as much as she could in Patagonia before going home. The only thing which was set was the Routeburn Track from the 16th to the 18th. The rest was still up in the air. I surrendered the fact that I wouldn't see the great ocean road or Ayer's rock this time. My two weeks in Australia would be my vacation from my vacation, just like Phuket for my SE Asia trip. The plan now is to head up the east coast for surfing and scuba diving.
So I'm sitting around with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone is talking at the same time about what I should do in NZ. It's a real mess. I'm sure it will all work out. I just need to make sure to book everything ahead of time so I don't lose any days.
and on top of all that...
I still miss Patagonia.
I was waiting at baggage claim for about an hour when they paged me over the intercom. Apparently, my bag was en route to Brisbane. Not Again! The airline had lost my bag twice within 48 hours. At least I was getting picked up by family and I could hang out without worrying about my bag. I was thinking about all the stuff I could buy if the bag was lost. Jane introduced me to a NZ clothing company called Icebreaker last year which uses wool for all their products. The great thing about wool is that it doesn't stink. I've had better results using natural fibers over synthetics in the past (only for base layers) so I'm going to load up before heading back to the US. Also, the dollar is very strong against the NZ dollar, so my travels should be fairly cheap this go around.
Upon my arrival, I realized that I hadn't done too much planning for my trip. I had a basic outline, but I knew that I would cross out a bunch of things due to time. Four and a half weeks in Patagonia was no where near enough time. How could I expect to adequately see New Zealand AND parts of Australia in five! My thoughts ran back to Florence who was the French gal I met on the Navimag. She had the same delima trying to squeeze in as much as she could in Patagonia before going home. The only thing which was set was the Routeburn Track from the 16th to the 18th. The rest was still up in the air. I surrendered the fact that I wouldn't see the great ocean road or Ayer's rock this time. My two weeks in Australia would be my vacation from my vacation, just like Phuket for my SE Asia trip. The plan now is to head up the east coast for surfing and scuba diving.
So I'm sitting around with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Everyone is talking at the same time about what I should do in NZ. It's a real mess. I'm sure it will all work out. I just need to make sure to book everything ahead of time so I don't lose any days.
and on top of all that...
I still miss Patagonia.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Math is Not Working In My Favor
I'm currently waiting for my backpack which is supposed to arrive by 5 PM. However, my shuttle to the airport is picking me up at 2:35 PM for my flight to Auckland. This is going to be close.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Whoops. What about Pucon?
I must not be spending any time in the internet cafes. I'm trying to update everything from home since the internet is fast and there is no line.
It was a long bus ride, but we pulled into Pucon at around 11PM in the evening. I quickly found my hostel which was close to the bus station. The Tree House was a nice place run by and English woman and Chilean guy. It was a slightly more expensive, but it had a good relaxed feel and the beds were nice. John, Lou (the English couple), and I decided to book the climb of Volcan Villarica. Nearly everyone who comes to Pucon climbs the volcano. It isn't that technical, but it sometimes is too much for those who do not normally exercise. The day started at 6:30 AM. Dang! We took the bus to the ski resort where we took the top lift up to the start of the hike. The lava rocks grabbed at my boots quite well so I had good traction to pull myself up the switchbacks. The group started to thin out due to the pace of the guide. I was still with the fast group but John and Lou fell back a ways. That was alright. No need to rush anything when you are climbing something that tall. Eventually, we reached the snow. There was a temperature inversion that morning, so it got hotter as we ascended. The snow was soft, so we didn't need cramp-ons that day. Once we were at the top, you could smell the gasses coming from the crater. Sometimes the sulfur smell was so great, it felt like someone had sliced a whole bag of onions right underneath your nose. The way down was much faster than the climb. We all sat on these butt covers and slid down troughs in the snow. It was like being in a luge run. Quite fun, but we were soaked by the time we reached the bottom. Overall it was a good tour, but I would have liked to have done it in the spring where you can snowboard all the way down. Maybe next year.
The next day, I teamed up with a few folks from another hostel to hike to the mirador at Cani. There were four of us, each from a different country. Jess was the Canadian and the strongest of us four. She was doing the opposite loop as I had done the month before through Patagonia. Her triathlon training propelled her up the steep 9K track like a gazelle and the rest of us hung on as best as we could. The trail wound it's way through araucaria (monkey puzzle) trees past a couple small ponds to a mirador at the top of a cliff. From there we could see four different volcanoes. It was worth the effort. After a few minutes, I led the group off the mountain HP (Heather Poyhonen) style. Jess was the only one who stayed with me as I bombed the switchbacks back to the park office. This time the descent was a bit easier since I wasn't carrying 15 kilos on my back. We returned to Pucon all dusty and smelly. A good shower would do wonders.
Lou met me at the Tree House and invited me to join them for an evening at the hot spring. This would be a nice conclusion to my trip on Patagonia. I spent five hours on my feet today, so a nice long soak to relax was what my body needed. I had been hanging out with John and Lou for the last three days. John is a guy who could be anyone's friend and Louise is such a sweetheart with stunning piercing blue eyes. They are well traveled and great to talk to about going abroad and life in general. There were eight thermal pools in all. Each varied in temperature from the luke warm to the torturous 45 deg C boiling pot. We started off in the wrong direction starting with the super hot melt your skin pool first. Being far away from the city, the stars were very bright. I'm still not used to seeing stars from the southern hemisphere. I was so relaxed when I got back to the bus, the trip back seemed like it only took 3 minutes. My trip was nearly complete. I said my goodbyes to John and Lou. My bags were packed for the most part so I mentally prepared myself for the long bus ride back to Santiago and the overnight flight back to the US.
Just like the last time I left South America, I felt as though I was not completely finished with my time here. I could definitely see myself coming back, but who knows when and how.
Pit Stop
I get home and start checking the internet and I notice that Morrissey is holding a baby on the cover of his new album. Por Que?
It was a crazy travel day leaving Pucon. The bus had a flat tire on the way to Santiago so I was worried that I wouldn't get to the airport on time for my flight. Everything turned out alright and I even had enough time to order some food at the Ruby Tuesday's at the airport. The flight was long and I'm in the mode where I'm getting used to speaking to people with American accents again. I always seem to want to stay longer when I travel to South America. I don't know why. For Switzerland, it was the end of the ski season and for Asia, I was ready to come home to see friends and family. However, the last two times in South America, I wanted to extend my travels to hang out with people who I met along the way.
I arrived in Dallas at 6 AM. Everything was going smoothly until I was the last one standing at baggage claim with no bag. This puts me in a somewhat difficult situation since I leave for New Zealand in 36 hours. My thoughts turned to what could have happened. Could someone have walked off with my bag on accident? That seems very unlikely since I had my tent and Keen sandals strapped to the outside of the bag. The other possibility is that the bag never left Santiago. If they found it and put it on the next flight to DFW, it would arrive tomorrow which would do me little good. I mentally went through the inventory of items in my backpack that I needed for New Zealand and Australia. I had backups for most items, but I would have to buy new toiletries, sleeping bag, guide books, and rain gear. Crap! More rain gear! The list of things to buy gets bigger as I think about it. Maybe I'll pack light and buy everything in NZ.
It was a crazy travel day leaving Pucon. The bus had a flat tire on the way to Santiago so I was worried that I wouldn't get to the airport on time for my flight. Everything turned out alright and I even had enough time to order some food at the Ruby Tuesday's at the airport. The flight was long and I'm in the mode where I'm getting used to speaking to people with American accents again. I always seem to want to stay longer when I travel to South America. I don't know why. For Switzerland, it was the end of the ski season and for Asia, I was ready to come home to see friends and family. However, the last two times in South America, I wanted to extend my travels to hang out with people who I met along the way.
I arrived in Dallas at 6 AM. Everything was going smoothly until I was the last one standing at baggage claim with no bag. This puts me in a somewhat difficult situation since I leave for New Zealand in 36 hours. My thoughts turned to what could have happened. Could someone have walked off with my bag on accident? That seems very unlikely since I had my tent and Keen sandals strapped to the outside of the bag. The other possibility is that the bag never left Santiago. If they found it and put it on the next flight to DFW, it would arrive tomorrow which would do me little good. I mentally went through the inventory of items in my backpack that I needed for New Zealand and Australia. I had backups for most items, but I would have to buy new toiletries, sleeping bag, guide books, and rain gear. Crap! More rain gear! The list of things to buy gets bigger as I think about it. Maybe I'll pack light and buy everything in NZ.
The house was immaculate when I walked in the front door. Jaime had cleaned the place up quite nicely since I left. Now I had to go through piles of mail separating out the bills and tax forms from the junk mail. The day will also be spent uploading pictures and catching up on emails and such.
I'm glad I am not spending too much time at home. You just get way too comfortable when you are at home for a while.
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