USA Trip '05 - Part One

Then, less than three weeks later, I was boarding a plane bound for San Francisco, and ultimately London. You may recall that I had handed in my notice at work a few weeks prior, so the future was definitely still uncertain. However, I managed to gather the courage to go back to the boss, and grovel for my job back (actually, grovelling didn’t turn out to be necessary – he welcomed me back gladly, which was very reassuring).

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the trip, and even less sure about what I was going to do once I came to the end of my time in North America. But I made it to San Fran alright, and met up with Chris at the Hotel. Not before spending a couple of hours wandering SF airport waiting for him to turn up, though! The BART deposited me Market Street station, which was just around the corner from the Mosser hotel I had booked. In my haste to get out of the station, dump my bag, have a rest and a loooong, hot shower, I didn’t check the map closely anough, and ended up walking in completely the wrong direction through a less desirable part of town. I made it to the Mosser a few minutes later, slightly wiser, and found Chris in the foyer. It was good to see a familiar face in such unfamiliar surroundings. That wasn’t the end of the challenges for the day though. We attempted top check in, only to find that the ‘twin’ room I had booked was actually a single room with a double bed. We had to upgrade (for an extra $30/day) to a ‘double’ room, which had two twin beds. Crazy! I tried to argue, but my heart wasn’t in it as I really just wanted to get to the room and relax. The room was, after all, quite pleasant and comfortable, if a little noisy. We went out a little later to explore and find some food – mercifully, the hotel was near Union Square, the major shopping area of San Francisco, so there was no shortage of choice.

We actually stumbled upon what I found out later to be one of the best and most popular pizza parlours in SF, Blondies. I’d been hanging out for a good American-style pizza since I got back from Vail, and it was just as good as I remembered. I don’t know how they manage to get so much flavour into a pizza with so few toppings. American food was going to feature prominently on this trip! I spent some time in the Virgin Store listening to music, and came away with three new CDs. Spent plenty of time in the Apple store as well, on this day buying a PowerPod and iTrip for the iPod. We were almost ready for the road trip!

how engaging!

OK, as promised, here’s the update:

Turbulent times, they were. Victoria went overseas on business for a couple of weeks, and I finally realised that I couldn’t stand to be apart from her. So when she arrived back in the country, I had organized a special weekend away to Waiheke Island.

We stayed at Villa Pacifica at the east end of the island. Although it was quite a long way from the main built up areas of Waiheke, the views and tranquility more thjan made up for the remoteness. Our room overlooked three small bays, with Auckland city as just a hazy shadow in the background. We were treated to the best of Auckland autumn weather all weekend – beautifully sunny, but crisp in the morning and not too hot during the day.

On Saturday (the 7^th of May), we had a lazy morning, but managed to make it to lunch at Te Whau vineyard, where we were treated to the most divine food I have ever tasted. The chef was on loan from O’Connell Street Brasserie for a couple of weekends, and I knew that Victoria had wanted to go there for years. We ordered Tempura Squid and a Wild Mushroom Risotto as an entrée; the squid was beautifully fragrant, and melted in your mouth, and the risotto (with which I have had bad experiences in the past) was perfectly cooked. We both chose Papardelle of Wild Hare as a main course, which tasted absolutely sensational. What could possibly be better than the spectacular views from Te Whau coupled with amazing food and superb wine!

After lunch we drove to Onetangi beach, and decided to take a walk along the beach to help digest the fabulous (and somewhat rich) food. As we walked, I realised that there would never be a better time than this, so I dropped to one knee, and as the waves lapped around us, I proposed. The rest of the weekend was a bit of a blur, but needless to say, I sit here writing this as a happily engaged man.

where to start?

Where to start indeed?

To cut a long story (very) short, I proposed to Victoria before I left NZ, she accepted, I went away to USA and Mexico, then came back to NZ rather than continue on to the UK.

So here I am, sitting back in the test lab at my old job, wondering how exactly I came to be here again.

So it's true that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm now engaged to be married in March 2006, I'm working at the same job, and I still feel the inescapable desire to travel.

Stay tuned, more will follow.

the lemon treat paradox

I'm sitting here at work taking my first bite of my third 'Lemon Treat' of the day, sipping a big mug of tea, and writing a post for my blog. Productivity is my middle name.

Why are Griffin’s Lemon Treats so delicious? The ingredients are all wrong, and yet somehow, they add up to a gloriously enjoyable eating experience. Maybe the wrongness is part of the attraction.
Take two salty, flaky pastry-type crackers (the type you would normally eat with cheese or paté), add a sweet cream filling, but not any old cream filling, oh no, a lemon cream filling, and there you have it. Salty, sweet, creamy, and acidic/citrus all at the same time. Weird; and yummy.

a dramatic pause

Last night was the night of the penultimate drama class. Attendance (and energy) were at an all-time low, so the enjoyment wasn't there so much. Quite apart from anything else, there was almost no class interaction - we got there and immediately started rehearsing our scenes. After an hour, we began filming. Sean and I were up first, which meant we had no audience, and hence fewer nerves I think. That said, watching the scene later was quite painful. Although in hindsight it wasn't too bad, it was definitely more 'Shortland Street' than 'The Sopranos'. Do I actually look like that?

I miss the stage-acting classes. They were great fun; the tutor was fantastic (thanks Alison) and there was so much interaction with the other students. Now I feel we are drifting apart a little (not that we were ever that close), or perhaps it's just me... Last night, I was talking to three guys in the class, and they mentioned sending text messages to each other. I have never exchanged phone numbers with anyone in the class, nor has the subject even come up in conversation. I guess I missed that boat.

I've given up on the singing classes. I really didn't feel I was learning enough for the time I was putting in to it. We mainly sang as a choir, which I have done enough before. The idea of a concert looming was causing me too much stress. As it turns out, Chad (who was in both singing and acting classes) has given the singing up too.

point of no return

It's now official. I handed in my notice (six weeks) at work yesterday, something that I have been putting off for a while. It's certainly taken a great weight off my mind. The boss was extremely good about it, and seemed genuinely sorry that I was leaving! He even gave me details of a contact in the automotive engineering industry in the UK, which I may or may not use...

Rocky and Silvia sold last night for $1185, which is $15 less than I paid for them around a year ago. Joy!

7 weeks to go.

überpost

Plenty has happened since the past post, but I haven't really had the motivation to blog until now. Interestingly although things are happening so fast, time seems to be dragging. I guess my brain is in overdrive trying to organise everything I still need to do.

The passport mess has been sorted. It was quite easy in the end - I took the day off work (ahem) and headed to the camera shop first thing to have my picture taken (making sure that I was looking as bad as possible), then straight to the consulate. I was second in the queue, and it only took about 3/4 of an hour. So with any luck I will soon be the proud owner of a shiny new passport.

I've now completely moved back into my parents' house. It has been a bit painful, but thankfully they have been very accomodating. I have to remember that it's only short-term. I really despair at the amount of stuff I have accumulated, even just over the past couple of years. My presence in the world now extends far beyond the limits of my bedroom.... sigh. I can barely move in there. Sophie (cat) has been pretty good with the move, and has settled in quite well already. She has, however, been very put out about not being allowed outside. Soon she will be back to decimating the local bird and rodent population, I'm sure.

I've been desperately trying to get rid of stuff, and to that end I've attacked TradeMe with renewed vigour. I'm glad the things I'm selling have been received quite well so far - the Rancilio twins are the hot items at the moment. They have had a lot of interest already, and there's still five days to go in the auction. My printer and bikes are next on the block. Getting rid of the cars is up there too. Remind me why I have three cars again...

Crikey! Only eight weeks to go! Time flies. I haven't yet handed in my notice at work, or my practical work reports for Uni, but I'll get there. I will have to word my notice carefully, as I am in need of a good reference from these guys. I must update my CV as well.

I can't wait! I've been talking to Chris (travel buddy) about the American trip; and the Baja leg will probably be extended - who could resist all the beautiful Mexican food, margaritas, beaches and señoritas? I'm very disappointed that I am going to miss the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England again this year. It is being held on 24-26 June, so I'm just too late. Next year definitely. But to make up for it, I'm planning to watch some motor racing whilst in California. With any luck, I'll be able to see the Pulp Racing guys in action.

I'm starting to feel the restlessness that comes with a big upheaval. Thankfully it isn't accompanied by any mental weight. I am just getting excited, and I'm sure that this is the right thing to do.

sometimes you just need to look

Driving to work across the harbour bridge a few weeks ago, I looked out over the Hauraki gulf and I almost wept. It was such a beautiful sight that I'm struggling for an adequate description. The sun was just rising amongst cotton wool clouds, turning them that fetching, almost-beige colour and bathing the isthmus and islands in the softest of lights. The air was still and crisp, and the water was a brilliant turqoise, reflecting a textured image of the scene above. It was just breathtaking, and at once I realised how lucky I am to always be able to call this city (and country) home.

Then I arrived at work and all original thought ceased.

fun things to do at work #2

Play the big fridge

fun things to do at work #1

Grow a colourful tree:

high-performance...

On weekdays I often eat my lunch at the edge of the pond at the end of the road. Walking there takes me past the offices of a large international finance company. Although I have passed it dozens of times, yesterday I noticed something very odd about the carpark. Not the carpark itself, actually, but the cars therein. All of the cars appeared to be Australian, Japanese or German sedans of the lower-mid executive persuasion. What struck me in particular was the spoilers sprouting from the back of the vehicles. Almost every car had one. I wondered what this might say about the owners of these vehicles. Is a spoiler a prerequisite to being a successful employee of a large international finance company? Are they attempting to enhance their image by adding a stylish and rebellious appendage to their car? Are they failing?

To provide some perspective, I did a quick survey of the cars in our own carpark, and there was a marked contrast. There were very few spoilers to be seen, and a good proportion of the cars were station wagons or hatchbacks. Plenty of 4WD SUVs, though. What does this tell us about employees at a medium-sized engineering consultancy? Probably nothing of any great interest.

red tape

Dammit, more hoops to jump through. Bloody Dutch bureaucracy! I went to the Dutch consulate thinking that I could just pick up an application form and continue on my merry way. But no, that would be far too easy. I have to take: my old passport, my father’s passport, my parents’ marriage certificate and my passport photos and fill in the form whilst I’m at the embassy. During their opening hours of 9:30 am to 1 pm. Fume. Still, what can ya do?

gadget lust

I gave in and bought an iPod last week, and I’m in love! I’ve been coveting my friends’ iPods for a while, and when the 40 GB models went on special for $600 (runout special?), I just had to do it. It is such a great item for travelling – it makes so much more sense than lugging around all of your CDs. It is the coolest gadget – I love having my entire music collection literally at my fingertips. The downside is that I now want an iBook or PowerBook to go with it. Apple’s almost unerring ability to make cool gadgets totally perplexes me.

losttogether/togetheralone

I’ve been thinking about the relative merits of travelling alone and with another person. Travelling alone allows you to see everything you want to see, and nothing you don’t, but it can be lonely, and there is no-one to support and motivate you to carry on. Travelling with someone allows you to share the experiences (which somehow makes them more valuable) and shows you things that you wouldn’t normally see, but things can get tense if you don’t see eye to eye, especially when money is involved.

I loved travelling with Victoria as we had very similar interests, so we had the best of both worlds – it was like travelling alone with someone else. The only thing that irked me a little is that she was so prepared that I could just sit back and enjoy the ride, rather than actively seeking out things that I wanted to do. Now I have the opportunity of travelling with a friend around western USA, which I was a little apprehensive about – will we want to see the same things? Will we get along in close confines for weeks on end? I’ve given up worrying now, as it’s all part of the adventure, and as the song says: life’s what you make it.

blog you, you blogging blogger

I wonder how long it will be before 'blog' gets an entry in the OED...

I’m not sure exactly why I enjoy reading travel blogs so much. I guess I'm living vicariously through their stories, and the more detail that is given, the more involved I become. The popularity of blogs is perhaps another symptom (like reality TV) of our growing fascination with other people’s lives. I hate reality TV. Except perhaps The Amazing Race. Maybe it stems from the belief that everyone else has a more interesting life than our own. Blogs are like a personalised reality show – if there is something that you are interested in (Latvian nose flute music perhaps) doubtless there is someone who is writing about it right now. Apart from the voyeuristic and vicarious aspects, blogs can be a great source of information (for travellers and otherwise). They illustrate just how much there is to see out there. I have learned a lot from those I’ve read, and I hope that people will get some inspiration from mine.

I guess I’m just excited about my own impending departure. One of the reasons for creating this blog is that I don’t think that there are enough travel blogs around, especially ones relevant to Kiwis. A number of blogs stop shortly after the travel actually starts. I’m sure motivation to keep a blog up to date does fade once you are seeing and experiencing new things, and time is at a premium.

Some of the other blogs I’ve been reading recently are:

Don’t Forget the Dot - Peter’s blog is an interesting, and endearingly unhinged travel blog in Australia and England.

FunkyPancake – A photo blog showing oddly compelling images of ordinary things in London. Good captions. Not strictly a travel blog, but well worth a look.

The Underground Tube Diary – is a blog about life underground in London’s undersround railway network. The Tube has fascinated me from the first time I used it (at four years old), so I found this quite absorbing. This is part of the Going Underground website which is scattered with invaluable Tube information.

London Leben – A blog in German about life in London. I wish I could understand more German.

Edit: 'Blog' and its derivatives were added to the OED (online at least) in 2003. Blimey.

tickets please

A couple of weeks ago I went to the House of Travel show at Alexandra Park. I didn’t expect much, and I wasn’t disappointed. The show was mainly a vehicle for tour package companies to relieve potential tourists of their money, and there was very little of interest to an independent traveller. The tour brochures have been a great source of inspiration, however. In particular, the VisitBritain stand was very worthwhile - they had stacks of free literature that wasn't full of advertising and was incredibly useful and informative. Down the road the Flight Centre was also holding a travel show, so I had a look around (more of the same). However, I had a chat with a very helpful woman from the Newmarket Flight Centre, and now my wallet is $1300 lighter, and I’m the proud owner of a one-way ticket to the UK. I leave Auckland on the 27th of May, and arrive in San Francisco the same day. Unfortunately my friend in San Fran is flying to Spain on May 25th, so I’ll have to make other accommodation arrangements for the first day or two. I’m in America for a month (including a week in Baja) and I fly to London on the 29th of June. It's made the whole thing seem so much more real.

fight or flight

I checked out possible flight scenarios the other day at Flight Centre. The possibilities given were on AirNZ or Air Tahiti Nui. Air Tahiti costs $200 less, but adds 6 hours or more to the flight, which could send me absolutely mental. On the up side, I could spend some time in Tahiti, but that would rocket the cost back up to the Air NZ price, and then some. The death knell for Air Tahiti was the fact that they only flew into LA. I really need to fly into San Francisco so I can see Mark.

On that note, the itinerary has changed somewhat of late. Now it looks like the best order is to travel with Chris, then see Mark afterwards, which would allow the best travelling opportunities. Things on the agenda to see are (in no particular order): Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, San Diego, Los Angeles/Hollywood, San Francisco, and Baja California. I had a quick glance through a Baja travel guide and it looks very cool - definitely a week's stay required. Real Mexican food!

Addendum: found a cheaper flight on FlightsDirect NZ. It is a KLM codeshare with Air NZ, which is cool. Both my nationalities get a workout on one trip!

which passport would you prefer, officer?

One of the downsides of having dual nationality is that you have to pay twice as much for your passports, but that is outweighed a million to one by the benefits! I am lucky enough to be in the position of having both Kiwi and Dutch passports - two of the least offensive countries in the world. This allows me access to so many places, and also allows me the freedom to work in the EU whenever and for however long I wish. I can't thank my parents enough for doing that for me (and my brother).

My Dutch passport is now up for renewal, and I need to jump trough a few hoops, like learning to read Dutch ASAP! Yes, the application form is all in Dutch, and I think I can figure it out enough myself. I will need to get more passport photos (cringe). Actually, the old passport photo wasn't too bad, and I noticed with interest that it was taken the last time I had long hair. So I have indeed come full circle.

you can rationalise anything

I feel as though I should explain my reasons for resurrecting my OE plans.

When I left the last time (late 2000) I was following my girlfriend on her OE. I don’t think I was ready in any sense to take such a step. I was not mature enough, and I hadn’t even finished university. I arrived in London to an already set up flat in a nice, quiet, leafy suburb with two Kiwis I already knew. I didn’t really meet anyone new nor did I do anything that I wouldn’t do at home. It turned out that most of my OE was spent working, and I saw precious little of the place I was living, let alone other cities or countries. I was afraid of venturing outside the insular cocoon of familiarity that I had built around myself. I was constantly looking for an excuse to come home, and the triple blow of the September 11 attacks, my grandfather becoming ill, and girlfriend returning to NZ was more than I needed. I turned tail and fled back to NZ. That said, I don’t regret a second of that trip, as I had some of the best times of my life, and saw some of the most amazing things with the best people.

Why now? I have realised that there will be no better time than now. If I don’t start living my life, instead of just treading water, I will never get a chance. Right now I have no attachments; my girlfriend of nine years and I have split up, I am finally going to graduate, and although interesting at times, my job is not inspiring me. Now that I am older, I feel that I am far better equipped to handle the full OE. It is time to step outside my comfort zone and challenge myself. The last time I had things handed to me, whereas this time I am going to take them for myself. It is also a way of proving my own value to myself - proving that I can stand alone and succeed. That is an aspect of the OE that I haven’t considered before. It is actually a rite of passage, a statement that you can make on your own. I am also desperate to see the things I missed the last time: Spain, France outside Paris, England outside London, Germany, Holland, Greece, Austria, America, the list goes on and on…

Although it looks, on the surface, like I’m running away; when you really get down to it, that’s exactly what I’m doing! Responsibility be damned!

let's push things forward

I've moved! The OE-related bits and pieces will from now on now be located at Dave's OE. I'll keep this blog active for other random observations, so don't delete this link just yet.

a detour on the career path

Work has taken an interestingly meandering path of late. Two weeks ago I was drifting along without any real purpose in my job, then last week I became a boatbuilder, up to my neck in carbon fibre, and this week I am the manager of the new test laboratory! This means I have multiple super-urgent projects to complete, not the least of which is to actually equip the test lab with test equipment. Lab Manager is a bit of an empty title, as I’m the only one I get to manage; I’m more of a glorified lab technician than anything else. But that actually suits me fine. It is work that I enjoy, and it will be extremely valuable experience, along with the opportunity to put the word ‘Manager’ on my CV at last! I can’t wait to start breaking things with the new Instron UTM.

the irony is in there somewhere

If you’ve just joined us, welcome along. I’ve only been killing time ‘til you got here anyway.

Last weekend, the weather was absolutely stunning. It was hot, but there was a nice cooling sea breeze blowing. It shows how bad the weather has been recently when a nice weekend comes as such a surprise; but I digress. This perfect summer’s day presented me with an unexpected problem: I couldn’t decide what to do. I had a powerful compulsion to make the absolute most of the day, but I couldn’t think of how I could do that. This happens to me sometimes. I get so caught up in wanting to do something that I end up doing nothing at all.

I ended up going for a cycle, visiting my parents, and going to see Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch at the open-air cinema at the viaduct. The atmosphere was fantastic at the movie – such a change from the impersonal multiplex boxes I’ve become used to. I felt much more of a connection with the people around me, and there was so much more interaction amongst the moviegoers. The eccentric preamble by the projectionist/organiser helped a lot, I’m sure. Before the movie you could wander up to the front and buy a (good) coffee, food, or wine, but mostly we just sat there, munching on blueberries and watching a dramatic sunset. The movie itself was good fun – it was a series of almost unconnected vignettes all revolving around coffee and/or cigarettes. The scene with Meg and Jack White was almost worth the admission price on its own; it was absolutely hilarious. Jack’s deadpan delivery was inspired. Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina were very good, as were Iggy Pop and Tom Waits.

how to sort out your life in one easy step.

If you feel like you've got too much stuff in your life - you know; physical, tangible stuff that bogs you down, clutter, that sort of thing - I highly recommend going on an extended overseas trip, or at least planning to. That will force you to question what is really important. I have been sorting out all the crap I have accumulated over the years (man, there's a lot of it!) and trying to get rid of most of it. It's a really hard job if you're a compulsive hoarder like me, but planning the OE has really put things into perspective. If I hesitate for even a moment over whether I'll use it, it gets chucked. I want to travel light and most importantly, I don't want to have to burden my folks with storing all sorts of unnecessary junk. I'm currently selling stuff on an online auction site, but it's early days yet. Time will tell.

One thing I have yet to decide is whether to take a laptop with me. It seems almost essential when I think that I have a digital camera and Ipod to deal with. But how do you keep all that expensive gear safe when you're backpacking? I guess you take it everywhere with you. Thankfully a friend gave me a Sony laptop which is very small and light, but it's a little old and slow (it's only running Win98). On the plus side, it has Firewire and a memory stick reader built in.

important things my brother has taught me #1

Always open your baked bean can from the bottom.

plans are afoot...

It's only been three years since I came home, and already the call of the OE is almost irresistable once again.

Thus it begins...

Last time I went away, the timing was bad. I came home too early, without taking advantage of the opportunities laid out before me in London, let alone the rest of Europe. This time there will be no such mistakes, the timing is about as good as it is going to get. No attachments, nothing holding me back. So my plan is to leave at the end of May 2005 for San Francisco, where I will stay with Mark for perhaps ten days. Then I'll join up with Chris who is flying over from China. We'll spend about 3 weeks travelling America, then I'll take off to England, while he moves on to mainland Europe. EU passport at the ready.

I am excited at the prospect of going back to Europe on my own, and a little apprehensive. I think that I am much better equipped for it this time. Hopefully in the course of the coming 19 weeks, I will become even better prepared! 19 weeks seems such a long time to wait, and yet such a short time to organise everything.

On a whim, I have just enrolled in a couple of night courses at the performing arts school. We will see where that takes me, but I doubt it will alter my travel plans. Both courses finish in March, so won't clash at all.