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Articles Tagged ‘New Zealand’

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Dali Dali, We Like to Party

Wednesday, October 25th, 2006

Dali is one of the more popular tourist destinations in China, especially for backpackers, known for a laid back vibe, beautiful scenery and the availability of certain herbal delights. I was more intent in getting out of the city of Kunming and seeing some nice countryside again, and booked an afternoon bus to Dali which would take about 5 hours. There was also the option of taking an overnight train, but seeing as that takes 10 hours, I didn’t see why anyone would do that. After eating some breakfast and packing up, I hopped in a taxi to the bus station. Kunming streets are clean and easy to navigate, but are a real pain in a car, as you have to drive very far out of your way and do a U turn instead of being able to just turn left at any given intersections. But after only a few minutes, I arrived at the bus station, ticket in hand, and made my way past all the hawkers to find my bus. Showing my ticket to a few people, I was finally directed to the back of the station, and shown a minibus that had the Dali characters on the front. My bags were thrown in the back, and I sat on the  minibus, by myself, and waited for it to leave. No other people got on, however, and a nagging feeling started at the pit of my stomach. Something didn’t feel right. [read on]

Reflections – New Zealand

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006

I can’t believe I have been traveling for almost two months now. I had 6 weeks in New Zealand, and it really wasn’t enough time to do everything I wanted. I had to cut a few things out and would have liked a few more weeks to go to: the Coromandel Peninsula, Mt. Taranaki, Golden Bay, Napier and Stewart Island and the Catlins. If I had to do it all over again, I would have planned on three months and bought a car, but seeing as I can’t do it over, I am satisfied with what I did. And three months in New Zealand would have been very expensive as well. For those who are planning on traveling in New Zealand or just curious, here is a sampling of the costs of things here. I’ll post in NZ dollars, as exchange rates and things change. Right now, my rate is about US$0.75 to NZ$1.00. [read on]

The last few days

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006
I'm back in Christchurch for the third time now and staying again at what I think I've decided is my favorite hostel in New Zealand, Dorset House. Since I didn't have too much planned for my last day here, I ... [Continue reading this entry]

Sounds like…fiord?

Saturday, February 18th, 2006
If I had to guess, I would say that Milford Sound is probably one of the top three most visited destinations in New Zealand.  When it was first discovered by James Cook, he called it a Sound because the word ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Road to Paradise

Wednesday, February 15th, 2006
(Happy Belated Birthday to my friend Vicki. Sorry I'm a little late! Hope you had a good day.) The past few days have again flown by, as I've been going at a pretty fast pace trying to get everything done that ... [Continue reading this entry]

Is it raining? I hadn’t noticed..

Thursday, February 9th, 2006
As most people have experienced at some point while traveling, the weather can have a huge impact on your time spent in a certain place; what activities you do, how much a city appeals to you, etc. A much needed ... [Continue reading this entry]

Water water everywhere

Monday, February 6th, 2006
Warning: This is my first PUI (Posting Under the Influence), as I've just spent 4 hours in an English pub watching the Super Bowl. Not really the same without the commercials, and sort of sacriligious to see ads for soccer ... [Continue reading this entry]

Highs and Lows

Sunday, January 29th, 2006
I am in Wellington right now, the capital of New Zealand. Today was a nice day. The weather was good, I saw a lot in my short time here, and am getting some things done. My time in Wellington did ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Lost World

Tuesday, January 24th, 2006
When I started to research my trip to New Zealand, I managed to watch a television show on the Travel channel in the States called A Royal Tour of New Zealand. The Prime Minister Helen Clark took an American journalist ... [Continue reading this entry]

New Things and Old Friends

Thursday, January 19th, 2006
I'm back in Auckland at the moment, staying with an old friend of mine from Oak Park, Walt N. It's his 30th birthday today, and he and his wife Jules are having a big BBQ for him tomorrow, so I'm ... [Continue reading this entry]