Brunei, a secret gem

Well, the fact that this post is taking place while resting in the Brunei airport, much could happen in my near future to push me to amend this posting. But so far, the travel experience has been one to remember! Brunei, I recently discovered is a small country on the northern coast of the Island of Borneo. Apparently, a very wealthy nation, rooted in oil. Well, this was to simply be our layover point for our trip from Sydney to Bali, where we are heading to spend some QT with my cousin Matt Bergdahl.

Our itinerary showed us Royal Brunei Airlines and a 5+ hour layover before we would be heading to the island paradise of Bali. When first booked, our faces showed a touch of angst and anxiety. 5 hours?!? In an airport?!? In an unfamiliar place?! In a Muslim country!?!? To say butterflies were fluttering as we ate breakfast this morning would be a bit of an understatement. We were serious when we spoke about Stacy covering up, wearing black (well, that's about the only color she has in her bag anyways) and trying to be low key - who knows what's in store!? But, in good Bergdahl Traveler faith we affirmed smooth sailing (well, flying really) and felt confident that the gale force breezes that have been blowing us around thus far for the past 99 days wouldn't fail us now.

Affirmation #1 was to hope that we would not need proof of an onward ticket out of Bali. As we have discovered when you travel into a foreign country, you must show documentation that you are planning to leave that country. Well, we had heard differing opinions about this fact from fellow travelers and even a travel agent in Sydney! And, we were not sure how long we would want to stay in Bali or where we'd go afterwards. So, the Bergdahls decided to chance it w/o ticket. We had our tickets for Sydney to Brunei to Bali but that was it. We'd researched options to Kuala Lumpur and then to Bankok, thanks to Mattie's help, but hadn't booked. Affirm, Affirm. Well, that hope last until about minute 2 at the check-in counter, when the kind fellow, Aldo quite graciously informed us we'd need this onward ticket. Damn! OK, what can we do? We had figured this to be a potential snag and figured we could always book the flight on-line in the terminal somewhere, no biggie. Unfortunately, there were no printers connected to these computer kiosks and paper documentation was needed (wouldn't you think we'd be beyond paper in this day and age? I guess not). Crap.

Lucky for us, we had Super Aldo, the Royal Brunei Man of Steel on our side and equally lucky for us there were 0.0 people in line behind us. Aldo said we could book the flight to Kuala Lumpur and have the itinerary emailed to, get this, HIS personal email. He'd run upstairs to their offices, print them out and we would be good to go. I'm sure the incredulous expressions on our faces spoke volumes to our dismay and appreciation. Sure enough, after finally getting a computer, booking and seeing Aldo run off to save the day our Brunei experience would start to be molded into what it is now. As we waited, 3 other interested and cordial agents chatted with us, asked about our adventures thus far, told us about future immigration sites to explore and one of the ladies even gave Stacy info on a dive spot in Bali! We also learned that since we had a 5 hour layover, we were entitled to a complimentary 2 hour site seeing shuttle trip around Bandar, the capital of the tiny country - we'd be taken to Mosques and to a market. These people were amazing. We felt taken care of and at peace, despite the anxiety that often comes with foreign travel and airport snafus, we were fine. And then, as if he leaped the stairs in a single bound, Super Aldo appeared with white paper in hand. Yippee!! We were official. And, unfortunately, unless we wanted to sacrifice the $170US, we'd be leaving Matt and heading to Malaysia on June 12th. I guess now we have that figured out. We were checked in and Aldo escorted us though customs and to the security check point. I felt like a hug was in order, but no, a handshake would have to do. We scrambled around a bit through duty free, looked for Stacy's momentarily lost wallet and jumped in line to board and got to throw a couple more smiles at, you guessed it, Super Aldo as he checked our tickets and let us board. He's everywhere!

Those butterflies from earlier where still around despite our coddling at check in. We still were heading to a Muslim country and from the books Stacy and I just finished last night, A Thousand Splendid Suns and Infidel, respectively, we thought to pack them away rather than read them on board may be the prudent way to go. Probably a stupid worry, but we were newbies in this region and played it conservatively. The crew on board our flight from Sydney was equally impressive as that on the ground. Beverage service at every turn, ear to ear smiles, delicious food, warm towels - again, WOW! The flight was a bit rocky at times, quite actually, but we caught 2 movies, ate like sultans and had a most memorable Brunei experience thus far. We eventually landed early after 7+ hours in the air and were told about the shuttle and what we should do in the meanwhile. Everyone we spoke with was all smiles and so nice.

If you'd asked me a month ago where Brunei was located and would I want to go, I'd say the Middle East? and no! But ask me now and I know its on an isle in SE Asia and even if all I got was a flight on Royal Brunei Air and 5 hours in a\the airport, I'd be all for it!

Shuttle leaves in 30 minutes. Hope the big wheels keep on movin for us!

In Sydney, Australia and Ready to Leave

Sydney is just about like every other big city. Noisy, dirty, loads of traffic, constant sirens and 5 million people. Everyone on the street looks straight ahead on a mission, not noticing who or what they strike with an elbow. Our hostel is a bit dodgy with what I like to call a "taco bed" but you get what you pay for. Sydney is a freakin' expensive city! We watched Indiana Jones for $16 a pop and the exchange rate is crap at $1.00 Aus $ to $0.96 US. We've been here about 4 days and we leave for Bali tomorrow. We are finding more and more that we are not big city people. Ya think?! I have to admit, I miss having any sort of fashion sense when I am in the big cities. I have to be creative.

Ah, with those complaints off my chest there are some wonderful things to report. The Opera House is a beautiful sight, with the famous shiny the sails glistening off the harbor waters. Tonight we see a performance there of some sort. We walked across the harbor bridge listening to Andrea Boccelli on the ipod and grabbed a beer and read the paper at a Bavarian Pub. We discovered an Acharyas Yoga studio and practiced a couple of times which was a relaxing respite in the hustle and bustle around us. One of my favorite spots is Hyde Park which has beautiful fountains, bright flowers and a giant old cathedral. It's close to our accommodation so we walk through it every day on the way to the city centre. We also went to the Art Museum and Botanical Gardens which has bats hanging from the trees. To save cash, we went to the supermarket and have been packing a lunch and eating our favorite breakfast daily on the hotel rooftop - muesli, fruit and coffee. One evening at dusk we were enjoying the rooftop views with a bottle of vino and suddenly the sky filled with thousands, yes THOUSANDS of bats! They were flying from the Botanical Gardens heading somewhere. We wondered what they were after for dinner that night. I pictured Sydney a vermin-free city because of these creatures, but we were wrong. An unbelievably overenthusiastic info center dude who ran, yes ran to get us brochures and his eyes bugged out as he spoke told us that they are fruit bats, not blood bats. There are 11,000 in the Botanical Gardens alone and fly each night to the wild fig trees to get a meal. If they don't eat each night, they die. Thank heavens they weren't after our necks!

We fly tomorrow on Royal Brunei (never heard of the airline 'til now either, wish us luck) to Brunei with a 5 hour layover before we arrive in Bali at 1:20am. Matt will be waiting for us and we'll hit the town. Apparently Indonesia never sleeps, so we'll be introduced to the island in party mode.

A New World Tour to explore!!

Breathing underwater, weightless, surrounded by beautiful coral and sea life on the Great Barrier Reef is absolute magic. I am still in partial disbelief that we are actually PADI certified open water scuba divers!

The 4-day certification class was the way to go. We began on Tuesday morning, the day after Mom Drolet left us, with a pick-up from our hostel, Travellers Oasis, in Cairns with delivery to the Deep Sea Divers Den. We had fussed and wondered which program to go with the week prior. It was like being in Vegas and deciding what casino to go to - there were so many options!! DSDD was referred to us by our fabulous front desk guy at our hostel, John and after deciding to go PADI vs SSI the price was right and we were good to go!

The morning was filled with videos, instruction and quizzes. A medical check was required to make sure we could pop our ears, balance, have proper lung capacity and a general health check. All was good. The sinuses are beautifully clear these days = no pollution! The afternoon was spent in the pool applying the skills we learned in class. Nine of us total in the class, 3 from Spain, 1 Swiss and 3 Australians and our instructor Ollie from London. Per usual we were the only Americans! We were stoked to get into the pool strapped in with all our gear - we're doing it!! We were geeked up, I was asking questions, trying to soak up as much info about air density, regulators, BCDs and the lot. Day two was more of the same and strangely, it was enjoyable to be back in the classroom again. Students sleeping in class from partying too hard the night before and Team Spain who could hardly understand a word of English, which had to be tough for them, but was a little frustrating for us and Ollie! Despite being a strong-willed instructor (which was great!), Ollie was a good salesman. Once he saw us eyeing the masks he was by our side offering thoughts and assistance. Of course, I was hooked and reeled in, althewhile Stacy trying to do us right saying maybe we'll wait, check out another shop - but it didn't work. With the 10% discount and the fact we had tried the masks on in the pool here, we were pulling out the plastic to invest in our futures, why not, right?! We need a good mask and snorkel if we want to pursue this new hobby of ours. F-it!1 Why not. Stacy had her new clear/blue mask and I had my clear/black mask and snorkel! We were at least looking good!

Day three we headed out to the Norman & Saxon Reefs via Sea Quest. This boat was a catch all for snorkelers, certified divers and our class of 9 just learning to dive. By now, we had mastered the equipment set-up and by 10am had taken our first Giant Stride into the Great Barrier Reef!!! Where was my sniper rifle? I felt like a Navy Seal looking for Goldfinger! We took it slow and steady, did some basic skill tests like descending and equalizing and took a knee in the sand below the boat at about 12M. We took a swim and for the first time we were flying! At least it felt like we were gliding like you see birds do over buildings. We filled our BCDs just a touch to get a little bit of buoyancy and used our breath, inhales and exhales to control ourselves. It really was marvelous to implement the lessons we had learned! Inhale slowly to ascend a little, exhale to drop down a little toward the coral - but NEVER, hold your breathe (#1 Rule!). More of the same on dive 2, testing a few other skills. Then around 2:30pm we were transferred to the liveaboard boat, Ocean Quest where we would spend the next 24 hours getting certified and marveling at the Reef.

Our room was sweet! A corner spot on the first level, multiple windows, double bed, bathroom & TV!!! There were about 60 people on board, passengers & crew together, but it didn't feel tight at all until the load speaker beeped and announced that the dive orientation would be taking place on the sundeck, Time to dive!! Dozens of us clamoured for wetsuits and to learn about the reef we would be experiencing - Coral Gardens, Playground... One of the instructors, a Japanese guy named Masa, would draw an elevation and topographical rendering of the reef on the dry
erase board - what to see, where to go. Very cool! Unfortunately, as the Newbies on board we would not be doing any more diving until tomorrow morning, but the others, a mix of marine biologists (from the US of A), 2nd day Open water divers & other certified divers were off enjoying themselves. We were jealous, but enjoying the sunny sun deck nevertheless. Could be worse right?! I chatted with some recently certified fellas that were flying high! An American Air Force man from Barstow, a nice bloke from Dublin and another fine fellow were amped about their upcoming Night dive with the sharks and the feeding frenzy that takes place around the darkened reef. As the JV team, we got to watch - with wetsuits on our backs and our new investments strapped to our grills we were allowed to lay flat on our stomachs on the submerged dive deck and peer at the fish and reef sharks circling the water behind the boat. Team Spain laid to our right and Ollie was tossing bread right near them so the fish were like kamikazes darting all around!! Nice.

We spent the eve out on the 3rd deck marveling at the ship's band; Captain on the drum kit, Chef, Ollie and our friend from Barstow on the guitars. They were rippin' it! There were about 20 of us on the watch bouncing with their rhythm. As an encore, Jan, the #1 instructor on the boat broke out his didgeredoo for a continuous 10 minute performance that BLEW us all away!!! WOW!

KNOCK KNOCK!! Is it 5:50am already!?! Our third certification dive came at dawn the next morning, with bogies in our eyes and hopefully an awakening reef deep below. For this dive, Ollie took Stace and I out with Ben & Ben from Perth onto the dive platform and informed us we'd be doing the James Bond Entry. Wha wha!?! I didn't remember that in the videos. As you might expect, it was a full (maybe 3/4) front flip into the water. Hell yeah!! I know we're addicted now!! We swam a lot more this dive with a smattering of skills like a mask fill and neutral buoyancy practice. It was great to glide around, hovering inches above Nemo and his family's anemone, to observe poisonous fire fish around the mooring blocks & especially to learn about how to maneuver nearly 18M below the surface!!

Dive #4 was back to a normal giant stride entry, booorrringgg. Not really. The whole group of us this time were together, descending, navigating with a wrist compass and mastering our skills. This would be our last dive! We were going to be on our own if we got through this one. It was cramped out there though! Classmates all around. We were like sardines. We couldn't go down as deep as the first morning dive - you learn in class that you monitor your depth and dive time by managing your surface intervals (rest time on the boat) & Nitrogen levels. We bottomed out at 15M this time, which was great! Upon ascending and boarding the boat, I was sending High 5s all around! We've done it team!!! PADI Open Water Certifiable!!!! Yeah!

After the Captain moved the boat to a new reef location and we were educated on how to fill out our dive logs correctly, it was time for Dive #5 - our fun dive with buddy only!! We were debriefed on our depth and air limits and told about the topography of the reef. Then it was go time! We snorkeled to the front of the boat and descended there. The reef was shallow so maxing out our depth at 14.5M was no problem at all in fact we were between 7-3M most of the time. Stacy and I meandered through the coral, past the endangered Barramundi Cod, a few Nemo houses and so much more - too much to recount, really. But, as my air was at about half, I began to disobey an important rule of diving; never leave your buddy!! I felt like it was time to head back, albeit in control, but Stacy and I were missing each other. I swam ahead maybe 8M, still observing the coral, but anxious to ascend with more air than we were told to come back with (>50 bar). At the time, I felt she was lollygagging, looking at fish and taking her time. But in retrospect, after a discussion afterwards (discussion, I use loosely ;) I realized I was in error all the way. She was keeping her breathing slow and steady, while I, with an increased kick pace probably was using it up faster. We argued afterwards, she was upset I had swam ahead and I knew I blew it. I told her sorry and that for sure I'd learned my lesson for our next dive, whenever that would be (Bali!?!). Except for the last 8 minutes of the dive, it was spectacular down there!! We were on our own and more or less doing great!! It felt a little like the after effects of our bungy jump in NZ - totally invigorated!!

We begrudgingly had to transfer over to the day board to head back to Cairns. our trip was nearly over :( Our friends from class however, had one more day to go and were gettigng excited about their night dive coming up. Boohoo, sucks for us! oh well, more diving to come soon in SE Asia. We headed back in the choppy seas and got into port around 5pm Friday. We were wiped out. Its funny how much energy is burned diving, even though we were just gliding around down there. We got a ride back to our hostel and rest mode ensued. We had about 24 hrs left in Cairns before flying to Sydney and no plans!!

More on the town:
Cairns is backpacker central. Travellers Oasis is about a 10 - 15 minute walk from the city center and is a quaint, tropical and relatively quiet setting with a pool and a very friendly manager named John. The first night we arrived our hostel put on an Aussie BBQ complete with kangaroo, emu, crocodile, makarel and mystery meat sausage. The kangaroo and emu sort of tasted like beef and croc was more like chicken. It was a fun, very Oz experience but I don't need to eat them again. We chatted with other travellers over dinner and VL's (Victorian Lager) and next up the Didgeridoo Competition. By the way, beer is pricey here - about $12 - 15 for a 6 pack. My (Stacy) name was drawn with 2 others and I won by the sound of applause! I have my high school days to thank for that talent. The prize was a Traveller's Oasis t-shirt that I got in a size large for Andy. I actually had to stay on stage for a while longer and try and circular breathe and make kangaroo noises but hell I wasn't that good. That was a memorable night.

We spent our last day in Cairns enjoying the tropical breeze in the downtown area. On the Esplanade near the harbor a live Australian band was playing outdoors in commemoration of 150 years of Australian football. The three guitarists rocked out with positive vibes about how simple and beautiful life can be as we were sitting on the green grass in Northern Queensland. I stretched my arms and let the warm sun hit my chest. I couldn't help but smile.

The Great Barrier Reef

Now I know why the Great Barrier Reef is listed as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The sheer size of the reef is comparable to the square km of the UK and is home to over 1,500 species of fish, 4,000 types of mollusks and 400 types of coral. Crikey!

Andy, Bonnie and I took a boat trip to the outer reef yesterday that took 90 minutes from the town of Port Douglas. It was the first rainy and overcast day since we have been here but it remains important to remember that one can't get upset over the things that cannot be controlled. I should be taking my own advice with regards to my injured knee that continues to ail me but that's a different story. The boat took us out to a permanent platform on the Agincourt Reef where we spent most of the day exploring underwater with snorkeling gear. The diversity of the fish and coral is like nothing I have ever seen! Loads of brilliant Crayola-box colored fish surrounded us amongst an undulating sea of both spikey and soft corals. We even saw a sea turtle and a carpet shark. It was wonderful to see this area of the reef so healthy and teeming with life. 72% of the world is underwater which tells me there is plenty left for us to explore in the ocean depths in our scuba gear. We begin our 4-day PADI certification course on Tuesday.

In addition to yesterday's trip to the reef, we took a day trip to Kuranda, an aborigine village in the mountains in the nearby rainforest. The smell of Nag Champa wafted through the air in the outdoor market lined with hippy-like vendors selling everything from rainforest seed jewelry to didgeridoos. We went to a Koala Center and fed kangaroos, petted a koala (Bonnie held one!) and viewed the leathery crocodiles from a distance. We picked up a few souvenirs perfectly timed so that Bonnie can take them back to San Diego with her:) The aborigine art is quite beautiful and symbolic. Otherwise we mostly have been relaxing on the beach, cooking meals and reading books. Want a delicious summer drink idea? Throw a fresh pineapple, apple juice, fresh mint and some ice into a blender and voila.

The Aussies have been incredibly friendly so far. I continue to enjoy hearing their accents and "no worries, mate" attitude about life. We are here in Palm Cove at a lull in the tourist season between school holiday and winter so it feels very uncrowded and especially laid back. The weather has been just perfect, between 70 - 80 degrees and a comfortable humidity level. A bit of rain here and there which is to be expected in the tropics.

Loading up photos slowly but surely...this wireless connection isn't the best. Stay tuned!

Palm Cove, Australia

Our Northface jackets have finally retired! No, they weren't matching ones but wouldn't that have been cute. We arrived safely in Cairns (pronounced Cannes) two days ago with the tropical air and sunshine as a wonderful and expected greeting. But not as delightful as seeing Bonnie, Andy's Mom, peeking at us through the customs door on the other side. She jumped and waved and we did the same in return before we officially crossed the line into Oz and reveled in a motherly hug. It was 10:30am local time and we had been up for eight hours already - we were ready for dinner! But the day had just begun.

Our driver took us up the coast to Clifton Beach, a small town 25km north of Cairns to our bed & breakfast. Our hosts Alix & Perce greeted us warmly and we promptly changed into beach attire. YES, I have been waiting for this moment! NZ was absolutely stunning but damn I was tired of being cold and wearing the same long layers day after day. We headed out to the nearby beach for a walk and we were shocked to see the color of the Coral Sea was not the tropical blue that we expected; rather, it was kind of a Huntington Beach brown. Apparently there have been recent high winds that plowed through kicking up sand and dirt from the upstream mangroves and forests. But who the heck cares - we are in a tropical paradise! Coconut-filled palm trees and rain forest lined the opposite side of the beach as we walked a couple of miles north to Palm Cove for a healthy lunch. It was fun to talk and catch up on life with Mom.

Our B&B is tucked away adjacent to a maleluca forest teeming with life. Brightly colored butterflies, geckos, bugs, parrots and other birds habitate here. There is a constant sound of bird songs daily and crickets by night. And the best of all: we were sitting on the patio reading our books when we heard a "crunch...crunch....crunch" We looked up and a wallaby was peering at us through the trees! For those of you who forgot your animals from third grade, wallabies are a type of small kangaroo. Now, I thought, we are definitely in Australia.

The B&B is just stunning but pretty isolated. So we collectively decided to move into a place in Palm Cove instead, which is more of a resort area right next to shops and the beach. Today, we spent the late morning on the sand soaking up rays and getting settled in our new home for the next seven nights. As I write I am sitting on our patio surrounded by tropical foliage with the relaxing sounds of a variety of tropical birds and the occasional rain. Andy just got back from the supermarket with tonight's Mother's Day dinner, Mom's choice - salmon, rice and veggies.

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef where Andy and I will learn how to scuba dive. Our nerves are pumping but the overwhelming feeling is looking forward to getting our PADI certification which has been a dream for years. In addition, we've got a couple of day trips in mind including a boat trip out to the reef to snorkel and a visit to the Daintree National Rainforest Park which has the highest concentration of the rarest flora and fauna in the world. Sweet as.

A Quick Note from Auckland

Sitting at Internet cafes is always an experience. Right now a gentleman is talking super loud on Skype, talking in a combination of English, French and some other foreign language all rolled into one. It's a gaming Internet spot, so Warcraft and other dungeons and dragons-type posters fill the walls. Some of these spots have quite a funky smell, but today we are lucky to avoid that scenario.

We are enjoying one last day in NZ in the giant city of Auckland and getting a few logistics taken care of online. This morning we indulged in cappuchinos and croissants at a French bakery and read the New Zealand Herald. It is most interesting to read international papers, as there is quite a difference in reporting style and information that is divulged than in the US. I've also enjoyed reading about what is important and newsworthy to the Kiwis. For example, over 50% of Generation Yers are keen on moving to Australia for two main reasons: more job opportunities and better weather. There is a degree of fear that this demographic will move across the Tasman Sea. Gaining resideny in NZ is based on a point system and if you are under the age of 30 it weighs heavily in your favor for instance. Hmm?!?!

Off to see the city sights and off to Cairns tomorrow...summertime here we come!

Goodbye Mazd'r, Hello Dolphins

Album Link for this Post. Well, it is time to say goodbye to our home on wheels. Andy successfully sold the grey beaut to a young couple just moving to New Zealand from Australia for a little less than we bought it for, so after all was said and done we spent about $6.35 NZD per day (!). Buying a car was certainly the way to go being here for two and a half months. Our time here is drawing to a close - we leave for Oz in less than 4 days.

The new car owners were gracious enough to let us take the car for another week, so from Paul & Di's we made the 5 hour trek up north to the Bay of Islands. We drove through traffic (what in the heck is that?!) in Auckand and did a bit of reconnaissance for when we are back here in a week. This city has 25% of the country's population at 1 million people; it's packed! We hit the east coast on the way up the North Island northern peninsula to see the mighty Kaori trees - the tallest and widest in the country. Because of logging over the centuries the area once covered with these magnificent trees is now wiped down to a couple of small reserves. My knee was feeling better (finally after 2 weeks) so we took a nice walk amongst them and visited the tallest at 51 meters high and 2,000 years old named Tane Matuta. It felt wonderful to be back on my feet in nature (thankfully without a pack this time). As we often do on these drives, we stopped randomly this time at a Honey Farm and did some tasting. My favorite was the avocado honey which is created from the nectar of the avocado tree flower. It has been delicious with butter on an English muffin in the morning.

We drove through paddocks as bright green as leprechauns and vast forest boasting 300+ species of plants on our way to the Bay of Islands . This area is known for its 150 small islands surrounded by crystalline blue waters, sub-tropical weather and bottle nose dolphin sightings. In celebration of our 2 year anniversary, we took an overnight boat cruise which was was fairly unique. Loaded with about 25 guests on an old ferry-turned-cruiser named "The Rock," we began with a skeet shooting contest off the back of the boat. Andy won! With his prize of a free beer in hand, we mingled amongst the guests, half of which were from a Maori Pool Club. At sunset, we fished off the back of the boat - I caught a snapper and Andy caught a carpet shark, mackerel and a mutton fish. They were all pretty small so we had to throw them back, but it still made for a fun activity as neither of us had fished in over 10 years. It reminded us both of our Dads to do it again. After a game of Connect 4, we had a BBQ dinner and enjoyed the company of the boat crew. One of the boat owners, Sarah, gave us a wealth of information on Thailand as she lived there for about six months and was a scuba instructor as well. We have had the fortunate experience to speak with a many travellers along our way who have been to Southeast Asia, so an image of our upcoming time there is beginning to formulate in my mind.

The next morning we awoke to the unmistakable pitter-patter of the rain. Before breakfast someone yelled, "DOLPHINS!" and we scurried to the front of the boat to have a look. About 5 bottle nose were jumping in the distance as they swam towards us. As dolphins often do, they swam along with us at the front of the boat as we had a good look at the playful creatures. Next, we kayaked to Robinson island and took a small hike up the hill for a vista of the surrounding area. I could see how beautiful it really would have been on a clear day but of course this is still NZ so it was gorgeous anyway. A bunch of the folks from the Pool Club were up late partying and one guy was barfing all morning, nice. For the remainder of the morning it dumped buckets so we curled up on the couch with our coffees and read books.

It feels like the right time to leave this incredible country and move on to the next chapter though I am going to miss it terribly. It's interesting how we have created our own comfort zone here with daily rituals in how we go about things from shopping, to cooking meals, to where we keep things in the car. We are at a point of recognizing NZ stores, brands, commercials, customs and sayings. We were even mistaken for kiwis by a staff member at a DOC Wildlife Rescue a couple of weeks ago! Nightly, I continue to be amazed with just how bright and magnificent the stars are with the Southern Cross standing out like Orion does and the Milky Way stretching the length of the night shimmering sky. But we aren't meant to be in once place on this trip and get comfortable...like all things, it is ephemeral.

Today we are on our way to the Coromandel Peninsula for a last hurrah with Paul and Diane, then Auckland to catch a plane. Goodbye, NZ!