Well hello everyone!
It will be a very quick post with very little photos as my computer died…this is the saddest news nowadays …we were like a married couple..and the hard drive just went..with my pictures (luckily backed up in dropbox) and MUSIC (sadly backed up nowhere…the only memory I have from my beloved South America…well not the only…but the easiest way to reconnect with it was through music…)
So…I flew out of Bogota on the 7th September…with a change in Florida I arrived to Los Angeles..I cannot possibly imagine a more drastic change…from the REAL Colombia..to the PLASTIC Los Angeles.. Don’t get me wrong it was quite refreshing to be there..dress up..put make up on and the non-existent heels (it’s been 7 months that I haven’t been wearing heels…and i cannot imagine doing it in the future…) and walking on the ‘walk of fame’..visiting Madonna’s David Beckham’s, Justin Timberlake’s, JLO’s house…viewing Michael Jackson’s bedroom window where he died..seeing the Playboy Mansion and the famous movie scenes..
I spent only one full day there but it was enough.
I had my flight in the evening to Auckland..now this was one of a kind….
I didn’t know that I had to apply for the Australian visa before I attempt to enter New Zealand…and my mind wasn’t really thinking ahead..so..I got told at the airport that I cannot board my plane to Auckland unless….I buy an outbound ticket from OZ. I had 45 minutes to do it…(laptop was still working luckily) but it put me in a rather difficult situation as I had no idea how long I wanted to stay in Australia..whether I wanted or better needed to stop to work for a while…or not..so I bought a ticket to Bali for the 3rd October…
When I went back to the check in they said it still wasn’t enough for me to board because it doesn’t resolve the visa issua…I was so angry…why did they make me to buy this flight then?!!! So finally we figured that I wasn’t eligible for the ETA (because of my Hungarian passport…screw Australia and its super strict immigration policy) but I had to apply for an eVisitor visa which I was eligible for..(still not quite sure what is the difference). This application can take from 10 minutes up to 10 days until it gets approved…so ….I was a tiny bit nervous…
I already made some decisions in my head..if I’d lost the next flight as well I’d just have flown to Mexico and made my way down in Central America (as the plan was originally the other way round) and returned to my beloved Colombia..
Well..New Zealand immigration sorted my plans…or better the Australian one..they approved the application in 10 minutes so I could get on the next flight…I was sad and happy the same time..I couldn’t let Colombia go..still cannot..
So..I arrived to NZ..no jetlag…(weird)..and flew directly to Queenstown. Checked in the Flaming Kiwi hostel where I met some amazing people and the Kiwi adventure started… I can say it was another extreme in a way…from summer 44 degrees to winter/spring 10 degrees….i was freezing.
So as some of you could see on my profile I skydived..which was an eternal experience….also because i jumped with a Hungarian boy and Hungarian colored parachute:) If you haven’t seen the video yet:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10151029479052681&set=vb.620822680&type=2&theater
The rest of the days in QT i was hanging out with people in the hostel..I met my soul mate there..Clare 🙂 If you read it like it:P
We went out on our last night in QT and get absolutely hammered…what a fun night!
Next day I felt down…I missed the South American thrill..I missed the spice from New Zealand so..I decided I would create some.
I decided to hitchhike in the rest of my stay. Everyone who picked me up said what a dangerous thing is this that I am doing alone..but to be honest with you after South America my danger factor wasn’t the same as the kiwi’s…
So I can say I met all kind of people…I met a 23 year old drug addict…who was driving while smoking…this was the only ‘slightly scary ‘ one..150 km/h speed in the mountains…then only nice people…I even got a free helicopter ride from a nice old grandfather….when would I have got that if I was travelling the traditional way?:) So I saw a few glaciers..and some nice mountains…but….(sigh) apologies from all kiwi friends…but Patagonia was more impressive for me:( I needed to compare though,…The last place I went to (Akaroa) was amazing though….it’s like a Bariloche…that was on similar level to Patagonia:)
Last night I slept on the airport in Christchurch and today I am in Australia:) Will stay with Tracy..she was the very first person I met on my trip in Rio de Janeiro…..So I am off now to cook something for her and buy a bottle of wine…
My mind is still in Colombia/South America…I miss it every day more…
alizroundtheworld 