TravelStream™ news feed for member girijagriffin on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/girijagriffin en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 10 May 2008 06:11:16 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1208517420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1208517420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1208517420/tpod.html Sat, 10 May 2008 06:11:16 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand

We thought we'd drive to Rotorua next, but underestimated how long the drive would take, so we wound up in Tauranga instead - where we stayed for two long days while a gale rang out all over New Zealand, lashing us with constant high winds and amazingly cold rain. Lalitha and I are both a little out of practice with the cold - Girija seems to be the toughest in this family! The irony is, Tauranga is New Zealand's most popular holiday destination for Kiwis - and we saw almost nothing of it. When the rain finally let up a little, all we wanted to do was get out. So finally we left and went on to Rotorua, New Zealand's first tourist attraction which is still a major draw to this day. And it truly is impressive, with it's amazing thermal activity of geysers, hot springs, pools of boiling mud and strong wafts of sulphur that permeate the air almost everywhere you go. Most campgrounds offer hot pools, but we discovered that you have to be careful; some of them just have a spa pool, not true thermal pools. We stayed at a wonderful place that's been in business for over fifty years, Rotorua Thermal Resort and Holiday Park. It was wonderful to soak in hot sulphur pools while the cold rain came and went, came and went, like an annoying neighbor who's overstayed his welcome. It made the weather almost fun, and certainly bearable. Once things cleared up a bit we were able to go out and explore this natural wonderland and its strange beauty. Whakarewarewa is a Maori village set amidst this geothermal faeryland, and they do tours to raise money and to share their tribal traditions in a respectful way with the outside world. They have hot pools for bathing (they bathe communally, after the tourists have gone for the day) and for cooking. They also have steam boxes for cooking, and we bought some of their naturally cooked food; it was delicious. The whole thing was touristy but not over-the-top about it, so it was palatable -- and the scenery was tremendous.

After five days in Rotorua we were ready to head back up to Auckland to get Pipo the Van fixed. I called the mechanic to confirm and got the runaround; he claimed he'd tried to call me and texted me, but I never got anything from him. The long and the short of it was, he wouldn't be able to do any work on the van until the following week. That was too much; we'd already waited over a week for him. So I took it around to places in Rotorua and wound up getting the work done for less than he'd quoted me. Passed the WOF after four more days, and then we were good to go. (And when the original mechanic called me back to try to convince me to come up the following week, he was amazingly able to get through on our cell phone...!) So we wound up spending over a week in total in Rotorua, but there are lots worse places to be caught in; I'm not complaining!

Here's some factual stuff about Rotorua that Lalitha found online; we pass it on to you for your edification; read it or not at your whim.

Note about Rotorua
Rotorua is a town on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city has a population of 64,509. Rotorua is well-known for geothermal activity. There are a number of geysers, notably the Pohutu geyser at Whakarewarewa, and hot mud pools located in the city, which owe their presence to the Rotorua caldera.
Geothermal areas Thermal activity is at the heart of much of Rotorua's tourist appeal. Geysers and bubbling mud-pools, hot thermal springs and the Buried Village (Te Wairoa) - so named after it was buried by the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption - are within easy reach of the city.
Rotorua is nicknamed Sulphur City, because of the aforementioned thermal activity. The sulphur gives off an odour unique to Rotorua that adds to the visitor experience. The especially pungent smell in the central-east 'Te Ngae' area is due to the dense sulphur deposits located next to the southern boundary of the Government Gardens, in the area known as 'Sulphur Point'.
Today there are four main geothermal areas open to visitors in Rotorua. "Whakarewarewa" is perhaps the most active with its notable feature being the Pohutu Geyser which erupts with a spout of boiling water 100 feet in the air up to twenty times a day. There are also bubbling mud pools, steaming hot springs and a Maori Pa or meeting house. "Waiotapu" and "Waimungu" are another two areas, the latter being especially known for its stunning displays. Situated 27 kilometres south of Rotorua Waimungu was created on 10 June 1886 when Mt Tarawera erupted coating the surrounding landscape with mud and ash. Awe-inspiring sights here are the Inferno Crater with its bright blue water, the bridal veil falls, champagne pools and the Lady Knox Geyser which erupts punctually at 10.15am each day. "Hell's Gate", a Maori owned park, is perhaps the more ferocious of the four areas with fiercely hot mud pools and a mud volcano.

Another of Rotorua's attractions is the mountain biking. Whakarewarewa (also known as the "Redwoods") Forest has been described as 'the Disneyland of mountain biking' and has some of the best mountain bike trails in New Zealand.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1208257800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1208257800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1208257800/tpod.html Sat, 10 May 2008 05:49:36 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Coromandel, N, New Zealand

We needed to get our WOF (Warrant of Fitness, NZ's version of an auto inspection) for Pipo the Van, so we went back to Auckland. Probably a mistake, since we later found out that while there are more places offering WOFs in Auckland, they tend to be stricter than in the rural areas. Soooo... we failed our WOF and needed some fairly major work done. We found a mechanic that we thought we could trust; he sent us off, telling us to go and enjoy the Coromandel and that our car was structurally sound enough for us to travel with it some more (he was too busy to work on it immediately, so we went off for a week to see the Coromandel Peninsular and maybe Rotorua.)

The Coromandel was as lovely as I remembered it, if a bit more built up. But not everything is built up - the 'highway' there is still a windy, torturous two-lane wonder that wends its way around the seashore, hugging it tightly. Sometimes the two lanes even narrow down to one and a half, making two way traffic challenging. And this is New Zealand - they don't bother much with guardrails here! It was a long, slow ride, and both Girija and Lalitha were a little queasy by the end of it - Girija even threw up a little, something highly unusual for her as she's typically a great, sturdy little traveller. So we stopped for a while in a roadside pull-over by the sea. Tried to find mussels but they were all mostly too small to be worth it - it's easier to buy 'em from the market (and at $2.25 a kilo ($1.80 U.S.) it's not hard on the wallet either! But I digress... eventually we arrived in Coromandel Town and pulled into a campground there (free camping is not allowed on the Coromandel Peninsular). But that was all right; Girija had a blast on their trampoline (as you can see!). We heard about the Coromandel's smoked mussels and had to try them; I was a bit dubious of them at first, but now... O, how I wish I could hand them to you for you to try; they are extraordinarily delicious!

The next day we took Girija for a ride on the Driving Creek Railway, a tiny little railroad built by an eccentric potter who wanted an easy way to get his clay down from the hills. Now he makes more money shuttling tourists up and down, and has a built-in draw to get people to look at his pottery - true Kiwi ingenuity! That was a lot of fun for all of us, as we got to see lots of native plants and beautiful vistas, and Girija got her first ride on an open-air, narrow gauge train. And yes, the pottery was beautiful, too!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1209637920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1209637920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1209637920/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 07:42:25 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Wellington, New Zealand

All about me!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207911240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207911240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207911240/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 06:20:28 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Leigh, New Zealand

Then we drove to Leigh, via a scenic drive through Matapouri, Tutukara, Ngunguru and stopped for lunch at Whangarei before continuing on to Ruakaka, Waipu, Langs Beach, Mangawhai headsand to Pakiri. All right, I'll admit it; we got lost .... As the sun sank lower and lower we were still in search of a nice beach and a place to stay. Once in Leigh we wound up staying for free by the beach by ourselves in a beautiful little rest area complete with toilets and cold water shower! Both Lalitha and I tried fishing but no fishies.... Well, none for us; the guy who showed us how to use our brand new fishing pole caught a couple of snapper for dinner - so much for beginner's luck. To add insult to injury, not only did we not catch any fish, but we got some of our bait stolen by the ever-vigilant seagulls. ("Mine! Mine!" -- "Finding Nemo")

The next day we went to Goat Island Marine Reserve for a tour on a glass-bottomed boat. Girija loved this; she could see the fish under the boat and kept squealing and pointing them out to us and everyone else. They had one old snapper that likes to follow the boat whenever it comes into his territory - the biologists there estimate his age at over 65 years, his length is well over a meter! The biologist who was leading the tour told us about one idiot diver from Israel who got cocky while feeding the fish. He put a sardine in his mouth and invited this old snapper to come and feast - the fish did, taking not only the proffered sardine but half of the diver's upper lip with him! (As Lalitha points out, now we know why they call the fish a 'snapper'!)

So after Leigh (and another bout of 'scenic driving' (= getting lost on really bad, steep, winding gravel roads!) we went on to Waiwera and their famous hot thermal pools.

Waiwera is a town not far north of Auckland. The name is of Mâori origin and means "hot water". Its main claim to fame are the hot water springs which were well-known in pre-European times and the European settlers quickly made it one of their favourite places as well. We stayed in a campground that gave us a huge discount for entering the thermal pools - and we soaked luxuriously in first a 36 degree pool, and then in a 42 degree one - but neither of us had the stamina for the "Lava Pool" and its 48 degree waters...! We both had fun on the thermal water slides as well, long twisting tunnels of lukewarm water that cascade you through to a thermal pool below! Girija was to little to use them, mores the pity, but the two 'adults' had fun!

Less than 1 kilometre north of the Waiwera turn-off lies the turn-off to Wenderholm Regional Park which is situated on the far side of the headland to the north of the Waiwera stream outlet. After our stay at the campground, we decided to head to Wenderholm to free camp. It was beautiful there, with lots of easy hikes and beautiful birds to ogle at (and for Girija to chase!). It really was idyllic there, and like so many places before and since we wound up staying there longer than we intended....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207632780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207632780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207632780/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 06:04:25 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Auckland, New Zealand

Just a quick little blog to talk about some beautiful little parks we've gone to over the past week or two. One of them, Parry Kauri Park just outside Warkworth, has this magnificent 800 year old Kauri tree (and a 'younger' sibling nearby at roughly 600 years). Much of the older Kauri have been logged over the past 150 years, but those that remain are now protected, and the pictures here are of some of those. It's so wonderful to stroll through forests like this, listening to the birdsong that sounds so different from what you can hear in forests in the U.S., and gazing up at these amazing edifices of leaf and mighty branches and the patience of centuries.

In Kerikeri we went walking on a track that promised to lead us to some "Faery Pools"; it was a little disappointing as it was obviously a hangout for teenager drinking parties at night, and they'd left all their trash behind. But then we continued on and had a wonderful time being trailed and challenged by these amazingly brash little birds called fantails. It was as if they themselves were little faeries playing tag and hide and seek with us as we wandered through their domain.

The Magnificent Kauri Trees
Kauri are among the world's mightiest trees, growing to more than 50 metres tall, with trunk girths of up to 16 metres. They covered much of the top half of the North Island when the first people arrived around 1000 years ago. Maori used their timber for boat building, carving and housing and their gum for starting fires and chewing (after it had been soaked in water and mixed with the milk of the puha plant).
The arrival of European settlers last century saw the decimation of these magnificent forests. Sailors quickly realised the trunks of young kauri were ideal for ships' masts and spars and settlers who followed discovered the mature trees yielded sawn timber of unsurpassed quality for building.
The gum, too, became essential in the manufacture of varnishes. Gum was obtained through digging, fossicking in treetops, or, more drastically, by bleeding live trees. The exploitation of forests increased with the demand for more and more cleared farmland. Kauri forests once covered 1.2 million hectares; now they have been reduced to 80,000 hectares.

Facts Of Kauri Trees
-Ancestors of the kauri first appeared in the Jurassic Period 190-135 million years ago.
-Kauri forests are among the most ancient in the world.
-Kauri forests once covered a million hectares of the north. Now only 7455 hectares of mature forest remain.
-Waipoua Forest is the largest remaining kauri forest in the world.
-3/4 of Northland kauri forest were felled between 1800 and 1900.
-Younger kauri trees (rickers) carry short branches up their trunks until they are 120 years old.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207631760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207631760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207631760/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 05:32:57 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Auckland, New Zealand

Welcome to Pipo the Van! Hopefully the video will say it all.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207623660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207623660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1207623660/tpod.html Thu, 01 May 2008 05:24:40 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Cape Reinga, New Zealand

Hello again from the Blessed Isles! Sorry about not writing for a week, but Internet access where we've been camping has been largely non-existent. But that's good news, 'cause it means we're staying in beautiful places.

We continued our travels northwards, leaving Ahipara and driving up the coast to Te Paki and Cape Reinga. It took us a little while to get there; our beloved camper Pipo showed her tempermental side and decided she didn't want to wipe her windshield clear anymore. The previous owners had warned us of this, but said that we could 'nudge' her wiper blades and they'd start working again. This worked for a while, and then didn't anymore. And when I went to try and buy a new wiper motor for the van I got laughed at - for some strange reason they aren't making parts for my 28 year old campervan anymore. This was worrisome, because I know how much it rains here, especially in winter, so I started to fret a bit - but the next day Pipo decided to wipe her windshield again (well, at least periodically), so we travelled on. But now we're on a mission to find a replacement wiper motor, and NZ junkyards are up on our list of places to visit...!

Cape Reinga is the northernmost spot in New Zealand, and is a spectacle to behold. Not for the landscape, although that's beautiful in a wild, barren sort of way, but the seascape is the true joy. Just off shore you can see the mighty Pacific crashing into the Tasman Sea in a constant state of conflict, like rams locked in an eternal battle for supremacy. Like most such battles, there is no winner - unless you count the rapt spectators who make the pilgrimage up the coast to see the struggle firsthand. Girija tried to throw herself off the cliffs a couple of times, and the wind certainly tried to help her, but we managed to hang onto her. It did, however, limit the time we could stand and be awed by the beauty around us....

But no worries (as they say here); there's beauty almost everywhere you go. (As well, as Lalitha puts it, "Everywhere you go baa-baa and moo-moo. And dead possum on the roads!" This last is true, by the way, and the true Kiwis will speed up when they see one of those 'cute' possums staring at their headlights, because these animals are non-native and are decimating the native, flightless birds. But I digress...). The next day we wandered our way down and around the northern coast to Cable Bay and then on to Kerikeri, where we stayed at a really nice, tiny campground called Gibby's Place. The next day we wandered our way down and around the northern coast to Cable Bay and then on to Kerikeri, where we stayed at a really nice, tiny campground. But the next night was amazing; we "free parked" (NZ terminology for camping overnight in a rest area or somebody's field which they've designated for it) in a rest area right on the beach. It's fun, free, and very Kiwi!) We stayed in a pull-over off the road right on the beach; after Girija went to sleep we went walking along the beach under the stars and then made tea by candlelight in the campervan. Absolutely magic.

The beach was called Sandy Bay, a surf beach, and even first thing in the morning the dudes and dudettes were out catching their waves.... I'm gonna have to try surfing someday; anything that looks so silly has to be fun.

History of Cape Reinga:
Cape Reinga (or Te Rerenga Wairua in Mâori) is the northwesternmost tip of the Aupouri Peninsula, at the northern end of the North Island of New Zealand. Cape Reinga is located over 100 km north of the nearest small town of Kaitaia. There is a road all the way but the final 19 km are 'metal' road (which is to be upgraded to a standard seal within the next years The name of the cape comes from the Mâori word 'Reinga', meaning the 'Underworld'. Another Mâori name is 'Te Rerenga Wairua', meaning the leaping-off place of spirits. Both refer to the Mâori belief that the cape is the point where the spirits of the dead enter the underworld.
Cape Reinga is generally considered the separation marker between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. From the lighthouse it is possible to watch the tidal race, as the two seas clash to create unsettled waters just off the coast. The Mâori refer to this as the meeting of Te Moana-a-Rehua, 'the sea of Rehua' with Te Tai-o-Whitirea, 'the sea of Whitirea', Rehua and Whitirea being a male and a female respectively.

According to mythology, the spirits of the dead travel to Cape Reinga on their journey to the afterlife in the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki, using the Te Ara Wairua, the 'Spirits' pathway'. At Cape Reinga they depart the mainland by leaping off an 800 year old Pôhutukawa tree on the cape. They turn briefly at the Three Kings Islands for one last look back towards the land, then continue on their journey.
A spring in the hillside, Te Waiora-a-Tâne (the 'Living waters of Tâne'), also played an important role in Mâori ceremonial burials, representing a spiritual cleansing of the spirits, with water of the same name used in burial rites all over New Zealand. This significance lasted until the local population mostly converted to Christianity, and the spring was capped with a reservoir, with little protest from the mostly converted population of the area. However, the spring soon disappeared and only reappeared at the bottom of the cliff, making the reservoir useless.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1206350160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1206350160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1206350160/tpod.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:24:01 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Opononi, New Zealand

More photos .....!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1206339720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1206339720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/girijagriffin/1/1206339720/tpod.html Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:11:59 -0400 Hi, Everyone! Welcome to the Girija Griffin Blog!

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Auckland, New Zealand

We finally left Malaysia on Thursday, 13 March, flying on Malaysian Airlines, and the magic that we've always known was waiting for us in New Zealand began right then. When we got to the check in counter I asked for extra leg room (it never hurts to ask!) and was told that the plane was full, so there was no exit row or front row seats available. Then we noticed a rolled up map that the passenger ahead of us had left behind at the counter. When we showed it to the clerk, she didn't know how to get it to him. We offered to carry it to the gate and pass it to him there since he was on the same plane as us. She thanked us profusely and then got all excited, went running over to talk to a supervisor, and then came back and gleefully clicked a few buttons and informed us that as a thank you for our help, we were all upgraded to business class! There was my extra leg room! It was amazing to me; I'd never flown business class before, and it made the 11 hour overnight flight from Malaysia to New Zealand MUCH more comfortable. We got all kinds of freebies - free toys for Girija, free leather ditty bags filled with toiletries for us, and of course, free champagne. And the seats were great - we could sleep nearly prone, and while I'll never call it comfortable as a bed at home it was WAY more comfortable than it would have been scrunched into economy class. Girija, as she almost always does, took to it like a trooper, toddling up and down the aisles charming half the passengers and all the crew before succumbing to sleep in her throne-like bed.

We landed in New Zealand in the early afternoon local time on Friday the 14th, and wound our way to what they call here in Kiwiland a backpackers - kind of a cross between a hostel and a B&B - and managed to stay up until dark before collapsing into jet-lagged sleep. It took Girija a few days to adjust to the local time, which meant some middle of the night sojourns for Lalitha and I, but after a few days we were all more or less back on an even keel. While we orientated ourselves, we started looking for a vehicle to buy for our travels - we decided that we'd vacation for a little while before I start looking for work, although I did peruse the help wanted ads just to see if the perfect job was waiting for me. It wasn't so onward with the fun! We found out about a car fair that's held every Sunday where people go and try to peddle their vehicles. We knew we wanted some kind of camper van, preferably a little bigger than a regular van so we could at least stand up in it. We wanted it to save money on lodging, because for the three of us we'd be paying $50 - 100 NZ ($40 - 80 US) per night - and more than that in some places without budget lodging. So we went to the fair and found the PERFECT home for us - and ancient Bedford campervan that had been owned (I'm not joking) by a Gypsy woman who used to travel around to NZ faires and do tarot/palm readings and channelings! It's decorated with pseudo-stained glass and handpainted cabinets, it has a working gas refrigerator and stove, and electrical power hook-up (for when we're in a motor home park), a huge double bed over the cab and a bunk in the back, a remodelled engine and a great 'vibe'! The brakes work fine but are a bit squeaky, so I'll get them checked out at some point. We paid only $7500 NZ for it, and we'll get that back if we sell it later on, but we're already thinking of keeping it for guests when they come to visit - so keep that in mind! So we bought it on Sunday, but it took us a couple of days to get the money all together, so we wound up taking it on Tuesday. We spent Wednesday getting it fitted out for us (buying food and other necessities), and then took off for the Northlands on Thursday - only to discover that we were travelling to a major holiday destination on one of the most popular long weekends of the Kiwi calendar - Easter Weekend. But our luck held; we pulled in to a motor home park in a place called 'Sandspit' that night and got the last space available - and were told in no uncertain terms that it was ONLY for the night, as it was booked for the rest of the weekend. No problem; we didn't want to stay any longer in that place than absolutely necessary. It's never been my idea of camping to park in a site six feet from your neighbours on three sides. In fact, Lalitha and I have both decided that while we need to go to such places once or twice a week (hot showers are nice, as are laundry machines), for the most part we want to 'free camp'. Yet another wonderful thing about New Zealand is that there are loads of places all over the country where people allow tenters and campers to pull up and stay overnight for free. And that's what we did the next night - on Good Friday we pulled into a field right on the shore of a beautiful bay just outside the town of Opononi. Loads of space for Girija to run through the field, a nice beach right around the corner, and gorgeous views. In olden days they milled the Kauri wood (I'm not sure of the spelling) right where we were, and on the shore you can see loads of non-indigenous rocks that the old sailing ships had used for ballast, as well as a few of the pilings for the old piers. Now, of course, the hills are grasslands, home to the ubiquitous sheep and cows of New Zealand. But 150 years ago it was all dense forest - amazing to contemplate what it all must have looked like back then.

We had meant to stay only a day, but it was just too beautiful to leave so soon, so we left on Easter Sunday instead, driving to a small town called Rawene to take a ferry across the bay to Kokukohu, and thence on to Ahipara, the beginning of New Zealand's Ninety Mile Beach. Girija's in heaven here - beach for as far as the eye can see! We got some great photos of her last night at sunset. Truly amazing views, complete with a partial rainbow that truly looked like it was pointing to a pot of gold just north of us. Magical.

Everything is going so magically well that it just feels like we're right where we're supposed to be and doing what we're supposed to be doing. I'm trusting that. While I was in Malaysia I kind of lost sight of the fact that life is meant to be an adventure that one embraces, but I'm starting to remember that now. So I'm just looking forward to the next magical mystical memorable experience - and when it comes, I'll tell you all about it.
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