TravelStream™ news feed for member gringowithdrawl on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/gringowithdrawl en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:14:04 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231740720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231740720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231740720/tpod.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:14:04 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Portobello, New Zealand

This is the Southern Scenic Route in the South Island. We started in Te Anau after leaving Milford Sound, stocked up on groceries and headed south. Clifden was our first stop where we visited the Clifden Suspension Bridge and then the caves. Darren went in the caves and saw some trippy glow worms.

We drove on looking for a place to stay and ended up at Waiau Downs, an hour from Te Anau. Waiau Downs was a farm that gave sheep shearing tours. We stopped in to ask about the sheep shearing tours and the guide told us they were closed for the evening, but opened at 9:30 a.m. the next day. He said that we were welcome to stay on the farm that night in our campervan if we were going to do the tour the next day. We decided to go ahead and stay the night there and do the sheep shearing tour the next morning. We had the farm all to ourselves. It was a thousand acre farm with five thousand sheep, a horse, a donkey and several other animals we didn't see. We enjoyed our delightful farm stay and took the sheep shearing tour the next morning. We had our own personal tour the next day. We started the tour feeding two hungry lambs bottles of milk. We fed another woolly lamb some feed. The woolly lamb hadn't been sheared for over a year (see photo). We then rode over to the barn and watched the working dogs perform their jobs. One dog had the job of getting the sheep into the barn, while the other dog had the job of moving the sheep around in the barn. We practiced sorting the sheep who needed to be sheared from the sheep who didn't. Once we did that, our guide brought up a sheep to shear. He did it pretty quickly and threw out the wool on the table. He scrapped the dirty wool and threw the clean wool in a bin. Kristi was next to shear, then Darren. We had a great guide for our tour, but we didn't get his name. It was a fun and informative morning on the sheep farm.

We stopped at McCracken's Rest for a few pictures. Then we stopped at Curio Bay and Porpoise Bay to scout out the yellow-eyed penguins. We did end up seeing one yellow-eyed penguin, but had to look from a distance as to not disturb them in their environment. We drove on to Nugget Point. We took the walking path which led to a lighthouse with dramatic views of the coastline on either side. We did discover some noisy sea lions at the bottom of the cliffs.

From Nugget Point we drove on to the Otago Peninsula since Dunedin didn't allow freedom camping. We camped in Portobello and drove to Pilots Beach in hopes of catching a glimpse of the much talked about albatross. We did see several amazingly large albatross The albatross were a beautiful sight and made typical seagulls look small.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1256522025/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1256522025/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1256522025/tpod.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:08:48 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Timaru, South Island, New Zealand

Heading North, we stopped in the town of Oamaru for a couple of hours on our way to Timaru. We were hoping to see the blue-penguins, but there was only one place we could do that and the penguins weren't due to arrive until later that evening. We stayed in Oamaru long enough to visit the New Zealand Malt Whiskey Company and the visitor center where Darren rode the old bicycle (see pics).

Though we only stayed in Timaru one evening, we were delighted that the town of Timaru had a designated spot for freedom camping with bathrooms. Woo hoo Timaru! We would've stayed longer, but we were on a mission to pick up our visas for Vietnam in Christchurch before the travel agency closed down for the holidays.

Kristi- "One memory I have of our little camping spot in Timaru was Darren dancing to the Killers song Mr. Brightside and when I tried to catch him on video, I was too late."

Darren- "I'm probably the best dancer ever."

We walked over to the The Bay HIll to enjoy a beer and watched families getting together for the holidays. Later we stopped by another spot to catch a Kiwi cover band.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1261635420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1261635420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1261635420/tpod.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:05:55 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Nelson, South Island, New Zealand

We traded in Jetstar 1 in Christchurch because the engine was misfiring. Now we have our self-proclaimed 'Jetstar North'...much better!

We celebrated Christmas in Kaikoura with some hamburgers, Cantebury Cream and Cadbury chocolate. We opted for the light-plane flight for whale spotting. We did end up spotting a sperm whale below us for a couple of minutes before its submersion under the sea.

We continued north while stopping to taste the wines of the Marlborough Region, and spent New Years in Nelson. For NYE, we went to a dance party and then to the town square to see the Kiwi Robert Earl. Darren was so intimidated by this guy dancing in white shoes that he couldn't muster the confidence to dance. Oh well, maybe our next NYE in New Zealand...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1230790920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1230790920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1230790920/tpod.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:02:03 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Napier, North Island, New Zealand

We spent a few days in Hawke's Bay staying in Napier and the Mahia Peninsula. In Napier, we found a pleasant spot on the rocky beach for the elusive 'freedom camping'. Our spot on the beach allowed for some nice runs along the beach and beautiful sunset sightings. We visited a couple of wineries in Napier, but the adventure didn't compare to the Marlborough region of the South Island. The Hawke's Bay Farmer's Market was our first farmer's market experience. It was a beautiful day with great music, great food and produce we couldn't pass up.

The Mahia Peninsula was recommended by an Italian guy we met in Kaikoura. We met Moko the dolphin. She's the dolphin that saved two pigmy whales that were stranded on the beach last March. We actually got to see Moko while we were there. She was out early in the morning playing with the people in the ocean. We stayed out there with her for a bit and snapped a few photos. The water was pretty cold!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231137000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231137000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231137000/tpod.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:15 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Taupo, North Island, New Zealand

Lake Taupo was beautiful! We hiked the Tongariro Alpine Crossing which is one of New Zealand's best one-day walks. The walk was about 11 miles. Following the hike we visited the natural hot springs and hung out at Lake Taupo for a bit. This town was one we could picture living in if we lived in New Zealand.

Rotorua was a geothermal area similar to Taupo. The town of Rotorua was a bit more foul smelling than Taupo. The first night in Rotorua we made the mistake of camping next to the geothermal lake which smelled like rotten eggs. The stench of sulfur would wake us every few hours. During our time in Rotorua we visited a living thermal village. The Whakarewarewa Village still lives in this geothermal environment, using the hot springs and steam to cook their food, heat their baths, and the mud pots to heal their illnesses. It was this village that showed us the famous Maori Haka dance.

We visited the Polynesian Spa to soak in more hot springs and the visited the Paradise Valley Springs (wildlife park) to see the lion feeding. The lion feeding was a treat as it was a first experience for both of us.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231569480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231569480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1231569480/tpod.html Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:56:51 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Auckland, North Island, New Zealand

We spent 3 nights in Auckland, one of them being in a real bed (other than the Jetstar). We were able get tickets to the Heineken Open tennis tournament and got to cheer for two Americans playing in the tournament.

Jetstar North has been turned in and prior to checking into a hotel before heading out on an early flight to Vietnam tomorrow. We have truly enjoyed this beautiful country and have learned to appreciate a few of the finer things after sleeping in a Toyota minivan together for a month.


]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973981/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973981/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973981/tpod.html Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:19:16 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Austin, Texas, United States

After a total of eleven months away from Austin, we were anxious to get back to see all our friends and settle back in. Following a year of travel, we were looking forward to emptying our backpacks into an actual drawer and having a closet rather than a 4Runner. Darren can't count how many times in the past couple months Kristi has said, "I can't wait to sleep in OUR big king-size bed." This comment often followed a night sleeping in the 4Runner or at a seedy hotel.

We drove into Austin on August 28 after being gone since October 3 of the previous year. The Austin skyline had changed quite dramatically in a year as we drove down Interstate 35. We spent a few nights at our friends the Ehlers since our tenants in our house were not moving out until August 31. Thanks Larries! We couldn't quite unpack yet! We ultimately started moving back into our house on September 1 and were relieved to find our house in relatively good shape.

We spent the next few weeks moving in and catching up with old friends. Several of us went to see Robert Earl Keen as a quasi-welcome back party. It was great seeing everyone and good to be back in Texas. We also went to the Austin City Limits music festival and ran into many friends there as well.

Being back has been an adjustment from our year of travel. Kristi fortunately started her job back with ESPN radio on September 1 and has moved into the role of 'bread-winner'. Kristi, of course, is very lucky to have a supportive husband like Darren to allow her to do this while he sets up employment interviews and works on his mountain biking:). Currently Darren has one job offer and should have an employment decision made by October 16. It's a tough job market out there right now!

In retrospect, our Gringo Withdrawal was an amazing trip that we will cherish more and more as we move into the next stages of our lives. Highlights include the beaches and people of southern Thailand and Bali, the beauty of the landscape in New Zealand, the culture of Vietnam, the adventure and lawlessness of Mexico and Guatemala, and the beauty and big sky of the western US.

And lastly, thanks to everyone that we met or stayed with along the way as this will ultimately be the most memorable part of the trip. As much as we grew to miss normalcy in the last couple months of our trip, now that we have that, our daydreams continue to drift back -- driving the Jetstar into a bridge abutment after a day of wine tasting in New Zealand, bargaining with locals while asking dumb questions, Asian toilet butt sprayers, questionable Spanish pronunciations, observing our fighting French neighbors, alleged manta-ray sightings, getting shoved by a Vietnamese cabby, bingo and karaoke in Boise (NO KARAOKE in Vietnam), the limits (or lack thereof) of Bangkok, sweet Vietnamese coffee, naively staying in hourly Mexican hotels, fending off bugs of all types, crappy beds, the smells of the JetStar after a month of living, catching a 300-lb blue marlin off the coast of Guatemala, river bathing, harassment courtesy of Mexico City policia, miserable and near-suicidal Vietnam sleeper buses, surf lessons in Bali, awesome mountain biking in Moab and Durango, volcano hikes in Bali and Guatemala, nude beaches, the quest for freedom camping in New Zealand (and getting woken by locals at 6AM who didn't agree with our choice), chickens and Coke in a Chiapas church, 'Long Man' shout-outs, back sweat, sheep shearing in New Zealand, selecting cobra to eat in northern Vietnam, and most of all, the friendliness of travelers everywhere -- and thus concludes our very own Gringo Withdrawal.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973851/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973851/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973851/tpod.html Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:04:22 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Saint Charles, Missouri, United States

We stayed in St. Charles, Missouri, just west of St. Louis, to visit Kristi's family on our roundabout way back to Texas. We visited with all of Kristi's family, enjoying some home cooking from both grandmas. One night with Kristi's dad, we took a tour of the Anheuser Busch brewery, ate on the hill (an authentic Italian section of St. Louis), and attended a Cardinals baseball game.

During our visit, Kristi was able to finally meet her cousin from Germany. Her uncle has lived in Germany since she was a young child and has two children that are now grown.
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Columbia, Missouri, United States

We drove to Missouri to visit Kristi's family before heading home to Texas. We decided to stop off in Ashland, Missouri to visit one of Kristi's sorority sisters and her family. It was so nice to catch up with Terra and Chad and meet their three boys.

After leaving Ashland, Kristi had to show Darren the Missouri campus he always tries to discount due to his Kansas ties. We visited Kristi's brother Brian and his girlfriend and they served as our tour guides around a campus that has changed quite a bit in ten years which made Kristi feel really old. It's still a beautiful campus.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973933/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973933/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gringowithdrawl/1/1254973933/tpod.html Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:17:22 -0400 Gringo Withdrawal

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Dallas, Texas, United States

Back to Texas after almost a year away. We made a Texas mix CD that we fired up about an hour north of the Red River...good times.

We stopped in Dallas for a couple nights to visit the Larders and got the chance to meet up with some of Darren's college and basketball buddies for dinner the first night. The following night, we met up for dinner with Kristi's family who is in the process of moving down to Dallas from Wichita.

Dallas also proved to be a great place for car shopping as we purchased a Volkswagen Jetta for Kristi before heading back to the good ol' ATX. Needless to say, we were very excited to head Southbound 35 after eleven months away.
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