TravelStream™ news feed for member will_waldron on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/will_waldron en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:23:26 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1178162280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1178162280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1178162280/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:23:26 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Robinson Crusoe and South Sea Island, Fiji

Back in Nadi, with days to spare before my flight to New Zealand, I made the great decision to join Grace and Hannah (they did ask!) and visit Robinson Crusoe Island. We had 2 nights and 3 fantasic days there. We were welcomed to the island by Fijian singers. Whilst id seen better beaches, it was the staff here were what made the visit so good. They didnt stop with activities for us. We were shown how to cook food in the ground and a following demonstrations of walking on hot coals. Joined later in the day by Laura and Nicole (also Feejee experience), in true Fijian style, we were given another Kava welcoming ceremony. I've drunk so much, i actually like it now!!!Our second day was the pick of the crop. We were taugh how to make our own jewellery from coconuts (useful), we went line fishing (i didnt get a bite!), i took advantage of their special offers and treated myself to a relaxing massage. This was the perfect warm up for happy-hour. It was mine, Grace and Hannahs last night so we made sure it was a good one, several people who'd been there for a while said it was definately the best night theyd had! It started with traditional Fijian dancing, alot of it! but it was very entertaining, followed by the best fire throwing display ive seen. Especially considering the place is made of straw! Then we kicked it up a notch and made our way to the nightclub (a hut, with no walls!). It was a great night, made complete with the Fijian music they played!The next day we made our way back to the main land and spent the day in Nadi. The next morning was time to say goodbye to Grace and Hannah, my fellow east-midlanders as I headed to South Sea Island for my last night in Fiji. This island was in the same cluster of islands as the one where Castaway was filmed, more impressively I saw celebrity love island, more impressive than that (Alice will agree) where they filmed SURVIVOR!! I though Robinson Crusoe was small, but you can walk around south sea in under 5 minutes, and from one side to the other in 30 seconds! I just spent 2 days here chilling and loosing at volleyball. Just what i need before my activity-packed adventure in New Zealand.PS at this point i will say, ive built up a rather good tan in the 7 months ive been chasing the sun. But youll have to just believe me on that as after a month in NZ ill be whiter than when i left!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1178080500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1178080500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1178080500/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 08:16:40 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Viti Levu, Fiji

I arrived in Fiji having booked nothing, so my trip was, as usual, a blank canvas. What a decision! As soon as I arrived at Nadi airport I went through my options and settled on the Feejee Experience as I'd seen plenty of beaches this trip and this adventure promised real Fijian culture. This is exactly what I got. Im actually finding it incrediably hard to come up with new ways to describe what ive seen/done. Im just so happy that 7 and a half months into my journey, im still privillaged enough to be experiencing things that are new to me and quite frankly breath-taking. My 10 days in Fiji were outstanding, I loved it. The local people, the travellers ive met, the place, the culture, everything! For a kick-off the locals are the friendliest the world has to offer, for example we were greeted at the airport by Fijian music and dancing. On arrival, I spent one night in Nadi, but as it was late, i didnt see alot. My Feejee experience started the following morning.Day OneWe boarded the big green bus, and off we went. Te, the fantastic guide, introduced himself and then we introduced ourselves...so it was a great way to get to know each other quickly. I pretty much hit it off straight away with Grace, Hannah, Chris and Katie. With these I spent the majority of my time, but there were many other travellers I got on with. Our first stop was Natadola beach, a goregous white sanded beach with nice waters for a dip. After our BBQ lunch we visited a local Fijian village, and adearing to their cultures, we all had to wear sarongs (not a problem - i already owned one!!). Our final activity for the day was sand boarding down huge dunes, cracking fun, but due to the effort it took to reach the top, once was enough!!! We spent that night in a beautiful hostel/resort on the Coral Coast. That night we had our first Kava Ceremony. Kava is the locals drink and they use it to welcome people into their villages. Its basically plant roots and water, and it tastes like muddy water! But it has an effect a cross between alcohol and smoking canabis! I loved it, after one bowl (its served in a coconut bowl and it offends the locals if you decline) your tongue goes numb, and after several your head goes numb...drink enough and they carry you to bed in a wheelbarrow! I must be a professional because after several bowls, all i could feel was a slight tingle in my tongue. One girl on our tour, a complete waste of space, got stoned before the ceremony and asked the local chief if you could snort, smoke or inject it...Day TwoWe made our way, early, to the Namosi Highlands, where we undertook a gruelling 4 hour trek. It was the highlight of my trip. In constant rain, we trekked though the jungle, comically with people going arse over tit as it was so wet. We reached a creek, which due to the rain reached our waists, and yep, we trekked through that to, with muggins here choosing to slip at this point! I was already wet so i dont know what they were laughing at! Reaching our final destination, the River Navua, we tubed (thats rubber rings) over small rapids to a waterfall, where we jumped into its base. The whole day was amazing and fun, the downside, the boat trip back to the bus in wet clothes - not pleasant. We stayed in the capital, Suva this night.Day ThreeStarted with a tour of the capital, and although there is a military coup there, no signs of trouble. But why would there be, this is Fiji. Just minutes down the road we drove past a prison, waved at all the guards and inmates. Here i witnessed one of the most bizarre sights ill ever see. A prisoner had a chat with a guard, and he opened the gates and let him out (in full arrow outfit)...presumably he wanted a pack of fags. Apparently this is common as Te calmly said, 'He'll be back'. Later, we had an offical welcome ceremony at a village and drank ridiculous amounts of Kava...again nothing happened. We stayed in a great place called Voli Voli beach, a great night, we played games, and we all ended up on the beach for a bonfire.Day FourAn amazing 4 days couldnt have finished better. We visited the Sabeto Valley, where there were natural mud pools, where we frollocked for hours, as happy as a pig in sh*t. I think it was my idea (sounds like one of mine), a group of us covered ourselves completely and it looked hilarious...you couldnt tell we were wearing any clothes, except when I got my white arse out. We were able to wash off in extremely hot, natural pools. Our adventure finished in Nadi, where we had a great last supper together.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1180503780/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1180503780/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1180503780/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:57:44 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

All over South Island, New Zealand

After the 3 hour ferry ride we reached Malborough Sounds and the South Island. It was beautiful from the kick off. Setting the scene for the rest of the trip our first stop was at a wine tasting vinyard...where there were some excellent legs on offer (thats a professional term). Our first over night stop was at Nelson, a quiet town. Our only activity here was to trek up a steep summit to reach the very central point of New Zealand and a sunset view of Nelson.The next day was greeted by a host of new legends boarding our bus for the south island adventure. It was a scenic drive to the Buller Gorge. Here we went jet boating. It was rapid and we got extremely wet. The mad man of a driver was showing off his ability by driving ridiculously close to the valley walls and sporadically placed rocks. To be fair he seemed to know what he was doing and threw us about in a fit of 360s. Westport was the overnight destination. Getting the vodka out proved to be the best way to meet new friends, notably the duo of Karen and Annabelle, who we affectionately call 'Kannabelle'. The privillaged few got invited over to the Kiwi Experience house to party with Dan, the driver and his mate Kuta who journeyed with us the whole way for free (absolute legends)!Extremely hungover we made our way to Mahinapua. Luckily we had several walks to endure today, and one in particular which was by far nicer than the Great Ocean Road in Oz. Punakaiki pancake rocks, self explanatory, rocks that had formed like pancakes but were stunning. After making full recoveries, the night was upon us and the legendary POO PARTY at the Mahinapua Hotel. This place was practically a shed in the middle of nowhere, but its run by 84 year old Les, a comic genius. Every Kiwi bus stops here and they have a fancy dress party. Ours, "The Binbag Swingers Ball", meant we had to make a costume entirely of bin bags. At the local hardware store they sold alsorts of colours and everyone made an outstanding effort. I went as peter pan, with green bin liners, a sword and my blue long-johns! I looked a corker! My favs were; Christine Aguerilla, performed by Jon, in chaps, a bar we fashioned out of a dog safety harness and 'Dirrty' written across his back. Annabelle's ladybird, and a 2-man pantomine horse!! Brilliant efforts! Needless to say we had a stonker of a night.The next day, our journey took us to Pukekura Bushmans Centre. This was hilliarous, but it basically glamourised the killing of animals, with its 'Who shot bambi's mother' and the best way to kill possums features. But our destination for the day was Franz Josef. I loved it here. Our afternoon was spent rolling around thick jungle in the most extreme game of paintball known to man. In a game of 23 v 23 we were thrown into thick jungle and told to battle it out! A painful sport. It was the next day however, that id been waiting for since i left ye old england behind all those months ago. We spent 8 hours treking up the world's steepest commerical ice glacier. We were provided all the appropriate equipment, and the crampons proved most useful as i didnt land on my arse once. Its without question the most impressive thing ive done on my trip and surpassed my already high expectations. We climbed up and down ice peaks, pix-axing steps into the floor where necessary. We learnt how it was formed, how it is possible to have a glacier retreat down the valley so much with the contrasting climate of the rainforests in such close proximty. It was an interesting and tiring day, but being able to walk through small cracks and holes of pure blue ice dug out by water was unreal. One of the most impressive things is that they have to forge new routes every day as the glacier is always different as it moves so much. A momentus day.Lake Wannaka was our next destination, and some of the most spectacular views in New Zealand (if fact, its all pretty much spectacular). My only excitement was staying in a luxury backpacker hotel (which had a bath!!!) and being part of a 6 man team to beat a 5 litre beer drinking contest, in fact we smashed the old record of 1 minute 4 seconds to just 33 seconds...well done!What a day followed, maybe the previous night didnt help but we visited a place called puzzle world. A morning of mind bending fun, i was literally unable to fathom how most of the attractions worked, for example there was a room with slanting floor one way, but a pool table with balls and running tap water which went in the opposite direction. Our destination for today was my favourite in New Zealand...Queenstown...the nations party capital! On route i did something id already promised my self i wouldnt be able to, a bungy jump. We pulled up and having not signed up for it, we watched a video of the history of bungy and it seemed like a good idea to sample the delights. The place i jumped was Kawarau Bridge, the world's first commercial bungy. Its not the biggest at 43 metres but it scared the excretion out of me, whilst i was up there, preparing to jump, i could only think of how stupid id been. But when the time came and the man said 1-2-3 there was no way i could back out...i was attached to Natasha!! It was exhilerating, whilst the freefall wasnt as long as the skydive i did in oz, there was the river rushing towards my face at a rate of knots!Having got the taste for being lauched off high platforms I signed up for a canyon swing the following day. This was different to the bungy as it more about scaring the be-jesus out of you. At the top they 'professionally' muck around trying to worry you, saying things like, 'oh that harness is a bit loose, i hope it doesnt come off'. It didnt. I did 2 swings as the second was cheap for charity. There are many ways of doing this swing, and they rate them on a brown pants scale. For the 1st (4 out of 5 for browness) i was taken to the valley edge, shown the drop, which was a bloodly long way. They they strapped me to a chair, balancing the back two legs on the ledge. Then they rocked me back and forth, pretending to drop me, then they said it was up to me to push myself backwards down into the canyon. Once id built up the courage to do it they stopped me inches from going, then teased me some more before randomly letting me fall 60 metres before it transformed into a swing right across the valley. It was immense, and a weird sensation falling backwards strapped to a chair! But i loved it so much I went again, choosing their 'scariest' swing. I was suspended upside down with my face starring directly at the drop below and at a point of their choosing, they pulled the release cord. That was phenomemonal and really felt like i was flying through the air as it vered away from the floor below.I spent 5 nights in Queenstown and it wasnt all about falling, there was alot of party nights too with all the great people we'd met along the way. But it wasnt just partying either, I made the trek up the mammoth summit to witness the cracking views of Queenstown and the surrounding areas. The town is encased by lakes and snow capped mountains, like myself, very attractive. I partook in sports too, mini golf, apparently it cost $2 million dollars to construct, that still didnt help my handicap.After my bank balance pleaded with me, it was time to move onto new pastures. So i made the trip to Christchurch with Jon, Alex, Sam, Luke and the Bristol boys. We checked into a penthouse for an extra $2 but it was well worth it. We stayed in to make use of our private facilities, such as DVD, playstation, kitchen, etc. We spent the day times at free attractions aswell, museums, botanical gardens to name a few. Christchurch was a small, very english town.Day twenty three of my epic Kiwi experience took me to the east coast, and Kaikoura. This was all about the marine wildlife. We went on a whale watching expedition. Luckily we were able to see Noodles and Tono, two large sperm whales known to the area, hundreds of dolphins and albatroses. It was definately a highlight of the south island. It was the next day that we headed back to the ferry terminal to make our way back up to Auckland in the north.South Island, New Zealand - Amazing, i cant say anymore!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1180987200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1180987200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1180987200/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:50:12 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Wellington - Taupo - Auckland, New Zealand

After the adventures of the south island, I needed to make my way back up to Auckland for my onward flight. Making this journey as awesome as it was, I had Jon, the court jester and Alex, the pyromaniac with me. Although we'd already visited most of the places on the journey southward, it wasn't a problem as it allowed us to spend longer in places we'd previously rushed and plus we'd saved the mother of all activities until last. Myself and the other 2 amigos arrived in Wellington on the 29th May. Joining us, were Scots, Louise and Kath. We had a fairly chilled 1st night, but followed it with a day of culture, visiting Te Papa, the national museum. Fully intending to have another relaxed night we cooked ourselves a lovely pasta dish and started playing cards. However, all too easily (as always!), we were persuaded to mix the cards with a box of 'delicious' goon. Inevitably our night then took us to the backpacker bar and later onto Shooters, a country n western style nightclub. I wont lie, the next morning was horrific getting back on the bus. To add insult to my already incessant hangover, we'd lost our favourite bus driver and had to settle for a half-wit named Steve. That afternoon, we arrived in Taupo once again. We'd talked about it since we left last time, the reason for our 2nd stopover was because we didn't have time during our last stay to undertake the Tongario Crossing. A beast of a hike at nearly 20km long...up a volcano!! We were picked up at 6.20am and after an hours drive we'd reached the starting point of Mangatepop car park. We were told "we'll pick you up 4pm at the other end, if you're not there, we'll call search and rescue". How kind! It sounded worth the early morning, judged to be within the top 5 walks in the world. In fairness a) whos walked the whole world? and b) who judges that?! If its Stevie Wonder, I'd have rather had the lie in! Having completed it, I'd have to agree it was very impressive...but harder than anything we'd done previously. The first stage of the walk, was an incline called 'Devils staircase'. It near enough went vertically upwards. But walking directly through the clouds and the hurling winds was all worth it when we reached the summit. Oh did I mention how cold it was. I'm not a weatherman but if I had to guess, it would have been well in the minuses when the wind was up! The mist was very fast moving and swirled around the top of Mt Doom. At our highest point we trekked the crater of a dormant volcano, which is due an eruption I'll add. Later on, we passed sulphur lakes in other craters, the view of these as we stood well above the clouds was breath-taking. As you can imagine an early night was much needed! The following day was slightly stressful, but the results were worth the effort. Although there wasn't a Kiwi Experience bus running, Myself, Jon and Al made our way up to Auckland. The reason for this: a rugby match. We'd managed to get our hands on tickets to watch the All Blacks thump the Frogs 42-11. This was actually my first ever rugby match and a thoroughly enjoyable one. Monday 4th June was my last full day in New Zealand. Fittingly it turned out that it was all 3 of our last nights in Auckland, so for the last time :'( we cracked open a box of goon and disappointed our taste buds once more! On our way to the bar we dragged along 2 Canadian girls who'd just landed, bumped into a Swedish brother and sister act and 2 Dannish girls who had a fetish for Jon (much to his disgust!!) as we'd met going south. That was about it in the bar and there seemed to be a lot of solo stage dancing, but we had a good time none-the-less. I've absolutely loved this country and it was sad to leave. By far the most pretty of all the places I've visited, housing such diverse landscapes in relatively small islands. There was a great group of people I met along the way too, which always helps :)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1179796680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1179796680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1179796680/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:48:31 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

North Island...part one, New Zealand

Not sure where to start...im 19 days into my New Zealand adventure and its been quite frankly, hectic. Ive seen so many places and done so many activities that ive never done before. So far, so very good.I started way back in Auckland. A nice city. However, on my first day, I got bad news from home which sent me into a bit of daze. But I got on with it, and it wasnt long before I got my second wind. It was here I met Jon, a bloody legend, who ive travelled with ever since. I'd booked onto the Kiwi Experience, departing on the 6th. So that morning we waited patiently for the big green bus to arrive. Guess who'd followed me from Oz, Natahsa and Sarah, who i knew wanted to visit New Zealand, so they planned it, in order to be on my bus. Our first destination; Bay of Islands, North of the North Island. Here we took a boat trip, called the excitor and we sped around the 144 islands off the coastline.Back south again to Auckland the next day, where the girls had contacts and I stayed with a very nice family, who looked after us very well. As much as we could eat of proper home made food. Delicious! In fact, ive never eaten as well on my travels as NZ. Day 3, we were back on the road and this was the start of the 'real' kiwi experience. Most of the people on this bus, ive been with for the duration (picking up others en route) . After a stop to look at Mt Eden, our driver Dan (who has turned out to be another legend) played a prank on us. At first we all thought he was a passenger as another guy picked everyone up, but when he said there was an emergency, Dan volunteered to drive the bus down to the bottom of the windy hill. He blantanly could not drive and it looked like curtains for us all as we got nearer the cliff edge. This is where he stood up and introduced himself. The pranks never stopped! That night we stayed in the Coromandel Peninsula at Mercury Bay. We did several beautiful walks on the way, we do this pretty much everywhere. Its a good way to see all the most picturesque parts of the country.The next day we made a lunch stop in Hobbiton, a town made famous for its part in Lord of the Rings (i wasnt interested!). Then onto Rotorua. This place stinks. Literally. Its so geothermally active, there are bubbling mud pools, holes in the floor where stream come out, etc. Im sure that much sulphur in the air cant be good for you. It was here the extreme activities began! First up, Zorbing. This is where you're squashed into a big inflatable ball, add some water, then push you down a hill. Wet fun! Up next, luging, this was awesome. We organised races around the fast tracks and caused carnage! I won one race, I was a manic tho and nearly came flying off my piece of plastic on wheels. At night we attented a Tamaki Maori Village. Learning about the culture, we witnessed the haka among other very good dancing, and tucked into a cracking feed.Waitoma up next. A place reknowned for its underground caves. On the way, we made a very random, but comic stop at an Angolan rabbit shearing huts. Rabbits were stretched by their 4 legs and shaved for a demonstration. Not sure of the relevance of this stop. I spent the afternoon quad biking on some of the most gorgeous land imaginable. That night we had a group feed, a great chance to meet everyone on the bus. After this night, we had quite a tight group together. At least until we reached the south island anyway, which is much busier.On the way to Taupo, we stopped at the Huka Falls for a brief walk. The first time i had to implement the coat Grace gave me in Fiji. It was starting to get colder the further south we went. But so far, touch wood, its still relatively good weather. Just cool, that didnt stop me getting a pair of long john, my most inspired purchase to date. Taupo was our first real night out, and we had a great time. We stayed 2 nights in Taupo, so a welcomed lie in was utilised.Day 8, we drove to the Tongariro National Park. Dan pranked us all again by telling us to jump 11m off a waterfall into 'geothermal' waters. We did just this, and lost feeling in our bodies as the water was sooo cold! It was beautifulk here, mountains all around. We stayed the night at River Valley. This was superb, a lodge in the middle of nowhere, which came equiped with an amazing setting and volleyball court...which kept us all competitively entertained for hours. The night ended in untasteful manner as many of us played strip poker in the bar.The next day, we made a move towards Wellington. On the way my favourite stop so far at a town called Bull. Every shop has bull in it or a slogan. The best; Conts-a-bull for the police station. Soci-a-bull for the bar. It really was a town like NO UDDER, incred-a-bull. We reached Welly late, but id pre-arranged to have dinner with Siobhan, who Id travelled with for weeks in Vietnam and Thailand. It was good to see her again, and hopefully on the way back up north we can meet again as this was fairly rushed. This was the night we lost key members of the bus so we had a good night out, and all raised our glasses for Nana, as it was the funeral back home.This was the last stop on the North Island (part one) as the next day we took the ferry over to the sourth island. A very scenic 3 hour journey followed. There are many places that ive not been able to include in this blog as i dont want to turn the entry into a book, but it has been awesome and believe me the fun and follocks does not end there!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181602140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181602140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181602140/tpod.html Sat, 16 Jun 2007 07:24:17 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

New York, New York, United States

After the drama of the first night, it was nice to go out into New York and form a completely different impression of it. I would say that NY in the day could not be safer, thousands of NYPD are on force and the people are, on the whole, fairly friendly. I had 6 days in the Big Apple, each was fantastic. I was able to do all the touristy things in the daytime and then meet Will once he finished work. They were long days as I'd leave his fat in New Jersey in the morning and wouldn't be able to return until the evening...although mostly we'd meet up and end up staying out most of the night! It was great having an insider who could show me all the best restaurants, bars and decent places that normally you just wouldn't see on vacation. I saw so much in a short space, and the city is massive so I did lots of walking!! Inevitably I went up the Empire State building, where the view was phenomenal. Downtown one way, housing the financial districts and to the north Central Park, and eastwards Brooklyn Bridge to name just a few landmarks. You could see for miles, and even across the state line to nearby New Jersey and Connecticut. I also visited Madison Square Gardens, unfortunately there wasn't an event taking place, but it was nice to see. I did however make it to the Yankee's stadium and was fortunate enough to get tickets to see a baseball game. They call it sports entertainment, that's because it goes on all day!! A wonderful occasion though, not quite as good as a fast paced 90 minutes, but its better than Forest. Our game saw the Yankees win 9-3 which is a fairly high scoring game. There was just too much to mention, but amongst my favourite activities were: walked the Brooklyn Bridge, got lost in Macys, climbed the Rockefeller Tower, took a leak in Trump Tower, spent a fortune in H&M (who by the way have extra small sizes unlike UK, you'd think it'd be the other way around!), read a book in Central Park, paid my respects at Ground Zero, took the ferry around the Statue of Liberty, stared in amazement at the wasted electricity in Times Square, hustled on Wall Street. Especially good was the Museum of Modern Art which is free on a Friday afternoon, some very interesting pieces on exhibition...I felt very cultural as I breezed through the galleries. That was the daytimes, during one evening I stumbled across a new product launch at Cartier on 5th Avenue. There were lots of paparazzi there so I hung around to find out what the fuss was about. Well worth it, I saw Grace from Will & Grace, Faith Hill, Usher, Rachel Weisz, Eva Mendes, and Rhianna, to name the most famous. Myself and Will had many good nights out, sampling the best food and drink NY had to offer, but the best two were when we attended a comedy club, the first show was a trio doing improv. It was very random which made it quite funny, but the second was simply hilarious, a series of stand-up acts. I think the people on the door set us up, placing us (obviously non-NYers) front row, but they were easy on us, only making a few jokes about the English. Our other great night was one when Wills flatmates and intern friends came out as well. We went for a Thai meal at a restaurant seen on Sex & the City and then out to a brilliantly named bar 'Wicked Willys'...here we had a great time, and it was good to meet Wills chums, some very nice people. So it came to June 11th, my final flight back to the UK...well it almost never came. Was that a sign - don't leave?! Our flight was on the runway for 3 hours without movement. Normally im stuck next to an old couple, but as luck would have it, I shared the back seats with a 24 year old Danish girl. Perfect for flagging the stewardess down and requesting yet another free medicinal bottle of wine...well I was seeing the old folks in a few hours!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1177559400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1177559400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1177559400/tpod.html Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:06:56 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Sydney, Australia

Whilst i'd lived in sydney before, my stay this time around was a different experience. I wasnt working, and doing the backpacker thing...nothing! And i absolutely loved it.As soon as i stepped off the bus from Melbourne and saw the streets i knew so well, it felt like i was home. My first 4 days back in sydney were spent with 3 swedes id met in Cairns, as it was their last few days before heading home. We had a great time, one day we even ventured over the harbour (something, id somehow not done before!) and found ourselves in Luna Park, a fun fair. As we got on so well it was disappointing to see them leave, but im glad i made the effort to catch them before they left.Softening the blow, i moved hostels the next day to meet up with Natasha and Greg. This hostel, Base Backpackers, became my home for the last 2 and a bit weeks of my stay in australia, and what a 2 and a bit weeks!! The fun started that day (and literally never stopped) with a picnic in Hyde Park and a Wild West themed night, where we all got dressed up as cowboys. I even got roped into promotion work, which involved walking through sydney in costume, rounding up other party people. My reward, a night of free alcohol...nice! After a couple of days of persuasion, we were joined at Base by Sarah, who'd we'd met in Melbourne. On Monday 16th, we hired a car and took a road trip to the capital city of Canberra. Already being told it was dull, we still wanted to go to see it and to say we visited to capital (!). And of course the 3 of us injected our own fun into the proceedings and it turned out we had a good day. We visited the parliment buildings, and the war museum before making our way back to sydney. On our return, we picked up Greg and drove to Marubara to get Tasha's camer back from a friend. En route we picked up a box of goon as it was Greg's last night...we ended up having a fab night in Side bar (one of my regular haunts). A down side to sydney, lack of street parking, and returning to our car the next morning, some bugger had given us a fine!! As i stayed in Base a while, i accumulated a great bunch of friends, in fact the people ive met here are well amongt the people ive got on the most with. Our gang consisted of Ben, Matty, Natasha, Sarah, Helen, the 'delightful' Emma, and unbelievably, Pete Dixon...one of my old school chums who just happened to be in sydney (ive said its a small world!)!! We've had the best time, sometimes not doing anything, just slobbing in bed all day and talking crap, but there have been many cracking nights out (usually the reason for the lazy days); The pjarma party (as i'd left mine at home, i borrowed a pair of bottoms from a girl in my dorm, with the slogan "lollypop lover" across the arse...i am but dont like advertising the fact!), my last night out in Kings Cross, our night in Coogee, all building up to the mother of all nights out - id even go as far as to say my best night in sydney, maybe australia. It was Natasha's birthday, and my last night in the country and way to go out with a bang. We dressed up as golfers, very professional we looked too. Incidentally ive been very impressed with the ingenuity of backpackers to create outfits from a limited wardrobe! We warmed up in Scary Canary and moved it onto Scu Bar (one of my favs) where we had VIP entry. We got some cracking looks, 8 golfers dancing in the middle of a bar. At one point a crab race took place and when speaking to the girl with the clipboard i was sure id done enough to seal us the winning crab, and the free bar tab that went with it. In fact i was convinced! Tasha was on stage as it was her birthday rallying the crowd and then i heard "number 18, Mr. T" "thats mine, thats mine!!!" Drink flew everywhere as I made my way to the stage jumping around like a mad man. There i was presented a t-shirt! id come 3rd, but hadnt realised, so i was there posing with my t-shirt like a clown! At least my possy of golfers loved it. A round of 500 miles, cotton-eyed joe, and Mr Brightside later, i was in tatters and had lost my voice. It was the perfect end to my australian adventure...my buddies threatened to sit on me so id miss my flight, but instead they signed my crab winning t-shirt and off i left the next morning! Sad to be leaving more friends behind but its time to move on, sydney however fun, was expensive. Plus ill see them all again for sure.My 5 months down under have been without doubt some of the best times in my life. Ive loved practiacally every minute and rarely stopped laughing...roll on Fiji!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181691900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181691900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181691900/tpod.html Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:54:18 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Home Sweet Home, United Kingdom

Well I'm back - Only 268 days after I left Heathrow, I was back on English soil. I can say without doubt, that was the best 9 months ever!! I've had a complete blast; I've laughed all the way, made some fabulous friends who I hope to keep in contact with, seen the most incred-a-bull (New Zealand joke!) sights, and done the best activities. I feel extremely privileged to have had the chance to experience such a trip. I'd like to say I've matured, but sometimes that's probably not the case. I do think however, that some of the situations I've found myself have been eye-opening (and in some cases, challenging) and will definately influence my life for the good. But first things first, I need to get myself a job! Thanks for the support, hope you all enjoyed the Blog as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Until next time I pack my bags...Will x.NB. Special thanks should really go out to my 'wonderful' family for all their support - they have been good! You should have seen their faces when I landed, I may aswell have been wrapped up.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181075940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181075940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1181075940/tpod.html Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:40:07 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Los Angeles, California, United States

This was a mammoth of a day. For Will Waldron, Tuesday the 5th June 2007 lasted 41 hours!! And I travelling for over 30 of those hours. This was due to the time difference going from New Zealand to the US. I left my hostel at 11am and checked in to discover that my flight from New Zealand to Los Angeles was delayed from 17.55 to 19.30. Normally this would have just been an inconvenience but in reality I'd arranged specific plans to meet my friend from Uni, Will, at the World Trade Center site in New York at 23.30. Catching the original flight would have allowed easily for the connection to NY, but now I was rather flustered, not knowing what to do. After hours of stressing, we eventually took off and arrived in LA at 14.00 (many hours before I'd set off!!) but having missed my connection they rebooked me onto a flight which was set to land in NY at 00.35. After further stressing I was fortunate to contact Will and we agreed to meet at the later time of 2am instead. All well and good then I thought...well not quite! I was still very nervous about arriving at the airport that late and having to travel with all my possessions through the underground of NY at that time of morning. This point was hammered home when I did arrive and after dramas during immigration, I was waiting at a subway station on the outskirts of the Bronx and Queens. It was intimidating, on a scale much more than id witnessed before, actually fearing for my safety. So I made the decision to grab a taxi instead. Almost a fatal decision, I emerged from below the surface to find it was even worse above ground! I felt like I was in a 50 cent movie, gangs hung around on corners, and not a white face to be seen. A man attempted to convince me that his badly dinted car was a taxi, but he had no proof of ID so I 'politely' refused his services (whilst rushing off, his gang were obviously taunting me). It was reluctantly that I found what most resembled a taxi and got in. I was convinced I'd die if I hung around so the taxi seemed at worst, the same feat. I had the foresight to ring Will, quoting the licence number of the driver in case I never showed up. Luckily I did show up, and after another train ride across the New Jersey state line, we arrived at Will's flat after 3am utterly exhausted. That's whats known in the business as a bad day!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1176784320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1176784320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/will_waldron/will_waldron/1176784320/tpod.html Fri, 04 May 2007 00:34:19 -0400 Will's Wanderings

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Canberra, Australia

See Sydney entry
]]>