Middle Earth (aka New Zealand)

Since leaving Christchurch on December 3, Brian and I have been driving around New Zealand's south and north islands (actually, Brian's been driving and I've been reminding him to stay on the left side of the road).  While it is possible to get around NZ via bus and train (a lot of people hitchhike, too) and normally that's how we travel, for us renting a car made the most sense.   Not only was it cost effective, but it also allowed us to choose our own adventure every day, which we did :-)

Our car!

We left Christchurch and headed east to Akaroa where we saw the world's smallest dolphin.  Since it's summer below the equator, we were fortunate to get to see the dolphins with their pups.  

Now you can say that you've seen the world's smallest dolphin, too!

What a sunset, huh?!?!

Then we headed inland (and slightly southwest) to Lake Tekapo and Mt. Cook.  Because of all the cloud cover and the likelihood of rain, we didn't climb Mt. Cook and instead settled for looking at the nearby glacier.  Bummer, huh?

Just some free poo along the road (the sign is pointing to manure...not Brian).

These "weeds" lined the road for kilometers.  I loved them!

Those are glacier chunks behind us.

The color of Lake Tekapo was breathtaking.

After a stunning drive from Mt. Cook, we headed southeast to Oamaru and penguins!  We got to watch rafts of penguins swim in to shore and make their way to their nests.  It was hilarious to see them hop up the rocks and then make a waddling dash to their next hiding place.  If anyone needs ideas for what to get me for my birthday, I'll take a penguin.  (Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures of them up close because it scares them so you'll just have to trust me when I say they are awfully cute.)

You know a town is serious about their penguins when they've got penguin crossing signs.

Since we don't have pictures of the penguins, here's one of the many lambs we saw on our drive to Oamaru.  They're pretty cute as well.

Dunedin was our next stop and then we continued the drive south through the Catlins (it's an area, not a city) to Invercragill.  For us, the drives were often more exciting than our final destination for the day.  In the Catlins, we got to see the yellow-eyed penguin, the rarest penguin in the world, up close and personal.  

One of the many beaches we passed along the way to Dunedin.

Brian will take penguins over monkeys any day.

The yellow-eyed penguin.

Another pit stop during our drive to Invercargill.

Having reached the bottom of the south island, we started to head north again to Te Anau.  There we got to do some great hiking.  New Zealand has these hikes called the Great Walks.  They take a couple of days.  We didn't plan well enough to be able to do any of the Great Walks, but we did get to hike on parts of the trails...so that's kind of like doing the Great Walks ;-)

Brian being manly.

On the Kepler Track.

At Key Summit on the Routeburn track.

Continuing our drive north along the western side of the south island, we stopped in Queenstown and Arrowtown.  A number of scenes from Lord of the Rings were shot in that area so naturally Brian and I went to see The Hobbit in Arrowtown.  Then it was off to Wanaka.  The first time Brian told someone we were headed to Wanaka (pronounced Wah-nah-kah), he pronounced it Wayne-kah and everyone thought he said "Wanker."  Oops.  Thankfully Kiwis (NZ citizens) have a great sense of humor and Brian's mispronounciation resulted in us being invited to dinner so they could more of our American accents.

At the theater in Arrowtown.  Easily the coolest theater we've ever been to.

NZ lost a tenth of its population in WWI (one of the highest casualty rates per capita of any country), so just about every town has memorials to the men it lost in battle.  This is the one in Queenstown.

Anyone recognize this from Lord of the Rings?  (Hint: It's in the first film and the scene is with Elijah Woods and Liv Tyler)

We found Rocky Mountain!  Just one mountain though...

At the top of Rocky Mountain.

It was a good thing we'd been doing a lot of hiking because our next stop was Franz Josef, where we hiked a GLACIER!  This was undoubtedly the highlight of our time in New Zealand and one of the most magical experiences of my life to date (marrying Brian was another...).  Our guide had taken a break from glacier guiding for three years.  When he returned in 2013, he was shocked to find that the guiding company was no longer hiking to the glacier but instead flying people onto it because it had receded that drastically.  

Brian suiting up.

Getting briefed on how to walk with crampons on.  To get some perspective on how big the glacier is, look for the other group behind our guide's head. 

Just hanging out on glacier.

We left Franz Josef and went from glaciers to beaches in just a day.  We continued our drive north with a night in Westport to break up the trip to Motueka and Abel Tasman National Park.  After doing another (part) of the Great Walks, we left for Picton where we caught the ferry on Christmas day from the south island to the north island.

Hello sand and sunshine!

Brian being manly.  Again.

Merry Christmas!

Our first stop on New Zealand's north island was Wanganui and then we headed to Rotorua.  In Rotorua, we visited geothermal sites and a Maori village where we fortunate enough to get to see a cultural performance and eat a traditionally prepared meal.

Enjoying the sights (but not the smells) at Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland.

More of Brian's manliness.

Performers at Whawarekarewa.  Maori still live in the village and the performers are all descendants of the village.  We got to see a haka and also learned that Maori greet others by pressing noses together twice -- doing so forces a closeness.  Pretty cool.

Villagers use the geothermal activity to cook their food.  So much better than ovens or crockpots! 

With the exception of the gravy, this whole meal was prepared using the method above.  It was fantastic!

Villagers use the water from this natural pool to bathe.  Because of all the good stuff in the water (I'm not a scientist - sorry!), Maori rarely have skin problems.  How awesome is that?!

And now Brian and I are chilling in Auckland, waiting for 2014 and our flight to Australia on New Year's day. 

New Zealand has done more than just stun us with its beauty.  This country that is home to more than sheep than people has made nature's fragility painstakingly clear.  There's a hole in the ozone above New Zealand.  A foreign algae is threatening the rivers.  Native species are endangered because of rodents brought here.  The glaciers are disappearing.  It's both sobering and motivating to think that our children (if we're blessed to have kiddos) won't be able to see what we've seen or go where we've gone unless we make a stronger effort to preserve and conserve.  

Before we sign off from NZ, we want to send this message out to everyone: 

We hope your year gets off to an amazing start!

ChCh & the 3 R's

From December 3-6, Brian and I were in Christchurch, New Zealand (abbreviated ChCh).  If the name rings a bell, it might be because you heard about the earthquakes here back on February 22, 2011 that killed 185 people and damaged or destroyed 100,000 buildings.  Walking around, however, you would think it hit more recently.  Some buildings have been repaired or newly built; many still lie in ruins or have been sealed off since 2011 thus becoming a time capsule.  When tragedy befalls a place, we often hear about the rescue and relief efforts and that's when we are most generous with our prayers, time, and resources.  But, as we discovered in ChCh, the third R - the rebuilding - is just as important, just as involved, and can be just as painful.

The markings were how rescue workers communicated when buildings had been cleared and if there were fatalities.  These buildings have been sealed off since February 27, 2011 (27/2) and February 24, 2011.  

Inside a restaurant that's been untouched since 27/2.

Construction equipment outside a damaged building.

Christchurch's cathedral.  There's a lot of controversy about whether to demolish it or restore it.

In an attempt to add beauty to painful reminders of 22/2, spaces have been reclaimed with creativity and other art.   

ChCh's trolley just started operating again a few days before we arrived.  

The outside of Restart, a shopping area.  Until their permanent locations are rebuilt, stores and restaurants occupy shipping containers. 

  

The Philippines: Home to jeepneys, cockers, and Mamaley

Well folks, I am way behind.  We're currently in New Zealand and I have yet to tell you all about our adventures in the Philippines (November 15-29).  My apologies!  We caved and bought a MacBook Air so that we could better manage business and upload all our pictures.  When not driving through Middle Earth or calculating our internet usage (in NZ you are charged for internet based on megabytes), we've been busy importing and sorting our photos.  The good news is that we're making progress and that you now get to view better pics than what we can take with an iPhone!

So, without further ado, the Philippines!

The Philippines are made up of 7,000 islands and the islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.  We traveled to the Luzon and Visayas islands.  We flew into the city of Manila on the island of Luzon (and in the Luzon island group).  A few days later we flew to the island of Palawan where we spent most of our time.  Palawan is in the Visayas group of islands.  There we visited the cities/towns of Sabang, El Nido, and Puerto Princesa.  Last, we flew to Cebu, also in the Visayas island group, and stayed there for two days before heading to the land down under.  

MANILA

Manila is the most densely populated city in the world, though after visiting some of China's cities it didn't feel as overwhelming as one might expect.  What was jarring, however, were all the street kids.  In China, the elderly and disabled constitute the homeless and beggars.  In the Philippines, it's children.  I'll never forget this one toddler in only a diaper and sucking on a pacifier who followed us about 100 feet with an outstretched hand.  It took me a moment to realize that he didn't really know what he was doing - he was just mimicking the behaviors of other children.  Still, it was tough to stomach the fact that this baby knew how to beg before he knew how to speak.

While Manila introduced us to poverty in the Philippines, it also gave us our first glimpse of the country's beauty.

Volunteers at the Manila Red Cross packing up food and supplies for typhoon-devasted areas.

Spanish-style buildings are at every turn in Intramuros, the historic part of the city. 

A sunset from the bay.

SABANG
After two days exploring Manila, we hopped over to the island of Palawan.  Whereas Manila is nicknamed the concrete jungle, Palawan, known as "the last frontier," is anything but.  To get to our first stop, Sabang, we jumped aboard a jeepney and stared out at rice fields and lush, green jungle as we drove on gravel roads for almost four hours.  Although it was nearly dark when we arrived, there was just enough light to see Sabang's beautiful beaches and just enough time left before the electricity went out to get our mosquito net set up in our bungalow (in Sabang there's no electricity after 10pm).

Check out our sweet ride!  (minus the Chargers...)

A real live rice field!

The beautiful beach at Sabang.

The next day we explored the Underground River, one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.  This UNESCO World Heritage site was jaw-dropping, but as our guide kindly reminded us -- when adventuring in caves with bats, it's always best to admire with mouths closed!  Since our camera isn't one of those super-duper high tech ones for National Geographic and the like, our pictures inside the caves are pretty lousy, but if you google it you can find some great ones.

Hi mom!

This is what it looks like at the mouth of the Underground River... 

...and this is what it looks like inside if you shake your head (I told you our pics were bad). 

Brian also explored mangroves with a local legend, George.  George got lost hiking through Palawan one time and a tribe took him in. 

Brian and George (of the jungle).

EL NIDO
It was a long and bumpy road to El Nido, but completely worth it.   El Nido is nicknamed heaven on earth because of its beauty.  Ta-da!

This was the view...from our bed!

Our friend Lauren is from El Nido and encouraged us to go visit when we told her we'd be in the Philippines.  Many years ago, her grandmother, Mamaley, found German travelers sleeping on the beach.  She opened up her home to them and thus was born "Gloria's Cottages," the first & only of its kind in El Nido at that time.  Mamaley still has the original sign as well as many other artifacts in her collection.  Talk about adventures!  She has on display pottery that's hundreds of years old that she found while exploring caves, memorabilia from General MacArthur's home, and traditional Filipino dresses that she wore back in the 1940's.

The Plums and the famous Mamaley.

When we weren't entranced by one of Mamaley's stories or off exploring waterfalls, hot springs, lagoons and secret beaches, we were enjoying the best El Nido has to offer - her people.  Brian spent several days with Lauren's uncle, Rico, who is a famous cock fighter.  Cock fighting is legal in the Philippines and, as Brian learned, is a serious sport.  Ever the sports enthusiast, Brian made the keen observation that at the cock fights people from all economic backgrounds rubbed elbows, but in the States classes tend to be divided by box seats and nose bleed sections.  He also discovered that there's a science to raising and training roosters as well as to picking winners.  It took Brian some time to learn this science (i.e., he lost), but he won a lot of friends.  By the end of our time in El Nido, we couldn't go anywhere without someone coming up to him to ask how he made out or if he was going to the next fight.     

Taking a dip in the jungle.

 Rico and one of his fighting cocks.  And yes, that is the rooster's home in the background.

The fighting is about to commence...

While Brian was off with the men trying to earn his keep as a cocker (that's what you call a cock fighter), I was at home with the ladies who were kind enough to let me hang around while they worked.  El Nido is without power from 6:30am to 2:30pm every day which means that my new friends went about their business the old fashioned way.  I watched them do the laundry by hand, manage reservations with paper and pencil, and kindle a fire to cook over.  At first I thought the lack of electricity was a hindrance, but after a few days I realized that it was what helped to keep life in El Nido wonderfully simple.  And then I started to wonder what was the "electricity" in my life?  What complicated instead of simplifying as I assumed it did?  It's a good question to be struggling with.    

Watching the Pacman fight.  You better believe that the generators were on all over town!

It was tough to leave El Nido.  We were only there for a few days and yet it felt like we were with family and old friends.        

PUERTO PRINCESA and CEBU CITY

To ensure we didn't miss our flight from Palawan to Cebu, we got there the day before and spent the night in the capital city, Puerto Princesa.  We had good conversations with a retired Marine and former Peace Corps Volunteer also staying at our guesthouse and Brian led a group of elementary schoolers to victory over the big kids in a game of basketball.  

Brian rallies his team. 

Semper Fi!

Then it was off to Cebu.  

Being in Cebu, a transportation hub for Yolanda relief efforts, brought us yet another a step closer to the tragedy and so our last few days in the Philippines were not so much filled adventure as with reflection.  Before we arrived in the Philippines my reaction to the storm was sadly superficial - I said, "Wow, that's awful," read a story or two in the news, and then checked to see if our flights were impacted.  Once in Manila, however, I couldn't detach myself as mindlessly.  All the stores had donation buckets and every TV & radio station was broadcasting something related to Yolanda.  We went to the Red Cross to see how we could help and at their request made a donation (without medical training we couldn't really do much else).  As we continued to travel throughout the Philippines, we heard heartbreaking stories at every turn.  Our waiter's mother-in-law survived by climbing up a water tower where she watched her home and friends get washed away.  Our taxi driver was filling in for a colleague who lost twelve members of his family.  Suddenly, the gravity of the situation sank in.  I mourned what was lost, I cherished what was saved.  There's some adage about caring when things are happening in your own backyard.  The Philippines helped me recognize that my backyard is much bigger than I thought.