After two and a half weeks of bouncing around the South Island we're back in Christchurch on a regular schedule again for a few weeks.
Last week we traveled to the the west coast to stay at the Rough and Tumble Lodge and do a case study of the hydro-electric dam that is proposed to be built on the Makihinui River. The west coast of the south island is a very rural area, in fact the total population of the west coast is less then that of Beloit. It also has very little industry. It's basically the New Zealand equivalent of the US's rural deep south.
Gathering in the parking lot at the University of Canterbury it was great to hear about everyone else's break adventures and misadventures ranging from various hikes, to falling down waterfalls, to pretensious British hikers, to crashing motor boats, and hitching around the South Island. We were rejoined for the first few days of our trip by Terry, one of our guest lecturers who also accompanied us on the trip to CASS research station and Hinewai. Great guy.
The Rough and Tumble Lodge is in the northern section of the west coast on the banks of the Makihinui River. It may well be the northernmost structure on the west coast actually. It's a beautiful building run by a married couple (one from Christchurch, one from North Carolina). They actually built it almost entirely by themselves with locally milled timber. It's an impressive building in its own right, the fact that only about 4 people worked on the construction is even more amazing. Terry took us on a couple of nature walks and we settled back into close community living which is nice after being fragmented in Christchurch for so long. The main focus though was the dam that Meridian Energy is planning to build one kilometer up stream of the lodge. I mentioned Meridian in my last post as the power company that is carbon neutral. In a lot of ways they are a very impressive company. All of there power comes from hydro-dams and a few wind farms. Still hydro-dams have many problems associated with them. The Makihinui dam would interfere with fish and eel life cycles, make a lake out of a river gorge that is home to a few breeding pairs of Blue Duck (a highly endangered species), lead to massive erosion on the coats where the river runs into the sea (a small town would have to be moved), and would permanently change the river flow. However, unlike the scenarios Kira has been describing in Thailand, Meridian has been very conscious about trying to mitigate the environmental problems caused by the dam and to be open to the concerns of the local community in their plans. All in all the whole study highlighted that any form of power production is environmentally problematic. Over-consumption and the idea of constant growth are the real problems we face.
As a side note, it was a very strange feeling to stand in the gorge just up stream of where the dam might be built and to know that you could be one of the last people to ever walk there because in 5 years it may all be underwater.
We also toured a massive open-cast coal mine which is the primary employer on the west coast. The tour was lead by the guy who's in charge on the mines environmental policies. It's amazing the amount of work and money they put into trying to lessen their environmental impact. At the same time, walking along a stream near the mine later that week it was clear that no matter how much they do, there's still a great deal of pollution being caused by the operation. All environmental issues aside, the place had tons of cool machinery, including one of the world's largest bulldozers.
Evenings at the lodge took a number of forms. As I mentioned before Susan proposed to Jon at the end of Routeburn, and Rough and Tumble was the perfect place for the wedding. We got dressed up (except for me because Jon needed my nice cloths). We did the whole thing, Elliot presided over the ceremony, Jon and Susan wrote vows, there was wedding cake, rings Julia wove out of flax, and the throwing of the bouquet (Liz, an Earlham graduate who's been the program assistant caught it so best of luck to her). And of course the evening ended in a crazy dance party. We also had an Ode to Winter night because we're missing that beautiful season this year, complete with Eggnog, stockings filled by secret Santas, Christmas music, and toasts of "Merry Makihinui".
Being on the west side of the southern alps, the west coast gets an amazing amount of rain due to warm, humid winds coming off the Tasman Sea and then hitting the ridges. Our freakish luck with sunny weather held foe most of the week but we got a fair bit of rain the last night. It was great though. We got to see the river rise up to high flow, the sort of thing that would be regulated on a daily basis if the dam gets built.
Back in Christchurch we're headed into our last block of courses. We have two more weeks of class and service learning, then a week of finals, and finally a week long hiking/kayaking trip up in Abel Tasman National Park. After that the program is over. It feels strange to be only a month from the end (although I'm staying an extra two weeks to travel on my own and with my father when he comes over). I had a conversation with Susan on the Dusky Track about how it's really great when amazing experiences end at just the right time, when you've gotten what you want from it but it doesn't drag on. I think this program will do that perfectly.
After classes today we had a very informal game of soccer in a field by the university. It was a lot of fun, even though I haven't played in seven years and majorly suck. I was also playing barefoot and may have broken my toe. Time will tell I guess.
If you guys are dying to see pictures, I wont be able to upload until I get back to the states, and as I said, my North Island pictures got deleted. However, you can see some pictures on Earlham's website along with program updates written by my professor.
http://www.earlham.edu/~outdoor/new_zealand/updates.shtml
Things I have been appreciating:
-The Office (watched most of season 3 on various laptops while at Rough and Tumble)
-Lukas' (one of the students, originally from the Czech Republic) Tobias Fuke-esque word mix-up: "I think I would be great anal-detective."
-The smell of burning peat bricks, mostly because it reminds me of Raphoe
-Hearing a Frames song being played at a pub downtown
-Water
-I'm actually coming around to the odd spoon sizes a bit
-Running around in the surf on the west coast with some random dog
-"Snack Pack" the rap about our time in New Zealand that Shane and Brian made. I am told that the music video will be on youtube soon.
Finally, a request for you all to hold the Earlham community "in the light" as the Quakers say. It's been a rough semester. A student, and two professors have died over the past couple months. People here seem to be dealing with it ok, but it's still hard.
I'm thinking of you all often, both those abroad and back in in Belwah. Take care of yourselves.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Ted (Laos) - Wanderings
So it seems I've procrastinated quite well, and haven't written in over a month. Where do I start?
Maybe by country?
Thailand:
Visited the infamous death railway in Katchanaburi, where thousands of European and Asian POWS and conscripts died building a doomed connection between china and india. Sad that it was so commericialized with weekly firework displays replicating the bombing of the bridge back in WW2, and hawkers swarming around entrances to museums filled with photographs of dead bodies and emaciated forced laborers. Right on a river, it was green and beautiful like a lot of cities in Southeast Asia. Amazing cooking course too. Our curries and stirfrys turned out almost as good as the chef's!
Then saw Kira in bar-closed Khon Kaen (but we had fun anyway) and visited my old volunteer haunt in Nong Khai before bouncing into Laos. Haha, I think Kira's covered enough of Thailand already =)
Laos:
Vientiene- Capital of Laos, tame and lazy compared to a lot of capitals with a more secret night life, delicious fruit shakes (and tuna sandwiches), a very biased war museum (hurray for american imperialists!), some scattered french architecture, an incomplete arc de triumph-like structure built with concrete donated by the U.S. for an aiport... Very laid back, but not much to see.
Vang Viene- Backpacker capital of Laos, beautifully green mountains, squiggly and bumpy roads, caves, lazy tubing river, etc. The main "town" is full of restaurants with couches and pillows to sit or lay on, blaring television sets playing episodes of Friends, Family Guy and the Simpsons and serving banana pancakes, pizza, greasy things and not so good lao food. Oh, and 'happy' shakes and pizzas. I spent two days riding a rickity rented bike around, admiring the cliffs and sheer greeness of everything. Also watched a lot of simpsons one night. I think it would have been more fun with some crazy beloit drunks, because most of the people "hanging out" were high and immobile. Later I found out all the drunks were across the river, painful hindsight :(
Luang Prabang - Cultural powerhouse of Laos, full of old french buildings, tiny winding streets, temples, markets, painting stores. Definitely a place easy to wander. I've seen so many temples that it's hard to distinguish between them with just words from across the globe (with a faulty memory), but there were some powerful ones here. Beautiful paintings of the Lao version of the Ramayana, a magical epic that originated in India and, which features Hanuman, the magical monkey king who can do all sorts of cool things like fly and change his size and shape. He's not the main character, but he should be.
Pakse - Because of limited time, I didn't make it to the enigmatic plain of jars in north-east laos, which is basically... plains and plains of large stone jars dating back thousands of years with no clear origins. A very strategic area during the vietnam war/secret laos war. So I went to Pakse, which is a small city with no real attractions except for my vietnamese tour guide friend Thuyen, his mom's delicious noodle soup, and beerlao. Thuyen did take me to the old city of Champasak, once a Lao kingdom, and the nearbye Bolaven Plateau, but I was itching to get out of Laos.
Overall impressions- Greenest country I've ever been too. It was so green that even though there was garbage along every inch of roadside in some places, the plants just swallowed it up. So green that when a Lao family came on our VIP bus (very necessary on these bumpy hell roads where you don't want to be sitting next to chickens and fish that could easilly fall on you), and basically threw up the whole 6 hour ride, it was ok. P.S. They should hand out bigger bags for those situations. And the people? Laid back, smiley, and friendly. And the beerlao, bless its heart, and all the people it brings together.
Cambodia:
Siem Reap- ANGKOR WAT. Words cannot describe. Angkor Wat is the largest religious construction in the world and it did not dissapoint. Besides being huge and impressive from a distance with large spires basking equally in dusk or sunset, there were stunning bas reliefs and stone carvings depicting battles and myths. Angkor Wat is only one of the structures in the area, another big one being Angkor Thom, a large, fortified city, which I thought was even more impressive. Inside it had a temple complex with dozens of huge heads peering town, and the bas reliefs here depicted everything from daily life to Gods duking it out with huge armies. Thousands of figures on these walls. I was blown away. I spent three days bicycling around the temples marveling at civilization. I couldn't believe it. Sure they were all built with forced labor, and many people probably died building them, but Angkor Wat and friends together are the first thing I've seen that actually rival nature in beauty. Siem Reap, the city right next to Angkor Wat is dusty, small and easy to navigate. I loved it. THe area had a lot of beggars and hawking children, but not too overwhelming.
The people were really sweet there, but the moto driver from the airport...man-baby, no other word for it. He drove extremely slowly trying to sell me a moto tour of the temples, then dropped me off at the wrong hotel and told me it was the right one. Then the guy at the counter told me it was the right one. And the rooms were garbage, and expensive. I figured out the real name of the hotel, and as I left, angrilly, this moto driver yells out, "Fine! leave! I don't care!" I wanted to kill him, but I spared his life and found another place nearbye.
Phnom Phen- Cambodia's capital, center of the fucked up Khmer Rouge that tried to instigate a cultural revolution by depopulating its cities and sending all the educated people to work in the fields under frequently deadly conditions. Besides being a dumb idea,it was poorly thought out and like many communist regimes, impossible demands were made in insanely short periods of time. I visited the famous school turned torture-prison in the Toul Sleg (I can't remember the spelling) area of Phnom Phen and walked around the former classrooms in silence as they were now only filled with steel beds with chains and covered with stains of various colors. A few days ago I was marvelling at the beauty of Angkor Wat, and now I was in this monstrous place of the worst of human possibility. I didn't make it to the killing fields where thousands were killed either by bullets or by being bashed against walls, but I think the prison was enough. This happened in the 70's! ANd shit like this is still going on in some places. Where the hell are we?
Overall Impressions: Cambodia is a little dusty with bad roads, less green than laos, but endearing. Very underdeveloped, poor with thatched and falling apart houses everywhere, its a different kind of life. But you're so amazed that the people still seem happy. Especially the children. I couldn't help but feel a little insecure that just a few decades ago, many of the educated people were killed off, and that there was no getting around the fact that murderers from the Khmer Rouge were walking the streets. I know that many of them were afraid for their own lives and families, and that reconciliation is so important, but how do you live alongside people that ruthlessly killed, maimed and tortured for whatever reason? I later found out that A) You could kill someone in Cambodia and get a way with a several thousand dollar fine (paid to the military), and B) near the killing fields, there is a place where you can blow up a cow with a rocket launcher for $3000. A lot of war museums and old battle grounds feature firing ranges in Southeast Asian countries, and I just can't get over it. You see all this beauty, but you're scared for the world at the same time.
I'm running out of time, so I'll try to cover vietnam later. Sorry for cramming this all together. I love travelling. I feel like it's doing more for me than two years of class at Beloit since it's putting everything into context and making everything I've learned a lot more real. That and I'm a bad student... I know I've put some strong feelings in this entry, but overall, the people here are some of the nicest I've ever encountered (besides some Vietnamese that I will get to later), and the cities and towns are alive, relaxing, and make you feel like you could melt right in at times. I'm still amazed by all the greeness, trees, bicycles, random dogs, etc I see here compared to the suburbs of Chicago.
I hope you're all having a great time! I really want to wander all over after reading all of your entries. I wish I had some background European experience to put everything more in context. Let's all stay healthy,
Ted
Maybe by country?
Thailand:
Visited the infamous death railway in Katchanaburi, where thousands of European and Asian POWS and conscripts died building a doomed connection between china and india. Sad that it was so commericialized with weekly firework displays replicating the bombing of the bridge back in WW2, and hawkers swarming around entrances to museums filled with photographs of dead bodies and emaciated forced laborers. Right on a river, it was green and beautiful like a lot of cities in Southeast Asia. Amazing cooking course too. Our curries and stirfrys turned out almost as good as the chef's!
Then saw Kira in bar-closed Khon Kaen (but we had fun anyway) and visited my old volunteer haunt in Nong Khai before bouncing into Laos. Haha, I think Kira's covered enough of Thailand already =)
Laos:
Vientiene- Capital of Laos, tame and lazy compared to a lot of capitals with a more secret night life, delicious fruit shakes (and tuna sandwiches), a very biased war museum (hurray for american imperialists!), some scattered french architecture, an incomplete arc de triumph-like structure built with concrete donated by the U.S. for an aiport... Very laid back, but not much to see.
Vang Viene- Backpacker capital of Laos, beautifully green mountains, squiggly and bumpy roads, caves, lazy tubing river, etc. The main "town" is full of restaurants with couches and pillows to sit or lay on, blaring television sets playing episodes of Friends, Family Guy and the Simpsons and serving banana pancakes, pizza, greasy things and not so good lao food. Oh, and 'happy' shakes and pizzas. I spent two days riding a rickity rented bike around, admiring the cliffs and sheer greeness of everything. Also watched a lot of simpsons one night. I think it would have been more fun with some crazy beloit drunks, because most of the people "hanging out" were high and immobile. Later I found out all the drunks were across the river, painful hindsight :(
Luang Prabang - Cultural powerhouse of Laos, full of old french buildings, tiny winding streets, temples, markets, painting stores. Definitely a place easy to wander. I've seen so many temples that it's hard to distinguish between them with just words from across the globe (with a faulty memory), but there were some powerful ones here. Beautiful paintings of the Lao version of the Ramayana, a magical epic that originated in India and, which features Hanuman, the magical monkey king who can do all sorts of cool things like fly and change his size and shape. He's not the main character, but he should be.
Pakse - Because of limited time, I didn't make it to the enigmatic plain of jars in north-east laos, which is basically... plains and plains of large stone jars dating back thousands of years with no clear origins. A very strategic area during the vietnam war/secret laos war. So I went to Pakse, which is a small city with no real attractions except for my vietnamese tour guide friend Thuyen, his mom's delicious noodle soup, and beerlao. Thuyen did take me to the old city of Champasak, once a Lao kingdom, and the nearbye Bolaven Plateau, but I was itching to get out of Laos.
Overall impressions- Greenest country I've ever been too. It was so green that even though there was garbage along every inch of roadside in some places, the plants just swallowed it up. So green that when a Lao family came on our VIP bus (very necessary on these bumpy hell roads where you don't want to be sitting next to chickens and fish that could easilly fall on you), and basically threw up the whole 6 hour ride, it was ok. P.S. They should hand out bigger bags for those situations. And the people? Laid back, smiley, and friendly. And the beerlao, bless its heart, and all the people it brings together.
Cambodia:
Siem Reap- ANGKOR WAT. Words cannot describe. Angkor Wat is the largest religious construction in the world and it did not dissapoint. Besides being huge and impressive from a distance with large spires basking equally in dusk or sunset, there were stunning bas reliefs and stone carvings depicting battles and myths. Angkor Wat is only one of the structures in the area, another big one being Angkor Thom, a large, fortified city, which I thought was even more impressive. Inside it had a temple complex with dozens of huge heads peering town, and the bas reliefs here depicted everything from daily life to Gods duking it out with huge armies. Thousands of figures on these walls. I was blown away. I spent three days bicycling around the temples marveling at civilization. I couldn't believe it. Sure they were all built with forced labor, and many people probably died building them, but Angkor Wat and friends together are the first thing I've seen that actually rival nature in beauty. Siem Reap, the city right next to Angkor Wat is dusty, small and easy to navigate. I loved it. THe area had a lot of beggars and hawking children, but not too overwhelming.
The people were really sweet there, but the moto driver from the airport...man-baby, no other word for it. He drove extremely slowly trying to sell me a moto tour of the temples, then dropped me off at the wrong hotel and told me it was the right one. Then the guy at the counter told me it was the right one. And the rooms were garbage, and expensive. I figured out the real name of the hotel, and as I left, angrilly, this moto driver yells out, "Fine! leave! I don't care!" I wanted to kill him, but I spared his life and found another place nearbye.
Phnom Phen- Cambodia's capital, center of the fucked up Khmer Rouge that tried to instigate a cultural revolution by depopulating its cities and sending all the educated people to work in the fields under frequently deadly conditions. Besides being a dumb idea,it was poorly thought out and like many communist regimes, impossible demands were made in insanely short periods of time. I visited the famous school turned torture-prison in the Toul Sleg (I can't remember the spelling) area of Phnom Phen and walked around the former classrooms in silence as they were now only filled with steel beds with chains and covered with stains of various colors. A few days ago I was marvelling at the beauty of Angkor Wat, and now I was in this monstrous place of the worst of human possibility. I didn't make it to the killing fields where thousands were killed either by bullets or by being bashed against walls, but I think the prison was enough. This happened in the 70's! ANd shit like this is still going on in some places. Where the hell are we?
Overall Impressions: Cambodia is a little dusty with bad roads, less green than laos, but endearing. Very underdeveloped, poor with thatched and falling apart houses everywhere, its a different kind of life. But you're so amazed that the people still seem happy. Especially the children. I couldn't help but feel a little insecure that just a few decades ago, many of the educated people were killed off, and that there was no getting around the fact that murderers from the Khmer Rouge were walking the streets. I know that many of them were afraid for their own lives and families, and that reconciliation is so important, but how do you live alongside people that ruthlessly killed, maimed and tortured for whatever reason? I later found out that A) You could kill someone in Cambodia and get a way with a several thousand dollar fine (paid to the military), and B) near the killing fields, there is a place where you can blow up a cow with a rocket launcher for $3000. A lot of war museums and old battle grounds feature firing ranges in Southeast Asian countries, and I just can't get over it. You see all this beauty, but you're scared for the world at the same time.
I'm running out of time, so I'll try to cover vietnam later. Sorry for cramming this all together. I love travelling. I feel like it's doing more for me than two years of class at Beloit since it's putting everything into context and making everything I've learned a lot more real. That and I'm a bad student... I know I've put some strong feelings in this entry, but overall, the people here are some of the nicest I've ever encountered (besides some Vietnamese that I will get to later), and the cities and towns are alive, relaxing, and make you feel like you could melt right in at times. I'm still amazed by all the greeness, trees, bicycles, random dogs, etc I see here compared to the suburbs of Chicago.
I hope you're all having a great time! I really want to wander all over after reading all of your entries. I wish I had some background European experience to put everything more in context. Let's all stay healthy,
Ted
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Robert (New Zealand) - Dusky
Oi. It's a busy time. It's been so long since my last update, I don't really know where to start.
After Routeburn classes continued as normal in Christchurch. The media was all up in tizzy about a car show that was supposed to bring thousands of boy racers to the streets of the city. Sure enough, riding the bus back from a cook-out at one of the student's houses the streets were filled with cars filled with testosterone filled young men, and a few women. I have also finally seen The Wizard who is a man well enough known in Christchurch to warrant an entry in the New Zealand Rough Guide. On a regular basis this guy shows up in Cathedral Square in a red VW Beetle made from two front halves welded together, wearing a black robe and wizard hat, stands on a stepladder, and babbles about the shitty state the world is in for hours on end.
For a weekend excursion we went south an hour, to the Banks Peninsula to visit a nature reserve that's trying to regenerate native forests. They're a bit unconventional in that they're using Gorse, an invasive weed, to help create a suitable habitat for the trees to retake the land. We also stopped by Akaroa, one of the few towns in New Zealand that was colonized predominantly by the French.
Last week were out mid-terms which were pretty painless. Once mid-terms were done we traveled north to Kaikoura, a coastal town known for it's ocean wildlife and good fishing. Our program arranged for us to go on a "Dolphin Encounter" boat, so we got to snorkel with wild Dusky Dolphins in the ocean. They're very friendly and will swim right up to just inches away and then circle with you. It was touristy as all hell, but still pretty cool. At night we found a nice but expensive pub. I got into a drunken argument with my professor about the nature of ethics and had some really interesting discussions about sustainability with some of the other students. We also went on a Maori run tour of the area. It ended in the wharenui (meeting house) on their marae which is covered in carvings and paintings telling the history of the Ngai Tahu tribe. The guides also gave us Maori names which seemed pretty lame to me until it was revealed that they were just the numbers one through nine. After coming back from Kaikoura I finally met up with Sophie from Beloit who's studying at the University of Canterbury this semester. We had drinks at the student bar and caught up on our time here thus far. It was nice to see a somewhat familiar face from the states other than the people on my program.
Now on to the real point of this post which is my spring (technically fall) break. I ended up doing a hike with Kirk, Susan, and Ed on the Dusky Track in Fiordland National Park. Fiordland is a large wilderness area that covers the south-west corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It's named for the many its many fjords (although New Zealand doesn't use the cooler spelling), and consists mostly of rolling mountains and valleys. The Dusky Track is one of the most demanding trails in New Zealand. The three big things you hear about it are that it's remote, muddy, and that there are lots of 3-wire bridges. The Department of Conservation try to make it very clear that it's only for experienced hikers because they have a lot of trouble with people going in unprepared and having to be evacuated, so we weren't entirely sure how much of the descriptions were scare tactics to make sure able people do the track, and how much was actual descriptions of the difficulty level.
We rented a car and drove down to a small town called Tuatapere, making stops at a winery to sample fine wines and buy a bottle, and in Queenstown to buy tickets for the huts on the trail. We found a nice camping spot just north of Tuatapere next to an old suspension bridge over a river. After sorting out our food and group gear we drank our bottle of wine while looking over trail maps and then went out stargazing on the bridge.
When I said that the trail was remote, what I meant was that there is no road access to it. You can only get in on a boat or a water plane. We hired a charter boat to take us across Lake Hauroko to the trailhead. Much of the boat ride in was spent realizing that we had forgotten various things ranging from the unimportant (soy sauce) to the slightly more important (our hut tickets). The scenery was beautiful though. Tall hills and mountains falling strait into the lake. The guy we chartered the boat with pointed out that at one point when we were maybe 15 meters from the shore, the bottom of the lake was almost half a kilometer below us.
The trail we walked would not have been considered trail on most walks. When it's flat, the chances are it's a bog, with mud pits ranging from just a few centimeters deep, to thigh deep. The only way to not fall in is to carefully step on fallen logs and roots, and sometimes you can't even do that and just need to walk through it. When it's hilly you're climbing up and down slopes covered in rocks and roots. Sometimes the trail would rise or fall vertically ten or twenty feet and you'd have to climb using roots and stones and hand holds (all with a hiking pack on mind you). At times it was maddening, but it was also cool to have to pay so much attention to where you were walking. The trail was always changing and always interesting. In a way the trail was part of the beauty of the track with all of it's moss covered roots and slopes. It also felt great at the end of the day to think back on what you overcame. We also became very familiar with the infamous 3-wire bridges which are exactly what they sound like. One wire to walk on and two to hold onto on either side with a few supporting struts to keep them steady.
The first night we stayed at Halfway Hut which was swamped with Sandflies. I have to say that the sandflies were really the only part of the trip that I really disliked, but you have to take the bad with the good. We also met Margaret and Janet, two Kiwi women (probably in their sixties) who were hiking the same way as us. While the first day was relatively flat, the second day we moved up to the alpine zone above the treeline. I had a hilarious moment with Susan in a bog while we were still in the lowlands. I tried to jump over a muddy creek and lost my footing but had enough forward momentum to launch me horizontally on to the shore where I lay for a good thirty seconds on my face with my pack on top of me while Susan laughed and took pictures. We stayed at Lake Roe Hut which had many fewer sandflies thanks to being higher up. At night we celebrated St. Paddy's day by drinking Guinness and Jim Beam that we had carried in.
We stayed an extra day at Lake Roe and did a day hike off trail up Mt. Tamatea, which was the highest peak in the area of the trail. It was actually a pretty easy, although long, ascent. The area was pockmarked with tarns which are pools of water which have a bizarre tendency to be sort of terraced on rolling hills. You'll have two pools just a few feet apart and one will be a good foot higher than the other, but there will be no drainage from the higher pool. It doesn't sound too cool when written down, but trust me, it's surreal. The view from Tamatea was amazing. Looking west we could see out to Dusky Sound, and beyond it all the way out to the Tasman Sea. Looking down the eastern slope was a mountain lake that you could watch the wind sweeping patterns on.
The hut was full that night (so much for a remote tramp). In the night some Keas, a species of alpine parrot, attacked the hut. The Kea is a beautiful bird, but they're known for being very destructive. Unfortunately my water purifier pump got left outside and was mauled. I remember going through Biosecurity at Auckland Airport (New Zealand is serious about keeping out unwanted animals and parasites) and worrying that they'd take my water pump because it might have water parasites in it. Never did I think I'd actually end up loosing it to alpine parrots.
The next day we hiked across an alpine ridge line, past more tarns, and then down a steep, steep, slope. There was one point where a chain had been locked into the one of the vertical drops in the trail to help hikers lower themselves or climb. At the end of the seemingly eternal decent was Lock Maree Hut. Loch Maree is a swamped forest so the lake is filled with tree stumps poking up out of the water. It's a rule of thumb that if there's been enough rain to rise the like to the point that you can't see the stumps, then the trail is flooded and you shouldn't leave the hut. Fortunately for us the water was quite low. The following day was pretty level which of course meant lots of mud, including one of our only waste deep mud puts which Susan was kind enough to discover for us. We also had to wade through a stream at one point. At Kintail Hut we met up with Janet and Margaret again (they had gone ahead when we took an extra day and Lake Roe). Margaret gave me a haircut, which was desperately needed (I was headed towards the doofy clown fro of frashman year). We also swam in the river near the hut.
Moving on from Kintail we hiked up and over a steep ridge (more vertical sections with chains). As we got close to the pass at a saddle in the top of the ridge a rain storm started to pick up coming from the other side. Up until this point we had had beautiful sunny weather, very fortunate considering it rains 300+ days a year in Fiordland. As soon as we came up over the saddle and out of the lee of the ridge we were slammed with winds so strong that they literally knocked us over a few times. The wind created massive sheets of rain which was really cool because you could actually see the wind gusts coming towards you. We got down back below treeline as quickly as possible ate a quick lunch and then booked it down to our last hut through the cold and rain. As the track leveled out towards the end there were times where the trail was basically a ditch just wide enough for one person that came up to waste level on the sides. On top of this were large ferns that came up to about head level.
At Upper Spey Hut we built a fire in the stove to try to dry off our cloths which was really a lost cause for the most part. By sunset the rain had stopped and the clouds glowed bright orange. We ate our last dinner and made rice pudding with our extra rice. In the morning we began our hike out down the valley towards Lake Manapouri. Naturally there was more mud and flooded streams to cross, although by this point I just walked strait through half the time. We did come to a flat dry meadow at one point which totally blew our minds. Normal trail conditions just seemed foreign by that point. The last section of the track was along a road to a remote power station to catch our boat back to the outside world. It was really cool to go from the trail to a gravel road, to a paved road and then finally to see buildings. It was like slowly walking into civilization from the wild. I'm used to just getting to a car park, piling into a vehicle, and leaving. The power station is some sort of sub-terrain hydro plant run by a New Zealand power company that is actually trying (rather successfully) to be carbon neutral. Unfortunately we arrived just in time to catch our boat out so we couldn't poke around or tour the station.
The boat was full of tourists who had come to look at Doubtful Sound (the fjord at the other end of the road form the power plant). I'm sure they didn't appreciate the smell of us. Once in the town of Manapouri we planned for one of us to hitchhike down to Tuatapere to pick up the car. I volunteered to hitch. It turns out that either I suck at hitching, or it was just not realistic to catch a ride out of Manapouri. After three hours on the side of the road with no one stopping I gave up. We were all sitting in a park, planning on throwing out our sleeping bags and living the homeless life for a night when a strange thing happened. Couples out walking their dogs started coming up to us and offering us a place to stay for a night. One even sent their son over in a car to pick us up. So there we went, into some perfect strangers house where we slept, showered, and snacked for free, and spent the night playing RISK with the son and his friends. It was surreal.
This morning I woke up before sunrise, reserved a seat on a shuttle headed for Tuatapere, and went down to get the car. We booked it back to Christchurch and dropped everyone off at their respective houses.
Tomorrow morning the program leaves for a one week excursion to an eco-lodge on the west coast. I should probably pack for that now and get some sleep, but I don't think going another week without updating would probably have resulted in a novel for my next post.
Things I have been appreciating:
-Finally starting to be at least somewhat familiar with the metric system
-Driving on the left side of the road
-The Sky. Even around Christchurch the sky is amazing. A couple weeks ago I saw a rainbow every day for a couple days strait including one at sunset.
-Making mathematical graphs to determine when the joy of having alcohol on a camping trip is undercut by the pain of carrying the extra weight.
-The man in the old army jeep with a pipe who drove by us when we got back from Kaikoura and Jay's reaction of "Did 1942 just drive by?"
-Montieth's Radler beer. It's beer that tastes like Sprite. It actually tastes more like American Sprite than New Zealand Sprite does. Not always what you want from a beer, but amusing none the less.
-Finding beauty in situations that would normally be considered by most to be miserable
-Walking out the door of my room in the morning to expectant looking cats waiting to be fed
-Good nights sleep
After Routeburn classes continued as normal in Christchurch. The media was all up in tizzy about a car show that was supposed to bring thousands of boy racers to the streets of the city. Sure enough, riding the bus back from a cook-out at one of the student's houses the streets were filled with cars filled with testosterone filled young men, and a few women. I have also finally seen The Wizard who is a man well enough known in Christchurch to warrant an entry in the New Zealand Rough Guide. On a regular basis this guy shows up in Cathedral Square in a red VW Beetle made from two front halves welded together, wearing a black robe and wizard hat, stands on a stepladder, and babbles about the shitty state the world is in for hours on end.
For a weekend excursion we went south an hour, to the Banks Peninsula to visit a nature reserve that's trying to regenerate native forests. They're a bit unconventional in that they're using Gorse, an invasive weed, to help create a suitable habitat for the trees to retake the land. We also stopped by Akaroa, one of the few towns in New Zealand that was colonized predominantly by the French.
Last week were out mid-terms which were pretty painless. Once mid-terms were done we traveled north to Kaikoura, a coastal town known for it's ocean wildlife and good fishing. Our program arranged for us to go on a "Dolphin Encounter" boat, so we got to snorkel with wild Dusky Dolphins in the ocean. They're very friendly and will swim right up to just inches away and then circle with you. It was touristy as all hell, but still pretty cool. At night we found a nice but expensive pub. I got into a drunken argument with my professor about the nature of ethics and had some really interesting discussions about sustainability with some of the other students. We also went on a Maori run tour of the area. It ended in the wharenui (meeting house) on their marae which is covered in carvings and paintings telling the history of the Ngai Tahu tribe. The guides also gave us Maori names which seemed pretty lame to me until it was revealed that they were just the numbers one through nine. After coming back from Kaikoura I finally met up with Sophie from Beloit who's studying at the University of Canterbury this semester. We had drinks at the student bar and caught up on our time here thus far. It was nice to see a somewhat familiar face from the states other than the people on my program.
Now on to the real point of this post which is my spring (technically fall) break. I ended up doing a hike with Kirk, Susan, and Ed on the Dusky Track in Fiordland National Park. Fiordland is a large wilderness area that covers the south-west corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It's named for the many its many fjords (although New Zealand doesn't use the cooler spelling), and consists mostly of rolling mountains and valleys. The Dusky Track is one of the most demanding trails in New Zealand. The three big things you hear about it are that it's remote, muddy, and that there are lots of 3-wire bridges. The Department of Conservation try to make it very clear that it's only for experienced hikers because they have a lot of trouble with people going in unprepared and having to be evacuated, so we weren't entirely sure how much of the descriptions were scare tactics to make sure able people do the track, and how much was actual descriptions of the difficulty level.
We rented a car and drove down to a small town called Tuatapere, making stops at a winery to sample fine wines and buy a bottle, and in Queenstown to buy tickets for the huts on the trail. We found a nice camping spot just north of Tuatapere next to an old suspension bridge over a river. After sorting out our food and group gear we drank our bottle of wine while looking over trail maps and then went out stargazing on the bridge.
When I said that the trail was remote, what I meant was that there is no road access to it. You can only get in on a boat or a water plane. We hired a charter boat to take us across Lake Hauroko to the trailhead. Much of the boat ride in was spent realizing that we had forgotten various things ranging from the unimportant (soy sauce) to the slightly more important (our hut tickets). The scenery was beautiful though. Tall hills and mountains falling strait into the lake. The guy we chartered the boat with pointed out that at one point when we were maybe 15 meters from the shore, the bottom of the lake was almost half a kilometer below us.
The trail we walked would not have been considered trail on most walks. When it's flat, the chances are it's a bog, with mud pits ranging from just a few centimeters deep, to thigh deep. The only way to not fall in is to carefully step on fallen logs and roots, and sometimes you can't even do that and just need to walk through it. When it's hilly you're climbing up and down slopes covered in rocks and roots. Sometimes the trail would rise or fall vertically ten or twenty feet and you'd have to climb using roots and stones and hand holds (all with a hiking pack on mind you). At times it was maddening, but it was also cool to have to pay so much attention to where you were walking. The trail was always changing and always interesting. In a way the trail was part of the beauty of the track with all of it's moss covered roots and slopes. It also felt great at the end of the day to think back on what you overcame. We also became very familiar with the infamous 3-wire bridges which are exactly what they sound like. One wire to walk on and two to hold onto on either side with a few supporting struts to keep them steady.
The first night we stayed at Halfway Hut which was swamped with Sandflies. I have to say that the sandflies were really the only part of the trip that I really disliked, but you have to take the bad with the good. We also met Margaret and Janet, two Kiwi women (probably in their sixties) who were hiking the same way as us. While the first day was relatively flat, the second day we moved up to the alpine zone above the treeline. I had a hilarious moment with Susan in a bog while we were still in the lowlands. I tried to jump over a muddy creek and lost my footing but had enough forward momentum to launch me horizontally on to the shore where I lay for a good thirty seconds on my face with my pack on top of me while Susan laughed and took pictures. We stayed at Lake Roe Hut which had many fewer sandflies thanks to being higher up. At night we celebrated St. Paddy's day by drinking Guinness and Jim Beam that we had carried in.
We stayed an extra day at Lake Roe and did a day hike off trail up Mt. Tamatea, which was the highest peak in the area of the trail. It was actually a pretty easy, although long, ascent. The area was pockmarked with tarns which are pools of water which have a bizarre tendency to be sort of terraced on rolling hills. You'll have two pools just a few feet apart and one will be a good foot higher than the other, but there will be no drainage from the higher pool. It doesn't sound too cool when written down, but trust me, it's surreal. The view from Tamatea was amazing. Looking west we could see out to Dusky Sound, and beyond it all the way out to the Tasman Sea. Looking down the eastern slope was a mountain lake that you could watch the wind sweeping patterns on.
The hut was full that night (so much for a remote tramp). In the night some Keas, a species of alpine parrot, attacked the hut. The Kea is a beautiful bird, but they're known for being very destructive. Unfortunately my water purifier pump got left outside and was mauled. I remember going through Biosecurity at Auckland Airport (New Zealand is serious about keeping out unwanted animals and parasites) and worrying that they'd take my water pump because it might have water parasites in it. Never did I think I'd actually end up loosing it to alpine parrots.
The next day we hiked across an alpine ridge line, past more tarns, and then down a steep, steep, slope. There was one point where a chain had been locked into the one of the vertical drops in the trail to help hikers lower themselves or climb. At the end of the seemingly eternal decent was Lock Maree Hut. Loch Maree is a swamped forest so the lake is filled with tree stumps poking up out of the water. It's a rule of thumb that if there's been enough rain to rise the like to the point that you can't see the stumps, then the trail is flooded and you shouldn't leave the hut. Fortunately for us the water was quite low. The following day was pretty level which of course meant lots of mud, including one of our only waste deep mud puts which Susan was kind enough to discover for us. We also had to wade through a stream at one point. At Kintail Hut we met up with Janet and Margaret again (they had gone ahead when we took an extra day and Lake Roe). Margaret gave me a haircut, which was desperately needed (I was headed towards the doofy clown fro of frashman year). We also swam in the river near the hut.
Moving on from Kintail we hiked up and over a steep ridge (more vertical sections with chains). As we got close to the pass at a saddle in the top of the ridge a rain storm started to pick up coming from the other side. Up until this point we had had beautiful sunny weather, very fortunate considering it rains 300+ days a year in Fiordland. As soon as we came up over the saddle and out of the lee of the ridge we were slammed with winds so strong that they literally knocked us over a few times. The wind created massive sheets of rain which was really cool because you could actually see the wind gusts coming towards you. We got down back below treeline as quickly as possible ate a quick lunch and then booked it down to our last hut through the cold and rain. As the track leveled out towards the end there were times where the trail was basically a ditch just wide enough for one person that came up to waste level on the sides. On top of this were large ferns that came up to about head level.
At Upper Spey Hut we built a fire in the stove to try to dry off our cloths which was really a lost cause for the most part. By sunset the rain had stopped and the clouds glowed bright orange. We ate our last dinner and made rice pudding with our extra rice. In the morning we began our hike out down the valley towards Lake Manapouri. Naturally there was more mud and flooded streams to cross, although by this point I just walked strait through half the time. We did come to a flat dry meadow at one point which totally blew our minds. Normal trail conditions just seemed foreign by that point. The last section of the track was along a road to a remote power station to catch our boat back to the outside world. It was really cool to go from the trail to a gravel road, to a paved road and then finally to see buildings. It was like slowly walking into civilization from the wild. I'm used to just getting to a car park, piling into a vehicle, and leaving. The power station is some sort of sub-terrain hydro plant run by a New Zealand power company that is actually trying (rather successfully) to be carbon neutral. Unfortunately we arrived just in time to catch our boat out so we couldn't poke around or tour the station.
The boat was full of tourists who had come to look at Doubtful Sound (the fjord at the other end of the road form the power plant). I'm sure they didn't appreciate the smell of us. Once in the town of Manapouri we planned for one of us to hitchhike down to Tuatapere to pick up the car. I volunteered to hitch. It turns out that either I suck at hitching, or it was just not realistic to catch a ride out of Manapouri. After three hours on the side of the road with no one stopping I gave up. We were all sitting in a park, planning on throwing out our sleeping bags and living the homeless life for a night when a strange thing happened. Couples out walking their dogs started coming up to us and offering us a place to stay for a night. One even sent their son over in a car to pick us up. So there we went, into some perfect strangers house where we slept, showered, and snacked for free, and spent the night playing RISK with the son and his friends. It was surreal.
This morning I woke up before sunrise, reserved a seat on a shuttle headed for Tuatapere, and went down to get the car. We booked it back to Christchurch and dropped everyone off at their respective houses.
Tomorrow morning the program leaves for a one week excursion to an eco-lodge on the west coast. I should probably pack for that now and get some sleep, but I don't think going another week without updating would probably have resulted in a novel for my next post.
Things I have been appreciating:
-Finally starting to be at least somewhat familiar with the metric system
-Driving on the left side of the road
-The Sky. Even around Christchurch the sky is amazing. A couple weeks ago I saw a rainbow every day for a couple days strait including one at sunset.
-Making mathematical graphs to determine when the joy of having alcohol on a camping trip is undercut by the pain of carrying the extra weight.
-The man in the old army jeep with a pipe who drove by us when we got back from Kaikoura and Jay's reaction of "Did 1942 just drive by?"
-Montieth's Radler beer. It's beer that tastes like Sprite. It actually tastes more like American Sprite than New Zealand Sprite does. Not always what you want from a beer, but amusing none the less.
-Finding beauty in situations that would normally be considered by most to be miserable
-Walking out the door of my room in the morning to expectant looking cats waiting to be fed
-Good nights sleep
Monday, March 17, 2008
Emily (Germany) Traveling Excitement
Sorry it's been so long since I updated this thing. I've been swamped with work ever since we got back from our last field trip two weeks ago. Last week, I had two midterms. I got an A on my one in EU Relations with the Muslim World which was a total surprise but I'll take it. Apparently this is still fake school because at Beloit, I probably would have had a C on it. Meh, no complaints. My other midterm was for my Civilizational Identities class, and it wasn't bad at all, but it still required a lot of work. This upcoming week I have a midterm and a presentation on Wednesday. Kate is also coming to visit Freiburg for a few days, starting late on Tuesday night until we leave for Amsterdam on Thursday evening. I'm SUPER excited, but I'm running around trying to study and really just freaking out my housing situation for next semester and trying to resolve that before I can relax for a long weekend.
Anyway, going back a few weeks...
On February 22, we went skiing in the Alps. It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately the way in which it was set up required a lot more cross country like skiing than anyone would ever want on regular skis. The next day, my back and arms were incredibly sore, while the muscles that were supposed to hurt were completely fine. It was overall a really nice day, though.
That Sunday, we left for Budapest. The transportation situation was terrible all around Eastern Europe and it started that day. We got on a bus at 6 am for a flight that was supposed to leave Stuttgart around 11. The flight didn't end up leaving until 3 because of technical difficulties. Thanks, Easy Jet! It was, however, the fastest flight of my life. I maintain that we just teleported from Germany to Hungary, because I fell asleep the minute I sat down and didn't feel the take off or the apparently very brutal landing. Can't complain about that!
We arrived in Budapest and went on a night boat tour. It would have been amazing if I could understand the woman giving the tour and if it wasn't so cold out. This was really the only time that we got to see both the Buda and the Pest sides of the city. We had meetings in the Hungarian Parliament, though, which was really cool. The speakers were incredibly pessimistic about Hungary's future. The whole city was gorgeous, but everyone all over the city just seemed incredibly depressed all the time. It's like there's something engraved in the Hungarian psyche or something.
On Tuesday, we left for Krakow. We left in the afternoon and stopped for dinner in Slovakia. Note to self: Never try to find anything to eat in Slovakia EVER again. Boiled potatoes for dinner? Sweet. We got back on the bus and within an hour, it broke down. We were stranded in the parking lot of a closed grocery store in the middle of nowhere in Slovakia for FOUR hours. It was freezing outside and they let the exhaust go onto the bus, so we all felt incredibly sick by the time our backup bus came. We finally arrived in Krakow around 3am. At least now I can say that
I've been to Slovakia, though...
Krakow was a really nice city. It just felt homey. The city wasn't very destroyed in WWII, so there is a lot of medieval architecture throughout the city. There's also a really neat market in the middle of the city square. Everything was really cheap and that's where a ton of souvenirs are coming from. I met up with John, a friend from Beloit. We had Indian food and he showed me around the city a little. It was really great to sit down and talk to someone from Beloit and talk about people that we both know.
On Thursday morning, we left for Prague. On the way, we stopped at Auschwitz, which had the same impact on me as Dachau did a few years ago. Our tour guide was eager to tell us everything that she knows about the Holocaust, particularly in Auschwitz of course. It was really interesting and incredibly depressing, of course.
After a nine hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Prague. We immediately looked for a place to eat. Jamie (the other vegan) and I decided to go to a vegetarian restaurant. A bunch of friends came with us and we absolutely fell in love with the place. Absolutely amazing. We ended up going back there two more times to eat. mmm... Anyone going to Prague: Find Clear Head. It's to die for.
Prague, like Krakow, was left untouched by WWII and remains gorgeous as a result. We had a lot of free time in Prague, which was incredible because we actually got to go to all of the places that we wanted to. Unfortunately, the day we wanted to go to the castle, it was closed. We did walk up to the top of an observation tower and we did walk all the way up to the castle and take some cool pictures which you can see on my blog. Also, because of the amount of free time, we had ample time to explore the night life. One night, I took one shot of something. I don't know why, but I was absolutely wasted for hours. Much drunker than I'd been since I got here... Absolutely amazing. It wasn't absinthe, either, it was some sort of Czech liquor.
The past weekend we traveled some more. I went with five friends to Munich. Unfortunately, all of these girls are in the other travel group so I didn't get to go to Eastern Europe with them. Munich was a lot of fun, though. I basically saw the same things that I saw when I was there before. On Friday night, we went to the Hofbrauhaus, where I had a liter of beer and a pretzel the size of my head for dinner. Delicious and nutritious. On Saturday, it was absolutely gorgeous out. We climbed up to Neuschwanstein (the Cinderella castle) and took gorgeous pictures. That basically took all day. We came back and went to an Indian restaurant and it was absolutely delicious.
Well, that's enough for now. Props to anyone who read that whole thing! I'll update again when I get back from Amsterdam and hopefully I won't wait as long that time.
Anyway, going back a few weeks...
On February 22, we went skiing in the Alps. It was a lot of fun, but unfortunately the way in which it was set up required a lot more cross country like skiing than anyone would ever want on regular skis. The next day, my back and arms were incredibly sore, while the muscles that were supposed to hurt were completely fine. It was overall a really nice day, though.
That Sunday, we left for Budapest. The transportation situation was terrible all around Eastern Europe and it started that day. We got on a bus at 6 am for a flight that was supposed to leave Stuttgart around 11. The flight didn't end up leaving until 3 because of technical difficulties. Thanks, Easy Jet! It was, however, the fastest flight of my life. I maintain that we just teleported from Germany to Hungary, because I fell asleep the minute I sat down and didn't feel the take off or the apparently very brutal landing. Can't complain about that!
We arrived in Budapest and went on a night boat tour. It would have been amazing if I could understand the woman giving the tour and if it wasn't so cold out. This was really the only time that we got to see both the Buda and the Pest sides of the city. We had meetings in the Hungarian Parliament, though, which was really cool. The speakers were incredibly pessimistic about Hungary's future. The whole city was gorgeous, but everyone all over the city just seemed incredibly depressed all the time. It's like there's something engraved in the Hungarian psyche or something.
On Tuesday, we left for Krakow. We left in the afternoon and stopped for dinner in Slovakia. Note to self: Never try to find anything to eat in Slovakia EVER again. Boiled potatoes for dinner? Sweet. We got back on the bus and within an hour, it broke down. We were stranded in the parking lot of a closed grocery store in the middle of nowhere in Slovakia for FOUR hours. It was freezing outside and they let the exhaust go onto the bus, so we all felt incredibly sick by the time our backup bus came. We finally arrived in Krakow around 3am. At least now I can say that
I've been to Slovakia, though...
Krakow was a really nice city. It just felt homey. The city wasn't very destroyed in WWII, so there is a lot of medieval architecture throughout the city. There's also a really neat market in the middle of the city square. Everything was really cheap and that's where a ton of souvenirs are coming from. I met up with John, a friend from Beloit. We had Indian food and he showed me around the city a little. It was really great to sit down and talk to someone from Beloit and talk about people that we both know.
On Thursday morning, we left for Prague. On the way, we stopped at Auschwitz, which had the same impact on me as Dachau did a few years ago. Our tour guide was eager to tell us everything that she knows about the Holocaust, particularly in Auschwitz of course. It was really interesting and incredibly depressing, of course.
After a nine hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Prague. We immediately looked for a place to eat. Jamie (the other vegan) and I decided to go to a vegetarian restaurant. A bunch of friends came with us and we absolutely fell in love with the place. Absolutely amazing. We ended up going back there two more times to eat. mmm... Anyone going to Prague: Find Clear Head. It's to die for.
Prague, like Krakow, was left untouched by WWII and remains gorgeous as a result. We had a lot of free time in Prague, which was incredible because we actually got to go to all of the places that we wanted to. Unfortunately, the day we wanted to go to the castle, it was closed. We did walk up to the top of an observation tower and we did walk all the way up to the castle and take some cool pictures which you can see on my blog. Also, because of the amount of free time, we had ample time to explore the night life. One night, I took one shot of something. I don't know why, but I was absolutely wasted for hours. Much drunker than I'd been since I got here... Absolutely amazing. It wasn't absinthe, either, it was some sort of Czech liquor.
The past weekend we traveled some more. I went with five friends to Munich. Unfortunately, all of these girls are in the other travel group so I didn't get to go to Eastern Europe with them. Munich was a lot of fun, though. I basically saw the same things that I saw when I was there before. On Friday night, we went to the Hofbrauhaus, where I had a liter of beer and a pretzel the size of my head for dinner. Delicious and nutritious. On Saturday, it was absolutely gorgeous out. We climbed up to Neuschwanstein (the Cinderella castle) and took gorgeous pictures. That basically took all day. We came back and went to an Indian restaurant and it was absolutely delicious.
Well, that's enough for now. Props to anyone who read that whole thing! I'll update again when I get back from Amsterdam and hopefully I won't wait as long that time.
Kira (Thailand): We are not afraid
You guys may be weary of reading (or not reading, whichever the case my be) about my life-changing experiences, but the trip I just got back from was pretty incredible, in every sense of the word.
We just finished our water unit trip. The water unit focuses on the impact that large government-planned dams have on local communities, and how these communities are protesting. Basically, the Thai government (under influence from the world bank and such) is really into building dams for irrigation and/or electricity. They often lie to local people about what they are building and how it will affect them (one community was told that the government was simply building a bridge and not a dam. Incidentally, it is impossible to cross the "bridge" created by the dam because the government put a ton of thorny plants across one side. In another instance, villagers were told that the government was building a rubber weir. Strangely enough, a large concrete dam was built instead). Problems created by these dams include lack of fish (which is a HUGE problem for communities that have subsisted on fishing for generations), flooding of land (kind of sucks for rice farmers), and salinization of soil (which the royal irrigation department denies, but which we also saw with our own eyes). Some villagers got some compensation for their land, but others don't have land titles (which they wouldn't need, really, unless they needed compensation from the government). Also, the villagers don't want money. They want their farmland and their fishing rivers back.
The day we left Khon Kaen, we had exchanges with the Royal Irrigation Department and the Electricity Generating Association of Thailand. These exchanges were pretty frustrating because a lot of what these groups said were lies (flat-out denial of facts), they weren't very well informed (EGAT had us talk to engineers, who obviously knew little about social issues), and they just didn't like us much (and we didn't like them much, really). That night though, we got to exchange with the man whose house we were all staying in for 3 nights. He does a lot with the AoP (explained later), and he was pretty inspirational to talk to. He talked a lot about his experience protesting and his views on democracy.
We spent this part of our homestay in Sansakrit province to participate in the 100-day after-death ceremony for Wanida. Wanida was an activist who worked with the Assembly of the Poor, which is a movement that includes poor people (farmers, fishers, slum dwellers, etc.) from throughout Thailand. It originated in Sansakrit province, which is where the ceremony was and where Wanida worked. As part of the ceremony, we went on a 16-km march with around a thousand people (mainly villagers and NGOs. We saw some people we knew from other homestays, which was fun). It was pretty amazing. Even though it wasn't technically a protest (we aren't allowed to participate in protests because the presence of foreigners delegitimizes them), we all carried flags that either had pictures of Wanida or the words "No Dam." The march took most of a day, with a couple of fried-rice breaks. During lunch break at a temple, a bunch of us students jumped into the Mun River. The villagers made fun of us and kept telling us that there were big snakes in the water (there weren't). We also exchanged with NGOs during the day (i guess as somewhat of a mistranslation, the term "NGO" is actually used in Thailand to refer to individuals. Someone who, for example, works in a community and helps them protest is an NGO). We ended up at the Thai Baan Center, which is the headquarters of the Assembly of the Poor.
The next morning, we went on a boat and explored the Mun River and the Mehkong. The highlight of the trip was seeing Laos (the Mehkong separates Laos and Thailand). Although we couldn't legally go to Laos without visas, we stopped at a little island (more like a bunch of rocks) that belongs to Laos. So we were in Laos (kind of)! We were all really excited about this. That afternoon, we went back to the Thai Baan Center and had some more exchanges with NGOs. We also got to see a former prime minister speak (briefly, in Thai, but it was pretty cool that he showed up for Wanida's ceremony), and we saw a short documentary of Wanida's life and some singing and dance performances. I really liked the atmosphere at the Thai Baan Center, and I wish I could have communicated better.
After this, we left Sansakrit province and spent a day touring the large dams. It was kind of depressing, really. We spoke to one woman who wasn't against the dam, and she said that this is because she wants water for irrigation (even though she already has water, and she doesn't think the water would come to her village anyway). She also said that the only people who protest are those directly affected by the dam. She doesn't protest because she isn't. We also talked to some people who were making salt. When the dam is closed (this one hasn't yet been closed, but has already caused problems), the land that these people use to make salt will be flooded (yay salinization of water).
Then we met our 1-night homestay families. My family was really super-nice. I love homestays, and I am kind of sad that this was our last organized one (although I may be going on one in a couple of days? Not sure). We had an exchange with the villagers, which went really well. The village headman told us a lot about the villagers' experiences with protesting. Once, when the villagers were protesting outside of a ministry in Bangkok, the Prime Minister himself grabbed a pregnant woman who was protesting and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to lose the baby. Stories like this were horrifying.
The next morning, we woke up early to water plants. Later on, a bunch of us went fishing. This fish pond was larger, and the fishing was a multi-step process involving hitting the water with long sticks, fencing off part of the pond, digging up the lilies, and then fishing with large and small nets. I really enjoyed working alongside the grandmas with small nets, catching small fish. After fishing, we all had a yummy lunch that consisted mainly of grilled fish. Then we went back home, showered (I'm really starting to like the bucket showers), and said goodbyes. Our host mom gave me and the other girl HUGE bags of snacks and plaid scarves. It was really nice and unexpected, especially since we were only there for a night (students usually stay longer, but we had Wanida's ceremony).
So now we're back in Khon Kaen. I still have to process everything.
We just finished our water unit trip. The water unit focuses on the impact that large government-planned dams have on local communities, and how these communities are protesting. Basically, the Thai government (under influence from the world bank and such) is really into building dams for irrigation and/or electricity. They often lie to local people about what they are building and how it will affect them (one community was told that the government was simply building a bridge and not a dam. Incidentally, it is impossible to cross the "bridge" created by the dam because the government put a ton of thorny plants across one side. In another instance, villagers were told that the government was building a rubber weir. Strangely enough, a large concrete dam was built instead). Problems created by these dams include lack of fish (which is a HUGE problem for communities that have subsisted on fishing for generations), flooding of land (kind of sucks for rice farmers), and salinization of soil (which the royal irrigation department denies, but which we also saw with our own eyes). Some villagers got some compensation for their land, but others don't have land titles (which they wouldn't need, really, unless they needed compensation from the government). Also, the villagers don't want money. They want their farmland and their fishing rivers back.
The day we left Khon Kaen, we had exchanges with the Royal Irrigation Department and the Electricity Generating Association of Thailand. These exchanges were pretty frustrating because a lot of what these groups said were lies (flat-out denial of facts), they weren't very well informed (EGAT had us talk to engineers, who obviously knew little about social issues), and they just didn't like us much (and we didn't like them much, really). That night though, we got to exchange with the man whose house we were all staying in for 3 nights. He does a lot with the AoP (explained later), and he was pretty inspirational to talk to. He talked a lot about his experience protesting and his views on democracy.
We spent this part of our homestay in Sansakrit province to participate in the 100-day after-death ceremony for Wanida. Wanida was an activist who worked with the Assembly of the Poor, which is a movement that includes poor people (farmers, fishers, slum dwellers, etc.) from throughout Thailand. It originated in Sansakrit province, which is where the ceremony was and where Wanida worked. As part of the ceremony, we went on a 16-km march with around a thousand people (mainly villagers and NGOs. We saw some people we knew from other homestays, which was fun). It was pretty amazing. Even though it wasn't technically a protest (we aren't allowed to participate in protests because the presence of foreigners delegitimizes them), we all carried flags that either had pictures of Wanida or the words "No Dam." The march took most of a day, with a couple of fried-rice breaks. During lunch break at a temple, a bunch of us students jumped into the Mun River. The villagers made fun of us and kept telling us that there were big snakes in the water (there weren't). We also exchanged with NGOs during the day (i guess as somewhat of a mistranslation, the term "NGO" is actually used in Thailand to refer to individuals. Someone who, for example, works in a community and helps them protest is an NGO). We ended up at the Thai Baan Center, which is the headquarters of the Assembly of the Poor.
The next morning, we went on a boat and explored the Mun River and the Mehkong. The highlight of the trip was seeing Laos (the Mehkong separates Laos and Thailand). Although we couldn't legally go to Laos without visas, we stopped at a little island (more like a bunch of rocks) that belongs to Laos. So we were in Laos (kind of)! We were all really excited about this. That afternoon, we went back to the Thai Baan Center and had some more exchanges with NGOs. We also got to see a former prime minister speak (briefly, in Thai, but it was pretty cool that he showed up for Wanida's ceremony), and we saw a short documentary of Wanida's life and some singing and dance performances. I really liked the atmosphere at the Thai Baan Center, and I wish I could have communicated better.
After this, we left Sansakrit province and spent a day touring the large dams. It was kind of depressing, really. We spoke to one woman who wasn't against the dam, and she said that this is because she wants water for irrigation (even though she already has water, and she doesn't think the water would come to her village anyway). She also said that the only people who protest are those directly affected by the dam. She doesn't protest because she isn't. We also talked to some people who were making salt. When the dam is closed (this one hasn't yet been closed, but has already caused problems), the land that these people use to make salt will be flooded (yay salinization of water).
Then we met our 1-night homestay families. My family was really super-nice. I love homestays, and I am kind of sad that this was our last organized one (although I may be going on one in a couple of days? Not sure). We had an exchange with the villagers, which went really well. The village headman told us a lot about the villagers' experiences with protesting. Once, when the villagers were protesting outside of a ministry in Bangkok, the Prime Minister himself grabbed a pregnant woman who was protesting and kicked her in the stomach, causing her to lose the baby. Stories like this were horrifying.
The next morning, we woke up early to water plants. Later on, a bunch of us went fishing. This fish pond was larger, and the fishing was a multi-step process involving hitting the water with long sticks, fencing off part of the pond, digging up the lilies, and then fishing with large and small nets. I really enjoyed working alongside the grandmas with small nets, catching small fish. After fishing, we all had a yummy lunch that consisted mainly of grilled fish. Then we went back home, showered (I'm really starting to like the bucket showers), and said goodbyes. Our host mom gave me and the other girl HUGE bags of snacks and plaid scarves. It was really nice and unexpected, especially since we were only there for a night (students usually stay longer, but we had Wanida's ceremony).
So now we're back in Khon Kaen. I still have to process everything.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
John (Poland) An Odd Season Between Winter and Summer (And Other Observations)
Well, when I last left you all I believe I was in Warsawa and not having the greatest of times. I'm happy to say that things did get better, I did enjoy touring the Royal Castle and Old Town, which were destroyed brick by brick by the Nazis in retaliation for the Warsaw Uprising in 1944. Which brings me to my favorite part of the trip - The Museum of the Warsaw Uprising. It was a very new and innovative museum that chronicled the Polish Home Army's failed attempt to retake the city in late summer of 1944. The Soviets had told the Poles to rise up, then stopped on the banks of the Vistula and allowed the Germans to destroy the city as well as an Democratic opposition the Soviets might had faced. Over 200,000 people, mostly civilians died. After the Nazis finally left, the USSR didn't fail to try and execute the leaders of the uprising, including concentration camp survivors. The museum was set in a big warehouse-like structure and gave you the feeling of being in the center of a destroyed city, having to peer through broken windows or crawl through claustrophobic pitch black sewers to get see exhibits. It was very moving and my only complaint is the scarce coverage of the Ghetto uprising in 1943 (at least in the part of the museum I saw). But other than those major sites, Warsaw was far less cool that Cracow.
Speaking of Cracow, the city is really starting to come alive with spring! I'm enjoying actual warm weather in March and so are Cracovians. Currently they've brought out the tables for cafes in the Main Square and are opening decorative booths in preparation for Easter festivities, which are huge here. My classes have been (in general) equally inspiring. I'm really enjoying learning intensively about Poland, which, in American is almost impossible to do. Poland has been generally kept out of US curricula due to the fact that for most of our history until 1918, Poland was not on the European maps due to the partitions, then after WWII, it suffered from Cold War politics and was grouped as just "Soviet Bloc" country. Anyway, Poland's history and culture is as rich as any in Europe's and I've been fascinating delving into a world of unknown painters, composers, writers, poets and generals who are as interesting as any from France or Italy. I've especially enjoyed my lit class, as our professor, Pani Ewa, is just so well-spoken and passionate, I can listen to her talk about Polish writers all day, sigh.
I'm also still recovering from this past weekend, where both my parents and the Lexia groups from Berlin and Budapest came to visit. I loved being able to show my parents around the city and play tour guide rather than dumb American. I also enjoyed eating at nice restaurants every night. On their last night in town, we went to a traditional Galacian restaurant which served us free hog pate. I followed the by a meal of wild boar, spicy venison and something called roe buck. After all that, I found out that my side of potatoes Krakow also came with bacon. It was the largest number of different animals I've ever eaten in a single setting! My parents also got to tag along on the activities scheduled for us and the Berlin group including the Wawel Castle and Cathedral, a famous Art Nouveau cafe and Auschwitz. I also enjoyed meeting the Berlin group, which is very large and has guys, which was very exciting. We had many good nights sampling various Polish intoxicants and bonding, which points to a good couple of weeks after Easter when we see Budapest and Transylvania with them.
Although I hate to end on a down note, I do have to say that Auschwitz was a unique experience. I've never been to a place like that. It was almost as if visitors were there to bear witness rather than to learn, or enrich or enjoy themselves. Since I already knew most of the background facts, I focused on the concrete experience, which was indescribable. Seeing a giant room filled with human hair or walking through the actual gas chambers was chilling in a completely unique way. Auschwitz-Birkenhau has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which I makes sense, but goes so completely against the positive connotations that usually surround the word "heritage". It was odd commememorating a part of our human heritage that needs to be remembered and learned from, but also condemned.
Again, sorry to end on such a down note, hope everyone else is enjoying spring! (Or, in Robert and Audrey's cases, fall, again.)
Speaking of Cracow, the city is really starting to come alive with spring! I'm enjoying actual warm weather in March and so are Cracovians. Currently they've brought out the tables for cafes in the Main Square and are opening decorative booths in preparation for Easter festivities, which are huge here. My classes have been (in general) equally inspiring. I'm really enjoying learning intensively about Poland, which, in American is almost impossible to do. Poland has been generally kept out of US curricula due to the fact that for most of our history until 1918, Poland was not on the European maps due to the partitions, then after WWII, it suffered from Cold War politics and was grouped as just "Soviet Bloc" country. Anyway, Poland's history and culture is as rich as any in Europe's and I've been fascinating delving into a world of unknown painters, composers, writers, poets and generals who are as interesting as any from France or Italy. I've especially enjoyed my lit class, as our professor, Pani Ewa, is just so well-spoken and passionate, I can listen to her talk about Polish writers all day, sigh.
I'm also still recovering from this past weekend, where both my parents and the Lexia groups from Berlin and Budapest came to visit. I loved being able to show my parents around the city and play tour guide rather than dumb American. I also enjoyed eating at nice restaurants every night. On their last night in town, we went to a traditional Galacian restaurant which served us free hog pate. I followed the by a meal of wild boar, spicy venison and something called roe buck. After all that, I found out that my side of potatoes Krakow also came with bacon. It was the largest number of different animals I've ever eaten in a single setting! My parents also got to tag along on the activities scheduled for us and the Berlin group including the Wawel Castle and Cathedral, a famous Art Nouveau cafe and Auschwitz. I also enjoyed meeting the Berlin group, which is very large and has guys, which was very exciting. We had many good nights sampling various Polish intoxicants and bonding, which points to a good couple of weeks after Easter when we see Budapest and Transylvania with them.
Although I hate to end on a down note, I do have to say that Auschwitz was a unique experience. I've never been to a place like that. It was almost as if visitors were there to bear witness rather than to learn, or enrich or enjoy themselves. Since I already knew most of the background facts, I focused on the concrete experience, which was indescribable. Seeing a giant room filled with human hair or walking through the actual gas chambers was chilling in a completely unique way. Auschwitz-Birkenhau has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which I makes sense, but goes so completely against the positive connotations that usually surround the word "heritage". It was odd commememorating a part of our human heritage that needs to be remembered and learned from, but also condemned.
Again, sorry to end on such a down note, hope everyone else is enjoying spring! (Or, in Robert and Audrey's cases, fall, again.)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
K.O. (Senegal)- the city shuts down
Hey guys! Time here just keeps chugging away, my program is already 1/2 over, and I'm scared that things will just start going faster and faster from this point forward.
Two weekends ago I went with Lizzie and her sister, who is visiting from the states after being in China for a month, went to St. Louis (not the one in Missouri) in northern Senegal for the weekend. It was absolutely great to get out of Dakar, we hadn't left for more than half a day before that, and after going to college and leaving every 7 weeks, Dakar was starting to get a little claustraphobic. Plus, who knew Africa could get kind of dull...
So we got to the gare routiere (the station that leaves the city) about 5pm and while we were planning on taking a sept-place taxi (which holds 7 people, surprisingly enough) we decided to go with the cheaper "bus." The bus, however, holds about 12 people and doesn't leave the station until it is full, and seeing as there were only about 5 people on when we got there, we had a long wait with people trying to sell us all sorts of things. Some were good, like cookies, and others were just sort of bizarre, like a flashlight that also played christmas songs at a very high pitch. We finally got on the road and got to St. Louis around 11:30 at night.
We stayed at the university with girls from UPENN who spent 3 weeks in Dakar doing intensive wolof at the baobab center, and it was really nice to get to spend some time on a campus and meet other students etc.
We planned on going onto the island of St. Louis, which was the old colonial capital of French West Africa on Saturday, having lunch and then hitting the beach, but after a great lunch at a little restaurant on the far northern corner of the island, from which we could see Mauritania, we started talking to a group of women as we headed to the beach. We exchanged pleasantries, and were quickly invited to lunch, and after we explained that we'd just eaten a bunch they insisted we had tea instead. The thing to keep in mind is that senegalese tea, attaya, is an extremely intensive process, so while we waited, the women, whose husbands are all in the military, attempted to teach us how to dance mbalax, with various degrees of success. We ended up staying until 5, and decided to hit the beach on sunday instead, which was absolutely amazing, with huge waves that left us tired after only being in the water for about 30 minutes.
We left St. Louis on monday bright and early at 6:30am in order to get to our wolof class in time at 2pm, and ended up being 15 minutes late because of traffic as we neared Dakar. The traffic was due to this huge conference that is taking place all this week, with leaders (ie presidents etc) from countries all over the Muslim world.
Because of this conference, ALL of the schools are closed all this week, our class at the University was cancelled, but our other classes weren't, unfornunately. We do, however, get off all of tomorrow, so it will be a great time to hit the beach, once we can figure out a beach to go to that doesn't involve having to go anywhere near where the conference is, since we wouldn't be able to move.
After this week, we have 2 more weeks of classes before spring break, then a week off, and then only one more week of classes before our month long "break" in which we have to write all of our final papers. That month will also include a trip to the Gambia, and right now it looks like spring break will be a trip to Guinea-Conakry and Eastern Senegal. We want to make sure to be in the country on April 4, senegalese independence day.
Things I love about Senegal:
1. Sun, every day.
2. Crazy markets with people trying to sell you everything you can imagine, and mostly stuff you don't want.
3. Being able to bargin for pretty much everything you buy, and having the knowledge of how much they should charge you so you can laugh when they tell you a ridiculous price just because you are white.
4. Boutiques, selling everything and the owner getting mad if you don't stop by every once in a while, even if it is just to say hi.
5. My Senegalese family.
6. Pain au chocolat/Pain au fromage
7. cafe au laits on the street
Two weekends ago I went with Lizzie and her sister, who is visiting from the states after being in China for a month, went to St. Louis (not the one in Missouri) in northern Senegal for the weekend. It was absolutely great to get out of Dakar, we hadn't left for more than half a day before that, and after going to college and leaving every 7 weeks, Dakar was starting to get a little claustraphobic. Plus, who knew Africa could get kind of dull...
So we got to the gare routiere (the station that leaves the city) about 5pm and while we were planning on taking a sept-place taxi (which holds 7 people, surprisingly enough) we decided to go with the cheaper "bus." The bus, however, holds about 12 people and doesn't leave the station until it is full, and seeing as there were only about 5 people on when we got there, we had a long wait with people trying to sell us all sorts of things. Some were good, like cookies, and others were just sort of bizarre, like a flashlight that also played christmas songs at a very high pitch. We finally got on the road and got to St. Louis around 11:30 at night.
We stayed at the university with girls from UPENN who spent 3 weeks in Dakar doing intensive wolof at the baobab center, and it was really nice to get to spend some time on a campus and meet other students etc.
We planned on going onto the island of St. Louis, which was the old colonial capital of French West Africa on Saturday, having lunch and then hitting the beach, but after a great lunch at a little restaurant on the far northern corner of the island, from which we could see Mauritania, we started talking to a group of women as we headed to the beach. We exchanged pleasantries, and were quickly invited to lunch, and after we explained that we'd just eaten a bunch they insisted we had tea instead. The thing to keep in mind is that senegalese tea, attaya, is an extremely intensive process, so while we waited, the women, whose husbands are all in the military, attempted to teach us how to dance mbalax, with various degrees of success. We ended up staying until 5, and decided to hit the beach on sunday instead, which was absolutely amazing, with huge waves that left us tired after only being in the water for about 30 minutes.
We left St. Louis on monday bright and early at 6:30am in order to get to our wolof class in time at 2pm, and ended up being 15 minutes late because of traffic as we neared Dakar. The traffic was due to this huge conference that is taking place all this week, with leaders (ie presidents etc) from countries all over the Muslim world.
Because of this conference, ALL of the schools are closed all this week, our class at the University was cancelled, but our other classes weren't, unfornunately. We do, however, get off all of tomorrow, so it will be a great time to hit the beach, once we can figure out a beach to go to that doesn't involve having to go anywhere near where the conference is, since we wouldn't be able to move.
After this week, we have 2 more weeks of classes before spring break, then a week off, and then only one more week of classes before our month long "break" in which we have to write all of our final papers. That month will also include a trip to the Gambia, and right now it looks like spring break will be a trip to Guinea-Conakry and Eastern Senegal. We want to make sure to be in the country on April 4, senegalese independence day.
Things I love about Senegal:
1. Sun, every day.
2. Crazy markets with people trying to sell you everything you can imagine, and mostly stuff you don't want.
3. Being able to bargin for pretty much everything you buy, and having the knowledge of how much they should charge you so you can laugh when they tell you a ridiculous price just because you are white.
4. Boutiques, selling everything and the owner getting mad if you don't stop by every once in a while, even if it is just to say hi.
5. My Senegalese family.
6. Pain au chocolat/Pain au fromage
7. cafe au laits on the street
Monday, March 10, 2008
Kate (Ireland): The Day the Umbrella Died
Yeah, my umbrella finally bit the dust today. It was a long time coming. It really doesn't rain here as much as you probably think, but the past few days have been super windy and there's been lots of rain on and off. So it was only a matter of time. RIP my dear old friend.
Anyhow. I am in spring break mode. A week from today is St. Patrick's Day and I am suuuuuuper pumped. Molly Wasgatt will be here with me for a few days and I'm really excited to see another Beloiter and show them about how my life is here. St. Patrick's should be a giant freaking party and then it just gets better...a week from tomorrow, I will be on a plane to Freiburg to stay with Emily for a few days!! Two of my best friends here, Siobhan and Jerad, are going with me. Then we're taking a train to Amsterdam for three days. Next Jerad and I fly to Spain (Madrid, Toledo, and Barcelona) to see my friend Hilary from the film festival. 10 days of whirlwind happy wandering.
Otherwise I am really missing my Beloit boys in particular. I only have two consistent guy friends here, Jerad and Philip. Otherwise I'm with girls constantly, Kate my housemate from Houston and my neighbors Siobhan and Jenna. I love them and we have an amazing time together, but really...I miss my boys from home. I could use some really inappropriate, awkward humor every once in a while.
Some random things that have happened/I've observed lately:
--Irish families really are huge..I've met a guy with 5 brothers and a sister, a guy with 27 nieces and nephews (???!), and a girl with six brothers. As Philip explains it, "It rains all the bloody time. So what are you supposed to do when you're stuck inside? Have sex."
--There are no squirrels here. This confuses me. I told Philip that even Chicago is full of squirrels and he was very incredulous. Another golden Philip quote: "I've heard that the grey squirrel is just an invasive species. Just like the accordian."
--Everyone likes to ask me about the primaries. A lot of the older generation backs Hilary. I've heard that the underlying reason for many of them is that Bill was really influential in the Good Friday Agreement that helped put a stop to the violence in the North.
Sorry I spent so much of this post on umbrellas and squirrels. I love you guys a ton. Be well.
Anyhow. I am in spring break mode. A week from today is St. Patrick's Day and I am suuuuuuper pumped. Molly Wasgatt will be here with me for a few days and I'm really excited to see another Beloiter and show them about how my life is here. St. Patrick's should be a giant freaking party and then it just gets better...a week from tomorrow, I will be on a plane to Freiburg to stay with Emily for a few days!! Two of my best friends here, Siobhan and Jerad, are going with me. Then we're taking a train to Amsterdam for three days. Next Jerad and I fly to Spain (Madrid, Toledo, and Barcelona) to see my friend Hilary from the film festival. 10 days of whirlwind happy wandering.
Otherwise I am really missing my Beloit boys in particular. I only have two consistent guy friends here, Jerad and Philip. Otherwise I'm with girls constantly, Kate my housemate from Houston and my neighbors Siobhan and Jenna. I love them and we have an amazing time together, but really...I miss my boys from home. I could use some really inappropriate, awkward humor every once in a while.
Some random things that have happened/I've observed lately:
--Irish families really are huge..I've met a guy with 5 brothers and a sister, a guy with 27 nieces and nephews (???!), and a girl with six brothers. As Philip explains it, "It rains all the bloody time. So what are you supposed to do when you're stuck inside? Have sex."
--There are no squirrels here. This confuses me. I told Philip that even Chicago is full of squirrels and he was very incredulous. Another golden Philip quote: "I've heard that the grey squirrel is just an invasive species. Just like the accordian."
--Everyone likes to ask me about the primaries. A lot of the older generation backs Hilary. I've heard that the underlying reason for many of them is that Bill was really influential in the Good Friday Agreement that helped put a stop to the violence in the North.
Sorry I spent so much of this post on umbrellas and squirrels. I love you guys a ton. Be well.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Audrey (Australia)-The Learning Experiences Continue...
Hi All!
I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. I had regular internet access at my homestay but I felt that I should be doing more productive things with my time than hiding in a room with electronics.
The homestay finished well. Our retreat at the Buddhist meditation center in Dharmanada was a really powerful experience. It was academic because we covered several different 'eco-philosophies' (views of humanity's relationship to nature) but also spiritual in that our teacher encouraged us to access our emotions and use all our senses to understand our relationship to nature. We had several experiential exercises, which included a trust walk, a creation story, and a truth mandala.
The truth mandala was an exercise created by a psychologist at Berkeley in the '80s when people were dealing with the threat of nuclear warfare. The psychologist, Joanna Macy, created the mandala so people could express the negative emotions associated with living under such a pervasively oppressive atmosphere. I won't get into the boring details but a lot of people opened up and it was a really good way to see the deep connections we share.
The other most eventful thing about my homestay was this crazy party I went to with three friends. We were told it was a doof but instead it turned out to be a house party with a bunch of crazy deliquent high schoolers on drugs. We tried to sleep in the back of a car with the trunk propped open and got harassed by a bunch of guys who were either trying to jack our car or force us to give them a ride. Eventually we went to sleep on a porch and fortunately missed the fighting that went on from 4am-6am. It was actually a little scary and has made me rethink getting into situations I don't know anything about...but a learning experience to be sure.
We got back to Byron Bay on Monday and had another two day workshop with a sustainability consultant. I found parts of it frustrating because we spent a lot of time on things I feel I already knew or could've learned on my own time. However we also touched on some really interesting ideas including frameworks for how to engage different groups and create plans for sustainable development. I feel that I now have the knowledge and ability to put my ideas and convictions into action...hopefully that will be true when I get back to school in the fall!
We leave for Tasmania on Sunday. I'm excited because we get to take a train and a ferry (boats, yay!) and also because I'm going to meet up with some Landale relatives, Chris and Penny Morton. After Tasmania I'm going to spend four days in Melbourne and hopefully spend time with Mackenzie and Ian (Claremont friends) before coming back to Lismore after Easter weekend for our Aboriginal camping trip.
I'm tired just thinking about it! I hope everyone is doing well and I'll try be more faithful about updates in the future (although my computer is going into storage until the end of March so my internet access will be questionable...)
I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. I had regular internet access at my homestay but I felt that I should be doing more productive things with my time than hiding in a room with electronics.
The homestay finished well. Our retreat at the Buddhist meditation center in Dharmanada was a really powerful experience. It was academic because we covered several different 'eco-philosophies' (views of humanity's relationship to nature) but also spiritual in that our teacher encouraged us to access our emotions and use all our senses to understand our relationship to nature. We had several experiential exercises, which included a trust walk, a creation story, and a truth mandala.
The truth mandala was an exercise created by a psychologist at Berkeley in the '80s when people were dealing with the threat of nuclear warfare. The psychologist, Joanna Macy, created the mandala so people could express the negative emotions associated with living under such a pervasively oppressive atmosphere. I won't get into the boring details but a lot of people opened up and it was a really good way to see the deep connections we share.
The other most eventful thing about my homestay was this crazy party I went to with three friends. We were told it was a doof but instead it turned out to be a house party with a bunch of crazy deliquent high schoolers on drugs. We tried to sleep in the back of a car with the trunk propped open and got harassed by a bunch of guys who were either trying to jack our car or force us to give them a ride. Eventually we went to sleep on a porch and fortunately missed the fighting that went on from 4am-6am. It was actually a little scary and has made me rethink getting into situations I don't know anything about...but a learning experience to be sure.
We got back to Byron Bay on Monday and had another two day workshop with a sustainability consultant. I found parts of it frustrating because we spent a lot of time on things I feel I already knew or could've learned on my own time. However we also touched on some really interesting ideas including frameworks for how to engage different groups and create plans for sustainable development. I feel that I now have the knowledge and ability to put my ideas and convictions into action...hopefully that will be true when I get back to school in the fall!
We leave for Tasmania on Sunday. I'm excited because we get to take a train and a ferry (boats, yay!) and also because I'm going to meet up with some Landale relatives, Chris and Penny Morton. After Tasmania I'm going to spend four days in Melbourne and hopefully spend time with Mackenzie and Ian (Claremont friends) before coming back to Lismore after Easter weekend for our Aboriginal camping trip.
I'm tired just thinking about it! I hope everyone is doing well and I'll try be more faithful about updates in the future (although my computer is going into storage until the end of March so my internet access will be questionable...)
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Kira (Thailand): Stealing bell peppers
Hey guys, I just got back from another homestay (actually two homestays in a row). During the first homestay, I got to steal bell peppers, go fishing again, cook lots of food, and talk to some really interesting people. On the second homestay (just one night), I got to see some development projects gone wrong, get beaten up by a three-year-old, and make sweets. I love homestays, and I missed them during the two weeks or so that I wasn't on one.
This unit, called "Land," focused mainly on a proposed Potash mine in Udon Thani (about an hour from here). Potash is a compound of potassium and something else that is used mainly in the production of chemical fertilizer (CIEE likes to tie everything together). The villagers (who are mostly farmers) are opposed to the mine because they're afraid the salt dust that is produced as a byproduct will ruin their farmland and kill their fish. A group of villagers, called the Conservation Club, is really organized in opposition to the mine, and we got to talk to them about their experiences with protest. The villagers that support the mine (the CC claims that they've all been paid off by the company) hope that it will bring jobs to the area so their children don't have to go work in Bangkok and other countries anymore. The provincial government wants to promote development and economic growth, but also doesn't want to make any rash decisions. The mine has been discussed for the past 15 years and hasn't yet been built, but the company already has the land and everything.
The villagers are really divided on the issue, and CC members have even stopped attending funerals of villagers who support the mine (this is a really big deal in Buddhism). The CC claims that those who support the mine are short-sighted -the mine will only be in operation for 22 years, but their land will be ruined forever. I wish we had gotten to talk to pro-mine villagers in a neutral setting, but we only got to talk to them in corporate headquarters with company representatives. It kind of biased their responses, I think.
We went to Udon Thani, and my friend Cathleen and I stayed with a grandma and her 9-year-old granddaughter. They let us make the omelet the first night, but we didn’t add any MSG, so we weren’t allowed to cook after that (we washed dishes instead). They also fed us a lot of stir-fried ant eggs. Mmm. And we went vegetable picking in someone else’s garden one day.
After three nights in Udon Thani, we went to another village that has already been affected by a development project. We were all a little skeptical of a 1-night homestay, but it actually turned out to be really fun. Cathleen and I stayed with a woman, her sister, her father, and her 3-year-old daughter. The sister was really interested in my pictures, and they all really liked my apple orchard pictures (I think they thought I was a farmer like them?). They kept asking me how much I sold the apples for and how many I grew. We also got to stay up really late (10:30, compared with 8:00 every night at the previous homestay) making sweets, and in the morning, we took the little girl and a neighbor baby to the pond.
The river that this community is on was dammed to provide irrigation water. Rather than making irrigation easier for the farmers, which was the stated goal, this project actually caused problems. Farmers near the river get flooded a lot, which causes them to lose up to half of their rice crop. Also, the project didn’t actually improve access to irrigation water. Since the villagers have been farming for a while and aren’t stupid, the already had successful irrigation methods. The project ruined them. Now the villagers have to pay to get water pumped electrically into their fields, while it used to be natural and free. The people we spoke with claimed that there were no benefits to anyone from the project.
After we discussed this with the villagers, we met with a man named P’Suit. This guy has some really interesting views about the world. He cited the Amish as an example of a community that doesn’t hurt the environment. His main message was that we should work on our own consumption habits before we try to change anything else. Capitalism, which he sees as evil, has conditioned us to want more than we need. Communism and socialism, as they have been employed in reality, are actually just tools of capitalism. He was somewhat of an anarchist. It was interesting to hear him tell us his worldview, and I feel like I need to have more discussions and think a lot more before I say what I think of it.
Sorry if this entry was kind of dry/long.
This unit, called "Land," focused mainly on a proposed Potash mine in Udon Thani (about an hour from here). Potash is a compound of potassium and something else that is used mainly in the production of chemical fertilizer (CIEE likes to tie everything together). The villagers (who are mostly farmers) are opposed to the mine because they're afraid the salt dust that is produced as a byproduct will ruin their farmland and kill their fish. A group of villagers, called the Conservation Club, is really organized in opposition to the mine, and we got to talk to them about their experiences with protest. The villagers that support the mine (the CC claims that they've all been paid off by the company) hope that it will bring jobs to the area so their children don't have to go work in Bangkok and other countries anymore. The provincial government wants to promote development and economic growth, but also doesn't want to make any rash decisions. The mine has been discussed for the past 15 years and hasn't yet been built, but the company already has the land and everything.
The villagers are really divided on the issue, and CC members have even stopped attending funerals of villagers who support the mine (this is a really big deal in Buddhism). The CC claims that those who support the mine are short-sighted -the mine will only be in operation for 22 years, but their land will be ruined forever. I wish we had gotten to talk to pro-mine villagers in a neutral setting, but we only got to talk to them in corporate headquarters with company representatives. It kind of biased their responses, I think.
We went to Udon Thani, and my friend Cathleen and I stayed with a grandma and her 9-year-old granddaughter. They let us make the omelet the first night, but we didn’t add any MSG, so we weren’t allowed to cook after that (we washed dishes instead). They also fed us a lot of stir-fried ant eggs. Mmm. And we went vegetable picking in someone else’s garden one day.
After three nights in Udon Thani, we went to another village that has already been affected by a development project. We were all a little skeptical of a 1-night homestay, but it actually turned out to be really fun. Cathleen and I stayed with a woman, her sister, her father, and her 3-year-old daughter. The sister was really interested in my pictures, and they all really liked my apple orchard pictures (I think they thought I was a farmer like them?). They kept asking me how much I sold the apples for and how many I grew. We also got to stay up really late (10:30, compared with 8:00 every night at the previous homestay) making sweets, and in the morning, we took the little girl and a neighbor baby to the pond.
The river that this community is on was dammed to provide irrigation water. Rather than making irrigation easier for the farmers, which was the stated goal, this project actually caused problems. Farmers near the river get flooded a lot, which causes them to lose up to half of their rice crop. Also, the project didn’t actually improve access to irrigation water. Since the villagers have been farming for a while and aren’t stupid, the already had successful irrigation methods. The project ruined them. Now the villagers have to pay to get water pumped electrically into their fields, while it used to be natural and free. The people we spoke with claimed that there were no benefits to anyone from the project.
After we discussed this with the villagers, we met with a man named P’Suit. This guy has some really interesting views about the world. He cited the Amish as an example of a community that doesn’t hurt the environment. His main message was that we should work on our own consumption habits before we try to change anything else. Capitalism, which he sees as evil, has conditioned us to want more than we need. Communism and socialism, as they have been employed in reality, are actually just tools of capitalism. He was somewhat of an anarchist. It was interesting to hear him tell us his worldview, and I feel like I need to have more discussions and think a lot more before I say what I think of it.
Sorry if this entry was kind of dry/long.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sara (Greece) - Moped Madness
This is going to be a ridiculously short post, but I felt the need to share this because it was craaaazy! So, I was j-wallking across the street (which really isn't that big of a deal, everyone does it) and while crossing, I was hit by a moped...yes, seriously, a moped slammed into me. The wheel banged into my calf and the handlebars into my chest. Luckly, somehow, I'm not 1. dead, 2. broken or 3. bleeding. I just have some EPIC bruises (seriously, these things are absurd). In other news, this comming Friday starts my spring break, and both my family and Derek are comming up for 9 days. I can not wait as I am feeling particularly homesick at the moment. Oh well. Alright, that's it. Love ya all, bye!
Robert (New Zealand) - Team Ed Go!
Ok, here's my very long post about the past week or so.
Surfing was a lot of fun. I didn't actually make too much of an ass of myself. I might even try again, if I feel like paying lots of money to rent a wetsuit and board. Who knows, maybe i have a future as a beach bum. Afterwards we had dinner at Jay and Marcie's house which is on a steep hillside overlooking the beach. You have to ride in a bucket cart to get up to it. We ate pizza and some possum that two students had skinned on their farm stay, and did some planning for our hiking trip.
Routeburn/Greenstone was amazing. The Routeburn is one of the "Great Walks", a desegnation of hikes in New Zealand that are relatively accessible, and especially beautiful. We split the group into two brigades for the hike, each hiking the loop in opposite directions. I was one of the student co-leaders for the Routeburn to Greenstone group. Being a leader was a good experience, but at times I sort of felt like I couldn't just relax and take in where I was the way I normally do on back country trips. Because the great walks try to be accessible to a large range of people, the campsites have very nice structures to stay in (which also cost a pretty penny). Doing back country trips with huts is new to me. I'm used to rolling into a campsite where the most you can hope for is a tent platform and an outhouse, and oftentimes all you get is a flat piece of ground. The huts we stayed in had up to 40 bunk beds, kitchen areas with gas stoves and sinks, common areas with fireplaces, and bathrooms with flush toilets. In a lot of ways I prefer a more "wilderness" experience, but having a hut at the end of a cold rainy hike is also very nice.
In any case, here's a not all that quick rundown of the trip day by day.
Day 1 - Glenorchy to Routburn Falls Hut
We spent the night before the trip in the town of Glenorchy about 7-8 hours south-west of Christchurch. We did a mass packing of group gear & food in the in the morning, packed up the vans and drove to the trail heads. The first day was mostly up-hill, and rather steep towards the end. The trail weaved through beech forests and boulders, past mountain creeks and waterfalls (so many waterfalls). Routeburn Falls Hut is right at the treeline overlooking the head of a massive valley. Quite a nice view. We celebrated the birthday of one of the students in our group with cookies, affirmations, and gifts of random crap that we could find around the hut.
Day 2 - Routeburn Falls to Lake Mackenzie
We started the day with a bit of silent alone time by the waterfalls above the hut. The morning was spent hiking through grassland in an alpine valley. Around noon we crossed over the mountain ridge, and by the virtue of rainshadow and mountain weather patterns, strait into clouds. Apparently there are amazing views as you skirt the ridge, but all we saw was white. In truth I kind of prefer it that way. Every once in a while the clouds open up a bit and you'll catch a glimpse of a view which is cool. The rest of the time you're hiking along a white void and have the distinct impression that you're tramping along the edge of the world. The last kilometer or two the trail descended into a dense beach forest. The place had a very mystical feel. The trees' trunks grow in a wavy pattern that almost looks like tendrils of flame. There are massive boulders scattered throughout the forest. Also, everything, and I mean everything, is covered in thick moss. At Mackenzie Hut we were treated to a talk by the hut warden that one of the students in the other brigade later named "Ranger Ridiculous". The man gave us a 25 minute talk about how to find the fire exits in the Hut (mind you it's only one room) in the style of stand-up comedy. He then proceeded to try to tell us that our group was a guided tour and not an educational group because Jay (our faculty member on the trip) had his hut tickets paid for by an organization (the college) and that we were going to be fined. Hopefully that's all been sorted out.
Day 3 - Mackenzie to Lake Howden
Day 3 was short and it was cold and rainy, but it was amazing none the less. We did the first two hours of the hike in silence. The trail went through more beach forest and then back up to the treeline. The trail crossed countless small waterfalls, each of which was beautiful but the highlight was Earland Falls which comes out of a cliff face hundreds of feet in the air and ends just a few meters from the trail. I was cold and wet and bordering on hypothermia when we passed so I didn't stop for long, but it was a powerful place. I am in love with New Zealand mountain waterfalls. We passed the other brigade just before arriving at Howden Hut, exchanged van keys, trail notes, and said quick hellos. With all our time in the hut we played a sort of telephone-pictionary game. Hilarity ensued.
Day 4 - Howden to Greenstone Hut
Day 4 was long, 24 Km. Fortunately it was relatively level the whole way and we had nice weather for it. We moved from the Routeburn track with is mostly alpine and in the mountains to the Greenstone track which follows the Greenstone River through a valley of pasture land, beach forest, and grassland. Greenstone (or pounamu to use the Maori name) is a rock similar to jade but almost as hard as diamonds. It was prized by Maori who see it as sacred. Jewelry and artifacts made of it were traded all over the country. The only place in the world where it's found is on the south island of New Zealand. The name of the south island in Maori is actually Te Wahipounamu, "The place of greenstone".
The greenstone river was one of the waterways where the Maori collected greenstone that had washed down from the mountains, hence its name. The day was mostly a blur. I actually ended up thinking about Beloit a lot. About people there, all that's happened in the past two and a half years, and what next year will be like. Hiking through waste high grass tufts in a mountain valley watching the wind rippling the plants around you was quite cool. Greenstone Hut was small compared to the first three (only 20 bunks). It had a nice porch overlooking the valley, but the sandflies (little biting flies similar to blackflies) were pretty bad outside.
Day 5 - Greenstone Hut to Kinloch Lodge
The last day was mostly a mad dash through the rain to get to the carpark. Still there were plenty of nice views of clouds on the mountains, the river, and waterfalls. Once we got to the carpark we drove to a hotel/lodge near the trailhead, showered, took advantage of happy hour at the bar, and had a delicious dinner. For those of you who don't know, on leap-year day it is traditional for women to propose to men. Susan (who is seriously opposed to the concept of marriage) and I had a bet going over whether if she proposed to Jon,(who's been jokingly pursuing her the whole program) he would accept or not. She proposed in the middle of dinner and he accepted. She now owes me ice cream.
We got back to Christchurch yesterday. It's sad to be out of "The Nature" and back to the city, but it's also nice that Christchurch is starting to feel a little bit like a home. I'm feeling kind of stupid because I left my hiking boots at Kinloch Lodge. Oh well, hopefully I can get them back somehow. I also need to figure out what I'm doing for my spring break (fall break technically I suppose) in a couple weeks.
Things I have been appreciating:
-Dry cloths
-People driving around Christchurch at 10pm singing Weezer at the top of their lungs
-That Josh Ritter has Historical Conquests streaming on his website (I didn't bring my iPod on this trip)
-Referring to outdoor activity of any sort as "going into The Nature"
-"Fling" candy bars ("Chocolate with no strings attached." the wrapper claims)
-Mountains
-Spacing out on cross-country van rides
-Backcountry hiking in general, I've been missing it
Surfing was a lot of fun. I didn't actually make too much of an ass of myself. I might even try again, if I feel like paying lots of money to rent a wetsuit and board. Who knows, maybe i have a future as a beach bum. Afterwards we had dinner at Jay and Marcie's house which is on a steep hillside overlooking the beach. You have to ride in a bucket cart to get up to it. We ate pizza and some possum that two students had skinned on their farm stay, and did some planning for our hiking trip.
Routeburn/Greenstone was amazing. The Routeburn is one of the "Great Walks", a desegnation of hikes in New Zealand that are relatively accessible, and especially beautiful. We split the group into two brigades for the hike, each hiking the loop in opposite directions. I was one of the student co-leaders for the Routeburn to Greenstone group. Being a leader was a good experience, but at times I sort of felt like I couldn't just relax and take in where I was the way I normally do on back country trips. Because the great walks try to be accessible to a large range of people, the campsites have very nice structures to stay in (which also cost a pretty penny). Doing back country trips with huts is new to me. I'm used to rolling into a campsite where the most you can hope for is a tent platform and an outhouse, and oftentimes all you get is a flat piece of ground. The huts we stayed in had up to 40 bunk beds, kitchen areas with gas stoves and sinks, common areas with fireplaces, and bathrooms with flush toilets. In a lot of ways I prefer a more "wilderness" experience, but having a hut at the end of a cold rainy hike is also very nice.
In any case, here's a not all that quick rundown of the trip day by day.
Day 1 - Glenorchy to Routburn Falls Hut
We spent the night before the trip in the town of Glenorchy about 7-8 hours south-west of Christchurch. We did a mass packing of group gear & food in the in the morning, packed up the vans and drove to the trail heads. The first day was mostly up-hill, and rather steep towards the end. The trail weaved through beech forests and boulders, past mountain creeks and waterfalls (so many waterfalls). Routeburn Falls Hut is right at the treeline overlooking the head of a massive valley. Quite a nice view. We celebrated the birthday of one of the students in our group with cookies, affirmations, and gifts of random crap that we could find around the hut.
Day 2 - Routeburn Falls to Lake Mackenzie
We started the day with a bit of silent alone time by the waterfalls above the hut. The morning was spent hiking through grassland in an alpine valley. Around noon we crossed over the mountain ridge, and by the virtue of rainshadow and mountain weather patterns, strait into clouds. Apparently there are amazing views as you skirt the ridge, but all we saw was white. In truth I kind of prefer it that way. Every once in a while the clouds open up a bit and you'll catch a glimpse of a view which is cool. The rest of the time you're hiking along a white void and have the distinct impression that you're tramping along the edge of the world. The last kilometer or two the trail descended into a dense beach forest. The place had a very mystical feel. The trees' trunks grow in a wavy pattern that almost looks like tendrils of flame. There are massive boulders scattered throughout the forest. Also, everything, and I mean everything, is covered in thick moss. At Mackenzie Hut we were treated to a talk by the hut warden that one of the students in the other brigade later named "Ranger Ridiculous". The man gave us a 25 minute talk about how to find the fire exits in the Hut (mind you it's only one room) in the style of stand-up comedy. He then proceeded to try to tell us that our group was a guided tour and not an educational group because Jay (our faculty member on the trip) had his hut tickets paid for by an organization (the college) and that we were going to be fined. Hopefully that's all been sorted out.
Day 3 - Mackenzie to Lake Howden
Day 3 was short and it was cold and rainy, but it was amazing none the less. We did the first two hours of the hike in silence. The trail went through more beach forest and then back up to the treeline. The trail crossed countless small waterfalls, each of which was beautiful but the highlight was Earland Falls which comes out of a cliff face hundreds of feet in the air and ends just a few meters from the trail. I was cold and wet and bordering on hypothermia when we passed so I didn't stop for long, but it was a powerful place. I am in love with New Zealand mountain waterfalls. We passed the other brigade just before arriving at Howden Hut, exchanged van keys, trail notes, and said quick hellos. With all our time in the hut we played a sort of telephone-pictionary game. Hilarity ensued.
Day 4 - Howden to Greenstone Hut
Day 4 was long, 24 Km. Fortunately it was relatively level the whole way and we had nice weather for it. We moved from the Routeburn track with is mostly alpine and in the mountains to the Greenstone track which follows the Greenstone River through a valley of pasture land, beach forest, and grassland. Greenstone (or pounamu to use the Maori name) is a rock similar to jade but almost as hard as diamonds. It was prized by Maori who see it as sacred. Jewelry and artifacts made of it were traded all over the country. The only place in the world where it's found is on the south island of New Zealand. The name of the south island in Maori is actually Te Wahipounamu, "The place of greenstone".
The greenstone river was one of the waterways where the Maori collected greenstone that had washed down from the mountains, hence its name. The day was mostly a blur. I actually ended up thinking about Beloit a lot. About people there, all that's happened in the past two and a half years, and what next year will be like. Hiking through waste high grass tufts in a mountain valley watching the wind rippling the plants around you was quite cool. Greenstone Hut was small compared to the first three (only 20 bunks). It had a nice porch overlooking the valley, but the sandflies (little biting flies similar to blackflies) were pretty bad outside.
Day 5 - Greenstone Hut to Kinloch Lodge
The last day was mostly a mad dash through the rain to get to the carpark. Still there were plenty of nice views of clouds on the mountains, the river, and waterfalls. Once we got to the carpark we drove to a hotel/lodge near the trailhead, showered, took advantage of happy hour at the bar, and had a delicious dinner. For those of you who don't know, on leap-year day it is traditional for women to propose to men. Susan (who is seriously opposed to the concept of marriage) and I had a bet going over whether if she proposed to Jon,(who's been jokingly pursuing her the whole program) he would accept or not. She proposed in the middle of dinner and he accepted. She now owes me ice cream.
We got back to Christchurch yesterday. It's sad to be out of "The Nature" and back to the city, but it's also nice that Christchurch is starting to feel a little bit like a home. I'm feeling kind of stupid because I left my hiking boots at Kinloch Lodge. Oh well, hopefully I can get them back somehow. I also need to figure out what I'm doing for my spring break (fall break technically I suppose) in a couple weeks.
Things I have been appreciating:
-Dry cloths
-People driving around Christchurch at 10pm singing Weezer at the top of their lungs
-That Josh Ritter has Historical Conquests streaming on his website (I didn't bring my iPod on this trip)
-Referring to outdoor activity of any sort as "going into The Nature"
-"Fling" candy bars ("Chocolate with no strings attached." the wrapper claims)
-Mountains
-Spacing out on cross-country van rides
-Backcountry hiking in general, I've been missing it
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