The Internet’s full of strange people who put strange things into search engines. Here’s me thinking I’m reasonably interesting when I get a few visits in my stats only to discover it’s because people stumble on my page from Yahoo looking for things I’ve innocuously mentioned. Some top reasons for visiting my site are apparantly:Ladyboys(mentioned from when I was in Thailand)Schoolgirls(from a photo of Kel and Lou in fancy dress as schoolgirls)Kate(as if there aren’t millions on the...
MSN Messenger is a fantastic thing. Just by leaving myself logged in at work I’ve got back in contact with three lost mates whose Hotmail addresses I’d put into the system and found they were online too. Up pops a little window and I’m chatting to people on the other side of the planet. Amazing.
Something else that I’ve just discovered is travelblog.net, “a new weblog dedicated to breaking out of provincial mindsets.” In other words, a weblog for and about backpackers and travellers, with links...
Just finished reading The Stars’ Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry. Began with usual public school setting, class issues and young boys’ feelings but developed into a much darker story about jealousy and revenge. Began reading it on Sunday, lazing in the garden in the sun, and couldn’t put it down. Thoroughly recommended.
Dan’s suggested going to see Unbreakable tonight but, given that everyone’s largely skint and knackered, we’ll probably save ourselves for Fringe Ben’s party tomorrow night. We’ve...
It’s all winding down over here in the run up to Christmas. Everyone’s talking about their “summer break”, planning beach holidays between Christmas and New Year. I suppose it makes sense: take your annual holiday around the public holidays and then have more time left for the rest of the year. Just doesn’t feel right. Sue and I are going up to the Coromandel - a Pennisula in the Bay of Plenty - for a few days before New Year on our own. Well, when in Rome and all that…
Saw Charlie’s Angels on...
Sunburnt. Not hugely, because I did put sun cream on, but enough to get the nickname “beetroot” at work. The ozone layer’s so thin here that even when it’s cloudy you can get burnt - must remember to “slip, slop, slap” (slip on a shirt, slop on sun block and slap on a hat…)
Had a great weekend, however. We all went up to the Bay of Plenty on Saturday morning and stayed at Tauranga. Went hiking up Mount Maunganui, swam in the hot thermal pools, parasailed in the sea and drove around lots. The...
Hurrah! I’m back designing websites! Executive Taskforce want me to stay on until March and are paying me lots of cash and letting me re-design their corporate websites. Said yes, obviously. Sue’s now on a fixed term contract which makes things a lot more “secure” and we can start saving for travelling next year. Weather’s still bonkers: the sun’s shining, it’s lovely and hot but it’s December!
Had my first pint since leaving Britain, last night. And it was Kronenbourg! Fed up with “handles”...
New Zealand’s such a great place with lots of things to see and do but it’s easy to forget that the population’s only about three million people and so things aren’t quite on the same scale as back home. A case in point was Rainbow’s End, the “largest” theme park in the country. What they neglected to tell us what that it’s also the only theme park and about as big as one of Alton Towers’ car parks. It was great to be able to walk straight on to every ride but it was hard not to laugh at the...
Saw my first Premiership football last night: missing seeing football in the papers and on TV every day, even if Arsenal are doing crap at the moment. Was at the Cavalier, our nearest pub which is a ten minute walk away. We’re bang in the middle of cafe and restaurant land but in the arse end of nowhere as far as bars and pubs are concerned. Can’t really complain, though, because Ponsonby’s quite a funky place to live and there’s an off licence at the bottom of the road.
Might be going canyoning...
Had my first full week at Executive Taskforce and it’s going well. The work’s starting to build up and I’ve been given a few mini projects to complete which suggests they want me to stay longer. I’m still hoping to get some sort of website work after Christmas, but this’ll pay the rent in the mean time.
Had another fantastic weekend: Sue took me to Rangitoto Island on Saturday for my birthday “outing”. It’s a dormant volcano on the other side of the harbour and the island’s made entirely of lava...
Had an excellent weekend without even stepping into (and out of) a plane. Because of the weather we had to abandon any hope of skydiving, nevertheless, we instead went jet-boating up the rapids on a river at Taupo, went paddling in hot springs and saw the exploding mud pools and geysers of Rotorua and then went on to go lugeing. The last was by far the best: a gondola takes you to the top of a big hill onto which has been carved little roads on which you ride a buggy which freewheels all the way...
Sorry I haven’t written in a while but, since I left you, the job situation’s sorted. I start at “Tempforce” tomorrow doing databases. It’s not the web work I was looking for but they’ve promised to find something more exciting when my mini-project’s up. Also encouraging is a few design companies emailing me to say that they’d like to look at me in the new year. Sue’s muscled her way in to a receptionist job working for Kiwi Dairies, I think. Money at last!
We went to Waiheke Island on Sunday, a...
Things are starting to take shape. Completed my first week of Telesales hell, found 0800 CURRIES whose curries are quite clearly worth living for, adopted a tortoise-shell kitten who is a blatant attention whore and have bought funky new trousers. The NZ Dollar is seriously crap at the moment: the national average wage is about £10,000 and because the pound is so strong, we’re like virtual kings out here. Kiwis seem to get very excited when we walk into shops and even over-priced jeans are no...
We’re now settling into the new house. It’s a bit sparse - just mattresses and the innards of rucksacs everwhere - but it’s starting to feel like home. NZ rented houses seem to be pretty much all non-furnished and, because we’re off backpacking next year, there’s not too much point in buying things we can’t take with us. Nevertheless, we’re renting a TV and sampled our first night of kiwi TV last night. Sadly, this consisted of Ainsley Harriot, Emmerdale, Corrie and Eastenders. Oh dear.
In the...
After even more wrangling with reluctant landlords, we’ve at last found a house. It’s actually a big house converted into two flats in “fashionable” Ponsonby. I’m upstairs with Sue, Helen and Joanna; downstairs is Stu, Daniel and Rich: somehow I’ve been relegated to the girly floor. It’s unfurnished so we’re going to spend this afternoon trawling the second-hand furniture shops, renting TVs and things.
Stu and Daniel have now bought a car. It’s this big silver brick with acid smiley faces on the...
Rather predictably, we didn’t get the dream house. To quote the landlord, “I’d rather wait for a few more applicants before I make up my mind.” Which translates into, “I don’t want scummy British backpackers dirtying up my ‘funky’ house. I wouldn’t rent to you lot if you were the last $500-paying tenants on the face of the Earth.” Back to square one, then. Actually, we’re going back today to put a final, $600 offer on the table to tempt him so maybe maybe.
Had my Select job agency interview...
It’s D-day today. Sue and I have both got interviews with job agencies and we also find out whether we’ve “won” our dream house. I’m actually far more nervous about the latter seeing us the other group of BUNACers who’d be waiting have been gasumped - the estate agents informed them that someone else had moved in! Which is nice.
I’m off to Enterprise in an hour who will hopefully set me up with some IT work and Sue’s going to Select. Fingers crossed.
Fifth day in NZ and everything’s less crazy. Jet lag’s getting better (although I do keep falling asleep at the pub) and we’ve started to explore Auckland. It’s a fantastic city, lots of pubs, bars, cafes, shops and things to do. The Kiwis are really friendly and helpful and we’re really enjoying ourselves.
Went to the Sky Tower on Thursday, the fourth largest towery thing in the world, apparantly. Was, indeed, quite big and the views were amazing all over Auckland. Had a few beers up their, sat...
Got to New Zealand 23 hours after leaving our Bangkok hotel and were whisked away by the NZ organisers to a volcano overlooking Auckland. Knackered. Were forced out to drink ourselves awake (this was apparantly the best cure for jet lag) in a backpackers bar. Sue came second (marginally…) in a pool competition and amazed the Kiwi regulars.
Had our orientation today and are making our plans for the rest of our stay in NZ. Different people are going off doing different things and there’s lots to...
(Writing this in NZ…) Arrived in Bangkok in the early hours - 26 degrees C! Had a sleep and then went on a cruise down the Klong river. Mixture of huge houses, shack houses all next door to each other. Highlight was being given bread to throw to the enormous fishes (could have been Carp?) that swam by the riverboat.
Went to a “traditional” Thai restaurant in the evening where girls did some sort of fingernail dance. Of course most were ladyboys and, predictably, Sue won our game of “guess the...
Last day at work today. Seems weird because I’ve spent nine years working here on and off and have seen so many people leave and now it’s my turn. We’re off to the Griffin in Danbury after work and we’ll doubtless have a few beers to celebrate finally getting rid of me. So, cheers to everyone at RDIU and keep in touch!
