Welcome to the New Year! Some very good friends hosted a fantastic party on New Year’s Eve. It’s rare that you can have fun but also share some of your soul, hopes, dreams and heartaches. Not exactly what I thought I’d be doing on New Year’s Eve, which since I left at 10 am was more than just a night!
Nathan's Insights
World Traveller: 7 Continents, 90 Countries, 871 Days Overseas
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Welcome to the New Year!
Some very good friends hosted a fantastic party on New Year’s Eve. It’s rare that you can have fun but also share some of your soul, hopes, dreams and heartaches. Not exactly what I thought I’d be doing on New Year’s Eve (which since I left at 10 am was more than just a night!).
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Well it’s taken me a while to work out how everything works but the website is now up (if you call a few pages being up!).
In the near future I’ll be adding in information about my tennis team, world trips and other important things. You never know what is going to appear. I’m doing this blog more for myself, a kind of diary that will hopefully show my a little bit more of who I am.
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Photos
I’m slowly going to post some trip reports from previous holidays so I have a record of events (and while I can still remember). First up is my Darwin work/holiday trip. Back in October 2003 I was lucky enough to get an offer from work to fly to Darwin and undertake some work presentations to leading accounting firms and locals.The week I visited (Monday 6 Oct 2003 – Sunday 12 Oct 2003) I was actually scheduled to be on leave moving into my new apartment. At late minute cancellation by my Director and I was asked to do the office a favour, in return I only had to work for the first 3 1/2 days and the next 3 1/2 days I could take as a holiday and see Darwin for the first time!!
So a free airfare in hand off I went to Darwin for the first time. The first thing about Darwin (and the top end) is how very humid is actually is, October is actually known as the suicide month. It seems to be 35 degrees every day a very humid. While in Darwin I watched Australia win a World Cup Rugby match at a local pub (great event), visited lost money at the Darwin Racetrack, went on a great harbour cruise and really just chilled out.
But first I had to provide presentations to clients and train local staff. I remember walking into Ernst & Young (accounting firm) and feeling very over dressed wearing trousers and a light short sleeve top. Shorts are the order of the day even in professional offices.
The other thing I learned quickly is people in Darwin communicate a lot differently than us East Coast people. Five minutes into my first presentation I was stopped and asked to just tell them what I meant, no spin, no word smithing, just give it straight down the line. The locals were very laid back, honest and welcoming.
It was also interesting to meet all 20 staff in our Darwin office coming from the Melbourne office of over 1,200 in one building it was very different! The fresh cheap seafood is also something to sample. The meals are very big and very tasty I not sure how the locals keep the weight off. My mum ended up joining me for a few days at the end of the trip. Anyway it was a great experience and one of the very rare times when a work trip got me effectively a free holiday. I‘ll one day try to get back and visit the National Parks.
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Back in late 1999 I set out on my first independent world trip with my best friend Jon Danaher. The trip was broken down into three parts
1) New Zealand: 11 November 1999 to 26 November 1999
2) USA: 26 November 1999 to 27 January 2000 and
3) The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: 27 January 2000 to 4 March 2000.This was a 115 day world trip mostly staying in hostels. At the time I wrote a paper journal which I have now turned into an electronic copy. The entries are the same as the hard copy except I have added a “Highlights” section at the start.
The first leg was beautiful New Zealand and my sister Kara joined Jon and myself for this leg. The thing I recall most a out this trip was the amazing beauty of New Zealand and the highly changeable weather. The Tongario National Park hike I doubt I will ever thought as we had to be ‘rescued’ by the retiree group called ‘Walking for Joy’.
The visit to a Maori village although a tourist setup was fun as was the white water rafting at Rotura (plus you never forget the smell).
World Trip 1999-2000 Facebook Photos
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New Zealand Journal EntriesDay 1 – Auckland, New Zealand. Highlights: Start of a 117 world trip covering New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom and Ireland. Shadow animals.
Day 2 – Auckland, New Zealand. Highlights: America’s Cup yachts, Ferry ride, Sky Tower, Auckland Museum.
Day 3 – Auckland & Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Highlights: Russell and Maiki (Flagstaff Hill).
Day 4 – Auckland, Cambridge, Waitomo Caves and Rotorua, New Zealand. Highlights: Glow Worms.
Day 5 – Rotorua, New Zealand. Highlights: Hot springs, Tamaki Maori Village.
Day 6 – Rotorua, New Zealand. Highlights: White water rafting.
Day 7 – Rotorua to Turangi, New Zealand. Highlights: Hot bubbling mud.
Day 8 – Turangi, New Zealand. Highlights: Tongario National Park rescue.
Day 9 – Turangi to Wellington, New Zealand. Highlights: Snow capped mountains.
Day 10 – Wellington, New Zealand. Highlights: Wellington Museum, Cable Car Ride, New Zealand Parliament.
Day 11 – Wellington to Picton to Kaikoura, New Zealand. Highlights: Ferry crossing, Scenic train journey.
Day 12 – Kaikoura, New Zealand. Highlights: Local Museum.
Day 13 – Kaikoura to Christchurch, New Zealand. Highlights: Scenic train trip.
Day 14 – Christchurch, New Zealand. Highlights: Christchurch Museum.
Day 15 – Christchurch to Auckland, New Zealand. Highlights: Standby flying.
Day 16 – Auckland to Honolulu, USA. Highlights: International flight.
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Sunday 5 March and Monday 6 March 2000
Highlights: Family hugs at the airport, Auckland Air New Zealand LoungeI guess plane trips like this make you miss home even more. Three flights, 30 hours in the air with two 3 hour stopovers in between.
I did learn something while at the Auckland Airport, my work Ansett Golden Wings let’s my an a guest into any Star Alliance airline lounge if I’m travelling with them which was all our flights, DOH! At least both Jon and me got to use the Auckland lounge and take much needed showers. Sitting in the lounge after enjoying free cereal and later free beer at 6 am local time I decided not to let Jon know we could have been doing this when stuck at all those airports 🙂
At the airport both Jon and my families meet us. It seemed like another life the last time I had seen them (well for Kara is was only 100 days earlier!). We looked like unkept, with beards and crazy hair and I much say hyper energy was about 30 minutes before the crash.
This was my first trip outside the country without my family. I left as a 25 year old and return as a 26 year old who experienced the millennium party in Times Square, who visited the birthplaces and execution sites of Kings and Queens, who experienced the land of a Shakespeare, I fell in love with Ireland, I stood in awe of the Grand Canynon and Niagara Falls, I watched a drug deal go down on the Greyhound overnight bus, visited Elvis grave, saw Mt Rushmore, I stood inside the Alamo, walked down Bourbon street and experience soul lifting jazz at its finest.
I think I have the travel bug. I don’t know when I’ll be back on the road but it’s already calling despite the happy feelings seeing you family again bring and how tired 2 days of air travel bring. I want to experience more.
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Saturday 4 March 2000
Highlights: The journey home via Los Angeles and Auckland begins.So finally on the 116th day I’m at my final day in the United Kingdom and the long journey to get home the long way via Los Angeles and Auckland on Air New Zealand.Both Jon and myself woke earlier than planned, it seems we are now looking forward to returning home. With a quick stop to buy Lana’s gift of English Chocolate and then caught the train to Heathrow Airport. Hopefully one day we will trains from the city to Melbourne International Airport.We decided to check in separately to increase our chances of getting a window seat and also maybe an empty seat next to us. I guess after 5 months together some time apart might be a good idea. Jon missed out on the desired window seat but I was luckier with both a window and a spare seat next to me. I guess my Ansett Golden Wing Membership comes in handy.This will be a huge trip home taking over 30 hours in the air plus another 2.5 hours in transit at both the Los Angeles and Auckland airports. I’ll take comfort wherever I can find it after 116. -
Friday 3 March 2000
Highlights: Harrods, Hyde ParkWe again stayed in Notting Hill but in a different hotel with a higher price and worst quality but hey the trip is almost over and I’ve seen more than enough hostels.
As today was somewhat of a rest day I tried to complete my shopping list. This started with a visit to the expensive Harrods to buy the famous Harrod’s Bear as requested by my mum and a model English Bus for my nephew Andrew.
We then visited Hyde Park which is the largest royal park in London. The park was created by Henry VIII as a hunting ground. It has been used for duels, executions and horse racing. Today the general public get to enjoy the park.
From here we walked up Oxford street looking for a soccer top for my brother in law Steve as per Lana’s request. However we discovered later you can not get then in London 😦
An hour walk back to our room to save the fare, we are very broke at this point, and a Chinese meal ended the day.
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Thursday 2 March 2000
Highlights: Christ Church Cathedral & College, Windsor CastleIn many ways this is the last day of the trip as tomorrow is a rest day in London with only shopping planned before flying out in two days.
Most of the famous Colleges in Oxford are closed to the public. We were however able to visit possibly the one Christ Church. Christ Church was founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey but after Henry VIII’s reformation of the church and murdering the Cardinal the King refunded it in 1546.
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Wednesday 1 March 2000
Highlights: Everything Shakespeare!Today we visited the William Shakespeare Properties. The most interesting was Shakespeare’s Birthplace. The cottage that he grow up in has been returned to how it looked in his day.
A museum detailing his life and events in is era bring visitors up to date. At one stage the house was converted into a bar which seems appropriate given the reputation for playwrights and actors in Shakespeare’s time. Visitors as far back as 1752 visited his birth room and signed there name on the room and windows. (more…)
Nathan's Insights 