Last few days: Living Life on the Edge, LITERALLY.

Franz Josef Glaciers

I seriously don't know where to begin. My last few days have been the best days thus far. We were in Franz Josef a few nights ago, where there is the famous Mt. Cook and the Franz Josef Glaciers. This town is unbelievably picturesque. I feel like I'm in Vancouver: even though I've never been.... lol. I am surrounded by mountains and snowy peaks, yet it's not cold.
The room situation at this place was a bit crammed... four of us on bunk beds, but we were only there for one night. The next morning I did a 4 hour hike to the glaciers, where I learned that one square meter of the glacier weighs one tonne!

We were well equipped with hiking shoes, warm socks, a rain/wind coat and a pack, as well as a walking stick. The first hour and a half we walked though a rain forest where I was able to see waterfalls, and the views were amazing. Off came the rain coat and my sweater, and I was hiking in a tank top. The boots sucked and I ended up with big blisters, but well worth it. What was amazing to me was that as we hiked though this rainforest we were looking at the glacier to our right. We finally made it onto the glacier and I had to bundle up again as it was now chilly! We hiked for about another hour up the glacier and I got some amazing pics!
I would say that I must have climbed about 1000 stairs today. Two days later, my legs are still a little achy. This area of New Zealand is phenomenal, and Barnaby our tour manager has told us that the rest of the south island is even nicer. Can that even be possible?

Queenstown for 3 nights!

This town is the ultimate adrenaline junky town, but by far my most favourite! Our hotel is situated up a hill and it's about a 5 minute walk down to the main town. The town/village seems to be in this little valley, again surrounded by mountains, canyons, the lake. You can pretty much go crazy in this town with thrill seeking adventures. Choose from bungy jumping, jetboating, skydiving, canyon jumping, rafting, funyaks... I could go on! Some people have spent $1000+ on just excursions!

Our first night the majority of us went to the Gondola restaurant, which is at the top of a hill overlooking the whole city. Kind of reminded me of the CN tower restaurant, only it didn't rotate and the dinner was buffet! Yum.
After dinner we all made our way down to the pub for some "specials" and had a memorable night. Unfortunately, I had 3 glasses of wine, which for me is a lot, and felt absolutely horrible in the morning, where I had to get up and go sky dive. I honestly did not think I was even going to make it into the car for the company to drive us. So I said a little prayer to God and asked for the weather to be unsuitable for me today. Well, God surely answered my prayers as the winds were too strong. LOL. I had to re-schedule for the next day. Shucks.

Shotover Canyon Swing

My next excursion "Canyon Swinging" was scheduled for 1:50 p.m. and honestly, God was really taking care of me, because another guy on my tour was looking to switch times with someone and his swing wasn't till 4:00. So I happily gave up my earlier time to crawl back into bed and start to feel better.

There were 4 of us from our tour that had that time slot and as I signed my life away stating that there was a possibility I may die and couldn't sue. I thought to myself, "WTF have I gotten myself into?" I honestly would have backed out at this point, as my heart was racing faster and faster during the drive to the Canyon Swing. I will add more details about the actual dynamics of the swing but you had 11 different types of swings to choose from... they were all given a star based on the "scare" factor from 1-5, 1 being the easiest.

I decided to do the "Forward Jump"... a 2 on the "Scale of Scariness." Here is what the description said: "Standing on the edge looking down if you dare, then step, jump, fall, dive or leap any which way to begin your spectacular descent. You're free to scream, flap your arms and kick your legs as you accelerate into the canyon. Jumping off yourself is an amazing achievement."

Some other info about the Swing: 109 m high, 60 m free fall, 150kph, and a 200 m arc!

When I got there I seriously thought I was going to shit my pants and I don't think that my blood pressure medication worked very well that day. My poor heart. The crew got us harnessed in an then I had to wait for my turn. Jason jumped first. No problem. I was next. I truly could not feel my legs and the part of this thing that's the worst is the crew shits with you and scares you even more. So they started chatting to me about Canadian geography, I think maybe to calm me down, but honestly after the first 30 seconds I didn't hear a word they were saying. All I remember hearing was the guy say, "okay now take a few steps forward so that your toes are on the edge." I took the smallest possible baby steps forward and looking down was my biggest mistake. My heart was on fire and I think it jumped out of my body before I did. The next thing I heard was, "you can't look down anymore, just look straight ahead at that bird."
"Ok."
"Now, all you have to do is take a step forward."
"A step forward, where?" I replied.
From there the guy said, "take a deep breath..... and step forward."

The first few seconds of that jump.... I have never felt that feeling before. I guess the only thing I can remotely compare it to is The Drop Zone.... that moment when you are at the top and you're waiting, and you finally drop. MULTIPLY THAT MOMENT, BY 1000!! After the first few seconds, when my stomach and all my other internal organs settled back in place, the swing part was actually great. Again, the view was AMAZING. They then cranked be back up the 109 meters, and that was it!!! My legs literally felt like jello, and the adrenaline rush on this kind of stuff is unreal. Of course, I got suckered into buying the whole package...pics, DVD, so I can share with everyone when I get home--unless you saw it on Crackbook. Could you imagine if I had to have done my skydive today too? I seriously don't think I could have handled both on the same day.

Evening
Tonight we had dinner at the hotel and then the majority of us went to this bar called "5 Degrees"--it was an ice bar so we got all suited up in booties and long winter jackets... I felt like I was momentarily at home. It was -7.8 degrees when we walked in. Our drinks were served in glasses made of ice. So cool to be in there and then take everything off and be back in a skirt and t-shirt!

Skydiving

I was much smarter last night and only had one drink. Lesson learned. I woke up this morning pumped! Not nervous at all. After that canyon swing, there was no way I was going to shit my pants sky diving. For some reason I didn't find this jump as scary as the other one. Maybe it's because I didn't really have to jump out of the plane alone, but had a professional harnessed to my back--which made me feel much safer.

So we got all suited up--Skydiving suit, hat, goggles, mitts. My Tandem Master's name was Marius and he was from South Africa. We got the lowdown about what was going to happen. There were two other people jumping with us --so 3 jumpers, 3 instructors and 2 camera men... in this tiny little plane.

The instructions were pretty basic. Once we reached a flying altitude of 12,000 feet we would edge ourselves one at a time to the open aircraft.... seriously, what the hell was I thinking??????
We had to curve our bodies "like a banana" and look up when jumping out to smile to the camera man! I had to hold onto my harness "like a backpack" until I got a tap on the shoulders, which would be my indication that I could free my hands and FLY LIKE A BIRD.

When we reached the 12,000 meter mark we got word that we had to go higher because of another plane, and I actually ended up jumping from 15,000 feet. We had to circle around for about 5 minutes to let this other plane pass, which is when I started to get nervous. But Marius kept tapping my shoulder and telling me to relax!

I apparently was jumping first. I put my goggles on, and tried to remember that I had to breathe through my nose. So much to remember during this scary time! Again, the view was something out of a magazine. We flew over the mountains, which at the highest peak, were 6,000 feet. We flew over clouds and were really in a range where all I kept thinking was, "get over the first few seconds and you'll be good!"

Again, the initial few seconds was crazy as Marius kind of rocked me back and forth a few times before actually jumping out of the plane. My organs again moved around for a few seconds, but it was very different. We dropping 10,000 feet in about 60 seconds. Barnaby told us the first 25 seconds of your free fall -- your brain is starting to simply register what's happening.

Once out of the plane, I honestly felt like it was a bit of an out of body experience. It didn't even seem real. The free fall went by so quickly, and once the parachute is pulled, you skyrocket back up into the air and have about 4-5 minutes of 'soaring'.... the scenery was breathtaking.

About a minute before we landed, Marius debriefed me about how to land, because if I didn't do it properly I could break my legs. Great. Thankfully, I was able to follow his pretty simple instructions and the landing was a slide on my butt onto the grass.

It's been about 12 hours now since my jump, and I'm still kind of shaking my head. I would totally skydive again!

Day 6/7: Wellington

Jan 26, 2010
Wellington

Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand and today was a travel day. I was on the bus for 5 hours. We stopped to see Mount Victoria, but getting off the bus it was so frickin' windy that I wasn't so interested in Mt. Vicky.

Last night we all went out to a cool restaurant for dinner and drinks. Barnaby, our new tour manager, decided to start to play this game. He buys 2 shots: one for himself and one for someone else, and then that person buys 2 shots, for themselves and someone else. As he was buying me my shot, I thought, "what a grand idea for everyone to spend money--and get hammered for some." The highlight of the evening was watching Carol dance. Carol is a young Brazilian woman who is a fireball of energy. She exudes sexiness in every sense and is so much fun. Her accent and dance moves make most of the men melt, and watching her sway to the music last night was great, as she was in her own little world!

This morning I went on an ATV adventure.... and boy was it an adventure! It was about a 50 min drive to our destination. There were about 13 of us that went this morning. We geared up in waterproof pants, jacket, and boots. The guys gave us a run down on all the buttons on the ATV which I think were 350 horsepower. We had gears, which I think means that I drove "standard" for the first time today.

We first were taken through a course that ensure we all knew how to go through water, mud and ditches properly. We all "passed the test"... and the next 1 1/2 hours was pretty much rough New Zealand terrain.... forest, rivers, mud, hills, dirt roads.... a total ADRENALINE RUSH!! I think at one point I must have been on a 70 degree angle in this ditch, so much fun!!!

The driver told us today that the following movies have all been filmed in New Zealand: all of the Lord of the Ring movies, The Last Samurai, King Kong, Avatar, The Lovely Bones, and The Hobbit is currently being filmed right now. I was able to see the forest where one of the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings movie was filmed, and today we got to see a part of where King Kong was filmed.

Tonight I have to do laundry, and I think I may venture out to see Avatar. How cool is it that I will see this movie in the city it was filmed in??!!

Today is our last night on the North Island. Tomorrow morning we are on a boat making our way to the South Island, which from what I've been told is much more beautiful.

Yes, I'm finally caught up on my blogging!! It most likely won't last too long though. I hope who ever is reading this, is enjoying my adventures thus far!

Day 5/6: Taupo

Taupo

I decided not to do any day excursions today. So I pretty much chilled in Taupo, a small town on the lake. Not a whole heck of a lot to do. I think the highlight of the day was watching the peeps bungee jump a 44 m fall, which made my heart race like a maniac just watching!!!! Thank goodness I was the photographer and was not partaking in such escapades.... LOL

We went to see the famous Huka Falls today, which was amazing! Took lots of pics--as the Falls were so picturesque.

However, I have decided that I may just have to try SKYDIVING in the south Island.
I also realized today that working out makes me feel so much better if I'm having a shitty day. I went for a run along the lake today with Michelle, a girl from West Aussie. The waterfront here reminds me a lot like our Lakeshore downtown. They have black swans here!

Tonight we had a boat cruise and dinner. Most of us went and the theme was "florescent." We all went to "Dollar store" shops to pick up some things. Some went all out, while others like myself kept it tame. The Happy Hour prices were great, which most of us took full advantage of.

Day 4: Rotorua

January 23rd 2010

Sheep Sheering, Zorbing, Luging and Cultural Affair... all in one day!!

Our day started by making our way to Rotorua and getting some great information at the Agrodome, where I was able to learn about all the different kinds of sheep in New Zealand. I was able to get up close and personal with the sheep and view what it's like to sheep sheer.

Zorbing
Holy smokes!! Okay so the down low on a zorb.... It's an 11 ft high inflatable transparent sphere which you ride inside. Two feet of air protect me while I rolled down these hills in the Zorb which also had water in it! It was kind of a cross between a water slide and roller coaster but WAY COOLER!!!! It was a total adrenaline rush... needless to say my heart was pounding as i jumped into the Zydro Zorb... and all the way down. But what an experience. I don't know if the website has pics but this is it: http://www.zorb.co.nz/

Hangi and Concert
What I love about New Zealand is all the Maori culture. It's not only prevalent but so respected and talked about on the tour. This town is a hot thermal springs town.... the smell of sulphur is so strong because we are surrounded by the water. Tonight we were able to have a fantastic buffet dinner, and after dinner we watched a cultural performance, which included many of the traditional stories of how the Maori culture came to be in this area of the country, and of course, we were told the famous love story. All of the performers were direct descendants of the famous "Romeo and Juliet" of this town.

The best part of the performance was the dancing of the Haka, which was a war dance performed by the Maori men. This dance was usually done just prior to going out to the battlefield. It was loud, and scary and was meant to prepare the men physically and mentally. It was fantastic. I was also able to partake in the famous women's Maori dance called the "Poi", where we got to work with these contraptions with white spheres on the end of the string. It made me realize that I need to work on my hand-eye co-ordination! LOL

Overall, a busy day, but FANTASTIC!

Day 3: Waitomo

January 22nd 2010
GlowWorm Caves

Today was a 'travel' day. We stopped off at Auckland for an hour to grab lunch and pick up new people and then made our way to Waitomo.
I took a phenomenal 2 hour tour through the Waitomo caves today, which are 60 meters below ground. The caves are home to thousands of glow worms that hang off of the limestone. It was unbelieveable to see. Overall a great day!

Day 2: Paihia

January 21st
Kayaking Excursion

Well, all I have to say is that Kayaking is amazing!! We had a four hour which turned into a 5 hour kayak on the lake close to Paihia. The way there was a bit rough as we were going against the wind and the winds seemed to be picking up as we paddled! There were times that seemed like all the paddling I was doing got me no where! Our guide Simon took us through these mangroves, where there are these low laying trees that pretty much grow in the water. It was very cool!

The destination was a waterfall, which we finally made, and we were able to try to paddle right underneath it. It was actually a lot harder than it looked. The trip back was much faster but all of us were tired, and we let the wind take us back a good chunk of the time!

Random thoughts: The people on the Contiki tour are fairly young, but I've connected with a fabulous girl named Julie, and she happens to be in my neck of the woods... right from TO! Unfortunately, she flies back home this Sunday and won't get to see the South Island of New Zealand with us. An amazing person through and through!

Contiki Tour--Day One: Paihia

The tour started in Auckland...lol
We got on the crowded bus, with new faces. Everyone was pretty quiet and reserved. Our tour manager's name is Emo and he'll be with us for the next few days. There are 32 of us on the tour and seems like people are from all over the world: Spain, Netherlands, Australia, USA and Canada. We first stopped off at a nature reserve where we learned about some indiginous trees called Karrie trees. Useless facts, I know, but these trees were MASSIVE. Their diamater measured about 14 meters!
We made it safely to Paihia which is again, a beautiful little town. So how Contiki works is that all your hotels, transportation and some meals are paid for... but the excursions are all extra.
So, living in the moment, I signed up for two excursions.... Parasailing 1200 meters around the famous Bay of Islands and Kayaking.

There were 8 of us to go first on the Parasailing adventure. Unfortunately, the weather was really crappy. Started raining, and it was getting a little cooler. Of course when you're in water the waves were rough and the water kept splashing all over the place. I was starting to think that maybe this wasn't the best option for me. The first guys went and the winds seemed to pick up by the minute! I kept thinking to myself, "please pick up a bit more, so I don't have to go." By this time I was soaked, cold, and really didn't want this to be my first Parasailing experience. Looks like my prayers were answered because, yes indeed, the winds had gotten too strong and we had to turn around and head back to the mainland. I'm glad it worked out the way it did because when we got back, someone told us we could parasail and sea-doo in Thailand for half the price! I'm off to do some Kayaking today, and the weather thankfully is much, much better!

Auckland, New Zealand

January 17-20th
So we've been hanging out in Auckland the past few days--pre-Contiki tour. The weather is still warm but definitely not as warm as Fiji. It's been about 20-22 degrees. Auckland reminds me of a smaller, less busy version of Toronto. It has about a million people (a third of the country) and some small skyscrapers. It even has a tower that is like a little mini-CN tower!
The main street is Queen St. and we've just been walking the street and wondering all the shops and stores.
Things that are a bit different here:
1. The first night we ended up going to see the movie "Up in the air" and when you go to buy your ticket your seats are assigned to you!
2. When you are waiting to cross the street and you get your green light to "GO" you can cross the street diagonally. Now, I don't know if we have this in TO, as I'm a suburb girl, but it's fabulous! Everyone is crossing every which way, and no one seems to bump into anyone else!

Our second day in Auckland we hopped on a ferry to go to one of the little islands Waikaie across called the way. It was a half and hour walk from the ferry drop off to the small quaint town and to their famous beach. The beach again, reminded me of one of our downtown beaches, seagulls and all!

Third day in Auckland, we checked out of our hotel because our itinerary said that we started our tour in Paihia. So we thought, as it's a 4 hour ride away, we better get ourselves up there a day early. Bought tickets for the bus to get us there. About 20 min. before the bus arrived, I have no clue what possessed me to look at the itinerary again, as we were waiting at the bus station. So, there it was, in finer print, "Your tour starts in Auckland, at the Mercure Hotel." We went into "are you serious?" mode, and called right away to see if we could get our money back for the bus tickets, which we didn't. The Mercure Hotel was the hotel we had been staying in for the past 2 nights, so it was really crappy that we lost money, and we couldn't get that hotel back for our last night. We ended up finding another place, which was actually a studio! We had our own little kitchenette and a separate living space, it was great!

So much catching up to do!

Wow.... I feel like I've been lost in translation these past 5 days... where do I start??? I guess I have not written for good reason, haven't had any means of communication these past days while in Fiji.

Monday: California
Marci and I rented a car for the day, as our flight didn't leave till 9 p.m. We were able to accomplish/see a lot! We drove up the Cali coast towards Malibu. We were able to see Santa Monica and we ended up parking the car to walk through Venice Beach. It kind of reminded me of a total 'hippie' version of Miami. There was such an ecclectic group of people in this area... hippies, surfers, homeless people, tourists. The boardwalk was great... all these little shops selling trinkets and sunglasses. I think what cracked me up the most were the shops with 'walking advertisements' standing outside of them, trying to get you to go in to see a 'Pot Doctor.' I did not know that Marijuana was a legal substance in California. So I stopped, out of curiosity sake, and asked a few questions. The young girl told me that all you have to have is an 'ailment' for the doctor to write you up a prescription. Let's just say the "waiting room" chairs in all of these places seemed too full!

Tuesday: Nadi, Fiji
Well, after an 11 hour flight, I don't think there is anything better than feeling that amazing tropical air as you walk off an airplane. We landed in Fiji around 5:30 a.m. without any hotels booked. We thought we'd just go with the flow and see where it takes us.
Before I left I was so stressed over money, and my friend Carmela put it to me bluntly over coffee, "Niyla, this isn't a trip where you should be counting your pennies." Yes, I am travelling on a budget, but Carmela, you are so right... had I been counting my pennies I most likely would not have decided to spend the next 4 days on an 2 Fijian islands.....

Wednesday & Thursday: Bounty Island, Fiji
Coming onto this island didn't seem real. Actually, for anyone that saw the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks, it was filmed on one of the islands in Fiji. So Fiji on the map is just a tiny little dot, but what I didn't know was that there are about 330 islands surrounding the "dot" that is all considered Fiji too!
Bounty island we could walk the whole island in about 20 minutes. We stayed in a "Bure" which was a little house right on the beach... when we opened our door we were on sand, looking at the ocean and our own private hammock, which I pretty much lived in for 2 days!
There wasn't all that much to do besides, swim, read, snorkel, kayak, and sleep. Not a bad way to start this trip that's for sure!!

An Abundance of Emotions

T0day was rough. LOL. I kept thinking to myself, "why am I feeling so sad when I'm embarking on a trip of a lifetime?" I knew today would be hard, but not this hard... at the airport especially. What is it about airports that make good byes so difficult? A friend said that will be most difficult part of the trip... smooth sailing from here on in, when it comes to my emotions I hope! I think now that I've made it to California it will be much better. Marci and I had every intention of going to check out Hollywood tonight, but we are both zonked. The hotel is great, and we've rented a car to check out the surrounding area tomorrow.
Gratitude: I am thankful for making it safely to California, and for having people in my life who love me so much.

Family and Friends

I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. I truly believe that people come into your life "for a reason, a season, or a lifetime." Last night my family, friends and some former students celebrated my journey over dinner. These are the people whom I consider family. Although not blood related, each of them has touched my life in such a positive way. When I think of the definition of 'family,' they are it. Family supports you, loves you unconditionally, and is there for you during rough and good times. Last night was definitely a good time and I have to continually remind myself, how blessed I really am!

Going to share a quick story that compares our life to a train ride.

Life is like a train ride. We get on. We ride. We get off. We get back on and ride some more. There are accidents and there are delays. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy, while others will result in profound sorrow.

When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey. Those people are our parents.

Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them. They too, have journeys they must complete. We live on with their memories of love, affection, guidance and their ever presence.

There are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us, in turn.

These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, whom we will learn to love and cherish.

Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along.

Others will encounter many upsets, and tears on their journey. Yet still, they will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off..... some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarcely leave a sign that they ever travelled along with you or ever crossed your path....

We will sometimes be upset that some passengers whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own. Then again, there's nothing that says we can't seek them out anyway.

Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken. But that's okay, because everyone's journey will be filled with dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes. We must strive to make the best of it.

We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone.

Remember that at any moment during our journey, any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help.

We too may vacilate or hesitate, even trip.... hopefully we can count on someone being there to be supportive and understanding...

The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don't know when our last stop will come. Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop. Not even those sitting in the seat next to us.

We're all on this train ride together. Above all, we should all try to strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we each make the final stop and leave the train for the last time.

Thank you to everyone who has enriched my spirit and boarded my train!!!
xoxoxo

Whatever is Meant to be, will be.

I am still waiting to hear about my application in Uganda, and it's making me a little nervous knowing that within a few days, I won't be here if I need to send them anything else. My doctor told me a little while back, if you are meant to work in the orphanage in Uganda, that's where you'll end up. If not, then you will be somewhere where God needs you more.

I re-read a letter that a friend gave me not so long ago that said "no matter how much worry or how much strength you have to get through a stressful situation, it is going to happen the way it's supposed to. As humans we can love and have faith in one another but we can't change what our own fate is going to be... we can only live to the person we want to be and be remembered by... and have HOPE and FAITH that life will work itself out. We then need to take what we learn from those difficult times and embrace and accept that we cannot change it."

Today I have FAITH that my dad is going to be with me on this amazing journey! I have to thank him for giving me this opportunity and for giving me signs that it's okay to take risks, to leave my comfort zone, and enjoy life! Thanks Tata. Love u and miss you so much.

Prayer to Stay Open

So I'm sure there will be days when I will need to be open minded, so I don't lose my mind. My friend Marisa sent this to me and I think it will be the prayer I use for my journey!

I pray to stay open today.
Open to unrestrained energy of now.
Open to mystery and power.
Open to whatever comes.
Open to routine and surprises.
Open to moving past my first reactions.
Open to my imperfections and the divine spark that underlines them.
Open to wonder and the everyday grace of life unfolding as it does.
Open to events and circumstances that I like, and those I don't.
Open to fatigue and overflowing energy.
Open to listen and to speak.
Open to love in all the ways it manifests.
Open to give and to receive.
Open to seasons changing, priorities rearranging, nothing staying the same for very long.
Open to letting beliefs dissolve into the ether.
Open to the direct experience of truth.
Open to forgetting and remembering. Open to life and open to death.
Open to seeing old patterns and letting them go.
Open to fear and courage, ease and difficulty.
I pray to stay open.