Feb 8
Hoping to escape the predatory sandflies of the West Coast, we chose to drive over Arthur's pass, a well known route connecting the Tasman Sea to the rugged coastline of the Pacific. After our time in Mt. Cook, Milford sound, Queenstown, and the Haast pass, we found this pass to be a little overrated, but perhaps we've simply been spoiled.
Feb 6
We lucked out. Unit 27b, ours for 4 nights, was a corner flat with floor to ceiling windows offering commanding views of the Auckland harbor. Set at a latitude of 37degrees South, the sun casts a low light across the water, creating an ethereal feel as thunder storms moved swiftly in and out, alternating with vibrant blue skies.
Feb 4
“Come out, come out, wherever you are”, she called in a singsong whisper. I turned around to see Eilir hunched over a fallen, rotting log, knocking on its undergrowth of mushrooms with a birch stick. “Tinkerbell? Rosetta? Anybody home? You're safe to come out: it's only me, Eilir.” In the land of hobbits, elves, and orcs, there's no better place for a fairy to call home.
All of us were a little surprised by the dirty appearance of the glaciers in the Mt. Cook region. It was only later that we learned that the extremely high rate of glacier melt and recession had exposed layers upon layers of rock that gave the glaciers their dark appearance. In fact, we learned that the lakes at the base of the glaciers appeared only 30 years ago, an effect of global warming.
New Zealand is a land of inescapable beauty, where nature reigns supreme and darwinian concepts are constantly at play. From the ancient glaciers and soaring rocky peaks of the South Island to the rugged coastline, geothermal lakes, and volcanos of the North Island, New Zealand is a fitting end to our around the world adventure.
Jan 22
After months of tuk-tuks, taxis, and public transportation, we embraced the freedom of hitting the open road in a spacious SUV to drive from Adelaide back to Sydney. We mapped out our route as we went, one day at a time, but had intentions of taking in the Great Ocean Road, the (surfing) world famous Bells Beach, and Staffan's old home as an exchange student, Wollongong (aka The Gong).
Jan 16
The city of Melbourne is reputed to be the hip and artsy counter to Sydney. Although that could certainly be the case, we were not able to truly experience this due to the nature of traveling with small kids. We tried only a handful of the foodie restaurant offerings, the proposal to follow the food trucks scene was double vetoed, and the nightlife can only be left to our imaginations.
Jan 8
We celebrated New Years at the Singapore airport while standing in line at gate security. It's better than it seems: the best part about traveling on New Year's Eve is that entire planes fly unfilled, so we all had enough room to stretch out and get a good night's sleep on the 8 hour flight to Sydney. Staffan and I also took the time to reflect on 2013, extremely happy that so many of our wishes and resolutions had been fulfilled.
Dec 27
The days leading up to Christmas were filled with anticipation and excitement, as well it should be in a house with 4 and 5 year old believers. How would Santa find us? But the villa doesn't have a chimney! What if the reindeer land in the pool? We had equipped ourselves with multiple advent calendars on the iPads, force-feeding a daily dose of holiday classical music but also allowing for a daily game and virtual gift unwrapping to set the mood.
Dec 23
Bali is our vacation from our vacation. I was worried at first that a month on this small island could drive me insane, given that both Staffan and I have spent ample time here in the past and it should be obvious by now that we like to keep moving. But it is working out better than I could have imagined. We are staying mainly in villas with private pools, carefully selected based on proximity to renown surf spots.
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