Last night was awesome, but I’m paying for it this morning. After breakfast, a lot of water and an aspirin I’m feeling better. I decide to go for a walk into Paihia to see what was going on. Turns out not much, it’s a really small town. However most of the tours and activities leave from here into the Bay of Islands. There is even a helicopter parked on the beach waiting to take people for rides!
Paihia Party
Out of auckland, if you want to head north, you take the State Highway 1. It’s really the only road to get you clear of the sprawl and is much like any other highway. But soon this generic road turns into a (moderately) high speed roller coaster of a road. Its sweeping curves loop around the geological features and farms. It looks uncannily like middle england except as a dream your remembering where everything is picture post card pretty and the roads ripple like a ribbon into the distance. It even lead to Snells Beach in my fantasy.
Tiha Ducati Ha!
Once again I’ve chosen a non-typically good looking bike, a Ducati Multistrada 1000DS… Its got a strange nose, much like my Versys, but I love it.
Strolling Through Sky Town
I like to learn the history of a place, but I’m not a fan of guided tours. Not so much the tour, but having to share street space with a group of tourists. I find it incredibly annoying and rude watching a group of people all taking the same photo, that you could have found on google, while a guide is trying to tell you the history of a place. People who basically walk around with their cameras in front of their faces documenting EVERYTHING aren’t actually experiencing anything more than life through a camera screen, so they may as well have stayed at home!
Bike Hunting
I’m leaving the last plane in a dream-like state. I’m glad the airport signs are big and yellow because it makes them easier to see through my sleep deprived eyes. I’ve been warned about the airport security regarding pests and fruit and mud, so I declare the dustiness of my boots to the government and they ask me to stand on a sponge…. Am I still dreaming?
Bathroom Plans
As a bloke, it’s an unwritten rule that you don’t talk to each other while in the bathroom. No one wants to be addressed whilst holding their junk. And for good reason, the automatic response is to turn and face your new friend, which you wouldn’t keep very long if you were mid flow…
New Adventures
I decided to quit my job and travel.
Its been a long time coming but ultimately it came down to realising I’m only going to be young once. And, if I don’t get out there and give myself the opportunity to star in life’s stories, I’m not going to have any to tell when I’m old!
Beautifully Balanced Ballet
Ballet – Not something I have given much thought to, till I was offered to accompany a friend. Mostly I’ve just seen the cliche tv sketches of “typical” ballet scenes; ludicrously skinny ladies in pink leotards and tootoo’s (no idea how thats spelt, but it looks like the sound of a toddler’s steam engine… ) prancing around with cartoon-strong men who take too long in the changing rooms adjusting their 2nd pair of socks…
Valencia Vistas
Instantly you know you’re somewhere different when you wake up. The air feels different and the noises outside the windows are different.
We are staying in the centre of Valencia in the 3rd storey flat of a grand old building. The decorative iron gates at the entrance give flashbacks to the days when buildings were built to show off to their neighbours, not just “provide economic housing for the masses” as is so often the case these days. I’ve grown up in London but it was a quiet suburb, not a main street. The faint smell of industry and car fumes permeates the room, not unpleasantly, enticingly. Urging me to get up and go exploring this new city. But first, we fixed a typically non-english breakfast of bread, tomatoes, jamon (cured ham), mozzarella and watermelon. I love the Mediterranean food, it is just the best, but I still had a hot cup of tea… I’m not a savage. Continue reading Valencia Vistas
Escape To Spain
Watching the minutes tick away is BORING…
5 left to go… close down computer programs (that I’ve only been staring at for the last 10 mins anyway)
3 left to go… turn off computer (I’m practiced at this sequence to know how long it takes)
2 left to go… put papers to one side & pull on jumper (basically just move stuff randomly around desk)
1 left to go… hook bag over shoulder (pre packed covertly during the last 15 mins of the day)
GO GO GO ! ! ! ! !