Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Rio de janeiro and Salvador de Bahia
I flew to Salvador from Rio after midnight of Monday and found that this is the spot! Music is everywhere here day and night from the street from the houses. The housed are colourful and a lots of art work are around. Samba, drums and capoera everywhere. Being here only two days and I love this place so much already.
Here is something I missed to write in the last post. In Rio every weekend there is street party at the place called Lapa. I went with people from my hostel both turistas and staffs. There was a group playing samba on the corner of the street and at some point they were letting turistas to hava a bush with them. I was close to them so a guy handed me a tamborim. I started playing with them and soon they realised I can play samba. After they let the other tourists go, they put me again to play with them. A lot of songs they were playing were the ones I used to play at Melsamba. So even though the arrangement was different, I could feel where the break comes and turn the tamborim. Everytime I got right with breaks, turning tamborim and changing rhythm, the other Brazilians gave me a lot of cheers. when I finish playing I got a lot of shaking hands and hugs with the other players. The staffs in my hostel kept telling me that they were very proud of me. After that I was dancing and singing along the songs I knew with other Brazilians. A guy was shouting out to his friend that I can't speak Portguese but I can play, dance and sing samba with a big excitement. I felt it is so great to be able to sing along with locals. You feel so together. Like at the Carnaval rehearsal, when the Beija Flor started playing Mangueira's old song, I was singing along with the whole crowd. that was great feel and the old ladies who were fans of mangueira and standing around me were so happy to see me singing their song with them.
Here in Salvador the Tuesdays are the day for the street party so I went out last night. At the moment I am hanging around with this Israeli girl who does capoera. Samba here is a bit different from Rio. No more familier songs for me, but very interesting to see different style. I am thinking to take a class or something. Only band I know from Salvador is Timbalada. They are very good and I have their CD at home. so I bought a ticket to walk in the block for Timbalada for the carnaval.
Chao for now.
Here is something I missed to write in the last post. In Rio every weekend there is street party at the place called Lapa. I went with people from my hostel both turistas and staffs. There was a group playing samba on the corner of the street and at some point they were letting turistas to hava a bush with them. I was close to them so a guy handed me a tamborim. I started playing with them and soon they realised I can play samba. After they let the other tourists go, they put me again to play with them. A lot of songs they were playing were the ones I used to play at Melsamba. So even though the arrangement was different, I could feel where the break comes and turn the tamborim. Everytime I got right with breaks, turning tamborim and changing rhythm, the other Brazilians gave me a lot of cheers. when I finish playing I got a lot of shaking hands and hugs with the other players. The staffs in my hostel kept telling me that they were very proud of me. After that I was dancing and singing along the songs I knew with other Brazilians. A guy was shouting out to his friend that I can't speak Portguese but I can play, dance and sing samba with a big excitement. I felt it is so great to be able to sing along with locals. You feel so together. Like at the Carnaval rehearsal, when the Beija Flor started playing Mangueira's old song, I was singing along with the whole crowd. that was great feel and the old ladies who were fans of mangueira and standing around me were so happy to see me singing their song with them.
Here in Salvador the Tuesdays are the day for the street party so I went out last night. At the moment I am hanging around with this Israeli girl who does capoera. Samba here is a bit different from Rio. No more familier songs for me, but very interesting to see different style. I am thinking to take a class or something. Only band I know from Salvador is Timbalada. They are very good and I have their CD at home. so I bought a ticket to walk in the block for Timbalada for the carnaval.
Chao for now.
Monday, 29 January 2007
Rio de Janeiro
I am leaving Rio tonight to Salvador de Bahia where I decided to spend my Carnaval time in.
The begining of my Rio time was shocking. I think I had food poisning from the seafood I had on the day before of my flight. As soon as I got to the hostel, I started feeling sick and spewed, had diarrhea and the whole night kept going to toilets. It was terrible being sick in the bank bed with shared bath room especially when you got to the new place without knowing anyone there, but the room mates were really good and they looked after me so well. It was also fortunate that it didn't happen during my flight. The toilet was very crowded then too, I can't imagine how I could survive if it occured. Anyway I couldn't eat anything and stayed in the bed for the first two days in Rio.
Now I am totally fine and had a good time. With the people who were staying hostel, we visited the favela(shanty houses area) for the community project for youth. (by the way there are some Aussie travellars staying in the hostel and twin boys from melbourne band De jah groove are here too. I saw the band earlier last year at Night cat, they are good band. )
According to the staff from our hostel, there happened a very bad and sad incident between gangs in favela and polices in 1993 in Favela. As a result of drug war a few of policemen got shot dead and the next day a group of armed officers came to the favela for revenge. As a result so many people including inocent and unarmed ones were indjured and killed in the favela. The impact of this incident was huge not only on the favela comunity but on the whole nation. Then the few young men who was publishing free papers called Afro reggae dealing with Afro Brazilian music and black issue thought they have to start something to lead the young people in favela to engage in something productive and start positive life. They formed many different workshops like recycle, dance and drumming and this band "Afro reggae" came out of the workshop. There are many other band came out afterwards too, but this is the most famous one. They now even go overseas to perform. Every week they have a gig inviting a lot of children for audience so it can also encouredge little children to follow the good positive path
of life. We saw this biggist band of the project "Afro Raggae" and that was sooooo fantastic!! I even wanted to invite them to Womad in Adelaide. They play as they dance and therir performance is full of energy. Especially I liked three drummers in front of the band dancing together and playing crazy good.
Here is the footage I updated on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avzUYs6gck4
This is just a part of it and they went even more crazy and fantastic.
When we were waiting for taxi, the children came to me with bog smile on their face and danced around as saying that they saw me dancing like that during the gig. So I danced with them. The taxi didn't come for a while so we walked down the very very steep hill with a band member and a organiser -otherwise we were not sure how safe it would be to walk down the favela. It was good to see the life in favela though. We saw the hairdresser in favela and people were everywhere just hanging around outside their house to socialise other people. I also found that the favela has got the best view in Rio! as they are high up on the hill. That was amaging view.
As I decided going to Salvador for the carnaval, I went to the rehearsal of Carnaval yesterday. Since this past weekend each samba school started the rehearsal. They do exactly same except for the costumes, mobile stage and big things to carry with them. There were one mobile stage for each school and one big statue was there and some were dressed up with costumes but not everyone in full on. but still that was enough to see the whole thing how it will happen. It took place in Sambodrome where actual carnaval happens. Studium was full of people and so hard to get in, but we were lucky to get in and kept pretty good spot too. that was most expensive seat area for the carnaval!, but it is free for the rehearsal. Even though it was a rehearsal, there were food wagons and drink bars happening. It was a very big event. Yesterday was a day for Mangueira and Beja flor. I like the both schoos, so it was really good. I had been wondering how the judges can give score for such a big parade, but when I actually saw tha parade, you can tell which school is good. As for the rehearsal, Beja flor was much better. each group was very well organised and had more variety and interesting caliography. It would be so good with all the full on costumes and more mobile stages and statues. Mangeuira finished first, and when Beija Flor's turn came, they started playing Mangueira's old song which I used to play in melsamba before they started their parade for the friendship. There were so many Mangueira's fun in the studium and it was really nice to see the whole studium singing the song together. Each school's parade can last about 1 and a half hour. It is so hot and humid here. So hard for both dancers and audience, but everybody was enjoying so much of the good time forgetting baout the heat. i thought the hardedst worker is the people who were selling the drinks. It was so crowded and it is so hard to walk around the crowd, plus just by standing there you sweat so much but these people were carrying such a big heavy box of drinks with ice on their head and selling around in the studium. Their shirts were soaked with sweat and you can see their face with running sweat as well. Anyway I had a really good time here and tonight I am flying to Salvador.
The begining of my Rio time was shocking. I think I had food poisning from the seafood I had on the day before of my flight. As soon as I got to the hostel, I started feeling sick and spewed, had diarrhea and the whole night kept going to toilets. It was terrible being sick in the bank bed with shared bath room especially when you got to the new place without knowing anyone there, but the room mates were really good and they looked after me so well. It was also fortunate that it didn't happen during my flight. The toilet was very crowded then too, I can't imagine how I could survive if it occured. Anyway I couldn't eat anything and stayed in the bed for the first two days in Rio.
Now I am totally fine and had a good time. With the people who were staying hostel, we visited the favela(shanty houses area) for the community project for youth. (by the way there are some Aussie travellars staying in the hostel and twin boys from melbourne band De jah groove are here too. I saw the band earlier last year at Night cat, they are good band. )According to the staff from our hostel, there happened a very bad and sad incident between gangs in favela and polices in 1993 in Favela. As a result of drug war a few of policemen got shot dead and the next day a group of armed officers came to the favela for revenge. As a result so many people including inocent and unarmed ones were indjured and killed in the favela. The impact of this incident was huge not only on the favela comunity but on the whole nation. Then the few young men who was publishing free papers called Afro reggae dealing with Afro Brazilian music and black issue thought they have to start something to lead the young people in favela to engage in something productive and start positive life. They formed many different workshops like recycle, dance and drumming and this band "Afro reggae" came out of the workshop. There are many other band came out afterwards too, but this is the most famous one. They now even go overseas to perform. Every week they have a gig inviting a lot of children for audience so it can also encouredge little children to follow the good positive path
of life. We saw this biggist band of the project "Afro Raggae" and that was sooooo fantastic!! I even wanted to invite them to Womad in Adelaide. They play as they dance and therir performance is full of energy. Especially I liked three drummers in front of the band dancing together and playing crazy good.Here is the footage I updated on you tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avzUYs6gck4
This is just a part of it and they went even more crazy and fantastic.
When we were waiting for taxi, the children came to me with bog smile on their face and danced around as saying that they saw me dancing like that during the gig. So I danced with them. The taxi didn't come for a while so we walked down the very very steep hill with a band member and a organiser -otherwise we were not sure how safe it would be to walk down the favela. It was good to see the life in favela though. We saw the hairdresser in favela and people were everywhere just hanging around outside their house to socialise other people. I also found that the favela has got the best view in Rio! as they are high up on the hill. That was amaging view.As I decided going to Salvador for the carnaval, I went to the rehearsal of Carnaval yesterday. Since this past weekend each samba school started the rehearsal. They do exactly same except for the costumes, mobile stage and big things to carry with them. There were one mobile stage for each school and one big statue was there and some were dressed up with costumes but not everyone in full on. but still that was enough to see the whole thing how it will happen. It took place in Sambodrome where actual carnaval happens. Studium was full of people and so hard to get in, but we were lucky to get in and kept pretty good spot too. that was most expensive seat area for the carnaval!, but it is free for the rehearsal. Even though it was a rehearsal, there were food wagons and drink bars happening. It was a very big event. Yesterday was a day for Mangueira and Beja flor. I like the both schoos, so it was really good. I had been wondering how the judges can give score for such a big parade, but when I actually saw tha parade, you can tell which school is good. As for the rehearsal, Beja flor was much better. each group was very well organised and had more variety and interesting caliography. It would be so good with all the full on costumes and more mobile stages and statues. Mangeuira finished first, and when Beija Flor's turn came, they started playing Mangueira's old song which I used to play in melsamba before they started their parade for the friendship. There were so many Mangueira's fun in the studium and it was really nice to see the whole studium singing the song together. Each school's parade can last about 1 and a half hour. It is so hot and humid here. So hard for both dancers and audience, but everybody was enjoying so much of the good time forgetting baout the heat. i thought the hardedst worker is the people who were selling the drinks. It was so crowded and it is so hard to walk around the crowd, plus just by standing there you sweat so much but these people were carrying such a big heavy box of drinks with ice on their head and selling around in the studium. Their shirts were soaked with sweat and you can see their face with running sweat as well. Anyway I had a really good time here and tonight I am flying to Salvador.
Monday, 22 January 2007
Santiago in Chile 2
Before I left Melbourne, my friend Pancho gave me the phone numbers of his brother and family friend who I met last time when I went to Chile 3 years ago, but I left the numbers at home in Australia!!
The second day in Santiago, I decided to find Daniela -Pancho´s family friend. A lots of "looking for people" in this trip. Pancho told me that she works in a mobile library near the station called Centro. I first asked someone where the station called Centro is, but the person said there is the area of Centro, but not the station. So I went to the center area of the Santiago city and find the police men and asked where the mobile library will be. The word I found in the dictionery for the mobile library is the "biblobus", but the polices didn´t get it, so I said " el bus con mucho libros -the bus with many books" and that made them even more confused. Anyway thinking all of this now, even if they know the word, they wouldn´t know where the bus would be as it is 'mobile'. At the end of long conversation they show me the nearest big book shop and told me to ask there.
Then I went to the book shop. The people there were very nice and try to think of possible places the bus would be, but the places were far to each other and looked hard to visit all of them, so I asked where the nearest big library is. I thought the mobile library must belong to some of those non-mobile libraries.
Fortunately the biggest library in the city, La biblotica National, was very close to the book shop. So I walked up there. When I got there, I realised that was the library Daniela was working three years ago!! Coz she brought me there and show me around. So I thought it could be the same library the library bus is belonging to!
I walked into one of the room and said " I am looking for my friend who is working in the mobile library. Do you know where it is?" (That´s the only things I could ask in Spanish) . They had no idea about the bus or what I am talking about. Then told me to go to other section of library. As I didn´t understand which department he was meaning, I looked for the reception, but in the reception there wasn't anyone. When I was waiting for somebody to come, the security guy came. So I asked him same question. He was listening to me very patiently and I said the girl was working here as a sudent worker three year ago. Then he called the other security guy who was working there longer and the guy said taht he might know the girl. When I was describing her to them, I realized I still had her photo in my camera, so I showed them. Yes, he rememberd her! He took me to the place where he might be able to find out her number, but looked like he wasn't allowed to get number, so he took me to another room for the guy who knows her better. In the room, one of the workers knew where she works now. Then they looked up the number and the station of the library for me. Such a nice people. The station was "Estacion Central"!!!! not 'Centro'. I remembered it wrong at first place.
I took the metro to the station and kept asking people the way to get the library till I got there but the reception girl said Daniela is working in bus and won´t come back that day and gave me her number. As they didn´t have a phone, I walked back to the station and called. She was there at the library then!!!! I just missed her in 5 min. I walked back and ta-dah!! finally met her! It was a long day, but kind of fun especially when you have the happy ending.
We hung around together and decided to go to Valparaiso together for the weekend so I changed my flight to extend my stay in Chile. Valparaiso is 1 and a half hours away from Santiago and good holiday spot. It was so busy as it was a weekend of summer. We had big feast of sea food and fun there.
We had return tickets of bus, but at the night of Sunday, when we got the bus station, the guy said there was no more bus available that day as all the bus are full already on Sunday evening. I had to leave Santiago next day to Brazil so I wanted get back to Santiago that night. Daniela said to me there is two options. -Stay another night here and go home with the first bus in the morning or hitch hiking! Without thinking I chose the hitch-hiking. This is my third time hitch-hiking but the 1st time in Latino America. I asked her if she has ever done it, she said No, but we decided to do so. Very fortunately after about 15-20min wait, we got a lift from very nice couple of Chileno and Algentina. We had a few other accidents during the trip as well, but all solved fine. It was good very memorable trip.
She doesn´t speak English and my Spanish is very very limited, but somehow we are good friends. Now I want to learn more Spanish.
The second day in Santiago, I decided to find Daniela -Pancho´s family friend. A lots of "looking for people" in this trip. Pancho told me that she works in a mobile library near the station called Centro. I first asked someone where the station called Centro is, but the person said there is the area of Centro, but not the station. So I went to the center area of the Santiago city and find the police men and asked where the mobile library will be. The word I found in the dictionery for the mobile library is the "biblobus", but the polices didn´t get it, so I said " el bus con mucho libros -the bus with many books" and that made them even more confused. Anyway thinking all of this now, even if they know the word, they wouldn´t know where the bus would be as it is 'mobile'. At the end of long conversation they show me the nearest big book shop and told me to ask there.
Then I went to the book shop. The people there were very nice and try to think of possible places the bus would be, but the places were far to each other and looked hard to visit all of them, so I asked where the nearest big library is. I thought the mobile library must belong to some of those non-mobile libraries.
Fortunately the biggest library in the city, La biblotica National, was very close to the book shop. So I walked up there. When I got there, I realised that was the library Daniela was working three years ago!! Coz she brought me there and show me around. So I thought it could be the same library the library bus is belonging to!
I walked into one of the room and said " I am looking for my friend who is working in the mobile library. Do you know where it is?" (That´s the only things I could ask in Spanish) . They had no idea about the bus or what I am talking about. Then told me to go to other section of library. As I didn´t understand which department he was meaning, I looked for the reception, but in the reception there wasn't anyone. When I was waiting for somebody to come, the security guy came. So I asked him same question. He was listening to me very patiently and I said the girl was working here as a sudent worker three year ago. Then he called the other security guy who was working there longer and the guy said taht he might know the girl. When I was describing her to them, I realized I still had her photo in my camera, so I showed them. Yes, he rememberd her! He took me to the place where he might be able to find out her number, but looked like he wasn't allowed to get number, so he took me to another room for the guy who knows her better. In the room, one of the workers knew where she works now. Then they looked up the number and the station of the library for me. Such a nice people. The station was "Estacion Central"!!!! not 'Centro'. I remembered it wrong at first place.
I took the metro to the station and kept asking people the way to get the library till I got there but the reception girl said Daniela is working in bus and won´t come back that day and gave me her number. As they didn´t have a phone, I walked back to the station and called. She was there at the library then!!!! I just missed her in 5 min. I walked back and ta-dah!! finally met her! It was a long day, but kind of fun especially when you have the happy ending.
We hung around together and decided to go to Valparaiso together for the weekend so I changed my flight to extend my stay in Chile. Valparaiso is 1 and a half hours away from Santiago and good holiday spot. It was so busy as it was a weekend of summer. We had big feast of sea food and fun there.
We had return tickets of bus, but at the night of Sunday, when we got the bus station, the guy said there was no more bus available that day as all the bus are full already on Sunday evening. I had to leave Santiago next day to Brazil so I wanted get back to Santiago that night. Daniela said to me there is two options. -Stay another night here and go home with the first bus in the morning or hitch hiking! Without thinking I chose the hitch-hiking. This is my third time hitch-hiking but the 1st time in Latino America. I asked her if she has ever done it, she said No, but we decided to do so. Very fortunately after about 15-20min wait, we got a lift from very nice couple of Chileno and Algentina. We had a few other accidents during the trip as well, but all solved fine. It was good very memorable trip.
She doesn´t speak English and my Spanish is very very limited, but somehow we are good friends. Now I want to learn more Spanish.
Santiago in Chile 1
I just have left Santiago in Chile today.
Lots of things happened and that was really good stay.
With my last stay in Santiago, I stayed with my friends family so I could experience the Chilian family life. This time I stayed at the place called Chilli Hostel. This was very very very good.
Unlike other backpackers, their beds are not the bank beds. Wide room and nice pop colour of linens. Towels are provided as well and the breakfast!!! that´s included as well, but very different from OZ BPs. When you go down to the kitchen in the morning, they make fresh orange juice for you and make toasts and serve for you. you can help yourself coffee and tea as well with nice pop coloured plates and cups. They wash those plates for you as well. Very good service. They are very nice people too and so as my room mates. The main language used here was Spanish -even between tourists -many Algentinas and many Swizas too, but it was good practice for me. I am very amazd how much I could communicate with them with my very very limited spanish. We had so much talk, laugh and fun. They were like family. very caring and I got helped a lot by those people at the hostel (both by travellars and workers) . My last day today, the guy working there even came upstairs to wake me up as I was getting late to catch the air plane. The other room mates rushed me too.
I remembered when I went back to Japan after a few years living in Australia, my friend asked me that he had heard the Australians are relaxed/lazy and if it is true. Then I said they may be so, but the Australian say that I am lazy, so I am lazier than them. Then now I am in Latin America and getting rushed even by latinos. I am maybe the most relaxed/laziest one in the world. One of my room mates who is my father´s age who cared me like mother kept screaming " Ah! Kana, impossible! impossible!"
Anyway, the hostel had a free internet too and I could read Japanse on it too. That was fantastic as a lot of paied internet cafe here couldn´t read Japanese. Actually in Chille internet was cheep. I found a few of them less than AZ$ 1 for 1 hour.
Anyway, tonight I just got in Rio and I am missing so much of Chilli hostel. The hostel here is very standard -very small room with bank bed -even three stories beds! The reception people are nice and happy -actually the boy is very cute, but the some of teh room mates I saw before,,,,I don´t know if I can like them. I miss my people in Santiago!!
Lots of things happened and that was really good stay.
With my last stay in Santiago, I stayed with my friends family so I could experience the Chilian family life. This time I stayed at the place called Chilli Hostel. This was very very very good.
Unlike other backpackers, their beds are not the bank beds. Wide room and nice pop colour of linens. Towels are provided as well and the breakfast!!! that´s included as well, but very different from OZ BPs. When you go down to the kitchen in the morning, they make fresh orange juice for you and make toasts and serve for you. you can help yourself coffee and tea as well with nice pop coloured plates and cups. They wash those plates for you as well. Very good service. They are very nice people too and so as my room mates. The main language used here was Spanish -even between tourists -many Algentinas and many Swizas too, but it was good practice for me. I am very amazd how much I could communicate with them with my very very limited spanish. We had so much talk, laugh and fun. They were like family. very caring and I got helped a lot by those people at the hostel (both by travellars and workers) . My last day today, the guy working there even came upstairs to wake me up as I was getting late to catch the air plane. The other room mates rushed me too.
I remembered when I went back to Japan after a few years living in Australia, my friend asked me that he had heard the Australians are relaxed/lazy and if it is true. Then I said they may be so, but the Australian say that I am lazy, so I am lazier than them. Then now I am in Latin America and getting rushed even by latinos. I am maybe the most relaxed/laziest one in the world. One of my room mates who is my father´s age who cared me like mother kept screaming " Ah! Kana, impossible! impossible!"
Anyway, the hostel had a free internet too and I could read Japanse on it too. That was fantastic as a lot of paied internet cafe here couldn´t read Japanese. Actually in Chille internet was cheep. I found a few of them less than AZ$ 1 for 1 hour.
Anyway, tonight I just got in Rio and I am missing so much of Chilli hostel. The hostel here is very standard -very small room with bank bed -even three stories beds! The reception people are nice and happy -actually the boy is very cute, but the some of teh room mates I saw before,,,,I don´t know if I can like them. I miss my people in Santiago!!
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
Auckland in NZ
Kia ora.
I didn´t spend 24hours in Auckland. So it was really busy.
It has been 12-3 years since I lived in NZ. I thought if I get there I would remember everything, but I found out that I hardly remembered the places and directions when I got there. However as I went around I gradually getting familiar with my memory a little bit. It was very funny feeling, like exploring somewhere you see only in your dream and checking out the places if that's the same place as I saw before. Also my memory overlapped a lot with one for Sydney. Quite a few times I was thinking of shops, buildings or streets from Sydney. Maybe I was a student in both cities and actually the main roads (Queen in Ack and George in Syd) in the cities look pretty similar. Also the both towns have a lot of Asian things (lots of Koren restaurants in Auckland and they are really yummy!) and they both have ANZ.
Auckland got such a fantastic green, though. That makes Auckland much prettier. Especially visiting there from the yellow dry land of Melbourne. Their green is very very deep and so good to see. The colour of tree reminded me the one in my hometown in Japan too.
I visited the language school where I used to attend, the cafe where I used to work and the house I used to live. The school and cafe was easy to find, but the house was a bit of trouble. I still remembered the street number and street name though after 13 years, but not the name of suburb. I didn´t have the contact number, so I just decided to go there directly depending on my memory.
I took the bus with the destination which rings a bell somehow and got off somewhere after passing a little bit familiar building and I had struggled, but finally,not I remembered the view, but I just felt something in there, the little path, so I took the path and it lead me to the right corner!
I knocked on the door and a girl came out who had been 3 years old in 12-3 years ago. That was really good and interesting to see her as a teenager. we had a good talk even she didn't remember me (but she remembered my name). I saw my name was still on the wall of their play shed which her elder brother wrote 12 years ago (maybe that's why she remembered my name), but I also found the parents separated 6 years ago. Her mum who I wanted to see the most wasn't living there any more but near-by so she contacted her mum and found out she was at work in city. so I went back to city to meet her at her work, casino.
Then I finally met her and we had lunch together (it was her shout : ) ) She looked exactly the same as 13 years ago! actually she lost her weight, and looked even better. A lots happened for our lives during the 12 years. We had so much to catch up for the short lunch time and it was good to hear that she is having a very happy life now and I think that makes her look so good too.
It was so nice to see her and I was very lucky since she had been visiting Philippines (She is a Philippine) and just came back to NZ a two days before I visited her!! I usually have a great luck during my holiday and now I feel this holiday gonna be a good one as well by this good start in my first destination : )
Anyway I did all of this plus 1 night sleep within less than 24 hours so I was very busy and tired, but very satisfied and happy. Ah! I didn't even forget to renew my Maori pendant after 13 years. Couldn't choose one, so got two -one with paua shell and one with cattle bone. I 'm so happy about them as well. My new life guards after 13 years.
I didn´t spend 24hours in Auckland. So it was really busy.
It has been 12-3 years since I lived in NZ. I thought if I get there I would remember everything, but I found out that I hardly remembered the places and directions when I got there. However as I went around I gradually getting familiar with my memory a little bit. It was very funny feeling, like exploring somewhere you see only in your dream and checking out the places if that's the same place as I saw before. Also my memory overlapped a lot with one for Sydney. Quite a few times I was thinking of shops, buildings or streets from Sydney. Maybe I was a student in both cities and actually the main roads (Queen in Ack and George in Syd) in the cities look pretty similar. Also the both towns have a lot of Asian things (lots of Koren restaurants in Auckland and they are really yummy!) and they both have ANZ.
Auckland got such a fantastic green, though. That makes Auckland much prettier. Especially visiting there from the yellow dry land of Melbourne. Their green is very very deep and so good to see. The colour of tree reminded me the one in my hometown in Japan too.
I visited the language school where I used to attend, the cafe where I used to work and the house I used to live. The school and cafe was easy to find, but the house was a bit of trouble. I still remembered the street number and street name though after 13 years, but not the name of suburb. I didn´t have the contact number, so I just decided to go there directly depending on my memory.
I took the bus with the destination which rings a bell somehow and got off somewhere after passing a little bit familiar building and I had struggled, but finally,not I remembered the view, but I just felt something in there, the little path, so I took the path and it lead me to the right corner!
I knocked on the door and a girl came out who had been 3 years old in 12-3 years ago. That was really good and interesting to see her as a teenager. we had a good talk even she didn't remember me (but she remembered my name). I saw my name was still on the wall of their play shed which her elder brother wrote 12 years ago (maybe that's why she remembered my name), but I also found the parents separated 6 years ago. Her mum who I wanted to see the most wasn't living there any more but near-by so she contacted her mum and found out she was at work in city. so I went back to city to meet her at her work, casino.
Then I finally met her and we had lunch together (it was her shout : ) ) She looked exactly the same as 13 years ago! actually she lost her weight, and looked even better. A lots happened for our lives during the 12 years. We had so much to catch up for the short lunch time and it was good to hear that she is having a very happy life now and I think that makes her look so good too.
It was so nice to see her and I was very lucky since she had been visiting Philippines (She is a Philippine) and just came back to NZ a two days before I visited her!! I usually have a great luck during my holiday and now I feel this holiday gonna be a good one as well by this good start in my first destination : )
Anyway I did all of this plus 1 night sleep within less than 24 hours so I was very busy and tired, but very satisfied and happy. Ah! I didn't even forget to renew my Maori pendant after 13 years. Couldn't choose one, so got two -one with paua shell and one with cattle bone. I 'm so happy about them as well. My new life guards after 13 years.
Saturday, 13 January 2007
English blog
I started this blog so my friends who can't read Japanese can check if I'm still alive during my holiday as well.
Can read Japanese? -> http://ameblo.jp/oedosambaloo/
Can read Japanese? -> http://ameblo.jp/oedosambaloo/
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