I mentioned in another entry about staying in River Valley the other night but there were a few important things I left out of it. First of all, I gained a greater appreciation for how ridiculous I looked flapping my arms and legs at 10,000 feet when a bunch of us watched my skydive DVD on the lodge's big screen. Second, I have to add how incredible it was to relax in a hot tub at the foot of some of the North Island's most lush greenery.

Ok, that's obviously not what I wanted the point of this writing to be but I'm just not sure how to convey what it was like whitewater rafting about 12 km down the Rangitikei, one of New Zealand's most intense rivers. I set out with a few other brave souls from the lodge early yesterday in the morning for the river's Grade 5 rapids, the most intense level of rapids rafters will take novices (or tourists) out on. I feel like I've exhausted all of the original vocabulary I could possibly use to describe my adventures so I'm afraid I have to drift on over to clichéd territory. It was fun. I had a great time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Seriously, the trip was awesome. It took a little over two hours, since we stopped every so often to practice safety drills and take quick dips in the water. I was determined to finish my swing around the North Island with a bang and I'm confident I succeeded.

Most of us on the tour bus went our separate ways this morning in Wellington. I unfortunately didn't have much time to enjoy New Zealand's capital city but if I ever come back here, I would undoubtedly start in Wellington and head down across the South Island. It's back up to Auckland for me in the morning and then to the airport in the afternoon. I'm not going to get emotional, since I've definitely done enough of that, but it's strange to think that my next entries and episode will be done 10,000 miles away. The trip home will be long but that's ok... it will have been completely worth it. I'm going to try to get some photos uploaded tomorrow but, if not then, definitely at some point during the week.

I've got eight minutes left on my machine here so, as usual, I'm going to try and stall. I could say more about this hostel! Nah, that's OK, anyone with an interest in backpacking or student traveling knows what they are like and would probably agree with me that they are the best way to go while abroad. I'm wondering now if we have facilities like these in the US. Obviously, I wouldn't have any reason to know about that but I'm sure we do. It's sad for me to think about the fact now that, for the past five months, I've been enjoying this crazy and international lifestyle. I wish the US were a little bit more like Europe or maybe like here with currency exchanges everywhere and this atmosphere that screams, "Welcome to our country!" I suppose I'll have to get to work on that, won't I?

P.S. If you're interested, please remind me to post what it was like visiting a small town called Bulls. More on that later!

Posted by Jason at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Got a few questions for all of you: first of all, do you think it's possible to, after being only one of two Americans traveling with a group for a week, to leave a country with a funny accent? One of the best parts of just being with this group, I'd have to say, has been the chance to learn about the different accents around England. It was also priceless to hear a guy from London tell me I have an accent. I swear practicing my wuhlds and Uh-strail-yahs will never get old.

There was also some news today about the JYA cast's upcoming interviews on MSNBC. I need to devise a basic outline of what I'm going to say and, while I have a few ideas, I am seriously worried about getting carried away and coming off as a crazed lunatic on live, national television. I've had more than enough experience with lukewarm reactions to my being an American and so I'm really excited about the opportunity to share them with probably as large of an American audience as I'll ever have. I'm glad that I've found something I'm passionate about, the importance of international travel, and how crucial I think it is for Americans to get out there and change what the world thinks of us. I'm not sure, though, what the best way to convey this on television is and so, if anyone has any suggestions for me, I'd be more than happy to hear them.

Posted by Jason at 08:33 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Sitting at dinner tonight, I couldn't help but think of more things I've done this week to include in my blog. One of them is quite unusual and I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. Raise your hand if you've ever heard of zorbing. I originally saw it on a Discovery Channel special about New Zealand and I'm sure my first thought must have been that it was just another stupid thing for tourists to blow their money on. The zorb is unique to New Zealand: it's a large, rubber ball you can climb inside of and either roll down a zig-zagged course or straight down a steep hill. You can choose to be harnessed inside of it and roll with the zorb or even have the inside filled with a few inches of water and turn the trip down hill into a giant slip-and-slide.

I was hesitant about agreeing to this at first: it seemed like a dumb idea to pay just to roll down a stupid hill and I was worried about getting sick inside this wet tumble dryer and ruining the ride for everyone. Not surprisingly, I caved and submitted to the common traveler's mantra of "I might as well give these people my money since when I will ever be here again?" The guy in charge basically threw a bunch of us in the back of a beat up truck and drove us to the top of a fairly steep hill. Dressed in some very cool-looking and futuristic wetsuits, we climbed inside of what resembled a large hamster wheel and began probably the strangest downhill trip I'll have the pleasure of experiencing.

I had completely forgotten about zorbing until we arrived in Rotorua. It really is amazing all of the strange and sometimes expensive things you can do while you're traveling. For every free public hot springs park or rabbit shearing shed (both of which I've visited in New Zealand), there is a tour of some facility you never thought you were interested in seeing. In Thailand, our tour included unnecessary stops in jewelry and silk factories, in addition to several very necessary stops at 7-Eleven and a couple of absolutely beautiful waterfalls.

I've been away since July and it still amazes me all of the fantastic, commercial, scenic, and sheerly unique things there are to do when you travel. Two nights ago, our group stayed in a gorgeous lodge on the water at the foot of a very green valley called, not ironically, the River Valley Lodge. What's great about traveling across places like Australia and New Zealand is their accessibility. There is no shortage of inexpensive and well-maintained lodges, motels, and hostels to stay at. River Valley, for example, provided internet access, a kitchen, a rustic lounge with a big screen, and even a barbecue dinner to anyone who was willing to make the trek down to its grounds. I'm convinced, also, that hostels are the absolute best place in the world to meet people. I haven't been anywhere else where you could be as comfortable about sharing a bunk bed with a person from Holland as you would be a hostel, especially in New Zealand. The hostel we stayed in at Whitianga at the beginning of the week felt more like a couple's home than just a place to stay the night. One of the owners cooked spaghetti bolognese for all of us and even shared her ample collection of women's fashion magazines to those of us with nothing better to read. What a deal...

Posted by Jason at 08:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

I just sat down at this computer with a pile of papers in front of me thinking that one of them would be my itinerary from this week. Unfortunately, that paper is MIA and this trip has been so jam-packed with stuff that I'm afraid I'll forget to include some of the awesome things I've seen or done during my short stay in New Zealand.

I think I left off my last entry in Rotorua, where I was a Maori chief and got to taste some of New Zealand's world-famous roast lamb for dinner. While several of the English members of my team complained the dinner wasn't "Maori enough," I loved it. Sometimes when you travel you just have to grin and bear things and I would definitely recommend Rotorua to anyone planning to travel here. The Maoris are an integral part of New Zealand's history and it's important to at least acquaint yourself with the nation's history if you're going to get the best possible appreciation for everything Kiwi country has to offer.

From Rotorua, I headed north to Taupo (I think). I'm actually in Taupo again today as I joined a different bus headed back to Auckland this morning in Wellington. Now, Taupo. Um, sorry, I just need to take a deep breath as I recount what I did in Taupo since, in the words of my driver, it was EXTREME! Ok, I'll get to the point for those of you who are dying to know what was so intense about my stop here the other day. I'll give you a hint: it involved a plane and a parachute. Stumped? Ok, I'll give you one more hint: I had never been so terrified to get on a plane in my life. (I think you catch my drift at this point...)

It occurred to me that I could actually skydive a couple of weeks ago when I caught a friend of mine's DVD of her Cairns jump back in Sydney. Of course, everyone's nervous when they jump but the heaps of people I'd spoken to who took the plunge convinced me the thrill and the personal satisfaction far outweighed any risk involved in the dive. I was also inspired by Stacey's jump, thinking that this was something I could absolutely not leave New Zealand without doing. I didn't tell my parents until after the fact although I did tell my brother and a few friends at home that I was thinking about it. After a little research, I learned that Taupo was the absolute best and least expensive spot to jump on the North Island (and possibly in the entire country.) Even though I made the appointment to jump the day before, I wasn't sure if I would go through with it more or less until I arrived at the dive center. (I also said the same thing about buying the DVD, photo, and t-shirt package but a very persuasive American working at the counter convinced me I wouldn't regret it.)

There are a million details I wish I had the time and the eloquence to relate in this entry. I wish I could just upload my entire jump DVD and share it with all the people who might not believe I actually went through with it. Jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet is not something I will probably do again. Even though I think I could do it, there are far too many adventures and more intense thrills I think I can make happen for myself. The particular spot I jumped at, also, was special since it was over Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. I also had an excellent view of Mt. Doom (again, ask a LOTR fan) and a flawlessly blue New Zealand horizon. There were a few other things that made my jump special, as well. First of all, I think my tandem practically invented the art and the science of skydiving. Now, I don't mean any disrespect but while the other jumpers had stereotypical longhaired surfer-type guys to jump with, my guy was old. He wasn't old old, but you have to figure that anyone with twenty-five years of experience in skydiving is the person you want behind you pulling that chute cord at 4,000 feet. Second, and I don't know how this happened, but my tandem, videographer and I were the first ones out of the plane. This worked out well since I wanted to be first and the fear of being sucked out of a moving plane might have been a bit worse if I had to watch someone else go before me.

I had gotten enough advice from previous jumpers and jump-hopefuls before I went that I more or less knew was I was getting myself into. The initial shock of the fall was, and I'm being completely honest here, was the only scary part of the fall itself. This lasted about three seconds, just until my tandem opened a small chute that we ride down for about 8,000 feet. I could not believe what I was witnessing or experiencing. Feeling the wetness of the clouds against my face and my cheeks ripple from what seemed to be an endless blast of cold, dry air was absolutely exhilarating. As quickly as it all happened, I never felt so free in my entire life. Every fantasy I ever had as a kid of being able to fly, every dream of being to soar over entire countries in minutes... they all came true on Wednesday. I have no problem admitting that I pretended to be Superman from the scene in the last movie where he ripped through airplane wings and safely carried everyone down onto the baseball field. People warned me also that I would be in such a state of shock after that I probably wouldn't remember the whole thing but, you know what, I couldn't possibly the forget the thrill of that freefall.

The tandem opened our larger chute at 4,000 feet and we drifted gracefully toward the ground at Taupo Airport. I was in such a state of disbelief when that pack came off my legs gave way and I fell on top of the dirt. As someone who has always, always, always erred on the side of caution, skydiving was something I needed to do. I personally don't see a problem with being scared as long as you take some efforts to conquer that fear. There are, of course, plenty of perfectly legitimate threats out there but I believe that by letting fear and worry dictate your life, you are preventing yourself from some of the best things life has to offer. I think it's fairly obvious at this point that I see this semester abroad as an excellent opportunity to work towards becoming a better version of myself. Whether it's by skydiving in New Zealand or riding elephants in Thailand or anything else, there are a million ways to test your limits and find out exactly what you're capable of doing. The hardest part is taking the plunge.

P.S. I promise pictures are coming ASAP...

Posted by Jason at 03:26 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)