Auckland!!

Ryan and I took the Ferry into City Center. We were staying in Devonport about 8 minutes away across the water. Did some shopping and went to the Museum. Walked through the Chinese Lantern Fest setup. Had dinner at a Chilean place, then headed out to the nightlife with Jason and we stayed out till 3am.

Sunday - had brunch with jason then met Ryan at the Big Gay Out Fest. We volunteered with the NZ AIDS Foundation then went to the concerts. After the fest ended we met the entire gang for drinks.

Monday - took a 30 min ferry to Waiheke Island. Beautiful there! We rented scooters and visited 3 vineyards. I had a little brawl with my first round-a-about. LOL. Adrenaline rush! Ha. At least I survived; and managed to ride on the left side of the road ok.

Auckland

NZ - road trip to Rotorua

So Ryan and Jason picked me up from the airport at Auckland. Had a quick dinner and then climbed Mount Victoria. The night time climbing, was um, interstingly fun. Haha. The next morning, Ryan and I rented a car and drove 4 hours to Rotorua to visit an authentic Mauri Village. We also went to the museum, then to a wildlife sanctuary, then walked barefoot and sat in hot springs created by the geothermal land all over the volcanic area. The marui village was fantastic. We met natives, had an authentic dinner cooked underground in the hot rocks and springs, and saw a village performance, followed by a night walk. Drove back to Auckland and got home
around 1 a.m.

New Zealand - Rotarua

Melbourne Part 2

Managed to see most of this great city in the past 4 days. Some of the notable areas I've walked through include: CBD, St Kilda, Fitzroy, Docklands, Prahan, South Yarra and of course Northcote where I'm staying. Food here is great, so is the architecture. Saw the Gay Pride Parade on Sunday, went to the Laneway Music fest, and to the City Museum for some good historic info on Melbourne. Been sampling the local wine here daily. Fantastic stuff. The summer weather has stayed in the 90s and sunny. No complaints from me compared to icy Chicago. Glad I got to see all my friends that live here and meet some new ones. =)

More Melbourne

Melbourne Day 3

Landed on Friday to what was the 2nd hottest day in the history of Melbourne. a scorching 114 degrees. Met Curtis at train station and we came to his place only to turn on the AC and then lose power to a 3 hour black out. Nice. Well, we slept through it, then went out for a lovely walk along the Yarra river, hit several 'underground' divey bars which were accessible only through trash filled alleys. They were quite nice once we got inside. The clubs here stamp your arms with large tattoo like seals. I'm still scrubbing on of them off a couple days later.

Saturday, the temp was a bit better. In the 90s. Managed to work out at the nearby gym, then had a nice lunch down the street and then get some shopping done. More bars and a club on the northside.

Sunday - preparing to head to the Laneway Music Fest this afternoon, then heading to Melbourne Pride afterwards. Should be fun.

Click image below to see a few pics of Melbourne at night along the Yarra River. More coming after tonite.

Melbourne

arrival

After 29 hours of travel, I've finally arrived in Melbourne. Of course we are stuck waiting for a gate. Next baggage claim and customs. I think its 104 degrees outside. I'm highly energetic since I luckily got a row to myself and got 7 hours of sleep. Although valium and red wine may have helped a little. Looking forward to the adventures.

Melbourne faces hottest week for 100 years‏

Well, I wanted a warm get away. Guess I definitely got one. Bring on the sunblock.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbourne-faces-hottest-week-for-100-years-20090126-7ppi.html

Packing and prep

The adventure begins. Packing stuff for the trip. Departure on January 28th at 3 p.m. arriving on Jan 30 in Melbourne. This time, to avoid any luggage loss dilemas, I'm splitting my packing between carry-on and check-in, taking all my valuables on board including 3 full outfits and of course, my flat iron. ;-) I'm leaving plenty of space to shop since the exchange rate is in the favor of the US Dollar.