Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Christchurch, New Zealand
I was in Christchurch for 3 nights and I was still deciding on what to do and where to go when I was on the flight there. When we were on our descend, I saw the Southern Alps from the air and I couldn't believe my eyes. It looked so fake because it's so unbelievably beautiful. I had decided then that I needed see Mount Cook and the Southern Alps from a closer range.
Facts:
Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. It is a popular tourist destination as well a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki/Mt Cook consists of three summits lying slightly south and east of the main divide, the Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the west.
Just look at how beautiful it is. I just don't know how to further describe it. Just beyond words. I did more research on it and found out that a day tour will cost me around NZD280 with sight seeing stops on the way. Being a China man, I did more research and found out it will be way cheaper to rent a car and go for a road trip. It was awesome since I always liked road trips. My boss and three other colleagues were also interested and we set out the next morning. Unfortunately, the only car available from the car rental was a Ford Territory Ghia because we didn't make any reservation.
I was not that happy in the beginning because I had to do all the driving, and next thing I want is a big ass heavy slow coach SUV that is not stable on windy roads. But it was a blessing in disguise. This tame looking SUV has a 4.0L straight 6 engine in its snout driving 258bhp and 383Nm of torque to all 4 wheels. It has cruise control and 6 speed sequential transmission. The cruise control came in very hand especially when we had to do 50km/h when we pass through some small towns. Thrust me, it's not easy doing it manually with your right foot. It was almost brand new with only 11608km on itss mileage. It was a comfortable ride and overtaking was a brisk.
If this sounds like a wolf in sheep's clothing, Ford has a turbo version that churns out 332bhp and 480Nm of torque. Yes, believe it. The only complaint I have about the car was this black nipple look-alike thing that is actually the side mirror adjustment switch. It's an innovative design but it was distracting. It felt like there was a pile of shit on my door panel all the time.
Alright, enough about the car. This is the route we took.
We stopped by in Geraldine after about 90 minutes drive, where we had some brunch, and then on, we could see the Alps closing in nearer. There was nothing much along the way except endless green farms, sheep and cows. The scenery was great but too bad I couldn't take any pictures while driving, especially when my boss was sitting next to me. After another 30 minutes of drive, we arrived at Lake Tekapo.
The lake was so blue with the Alps setting the background. We stopped by to take some pictures and moved on. We soon arrived at another lake, Lake Pukaki. Since we were near Twizel - the town of trees, the scenery changed slightly, for the better that is.
This was my favourite view. The green trees, the blue lake and sky with the amazing view of the alps. I just passed my camera to the back and asked my colleagues to randomly snap some pictures for me.
The road got more windy as we near the alps, but I had had nothing to complaint and just enjoyed the scenery.
We finally arrived at the Aoraki/ Mount Cook National Park at about 2pm. We went straight to the cafe for some lunch as everyone was hungry. There was also a hotel, some private residence and a school there.
Private Residence
Hermitage Hotel
View from Cafe
After lunch, we decided to take a small hike up to the Tasman Lake where we could see the iceberg.
It was a pity we didn't have much time to spare here. We could have done a 2 hour hike up the alps where we could see the Glacier of Mount Cook up close. We headed back after to Christchurch after that on stopping by at Geraldine again for dinner.NEXT UP: Milan, Italy.
Facts:Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. It lies in the Southern Alps, the mountain range which runs the length of the South Island. It is a popular tourist destination as well a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Aoraki/Mt Cook consists of three summits lying slightly south and east of the main divide, the Low Peak, Middle Peak and High Peak, with the Tasman Glacier to the east and the Hooker Glacier to the west.
Just look at how beautiful it is. I just don't know how to further describe it. Just beyond words. I did more research on it and found out that a day tour will cost me around NZD280 with sight seeing stops on the way. Being a China man, I did more research and found out it will be way cheaper to rent a car and go for a road trip. It was awesome since I always liked road trips. My boss and three other colleagues were also interested and we set out the next morning. Unfortunately, the only car available from the car rental was a Ford Territory Ghia because we didn't make any reservation.
I was not that happy in the beginning because I had to do all the driving, and next thing I want is a big ass heavy slow coach SUV that is not stable on windy roads. But it was a blessing in disguise. This tame looking SUV has a 4.0L straight 6 engine in its snout driving 258bhp and 383Nm of torque to all 4 wheels. It has cruise control and 6 speed sequential transmission. The cruise control came in very hand especially when we had to do 50km/h when we pass through some small towns. Thrust me, it's not easy doing it manually with your right foot. It was almost brand new with only 11608km on itss mileage. It was a comfortable ride and overtaking was a brisk.
If this sounds like a wolf in sheep's clothing, Ford has a turbo version that churns out 332bhp and 480Nm of torque. Yes, believe it. The only complaint I have about the car was this black nipple look-alike thing that is actually the side mirror adjustment switch. It's an innovative design but it was distracting. It felt like there was a pile of shit on my door panel all the time.
Alright, enough about the car. This is the route we took.
We stopped by in Geraldine after about 90 minutes drive, where we had some brunch, and then on, we could see the Alps closing in nearer. There was nothing much along the way except endless green farms, sheep and cows. The scenery was great but too bad I couldn't take any pictures while driving, especially when my boss was sitting next to me. After another 30 minutes of drive, we arrived at Lake Tekapo.
The lake was so blue with the Alps setting the background. We stopped by to take some pictures and moved on. We soon arrived at another lake, Lake Pukaki. Since we were near Twizel - the town of trees, the scenery changed slightly, for the better that is.
This was my favourite view. The green trees, the blue lake and sky with the amazing view of the alps. I just passed my camera to the back and asked my colleagues to randomly snap some pictures for me.
The road got more windy as we near the alps, but I had had nothing to complaint and just enjoyed the scenery.
We finally arrived at the Aoraki/ Mount Cook National Park at about 2pm. We went straight to the cafe for some lunch as everyone was hungry. There was also a hotel, some private residence and a school there. Private Residence
Hermitage Hotel
View from CafeAfter lunch, we decided to take a small hike up to the Tasman Lake where we could see the iceberg.
Tasman Lake freezes up during winter and since it's summer now, it's melting down leaving behind the icebergs. On the way up, the scenery got even better and I started to understand why some of the footage of Lord of the Rings were shot here.
Now here's the exciting part. Everyone thinks that icebergs were going to be large chunks of ice floating in the lake, but because of the dust and earth that settled on the frozen lake during winter, it looks like this.
It was a pity we didn't have much time to spare here. We could have done a 2 hour hike up the alps where we could see the Glacier of Mount Cook up close. We headed back after to Christchurch after that on stopping by at Geraldine again for dinner.After writing this entry, I realised we didn't actually do much for this road trip other than just sight-seeing. But I can ensure you that it was well worth it. Till today, looking at the pictures I took, I still think the scenery looks fake. Why? Because it was UNBELIEVABLE.
Price for this road trip (car, petrol, brunch, lunch and dinner) = NZD90
Total distance covered = 704km
Time spent = PRICELESS
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Melbourne
I was in Melbourne a few weeks ago. It was my first time in Melbourne, the last city in Australia that I've not visited. It looks similar to Sydney to me, with the addition of security guards everywhere after sunset, even McDonald's and Hungry Jacks.
In the morning, I took a 20 minute walk to Queen Victoria Market. It's where the locals buy their groceries and where tourist see the 125 year old market.
Even the Power Rangers and some Camels were here.
Facts:
Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne is a historic landmark, a tourist attraction and an institution for Melburnians. This vast, vibrant centre of trade and commerce was officially opened on 20 March, 1878 and has served consumers' needs for more than 125 years. Spread over 7 hectares, it's the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. Almost one thousand traders sell everything from exotic Australian fruit and vegetables and local and imported gourmet foods, meat, fish and poultry, to hardware, manchester, clothing and authentic Australian artifacts and souvenirs.
Into this...
Unfortunately, it only looks good in the photo. The steak was tough and the scallops tasted like it was frozen. I came to the conclusion that it's the cook's fault because the only thing that tasted great was the oysters, that didn't require any cooking.
NEXT UP: Christchurch, New Zealand.
In the morning, I took a 20 minute walk to Queen Victoria Market. It's where the locals buy their groceries and where tourist see the 125 year old market.
Even the Power Rangers and some Camels were here.
Facts:Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne is a historic landmark, a tourist attraction and an institution for Melburnians. This vast, vibrant centre of trade and commerce was officially opened on 20 March, 1878 and has served consumers' needs for more than 125 years. Spread over 7 hectares, it's the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. Almost one thousand traders sell everything from exotic Australian fruit and vegetables and local and imported gourmet foods, meat, fish and poultry, to hardware, manchester, clothing and authentic Australian artifacts and souvenirs.
It looked like any other market that I go to with my mother in Malaysia minus the foreigners. There are a lot of Chinese and unhappy 'aunties' around. I thought I have wasted my 20 minute walk to some place I am very familiar with, but as I walked further, I realised I was wrong.
We don't see sheep and cow skin sold in markets in Malaysia. And know what's the best thing? They sell wine in Queen Victoria Market too.
I went to buy a dozen of oysters, some scallops, mushroom, and two thick slabs of porterhouse steak, chuck it into my cooler box and flew it back over 3402 miles, and turned this...
Into this...Unfortunately, it only looks good in the photo. The steak was tough and the scallops tasted like it was frozen. I came to the conclusion that it's the cook's fault because the only thing that tasted great was the oysters, that didn't require any cooking.
NEXT UP: Christchurch, New Zealand.
Introduction
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, Welcome to my blog. The intention of this blog is to share my time and experience around the world with my family and friends back home whom I hardly meet. Hopefully, the photos in this blog will set a better picture compared to what I explain to them through the phone. Of course, I am also happy to share my experience with everyone who is interested. With the start of this blog, hopefully I'll learn more about writing, photography and 'photoshopping'. Comments and feedback are always welcomed, but for those of you who knows what I do for a living, please do not comment on my work in specific, and more importantly, my employer and my colleagues especially those of the opposite sex. For the rest of you, you just need to know I don't do anything against the law for a living. Thank you for your time and support.
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