I “met” Sarah Jackson back in the spring when she was preparing to embark on a three-week solo journey through Oz and was a bit weary about things. So she contacted me and I tried (tried being the operative word) to ease her fears. Well, as you can read below, things worked out swimmingly. A [...]
Sky Walking in Auckland
July 13, 2009 By 31 Comments
You thought you’d heard the last of my amazing trip to New Zealand, huh? Well, you thought wrong! There’s one final adventure I failed to rehash, perhaps because it took me until now to replay it in my mind, it scared the bejeezus out of me so. I only had 24 hours in Auckland, you [...]
It Was All Gravy Until Meningitis Came Into Play
April 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Are you tired of hearing about New Zealand yet? No? Good, because I still have a couple death-defying stunts to relay much to tell. During my brief stint there, I had this handy little media pass in my possession that entitled me to discounts at a lot of the outdoors outfitters, as well as hotels, [...]
If You Told Me to Jump Off a Bridge, I Wouldn’t Think Twice
April 26, 2009 By 40 Comments
If you’ve been following my adventures for awhile, you’re probably not at all surprised that the first thing on my list of things to do in New Zealand was bungy. I’ve gone skydiving in the Pyrenees, dropped 100 feet into a black hole in Waitomo, dove with sharks (multiple times), thought I was going to [...]
You Say Rappel, I Say Abseil*
April 13, 2009 By 20 Comments
Alternately titled: Glowworms! That right there is my boy Matt observing glowworm mucus. Speaking of, I would travel all the way to another hemisphere just to meet another San Franciscan. Ironically enough, he was the only American I met on my travels (and a humble yet high-falutin’ anesthesiologist at that), and we’re practically neighbors. But [...]
When Bad Road Trips Happen to Good People
April 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Several of you have questioned my past involvement in CouchSurfing. Is it safe? (Yes, if you’re smart about how you use it.) How do you know the people you meet won’t be psycho? (In general, “psychos” don’t join such spirited organizations. If they are indeed psychos, you go elsewhere.) Will they steal my stuff? (Now [...]
Make Like a Transparent Ball and Throw Yourself Down a Grassy Knoll
March 25, 2009 By 31 Comments
So, wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything of substance, eh? And you’re going to have to wait a bit longer for some wit and insight to the Cook Islands and New Zealand, as I’m being charged per the megabyte everywhere on the North Island (weird, huh?). But for now, do you all know [...]
Trekking Across New Zealand’s Tongariro Crossing
March 21, 2009 By 48 Comments
Like any good travel writer, I turned—where else?—to the Internet when planning my whirlwind tour of the North Island, namely to fellow bloggers and Twitter friends who have far more knowledge of New Zealand than I. And I’m glad I did—a number of fellow travelers threatened to hang me up by my toenails and sacrifice [...]
Shrimp on the Barbie
January 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
After living in Scotland, I thought I had any slang of the English language down pat. In fact, when I returned to the States, I rather pissed my mom off by answering her requests with phrases like “I can’t be arsed” (meaning, frankly I’m just too lazy), which let me tell you did not go [...]
Taking the Plunge in the Great Barrier Reef
January 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
With all this talk of licking ant butts, cicadas with urinary tract disorders, giant man-eating lizards (perhaps I exaggerate a tad bit), it would only be fitting that I tell you about my underwater follies, no? You see, my mere days in the Great Barrier Reef coincided with a time of year I hate more [...]
