Wednesday, June 9th. Woke up at 6am in the morning to get ready for skydiving. I don't know why but I wasn't feeling extremely excited like I thought I would.
There were four of us from the hostel that signed up to jump out of a plane at 14,000 ft.
They came to take us to the drop zone, which was in a place called the North Shore. The drive was quite long, over an hour. Everyone on the bus was really pumped. I felt quite sleepy though. I wanted to sleep a bit more that morning.
We arrived at North Shore at around 9:30am and were promptly given 10 pages of waver forms to read and sign. Printed on every page in big bold letters was a reminder that jumping out of the plane was dangerous and we would be signing our lives away. There was also a video telling us about the same thing. Apparently my travel insurance does not cover this activity. I wonder why?
Time to suit up. A short guy around my height came up to me to suit me up. He turned out to be my instructor and eventually we will be strapped together. I felt at ease when I heard that he was one of the oldest and most experienced instructor in the company.
Time to load. It was a tiny plane. There were no seats for us, just two rows of benches. That worked out better because each of us were already tied down to our instructors. I took a few motionsickness pills beforehand so that I would not repeat the kayaking incident in Sydney.
Time for lift off. It was quite loud in the plane when we were taking off. Lots of rattling sounds. Don't worry, the plane didn't fall apart. It took us about 15 minutes to get up to the right height. During that time, I was scaring the camera lady with my fake puking sounds.
Time for us to fly! We sat in the first position by the door. So I was the first one out of the plane. We inched up to the door as it began to open. It was hard to move quickly because I was attached to another person. I was a bit scared when I was starring out of the plane. The jump happened really quicky. One second we were in the plane, then boom, we were flying in the air. I was a bit frighten the moment we lept out of the plane. That lasted about 5 seconds. Then I was calm.
Air time. We were in free fall for about 60 seconds. I forgot to scream when we lept out of the plane but I made up for it during the free fall. Ouch, my throat. We were falling so quickly, it was difficult to breathe at certain times and I had to force myself to do so. After a while at free fall, about 30 seconds, the view was still the same as when we jumped out of the plane. It was hard to tell that we were getting closer and closer to the ground. But I could feel that we were falling really fast because the skin on my face was being pulled really hard by the wind. I later found a small bruise on the side of my cheeks.
Parachute time. When it was time to pull the chute, I expected a forceful tug for the transition. Surprisingly, that didn't happen. It felt like a gradual slow down in speed. We were up there for another 5 minutes.
In the evening, Chris came to pick me up and we went to Coconut Island. This is a private island, solely used for marine biology research. This was also where Ingrid was based. I cooked them a beef stir fry dinner to thank them for their generosity.
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Manoa Falls
Tuesday, June 8th. Early morning start, met my hiking partner Jonathan at 8am and was ready to go. Two buses and an hour later, we got to an area close to the base of the trail. It took another 15 minutes to walk to the start of the hike.
When we started the hike, the sky was blue and beautiful. It was nice and sunny until we entered the tropical forest. There was a down pour moments after we walked into the forest. It was like walking into the showers, we were drenched within minutes. However the rain felt great. The temperature was quite hot so the water made it refreshing and pleasent.
There were many tourists on this trail. We quicken our pace a few times to pass them. It felt good to pass so many people that were huffing and puffing away. Surprisingly, this trail was really easy for us.
We made it to Manoa Falls in about 15 minutes. I couldn't believe how short it was. I was hoping that there would be more to it.
After we made it out, I noticed that my legs turned into a pinapple! The Mosquitos did a major number on me. My poor legs will be really swollen for the next few days.
We waited a while for the bus to come but it never did. So I decided to try my luck at hitchhiking. Eventhough we were both a bit dirty with mud on us, I stuck my thumb out anyways. We were quite lucky because the third car stopped for us.
It took us just 15 minutes to get back to the hostel. I decided to take an afternoon nap.
After the nap and lunch, I went body surfing at the beach with two German guys from the hostel. It wasn't nearly as good as Bondi Beach. There were too many rocks in the water and it was easy to get your foot cut open.
For dinner, I organized a feast at KFC. I managed to gather a group of people from the hostel to share a bucket of chicken. Yummy!
Next, I found a few people to go skydiving with. We have booked our jump for tomorrow. How exciting! :)
When we started the hike, the sky was blue and beautiful. It was nice and sunny until we entered the tropical forest. There was a down pour moments after we walked into the forest. It was like walking into the showers, we were drenched within minutes. However the rain felt great. The temperature was quite hot so the water made it refreshing and pleasent.
There were many tourists on this trail. We quicken our pace a few times to pass them. It felt good to pass so many people that were huffing and puffing away. Surprisingly, this trail was really easy for us.
We made it to Manoa Falls in about 15 minutes. I couldn't believe how short it was. I was hoping that there would be more to it.
After we made it out, I noticed that my legs turned into a pinapple! The Mosquitos did a major number on me. My poor legs will be really swollen for the next few days.
We waited a while for the bus to come but it never did. So I decided to try my luck at hitchhiking. Eventhough we were both a bit dirty with mud on us, I stuck my thumb out anyways. We were quite lucky because the third car stopped for us.
It took us just 15 minutes to get back to the hostel. I decided to take an afternoon nap.
After the nap and lunch, I went body surfing at the beach with two German guys from the hostel. It wasn't nearly as good as Bondi Beach. There were too many rocks in the water and it was easy to get your foot cut open.
For dinner, I organized a feast at KFC. I managed to gather a group of people from the hostel to share a bucket of chicken. Yummy!
Next, I found a few people to go skydiving with. We have booked our jump for tomorrow. How exciting! :)
Sunday, 6 June 2010
My first sailing experience
Sunday, June 6th. My couchsurfing host left me a few contact numbers of his friends. That was how I met Tim yesterday. Tim works with sailboats and dives for a living. He invited me to stay in his boat and go sailing with him today. So I packed my bags and checked out of the hostel.
I didn't want to go sailing alone so I brought along Kate, the girl I hiked with, and Kat, my roommate in Bondi YHA that I bumped into at the hostel 5 minutes before getting picked up. Meeting Kat in Hawaii was totally unexpected.
The plan was to sail from the marina near the airport to the marina in Waikiki. Tim said the trip would take 2hrs so that was what I told the girls.
When we arrived at the marina, Tim's ex show up and it was an interesting 10 minutes while we loaded some stuff onto the boat. I don't get out enough, it was like watching a Jerry Springer show live. I've never heard so much yelling in my life!
To get away from the situation, we pushed off without a working motor and have yet to set the sail. Somehow, the ex jumped on board and then got pushed off the boat. I wouldn't want to be her at that time cos the water was really gross. I was pre-occupied with something at the time so I didn't see her get pushed off but I heard the splash.
Tim managed to put the sail up quickly and docked further down the harbour. We stayed around there for another hour and got ourselves a first mate before heading off into the sea.
I got to take control of the boat for the majority of the time. I made it tip to one side and that made us go alot faster.
All was well until our sail ripped. So Tim had a really hard time trying to manouver into port. He spent almost two hours to manouver through a few floaty balls. Finally a large catemeran towed us to port. The 2hr trip some how turned into 6hrs.
Although Tim had offered me his boat for the night, I've decided against it and checked back into the hostel after the trip.
I didn't want to go sailing alone so I brought along Kate, the girl I hiked with, and Kat, my roommate in Bondi YHA that I bumped into at the hostel 5 minutes before getting picked up. Meeting Kat in Hawaii was totally unexpected.
The plan was to sail from the marina near the airport to the marina in Waikiki. Tim said the trip would take 2hrs so that was what I told the girls.
When we arrived at the marina, Tim's ex show up and it was an interesting 10 minutes while we loaded some stuff onto the boat. I don't get out enough, it was like watching a Jerry Springer show live. I've never heard so much yelling in my life!
To get away from the situation, we pushed off without a working motor and have yet to set the sail. Somehow, the ex jumped on board and then got pushed off the boat. I wouldn't want to be her at that time cos the water was really gross. I was pre-occupied with something at the time so I didn't see her get pushed off but I heard the splash.
Tim managed to put the sail up quickly and docked further down the harbour. We stayed around there for another hour and got ourselves a first mate before heading off into the sea.
I got to take control of the boat for the majority of the time. I made it tip to one side and that made us go alot faster.
All was well until our sail ripped. So Tim had a really hard time trying to manouver into port. He spent almost two hours to manouver through a few floaty balls. Finally a large catemeran towed us to port. The 2hr trip some how turned into 6hrs.
Although Tim had offered me his boat for the night, I've decided against it and checked back into the hostel after the trip.
Diamond Head
Saturday, June 5th. I'm staying in Hostel International Waikiki, a YHA hostel. I met Kate from England. She was also staying at this hostel. Today, we hiked up to Diamond Head together. We decided to do it late in the afternoon to avoid the blistering heat. But it was still really hot when we started the hike.
The hike up took only 45 minutes. It was a constant but a gradual incline. I was pouring with sweat the whole time because we were hit by the sun the entire time.
A view of Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head.
A view of the volcanic crater from the top of Diamond Head.
We hitched a ride back into town and was picked up by a couple from Pennsylvania. They dropped us off a block from our hostel. Sweet!
The hike up took only 45 minutes. It was a constant but a gradual incline. I was pouring with sweat the whole time because we were hit by the sun the entire time.
A view of Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head.
A view of the volcanic crater from the top of Diamond Head.
We hitched a ride back into town and was picked up by a couple from Pennsylvania. They dropped us off a block from our hostel. Sweet!
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Aloha Hawaii
Thursday, June 3rd. Flying to Hawaii today. We'll be departing at 11am and will arrive in the evening the day before on June 2nd. I'm travelling back in time!
OMG, the airport security when flying to USA is a pain in the ass. For the first time in my trip, I decided to check in my bag and it was not because of the weight limit. We were informed that all our carry on luggage will be searched and everyone will be patted down. Hawaii better be worth all this trouble!
I sat beside Ingrid, an English girl doing her PHD in marine biology in NZ. She traveled to Hawaii for her research work studying sponges on Coconut Island. I took my motionsickness pills so we didn't chat very much, except during meal time. She doesn't eat any food that contains wheat, so she gave them all to me.
It took over an hour to get out of security. My couchsurfing host was suppose to pick me up from the airport but I didn't see him. I thought that maybe he had left.
Ingrid came through security a few minutes later. Her friend Chris came to pick her up. Chris offered to host me for the night. It was late and they didn't want to leave me alone because they were concerned for my safety.
It turned out that my couchsurfing host had to fly out the day before for work. I didn't get the email until now. I will sort out a place to stay tomorrow.
OMG, the airport security when flying to USA is a pain in the ass. For the first time in my trip, I decided to check in my bag and it was not because of the weight limit. We were informed that all our carry on luggage will be searched and everyone will be patted down. Hawaii better be worth all this trouble!
I sat beside Ingrid, an English girl doing her PHD in marine biology in NZ. She traveled to Hawaii for her research work studying sponges on Coconut Island. I took my motionsickness pills so we didn't chat very much, except during meal time. She doesn't eat any food that contains wheat, so she gave them all to me.
It took over an hour to get out of security. My couchsurfing host was suppose to pick me up from the airport but I didn't see him. I thought that maybe he had left.
Ingrid came through security a few minutes later. Her friend Chris came to pick her up. Chris offered to host me for the night. It was late and they didn't want to leave me alone because they were concerned for my safety.
It turned out that my couchsurfing host had to fly out the day before for work. I didn't get the email until now. I will sort out a place to stay tomorrow.
Christchurch - Boring!
Wednesday, June 2nd. I stayed in Christchurch for the last few days. This place was really boring. At 7pm in the evening, the place was deserted. I didn't feel comfortable walking around in town at night.
In downtown Christchurch, a large countdown sign to the Rugby World Cup.
The Cathedral square in downtown Christchurch.
I'm flying out to Hawaii tomorrow from Auckland so today I flew to Auckland. I booked it the other day from Queenstown for only $40, flying with Pacific Blue. That was cheaper than taking the ferry across the island.
I met a nice American couple from Chicago on the shuttle bus to the airport. They were also flying out to Auckland. When we landed, we all shared a lift into the city. The American couple and I stayed at the YHA International and we scored ourselves a 4 bed dorm for the price of an 8 bed dorm. We explored the city for the remainder of the day. That meant we went to have a burger, grocery shopping and went to the library. Yup, Auckland was a really exciting place too.
The Skytower in Auckland. I think you can bungee jump from it.
In downtown Christchurch, a large countdown sign to the Rugby World Cup.
The Cathedral square in downtown Christchurch.
I'm flying out to Hawaii tomorrow from Auckland so today I flew to Auckland. I booked it the other day from Queenstown for only $40, flying with Pacific Blue. That was cheaper than taking the ferry across the island.
I met a nice American couple from Chicago on the shuttle bus to the airport. They were also flying out to Auckland. When we landed, we all shared a lift into the city. The American couple and I stayed at the YHA International and we scored ourselves a 4 bed dorm for the price of an 8 bed dorm. We explored the city for the remainder of the day. That meant we went to have a burger, grocery shopping and went to the library. Yup, Auckland was a really exciting place too.
The Skytower in Auckland. I think you can bungee jump from it.
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Hitched a ride out of Queenstown
Sunday, May 30. Last night I overheard a guy talking to reception about going to Christchurch. So I butted in and asked for a lift. Score, I've got myself a ride to Christchurch. I immediately went to the Internet cafe and booked a flight out from Christchurch to Auckland for June 2nd. Sorted, I'll be flying out from Auckland to Hawaii on June 3rd.
Today, I left for Christchurch pretty late, at 11am. A Brazillian couple gave me a lift. They were lovely to talk to... when I was awake. It was an 8hr drive and I slept for 6hrs of it. I do wake up to take photos every time we stop at lookouts though.
We stopped at this shop for some snacks. There was no one there to take our money though. It ran on the trust system, you were responsible for putting the right amount in the box. There was also a plate for change.
On our way to Christchurch, we stopped a few times to take scenic pictures.
Today, I left for Christchurch pretty late, at 11am. A Brazillian couple gave me a lift. They were lovely to talk to... when I was awake. It was an 8hr drive and I slept for 6hrs of it. I do wake up to take photos every time we stop at lookouts though.
We stopped at this shop for some snacks. There was no one there to take our money though. It ran on the trust system, you were responsible for putting the right amount in the box. There was also a plate for change.
On our way to Christchurch, we stopped a few times to take scenic pictures.
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