Spaghetti on toast

Two things I've noticed right away from being here only three short days. Kiwis eat very strange food and crossing the street is VERY DANGEROUS.

First - the food. Brent and I decided to have a big breakfast yesterday. Thinking that Auckland, being an English colony, would be big on breakfast, we thought it would be a simple task. Not so. It took us the better part of an hour and a bit to find one place in the central part of Auckland (the downtown core). Their breakfast options are quite simple - which was good for Brent who just wanted a generic "big breakfast", but not so good if you like omellettes. Looking at the menu you begin to wonder what meal they are serving or what time of day it is. You can order toast or even a toasted sandwich with your choice of toppings. The first topping on the list, of course, is spaghetti. Cause what else would I want to put on toasted bread? We must be missing something in Canada. I didn't order it - but was very curious about what the excitement was.

Second - walking the streets here feels dangerous. Maybe it was tiredness the first day - but what's the reason for day 2 & 3?? Look RIGHT then LEFT. I keep saying it out loud for Brent and myself, especially after I almost stepped in front of a turning vehicle. Oh, and even when the pedestrian light is on, drivers will turn into you if they wish. It is not a very pedestrian friendly road system. Being in the downtown part of the city helps a bit, because Auckland has the pedestrian light where you can go in any direction. I feel safe there. :)

Auckland. I can't say we've spent a good amount of time in the city being 'touristy'. We have been busy planning and prepping our trip. Speaking to the DOC (which didnt' offer much help as their office was flooded out, so we must wait until we get to Hamilton), setting up our bank account, picking up the last bit of our gear, planning our routes and trying to find the right maps (impossible mission - unbeknowst to us), and downsizing our ridiculous packs. We have been reviewing our gear and getting rid of as much of it as possible. Shipping the 'extra' gear home to be tended after by my parents. (sorry mom & dad - more stuff!!) :)

We looked into renting a safety deposit box here, but the prices are ridiculous. You can get a box in Canada for under 100$. Here, the lowest we found was $337.50. So gear goes home instead of waiting for us to return in 11 months.

Our backpacks close properly now - which is a good thing, but Brent's not happy with how his weight is sitting just yet, and my pack is still too heavy. We're going to try something else tonight in hopes of finding the right solution for our needs. We start the 11month+ trecking tomorrow.

The first leg of our trip is slightly disappointing. Street walking to Hamilton - 129kms away. I think it took a toll on us emotionally. There are no tracks/trails in the area at all. No camping for a few hundred kms, and the DOC huts are only on the tracks which are in the parks and surrounding areas - again still quite far away. We thought that the Te Araroa trail would offer information between Auckland and Hamilton - but that part of the trail has not been formed yet. So we start on the streets. Not picturesque and quite rough to walk (road walking can take its toll after a while). We regroup in Hamilton and figure out our path from that point on.

This is a slight set back for us too in terms of camping. There are no options, so we're either motel'n this leg or staying in hostels (if they are available). We'll keep you posted on our achievements. :)

The flight over to Auckland was great. Brent's first time flying - and both rides were smooth. Kind of annoyed that Air Canada changed our seat from window to the middle of the plane, but Brent preferred it since it was his first flight. The AC staff were really sour. It's like they hated their jobs. Worst - we were told we would get a meal on our plane - and for 22$ we probably could have bought plastic pizzas, carrot sticks and two drinks. Ew? So Anna's candy package helped tide us over until Vancouver. We split a personal pan pizza at the airport waiting for our connection flight, then ate on the plane. It was a fight to stay awake just to eat. It was probably 2am for us (Ontario time) when we had dinner. Slept for about 5-6 hours - which is good, cause for the last two nights before the trip, there was very little sleeping to be had. Spent the rest of the time watching movies and discovering all that Air New Zealand had to offer. It was a great flight, great crew, great food (except for the pesto chicken dinner i almost ate). We had our window seats in a great location behind the Left wing. It was unfortunate that we spent all but a 1/2 hr of the flight in the dark.

We're staying at the Quadrant hotel, a hip place right near the downtown core. We flew in right after a horrible weather system hit the entire country. There is mass flooding everywhere. The northland and the east coast of the North Island have flooded roadways, saw tornadoes, and are having a hard time drying out as more rain pounds down on the country. It was rainy the first day we were here. Yesterday, the showers came and went, what I would expect from Auckland. Today, so far, clear blue skies.

We are going to do the coast to coast walk today. Hopefully we are able to find a grocery store and a binn inn to make scroggin'. At the moment, we're just trying to figure out what to do with our package to send home.

That's it for now. Day 3 in New Zealand. Not much exciting to report. (There was that crazy 80's lady that hugged us on our first dayAuckland - an action that was filmed by a small crew - maybe for some local show that we'll never see.) At the moment, Auckland is not where we want to be right now. It simply feels like a very expensive version of Toronto, with more hills and a smaller tower. We both think 3 days was too many. The ocean is beautiful, we just haven't had the time to enjoy it just yet.

Once we get on the road I think we'll both feel a lot better. And once we get past Hamilton and can start camping, we'll feel amazing!! :)

Talk to you from Hamilton.

where our feet are going

It's 6.25 am. I'll start my blog now - and end it later. You won't notice a difference, but I'll know the truth. I'm probably super tired deep down inside, but won't admit it to myself. How else do I go forward with the day?

I'm in the middle of 20 things. Brent's on his way over, my dad is finishing up the taping of my trekking poles, mom is milling around. The apartment is less chaotic to the untrained eye, but I see the heart palpitations and the upcoming forgotten things. But it truly is at that point where you can't think about it anymore.

The packing. I dozed a bit last night so I might have a stronger opinion about it today. It's a pretty daunting task. Two bags, a ton of objects, and no give. You can't eliminate just anything from your gear. Forgive the lack of before and after photographs. It was too much to do all at once. Once we're in Auckland, we'll have to sort through our bags anyway, so we can take a few snapshots then. My bedroom had three rows of items. An Alison pile, a communal gear pile, and a Brent pile. The gear pile almost went from wall to wall. My bag is only 60L, Brent's is 70L. He can carry more, so I'm hoping it all fits. Heh heh.

I didn't sleep well last night - and I do believe because this is what is swirling in my mind.

There were so many things I wanted to tell our readers about. Like the alpine parrot that can shred through your gear with its claws (and they aren't shy about trying apparently), sandflies and leishmaniasis (the narly parasite/disease they spread), one of the wettest places on Earth (the fiords (30 feet of fresh water can be found on the sea water due to the amount of precipitation) - according to National Geographic - my brother and I raided my parents' NG collection); about the UV photos we took a while ago; how we went from no worries in NZ to one very poisonous spider; remembering the flight to Hong Kong when I was younger and the looping music and wondering if they even offer in flight music options anymore; our wills - yup we have em. Time ran out this weekend. I didn't see it coming, but here we are now.

And all I want is one more night, if for nothing more then a good sleep before getting on that 20 + hour plane ride.

Add on top of that the duffle bag we have of 'extra' items and food samples that we are both carrying and shipping ahead of ourselves on this trip. Don't really want to think too much about that one yet. :) We might just spend the first three days in NZ eating it all, so we don't have to think about carrying it. I'll give you the weights later.


11.28am

I'm numb.

Brent's bag, without the trekking poles or airline tote = 54.2lbs (4 lbs overweighted)
Alison's bag, without the trekking poles or airline tote = 48.6lbs (15lbs over what I should carry)
Duffle bag (with food and extra mail ahead items) = 26.4 lbs

Ummmmm - Yeah. We packed, and repacked, took a look at our items and tried to figure out what we could do without. Everything in our bags is there for survival.

In Auckland, we will spend a good part of the second day unpacking everything and reassessing our items and see what we can mail ahead or ship back home. Seems slightly backwards - but we are definitely not in the mood to try packing these bags again.

Huge. They are gi-normous! And now we purge.

We leave for the airport shortly. We have to make a pitstop at my brother's house to store some things for the next few hours, then we're off.


That's it. Pearson International. Terminal 1. 5pm, the story begins.

We will re-write the story once we land and figure out our baggage situation.

Posting of pictures will start once we send the first shipment to Shawna in a few weeks time. I'll give you further details about photo sites then. :)




Land on the 29th. 6am. Full day already. Three nights total.


August 1st, we start walking.



Good bye Canada. See you in a year!!

infiltrating slumber

It's late night - and I'm tired once again. There is still so much to do, but it just won't get done.

We are through security in 12 hours.

Mission unpackable is currently on. I tried to get my pack to fit in everything that we need. Brent and I have yet to do this with our packs - as the remaining part of our gear was just purchased this week.

Scratch the first attempt.

Brent will be here around 6am. We'll try again then.

Last Canadian blog entry is on the way.

36 hours from security

If nothing more, this is my last day of preparation.

My parents arrived from North Bay today. Both of them are now fast asleep in my bedroom. Brent is passed out on my couch, and I sit alone surrounded by the mess that I've created - the final stretch before the big pack and big step.

The gear. Oh my goodness the gear. I've spent the better part of the evening sorting it all out. We have been purchasing, but not so much organizing. We only buy essentials - so one way or another, we have to figure out how to get it all on our backs for the trip. :)

Today was a big day. Hiked (for a very short time) with 32.6lbs (i'm over my weight expectation) - so I was happy about that. Completed all of our banking - complete with travellers cheques, cashola, and a NZ bank draft. Finishing up on all of our trip laundry. My parents have been sorting through things that are going home or to hang out with my brother for the year ahead - making sure we're ready to move things around tomorrow. Brent's been stocking up his iPod. And my mother has been stiching orange ribbon onto our airline totes so we can easily identify them at the luggage pick up area.

I am pretty tired but afraid to sleep. What if things don't get done?? Eep.

My mind is as cluttered as the floor below me. I can't organize my thoughts.

Maybe blogging tonight was a bad idea. Hmmmmm. None the less, my very tired words of the morning. It's 3am.

Time for a nap.

In 36 hours, it all starts.

5 days. Never enough time.

I'm not a fan of the humidity so much. I grew up with it in North Bay, moved to a new 'hot spot' with Toronto. I don't think New Zealand is humid. Training was difficult for us once summer started because we had to avoid the hot humid afternoons. It is not a condition we will be facing in NZ, so why train in it.

In 5 days, we fly into winter.

It's winter there right now. Not the same kind of winter that we see so much (and last winter was a dousy). Auckland probably has a winter similar to Vancouver. There is much of the country that sees snow and colder temperatures - but mainly in the south island. We wanted to travel the north island during the winter both at the beginning and at the end of our year. The north island offers milder temperatures and probably not as many (if any) avalanche warnings. The south island trails, in the winter, can either be closed off or very much 'use at your own risk'. Brent and I aren't trying to push our level of experience - so 'use at own risk' = plan an alternate objective.

We should be fine in the North Island. The area north of Auckland apparently has subtropical weather all year. We'll be doing that area at the tail end of our trip.

Yesterday.

Walked downtown as of approx 6.30am. Got back home at approx 10.30pm. Yuck. 16 hours of shopping and trip related stuff. What we brought back, does not reflect 16 hours of trip stuff.

First step - travel doctor. Brent got his Hep A booster and I got the painful Typhoid. Our nurse is so quick at giving shots because she does it all day every day. There's no warning from her. The warning is always nice to hear before that needle prick. Brent went first and his face was priceless. More shock than anything because he wasn't expecting it so quickly. The needle didn't hurt either of us. But the typhoid vaccination rolling through the needle into your muscle...that does hurt. When we visited the travel doctor 6 months ago, Brent got a Typhoid/Hep A combination needle. His arm was soar for a few days. It's the typhoid part apparently. Kind of feels like someone has punched you in the arm really hard. After now experiencing it, I would describe it as someone punching you so hard in the arm that you feel numb and unable to elevate it, or even simply use your arm even to point at something. Numb pain.

This morning - it doesn't hurt as much. If someone actually did punch it, I almost feel like the pain from yesterday will come rushing back.

We shopped a lot yesterday.

Brent bought THREE pairs of pants. Thank goodness. One of them actually fits almost perfectly in the length. The other two have to be hemmed, but he has pants. Huge sigh of relief. My happiest purchase yesterday was a pair of boardshorts. I felt like a surfer girl in them. They are my alternative to capris, as proper swiming boardshorts are quick dry and easy to clean. Ta da.

Bought som more gear. Nothing uber exciting.

Oh - actually. I bought something for Brent that he was super excited about. It's an object that if it doesn't fit, stays at home. But if there is room could make our morning tent striking so much nicer. It's a mini tent whisk and pan. All to sweep out the crap from the inside. Small. One of the few 'extra' items that we have purchased to make our lives happier.

He was really excited about that item.

Don't judge us. If you even thought about living in a tent for an entire year, you would understand why things like this are exciting.

It was a rough day for us yesterday. Each of us had little bursts of panic/stress mode. Thank goodness not at the same time. The fact that uber patient Brent is experiencing stress moments is a big deal. It almost makes me feel okay about having internal meltdowns. They come and go. Spent some time on the phone with my mom to calm the soul. :)

Today. We walk with boots. We do a big walmart shop. We visit our bank about currency. I will probablysit on the phone cancelling cards and dealing with final billing issues. We set up our external hard drive. We go out to celebrate because it's Shawna's birthday today (Brent's sister) and it's Brent's birthday tomorrow. Family time. :)

Tomorrow. Early morning hike. Final MEC shop. FINAL. Oh my goodness. We've been living at this store, and it's coming to an end. Dinner with my brother. We celebrate Brent's champagne birthday.

In three days, my parents will be here.

In five days, I'm freaking out!!!

In a week from today...

At this exact moment, we will be 3 hours from the city we call home, and 2 hours from landing in Vancouver.

All day, we've been figuring out where we'll be in a week from today.

7 days.

I can't actually express how stressed we both are. There is SO MUCH left to do, and today proved to be a very unsuccessful shopping day. Brent still doesn't have any pants he can bring to NZ. Most people don't have to nit pick every item they bring. They can pack their suitcases and not be bothered by never wearing 60% of the clothes that they brought.

We carry everything. Every ounce counts. And the materiel matters even more. Cotton - breathes but doesn't wick away moisture, sweat. And the thicker it is, the slower it dries. Quick dry clothes/synthetics is what we need. And it's not proving to be the easiest task.

I had to resort to youth clothing for pants. Have two pair of convertible pants and that might be all I get. They are the right waist, but just just just the right length (i hate that - i like a bit of length in the legs).

Tops - a whole other problem. I think I'm okay for long sleeves - but can't find any t-shirts or tank tops that will fit me properly. Brent is also finding the same problem. He's like the average guy size. So if you were like an XL, you would find everything you wanted to at MEC. Brent can't find his size ever. Unless it's a black shirt - he can ALWAYS find the black tops in his size. I feel like he is going to come out of these shopping experiences with only black tops. A bit of a frustration for us (not the fact that Brent will wear black, but the fact that throughout the months of clothing shopping - this has been a continued problem).

Settling is not an option. What we buy is our wardrobe for an entire year - unless we feel rich and purchase more items out there. But I'm not predicting that will happen.

Clothes. You can't live without them.

Tomorrow - we try again.

the final breaths

The moments before a dream is achieved are wonderful.

8 days from a dream.

I can't breathe there is so much happening in the last few days.

Yesterday, we both celebrated our last work days. That's it for an entire year.

Brent will be back at his company upon his return. He really likes it at his company. :)

I don't know what will happen to me. It was sad to end my time with the team at Decode studios. It's like a family, and I've been very fortunate to work with the people that I have met. I have met some great friends at this place - and you will all be missed. Thank you to all of you who made me feel extra special this week!! (it was sad to say good bye)

For real now, it's the final stretch before boarding that plane. We have lots of training to do, purchasing, and packing. Wish us luck. I have a feeling that this week might not be as breezy as we wanted it to be.

Canada delivers our two weeks notice

(blog started on Sunday July 13th - posted on Saturday, July 19th)

Sunday, July 13th. Two weeks to go before the whirlwind of a trip commences.

And what can I say - life has been pretty crazy these last few weeks. Hence - the postings delay. And again, despite the excitement about the new gear - today will not be the day for posting pictures. Hopefully, that will be in the next few days. Right now - I live in chaos. The furthest thing from my mind is pulling out all my gear to photograph it. There is so much at this point in time.

There has to be. We're 14 days to take off. And I still feel underprepared - but I think that's part of it.

I have been writing things down that I want to include in this blog over the last few weeks - but ever since the move last weekend - I've lost half of the lists of things that I want to post about. Once I find the other notes, I'll be posting more. Some stories will probably seem out of place next time. But I'm sure the readers will forgive me. :)

Today - China, small miraculous humans in our lives, future pets, bootin' blisters, the MEC superheroes, the moves and the aftermath.



China.

It started with an email from my dad one day: "Panda habitat devastated by quake". An article posted by the Associated Press which talked about the Wolong Nature Reserve and the extent of the damage suffered during the earthquake in May. I first heard within 5 days of the earthquake that Wolong reported no loss of life. The reporter made it sound like everything was okay when he spoke of the reserve. Which clearly was a sugar coated version of their situation. The panda reserve suffered damaging blows to their panda enclosures and did in fact lose at least one panda in the quake. They recovered some missing animals, but not all. And the truth of the matter is, the pandas have been relocated.

I had emailed a woman who posted her comments about her Wolong adventures, on a trip website that I was reading about a week before the earthquake. I wanted to hear more about her experiences and also find out how to get in touch with the Wolong hotel she spoke of (you can't find any information online!). I didn't hear back from her for a while, but her email was pretty crystal clear. She stongly advised us against trying to get to Wolong even a year from now. The truth of the matter is that Wolong was 20kms from the epicentre. The roads to Wolong from Chengdu (which had just finished construction within the last year) - are no more. The reserve is defunct and the pandas have been relocated to various other reserves. As of a month ago - the government continued to request that people stay out of the region. This might be the same story we hear until a full cleanup operation is complete. Wolong might not be back up and running for another 2-3 years at best. Another huge problem for the Chinese after the earthquake were landslides. They were definitely to blame for problems faced by Wolong, where landslides took down part of the mountain.

I remember the paving of hill sides in Hong Kong when we travelled there as a family. I was 11 years old.

Our trip to the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve, postponed.

It was such a sad day in my heart when we came to that decision. We pray for continued safety for those who are still facing the struggles of day to day life after the earthquake and pray for strength as millions of people reclaim their lives and build from scratch.

It's difficult, because I still want to travel to China to see how they are doing - to see where they could be at in a year from now. It feels like such a long time - but when you remember the devastating photographs - and the fact that the focus of a lot of China's financial resources is the Beijing Olympics this summer - I cannot phathom how much rebuilding of the Sichuan province will be achieved in a year.


Our trip. New Zealand, Vanuatu, Hong Kong, Vancouver.


One day - we'll do a big China trip (for Wolong and the Great Wall mostly). Maybe see places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan... something to aspire to.


and so we move on.



Props to the people.

Big thank yous are in order for some people on this list today. I like to make official shout outs to people who have contributed to our trip in ways that "Thank You" just doesn't quite fill the gratitude.


DOCTOR IN A BOX. A shout out to our friend Anthony.

It all started with a miraculous story in our wilderness first aid class. Our instructor, Jill Baxter, was talking about an incident involving a young teenaged girl and fire. Not a story you want to experience - but an amazing story of a product. I won't go into great detail, but this girl had been involved in a fire incident. The quick thinking staff threw a burn gel blanket on her face and body and the product somehow protected this young girl from what could have been serious 2nd and 3rd degree burns. So let's just say - 'burn gel' was something that was flagged in my first aid wish list. I figured, living in Toronto, how hard could it be to find something like this.

I visited a specialty pharmacy in the city that I thought would have the product. Online, this pharmacy carried something relating to burn gel - but you go in person - and nobody knows what you're talking about. They said their website isn't ready yet - and they don't carry everything from their website.

Helpful much?

I left with the name of a potential product - but nothing useful. Time to email Jill. She'll most likely be able to save the day. That night, I sent out an email to our instructer asking if she might be able to provide the name of the product that she was talking about in class. She did one better - she said she would forward me a sample. Amazing.

In the mail, no more then 3 days later, I get a few samples of the product. BurnAid, Burn Gel.

THANKS JILL!!!!

Great - a company name - BurnAid. The samples are great. They are pocket/individual pouches; which works out great in a kit. All that's left now is trying to find a dressing in the city. Well, Burn Aid is not a canadian product. It comes from a pharmaceutical company in Australia called Rye Pharmaceutical. An email goes out that day to the company asking for information about who they distribute to in Canada. I mention that I live in Toronto and that I am looking to purchase some burnaid burn gel dressings. I get a response in like a day from a Rye Pharm rep. Amazing. There is a company right here in Toronto. I thank the rep for their time and information and then spend some time over my lunch hour to call this Toronto based company.

I'm thinking this is amazing. This company will be able to tell me what pharmacies or stores they sell the product to. I'll go in, make the purchase, piece of cake. First aid kit extraordinaire here I come. Who has burn gel in their backpacking kits? Probably not a lot of people (camp counsellors definitely have some, but individuals might not go that far).

Anthony answers my call. If I had posted this story earlier, I would have remembered every detail of the call - it was amusing. I asked if I was calling the right company, and Anthony was very helpful and friendly on the other line. I asked him about the burnaid burn gel that they carried and told him that I was interested in purchasing some for a first aid kit. I think this is where the conversation turned and we realized something - his company isn't a distributor for Toronto, and I'm an individual, not a company calling. He works for a company that sells first aid products and supplies to industrial places and big companies - they are like the 'go to first aid store' for supplies if you are a large company. We're talking like a Ford plant would buy from here, or a factory. Not so much an individual. No store front. No pharmacy.

Boo.

He asked me how I heard about their company. I explained how in our first aid training there was a discussion about this product and the pharmaceutical company in Australia offered me their company's information for Toronto purchases. We talked a bit about our trip and why we were interested in the product and I told him more about the research I did with the product and what it has been proven to do in emergency situations involving burns (the gel not only cools the burn, but it has been proven to minimize tissue damage and aids in the healing of burns). He was super interested about our planned trip. We talked for a long time on the phone - just chatting about his industry and my own and further about the trip and the reasons for our decisions. It was great. He offered to send me some samples of the gel and dressing. I was so excited - all we ever wanted was like one 4x4 burnaid burn gel dressing. He asked me if there were any other first aid supplies that we were looking into - but I couldn't think of anything we really needed that was a specialty item. This entire search was just about the burn gel. We ended our call and he told me to look out for a package in the next day or so.

Two days later I told the front office that there would be a package coming to me in the mail that might only be addressed to Alison. I figured it would be a small envelope, and told them what the delivering company name was. Amanda (the production coordinator) told me something had already arrived and motioned that it was a large object that arrived. A box? How big is this gel?? I figured the box couldn't be that big.

Walk into my office, and on the table in front of my desk sat this gigantic box (weighing in at 14lbs). I couldn't believe it. It was huge. I carefully cut open the top of the box and find at first a glove, followed by a multitude of first aid supplies and items for our trip. I was dumbfounded. I had a loss of words as I sat back in my chair stairing at this box. I immediately phoned Brent to tell him all about this box. It was so much.

We opened it that night. And just became the biggest nerds. The supplies that Anthony sent us were unimaginable. From the splint outs to the CPR mask to the dry sacs and 20x20 BurnAid Burn gel dressings - we truly were speechless. Every item thought out and packaged by someone who had only been a voice on the line up this point. Someone who was so excited about the trip we were doing and felt that he could help out in this special way.

To Anthony. Your kindness spoke volumes to us and you will be remembered. We truly appreciate the steps you took to help us complete our first aid kit with items we never thought would ever be possible to find. And it all started with a story in a first aid class and a mission to find a single dressing.

Anthony gets serious GOLD STARS for his kindness. Thanks Anthony. We hope to one day be able to repay you for your kindness.

I phoned him the next day to thank him. "It was nothing", he exclaimed. He had fun putting it together.

Amazing.

Put to the test. I had a friend who two weeks prior to us receiving this package from Anthony - had a serious accident while out camping. When a friend almost knocked a guitar into a campfire, he jumped up to grab it before it fell in. During his heroic attempt, he tripped and stumbled into the fire and suffered serious burns to his right hand. (you should see his pictures) I offered him some gel samples and he also tried out one of the dressings. He would report back to me every so often with how it felt - and it seems like the burnaid burn gel helped with the healing and with some of the pain. Today - his hand looks a LOT better. He took really good care of it during the healing process. But it was great to be able to see if the burn gel helped at all.



A CORNER TO CALL MY OWN. One family saves me thousands of dollars.

My friends Sam & Katharine are the greatest (props to Sebastian as well - just for being so gosh darn adorable).

I had a good friend offer to help me store some things over the duration of my trip - which was fantastic. Unfortunately, in late June, she found out that she would no longer be able to offer her basement due to a family situation. Totally understandable (and btw - don't feel bad hun - i'm not associating your name with the story so you remain annonymous!!). I probably pouted a bit and felt bad for it - cause I didn't want my friend to feel bad. Things come up - and it was a huge favor on her part anyway. So I didn't really know what I was going to do - cause financially - it was a burden I didn't want to think about anymore (that is - the cost of a storage unit).

Because I'm not leaving for good - I made the decision to keep my apartment items and store it away so that I wouldn't have to start from scratch once I returned. It's taken me years and years to get to where I am today, and I would hate to have to drop a lot of money the moment I get home just to refurnish my existence. It just didn't make sense. I looked at everything I had; did a giant purge; visited GoodWill with several drop offs; decided what didn't need to live with me at my next apartment (like my couch and double mattress & box spring, which means less space necessary to store); figured what I would need and started hunting for storage units.

One night, while helping my friends pack up their old house for their big move that was a few weeks away, I asked Katharine where they purchased their moving boxes. I had started looking at some stores in the city, but wanted to see if they knew a better place. We got to talking about packing, and she asked me where I was storing all of my belongings. Truth was - I didn't know. I explained my situation and told her that I was now back at researching storage units.

"Don't be ridiculous!", she said to me, "You could store your stuff at our house!". An amazing offer but I felt horrible - I couldn't do that!! Store all my stuff?? That would be too much. We talked it over with Sam later in the night, and I conceded to their offer. It was too much of a blessing to pass up. A few days prior to my evening with Sam & Katharine, I was praying about guidance in what I should do in regards to storage, as it was a financial burden that I was struggling to figure out how to afford. And God brought me this wonderful family.

I don't think they understand how wonderful they are. They are amazing people and so generous with their hearts and time. I have been blessed to know them in my life - and am so grateful for this amazing favor.

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!

Sunday July 6th, I moved most of my stuff into a corner of their basement - in an area which they don't see themselves using anytime in the near future. Stacked everything as beautifully as possible. Then I set up my TV, VCR & DVD player for them to use - just in case! :)

And there, my stuff will sit waiting for me to return.

You know that day I return to move my stuff out is going to come all too quickly and it will feel that way too. It will feel like I was just there even though an entire year has passed. I say this, sitting 12 days from take off, but it's true. We all know it. Time flies by in life. We'll be out there enjoying the trip, but we'll also be home soon enough.

So to my BFF & his family, I'll be back soon. Thank you for making sure my stuff had a home to decorate while I run away.



FOR EVERYTHING.

Thank you Mom & Dad. They have been very generous with their time and have helped me financially throughout my life and for this trip. They are both so excited that this trip is finally here (and sad at the same time - cause I'll be gone). Their happiness helps make the trip planning easier. If I have a day where I'm feeling down about something related to planning, they'll pick my spirits right back up.

Special thank you to my dad who has been amazing with helping me get some specialty items in North Bay.

SEA TO SUMMIT. I have to say that I love the products this company puts out. They have some of the smartest gear and they also have some of the most compact items you could imagine. We purchased their clothesline - and it's incredibly small, all inclusive and smart. They care about the people using their products and it shows.

So, you would think that in a city like Toronto, one would have no problems finding a "name" product. We have a great deal of outdoor stores that carry a wide variety of brandnames. Piece of cake. In fact, we found Sea to Summit items at Europe Bound. But I have to say, if there is one outdoor store that bothers me in this city - it's Europe Bound. Especially the one on King street West. It has A LOT of stuff. Jam packed in fact. Which also means that a lot of their items are impossible to even access, cause junk is blocking the path. Anyway - I noticed a long time ago that they carried S2S products. Brent and I were looking at the pocket shower that they made months ago and loved it. The shower was so compact and made of good materials. Interesting. It truly was the moment that I started paying attention to this company's gear and started researching more about their products.

Since Europe Bound carries S2S, you would think it wouldn't be a big deal to ask if they could bring other items in. There were some products that I had found on the Sea to Summit website that were perfect for this trip. When I approached the person at the counter about ordering in some S2S products, he was soooo rude. An attitude we're all too familiar with at this store. The short story has this guy running up some imaginary bill of how much it would cost us to ship stuff in from the US, tacking on cost after cost - but every word presented to us as though we were ruining his day by asking the question.

Disappointed, we left the store. This guy was just annoying - we could order direct from the company for 1/4 of the cost he was presenting us with.

Then I remembered something. Over Easter weekend, my dad brought me to Lefebvre's in North Bay. An un-assuming store in the downtown area of my home town. When we were there, he bought me this great (dare I say sexy?) pocket knife. As we left the store that day, I noticed that they carried the Sea to Summit 'Kitchen Sink', a product I was looking to buy that I couldn't even find in Toronto. I made a mental note and thought nothing of it.

After dealing with Europe Bound one too many times, I decided to see if my dad could ask his friend who works (maybe he owns it?) at the store if they could order in Sea to Summit products for me. First he checked to see if everything I was looking for was available and sent me cost information for my records, then I emailed him a final list of items I would like to purchase.

The day he decided to step into the store to make the big order on my behalf, he found himself face to face with the Sea to Summit representative!! Go figure!! They chatted for a bit and he presented the rep with my wish list. One of the products (pack tap) he couldn't order in - it's an Australian product - but he suggested an MSR dromedry instead. Good enough, but that pack tap still seems like the winner in water packs.

Within a week, my dad was able to pick up all the items we had wanted to buy. Amazing. Apparently, you can't do it in Toronto - but in North Bay, NO problem.

Thank you Father.

Man, when we went home at the end of June, it felt like Christmas for me. We had all this new backpacking gear waiting for us. Two kitchen sinks, the super Xbowl (which is a collapsible bowl that is also a cutting board and also a measuring cup - AMAZING!!), pocket soap packages, and our "Leave No Trace" trash sack. (I feel like I'm forgetting something...) And then, Brent and I went to a few stores in NB with my dad, and he bought us Sea to Summit bug head net things (a bug net you put over your hat/head and can seal below a shirt collar). So good. I love this product line. And I love my dad.

Thank you for everything you have done for us - you always go over and above for me. Both you and mother. And I appreciate everything you both are to me.



PEARLY WHITES

I love dentists. I think it's because I love my teeth. They aren't fabulous or anything, but I like having my real teeth in my mouth, and it's best if they are kept happy. So I'm all about maintaining their cleanliness. Gotta go for your check ups!! I had my last dentist visit on June 15th. It was a Saturday, 8.30 in the morning. A gentleman greeted me in the waiting room. His name was Claudio. I had never seen him before at the office. I love this place though. So far, everyone I have dealt with has been really wonderful and they pay great attention to their patients.

I get into the chair in the back room. It's kind of an open concept office. For those getting their teeth simply cleaned, full walls don't separate the patients. Half walls do - so you can see other people's legs if you look around. It's kind of funny. (There are other rooms - which probably have four walls, used for fillings and bigger dental needs.) But in an open concept, I sometimes feel strange. I don't want to talk too loudly cause people will hear me, so I become quieter and less chatty.

Claudio wanted an update on my teeth from me. I was pretty quiet at the beginning, but quickly realized that with him, I wasn't going to be at the end of my appointment. He was great. Been working in this industry for a long time and actually works with my dentist's wife (who is also a dentist - funny). But on Saturdays, sometimes comes in to work with Dr. Nazon.

My teeth were happy that day. Cleanings make me smile - cause they clean off all that gunk that even your toothbrush can't help you with. And I wanted my teeth to be ready for a rugged year.

Then came the talk about my minutely achey tooth (that needs a new filling) and my ever problematic left tooth (that through its life has seen two root canals (i had a bad dentist growing up), a root extraction, and is in need of further assistance). Is it time to go in for the crown. Um, I don't have time (nor the finances) for a crown before my trip. What trip? Where ya going?

And it starts. The New Zealand discussion. He's excited, I'm going to be like a Hobbit. He tells my dentist about it, who in turn gets excited and has a few questions to ask what provoked such a trip. And then my teeth. :) We'll do the fixes AFTER I get back. :) My dentist, he's a smart one. I do need to get a crown on my one tooth, and I do need to get a new filling in the other - but neither are urgent matters (i've been without a crown for like 8 years??). What if we fix it now and I start to have problems on the trip?? A thought. Then I'd be upset at my dentist. Cause tooth problems can really hamper on someone's trip. If infection ensues and so on, yuck!

So maintenance, she can wait. Thank you Dr. Nazon. :)

But Claudio, a big THANK YOU to you. I left the office knowing that my teeth would be taken care of on my trip. Claudio hooked me up with some travelling dental bling. That and a great cleaning.

:)

Brent should switch to my dentist. He had his cleaning done while he was a full time student in February, and now his dad's insurance is fighting his claim. Oh my goodness. Insurance companies can sometimes be a pain in the butt!!



ANNA

For my special Peek-a-Pooh who will travel with me on my trip. :) Thank you. And for your constant friendship. :)

MY BROTHER

For the music you make that I can't wait to put on my iPod.

MY GRANDPARENTS

For coming down to Toronto and spending two evenings with us. For dinner, for the ball game, for your time. I truly appreciated your visit.



FUTURE PETS

One thing that I would like to do in New Zealand is buy a pet sheep for like a week. Go to a farming show and purchase a baby sheep, walk around with the stubborn thing for a week or so, and then sell it to a petting zoo or something. The thought was there and it was wonderful. How realistic is it, well, that's another story.

But one story that I know is realistic is the pet that we will probably unwilling take with us. A pet Weta. What's a weta you ask? Well, picture a tiny little cricket or grasshopper. Inject that with 1000x the legal dose of steroids once a week for a year, and voila. Gigantor grasshopper. I'm not kidding you. These things fill a large man's hand. The weta's face looming at the edge of the man's longest finger, and the butt sitting at the bottom of the palm of the man's hand. That's not including the hind legs that leap off the hand altogether. Huge. Look them up. Or - stay tuned. I know i'll be taking a picture with one in my hand at some point. Brent - well, let's just say I don't see him doing it voluntarily. :)



BOOTIN' BLISTERS

We took a training hiatus. Probably not the best idea - but it was necessary at the beginning as I needed to spend some time adjusting to my orthotics. That didn't take too long, but then life took us by surprise and work was busy, weekends were spent out of town - so walking was happening, but without our packs.

It's been some time now, but we're in the final stretch before our trip and our packs are on standby for daily hikes starting Sunday evening. I am slightly apprehensive about one thing. My boots.

We went for a walk last weekend - the first with our boots - and right away I started to notice the 'hot spots' or concern areas that I would have to watch out for blisters. We were only gone for about 1.5 hours - and without packs. Brent came back with no marks on his feet. I blistered by left heel and my right foot's baby toe. And quite a painful toe blister it was. Let's just say, I'm a little less excited about putting my feet back into that boot. However, it's best to blister now and break in the boots. Otherwise, it could be a slow walk in New Zealand.



Mountain Equipment Cooperative (MEC)

I remember my first time visiting this store. I had an inflatable bed. My parents purchased it for me when I moved out of residence in Toronto - as I didn't know how long I would be in the city for and I also didn't want to buy a bed anytime soon, or move my old one from home right away. So I had this BYOB (bring your own bed) thing. I thought it was great. Compact, comfy, small, and as light as a feather.

It's greatest weakness - the fact that it was an inflatable mattress. One day, when I was squatting at a friend's place for a month, I woke up very uncomfortable. The mattress was seeping over the bars of the BYOB. Sadness. I didn't think much of it, and convinced myself that it was due to the fact that I hadn't been refilling it with air every night. They must loose air every once and a while, no? So I pumped in some more air the next night and fell back asleep. The next morning, it was worse. It was as though all the air had pumped itself out of matress. Time for some serious repair work.

But where to find a mattress repair kit in downtown Toronto? I ventured off to King street, wandering aimlessly, when I found MEC. The building seemed so out of place for a downtown storefront - with wood beams and outdoorsy posters advertising its presence. When I walked in, it was like heaven on earth. Every department had something that I wanted to look at. I had wanted to travel to New Zealand and see other parts of the world at that point, but never had a real starting ground for planning my adventures. And here, stood this entire store devoted to a wide variety of outdoor activities - all of which I enjoy. I remember being in that store for a long time that afternoon. That day, I bought my MEC membership.

For years after that, MEC became something like an iconic store that represented the beginning of my travels and almost a type of hope that this trip could happen. Everytime I walked by, I had to go check something new out. Driving in to work, I always smiled when I passed by MEC. Every thursday MEC date Brent and I would have. Every step and every purchase was one step closer to this trip.

And with every trip in the store, we have the opportunity to truly appreciate those who work there. When you share your trip ideas with the real outdoor enthusiasts at this store, you get a lot of feedback and personal stories. We have had a great deal of MEC representatives share their travel experiences with us, and everyone is able to offer us great advice that has helped us with finding the right gear and also help with pre-planning certain steps of the journey.

When it came time to buy our water filter and stove, Brent and I lucked out. We had this amazing guy help us out. He gave us great advice on all the products out there and with his help, we were able to pick the right items for us and the best options. He was so amazing. When we parted ways with us, he had come across a product and tried to find us in the store to show us something he was talking about previously.

And this is a reason why I will always support MEC. The employees care about the members. We all love the outdoors and should all help one another by sharing our experiences with each other. Brent and I have found some key employees at MEC who have played a great role in our purchases for this trip, because of the time they spent teaching us further information about the products that they carry. The MEC superheroes who go over and above what is expected of them.



MOVING ON UP, TO THE NORTH SIDE

We moved two weekends ago. Sunday, July the 6th to be exact. I have amazing friends who allowed me to store a great deal of my stuff in their basement. I have taken over a corner alcove in their basement. They moved in the day before I came by to store my stuff. Everything happened so quickly for them, as they were leaving for a trip a few days into the week.

After the move, my apartment was chaotic. I still had items here and there. New Zealand paperwork was all over the apartment. My reserarch and organization was out the window as I no longer had any shelving units to separate my items. Everything was laid out on the floor in piles. I have to be honest - I hated my apartment after the move. I didn't have time to deal with anything, but I had to try to make sense of all the paperwork and gear. Since then, I've hidden a great deal of the chaos in boxes. It haunts me. We have a lot of work to do and this out of sight, out of mind stuff doesn't always apply.

Made one more mini-move this week. My coffee table and four boxes. They are spending the year with Brent's family, hiding in the basement. Everything else will either be donated or sent home with my parents (clothing and files).

As I sit here, finishing up the post that took too long to write, we have 8 more days before take off. That's a short period of time to re-organize our trip and get on that plane. I'm feeling the pressure. I am greatly affected by my environment. And today, I dump my boxes and paperwork all over the floor and start the organization process all over again.

Tonight - Brent's going away party with his high school friends. There's a light at the end of the day!

INSURANCE - don't leave home without it

Finding the right insurance company for our trip wasn't easy. One of our stops is Vanuatu - which requires evacuation insurance. The reason for that is that the country does not have the most extensive hospital system, so in case of a traumatic emergency, you may be required to be transported to Australia or New Zealand for further assistance. Another hiccup we ran into was the 'catches' part of all insurance companies. Like, if you travel on a one way ticket (because you don't know when you'll be coming home, or what city you'll be flying from) - you can't always get baggage insurance. Our trip is ALL ABOUT baggage insurance. It's a make it or break it insurance situation. Our lives for the next year will be strapped to our backs, so one company informing me that travelling with a one way ticket is grounds for them not to offer me baggage insurance is unbelievable.

I spent over 3 hours on the phone with several travel insurance companies a few weeks back. I heard it all, from one insurance place thinking that their 1400$ deal (PER PERSON, minus baggage insurance) was the greatest offer we could probably find anywhere, to another company informing me that to acquire their insurance, we would have to purchase our return flight while still in Canada. So, before we take off. The catches. The loop holes no insurance brochure will prepare you for. I had a sheet of questions and situations ready for each company. You have to have questions ready for them - cause there are some sneaky clauses for sure.

In the end, we chose Manulife Financial Insurance, who was the first company I spoke with months ago when I did a quick call simply to find out about their insurance policies. I found them through ING travel insurance. We have full coverage for every situation we could face in New Zealand.

Probably, the single most expensive purchase, outside of our actual tickets to Auckland.



Our gear is almost there. Bits and pieces to go.

Boots, check. Stove, check. Water filtration super pack, check.

Blisters - CHECK.

DOC pamphlets, check. But no maps. Long story short, even though we were ready to pay them for the maps, we were told that our request was too large. So pre-planning our route has been put on hold until we land in Auckland. We have a few trails in mind for the first two weeks, but without further mapping, we are on standby.


8 days until take off. I hope to be able to blog on a daily basis.