Traveller

It has been such a long time since iI was here last and this is not good.
Since i have been travelling I have seen and felt lots of places.




This is the list:
Dubai/Sharjah
Tanzania
Kenya
Canary Islands
Germany (nrth)
Paris
Amsterdam
Poland
Egypt
Germany (sth)



And soon I embark on the walk of a lifetime.
I am going to go on the "Camino de Frances"
This is a walk across the north of Spain from the French town of Pied a Port to Santiago de Compestella in the west of Spain. this journey will take me 30 days and I will cover 800 km's.
If I walk at a steady pace I should be able to cover 25 km's per day. I need to do this to get through it in 30 days.



At present I am in Ingolstadt. The Audi town in Bavaria (sth Germany).


A nice little town of which I have walked around most of the old town. Very old with heaps of history. Something in New Zealand that we lack.(a History of more than 250 years).



I will be back this way again...soon...I hope

Lastday in Dubai. Sharjah actually

So this is the last day in Sharjah and then I am off to Kenya.

Walked around town for a while then caught a abra (water taxi)
to see the other side of the creek .




This is me in the abra. A very cool way to see the area.












This building is the court house for Sharjah. They even
have a Execution room. I like these people.







Me, no kidding, in front of the court. Only visiting lol.
The sun is very bright even though the air is full of haze

Although UAE ia Arab the population of Sharjah is 85% imports, Pakis, Indians.

Got an abra to the gold souq of which I was not impressed. Lots (600) shops all selling the same stuff from china and India. even the gold shops all looked the same.



Walked back to the hotel and got a voucher to have a swim at the beach. It seems the beaches are all in front of the hotels and to get access to them you need to go thru the hotel ...and pay. 10drs for the taxi and 20drs for the swim then another taxi to get back to my hotel.






3pm saw us getting into four wheel dives to go to a Bedouin camp thingy.






About 40kms from Sharjah into the dessert and toward Oman we drive off the road and into the dessert. Yeehah.

On the way we had to slow down for some camels amazing just wandering across the road. We crossed the road with them so as to get better photos

This is a block of coral which is used to fill the gaps in the concrete/motor they use to rebuild some of the old buildings in the Heritage area.








It was gr8.

This is me on the pipe. It is a very relaxing smoke and very smooth. Gives you a euphoric feeling and leaves you a little light headed. mmmm

Shesha and henna and camel ride and belly dancing and whirling dervishes and food. Then more euphoric shesha. You boys at home would love these things.










These are the folk who were in my Landcruiser.
A group of students traveling home from the Uk after their study year was over








Thats me for now

Will keep you posted.

Some interesting stuff

It seems that not everyone has a sattelite dish so they share one between many. most of the high rise in Sharjah is residential, as you can see beloww there are alot of them around, in fact my hoetl looks out onto one and there are heaps of them. Like urban sprawl in Timaru these guys go up not out.

These are the sights of human invasion. We are like a virus, we flock to a place for work and overwhelm it until we live like this.
We are very spoilt in Timaru.
When I look at these I begin to apreciate what we/I/You have.
I meet guy from the Emerates Photography Society who said that our country is the paradise left on the planet. When I see the way these people live I can fully understand where he is coming from.




This is my Hotel. 2 Star and it only costs me US$35 (128drs) per night. Nice ish?














This is the footpath outside the hotel. I needs repair. Fine to walk on if you keep looking at your feet. I think they ran out of money to finish the job. It is next to a big square, Rolla Sq. It is empty but fo a few trees and a monument thing of sorts in the middle and there is only one way in and that is, ironicall, on the other side from my hotel. however I did some getting through the fence and over it.















So, as wee shift in time.
Welcome to Dubai. The first thing you see and the aircon os going and.... you are grateful for it.





Travelators are great at getting to the end of a long walk very quickly. Unless you get a group of people who are just standing on it. Duh the idea is to walk not stand.















These elavtors are automatic and rise and fall on a time frame. No buttons, just wait, walk in, wait, and the n walk out again. And incredibly smooth and quiet. Amazing. The whole terminal is amazingly huge and glamorous, extravigant.

























Well the world outside is now truely underway and it is now light. 6.30am Tuesday 12/10/10.
I have been up an hour or os after being woken by the praying muslim. He has a lot of mega speakers right outside my room and he knows where the volume switch is. Sometimes it is a very beautiful but at 5am (for a westerner) it is a little anoying.
Bollywood on the tele. very funny. A step back in tv.
Im off today on the mission to get in and out of Dubai by bus without getting lost.
I am actually in another Emirate called Sharjah. Much bigger than Dubai and not as rich. More cultural and Not alot of tourists.
For all the girls out there. There are heaps of men about. I have not seen many women about. Will keep you all posted.
(maybe the women work and the men try to look good on the street)mmmmmmm

The trip has begun

Its like the end of an era.
Walking to the galows.
The end
Tears and joy, so many mixed emotions. After all I have done in my life, Now I am embarking on an epic journey, all be it, that had started a log time ago. had to fight off an strong erge to cry as I said goodbye. But then i have been pretty emotional over the last few months.
Goodbyes are all done.
Its raining in Chch. Bags are Booked on the plane and am now enjoying wedges and coffee.
Slept on the way up, wasnt really much company for Mickey. Surprised at how tired I was over the last few days
Goodbye NZ. Not quite. Got stuck at customs. Apparrantly Rawlieghs is classed as a dangerous substance, along with 'hand cream', 'toothpaste'. Rawlieghs is a national icon, not to mention a firm aid in my arsonal against germs and bugs.
Sydney here I come. 37000 feet and 2.45 hrs in the air.Have photographed the 'Rolly' dog. She is not complaining about the travel arrangements she has. Warm dry and dark so she can sleep.When I first sat down I had no ons next to me but I have aquired a guy of unknown origins and an Irish Blonde(lol) cant remember her name . He gave up his seat for a family to be together an hers was wet on take off. She said it was already wet but flying can do that to you. Yeah right. Who am I to argue.
The safety movie is spoken and writen in arabic, mmmmmmmm. ahh an English version. Very good we do rule the world.
Lift off at 5.12pm 10/10/10 No view, nice wing but. Boeing 777-200
The crew are splendi and are able to speak a whole range of 8 different languages.
There are 81 movies to choose from and they are just the new ones listed, Thousands of songs from all over the world and they are in subtitles of 12 different languages also.
Dinner on the plane was great. I had the salmon, cheescake and the white wine. I asked for a glass and she gave me the bottle. Yeehah, my kind of service.
I did watch a movie. Toy Story 3
Landing in Sydney at 8pm NZ. Cool, ... there are cameras mounted around the outside of the plane that allow you to see; from the tail section; under the belly; and off the nose of the plane so you can watch the landing. mmmmmmmmmmm
Well there is a bit of a wait in Sydney.3hrs All loaded and ready to go again. The plane is packed, liks sheep in a stock truk. I would say there must be 80% full.
61k is again a window seat but this time i am on a Airbus 380-800. The belly camera is giving us a view of two guys sitting "waiting for something amazing i guess". I wonder if he knows he is being watched. If he did would he work (harder).?
40000feet, 593mph, 26 carew and 7603miles to go.
This time however I am not privilaged to have a spunky irish blonde next to me but a very black man and his wife,.....abd he fuking snores. He must be the only one on the plane who does. I walked around in the night and you know wht? He is!!!!
Oh Well only 15 hours to go: Closer to Dubai...
The night has been uneventful and the sun has been chasing us around the globe for 14 hours now and we are going to get there before it does. Naa na na na na.We landed 40 minutes ahead of schedule.Outside it is still dark, there is a haze ocer the city and it is 30 degrees already and its only 6am.
A little aprehesive of what the day will hold but will rise to the occassion and go it alone, so to speak. 11.45 in Sydney, 12.45 in NZ. Have a nice day. Still very hard to comprehend that I am so far away from you all.
Monday 11/10/10 After much wandering around the airport I decided to catch a taxi to Al Sharq Hotel. Bad thing to do. The taxi cost me a small fortune. 25 ds to get in, 20 for the airport charge, and the 38 ds for ehte ride. I felt fleeced. he even had to check where to go. Timaru taxis are the way to go.lol
The Al Sharq was the cheapest Hotel omline and the reviews not too bad. They seem very nice. The room is adequit but it is a very long way from town and the traffic is diabolical. 4-5 cars perfamily the driver said.
Went for a walk at 10.30 and the heat hurts my eyes. It is not glarry but hot, crickey..

Travel Time

Time is very imaterial if taken as somthing that is not relevant. ?
Future never happens ....as tomorrow never comes and you cant go back and change yesterday.
Never mind.
Today is all we have and even today is not as it seems.
We really only have ...NOW.
This moment in time.
This now.
That is why it is called the "present".
A gift... for now.
Enjoy.

Bus trip to Auckland good. Very uneventfull.
Tha bus was very compfy and was a gr8 ride up.
Had my wrinkles (what rinkles?) touched up by a young lady in the Manukau mall and now I look younger again.
Lagged after the bus trip didnt help/
Nice
Dinner at keith & hiltons' place.
Gr8 guys.
Love them heaps.
Flying high tomorrow and bak in Timas.
mmm

New start

Well today has certainly been an eventfull one.


Got up, as you do when finished sleeping....or had I ??


Yes


Looked for a shop to recharge my phone. Doh left the charger at my sons in cambridge.done.


Bought a cool book from BROWSERS in hamilton from a nice young , knowledgable expectant grandma or should I say Nana.
More like a Nana I think. To young in the head & body & mind & attitude for grandma statis. No offence to grandmas as some I am sure are very young.


Nice . . . . . . . . . .


AND........


She agrred to have coffee with me. It was great. (she paid)


She is a famous sculpter who works in concrete and clay. I cant wait to be invited or invite myself to see some of her work and even get something I like for myself for my collection.


I am Too now a pop. Again am too young to be a grandad so Poppa/pop will do just fine thanks.
And as you can see she is soooo cute. mmmm. Arn't they marvellous things that we as mere humans can create. Wow

Why is it that there are some in the world who are so intent in distroying life and lives as well. they take sides in a dispute without knowing the facts or even really knowing their enemy before they pick up the guns and start killing, wounding and maiming. Killing is the easy way out for those but the wounding and the maiming lingers and can cause the most devastating of wounds .
It is their problem and not mine and I can only hope that I / we stay truthful to ourselves and keep it real.
Darkness cannot live in the light.
I suppose one day we will all be held accountable for our actions.
I hope I can learn to not judge as i have in the past (forgive me) and continue to see the good in all and focus on that and then they will seem to be human and fragile as I and my new born grand daughter. Then we might all get along. Love rules.

Such a cute wee baby girl. I so proud and proud of them too, dad and mum. very good guys, well done. MMMMMMMMMMMM

Forever Young

What??? Gay????

What makes a guy gay.
recently I was privileged to be asked to go to a 50th birthday with a mate. He had not met these people for 35 years.
New experiences all round I think!







So here we are .
Two well to do guys from Timaru who not only look different; but behave and talk differently from the locals.





He short fat artisty look and me poncy Auckland cafe scene.
I am sure we looked gay to the southlanders we were going to party with???!!!