After a rowdy last night in ChCh, we both awoke feeling really crappy.
The night was fun but getting on a trans-pacific flight hung over is something I will never do again.
We checked out of our hotel around 10 and found a super gluten free bakery for breakfast!!
They made me waffles!!!!!
we walked the town for a couple hours and shopped at the lame tourist shops. I'm sorry to anyone who was expecting a gift from me and didn't get one. (Libby, I did get you a spife!)
By about 1:30, we booked it back to the hotel and caught our shuttle to the airport.
We checked in and the travel chaos began. I was feeling anxious. I really wanted to be in San Diego in the warm comfort of my Aunt Bonnie's rented condo.
The rest of the day wasn't that exciting except that we passed through the space-time continuum and arrived in North America ready for a second Valentines Day.
When we touched down in LA, I hopped on a shuttle to Anaheim and said my good-byes to Becky. She is off in Vancouver visiting her brother.
My shuttle was fine and I caught the 1:04 train to Solana Beach.
Bonnie, Mark and my baby cousin Eitan were there to pick me up. It was so nice to see them.
I got to the condo, took a nice shower, organized laundry and called Alex. The world felt right again.
We went for a shop at Trader Joe's. Yum!!!!
My cousin Janice was out of town this week too and her flight came in around 7:30 this evening. By now, I am super tired but I wanted to see Jan so I went for the ride to the airport to pick her up.
Everything is great except for my cold. It is in full swing and I am feeling stellar!
So stellar in fact that tomorrow I am going to see if I can change my flight home so that I can hop a direct flight from San Diego to Toronto and not deal with the hassle of the shuttle train nonsense to LA.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Day #18 (The Royal screw up)
We woke up this morning to a spectacular scene. Milford Sound is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. As the sun peakee through the clouds, you could see the hundreds of waterfalls pouring down the mountain.
Our boat was okay. I didn't sleep particularly well that night. I had a lot of tea before bed because I am starting to feel a cold coming on. This meant many unpleasant trips to the loo.
After our scenic cruise, we went out to catch a glimpse of the Sound from the Tasman sea. Wow!
The boat docked around 9am and we hopped on the bus and headed towards Queenstown. As you may have learned from my previous blog entry, our travel agent royally screwed up.
After 5 anxious hours in the bus, we were dropped off at the Queenstown airport.
We said our good-byes and boarded a plane for Christchurch.
After arriving in ChCh, we went to the same motel we stayed at the week before. It was fine.
Because it is our last night in NZ, we decided to drink. That was another addition to the list of screw ups of the previous 24 hours.
Our boat was okay. I didn't sleep particularly well that night. I had a lot of tea before bed because I am starting to feel a cold coming on. This meant many unpleasant trips to the loo.
After our scenic cruise, we went out to catch a glimpse of the Sound from the Tasman sea. Wow!
The boat docked around 9am and we hopped on the bus and headed towards Queenstown. As you may have learned from my previous blog entry, our travel agent royally screwed up.
After 5 anxious hours in the bus, we were dropped off at the Queenstown airport.
We said our good-byes and boarded a plane for Christchurch.
After arriving in ChCh, we went to the same motel we stayed at the week before. It was fine.
Because it is our last night in NZ, we decided to drink. That was another addition to the list of screw ups of the previous 24 hours.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Day #18 (Milford Sound)
Milford Sound
We got up today and said our sad good-byes to Queenstown. I loved it there. Once I had the opportunity to reflect on all the crazy stuff we did, I realized that I have truly lived every moment of this trip. It was incredible.
After leaving Queenstown, we discovered that our tour was going to overlap our flight back to North America. I freaked. It was that stress and the stress of the photo debacle (ask me about the photos another time) that got to me.
Becky and I had to book a flight from Queenstown to Christchurch a day before the trip was set to end. Not happy about the money but somewhat relieved to be off the bus a day early.
Tomorrow we are hopping off the bus and going to stay in Christchurch.
Sarah organized a secret friend gift exchange for the last few days of our trip. I got Lucy. I bought her a cuddly sheep pillow for the rest of her trip. She really liked it.
The bus ride was relatively uneventful until we reached Fjordland National park.
As I learned, a fjord is a valley which has been carved out by glacier. The scenery here is unbelievable. My photos don't do it justice. It is so spectacular. The world is so amazing. I feel so privileged to have seen this place. There are glacial waterfalls pouring down the mountain side and the greenery is insanely beautiful. We travelled thorough towards Milford Sound (aka, the "Milf").
It was super rainy today but it didn't get to us. We frolicked in a field, drank glacial springs and went through the Homer tunnel ("d'oh!").
At about 5, we arrived at the Wanderer, our boat. We boarded the boat and went for a cruise. We anchored in a quiet spot and went kayaking and swimming. I was too cold but Becky went and had a great time.
Dinner was served and was delicious. We played some board games including subjective "Guess Who". Lots of laughs!
Becky and I bunked with Renee and Krystal in a tiny room. They were great roommates.
We got up today and said our sad good-byes to Queenstown. I loved it there. Once I had the opportunity to reflect on all the crazy stuff we did, I realized that I have truly lived every moment of this trip. It was incredible.
After leaving Queenstown, we discovered that our tour was going to overlap our flight back to North America. I freaked. It was that stress and the stress of the photo debacle (ask me about the photos another time) that got to me.
Becky and I had to book a flight from Queenstown to Christchurch a day before the trip was set to end. Not happy about the money but somewhat relieved to be off the bus a day early.
Tomorrow we are hopping off the bus and going to stay in Christchurch.
Sarah organized a secret friend gift exchange for the last few days of our trip. I got Lucy. I bought her a cuddly sheep pillow for the rest of her trip. She really liked it.
The bus ride was relatively uneventful until we reached Fjordland National park.
As I learned, a fjord is a valley which has been carved out by glacier. The scenery here is unbelievable. My photos don't do it justice. It is so spectacular. The world is so amazing. I feel so privileged to have seen this place. There are glacial waterfalls pouring down the mountain side and the greenery is insanely beautiful. We travelled thorough towards Milford Sound (aka, the "Milf").
It was super rainy today but it didn't get to us. We frolicked in a field, drank glacial springs and went through the Homer tunnel ("d'oh!").
At about 5, we arrived at the Wanderer, our boat. We boarded the boat and went for a cruise. We anchored in a quiet spot and went kayaking and swimming. I was too cold but Becky went and had a great time.
Dinner was served and was delicious. We played some board games including subjective "Guess Who". Lots of laughs!
Becky and I bunked with Renee and Krystal in a tiny room. They were great roommates.
Day #17 (Queenstown Continued...again)
Queenstown continued, again
So, day three in Queenstown began waaaaayyyyy to early for us. We were still drunk from the night before and we were scheduled for white water rafting. At 8am we caught our shuttle to the rapids. We figured that the cold water would wake us up. It did. It also sparked the dreaded hangover. Our tour was great. It was a nice cruise and the rapids were amazing. By the end of the rafting, all I wanted was a cozy bed, a large glass of water and an Advil. It didn't happen.
We went for lunch and I had a monster plate of ribs and chips. After lunch we went up the to the hotel for a quick recharge. We met at the canyon swing store for our shuttle and headed out to jump off another cliff.
We did it! Becky and I went on a tandem jump and plummeted across a canyon over the Shotover river. It was great. The jump was amazing and the scenery was awesome.
Hangover cured. We just needed a kick of adrenaline to make us feel better.
We came back to the hotel and met the rest of the gang for dinner at Winnie Bagoes (again). I never wanted to step into that bar, or any bar for that matter, ever again.
Dinner was good. They made me a super yummy gluten free pizza and tons of other food. I was stuffed. I ate so well in Queenstown.
After dinner, I just wanted to do laundry and go to bed.
I don't have any undies left. I'm going to need to do a serious wash in San Diego but in the meantime, I have enough to get there and not smell.
Becky and I were talking about how Queenstown changed our lives. It was unbelievable. Every adrenaline activity, the bars, the people. Everything was amazing.
It made me appreciate my life in a whole different perspective.
Off to Milford Sound tomorrow.
So, day three in Queenstown began waaaaayyyyy to early for us. We were still drunk from the night before and we were scheduled for white water rafting. At 8am we caught our shuttle to the rapids. We figured that the cold water would wake us up. It did. It also sparked the dreaded hangover. Our tour was great. It was a nice cruise and the rapids were amazing. By the end of the rafting, all I wanted was a cozy bed, a large glass of water and an Advil. It didn't happen.
We went for lunch and I had a monster plate of ribs and chips. After lunch we went up the to the hotel for a quick recharge. We met at the canyon swing store for our shuttle and headed out to jump off another cliff.
We did it! Becky and I went on a tandem jump and plummeted across a canyon over the Shotover river. It was great. The jump was amazing and the scenery was awesome.
Hangover cured. We just needed a kick of adrenaline to make us feel better.
We came back to the hotel and met the rest of the gang for dinner at Winnie Bagoes (again). I never wanted to step into that bar, or any bar for that matter, ever again.
Dinner was good. They made me a super yummy gluten free pizza and tons of other food. I was stuffed. I ate so well in Queenstown.
After dinner, I just wanted to do laundry and go to bed.
I don't have any undies left. I'm going to need to do a serious wash in San Diego but in the meantime, I have enough to get there and not smell.
Becky and I were talking about how Queenstown changed our lives. It was unbelievable. Every adrenaline activity, the bars, the people. Everything was amazing.
It made me appreciate my life in a whole different perspective.
Off to Milford Sound tomorrow.
Day #16 (Queenstown Continued)
Queenstown continued
Again we were up at a "sparrow's fart".
We had to be up at 6 for our 7am shuttle to the sky diving center.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was poisoned last night. When I got up this morning, my body was ready for the ultimate purge. Not that anyone really cares, but I went to the bathroom four times before 9am.
We were picked up at the hotel and shuttled into town to pay and organize our jumps.
The location for the jumps was about a 15 minute drive from town and we were shuttled there too.
Becky and I were really excited. I was a little queasy. It was from being poisoned rather than from nerves. I was feeling surprisingly calm for the outrageously crazy feat I was about to do.
Once we arrived at the jump site, we geared up and met our jumping masters. My partner was Kelsey. He was super great. (Please note: this was a completely business relationship. He didn't want to die and neither did I). So, Kelsey strapped himself to me (minds out of the gutter please), and we were set.
Becky's jump master was a guy named Jeff who was Canadian and grew up around the corner from Becky's current home. Crazy! She thought he was awesome.
Once everyone was geared up, we boarded a tiny plane and climbed to 12,000ft above Queenstown. It was spectacular. There were light fluffy clouds and beautiful mountains.
Before I could even get nervous, Kelsey and I jumped out of the plane! We fell at speeds upwards of 200km/h and drifted through icy clouds. The clouds were awesome. I had a bit of brain freeze from them because they are pretty frosty. I've always wanted to touch a real cloud and today I soared through them. (Side note: Yes. There are Care Bears up there).
Kelsey deployed the parachute and we glided down. The scenery was amazing and we saw a rainbow!
Once we made a perfect landing (that's right!), I gave Kelsey a big hug and met Becky. She LOVED it!!!!!!!
I don't think I have ever seen Becky so excited and happy. Her smile was ear to ear and she was glowing.
We got our certificates of 'being awesome and jumping out of a plane' and rode back into town. The shuttle dropped us off right in the middle of town so we shopped and had some brunch.
After brunch it was nap time so we climbed up the giant hill to our hotel and had a sleep. I got up and called my parents and Alex. I was so excited to speak to them.
I met Becky back at the room and we walked down the hill and back into town. Our next activity, Bungee Jumping!
At about 2pm, we arrived at the gondola and had a nice relaxing ride up to the spot we were at yesterday for dinner.
The jump we were scheduled to do was called 'The Ledge'. Basically, it is a 47m free fall jump off a 400m cliff. It was also the only jump (aside from the swing, where we are harnessed in rather than having our feel stuck together). I really wanted to do this because I wanted to run off the ledge and dive over the side of the mountain; and I did just that.
Becky went first. She took a running dive and had the rope snap in here face. Ouch! She's okay. She looked great on her jump.
I was up next. Again, I wasn't super nervous. Before my jump, I asked Becky how it was and she said, "just jump". She didn't want to freak me out.
I wasn't freaked until I was falling. The jump itself was graceful and I managed to do a flip!
Once off the ledge we went to buy photos. The computers weren't working so we are going to pick them up tomorrow. We decided to buy the photos because the scenery is incredible and this post cannot do the moment justice. I promise to post those pics as soon a I can.
After a full day of adrenaline, we were pretty hungry. We found a cute Mexican restaurant and scarfed down some tacos. After that, we did some shopping and I got Wendy a t-shirt.
There are many great sayings here in NZ and my personal fav is "sweet as" meaning I agree with the proposition you have made; like "sounds good".
Wendy's shirt says "sweet as" and has the definition under it. I bought for her because she's sweet, it came in cherry red and I miss her. I hope it fits, Wend!
We hiked up the hill again, took showers and got ready for the group party at the minus five ice bar. This is a bar that is completely made of ice, all the drinks are in ice cups and they supply warm wear like Ugg boots and mittens.
It was lame. I have to say it.
Coming from Canada and having a nice warm vacation is great. Going to a bar made of ice for the novelty of being cold, not so fun.
After we walked out of that, we went to the bar across the way from the ice bar. Again, not anything awesome.
As I had previously mentioned, Becky really loved the whole sky diving experience. She wanted to meet up for drinks with her jump master. We left the group and went to the bar he said he was going to be at and had a drink. He wasn't there so we left.
We tried to catch up with our group and found ourselves at Winnie Bagoes bar. Bec and I walked up to the bar to order drinks and sure enough, standing next to us was Becky's jump master, Jeff. Jeff brought his buddy Jason. We had a few drinks with them. At this point, it was about 2am. I was having a super time but I was feeing as Becky calls it, "banana-town". It was time to go home.
Both of us were feeling it...big time. We left and caught a cab up to the hotel and went right to sleep.
Again we were up at a "sparrow's fart".
We had to be up at 6 for our 7am shuttle to the sky diving center.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was poisoned last night. When I got up this morning, my body was ready for the ultimate purge. Not that anyone really cares, but I went to the bathroom four times before 9am.
We were picked up at the hotel and shuttled into town to pay and organize our jumps.
The location for the jumps was about a 15 minute drive from town and we were shuttled there too.
Becky and I were really excited. I was a little queasy. It was from being poisoned rather than from nerves. I was feeling surprisingly calm for the outrageously crazy feat I was about to do.
Once we arrived at the jump site, we geared up and met our jumping masters. My partner was Kelsey. He was super great. (Please note: this was a completely business relationship. He didn't want to die and neither did I). So, Kelsey strapped himself to me (minds out of the gutter please), and we were set.
Becky's jump master was a guy named Jeff who was Canadian and grew up around the corner from Becky's current home. Crazy! She thought he was awesome.
Once everyone was geared up, we boarded a tiny plane and climbed to 12,000ft above Queenstown. It was spectacular. There were light fluffy clouds and beautiful mountains.
Before I could even get nervous, Kelsey and I jumped out of the plane! We fell at speeds upwards of 200km/h and drifted through icy clouds. The clouds were awesome. I had a bit of brain freeze from them because they are pretty frosty. I've always wanted to touch a real cloud and today I soared through them. (Side note: Yes. There are Care Bears up there).
Kelsey deployed the parachute and we glided down. The scenery was amazing and we saw a rainbow!
Once we made a perfect landing (that's right!), I gave Kelsey a big hug and met Becky. She LOVED it!!!!!!!
I don't think I have ever seen Becky so excited and happy. Her smile was ear to ear and she was glowing.
We got our certificates of 'being awesome and jumping out of a plane' and rode back into town. The shuttle dropped us off right in the middle of town so we shopped and had some brunch.
After brunch it was nap time so we climbed up the giant hill to our hotel and had a sleep. I got up and called my parents and Alex. I was so excited to speak to them.
I met Becky back at the room and we walked down the hill and back into town. Our next activity, Bungee Jumping!
At about 2pm, we arrived at the gondola and had a nice relaxing ride up to the spot we were at yesterday for dinner.
The jump we were scheduled to do was called 'The Ledge'. Basically, it is a 47m free fall jump off a 400m cliff. It was also the only jump (aside from the swing, where we are harnessed in rather than having our feel stuck together). I really wanted to do this because I wanted to run off the ledge and dive over the side of the mountain; and I did just that.
Becky went first. She took a running dive and had the rope snap in here face. Ouch! She's okay. She looked great on her jump.
I was up next. Again, I wasn't super nervous. Before my jump, I asked Becky how it was and she said, "just jump". She didn't want to freak me out.
I wasn't freaked until I was falling. The jump itself was graceful and I managed to do a flip!
Once off the ledge we went to buy photos. The computers weren't working so we are going to pick them up tomorrow. We decided to buy the photos because the scenery is incredible and this post cannot do the moment justice. I promise to post those pics as soon a I can.
After a full day of adrenaline, we were pretty hungry. We found a cute Mexican restaurant and scarfed down some tacos. After that, we did some shopping and I got Wendy a t-shirt.
There are many great sayings here in NZ and my personal fav is "sweet as" meaning I agree with the proposition you have made; like "sounds good".
Wendy's shirt says "sweet as" and has the definition under it. I bought for her because she's sweet, it came in cherry red and I miss her. I hope it fits, Wend!
We hiked up the hill again, took showers and got ready for the group party at the minus five ice bar. This is a bar that is completely made of ice, all the drinks are in ice cups and they supply warm wear like Ugg boots and mittens.
It was lame. I have to say it.
Coming from Canada and having a nice warm vacation is great. Going to a bar made of ice for the novelty of being cold, not so fun.
After we walked out of that, we went to the bar across the way from the ice bar. Again, not anything awesome.
As I had previously mentioned, Becky really loved the whole sky diving experience. She wanted to meet up for drinks with her jump master. We left the group and went to the bar he said he was going to be at and had a drink. He wasn't there so we left.
We tried to catch up with our group and found ourselves at Winnie Bagoes bar. Bec and I walked up to the bar to order drinks and sure enough, standing next to us was Becky's jump master, Jeff. Jeff brought his buddy Jason. We had a few drinks with them. At this point, it was about 2am. I was having a super time but I was feeing as Becky calls it, "banana-town". It was time to go home.
Both of us were feeling it...big time. We left and caught a cab up to the hotel and went right to sleep.
Day #15 (Queenstown)
Queenstown
The day began at "a sparrow's fart" (really really early in the morning).
We packed up our sweet house and went out to the Fox Glacier. I like to call it the 'Emma Fox Glacier'. :)
Becky and I had signed up for a hike around the glacier. It was amazing. We were in a group of eight and we were also the first group out on the ice this morning.
Our leader, Ruth, was awesome. She guided us up onto the ice and answered all of our questions.
I can't describe the beauty and brilliance of the hike we did today. I just wouldn't do it justice. The pictures are spectacular so please stay tuned to a time when I can upload them for you.
We finished our amazing hike and hopped on the bus for 6 (yes, 6) hours. Oye!
Queenstown would not come fast enough. After the painful six hour ride, we arrived in Queenstown. The city itself is super cute. It reminds me of Banff/Whistler.
The hotel is nice except that the Internet is spotty.
Tonight we went out to the gondola for a buffet in the sky the food was great. After dinner, we went down and had some drinks at the Buffalo club. At about 11, I was ready to go home so I grabbed our leader, Sarah, and some other of my mates and we went to catch a cab. Unfortunately there weren't any van cabs available so we went to the sushi restaurant next door and did sake bombs. I had no idea that they were beer until I had the delicious beer aftertaste in my mouth. I've officially been poisoned.
Don't worry fellow readers. Please! My reaction isn't due for a couple days and this is the first time I've had gluten in five years. Everything is going to be okay. I'm currently very healthy and I will get through this!
Skydiving and bungee jumping tomorrow. I have that to worry about. I will focus on the positive and hopefully not crap my pants while jumping off a ledge tomorrow.
The day began at "a sparrow's fart" (really really early in the morning).
We packed up our sweet house and went out to the Fox Glacier. I like to call it the 'Emma Fox Glacier'. :)
Becky and I had signed up for a hike around the glacier. It was amazing. We were in a group of eight and we were also the first group out on the ice this morning.
Our leader, Ruth, was awesome. She guided us up onto the ice and answered all of our questions.
I can't describe the beauty and brilliance of the hike we did today. I just wouldn't do it justice. The pictures are spectacular so please stay tuned to a time when I can upload them for you.
We finished our amazing hike and hopped on the bus for 6 (yes, 6) hours. Oye!
Queenstown would not come fast enough. After the painful six hour ride, we arrived in Queenstown. The city itself is super cute. It reminds me of Banff/Whistler.
The hotel is nice except that the Internet is spotty.
Tonight we went out to the gondola for a buffet in the sky the food was great. After dinner, we went down and had some drinks at the Buffalo club. At about 11, I was ready to go home so I grabbed our leader, Sarah, and some other of my mates and we went to catch a cab. Unfortunately there weren't any van cabs available so we went to the sushi restaurant next door and did sake bombs. I had no idea that they were beer until I had the delicious beer aftertaste in my mouth. I've officially been poisoned.
Don't worry fellow readers. Please! My reaction isn't due for a couple days and this is the first time I've had gluten in five years. Everything is going to be okay. I'm currently very healthy and I will get through this!
Skydiving and bungee jumping tomorrow. I have that to worry about. I will focus on the positive and hopefully not crap my pants while jumping off a ledge tomorrow.
Day #14 (Franz Joseph)
Franz Joseph
Today was a pretty slow day considering that we were on the bus for about 8 hours.
The day began in Christchurch. We left our hotel, which was pretty gross, and toured Christchurch for about an hour. I managed to get some souvenirs for my parents and parents-in-laws. Nothing fancy but there were some nice magnets and trinkets.
We boarded the bus and travelled for many hours. We stopped a few times and "tried for results". One of the stops we made was in this tiny one horse town for lunch. There was gluten free vegetarian quiche-pie. It was tasty. We also got to look at the rare and beautiful Kea bird. These birds are supposed to be super smart. I didn't test it with any hard math questions or puzzles but I should have.
After many more hours of traveling through the beautiful mountains we arrived at the Rainforest Retreat, in the town of Franz Joseph. When we left Christchurch we had picked up more people for the rest of the tour. This caught our leader, Sarah, with a dilemma. There weren't enough rooms at the Rainforst Retreat so she found a sweet pad for all the people who were twin share (this included me and Becky).
Six of us were put in a vacation house. It was amazing. The beds weren't super comfy but the house itself was incredible. There was laundry, a full kitchen and satellite tv. To capture the family aspect of the house we took a family photo.
We went for a quick dip in the hot pools; which were, in my opinion, the nicest we've been in.
Dinner was served around 7:30. I don't think I can handle another chicken salad. When I get back to Canada, I don't want to eat another chicken salad until 2015!
We had some drinks and went back to the house for the night.
Today was a pretty slow day considering that we were on the bus for about 8 hours.
The day began in Christchurch. We left our hotel, which was pretty gross, and toured Christchurch for about an hour. I managed to get some souvenirs for my parents and parents-in-laws. Nothing fancy but there were some nice magnets and trinkets.
We boarded the bus and travelled for many hours. We stopped a few times and "tried for results". One of the stops we made was in this tiny one horse town for lunch. There was gluten free vegetarian quiche-pie. It was tasty. We also got to look at the rare and beautiful Kea bird. These birds are supposed to be super smart. I didn't test it with any hard math questions or puzzles but I should have.
After many more hours of traveling through the beautiful mountains we arrived at the Rainforest Retreat, in the town of Franz Joseph. When we left Christchurch we had picked up more people for the rest of the tour. This caught our leader, Sarah, with a dilemma. There weren't enough rooms at the Rainforst Retreat so she found a sweet pad for all the people who were twin share (this included me and Becky).
Six of us were put in a vacation house. It was amazing. The beds weren't super comfy but the house itself was incredible. There was laundry, a full kitchen and satellite tv. To capture the family aspect of the house we took a family photo.
We went for a quick dip in the hot pools; which were, in my opinion, the nicest we've been in.
Dinner was served around 7:30. I don't think I can handle another chicken salad. When I get back to Canada, I don't want to eat another chicken salad until 2015!
We had some drinks and went back to the house for the night.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Day #13 (Christchurch)
This day should be called "the road to Christchurch".
We started the day waaaaaayyyyyy too early. We were up at 6ish so we could load the luggage truck and catch our ferry ride from Wellington to the South Island.
The ferry was probably the biggest ferry I have ever been on. It was huge and a relatively pleasant three hour ride.
The previous night was a sloppy night for most of us so there was lots of sleeping on the boat today. I watched The Big Lebowski and chatted with the gang.
We arrived in a town called Picton and hopped on our brand new Contiki bus. It even had new bus smell.
Everyone curled up in their seats and pretty much slept for the first two hour leg of our drive. We stopped and took pictures of New Zealand fur seals on the shore next to the highway. We stopped again for a pee break about twenty minutes after that. Becky bought some yummy snacks for the next leg of the bus ride. We got back on the bus and scarfed them down while watching the movie "The fastest Indian". It was an Anthony Hopkins film about the beginnings of Indian Motorcycle and the setting of the the fastest land speed record of the time. I slept through it.
We pulled up at the hotel in Christchurch at about 5:30. Becky had taken some gravol earlier in the day and she was feeling a bit drowsy from it. Some dinner and shmoozing helped but we are both in early for the night.
Tomorrow we are headed to Milford Sound.
From the five hours we spent travelling through the South Island, I have discovered that the scenery is very similar to Vancouver Island. There are lots of mountains, a beautiful coast and the weather is rainy and cold.
Hopefully the weather will clear up before our adventures on the Fox Glacier and through Queenstown.
We are officially at the half-way mark of our tour. I'm starting to feel trip fatigue. It feels like I am almost ready to go home. Don't get me wrong, I am having the best experience of my life but its the little things like being able to cook my meals, cuddle with my kitty and see my family.
Queenstown is apparently the supposed to be the adrenaline capital of the world so that should spice the trip up a bit.
I'm looking forward to going to visit Bonnie, Mark, Jan, Michael and Eitan in San Diego.
I don't want to wish the trip away so I just have to remember to live in the moment and enjoy it. I'm definitely enjoying it!!!!!!
We started the day waaaaaayyyyyy too early. We were up at 6ish so we could load the luggage truck and catch our ferry ride from Wellington to the South Island.
The ferry was probably the biggest ferry I have ever been on. It was huge and a relatively pleasant three hour ride.
The previous night was a sloppy night for most of us so there was lots of sleeping on the boat today. I watched The Big Lebowski and chatted with the gang.
We arrived in a town called Picton and hopped on our brand new Contiki bus. It even had new bus smell.
Everyone curled up in their seats and pretty much slept for the first two hour leg of our drive. We stopped and took pictures of New Zealand fur seals on the shore next to the highway. We stopped again for a pee break about twenty minutes after that. Becky bought some yummy snacks for the next leg of the bus ride. We got back on the bus and scarfed them down while watching the movie "The fastest Indian". It was an Anthony Hopkins film about the beginnings of Indian Motorcycle and the setting of the the fastest land speed record of the time. I slept through it.
We pulled up at the hotel in Christchurch at about 5:30. Becky had taken some gravol earlier in the day and she was feeling a bit drowsy from it. Some dinner and shmoozing helped but we are both in early for the night.
Tomorrow we are headed to Milford Sound.
From the five hours we spent travelling through the South Island, I have discovered that the scenery is very similar to Vancouver Island. There are lots of mountains, a beautiful coast and the weather is rainy and cold.
Hopefully the weather will clear up before our adventures on the Fox Glacier and through Queenstown.
We are officially at the half-way mark of our tour. I'm starting to feel trip fatigue. It feels like I am almost ready to go home. Don't get me wrong, I am having the best experience of my life but its the little things like being able to cook my meals, cuddle with my kitty and see my family.
Queenstown is apparently the supposed to be the adrenaline capital of the world so that should spice the trip up a bit.
I'm looking forward to going to visit Bonnie, Mark, Jan, Michael and Eitan in San Diego.
I don't want to wish the trip away so I just have to remember to live in the moment and enjoy it. I'm definitely enjoying it!!!!!!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Day #12 (Wellington continued...)
Becky and I began the day the best way I can think possible, we went to the gym. We did a back to back pump/attack class.
After the pump, we were feeling a little heavy. If anyone out there has ever done pump and followed it with any cardio, they know what I mean. Our legs felt like they were 1,000 lbs.
We loved it. The Les Mills in Wellington is gorgeous and the staff were exceptionally nice. Our new buddy, Jim, let us into the gym for free. (Yes, I know that sounds funny).
The instructors were awesome and we had a great time.
My new watch broke during class today so I had to take it back. It was a bummer but I got a full refund.
After class we. Came back to the room, around noon and then went for lunch. It was great.
Our guide, Sarah, had planned a free walking tour of the trolley and botanical gardens. It was a beautiful trip. He trolley was a little anticlimactic but the gardens were amazing. We walked back to our hotel after having a tour around Wellington.
I stopped at the grocery store on the way back and then came back to the room for some laundry. It felt so good to have clean clothes. Some of them are still drying.
We had some drinks and chilled out in our friend's room for a while.
Dinner was at a beautiful Italian restaurant near Courtnay place. The food was great and we had tons of fun. The party continued back at the hotel. More drinking and debauchery. (As I'm sure you know, I'm not much of a drinker. I've still been enjoying myself immensely).
This trip was a great idea. I'm so glad we came and did this tour. Everyone is great and I am having the time of my life. :)
After the pump, we were feeling a little heavy. If anyone out there has ever done pump and followed it with any cardio, they know what I mean. Our legs felt like they were 1,000 lbs.
We loved it. The Les Mills in Wellington is gorgeous and the staff were exceptionally nice. Our new buddy, Jim, let us into the gym for free. (Yes, I know that sounds funny).
The instructors were awesome and we had a great time.
My new watch broke during class today so I had to take it back. It was a bummer but I got a full refund.
After class we. Came back to the room, around noon and then went for lunch. It was great.
Our guide, Sarah, had planned a free walking tour of the trolley and botanical gardens. It was a beautiful trip. He trolley was a little anticlimactic but the gardens were amazing. We walked back to our hotel after having a tour around Wellington.
I stopped at the grocery store on the way back and then came back to the room for some laundry. It felt so good to have clean clothes. Some of them are still drying.
We had some drinks and chilled out in our friend's room for a while.
Dinner was at a beautiful Italian restaurant near Courtnay place. The food was great and we had tons of fun. The party continued back at the hotel. More drinking and debauchery. (As I'm sure you know, I'm not much of a drinker. I've still been enjoying myself immensely).
This trip was a great idea. I'm so glad we came and did this tour. Everyone is great and I am having the time of my life. :)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Day #11 (Wellington)
Today began with a hangover for most people on the trip. I went home at the ripe hour of 10:00pm the previous night. I needed the rest.
Luckily today wasn't a particularly busy day.
We got on the bus and travelled almost all day from Taupo to Wellington. Almost everyone slept.
On our second stop, our faithful guide, Sarah, realised that she had left one of our mates at the previous town. We had to turn around. Oops!
The weather on the North Island was perfect for traveling; wet and gray. All the Aussies on our tour were complaining about the cold (except for one guy who was relieved to not be stuck in either a monster flood or a heatwave).
We arrived in Wellington at about 3 and went to Victoria mountain. Wellington is famous for many things other than being the capital of NZ. It is also dubbed "Welliwood" after Peter Jackson brought Lord of the Rings here.
It wasn't a major highlight but it was cool.
We got to the hotel and Becky and I went for a walk to Les Mills Wellington. We arranged to get in for free and attend some classes tomorrow! Wooooooo!
After that, we shopped around for a bit.
The Wellington Rugby 7s championship was on today and we were at ground zero for the costumes and festivities. Everyone was dressed up. It was like Halloween times a million.
I bought a new cheap watch because my old one has a broken strap and after the incident with having one of my tour mates left behind, I became paranoid about always knowing the time.
My new watch is pink.
We got back to the hotel and had some quiet time before we were to go out for dinner.
At about 6:15, we started to get ready for dinner by putting on fluorescent costumes. Becky looked amazing. She had a pink wig and was wearing almost all neon yellow.
We got to the bar/restaurant and had some drinks. Dinner was good but after dinner, the Sh*t show began. Everyone began drinking and onto the tables we went. We danced the night away. NZ won the game tonight and there was cause for even more celebration. Shots were distributed and the party in the streets began. It was like being in the middle of a Superbowl party.
We left the bar and danced in the streets until about 11, and then went home.
I overcame my fear of crowds tonight and I'm feeling really good about myself for that. It took a lot for me to stand in a drumline parade in the middle of a strange city but I did it.
After we came home, we had another drink with our friend, Brandon, and went to sleep.
Tomorrow is a whole day in Wellington. Hopefully the weather will be better for our day of fun. :)
Luckily today wasn't a particularly busy day.
We got on the bus and travelled almost all day from Taupo to Wellington. Almost everyone slept.
On our second stop, our faithful guide, Sarah, realised that she had left one of our mates at the previous town. We had to turn around. Oops!
The weather on the North Island was perfect for traveling; wet and gray. All the Aussies on our tour were complaining about the cold (except for one guy who was relieved to not be stuck in either a monster flood or a heatwave).
We arrived in Wellington at about 3 and went to Victoria mountain. Wellington is famous for many things other than being the capital of NZ. It is also dubbed "Welliwood" after Peter Jackson brought Lord of the Rings here.
It wasn't a major highlight but it was cool.
We got to the hotel and Becky and I went for a walk to Les Mills Wellington. We arranged to get in for free and attend some classes tomorrow! Wooooooo!
After that, we shopped around for a bit.
The Wellington Rugby 7s championship was on today and we were at ground zero for the costumes and festivities. Everyone was dressed up. It was like Halloween times a million.
I bought a new cheap watch because my old one has a broken strap and after the incident with having one of my tour mates left behind, I became paranoid about always knowing the time.
My new watch is pink.
We got back to the hotel and had some quiet time before we were to go out for dinner.
At about 6:15, we started to get ready for dinner by putting on fluorescent costumes. Becky looked amazing. She had a pink wig and was wearing almost all neon yellow.
We got to the bar/restaurant and had some drinks. Dinner was good but after dinner, the Sh*t show began. Everyone began drinking and onto the tables we went. We danced the night away. NZ won the game tonight and there was cause for even more celebration. Shots were distributed and the party in the streets began. It was like being in the middle of a Superbowl party.
We left the bar and danced in the streets until about 11, and then went home.
I overcame my fear of crowds tonight and I'm feeling really good about myself for that. It took a lot for me to stand in a drumline parade in the middle of a strange city but I did it.
After we came home, we had another drink with our friend, Brandon, and went to sleep.
Tomorrow is a whole day in Wellington. Hopefully the weather will be better for our day of fun. :)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Day #10 (Taupo)
The day began at 7:00.
Becky's alarm woke us up. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed (me especially).
As mentioned before, I was feeling pretty crabby yesterday. Today was no different. I know Becky is getting tired of it. I suspect the best remedy for grouchy Emma is space. Today, I got some.
We hopped on the bus and drove for an hour to Taupo. We stopped at a moon-like thermal park. W walked that for about 45 minutes and hopped back on the bus. We then went to look at the Huka falls. They were neat.
Taupo was great. We tried to get into a Les Mills class at the gym but we were too late. They didn't have a lot of available time for classes so Becky and I worked out instead. I am soooooo dead-tired that my workout wasn't particularly thorough. It didn't matter. I got some ya yas outs.
Becky and I split when we got back to Taupo centre. I definitely needed a couple hours to myself and I think Becky needed some time away from me too.
I had lunch at a salad/juice bar. It was great! It was exactly what I wanted to eat and it wasn't expensive. I had a veggie korma and a detox juice. The juice worked! I'm feeling much better.
I had some time to kill so I went to the public library to charge "big fancy" (Becky's nickname for my iPad).
We met at the bus and went to the hotel and had some down time. Was happens at down time?
Rest. I was not feeling myself today so some rest was definitely needed.
After a recharge, we went dressed up in traffic light colours for a themed boat cruise around lake Taupo. For all out there who don't know what a traffic light party is; its a party where you dress up as your availability signal. Example, red=taken/married/in a relationship, yellow=available but its complicated and green=fair game to be picked up. For obvious reasons, I proudly wore red. I had bought a cute clip on hat and red gloves from a dollar store in Rotorua. I looked cute, comfortable and classy.
I'm the only married person on this trip. Its great to not have to deal with the drama. Everyone is really respectful and I appreciate that.
We got on the bus and went to meet a boat for the party. It was a booze cruise/sh*t show. Everyone was loaded (except me). I still had a great time. I caught a fish and we ate it!!!!
There was rainbow trout and other interesting fish in the lake too. I caught a trout.
The lake is apparently larger than Singapore and it was originally made from a volcano.
There are pictures but they are mostly of Becky having a super time. She was happy.
The cruise lasted about 3 hours and then we came back to Taupo. Everyone continue the party while I came home and went to bed. I figured it was the best thing for me so I could try and be fresh for our long drive to Wellington tomorrow. :)
Becky's alarm woke us up. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed (me especially).
As mentioned before, I was feeling pretty crabby yesterday. Today was no different. I know Becky is getting tired of it. I suspect the best remedy for grouchy Emma is space. Today, I got some.
We hopped on the bus and drove for an hour to Taupo. We stopped at a moon-like thermal park. W walked that for about 45 minutes and hopped back on the bus. We then went to look at the Huka falls. They were neat.
Taupo was great. We tried to get into a Les Mills class at the gym but we were too late. They didn't have a lot of available time for classes so Becky and I worked out instead. I am soooooo dead-tired that my workout wasn't particularly thorough. It didn't matter. I got some ya yas outs.
Becky and I split when we got back to Taupo centre. I definitely needed a couple hours to myself and I think Becky needed some time away from me too.
I had lunch at a salad/juice bar. It was great! It was exactly what I wanted to eat and it wasn't expensive. I had a veggie korma and a detox juice. The juice worked! I'm feeling much better.
I had some time to kill so I went to the public library to charge "big fancy" (Becky's nickname for my iPad).
We met at the bus and went to the hotel and had some down time. Was happens at down time?
Rest. I was not feeling myself today so some rest was definitely needed.
After a recharge, we went dressed up in traffic light colours for a themed boat cruise around lake Taupo. For all out there who don't know what a traffic light party is; its a party where you dress up as your availability signal. Example, red=taken/married/in a relationship, yellow=available but its complicated and green=fair game to be picked up. For obvious reasons, I proudly wore red. I had bought a cute clip on hat and red gloves from a dollar store in Rotorua. I looked cute, comfortable and classy.
I'm the only married person on this trip. Its great to not have to deal with the drama. Everyone is really respectful and I appreciate that.
We got on the bus and went to meet a boat for the party. It was a booze cruise/sh*t show. Everyone was loaded (except me). I still had a great time. I caught a fish and we ate it!!!!
There was rainbow trout and other interesting fish in the lake too. I caught a trout.
The lake is apparently larger than Singapore and it was originally made from a volcano.
There are pictures but they are mostly of Becky having a super time. She was happy.
The cruise lasted about 3 hours and then we came back to Taupo. Everyone continue the party while I came home and went to bed. I figured it was the best thing for me so I could try and be fresh for our long drive to Wellington tomorrow. :)
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Day #9 (Rotorua)
We began the day at the crack of dawn; 6:15.
Becky's alarm went off and I was in the middle of a really strange dream. I can't remember the details of it but the fact of the a matter was that it was the first time I dreamt since I've been here.
We had breakfast at 6:45 and had the bus packed up and out of Waitomo by 7:15. I didn't start my day right and poor Becky had to deal with me in a grouchy grouch all day. Luckily, the day was really fun.
After two hours of riding on the bus, we arrived at the Argodome for a sheep shearing show. It was hilarious! We started off in the lammy holding area. We pet baby lambs and greeted a big cow.
After the petting, we sat down in this theatre and watched the sheep show. It was great. They introduced us to all th breeds of sheep, gave one sheep a haircut, Becky milked a cow and we saw a small herding dog show. It was fantastic.
After the Argodome, we went to go Zorbing. Zorbing is a giant hollow translucent rubber ball that they fill with warm water and put you inside before they push you down a hill. It was sort of like being pushed down the hill in a giant washing machine. Becky and I went together and it was super funny. I was laughing the entire way down.
We got back on the bus and went to Rotorua for lunch. We went to the Fat Dog cafe. The food was great, and gluten free.
At about 1:30, we got back on the bus and went to check into our hotel. The hotel is nice and conveniently located near the Polynesian Spa natural hot spring pools. If anyone knows one thing about natural spas, its that they stink. The nickname for the town is "Rottenrua".
We booked a tour to Whakawerawera, a Maori village with the natural geysers and hot springs. The whole town smelt like eggs. This was great because I had really bad farts and no one was the wiser.
Mwah ha ha ha!
We were also touring in a huge group with the blue haired crowd. This was a drag because there were so many people that we didn't have a lot of opportunities to ask questions or hear what she was saying (at certain points).
Becky managed to ask a good question, "How many people were injured/killed when they discovered the hot pools?".
The guide responded with, "none!". Bullish*t!
We finished the tour and went for a walk to the mudpools. They were alright. I felt badly walking around the homes and gardens of the local tribe that lived there. For anyone who has been to Saint Marie Among the Hurons, it was like this only people still live there.
We got back on the bus and came back to the hotel for dinner, a Maori huangi (cooking meat/any food using geothermal heat), a show and a dip in the Polynesian Spas.
Becky's alarm went off and I was in the middle of a really strange dream. I can't remember the details of it but the fact of the a matter was that it was the first time I dreamt since I've been here.
We had breakfast at 6:45 and had the bus packed up and out of Waitomo by 7:15. I didn't start my day right and poor Becky had to deal with me in a grouchy grouch all day. Luckily, the day was really fun.
After two hours of riding on the bus, we arrived at the Argodome for a sheep shearing show. It was hilarious! We started off in the lammy holding area. We pet baby lambs and greeted a big cow.
After the petting, we sat down in this theatre and watched the sheep show. It was great. They introduced us to all th breeds of sheep, gave one sheep a haircut, Becky milked a cow and we saw a small herding dog show. It was fantastic.
After the Argodome, we went to go Zorbing. Zorbing is a giant hollow translucent rubber ball that they fill with warm water and put you inside before they push you down a hill. It was sort of like being pushed down the hill in a giant washing machine. Becky and I went together and it was super funny. I was laughing the entire way down.
We got back on the bus and went to Rotorua for lunch. We went to the Fat Dog cafe. The food was great, and gluten free.
At about 1:30, we got back on the bus and went to check into our hotel. The hotel is nice and conveniently located near the Polynesian Spa natural hot spring pools. If anyone knows one thing about natural spas, its that they stink. The nickname for the town is "Rottenrua".
We booked a tour to Whakawerawera, a Maori village with the natural geysers and hot springs. The whole town smelt like eggs. This was great because I had really bad farts and no one was the wiser.
Mwah ha ha ha!
We were also touring in a huge group with the blue haired crowd. This was a drag because there were so many people that we didn't have a lot of opportunities to ask questions or hear what she was saying (at certain points).
Becky managed to ask a good question, "How many people were injured/killed when they discovered the hot pools?".
The guide responded with, "none!". Bullish*t!
We finished the tour and went for a walk to the mudpools. They were alright. I felt badly walking around the homes and gardens of the local tribe that lived there. For anyone who has been to Saint Marie Among the Hurons, it was like this only people still live there.
We got back on the bus and came back to the hotel for dinner, a Maori huangi (cooking meat/any food using geothermal heat), a show and a dip in the Polynesian Spas.
Day #8 (Waitomo)
Today our Contiki tour began.
We got up and packed our room. Miriam met everyone from Canada for breakfast. I didn't particularly want to go and neither did Bec.
Just after 10, Alissa showed up to pick up Miriam. She was kind enough to drop us off near our meeting place for Contiki. That was a huge help. Our bags weighed a lot because of all the food we had previously purchased.
Meeting the group was nice. We got on the bus and our leader, Sarah, yaked at us for the entire two hour duration of the bus ride. She had mentioned that we had to pick our optional activities at that moment. Becky and I picked some cost efficient, interesting activities.
We reached our first stop, Waitomo. This place if famous for their glow worm caves. The bus pulled into a really cute hostel called 'kiwi paka'. It just happened to be across the street from the school/weapons testing site. Weirdest combo ever.
Becky and I went on a tour of the glow worm caves. It as lead by a pretty funny woman in a great hat.
The worms were pretty neat. It was surreal to look at them because they looked like man-made Christmas lights planted on the ceilings of the caves.
We returned to the hostel, had a rest, and dinner. Then we went to the bar for some drinks and a meet and greet. Everyone seems super nice.
We got up and packed our room. Miriam met everyone from Canada for breakfast. I didn't particularly want to go and neither did Bec.
Just after 10, Alissa showed up to pick up Miriam. She was kind enough to drop us off near our meeting place for Contiki. That was a huge help. Our bags weighed a lot because of all the food we had previously purchased.
Meeting the group was nice. We got on the bus and our leader, Sarah, yaked at us for the entire two hour duration of the bus ride. She had mentioned that we had to pick our optional activities at that moment. Becky and I picked some cost efficient, interesting activities.
We reached our first stop, Waitomo. This place if famous for their glow worm caves. The bus pulled into a really cute hostel called 'kiwi paka'. It just happened to be across the street from the school/weapons testing site. Weirdest combo ever.
Becky and I went on a tour of the glow worm caves. It as lead by a pretty funny woman in a great hat.
The worms were pretty neat. It was surreal to look at them because they looked like man-made Christmas lights planted on the ceilings of the caves.
We returned to the hostel, had a rest, and dinner. Then we went to the bar for some drinks and a meet and greet. Everyone seems super nice.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Day #7 ("Attack is honest fitness")
Today was round #2 of filmings.
Because of the blackout, we had two more disciplines on the schedule. Both disciplines were important for us.
We woke up and went grocery shopping. We are going on our Contiki adventure so I wanted to make sure I had food at the ready.
I bought Alex some Starbucks mugs but only the baby ones. I figure I can pick up big ones in the other cities I visit. They are cute little coffee mugs (perfect for espresso).
After shopping, we came home and had a lunch of champions, grilled cheese. I'm sooooo lactose intolerant that I am amazed the food stayed in me as long as it did.
We started to head over the gym around 1pm to get ready for CX30 (LMI's new core program). We got awesome spots and worked out hard.
After that, we had Body Step. I was a complete looser at it. I really hope that anyone who is reading this can forgive me if they show me on the video. I was simply awful.
Attack was next and we got amazing spots for it, front row. Everyone we came with will be on the video for sure. I had pulled a hamstring yesterday and by now I was in excruciating pain. I managed to get through Attack but I'm not pictured in the the legs, abs or cool down tracks. I was in the corner crying and stretching.
We had a break after Attack because we didn't want to do combat.
Vive was next and Mo was presenting. We all brought our remaining energy and cheered her on. It was lots of fun.
Becky and I ran home after Vive, showered, and got back to the gym before the end of Jam.
There was a pizza party after Jam so we stayed for that. We bumped into one of the presenters for Attack when we got back and told him how great he was that day. He had been celebrating already and in a tipsy mumble said to us, "Attack is honest fitness". I thought that was such a funny phrase, mostly because i think Attack is super hard and it seems surreal that anyone can do it.
After that, Mo met us in the studio and we all went out for a bite of (not pizza).
My legs were on fire.
I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed.
We did a load of laundry and fell asleep by about 2.
Because of the blackout, we had two more disciplines on the schedule. Both disciplines were important for us.
We woke up and went grocery shopping. We are going on our Contiki adventure so I wanted to make sure I had food at the ready.
I bought Alex some Starbucks mugs but only the baby ones. I figure I can pick up big ones in the other cities I visit. They are cute little coffee mugs (perfect for espresso).
After shopping, we came home and had a lunch of champions, grilled cheese. I'm sooooo lactose intolerant that I am amazed the food stayed in me as long as it did.
We started to head over the gym around 1pm to get ready for CX30 (LMI's new core program). We got awesome spots and worked out hard.
After that, we had Body Step. I was a complete looser at it. I really hope that anyone who is reading this can forgive me if they show me on the video. I was simply awful.
Attack was next and we got amazing spots for it, front row. Everyone we came with will be on the video for sure. I had pulled a hamstring yesterday and by now I was in excruciating pain. I managed to get through Attack but I'm not pictured in the the legs, abs or cool down tracks. I was in the corner crying and stretching.
We had a break after Attack because we didn't want to do combat.
Vive was next and Mo was presenting. We all brought our remaining energy and cheered her on. It was lots of fun.
Becky and I ran home after Vive, showered, and got back to the gym before the end of Jam.
There was a pizza party after Jam so we stayed for that. We bumped into one of the presenters for Attack when we got back and told him how great he was that day. He had been celebrating already and in a tipsy mumble said to us, "Attack is honest fitness". I thought that was such a funny phrase, mostly because i think Attack is super hard and it seems surreal that anyone can do it.
After that, Mo met us in the studio and we all went out for a bite of (not pizza).
My legs were on fire.
I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed.
We did a load of laundry and fell asleep by about 2.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Day #6 (the drive home)
This is going to be a short post because there weren't many highlights today.
We woke up in Mt. Maunganui to find that there was only one bathroom to share between all of us. Six women and one bathroom can be chaotic. Luckily, I'm well trained in the art of being quick so my teeth were brushed and my contacts were in in less than three minutes.
We got in the car and went for breakfast on the beach.
The weather was overcast and cool.
After breakfast, Alissa had received a message that she left her Spongebob bikini at the room so we went back to pick it up. Hee hee hee!
We hit the road by about 10, and drove through the countryside. We stopped maybe a million times to try and get a 'thank you' gift for Ross. I ended up finding him Christmas lights shaped as Havaianas (Brazilian flip flops). I knew he liked colorful design-type things. They turned out to be a hit!
Finally we made it home by about 4. Becky, Miriam and I were anxious to get moving after a day in the car so we went to an Attack class. We all felt much better except I pulled a Hammy. Ouch!
After class, Miriam and I met some people at Sale St for dinner. I ate what would be equivalent to another lumberjack special; two steaks, chips and a salad. I felt great after that. I love to eat.
Mir and I walked home to find that Becky had done both her and my laundry. Sweetie!
Time for rest for the filmings tomorrow.
We woke up in Mt. Maunganui to find that there was only one bathroom to share between all of us. Six women and one bathroom can be chaotic. Luckily, I'm well trained in the art of being quick so my teeth were brushed and my contacts were in in less than three minutes.
We got in the car and went for breakfast on the beach.
The weather was overcast and cool.
After breakfast, Alissa had received a message that she left her Spongebob bikini at the room so we went back to pick it up. Hee hee hee!
We hit the road by about 10, and drove through the countryside. We stopped maybe a million times to try and get a 'thank you' gift for Ross. I ended up finding him Christmas lights shaped as Havaianas (Brazilian flip flops). I knew he liked colorful design-type things. They turned out to be a hit!
Finally we made it home by about 4. Becky, Miriam and I were anxious to get moving after a day in the car so we went to an Attack class. We all felt much better except I pulled a Hammy. Ouch!
After class, Miriam and I met some people at Sale St for dinner. I ate what would be equivalent to another lumberjack special; two steaks, chips and a salad. I felt great after that. I love to eat.
Mir and I walked home to find that Becky had done both her and my laundry. Sweetie!
Time for rest for the filmings tomorrow.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Day #5 (Mount Manganui)
Becky's phone continued...
Poor girl didn't sleep well last night. She was feeling pretty distraught about her phone. I can't blame her. I would have cried if my iPad was taken or misplaced. She got up at about 6:30a and went to the gym to see if someone had turned it in. Someone did. Mir and I were soooooo happy for her.
Alissa picked us up in her boyfriend's pimped out minivan at 8a.
The van.
Well, it looks like a carbon fibre bumble bee. The wheels are super snazzy (and yellow); the sound system was pimped right out and the whole thing was just black and yellow all over. Trust me, I will post pics of it. Alissa and Ross designed it together and it is great. We got tons of attention when we drove it down the street.
We picked up Kim and Alissa and Miriam's friend, Mel, and we hit the road for "the mount".
The drive was wonderful. New Zealand is so pretty. I sat in the backy back with Kim and we searched the hillsides for sheep. We found them. There were more cows than sheep.
We stopped first for breakfast and then in Paeroa for some L&P.
What in the world is L&P?
L&P is a fizzy drink called Lemon and Paeroa. Alissa treated us all to bottles of L&P and we took some pictures of all of us in front of a giant concrete bottle of it.
We hopped back in the car and drove through some more beautiful scenery. We stopped again soon after because the L&P went through me real fast and I had to pee.
About an hour after that we arrived in Tauranga and then at Mt Manganui. This place is beautiful. We parked the bee-car in a nirvana parking spot, stripped off our clothes, applied sunblock and ran onto the beach. It felt so good to soak up the sun and relax. We posed for some artsy yoga poses on the rocks and then went swimming. The waves were amazing and there was an outrigger canoe race going on today.
The race was entertaining because there were men walking around in their swimsuits and wearing the most ridiculous bathing caps. They look like the lifeguard caps that the lifeguards wear in Australia. Becky and I agreed that they looked weird and that we should bring back the whole outfit (including the brightly colored speedo) for my sweet husband. (Don't worry Alex, I forgot my wallet in Miriam's bag so I missed my opportunity).
While we were at the beach we met up with more friends: Dai, Will and their daughter Laz. Laz is adorable.
Dai came hung out with us for the rest of the day while Will stayed with Laz.
After The beach we had to find a hotel to stay in. The whole town was packed because of the long weekend in Auckland (for Auckland's birthday).
Dai found us a place and it is great. We are staying in a suite with two double beds and a separate room for a King! All six of us fit comfortably. It was wicked cheap too. We all payed $53 for the night.
We went for dinner and drinks at a Brazilian bar. The food was okay but the service was lacking. They didn't charge me for my drink. It was bizarre but they had a gluten free menu. I'm finding that its really great to eat here. I can be in the more remote place and still find GF food.
At dinner, Kim was lamenting about how she didn't get any colour. Well, after a couple of hours, she had colour alright. In fact, even with all our sunblock, all us Canadians toasted. Kim has a burn on her chest; Becky has one on her shoulders and chest; and i forgot to get my tummy. I look like an inside-out Carebear. I was so careful too. I was wearing SPF 45. I learned that it doesn't matter the SPF as long as you can remember to put it on everywhere.
After dinner Alissa, Miriam and I went out for Gelato. I had Cherry. It was good but not as good as some of the stuff I've had in Israel or even Toronto.
Everyone else was having drinks. I've learned something interesting about myself on this trip. If I am going to invest myself in consuming calories for an activity, I would much rather be eating than drinking alcohol. Me love food!
We met back at the restaurant and grabbed our swimsuits for a dunk in the hot pools. They are hot spring water pools infused with a cocktail of chemicals to keep them sanitary. It was okay. The pools were only open until 10 so by the time we got there, we couldn't stay longer than a half an hour. That was fine with me. I was tired and burnt.
We came back to the suite and half of us went for drinks while Miriam, Alissa and I stayed home. The town was dead so Mel, Becky and Kim came home around 11.
Poor girl didn't sleep well last night. She was feeling pretty distraught about her phone. I can't blame her. I would have cried if my iPad was taken or misplaced. She got up at about 6:30a and went to the gym to see if someone had turned it in. Someone did. Mir and I were soooooo happy for her.
Alissa picked us up in her boyfriend's pimped out minivan at 8a.
The van.
Well, it looks like a carbon fibre bumble bee. The wheels are super snazzy (and yellow); the sound system was pimped right out and the whole thing was just black and yellow all over. Trust me, I will post pics of it. Alissa and Ross designed it together and it is great. We got tons of attention when we drove it down the street.
We picked up Kim and Alissa and Miriam's friend, Mel, and we hit the road for "the mount".
The drive was wonderful. New Zealand is so pretty. I sat in the backy back with Kim and we searched the hillsides for sheep. We found them. There were more cows than sheep.
We stopped first for breakfast and then in Paeroa for some L&P.
What in the world is L&P?
L&P is a fizzy drink called Lemon and Paeroa. Alissa treated us all to bottles of L&P and we took some pictures of all of us in front of a giant concrete bottle of it.
We hopped back in the car and drove through some more beautiful scenery. We stopped again soon after because the L&P went through me real fast and I had to pee.
About an hour after that we arrived in Tauranga and then at Mt Manganui. This place is beautiful. We parked the bee-car in a nirvana parking spot, stripped off our clothes, applied sunblock and ran onto the beach. It felt so good to soak up the sun and relax. We posed for some artsy yoga poses on the rocks and then went swimming. The waves were amazing and there was an outrigger canoe race going on today.
The race was entertaining because there were men walking around in their swimsuits and wearing the most ridiculous bathing caps. They look like the lifeguard caps that the lifeguards wear in Australia. Becky and I agreed that they looked weird and that we should bring back the whole outfit (including the brightly colored speedo) for my sweet husband. (Don't worry Alex, I forgot my wallet in Miriam's bag so I missed my opportunity).
While we were at the beach we met up with more friends: Dai, Will and their daughter Laz. Laz is adorable.
Dai came hung out with us for the rest of the day while Will stayed with Laz.
After The beach we had to find a hotel to stay in. The whole town was packed because of the long weekend in Auckland (for Auckland's birthday).
Dai found us a place and it is great. We are staying in a suite with two double beds and a separate room for a King! All six of us fit comfortably. It was wicked cheap too. We all payed $53 for the night.
We went for dinner and drinks at a Brazilian bar. The food was okay but the service was lacking. They didn't charge me for my drink. It was bizarre but they had a gluten free menu. I'm finding that its really great to eat here. I can be in the more remote place and still find GF food.
At dinner, Kim was lamenting about how she didn't get any colour. Well, after a couple of hours, she had colour alright. In fact, even with all our sunblock, all us Canadians toasted. Kim has a burn on her chest; Becky has one on her shoulders and chest; and i forgot to get my tummy. I look like an inside-out Carebear. I was so careful too. I was wearing SPF 45. I learned that it doesn't matter the SPF as long as you can remember to put it on everywhere.
After dinner Alissa, Miriam and I went out for Gelato. I had Cherry. It was good but not as good as some of the stuff I've had in Israel or even Toronto.
Everyone else was having drinks. I've learned something interesting about myself on this trip. If I am going to invest myself in consuming calories for an activity, I would much rather be eating than drinking alcohol. Me love food!
We met back at the restaurant and grabbed our swimsuits for a dunk in the hot pools. They are hot spring water pools infused with a cocktail of chemicals to keep them sanitary. It was okay. The pools were only open until 10 so by the time we got there, we couldn't stay longer than a half an hour. That was fine with me. I was tired and burnt.
We came back to the suite and half of us went for drinks while Miriam, Alissa and I stayed home. The town was dead so Mel, Becky and Kim came home around 11.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Day #4 (Kristin and Miriam)
Before I begin, I would like to apologize for the lack of photos. My iPad is a wonderful tool but I can't seem to figure out how to transfer pics onto my blog or facebook. I'm sorry everyone.
So today was supposed to be a rest day but when you are on a fitness vacation its hard to rest.
We woke up at our usual time (6:30), and paced around the apartment for a while. Becky and I were a little hung over from the night before but fully functional.
We met Kim at the gym for a 10:10 Attack class. It was a lot of fun. The instructor was a presenter on previous releases and he was great at coaching the class. It was lot of fun.
After our morning workout, Becky and I were pretty hungry. I was supposed to meet my friend, Kristin, for lunch. I invited Becky to come along too and meet Kris.
Well, Kristin is a very old friend of mine. We went to elementary school together at Armour Heights back in the day. Kristin's family eventually moved to Kelowna and Kris moved here. She's been living in Auckland for 6 months and working in marketing.
We met her at the Nike store at Victoria market and continued to Sale St for lunch. Because Becky and I were so hungry, we offered what was the equivalent to the lumberjack special. So much food, all so delicious.
Becky was pretty tired so she went back to the room while Kris and I caught up. It was so nice Kristin is really happy here and she was simply glowing. I want to come and visit her again next year.
I went back to the room because I had a few minutes before our second Attack class of the day. Luckily I was there because just as I was about to leave, Miriam and Alissa showed up. Alissa is Miriam's bestie and she lives here. I am so happy that Miriam is staying with us. I love her and I'm so happy she is loving her new job in Australia. I miss her like crazy.
The afternoon Attack class was a preview team taught class for the presenters. It was so much fun. I met Becky there and we worked it. The music is great and it looks like it is going to be amazing at the filming.
Alissa and Miriam met us at the gym after our class and we were crazy tired. We were invited for dinner at Alissa's partner, Ross', house. We hopped in the car and made our way to his amazing flat. Alissa and Ross are both designers and his house was so neat. Everything was creative and beautiful. Alissa had bought him a line of mini robots labelled in their Pantone colours and he made it into a lightbox.
Ross and Alissa are some of the warmest people i have ever met. They were wonderful and it was a lovely dinner. We had an amazing time.
After dinner, Becky realized that she had lost her phone.
We searched everywhere for it but it was no where to be seen. (We do find it but not in this posting).
Stay tuned to find out the conclusion to Becky's phone story...
So today was supposed to be a rest day but when you are on a fitness vacation its hard to rest.
We woke up at our usual time (6:30), and paced around the apartment for a while. Becky and I were a little hung over from the night before but fully functional.
We met Kim at the gym for a 10:10 Attack class. It was a lot of fun. The instructor was a presenter on previous releases and he was great at coaching the class. It was lot of fun.
After our morning workout, Becky and I were pretty hungry. I was supposed to meet my friend, Kristin, for lunch. I invited Becky to come along too and meet Kris.
Well, Kristin is a very old friend of mine. We went to elementary school together at Armour Heights back in the day. Kristin's family eventually moved to Kelowna and Kris moved here. She's been living in Auckland for 6 months and working in marketing.
We met her at the Nike store at Victoria market and continued to Sale St for lunch. Because Becky and I were so hungry, we offered what was the equivalent to the lumberjack special. So much food, all so delicious.
Becky was pretty tired so she went back to the room while Kris and I caught up. It was so nice Kristin is really happy here and she was simply glowing. I want to come and visit her again next year.
I went back to the room because I had a few minutes before our second Attack class of the day. Luckily I was there because just as I was about to leave, Miriam and Alissa showed up. Alissa is Miriam's bestie and she lives here. I am so happy that Miriam is staying with us. I love her and I'm so happy she is loving her new job in Australia. I miss her like crazy.
The afternoon Attack class was a preview team taught class for the presenters. It was so much fun. I met Becky there and we worked it. The music is great and it looks like it is going to be amazing at the filming.
Alissa and Miriam met us at the gym after our class and we were crazy tired. We were invited for dinner at Alissa's partner, Ross', house. We hopped in the car and made our way to his amazing flat. Alissa and Ross are both designers and his house was so neat. Everything was creative and beautiful. Alissa had bought him a line of mini robots labelled in their Pantone colours and he made it into a lightbox.
Ross and Alissa are some of the warmest people i have ever met. They were wonderful and it was a lovely dinner. We had an amazing time.
After dinner, Becky realized that she had lost her phone.
We searched everywhere for it but it was no where to be seen. (We do find it but not in this posting).
Stay tuned to find out the conclusion to Becky's phone story...
Friday, January 28, 2011
Day #3 (Becky, did that just happen?)
This post is not going to do justice to the amazing day we had. I will do my best to explain it but this is a day that I'm sure Becky and I will remember for the rest of our lives.
We got up early as a force of habit. There were no morning classes on the schedule at Les Mills that neither Becky nor I were particularly interested in. I am still a bit sore from Thursday but Becky wanted to get her "ya-yas" out so she planned to head to the gym for a run. The plan was that I was going to stay home until about 11 and then meet the whole Canadian crew at the gym and we would walk to Les Mills International head office together.
Becky went for a cup of coffee before her run and bumped into Kim at the coffee shop. Becky asked what Kim was wearing for our daily adventure and told Becky that we should be wearing dresses. At this point, I was still at home, happily strutting my board shorts and an oversize blue t-shirt. Becky ran home and we both changed. She didn't get her run in but it didn't matter.
While I was home, I had noticed that I had misplaced my sunglasses (the non-prescription ones). I figured that they were misplaced in the blackout. I did go back to the gym to see if they had been turned in. No luck. We went to replace them with cheapo glasses at Victoria market. $12. Done.
After these piggies went to market, we met Kim and Jim. Trisha wasn't feeling well so she stayed home and got some rest.
We walked to the LMI offices completely unaware of what was about to come next.
We got there and had a tour of the building. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was surreal. This is the real Mothership of all the programming and people that make our passion!
All our 'heroes' were there as was Mo. After our quick tour, we all hopped into cabs and went to the ferry docks for a ride to Waiheke island.
We sat down on the boat with Rachel Cohen (the Sh'Bam and Body Combat program director). She was great. We asked her tons of questions and snapped a few photos with her.
When we arrived on Waiheke, it started to rain. We got onto a bus and headed off to the Stony Ridge Vineyard for lunch. We were shmoozing with the owners of Les Mills (Philip and Jackie Mills) and all the international presenters. It was unreal.
We sat down for an amazing lunch of lamb, chicken, fish and salads. We drank tons of wine and laughed and shared stories for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The wine was good but not worth picking up. (The white was waaaaaaaayyyyy better than the red).
After lunch we boarded the bus. I turned to Becky and said, "did that just happen?". She confirmed it did as we stumbled onto the bus.
We got on a 4 o'clock ferry and sat with some locals. They were happy to meet us. We laughed with them and I got a super funny pic of Becky with them. Its nice to meet locals.
We got off the ferry and decided to walk in the rain back to the LMI offices.
En route, Mo decided that she wanted to stop and shop. She pulled us into this store on Albert St. It was a store that sold clothing that was what I can only describe as Hippie-chic. Please remember that Jim was with us at this time.
Mo bought a very expensive hooded sweatshirt in a beautiful colour blue. The shirt itself was not my taste but it looked great on Mo.
We puddle jumped all the way back to the offices and were greeted by Trisha. There was a reception for us upstairs. Once again wine and food was provided. We took this opportunity to drink more and scarf down some pizza. I didn't do any pizza scarfing but I did partake in more wine.
We took tons of pictures and enjoyed evey moment.
At LMI, they have a drinking game called Buffalo.
The rules of Buffalo are simple:
1. Drink with your left hand
2. If you are caught by anyone drinking with your right hand, they can lift their elbow at you and call "buffalo"; wherein at this point you must chug the contents of your glass
3. If you chug with your right hand, you get "double buffalo-ed".
4. If you call Buffalo when someone is not drinking alcohol, or drinking with their right hand, you automatically get Buffalo-ed.
Kim got double Buffalo-ed but Susan Renata (Body Pump superstar icon). Because Kim is the instructor of the year this made the whole experience even better.
After we were all sufficiently toasted, we cleared out of the offices. Kim, Jim, Becky and I continued the party at thte Drake pub, down the street.
I ordered a tray of GF chips and Becky ordered shots. After 3 shots each, we called it a night. Kim was cooked.
We stumbled home in the pouring rain. Everything was soaked.
We dried off and went to bed. Neither of us could sleep because of the amazing reality bestowed upon us.
We finally called it and we were sleeping by 11.
We got up early as a force of habit. There were no morning classes on the schedule at Les Mills that neither Becky nor I were particularly interested in. I am still a bit sore from Thursday but Becky wanted to get her "ya-yas" out so she planned to head to the gym for a run. The plan was that I was going to stay home until about 11 and then meet the whole Canadian crew at the gym and we would walk to Les Mills International head office together.
Becky went for a cup of coffee before her run and bumped into Kim at the coffee shop. Becky asked what Kim was wearing for our daily adventure and told Becky that we should be wearing dresses. At this point, I was still at home, happily strutting my board shorts and an oversize blue t-shirt. Becky ran home and we both changed. She didn't get her run in but it didn't matter.
While I was home, I had noticed that I had misplaced my sunglasses (the non-prescription ones). I figured that they were misplaced in the blackout. I did go back to the gym to see if they had been turned in. No luck. We went to replace them with cheapo glasses at Victoria market. $12. Done.
After these piggies went to market, we met Kim and Jim. Trisha wasn't feeling well so she stayed home and got some rest.
We walked to the LMI offices completely unaware of what was about to come next.
We got there and had a tour of the building. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was surreal. This is the real Mothership of all the programming and people that make our passion!
All our 'heroes' were there as was Mo. After our quick tour, we all hopped into cabs and went to the ferry docks for a ride to Waiheke island.
We sat down on the boat with Rachel Cohen (the Sh'Bam and Body Combat program director). She was great. We asked her tons of questions and snapped a few photos with her.
When we arrived on Waiheke, it started to rain. We got onto a bus and headed off to the Stony Ridge Vineyard for lunch. We were shmoozing with the owners of Les Mills (Philip and Jackie Mills) and all the international presenters. It was unreal.
We sat down for an amazing lunch of lamb, chicken, fish and salads. We drank tons of wine and laughed and shared stories for a couple of hours in the afternoon. The wine was good but not worth picking up. (The white was waaaaaaaayyyyy better than the red).
After lunch we boarded the bus. I turned to Becky and said, "did that just happen?". She confirmed it did as we stumbled onto the bus.
We got on a 4 o'clock ferry and sat with some locals. They were happy to meet us. We laughed with them and I got a super funny pic of Becky with them. Its nice to meet locals.
We got off the ferry and decided to walk in the rain back to the LMI offices.
En route, Mo decided that she wanted to stop and shop. She pulled us into this store on Albert St. It was a store that sold clothing that was what I can only describe as Hippie-chic. Please remember that Jim was with us at this time.
Mo bought a very expensive hooded sweatshirt in a beautiful colour blue. The shirt itself was not my taste but it looked great on Mo.
We puddle jumped all the way back to the offices and were greeted by Trisha. There was a reception for us upstairs. Once again wine and food was provided. We took this opportunity to drink more and scarf down some pizza. I didn't do any pizza scarfing but I did partake in more wine.
We took tons of pictures and enjoyed evey moment.
At LMI, they have a drinking game called Buffalo.
The rules of Buffalo are simple:
1. Drink with your left hand
2. If you are caught by anyone drinking with your right hand, they can lift their elbow at you and call "buffalo"; wherein at this point you must chug the contents of your glass
3. If you chug with your right hand, you get "double buffalo-ed".
4. If you call Buffalo when someone is not drinking alcohol, or drinking with their right hand, you automatically get Buffalo-ed.
Kim got double Buffalo-ed but Susan Renata (Body Pump superstar icon). Because Kim is the instructor of the year this made the whole experience even better.
After we were all sufficiently toasted, we cleared out of the offices. Kim, Jim, Becky and I continued the party at thte Drake pub, down the street.
I ordered a tray of GF chips and Becky ordered shots. After 3 shots each, we called it a night. Kim was cooked.
We stumbled home in the pouring rain. Everything was soaked.
We dried off and went to bed. Neither of us could sleep because of the amazing reality bestowed upon us.
We finally called it and we were sleeping by 11.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day #2 (the blackout)
Today was super great and not just because we found the grocery store.
Buying food is always a treat for me but I found a whole gluten-free bakery section today. Yay!!!!!
We spent the morning reading and relaxing because we had the afternoon filmings.
At abut 1pm, we went to the gym.
I was not as excited about the filmings as I has previously hoped but I think that was because Attack wasn't on the schedule for the first filming. As we approached the gym I was. Starting to feel Revved up.
We arrived super early and met some women from Switzerland. Apparently there is a 15 person delegation from Switzerland here to cheer on one of their presenting instructors.
We found our team around 2pm at the entrance to the main studio. There are 6 of us here; me and Becky, Kim (Goodlife's instructor of the year), Mo (VP operations and BodyVive presenter), and Jim and Trisha (a father-daughter team from London, Ont).
The first filming class was Body Flow/Body Balance (they call it 'balance' here). We rushed the studio hoping to get good spots. I wasn't prepared to be packing in there like sardines but apparently that's how they roll. I stood behind Mo and next to Becky. In some of the positions i was pretty close to being kicked in the head by Mo but i just shimmied myself backwards and tried not to kick the person behind me in the face. It was a really nice class and a hard one to boot!
I've never sweat like that from a Flow class before.
Next up was Pump. I saved Becky a spot while she changed. I don't particularly like Pump so I wasn't planning on doing it. I stayed and talked to Mo and watched the class instead. The music was great but there were a lot of hiccups in the filming. The whole class lasted about an hour and a half. Most of the issues were a result of the production rather than the instructors.
Up next was Sh'Bam. I have been dying to try it. Basically Sh'Bam is a dance class that follows a format where every song is different choreography with patterns. It has a similar structure to Attack and Step but it's all dancing and fun. I loved it. I was giggling and smiling the entire time. We don't have Sh'Bam in Canada yet but when it's introduced, I'm definitely going to the training for that. I was soooooo sweaty and gross but super happy.
There was a scheduled break after Sh'Bam and before Step. I met up with Becky, who watched me dance my pants off and went to change into something less wet. Just as i sat down in the change room, the power went out. Becky ran upstairs to snag steps for us and I changed in the dark. I met her in the studio with Kim and we sat in the dark, thinking that the power would be on anytime.
There was a man sitting on the step behind Becky name Eddie. Both Becky and I found him rely obnoxious. He told us that he was born in Canada and that his family still lives there. He asked us where we were from in Canada and wanted specifics. He was not only nosy but a know-it-all. It didn't take long for us to learn to ignore him. We sat with Kim and she bust out one of those nifty flip video cameras. She took some footage of us sitting in the dark.
Soon the production manage came out and told us that if the power didn't come on until 8:30, then they were going to postpone the filming of Step. The power never came on. Both Step and CX30 are postponed until Tuesday.
We hung out with Kim and Mo in the dark and had the opportunity to dance around on the main stage. It was HUGE! After many giggles and a few photos we went out for dinner with Mo and Kim. Jim had shown up randomly and wanted a beer so he came along too. We ate at a 24 hour Kebab joint and waddled home.
I don't think I can stress the amount my muscles hurt so off to bed with me.
Buying food is always a treat for me but I found a whole gluten-free bakery section today. Yay!!!!!
We spent the morning reading and relaxing because we had the afternoon filmings.
At abut 1pm, we went to the gym.
I was not as excited about the filmings as I has previously hoped but I think that was because Attack wasn't on the schedule for the first filming. As we approached the gym I was. Starting to feel Revved up.
We arrived super early and met some women from Switzerland. Apparently there is a 15 person delegation from Switzerland here to cheer on one of their presenting instructors.
We found our team around 2pm at the entrance to the main studio. There are 6 of us here; me and Becky, Kim (Goodlife's instructor of the year), Mo (VP operations and BodyVive presenter), and Jim and Trisha (a father-daughter team from London, Ont).
The first filming class was Body Flow/Body Balance (they call it 'balance' here). We rushed the studio hoping to get good spots. I wasn't prepared to be packing in there like sardines but apparently that's how they roll. I stood behind Mo and next to Becky. In some of the positions i was pretty close to being kicked in the head by Mo but i just shimmied myself backwards and tried not to kick the person behind me in the face. It was a really nice class and a hard one to boot!
I've never sweat like that from a Flow class before.
Next up was Pump. I saved Becky a spot while she changed. I don't particularly like Pump so I wasn't planning on doing it. I stayed and talked to Mo and watched the class instead. The music was great but there were a lot of hiccups in the filming. The whole class lasted about an hour and a half. Most of the issues were a result of the production rather than the instructors.
Up next was Sh'Bam. I have been dying to try it. Basically Sh'Bam is a dance class that follows a format where every song is different choreography with patterns. It has a similar structure to Attack and Step but it's all dancing and fun. I loved it. I was giggling and smiling the entire time. We don't have Sh'Bam in Canada yet but when it's introduced, I'm definitely going to the training for that. I was soooooo sweaty and gross but super happy.
There was a scheduled break after Sh'Bam and before Step. I met up with Becky, who watched me dance my pants off and went to change into something less wet. Just as i sat down in the change room, the power went out. Becky ran upstairs to snag steps for us and I changed in the dark. I met her in the studio with Kim and we sat in the dark, thinking that the power would be on anytime.
There was a man sitting on the step behind Becky name Eddie. Both Becky and I found him rely obnoxious. He told us that he was born in Canada and that his family still lives there. He asked us where we were from in Canada and wanted specifics. He was not only nosy but a know-it-all. It didn't take long for us to learn to ignore him. We sat with Kim and she bust out one of those nifty flip video cameras. She took some footage of us sitting in the dark.
Soon the production manage came out and told us that if the power didn't come on until 8:30, then they were going to postpone the filming of Step. The power never came on. Both Step and CX30 are postponed until Tuesday.
We hung out with Kim and Mo in the dark and had the opportunity to dance around on the main stage. It was HUGE! After many giggles and a few photos we went out for dinner with Mo and Kim. Jim had shown up randomly and wanted a beer so he came along too. We ate at a 24 hour Kebab joint and waddled home.
I don't think I can stress the amount my muscles hurt so off to bed with me.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Day 1 (the longest day of my life)
We made it. After traveling for what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it.
The flights were uneventful except that Becky sat next to a woman on the flight from Toronto to LA who was a "piece of work". She told many bizarre stories that sounded like total fabrications. She told Becky that she was asked to go to New Zealand once by some man she had met but she couldn't go because she owned a restaurant in the country. I quoted her for most of the flight to Auckland (to make Becky smile).
Once we arrived in Auckland, the airport was a breeze. I thought I was going to be frisked by the bio-cops for my LARA bars, but I was fine.
We hopped into the most expensive cab ride of our lives for a slow ride to our hotel.
The hotel we are staying in is really great. Its apartment style and really close to the gym.
Our room wasn't ready for us when we arrived so we dumped our bags and went for a walk. After the walk, we got into the room, cleaned up and headed out to the gym. On our way, we passed by the Body Attack team (our idols!!!!). We kept our cool even though it was tough.
At the gym, we had a tour and then stayed for a Pump class. Neither Becky nor I like pump that much but we did it anyway. The bars here are waaaaaayyyyy heavier than in Canada.
We came home and decided that we needed some quiet time. Both of us fell asleep. Good thing too. By 5pm we were up again and getting ready for our first Body Attack class here in Auckland. The class was disappointing. The instructor wasn't charismatic or particularly good. We stayed until the end and sweat it out anyway.
So, the gym is a neat place that deserves some explanation.
Les Mills World of Fitness is here in central Auckland. The whole complex spans over a two buildings and is a sprawling mess. It looks like any Goodlife Fitness in Canada only old and with stuff everywhere.
Also please note that it is summer time here in NZ and there is NO air conditioning. So the whole complex smells like sweat and has little circulation in the studios. Luckily all windows
are open all the time but I would hate to do this on a really humid day.
After the class we showered. I have a sunburn. It only took one day and my shoulders are pinky pink. There is no pain but they don't look good.
We ordered dinner from a place that is waaaayyyyy toooo expensive (this is the second time today we have done that).
Until tomorrow!
The flights were uneventful except that Becky sat next to a woman on the flight from Toronto to LA who was a "piece of work". She told many bizarre stories that sounded like total fabrications. She told Becky that she was asked to go to New Zealand once by some man she had met but she couldn't go because she owned a restaurant in the country. I quoted her for most of the flight to Auckland (to make Becky smile).
Once we arrived in Auckland, the airport was a breeze. I thought I was going to be frisked by the bio-cops for my LARA bars, but I was fine.
We hopped into the most expensive cab ride of our lives for a slow ride to our hotel.
The hotel we are staying in is really great. Its apartment style and really close to the gym.
Our room wasn't ready for us when we arrived so we dumped our bags and went for a walk. After the walk, we got into the room, cleaned up and headed out to the gym. On our way, we passed by the Body Attack team (our idols!!!!). We kept our cool even though it was tough.
At the gym, we had a tour and then stayed for a Pump class. Neither Becky nor I like pump that much but we did it anyway. The bars here are waaaaaayyyyy heavier than in Canada.
We came home and decided that we needed some quiet time. Both of us fell asleep. Good thing too. By 5pm we were up again and getting ready for our first Body Attack class here in Auckland. The class was disappointing. The instructor wasn't charismatic or particularly good. We stayed until the end and sweat it out anyway.
So, the gym is a neat place that deserves some explanation.
Les Mills World of Fitness is here in central Auckland. The whole complex spans over a two buildings and is a sprawling mess. It looks like any Goodlife Fitness in Canada only old and with stuff everywhere.
Also please note that it is summer time here in NZ and there is NO air conditioning. So the whole complex smells like sweat and has little circulation in the studios. Luckily all windows
are open all the time but I would hate to do this on a really humid day.
After the class we showered. I have a sunburn. It only took one day and my shoulders are pinky pink. There is no pain but they don't look good.
We ordered dinner from a place that is waaaayyyyy toooo expensive (this is the second time today we have done that).
Until tomorrow!
Monday, January 24, 2011
I'm going today!!!
Okay!
I have figured out that I can post pictures. I will try and do this from my iPad on my travels but first for the test photo. That's Rufus.
Thanks.
So,
I leave today and I couldn't be more excited! I have a few more things to do (like sew one final patch onto one more sports bra and pack my workout clothes) but I'm almost there.
I have baked snacks for the plane and organized everything except for my travel wallet.
The last two weeks were agonizing and stressful but I feel really good today. Even after Marley (our cat) woke both me and Alex up at 5:30am for some cuddles. I went back to sleep and slept until 8. Not too shabby considering how excited I am.
Alex is taking us to the airport today from my parents' house so I didn't have to say 'goodbye' this morning. Good thing!
Next time I speak to you, I will be somewhere warmer (LA or NZ).
Stay tuned for the really exciting stuff (and hopefully pictures).
Saturday, January 22, 2011
New Car!!!
Hello fellow readers,
Just a quick clarification on the blog; I haven't left yet. I'm blogging now so that when I look back on this, I can remember just how excited I was before I left.
Anyway, today.
Alex and I met our friends Danny and Steph for coffee this morning. Today was Steph's birthday and the last time I was going to see them before I left. It was really great and they were bursting with great news. I wish them all the best. :)
After coffee, Alex and I went to Oshawa to look and test drive a car for Alex. We were really close on signing a deal but the dealership wasn't being flexible enough for us. Luckily, we found what we wanted when we got back to Toronto. The dealer in Toronto was great and Alex ordered a new car. It will arrive in late April. Hopefully his current car will last that long. Just as we were leaving the dealership, Alex's "check engine" light illuminated on his dashboard. The last time the car complained, it just wanted premium gas. We are soooooooo happy to be getting rid of it.
With all the excitement of a new car, I didn't do anything to help me get organized for Monday's departure. Luckily, there's tomorrow. I foresee tons of laundry and some baking of snacks for the airplane.
The snow was pretty bad late this afternoon in Toronto. We were expected at our friend Zach's for dinner. After an hour long TTC excursion, we finally made it. Oye!
Dinner was amazing and it is always nice to see Zach.
With one more full day before I leave, I've become more anxious and freaked out about leaving for a whole month. I hope this feeling goes away soon. Its exhausting (but exciting!!!!).
Two more sleeps!!!!!!!
Just a quick clarification on the blog; I haven't left yet. I'm blogging now so that when I look back on this, I can remember just how excited I was before I left.
Anyway, today.
Alex and I met our friends Danny and Steph for coffee this morning. Today was Steph's birthday and the last time I was going to see them before I left. It was really great and they were bursting with great news. I wish them all the best. :)
After coffee, Alex and I went to Oshawa to look and test drive a car for Alex. We were really close on signing a deal but the dealership wasn't being flexible enough for us. Luckily, we found what we wanted when we got back to Toronto. The dealer in Toronto was great and Alex ordered a new car. It will arrive in late April. Hopefully his current car will last that long. Just as we were leaving the dealership, Alex's "check engine" light illuminated on his dashboard. The last time the car complained, it just wanted premium gas. We are soooooooo happy to be getting rid of it.
With all the excitement of a new car, I didn't do anything to help me get organized for Monday's departure. Luckily, there's tomorrow. I foresee tons of laundry and some baking of snacks for the airplane.
The snow was pretty bad late this afternoon in Toronto. We were expected at our friend Zach's for dinner. After an hour long TTC excursion, we finally made it. Oye!
Dinner was amazing and it is always nice to see Zach.
With one more full day before I leave, I've become more anxious and freaked out about leaving for a whole month. I hope this feeling goes away soon. Its exhausting (but exciting!!!!).
Two more sleeps!!!!!!!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Waxing and polish
I promise that this won't be gross.
Today was Becky's last Attack class before we leave on Monday. It was great!
There were tons of members and we were feeling really great throughout. All and all the morning was great.
After the class I went to get waxed and polished. My toes are a lovely summery pink and my legs are nice and smooth. :)
Not a super exciting day but as Monday draws near, our excitement builds.
Becky is going through some personal issues (which I will get to at a later date). She is really excited about the trip however, this trip is more than just a vacation for her; its a new beginning. For this, I'm super proud of her. She is so brave and I hope that this journey is really special for her.
I'm now counting down in sleeps:
3 more sleeps!!!!!
Today was Becky's last Attack class before we leave on Monday. It was great!
There were tons of members and we were feeling really great throughout. All and all the morning was great.
After the class I went to get waxed and polished. My toes are a lovely summery pink and my legs are nice and smooth. :)
Not a super exciting day but as Monday draws near, our excitement builds.
Becky is going through some personal issues (which I will get to at a later date). She is really excited about the trip however, this trip is more than just a vacation for her; its a new beginning. For this, I'm super proud of her. She is so brave and I hope that this journey is really special for her.
I'm now counting down in sleeps:
3 more sleeps!!!!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Finally...New Shoes!
This is a short post considering that I don't have much to day.
1. My shoes finally came in and I saved $100 by ordering from this wholesaler dude. Woot!
The shoes themselves are pretty comfy but they need some working in. I've taken my insoles out of my old pair and put them in the new ones. I have a bit of a rubby toe on my left side but I think that has to do with the insoles. Problem solved.
2. Sick people: Stay away! Everyone is getting sick. Please everyone, feel better but don't get me sick in the meantime.
"This is how Emma washes her hands 50 000 times a day!"
Countdown: 6 days!
1. My shoes finally came in and I saved $100 by ordering from this wholesaler dude. Woot!
The shoes themselves are pretty comfy but they need some working in. I've taken my insoles out of my old pair and put them in the new ones. I have a bit of a rubby toe on my left side but I think that has to do with the insoles. Problem solved.
2. Sick people: Stay away! Everyone is getting sick. Please everyone, feel better but don't get me sick in the meantime.
"This is how Emma washes her hands 50 000 times a day!"
Countdown: 6 days!
Monday, January 17, 2011
One week!
So we are officially one week away from take-off!
As I mentioned in my last posting, I've been feeling anxious. It has been a combination of leaving my husband and getting ready for the trip. Little did I know that there was one more hurdle I would have to over come before some of my anxiety would dissipate.
I'm talking about today's body attack class.
I found out last Monday that I had to learn all new music and choreography to teach to my class today. To put it politely, I was pretty freaked out.
I spent the week cramming choreography and getting organized. Its too bad that the two activities don't jive. If they did, I could have been doing high-knee running, list writing, and shopping all at the same time. That would have been great; but even the greatest 'multitaskers' can't pull something like that off. Body Attack requires most, if not all, of my attention when learning it.
I arrived at my class and I had Reena (a fellow BA teammate) shadow me. This was great. She totally calmed me down and I taught one of my BEST release classes ever. I can't thank her enough for helping me focus and being there today.
The members had a riot. The class was busy (18 members at a lunch time class is great!).
Now that that is over, I'm feeling a whole world better. :)
Shoe update:
Well, my shoes have not arrived yet and I'm getting antsy but I'll remain patient. Tomorrow. If they aren't here tomorrow, I'll pull the plug on this operation and go to sporting life or the running room.
Outfit update:
I called the Lululemon mother-ship today (and my friendly neighbourhood Lululemon) to ask them how to attach Canada Flag patches to their clothing. I spoke to the head seamstress and she told me to hand sew them. That mess starts tonight. I'll do Becky's tomorrow. Hopefully I won't wreck the clothes.
Finally, the trip:
It turns out that all the fun we are going to have in Auckland is already organized for us. Yes!!!
I received the filming schedule today so that we will be able to attend all the filmings of the new choreography and music. The two Becky and I want to be front row center for are Body Step and Body Attack.
Les Mills also has two new programs that we don't have in Canada. There is a brand new one called CX30 which sounds like P90X and Sh'Bam. Sh'Bam is an easy to follow version of Body Jam; like Zumba. I can't wait to see what they are!
We are still waiting on confirmation on our complimentary gym passes. They should be back to us shortly.
That's all!
Countdown: 7 Days
As I mentioned in my last posting, I've been feeling anxious. It has been a combination of leaving my husband and getting ready for the trip. Little did I know that there was one more hurdle I would have to over come before some of my anxiety would dissipate.
I'm talking about today's body attack class.
I found out last Monday that I had to learn all new music and choreography to teach to my class today. To put it politely, I was pretty freaked out.
I spent the week cramming choreography and getting organized. Its too bad that the two activities don't jive. If they did, I could have been doing high-knee running, list writing, and shopping all at the same time. That would have been great; but even the greatest 'multitaskers' can't pull something like that off. Body Attack requires most, if not all, of my attention when learning it.
I arrived at my class and I had Reena (a fellow BA teammate) shadow me. This was great. She totally calmed me down and I taught one of my BEST release classes ever. I can't thank her enough for helping me focus and being there today.
The members had a riot. The class was busy (18 members at a lunch time class is great!).
Now that that is over, I'm feeling a whole world better. :)
Shoe update:
Well, my shoes have not arrived yet and I'm getting antsy but I'll remain patient. Tomorrow. If they aren't here tomorrow, I'll pull the plug on this operation and go to sporting life or the running room.
Outfit update:
I called the Lululemon mother-ship today (and my friendly neighbourhood Lululemon) to ask them how to attach Canada Flag patches to their clothing. I spoke to the head seamstress and she told me to hand sew them. That mess starts tonight. I'll do Becky's tomorrow. Hopefully I won't wreck the clothes.
Finally, the trip:
It turns out that all the fun we are going to have in Auckland is already organized for us. Yes!!!
I received the filming schedule today so that we will be able to attend all the filmings of the new choreography and music. The two Becky and I want to be front row center for are Body Step and Body Attack.
Les Mills also has two new programs that we don't have in Canada. There is a brand new one called CX30 which sounds like P90X and Sh'Bam. Sh'Bam is an easy to follow version of Body Jam; like Zumba. I can't wait to see what they are!
We are still waiting on confirmation on our complimentary gym passes. They should be back to us shortly.
That's all!
Countdown: 7 Days
Friday, January 14, 2011
New Sneakers and general trip jitters
Well, today was a little disappointing on the new shoe front.
I ordered new sneakers for both me and Becky for our trip. I decided to order them from a distributer rather than buy them at the store because I'm hoping that we can get a better than retail price.
I called the guy who was supposed to order the shoes today at least 3 times. After getting on his nerves, he said he'd call me when the shoes were to arrive. He called me back to tell me that Becky's shoes had arrived but mine hadn't. :(
I said that we would pick them up on Monday.
I was really hoping to have the shoes for the Body Attack team practice tomorrow.
Oh well.
Not very exciting news, I know.
I'm starting to feel anxious about the trip. I'm really excited and I'm proud of myself for going but there are always details that jog the mind before a big trip.
Growing up, I spent most of my summers away at camp. I was always a little nervous about leaving my friends and family for the summer. The anxiety I'm having now is similar to that feeling. I'm most worried about leaving my husband for so long. I know he'll be fine. I'm still going to miss him.
10 days!!!
I ordered new sneakers for both me and Becky for our trip. I decided to order them from a distributer rather than buy them at the store because I'm hoping that we can get a better than retail price.
I called the guy who was supposed to order the shoes today at least 3 times. After getting on his nerves, he said he'd call me when the shoes were to arrive. He called me back to tell me that Becky's shoes had arrived but mine hadn't. :(
I said that we would pick them up on Monday.
I was really hoping to have the shoes for the Body Attack team practice tomorrow.
Oh well.
Not very exciting news, I know.
I'm starting to feel anxious about the trip. I'm really excited and I'm proud of myself for going but there are always details that jog the mind before a big trip.
Growing up, I spent most of my summers away at camp. I was always a little nervous about leaving my friends and family for the summer. The anxiety I'm having now is similar to that feeling. I'm most worried about leaving my husband for so long. I know he'll be fine. I'm still going to miss him.
10 days!!!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
City Oaks :(
I've spent most of my day in bed. Because in January, everyone in Canada suffers from the mid winter sniffles. I'm no exception.
We had a pretty decent snowfall last night so I had to dig my way out of my house to get anywhere today. Luckily, the only place I had to go was the post office.
I shoveled the walk and decided to be a decent neighbor and dig out some of the cars parked on the street. When I came in after shoveling, I was a snot-monster so I curled up in bed with my cat and a cup of tea.
During my "nap/movie", the phone rang. It was my travel agent. She tried to book us an apartment in Auckland called the City Oaks. Unfortunately, the place was booked up. Instead of panicking, we looked at our options. There was a very snazzy place a few blocks away from the gym but it was going to be really $$$. Jenn then found another apartment-style hotel around the corner from the City Oaks called Quest. When she quoted me the price, I nearly fell out of bed. It turned out to be $400 cheaper than the City Oaks and it had all the same ammenities.
BAZINGA!!!!
Booked!!!!!
Now that we've saved all that money, I can buy myself some new running shoes!!!
(That story is for Friday because that's when Becky and I pick up our special sneakers I ordered this morning).
12 days!!!!!
We had a pretty decent snowfall last night so I had to dig my way out of my house to get anywhere today. Luckily, the only place I had to go was the post office.
I shoveled the walk and decided to be a decent neighbor and dig out some of the cars parked on the street. When I came in after shoveling, I was a snot-monster so I curled up in bed with my cat and a cup of tea.
During my "nap/movie", the phone rang. It was my travel agent. She tried to book us an apartment in Auckland called the City Oaks. Unfortunately, the place was booked up. Instead of panicking, we looked at our options. There was a very snazzy place a few blocks away from the gym but it was going to be really $$$. Jenn then found another apartment-style hotel around the corner from the City Oaks called Quest. When she quoted me the price, I nearly fell out of bed. It turned out to be $400 cheaper than the City Oaks and it had all the same ammenities.
BAZINGA!!!!
Booked!!!!!
Now that we've saved all that money, I can buy myself some new running shoes!!!
(That story is for Friday because that's when Becky and I pick up our special sneakers I ordered this morning).
12 days!!!!!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
VP Operations...neat!
This is going to be a short post considering that there wasn't much planning today.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I train a client early in the morning. When I got up today around 6, I checked my email.
I found a darling email from Miriam about her awesome life in Australia, and an email from the VP of operations of the fitness club chain that I teach Body Attack at. The VP was informing me that she was going to be in NZ at the same time as Becky and I. She also wanted to know how long we were going to be staying in Auckland so that she can get us complimentary passes to the filmings and general gym access. Wooooooooooo!
I love free stuff; especially if it's something that I was going to pay for.
So, at 6:03am I wrote back and explained our lodging and plan for the trip. I also profusely thanked her for thinking of us. It turns out that Miriam set this up and for that I'm soooooooo thankful.
This is going to be super!
Countdown: 13 days
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I train a client early in the morning. When I got up today around 6, I checked my email.
I found a darling email from Miriam about her awesome life in Australia, and an email from the VP of operations of the fitness club chain that I teach Body Attack at. The VP was informing me that she was going to be in NZ at the same time as Becky and I. She also wanted to know how long we were going to be staying in Auckland so that she can get us complimentary passes to the filmings and general gym access. Wooooooooooo!
I love free stuff; especially if it's something that I was going to pay for.
So, at 6:03am I wrote back and explained our lodging and plan for the trip. I also profusely thanked her for thinking of us. It turns out that Miriam set this up and for that I'm soooooooo thankful.
This is going to be super!
Countdown: 13 days
Monday, January 10, 2011
New Outfits!!! Oh la la!
Today was a relatively uneventful day in the life of Emma; other than the fact that I got a snazzy new workout outfit and booked accommodations in Auckland!
I woke up, taught my Body Attack class, and went to the chiropractor. Not very exciting.
After a much needed readjustment, I picked up Becky and went to book our accommodations in Auckland. We have been dealing with a super travel agent at the flight centre (shout out to Jenn! You rock!).
The deal with the place that we want to stay in is that it is a one bedroom apartment (with couch for extra guests...Yay Miriam!) and a full kitchen.
In 2005, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. This is going to make the trip very interesting because Not only am I going to have to find my way in a new land, but I'm going to have to find places to eat without being poisoned. Becky and I figured that staying in a place with access to a full kitchen would help me be in control of my diet.
For five years, I've been extremely careful and I am proud to say that I'm feeling great.
Once we finished with the booking details, we went to Lululemon.
Miriam had previously mentioned that if we want to be on the videos we should wear clothes that are not overtly branded (ex. We won't be wearing anything with a giant Nike swoosh on it).
Lululemon seemed to be a good fit because the clothes are durable and comfortable without a huge logo across it (only the little LL on the backs and legs).
The Body Attack video is the main event for us so we want to match. Thanks to Becky, I have a white tank top and black shorts. We are going to somehow put Canada flag patches on the white tops so we can be identified by our peers without looking ridiculous. Sorry everyone, but doing Attack in a hockey jersey is never a good idea.
Lululemon didn't have anything in Canada-red so black and white it is.
Countdown: 14 days!
I woke up, taught my Body Attack class, and went to the chiropractor. Not very exciting.
After a much needed readjustment, I picked up Becky and went to book our accommodations in Auckland. We have been dealing with a super travel agent at the flight centre (shout out to Jenn! You rock!).
The deal with the place that we want to stay in is that it is a one bedroom apartment (with couch for extra guests...Yay Miriam!) and a full kitchen.
In 2005, I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. This is going to make the trip very interesting because Not only am I going to have to find my way in a new land, but I'm going to have to find places to eat without being poisoned. Becky and I figured that staying in a place with access to a full kitchen would help me be in control of my diet.
For five years, I've been extremely careful and I am proud to say that I'm feeling great.
Once we finished with the booking details, we went to Lululemon.
Miriam had previously mentioned that if we want to be on the videos we should wear clothes that are not overtly branded (ex. We won't be wearing anything with a giant Nike swoosh on it).
Lululemon seemed to be a good fit because the clothes are durable and comfortable without a huge logo across it (only the little LL on the backs and legs).
The Body Attack video is the main event for us so we want to match. Thanks to Becky, I have a white tank top and black shorts. We are going to somehow put Canada flag patches on the white tops so we can be identified by our peers without looking ridiculous. Sorry everyone, but doing Attack in a hockey jersey is never a good idea.
Lululemon didn't have anything in Canada-red so black and white it is.
Countdown: 14 days!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Two Week Countdown
Hi Everyone!
I'm leaving for New Zealand in two weeks and my adorable sister helped me start a blog.
A word about the title of the blog:
The name stems from everyone's favourite Kiwi comedy duo 'Flight of the Conchords'. As for Rebeccanoceros, she's my travel companion. Her name is Becky and we are about to embark on a really exciting adventure together.
Neither of us have been to New Zealand and we can't wait to go.
About Me:
I'm Emma.
I own my own mobile personal training business and I teach fitness classes at a large Canadian chain of fitness clubs.
When I finished University (some years ago), I dove right into work. I had some amazing vacations with my husband, but I have never taken the opportunity to go on a real adventure on my own (or with a friend who I'm not dating or married to).
I'm looking forward to this opportunity to learn about NZ, Fitness, Becky and Myself.
There is only one thing I want to get out of this trip: lots of laughter.
About Becky:
Becky is my mentor. She and I have been friends for about two years.
When we met, she was teaching the fitness classes I was attending and she motivated me to try instructing. She has been a huge motivation for me to become an instructor and personal trainer. Becky is always inspiring and amazing to be around. I'm looking forward to embarking on such an incredible journey with her.
Why are we going to New Zealand?
Becky and I are fitness instructors for a company that is based out of Auckland, New Zealand. We both teach a high impact, sports-based cardio program called 'Body Attack'.
Four times a year, we receive packages from NZ with music and videos of world-class instructors performing the classes. We decided that we wanted to be apart of the master-classes where these videos are filmed.
We also want to escape winter to a beautiful summery destination at the end of January. ;)
Auckland is our first stop. We will be travelling NZ for a total of three weeks and then heading back to North America. Hopefully the weather will be better when we come home.
We are meeting up with our friend Miriam. Up until last November, Miriam was our boss. She moved to Australia and she will be in NZ with us. I'm really excited to see her. I miss her.
Stay tuned as the excitement builds!
I'm leaving for New Zealand in two weeks and my adorable sister helped me start a blog.
A word about the title of the blog:
The name stems from everyone's favourite Kiwi comedy duo 'Flight of the Conchords'. As for Rebeccanoceros, she's my travel companion. Her name is Becky and we are about to embark on a really exciting adventure together.
Neither of us have been to New Zealand and we can't wait to go.
About Me:
I'm Emma.
I own my own mobile personal training business and I teach fitness classes at a large Canadian chain of fitness clubs.
When I finished University (some years ago), I dove right into work. I had some amazing vacations with my husband, but I have never taken the opportunity to go on a real adventure on my own (or with a friend who I'm not dating or married to).
I'm looking forward to this opportunity to learn about NZ, Fitness, Becky and Myself.
There is only one thing I want to get out of this trip: lots of laughter.
About Becky:
Becky is my mentor. She and I have been friends for about two years.
When we met, she was teaching the fitness classes I was attending and she motivated me to try instructing. She has been a huge motivation for me to become an instructor and personal trainer. Becky is always inspiring and amazing to be around. I'm looking forward to embarking on such an incredible journey with her.
Why are we going to New Zealand?
Becky and I are fitness instructors for a company that is based out of Auckland, New Zealand. We both teach a high impact, sports-based cardio program called 'Body Attack'.
Four times a year, we receive packages from NZ with music and videos of world-class instructors performing the classes. We decided that we wanted to be apart of the master-classes where these videos are filmed.
We also want to escape winter to a beautiful summery destination at the end of January. ;)
Auckland is our first stop. We will be travelling NZ for a total of three weeks and then heading back to North America. Hopefully the weather will be better when we come home.
We are meeting up with our friend Miriam. Up until last November, Miriam was our boss. She moved to Australia and she will be in NZ with us. I'm really excited to see her. I miss her.
Stay tuned as the excitement builds!
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