Entertainment Abroad

For all of you who didn't know this back in the US, Netflix isn't a thing in Australia and New Zealand. I know, the horror!  So over the past year and a half I've been forced to entertain myself in other ways instead of binge watching shows on Nextflix. 

I can still borrow e-books and audiobooks online from the Boulder Public Library which is pretty neat if you ask me. Also I listen to a lot podcasts when I'm walking places. (I generally do a lot more walking than home because I dont have a car and I live in places where everything I need is within a 20 minute walk.) 

A podcast I want to recommend is Serial. It's a spin off of This American Life (and if your not listening to This American Life you should be). Serial's first season is over but it was totally captivating. I would be excited for the new episode every week. It is a murder mystery and even though I'm not into mysteries I loved it. I can't wait for season two. If you already listened to it here are some funny charts related to it. 

Recently I found this web series called High Maintenance. I binged watched all the episodes in three days. It's weird and hilarious. The show follows a guy who delivers weed in New York City. Each short episodes focus on a different person who buys his weed. The characters are so weird and familiar. I totally recommend it if you have a short attention span because the episodes are only around 10 minutes.

A book I really enjoyed was This is Where I Leave You. I laughed out loud so many times while reading it. They recently turned it into a movie and my lady crush Tina Fey stars in it. The book is soooo much better though.

Do you have any recommendations for podcasts, books or web series? Seriously. I want recommendations.

Life so far in Queenstown

I got a job, and it was the job I wanted! It's at a restaurant called The Bathhouse and it's super cute. It only has 8 tables inside and 10 tables outside. The building is an original Victorian bathhouse built in 1911. It's right on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and has an amazing view of the sunset. Today is my third shift. It seems like it will be a relaxed place to work.

The Bathhouse 

The Charlottes and I are getting a new flatmate on today and I'm less than thrilled. The guy moving in is friends with the current Colombian guy that lives here, he is actually over ALLLL the time and he is incredible rude. When I moved in he was laying on the couch watching tv and when I introduced myself he just said "Oh hey, I'm Camilo, I don't live there." And they just kept watching tv! None of my actually rooommates were even home but he was chilling in my living room. He cooks and makes a huge mess then doesn't clean up and showers at our house all the time. But what really gets me will forever be referred to has the Lasagna Incident; the other day he ate the Charlottes lasagna (took it from their shelf in the fridge) without asking then left his dishes on a chair in the living room. Who does that?! However I'm hopeful that between the Charlottes and myself nagging him we can actually get him to clean up and be less rude.

Thanks to Charlotte's (who everyone calls Charlie to make things easier) birthday I had a really great day doing some activities that Queenstown has to offer. After we had a decilous birthday breakfast I went yoga. Once I was back all the housemates hiked up to where the Gondola drops people off. The hike is steep but fun. It crosses the downhill bike paths a couple times and it's fun to watch bikers going super fast downhill. 

Charlie

Charlotte 

View from half way to the top

At the top of the gondola there is an amazing view, a restaurant and a luge track. The luge track is basically a cement track and you sit on a plastic sled with wheels. I have never been luging before and it was pretty fun, even though I'm a scaredy cat and don't like to go fast. The track takes a couple minutes to go down and at the bottom a chairlift takes you back up. We did it 5 times and it cost $30 ($23 US dollars, for all of you curious back home). 

The housemates

Chairlift selfie

Not a bad view 

Once we were done luging we hung out at the top for a bit before we walked back down. By the time we got down it was ready to get ready for Charlie's birthday dinner. After dinner we when out for drinks.

Juice boxes and sandwiches for lunch!

How cute is the sandwich the Charlottes  made me!

Queenstown

So far Queenstown is amazing! The lake is such an amazing blue green color and the mountains that completely surround the small town are so beautiful. The town is adorable and there are lots of restaurants, bars and about a billion souvenir shops. 

I've found a place to live and it only took my four days. I took the first place I found in town because I've heard it can be hard to find a right place in town. My room is tiny but it will do.

Tiny room

My room from the other angle

I share the house three other people. Two British girls named Charlotte and Charlotte and a guy from Colombia. He is moving out in a couple days so we will get a new roomie. The Charlottes are really cool and funny so I think we will get along great! 

The Charlottes 

The living room

I've been spending lot of my time looking for a job. On Friday I had a trial a restaurant and an interview at a hotel. On Saturday I had another trial and interview at hotel for a receptionist job. Hopefully I will get ALLLL of the jobs but if not I'll be happy with one. 

I have been doing a little exploring but can't wait to do more. I went to Lake Hayes the other day, which is about a 15 minute drive from town. It's a much smaller lake then Lake Wakatipu so the water is a lot warmer and you can go swimming.

Lake Hayes

Yesterday I went for an amazing hike to the Ben Lomond Saddle. It took about three hours and the trail head is only 15 minutes from my house. 

Half way to the saddle 

View from the saddle

There is so much do it around Queenstown and everyone I have met so far seems really nice. Hopefully I will get a job soon and so can have money to explore more!

The Most Interesting Man in the World

My first day in New Zealand went really well. I got a ride to the airport from a friend I worked with in Manly who was also going to the airport. So I was able to avoid the ferry and the train (and the 25 dollars it costs.) Thanks again Bentely!

View the plane

Everything went smoothly with the flight and after sleeping for 3 hours I landed in Queenstown. Geoff, my couchsurfing host picked me up from the airport.

View from Geoff's house looking at Queenstown 

View looking the other way

During the 5 minute ride to Geoff's house he told me a little about himself and also that he had another couchsurfer staying with him, a girl named Steffi. During the day Geoff told me a number interesting facts about himself, like he is world ranked in Ironman Triathlons. He is still doing them at 53. While he was training I was able to go for a beautiful walk along Lake Wakatipu and I dip my feet in water... it's freezing.

In the afternoon Steffi and I went for a drive to Glenorchy. Glenorchy is a small settlement at the northern end of Lake Wakatip. The drive was amazing.

Lookout point during the drive

From Glenorchy 

Over dinner Geoff told us a little more about himself and I couldnt help but think about those Dos Equis ads about the most interesting man in the world. I think Geoff might actually be him. I'm really considering writing a Wikipedia page for him because I'm disappointed he doesn't have one.

Here are just a couple interesting facts about Geoff: he was the private secretary to Prime Minister of NZ for 10 years, he set up his own successful consulting business, he had an online tax-return service which he sold for a rumored $11 million, he owned Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon and a couple other businesses. He wrote a love song that was hit a couple years ago in NZ (complete with really cheesy terrible video). He also attended dinner at Nelson Mandela's house and apparently after dinner Mandela sang and danced for everyone. This is in addition to his medal from The Queen (of England... I assume).

Some of these things he didn't even tell me, I had to Google him... I honestly couldn't tell if he bragging or just telling stories about his life. I guess it's hard not to sound braggy when you have done everything he has. If you are wondering if he was creepy at all-- at first no but then he kept telling stories about 20 something year old women that wanted to sleep him (and of course how he wanted to sleep with them as well).... This gave me a better understanding of why he hosts so many 20 something year old women couchsurfers...

On another note his house is awesome and I only stayed in the apartment upstairs. His house downstairs has three bedrooms, a pool, and an amazing view. He rents it out for between $450-700 a day. He doesn't work besides training for Ironmans because he makes enough money renting his house (and I suspect that he had enough money from all the businesses he has owned). 

View from the master bedroom --I cleaned those windows

Here is an article about him.

Hope everyone is doing great! More on Queenstown soon! 

Here we go 2015!!

I hope everyone had a great New Years and 2015 is starting out on the right foot. I'm starting it out with a big change; moving to New Zealand. I'm planning on staying in NZ for around a year. I can't really believe the day is here! Hopefully in a couple months I'll be teaching weekly yoga classes, have a nice place to live in Queenstown and have a bunch of friends. However those areas of my life are uncertain right now.

Ahh goodbye Manly

Diane and I went standup paddleboading here the other day

2014 was a great year for me. I was able to live in Australia, travel in India for 3 months and get my yoga teaching certificate. Everything sort of fell into place perfectly during my time in Australia. I can only hope things continue down this path during 2015.

I can't decide if I am more nervous or excited for New Zealand but things seem to be working out already. I emailed a couple of couchsurfing hosts who live in Queenstown and sounded nice. A guy I contacted messaged me back and told me he would be able to host me for at least the first night. He is 52 and is picking me up for the airport! Basically everyone I have told this to is creeped out and told me to be careful. But I think its awesome and if I think he is creepy I'll just stay at hostel... but I really don't think it will be a problem. Personally I think I'm already half way to making my first old man kiwi friend.

I'm really going to miss this mess

And this crazy princess

Thanks to everyone that has been apart of my life in Australia. You have helped me grow, challenge myself and given me the courage to go on more adventures and make my dreams come true. I'm sad to leave and I am going to miss Australia and all my friends a lot. 

I really appericate everyone that has been reading and sending love and encouragement from back home. Your emails and comments make me so happy. It's really nice to keep intouch with everyone.