no wonders in oz

the first thing in oz? a russian shuttle driver BORIS. so very eastern european, a chain smoker, with a mobile proudly protruding from his chest pocket. pointing his finger at me saying: 'and you? your name?' with a familiar accent.
the second? tokyo village. a hostel run by a german full of japanese. i'm the only one without slanting eyes. the cheerfulness of the place should be contageous.
the third? the heart of the city, the icons, the opera, the bridge seen from a two-wheeled perspective. cycling is the only way i can enjoy sydney if there is anything to enjoy here. massive concrete giants, the endless flow of cars and people, the seedy streets of the suburbs...with all that around there's just one thing i want - to GET AWAY FROM HERE - from an elderly Aborigine with white strikes of traditional painting on his body sitting idle by the quay - a fake?

kiwi farewell

My mind seems to be working like a GPS – it only works properly when moving. And since crossed Cook Strait again, I found myself inevitably close to leaving a country that has been feeding me with magnificent adventure for half a year, spoiling me with its generosity – so little effort one has to put in to get more than one can take...
Auckland is a place where you feel alien no matter where you come from. everyone's rushing minding their own business, it's like an anthill full of workaholics. and at the same time, it's the first encounter for many of the backpackers coming to new zealand to experience 'the kiwi'. and i remember how struck i was myself six months ago, when i climbed one of the volcanoes right in the middle of the city, popping out like pimples everywhere. i remember how much i wanted to get away, how impatient and hungry for adventure i was. and even though my expectations had grown to a full scale blast, new zealand still managed to be as unpredictable as its weather.
And once again, I looked at the map and realized how much I HAVEN'T seen or done. That’s because, being no more than a size of an average European country, New Zealand seems to be the great Southern Continent which all those explorers were looking for when they first sailed the seas of the Southern Hemisphere and which was thought to be there to balance the earth. It seems to be one in terms of its volume of nature, beauty and mystery. One can spend a lifetime exploring it. And to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t mind spending mine doing so...
But now there’s a new adventure ahead of me. Soon, I’m hoping to let Australian outback dust cover my bike...

autumn in wonderland

i didn't find LUCINDA . she found me as i was cruising around otago peninsula, just on a day trip from dunedin to the albatross colony, where you can peek at their chicks (that are of a size of a large washing basket!). and there she was, staring at me longingly, sitting on a shelf. so off she went with me. at least there'll be one kiwi sheep that has seen a bit more than passing cars and grass :-)
anyway, even though full of doubt if it comes to carrying on with cycling, i hit the road again. and the moment i climbed my first hill i'd already forgotten why i wasn't sure about it...it is an addictive feeling of achievement and satisfaction. so i turned inland towards mt cook and right away, for two days i managed to pedal against the wind, cursing it as if it would help :-). i basically managed to refresh my somewhat rusty polish collection of @#@%@^!? and *$%#%#@@!!! :-)))
and just when i was getting closer, a cyclist caught up with me, a local racer (or a racist!? :-)), so i pushed on as we had a cycling chat. but the moment he left me behind after an hour or so, i got a bloody puncture! but this time it was a nasty one. i got a big hole in the tyre that resisted my amateurish attepts of sealing it with a bit of tape. oh well, i thought and jumped on the bus. cheating you may say. but after two months, i did start feeling a bit tired. not physically. but the amount of motivation one has to draw from within is not limitless...
and so, after two days in christchurch, hospitalizing the bike and swallowing smog...i jumped on the train. i felt i needed a change. and it worked more than well! now i can't wait till i get on the bike again!
and so i'm leaving tomorrow for my final ups and downs along the coast...
but before that i just had to have my last wildlife mission completed - this time it was the DOLPHINS . this is a whole new story and chain of thoughts though...