TRAVEL
The Journey is the Destination
On my way to everywhere
The crazy color of a glacier lake5/20/2023 I was organising travel videos today and came across this. I was telling S. last weekend again just how Beautiful Pukaki and Tekapo are,
I really love to see her visit and stay here, instead of always putting South Island on hold. She had a friend that invited her to go to Wanaka, I was excited for her to go. I recommended flying to Queenstown for the long weekend, as it would be the fastest way to get there. Then they can drive to Wanaka, a mere 2 hours or less away. I would love that she would travel Te Waipounamu fully when she can. Hopefully at the end of this year for the summer period. She would LOVE Tekapo and Pukaki. Tekapo is a great place to stay, but it's Pukaki's water color that stunned me. The water color is so unreal when you first lay eyes on it when I came from Twizel direction. I thought it was some tarpe or something. It was so bright and popping! And this was from my 2nd time here! New Zealand is truly beautiful. Can't beat this place in the summer. Counting the Cost - for my trip5/4/2023 Over the last month,
I wanted to take a break from posting things (which I will maintain until my actual day of departure), I was also just living life to the moment instead of snapping pics and sharing random daily things, and just focusing on immersing myself in the new language, and working on all the admin tasks for the next trip. I mentioned when I put out the polls for selecting the destination-regions, for me, I want to not cut into my savings this year, and just go where it’s the least costly. It doesn’t mean I will keep a low budget and stay in backpackers. I will still stay in hotels and spend without thinking twice just as I always do on a trip, I never budget my trip's spending, it's not worth limiting the budget when it's the most important time of my life. I know for sure that this region - that my friends have all helped me pick using Polls on Instagram Stories - is definitely gonna be the cheapest region on earth. Although, unlike what I had thought, the preliminary costs before I even leave home is already amounting to a large sum/ After some inquiries with each embassy, it did prove better for me to apply for visas for the countries I'm visiting in this region early on instead of going by the Visa-on-Arrival option - which is the standard choice for Chinese Tourists. I chose to apply for the visas now, to save me the time and pain from having to do them at the borders. And the visa application process is not at all tedious and dehumanizing like the ones for Europe. I thought it’d be interesting for me to share the existing costs that already incurred, just so you know - the pains a visa-applicant passport-holder like myself has to go through, when you yourself may be able to save all that money and effort. There's no equity or justice to this at all. Part 1 Visas Applications (3 in total): Visa 1 - $300 photos for visa - $25 courier bag x 2 - $15.40 Visa 2 - $60.29 Visa 3 - $83.21 Travel Insurance (as required by the visa application) - $323.23 Total for Visas alone = $807.13 - $323.23 for Insurance = $483.9 Next are the unavoidable - Costs for flights: Outbound flights to Country 1 - $1091.60 Inbound flights - $1315.54 Domestic Flight for country 1 - $28.6 Return Flights for Country 2 - $239.40 Return Flights for Country 3 - $306.63 Total for Flights = $2982.03 Finally these are my selected accommodations cost: Accommodation 1 - $1374 Accommodation 2 - $153 Accommodation 3 - $697 (USD $432) Accommodation 4 - $207 Accommodation 2 - $65 (same place, just for 1 night) Accommodation 5 - $726 (USD $450) Accommodation 2 - $134 (same place, for 2 nights) Total for Accommodations = $2159 Sum for the whole trip (daily expenses not included of course) = $6337.77 That's a whopping large sum already. And that's for the cheapest region in the world that I can think of. My spending in Europe is at least triple that. It's crazy how expensive traveling from NZ as a Chinese passport holder is. I cannot wait for the day when I'm living in the northern hemisphere, and not having to apply for visas for most places in the world. I fully believe that the Chinese passport will reach that stage One day. I no longer have a grandmother3/18/2023
We rushed back to China to see my grandmother in case it would be the last time.
And it really became the last time. I lead my life so that I live without regrets. But now, I have so many regrets around my grandmother. Not seeing her enough in the years before now, not letting her see me getting married, and for me to do the marital bows to her, not giving her a chance to hold my child as I still don't have one now, not getting to spend another Spring Festival with her again like I so wanted to, not being able to give her one last hug before she departed forever as she was stuck in the hospital bed, not looking at her long enough one last time before I left for the train back to Beijing, as I wanted myself to believe that she would survive this time, and that I would see her again... Cathay Pacific. Wellington ground staff simply would not let my mom check in for her flight to &. Reason being, PCR test result is not provided.
Yet the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand website for Chinese travelers clearly states : RAT home test can be used instead. Dated 27 Feb. My mom took the RAT test And took it with her upon check-in. It didn't count for them. They insisted on her needing a PCR. Likewise, Cathay Pacific website Travel Restrictions section clearly states: Chinese Passport holders traveling to can use RAT test instead of PCR test. Dated: 7 March. But ground staff in Wellington AND Auckland simply would not accept the official information from both the airline and the New Zealand Embassy. They forced her to book a PCR test otherwise they would not check her in. Which costed $400+. Ground staff even suggested putting her on a flight for tomorrow if we can't secure a PCR test. Considering our situation, we can't possibly delay the trip by another Minute. My mom was so exasperated, and ended up collapsing on the floor. No one even offered her a chair to sit down. She was so upset by the whole experience. It caused such a significant amount of emotional distress that my mom was unable to make the booking in her mental state. I had 20min left till boarding closed at final call at this point, and my mom still hadn't checked in yet. I was feeling desparate and my hands were shaking as I held my mom's cellphone. I asked to speak to the manager, who would not turn up at the check-in counter. Ground staff at check-in called the manager, who agreed to let us check in only if we are able to show we have made a booking for a PCR test at Hong Kong side. I was fine with that, I could work with that. But I literally had to rush to the custom and to go through the security check myself, Otherwise I'd miss the flight to see my grandmother myself. I had to run to custom, and told my mom that I would book her a direct flight with Air New Zealand for today while I stood in queue. So that she could get on a flight to China ASAP herself. While I was in the queue, It ended up with ground staff making the booking for her themselves. Then they finally checked her in at 10min before Boarding time. She boarded the on Final Call with 10min remaining before the gate closed. Because the Queue at Auckland Airport was really bad as multiple airlines scheduled their flights at the same time. The entire experience was a whole load of stress, distress, and despair for my mom. And I myself was stopped right at the gate, after being taken by a golf cart there as it was on final call already. The very unfriendly female staff outside the gate blocked me at the gate and took my boarding passes for the next 2 connecting flights, and forced me to book a PCR test before I was allowed to board the flight. I asked how much longer till the gate would close? She said, you have 6 minutes. In a rush, my hands shook as I held my phone, I found the most random irrelvant and untimely testing centre inside Hong Kong at a comunity centre on a day that I wouldn't even be able to make it. I showed the female staff the booking, she didn't even look at it, she saw the QA code and confirmation and let me board the flight. -- With 4 min remaining before the gate closed. This was the most awful and devastating experience I've ever had to experience. It was so stressful and so unnecessary. It was all a matter of human choices, and literally Cathay Airways staff not even following official guidelines & policies. We were rushing back home for a family emergency. We could not afford to waste another day. Every single second mattered - it was actually a matter of life and death. It was an experience of desparation and demise. It was the only and the worst check-in and boarding experience I've ever had in my life. The key of all of this was: China does not WANT to see your test result. PCR or RAT. It is Not at all a requirement at the border. They didn't ask for it when we came through the border, at all. The only thing needed was the QR health code which you can fill out on a form online. Cathay Pacific Airways seems to only want to cause trouble for people instead of following official travel requirements. I-sharing ✓, Me-Sharing ✗3/1/2023 What kind of conversation draws you in?
The shallow small-talks where people tell each other what they “do” in life - as if 1 occupation summarizes their whole being; whether they have 2 luxury cars or 3 properties, Whether they have a girlfriend or boyfriend, if they tend to go for a run or just go to the gym, or which day they’d like to catch up but won’t actually? These questions are examples of "Me-sharing". They carry very subjective information that stops at where you have spoken your words. Unless you’re a vain person, Me-sharing small talk won’t get you very far. They’re only good ice-breakers that should lead to I-sharing exchanges, like: “What is it about Sabrina Claudio’s songs that just feels so good?” “Do you actually like your job?” “Would you be interested in answering the Marcel Proust questionnaire?” “Oh my gosh, these buns look just like the ones we’d make in China!” The kind of conversation that draws me in are always intellectual ones and real talks. Something new and revelatory that I’ve never thought about something informative without being pushy or propagandic. Words and messages that seep into our hearts, rather than appealing to our vanity. Small talks aren’t repulsive to me, they just feel rather repetitive, hence boring. They are essential to making connections, So I often find ways to respond to small-talks by twisting it around. For instance, In everyday life in New Zealand, you always hear “How are you?” Apart from saying “Good” which hides so much more behind the word, I’d often say Hungry instead, which is true most of the time, Or I’d say "I'm alright~", then proceed to ask something in turn about the person based on how well I may already know them. When we travel, “Where are you from?” is the most typical small talk or opener people would use to introduce themselvee. You'd hear it being asked a lot if you have an accent or look that isn't immediately apparent to people. In most cases, I was the person hearing this question getting asked. I suppose people ask it without thinking twice, which also suggests, it was the laziest thing they could come up with at the time when they met you. It risks rendering them uninteresting. That question also often makes me wonder ... What's the point of this question exactly? So instead, I say this in response: "You can take a guess." The kind of conversation that helps people who have no reason to like each other build connection is what’s been termed as “I-sharing”. The sharing of deeper level commonalities that go beyond cultures, languages, or any other diversity that may seem to alienate one person from another. I-sharing is something you do when you identify similarities despite cultural gaps or language barriers. I see Wanderreds do it so often with people wearing Madrid soccer team t-shirts. It’s the easier way to bond with people, over teams in sports. Because our brain is wired to have in-group, out-group mentalities. So by linking ourselves to another over something we can share in common, we find familiarity and draw each other closer by the similarity we share. I listened to this Google Talk on Spotify titled: Nobody Understands You and What to Do About it. And it mentioned the importance of I-sharing. Because it was a talk held at Google for the Googlers, It was centred on how to make someone like you at work. This I-Sharing concept really only reminded me of traveling more. When we are fortunate enough to make connection with someone. Those connections we build often come from I-sharing - The sharing of experiences because of traveling. I-Sharing comes so naturally when we meet people on our travels. Our eyes are widened by fresh faces, We’re excited about making new acquaintance, curious and intrigued, free from history and bad experience, unburdened by the daily conundrum of the same-scenes, same activities. Don’t you just love the first moments when you meet someone somewhere new? A good example of I-Sharing is when you talk about a meaningful topic with someone. Those are the things that reach you at the core, that makes you see someone clearer, that highlights who they are, not just what they seem on the surface. To show interest in what someone may think or know, To listen and not just talk, to observe and take things in. That’s what makes connections. The source of the connection is in fact ourselves. By seeking for what brightens our eyes and opens our heart, we also become more interesting and more approachable Travel, Life, & a Sense of Time2/25/2023 A person is happy when s/he does not even feel whether time is passing fast or slow.
This week I feel an increasing sense of an awareness of time. It's not great.
Every day I'm so conscious of when my body naturally wakes up, My alarms tell me when I need to get ready to leave for the train. When I'm on the train, I count which day of the week this is. When I arrive at the station, I look at the time to see how late the train was. When I get to work, I count the clock towards midday. When it's 12pm - midday - i stand up and go get myself a feed. When it's Wednesday, I'm glad it's hump day. When it's 4pm, I shut everything down and I get out of the office. When I get home, I make myself some food and feed my hungry belly. When it's 9:30 or 10:00. I take myself to bed. Tired anyway. When it's Thursday, I count 2 more days till the weekend. When I get home on Friday, I think, "Finally it's the weekend." I hate it. I don't prefer this extreme awareness of time.
When traveling,
my sense of time consists of: Wow...it's sunrise! & I'm starving, must get something to eat. & Wow...almost sunset...Where can I go to watch it. & It's getting dark, should I go see the city lights or take some night photography & hit the sack?
Life is simple.
Life feels fuller and longer. That's just it. When traveling, I don't know or care what day of the week it is, what time of the day it is. Time is incredibly irrelevant unless I'm catching the train or a flight to go somewhere. When traveling, every day feels more amazing, more full of memories, each day is lived longer, and more.
Moreover,
time freezes in specific moments, slows down, and stretches out in your consciousness. Though clock may be ticking, but it's got nothing to do with me. Moments become years of memories for the future. Peace and happiness fill my heart with elation. Nothing else matters. Nothing. Not even my life at home, not even my puppy. It is just me and there and then. Nothing else comes in to the moment but what I see, where I am, and the joy I feel.
1 of the happiest moments and most fulfilled hours of my trip
was when I didn't take my camera with me. I don't know why it's always when the camera isn't on me, but it just is like that sometimes. It happens to be that way. This place in Luxembourg City was the 1st place I went, and the last place I went again just to remember it. I was so happy when I arrived there on my 1st day, and I was so incredibly fulfilled and so bloody grateful when I saw this amazing sight under the moonlight on my final night. It was not like time stopped or anything, but it just became time immemorial. I cannot tell you how happy I was when I first came to this spot. There was No one. The entire place was mine. It was incredible because before this, I was in extremely touristy Belgium. It's almost impossible to find a place you can enjoy alone, except down quiet streets in Bruges of all places. To finally be able to be alone âand enjoy an eyeful of castle-like city that Luxembourg is was incredibly elating. I was joyous. My heart could burst from happiness.
I fell immediately in love with Luxembourg City.
After I'd been to the Grund, walk all around the lower city, and back up to overlook the Grund from the top, I was certain: this place is it. I could live here for sure. It's like Wellington but 100,000x more historic and gorgeous. I absolutely loved it there.
And then you have what's prided as - Fiji time.
Where you literally may lose the sense of time and everything is just as delayed as it possibly can. No hurry, no rush. Everything is late anyway, why you worry about it. Just relax. Discard all your chaos and rushing mindset.
That's the life I want to live.
Where days are nothing but sunrise...sunset... and the in-between. Otaki Kite Festival2/20/2023
I was quite keen on seeing this kites festival
because I thought I would be able to take some great landscape wide angle shots here. But it didn't turn out to be the case.
This one was the only landscape shot I was able to get.
Because the set-up was such that there was a line that stops people from getting close to the kites, and the tides were coming in strong on the right. I was wearing boots at the event, I wasn't prepared to wade into deep water with splashing waves with my camera bag (sling-shoulder one) on me. If I had worn no stockings and no boots, but jandals instead, I wouldve been able to go further into the water on the right and took some better angled photos.
Instead, I was contrained to the little space right along the makeshift fence-line.
I walked closely along the line, and took mostly vertical shots with my long-lens. I wasn't able to get the wide angle horizontal shot with lots of kites in the frame like I envisioned.
It was still quite a cool event.
There were plenty of kites on display to put you in awe. I especially loved those special ones with Maori designs on them. Those you won't get to find anywhere else on the planet. They were probably custom-prints sent through to online stores and made to the creators' fancy. They were unique and beautiful to the eyes. I definitely recommend going to this kite festival if you've never been before. It was also quite a lovely thing to enjoy for the public after all the atrocities that took place just before the weekend in the North Island. A bit of positivity to relieve people's hearts from all the anxiety and sadness. Flooding & Devastation2/16/2023 The last few days have been the most difficult for kiwis in a long time. The Cyclone had brought so much wind and rain that houses have been lost due to flood and landslide. People have had to evacuate to their rooftop, and waited for the rescue crew to take them away from rising water. Some have had to hold on to logs and trees for dear life. Many farm animals have drowned. Cows, horses, sheep, pigs...chickens... People are having the worst time up north and along the east coast. They have lost all they have. Some have even lost their family members. I don't know what this means for our near future, the next year, and the year after. But this isn't looking good. Whether you think this is climate change, or that you're a denialist and believe that this is just a natural cycle of the climate, this is not good. The worst thing that could happen to someone, aside from illness and death, is losing one's home. One can be starving and thirsty for days, but to lose shelter - we don't manage well as people. I cannot even just say "my heart goes out to those people whose lives and homes have been destroyed by the cyclone". Because that doesn't contribute to anything at all. What I do know is, Flooding wouldn't have happened if we had kept all the forests, instead of cutting all the trees down to turn them into farmlands. If every one and every business/manufacturer actually cared and did every little thing they could to minimise waste and used all natural materials for all things produced for mass consumption, if we stopped cutting down forests and trees, but kept all the trees alive and deep-rooted, nature would have come across as much more merciful than it now is. This year I'm looking for one of those "ohmygosh" "oh you're right...." breakthrough moments in life.
Though Tonga was my 1st south pacific tropical island, Visiting Samoa and going around Savai'i and Upolu with Auntie Savili and Grandma Netina was what kick-started the change in my life. The amount of gratitude and depth of indebtedness I feel towards Rachel's family in Napier & Wailele,... nothing can ever repay them for all that they've taught me. This year I just wanna meet some one or some people in my travels that may say something casually but definitely give me moments of epiphany. The Aha ...moment where something they say might just make something click inside of me and know what I'll need to do to change for the better. In some sense, I'm looking for those Guru like characters Someone who would says things honestly in their way, without deliberation, or intentionally drop a word for me that will benefit me... There have been a few people who have done that to me, They've in their own ways have changed my life I listened to their words, their comment, their suggestion, And I acted on it. Those very few people I am grateful for for the rest of my life. For the few words they said , But had a positive impact on my life. Those are the people that I will always cherish and respect, They know what they're saying, And they said something that enlightened me in a significant way. I know we often travel just to become unknown , but we also want to be found and be truly known by someone. I don't even look for that anymore. I'm at the stage where I'm fully content with simply knowing myself. And I have found myself in myself. I don't really expect another person to know me or care for me the way I can know and care for myself. But, I do still seek for that guru person. I always keep my ears out for words that would give me wonder. I hope I'll meet someone like that this year. A very special someone who's traveling through the eastern part of Peru sent me a message on Thursday night. When they later messaged which I saw the next day they shared the name of the township they were at and I had to Google it to know where it was exactly.
But because of their message and greetings, They pulled my heart all the way to where they are. It is so special to me. So dear to my soul. My heart was basking in golden-honey rapture. As a person with an insatiable heart for traveling, friends reaching out while they're on the road is by all means like a lifeline to my being. The day-to-day may be fun or sometimes fulfilling, but it isn't enlivening like traveling is. I'm so thankful to this wonderful human being who gave me a holler all the way from the other side of the planet earth. It means more than they know. It means Everything to me. May they travel in health and with a wealth of spirit! @EmmaRyokouFind me on: Archives
October 2023
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