angrytown to importanceville and back again

set out on friday morning for Picton via the Kaikoura coast, took a few pics:

the Kaikour ranges from the coastal road north of the town of Kaikoura


Seddon Bridge; State Highway, single lane bridge with traffic lights. trains cross the river via the tracks above. Crazy for truckies, my brother used to drive 40 foot trailers across it. currently there's a bypass being constructed, while, in the meantime, the traffic utilising the bridge grows and grows.

The "airplane" that carried me from Picton to Wellington. for those not in the know, my mums house is in the middle of the south island and i was going to the north island. no, there is not a bridge between the two. most people take a 3 hour ferry, but for not much more, there's Sounds Air, which, if the mailman brings the engine in the morning, will carry you the same distance in 25 mins.
the flight over was hair-raising. Almost the scariest thing i've ever done. bumpy as anything all the way. totally worth it though. great views. i think i saw a whale. it didn't seem to be moving though. can whales go static? sharks can't.

meal and drinks with Meang and his friends, then chilled out for the evening.

the next morning, i headed to visit Andy who'd passed away in February. he lays in rest just north of Plimmerton. i kinda wanted some privacy but there were many many people visiting graves at the time, it was a very nice day, so i spent a little while chatting with him quietly and watched the other people.

then, Scorching Bay with Tee for lunch:



And Mount Vic and the southern coast with Emily:



Spent Saturday night with a few friends eating, chatting, playing pool and drinking.

After a scarier flight back to Blenheim, south of Picton, due to extreme winds, i got an airline bus back to pick up the car and headed home.


Above is the Kaikoura ranges from the north and below is the Kaikoura ranges from Kaikoura the town.


Just before i arrived home, my brother rang to inform me y grandfather was very unwell and my mother and aunt had rushed to his bedside.

The whole weekend was a learning curve. the weekend involved 2 crazy rides in an airline, spending more cash than i wanted to, throwing jealous tantrums at friends, visiting a dear friend who'd died young, and heard my grandfather will be gone soon too. one thing popped into my head continuously: control what is controllable, recognise what isn't, do what i can, and enjoy the ride.

my trip home: a stressed out, long-winded melodrama

left Heidi to clear away my pickles packets and jumped in a taxi to Incheon Airport. once i arrived, 3 hours before my flight, i was told my flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo was delayed 3 hours (so i would miss my flight to NZ) and had to go to Gimpo Airport instead.

the bus to Gimpo, supposedly 45 minutes, arrived as the plane left the terminal, so i and a few others in the same situation were booked on the next flight. racing through the check-in, we went upstairs 30 minutes before the flight and i was stopped at the border. i was an overstayer. by one day. i told them my school bought the ticket, but they didn't care. 15 minutes later, i was nearly crying, and a piece of paper was produced for me to sign. all in Korean. i asked in several different ways if i could teach english in the future, which they said was okay, and i signed it, ran to my flight, and was told it was delayed. ARGH. then i realised it may have been delayed because of me.

the flight to Haneda Airport in Tokyo was uneventful, but i spent the final hour worrying about the bus trip to Narita Airport and checkin times there. we had help once we arrived at Haneda, our bags were all marked priority, so i was one of the first to get to customs. of course, that was where my bags were searched. the official didn't speak much english, but asked why i looked stressed. i showed him my eticket, and that i wasn't supposed to be entering Tokyo anyway, and that i might be late for my flight. he stopped searching and told me i should hurry. once outside, we were screwed around a little bit, caught a bus to a place to get a connecting bus to Narita, and stood around chatting for maybe 20 minutes. all we could do was wait. it was good to know i wasn't the only one, and i tried to de-stress, but i couldn't help looking at the time. i didn't have long at all.

once on the bus, i opened a present from Heidi, a book full of in-jokes and allusions to our work and life in Shihwa, and i couldn't stop laughing. it was perfect. and perfectly timed. almost as though she knew it was meant to be opened as my bus hurtled along an expressway from Haneda to Narita in what amounted to a hopeful last plunge for a flight that wasn't waiting. so my spirits perked up, as those around me sat in fear.

the traffic seemed to part ways for us after that. the whole experience was a breeze. i got to the check-in desk, the only one around, and then to border control and customs 5 minutes later. next thing i know, i'm waiting at the departure gate with everyone else, then on board, ready to go, and we got delayed again but who gave a shit, i was goin' home to my perfect little island nation . . . then the pilot told us it was 2 degrees in Angrytown.

i got to Christchurch after maybe the best flight ever (Air NZ impressed me a lot, second time i've flown with them after the first was kinda shit) and it was snowing, but i didn't really care. hugged mum hello and we went looking for the car. she couldn't remember where she parked it.

in and around Gyeongju

somehow, i managed to make it away from Shihwa, shaking off what seemed like a 5 day hangover to visit Gyeongju on sunday night and monday morning before leaving for NZ.

this place is incredible. i most certainly want to return to see more of the history. 18 hours in the place, including sleeping time, was just not enough. gotta head back for a few days. if i come back to Korea, this is going to be a must! enjoy some pics








the mounds are Silla dynasty tombs, known as Tumuli, for kings and royalty. kinda like subtle pyramids, if you will.