After three very short weeks in Australia (it´s like three weeks in Canada, what can you see in three weeks? all I can do is say I´ve been there) we flew from Sydney to Auckland. As it´s only a three hour flight, we arrived in the afternoon, picked up our rental car, and zoomed straight out of the city. We even camped on our first night, having taken all (1 tent, 5 mats,5 sleeping bags, 1 burner, 5 bowls, 5 forks and 1 knife) of our camping gear with us. Now, unlike most travelers to New Zealand who rent camper vans (every second car on the road was a camper), were determined to keep expenses to a minimum, and rented a station wagon (like we did in Autralia). But this one was just a little smaller, and our stuff was litterally piled up to the roof; Jean-Francois could barely see out the back window (see photo). The whole trip involved a lot of packing, unpacking, and trying to find things in the jumble of stuff! Needless to say, people were quite astonished see five people and so much gear come spilling out of the car. Perhaps we should have splurged on something a little bigger, but just for the record, we are still speaking to each other.
As I said, we zoomed out of Auckland because we were in a bit of a rush to meet up with another family (la famille Cote) we had met in Thailand. When we compared our itineraries back in December, we realized we would both be in N-Z at the same time. So we hooked up for about a week on the South Island, and had a great time camping together. Julien was thrilled to play with Nicolas and Florence, at last, someone his own age (all the locals being in school, of course) and we were thrilled to have some friends our own age : ) from home. Half the fun is being able to share and compare your experiences with other people.
New Zealand is made up of two islands, the North Island and the South Island (and, as they like to joke, the West Island=Australia). Both islands are not that big, and one month seemed like plenty of time to see everything. What we didn´t realize is that the roads (even the main ones) twist and turn, and what seems like a three hour drive inevitably takes six. Which isn´t a bad thing, since the scenery is absolutely breathtaking no matter where you go: most of the time you can see the ocean and the mountains simultaneously! It´s just that four weeks isn´t enough to see everything.
We did get around most of it though, basically going down the west coast of both islands and back up the east coast. The highlights included a hike (partway) up the Tongariro volcano, a farm stay where we awakened to the sound of bleating sheep, a trek through an amazing rainforest ending with a (wet) view on the Franz Joseph Glacier, a boat cruise from Milford Sound through the fjords out to the ocean, an icy cold swim with porpoises on the southern tip of the South Island, seeing a fossilized forest, eating fresh seafood in a tiny "five star" roadside restaurant (they had lovely square plates and beautiful teak chairs and tables!), the ferry crossing from one island to the other (great views of the majestic rugged coastline), discovering the art deco town of Napier (destroyed in an earthquake in 1931 and entirely rebuilt), seeing sheep, sheep and more sheep, and being hosted by some lovely New Zealanders in Gisborne (un gros gros merci a Marie-Pierre and Nik pour un accueil chaleureux) and in Auckland (thank-you to Shayne and Greg for sharing your lovely, unique home and your time).
The weather however was another story. After 7 months of pretty much non-stop sunshine, we were a bit taken aback when it started to rain on our way down the North Island, particularly now that we were camping. On our second night in a lovely DOC campground (= Department of Conservation = no facilities except an outhouse and running water), we met an interesting English/Finnish couple (Andy and Jenni) who were also traveling around the world on a very limited budget, hence, camping in the rain just like us. As we shared our travel stories, Andy remarked that ever since we had arrived in New Zealand, (after travelling through asia) our standard of living had gone way way down. Indeed, we were now reduced to sleeping on the ground and cooking for ourselves! It certainly seems ironic, but I guess that´s what happens when people get paid decent wages for their work. You can no longer afford to pay someone else to cook and clean for you.
After a week of camping in the rain, we were told that it always rains on the west coast, which made me feel a bit better. It wasn´t just bad luck. I realized then why so many people rent camper vans. And just as I started to feel sorry for myself, we met a young Americain couple from Indiana, Torrey and Luc, cycling around New Zealand and camping and eating rice and lentils. And they didn´t complain about the rain once! It sure put things into perspective. The weather did improve significantly on the east coast, although one very windy night got the better of our cheap tent, snapping a pole in two and ripping the fly. Luckily, we only had two more nights to go, and managed repair it sufficiently to make it till the end: yes, you can fix anything with duct tape!
mercredi 18 mars 2009
samedi 14 mars 2009
Tales From Down Under
Hello everybody!
Now, at last, it's my turn to write. As our computer access is more limited here in the "developed world", we have to share our precious Internet time, a difficult thing to do. So, here we are, back in the land of big cars, big fridges and big stores full of stuff that the entire population of Africa and Asia seems to survive without. For the past 6 months I had been waiting to be culture shocked, and it never happenend. Now I am shocked by our overconsumption and individualism. Having to choose between 48 kinds of cereal is a dilemma we've managed without just fine.
Upon arrival in Sydney, we spent two days with a lovely family who made us feel right at home and got us acclimatized to the "Ozzie" accent. We spent an afternoon buying a cheap tent and a couple of dishes and then headed off to the beach, where we watched some kids taking an afterschool surf lesson (rough eh?) The next day we took the commuter train downtown and strolled around the waterfront, dutifully admiring and taking obligatory photos of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. And then we headed south.
With only three weeks in Australia, we decided to limit ourselves to the Coastal route between Sydney and Melbourne, which, if you look at a map of Australia is only a very small snippit of the entire country. In fact, I learned that Autralia is about the same size as the United States, a fact that Americans apparently have a hard time acknowledging! So I can hardly attempt to give you a general overview, but the bit we did see was absolute camper heaven (except the first two nights where we ended up in overcrowded private campgrounds squeezed between trailers). After the local kids went back to school (yes, the end of January is the beginning of the school year) we had almost entire campgrounds to ourselves, only having to share with the resident kangaroos (see photos for proof), walabees, parrots, echidnas, possums, goannas, snakes, spiders and bellbirds (yes, they do sound like chimes!). We unfortunately did not see any wombats or koalas, but going to a zoo just seemed like admitting defeat after we had seen all these other exotic animals roaming freely around our tent. The weather was fantastic, allowing us to take full advantage of the vast golden (and surprisingly empty) beaches all along the coast.
We took the scenic route, driving through pretty towns with names such as Wollongong, Ulladulla and Mallacoota. Finally, we spent the last five days in and around Melbourne (pronounced Melbin by the locals), where Julien got to hook up with his friend Melisande, from Montreal (et nous avec nos amis Sylvie et Stephan, avec qui nous avons partage quelques bonnes bouteilles!) Together we wine tasted, we hiked, and we continued to gather data for my comparative beach study. And spent a day in the city, admiring the vary avant-garde architecture. As Stephan pointed out, because of the climate (i.e. no snow, no freezing temperatures), there aren't nearly as many constraints and architects can do a lot more wackier stuff than we do at home. I think I detected a note of jealousy when he explained this to me.
More wonderful people hosted us here (thanks Steve and Tasha, Lou and Yvonne) and even more than the beds and showers and laundry facilities, we appreciated the opportunity to meet people who actually call Australia home. (Not always that easy when you're on the tourist trail).
As you surely heard on the news, there were severe bush fires in southern Australia just when we were there. Although this is a fairly common occurence, this year was much worse than usual because of the intense heat during the preceding weeks. Apparently the flames were moving faster than anyone expected. 200 people died and hundreds lost their homes. We drove through some burnt out areas on our way back to Sydney; it was eerie and somewhat frightening to see all of these blackened trees, homes and vehicles, and experience the overwhelming smell. Just makes you realize that there are risks everywhere, even in a country where you least expect it.
Now, at last, it's my turn to write. As our computer access is more limited here in the "developed world", we have to share our precious Internet time, a difficult thing to do. So, here we are, back in the land of big cars, big fridges and big stores full of stuff that the entire population of Africa and Asia seems to survive without. For the past 6 months I had been waiting to be culture shocked, and it never happenend. Now I am shocked by our overconsumption and individualism. Having to choose between 48 kinds of cereal is a dilemma we've managed without just fine.
Upon arrival in Sydney, we spent two days with a lovely family who made us feel right at home and got us acclimatized to the "Ozzie" accent. We spent an afternoon buying a cheap tent and a couple of dishes and then headed off to the beach, where we watched some kids taking an afterschool surf lesson (rough eh?) The next day we took the commuter train downtown and strolled around the waterfront, dutifully admiring and taking obligatory photos of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. And then we headed south.
With only three weeks in Australia, we decided to limit ourselves to the Coastal route between Sydney and Melbourne, which, if you look at a map of Australia is only a very small snippit of the entire country. In fact, I learned that Autralia is about the same size as the United States, a fact that Americans apparently have a hard time acknowledging! So I can hardly attempt to give you a general overview, but the bit we did see was absolute camper heaven (except the first two nights where we ended up in overcrowded private campgrounds squeezed between trailers). After the local kids went back to school (yes, the end of January is the beginning of the school year) we had almost entire campgrounds to ourselves, only having to share with the resident kangaroos (see photos for proof), walabees, parrots, echidnas, possums, goannas, snakes, spiders and bellbirds (yes, they do sound like chimes!). We unfortunately did not see any wombats or koalas, but going to a zoo just seemed like admitting defeat after we had seen all these other exotic animals roaming freely around our tent. The weather was fantastic, allowing us to take full advantage of the vast golden (and surprisingly empty) beaches all along the coast.
We took the scenic route, driving through pretty towns with names such as Wollongong, Ulladulla and Mallacoota. Finally, we spent the last five days in and around Melbourne (pronounced Melbin by the locals), where Julien got to hook up with his friend Melisande, from Montreal (et nous avec nos amis Sylvie et Stephan, avec qui nous avons partage quelques bonnes bouteilles!) Together we wine tasted, we hiked, and we continued to gather data for my comparative beach study. And spent a day in the city, admiring the vary avant-garde architecture. As Stephan pointed out, because of the climate (i.e. no snow, no freezing temperatures), there aren't nearly as many constraints and architects can do a lot more wackier stuff than we do at home. I think I detected a note of jealousy when he explained this to me.
More wonderful people hosted us here (thanks Steve and Tasha, Lou and Yvonne) and even more than the beds and showers and laundry facilities, we appreciated the opportunity to meet people who actually call Australia home. (Not always that easy when you're on the tourist trail).
As you surely heard on the news, there were severe bush fires in southern Australia just when we were there. Although this is a fairly common occurence, this year was much worse than usual because of the intense heat during the preceding weeks. Apparently the flames were moving faster than anyone expected. 200 people died and hundreds lost their homes. We drove through some burnt out areas on our way back to Sydney; it was eerie and somewhat frightening to see all of these blackened trees, homes and vehicles, and experience the overwhelming smell. Just makes you realize that there are risks everywhere, even in a country where you least expect it.
mardi 10 mars 2009
Coupés du monde
Depuis le 28 janvier, nous sommes revenus en terrain connu. Avions-nous jamais voyagé en Australie et en Nouvelle-Zélande? Non. Ces pays ne sont-ils pas les plus éloignés de Montréal? Oui. Est-ce qu’on ne conduit pas à gauche et non à droite? Oui. Pourtant, dès qu’on y met les pieds, on se trouve en terrain connu : anciennes colonies britanniques, systèmes politiques parlementaires, monnaies avec la tête de la reine d’Angleterre, supermarchés offrant une alimentation occidentale de produits en pots, en conserve, en sacs, et en barquettes de polystyrène emballées dans de la pellicule plastique. « Do you need a bag or have you got your own? », demande la caissière… comme chez nous.
Il y a aussi les gens, pour la plupart des descendants d’immigrants européens, qui parlent anglais (comme tout le monde en Amérique du Nord sauf ce peuple d’irréductibles descendants des Gaulois), et qui conduisent de la même manière que chez nous (sauf à gauche); et les employés des supermarchés qui portent des uniformes, qui classent les items dans les étalages et la caissière qui vous demande si vous accumulez des points avec la carte Supersaver. Il y a aussi des parcs nationaux avec des centres d’interprétation de la nature et des aires de camping… comme chez nous.
Dans ces pays où tout le monde est chez soi branché au cyberespace, les cafés internet sont rares et chers (le record : 10$/heure). Quand on voyage à cinq et que chacun veut passer une heure pour prendre des nouvelles de ses amis et leur écrire un peu, ça fait un moyen trou dans le budget. Donc, on se limite au nécessaire pour organiser notre voyage : louer une voiture, communiquer avec la nièce d’une collègue qui pourrait nous héberger, vérifier s’il faut un visa pour entrer au Chili, etc. Du coup, on ne sait plus du tout ce qui se passe dans le monde (d’autant plus qu’on n’écoute jamais la télévision).
Depuis le 28 janvier, donc, nous voyageons dans des pays qui nous semblent étrangement familiers même s’ils sont très loin de chez nous et même si la faune et la flore sont très différentes. En même temps, ce monde familier ne nous a pas permis de nous « raccrocher » à l’actualité comme on l’aurait fait chez nous en écoutant le téléjournal tous les soirs. Au contraire, nous sommes plus coupés du monde que nous l’étions en Asie où nous pouvions nous connecter à internet presque partout et pour quelques sous. Et alors? Hé bien rien. C’est comme si on avait débranché un malade de son respirateur pour s’apercevoir qu’il respire tout seul.
La dernière fois que j’ai lu les nouvelles, Harper avait convaincu notre gouverneure générale de suspendre la session parlementaire et Mario Dumont avait subi une dégelée aux élections québécoises. Ça vous donne une idée… Où en est-on avec la crise économique et financière, la guerre en Afghanistan et la chasse au phoque? Aucune idée. Et franchement, je ne veux pas le savoir. Ne m’écrivez pas tous en même temps pour me renseigner là-dessus. Racontez-moi plutôt que vous vous êtes mariés, que vous avez eu un enfant ou que vous en attendez un… ou deux, ou encore que ceux que vous avez déjà ont grandi, qu’ils jouent du piano… Voilà des nouvelles intéressantes car, en fin de compte, ce sont celles qui nous touchent le plus.
Il y a aussi les gens, pour la plupart des descendants d’immigrants européens, qui parlent anglais (comme tout le monde en Amérique du Nord sauf ce peuple d’irréductibles descendants des Gaulois), et qui conduisent de la même manière que chez nous (sauf à gauche); et les employés des supermarchés qui portent des uniformes, qui classent les items dans les étalages et la caissière qui vous demande si vous accumulez des points avec la carte Supersaver. Il y a aussi des parcs nationaux avec des centres d’interprétation de la nature et des aires de camping… comme chez nous.
Dans ces pays où tout le monde est chez soi branché au cyberespace, les cafés internet sont rares et chers (le record : 10$/heure). Quand on voyage à cinq et que chacun veut passer une heure pour prendre des nouvelles de ses amis et leur écrire un peu, ça fait un moyen trou dans le budget. Donc, on se limite au nécessaire pour organiser notre voyage : louer une voiture, communiquer avec la nièce d’une collègue qui pourrait nous héberger, vérifier s’il faut un visa pour entrer au Chili, etc. Du coup, on ne sait plus du tout ce qui se passe dans le monde (d’autant plus qu’on n’écoute jamais la télévision).
Depuis le 28 janvier, donc, nous voyageons dans des pays qui nous semblent étrangement familiers même s’ils sont très loin de chez nous et même si la faune et la flore sont très différentes. En même temps, ce monde familier ne nous a pas permis de nous « raccrocher » à l’actualité comme on l’aurait fait chez nous en écoutant le téléjournal tous les soirs. Au contraire, nous sommes plus coupés du monde que nous l’étions en Asie où nous pouvions nous connecter à internet presque partout et pour quelques sous. Et alors? Hé bien rien. C’est comme si on avait débranché un malade de son respirateur pour s’apercevoir qu’il respire tout seul.
La dernière fois que j’ai lu les nouvelles, Harper avait convaincu notre gouverneure générale de suspendre la session parlementaire et Mario Dumont avait subi une dégelée aux élections québécoises. Ça vous donne une idée… Où en est-on avec la crise économique et financière, la guerre en Afghanistan et la chasse au phoque? Aucune idée. Et franchement, je ne veux pas le savoir. Ne m’écrivez pas tous en même temps pour me renseigner là-dessus. Racontez-moi plutôt que vous vous êtes mariés, que vous avez eu un enfant ou que vous en attendez un… ou deux, ou encore que ceux que vous avez déjà ont grandi, qu’ils jouent du piano… Voilà des nouvelles intéressantes car, en fin de compte, ce sont celles qui nous touchent le plus.
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