Wisdom before Beauty: Mutual Weirdness

by Tasha in Wisdom before Beauty

We are all a little weird
And life’s a little weird
And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours
We join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love

                                                                                     - Robert Fulgham

Top Ten Photos of Thailand

by Tasha in South East Asia, Photos

Here we go again! We have so many amazing photos of Thailand - especially from our 'Journey to Freedom' week. Unfortunately due to Flickr technical issues, some of these photos have been slow to upload. However as always feel free to link to your own faves in the comments and/or on facebook :)

Bangkok Snapshots

by Tasha in South East Asia, In Transit

photo by: captainkimo

1.
We get off to a shaky start haggling wise, but we persevere by flagging down a taxi on day two. The driver smiles broadly as we ask for the Chatuchak Weekend Market. 200B he quickly retorts with his supersized smile. Grinning back we shake our heads at the exorbitant price and point to the meter. With an owlish glance, he shrugs his shoulders as if to say "Hey it usually works". Arriving at the market 15mins later we pay the 70B fare and thank him in thai. 

Maybe we are getting the hang of this.

Fear Of Flying?

by Alex in In Transit, Epigrams and Interludes

I am a bad flyer. Well, maybe not bad, but certainly not great. I wouldn't really call it a phobia or anything. I don't freak out and start hyperventilating when I enter an airport terminal, or have a panic attack whenever I hear the chirpy "ping!" of the seatbelt sign coming on, and I don't have recurring nightmares where I'm trapped in an endlessly looping safety demonstration performed by evil clowns in flight attendant uniforms.

Or Richard Simmons

10 Things I've Learned About New Zealand

by Tasha and Alex in New Zealand

1. Pie is awesome

Homecomings and goings

by Tasha in Epigrams and Interludes, Australia, In Transit

Homecomings from traveling I think should always be bittersweet. Missing your family, your friends, and in my case, my chucks, chicken salt and good westernized asian food (Seriously guys - the best asian we had in New Zealand was from a fish and chip shop. No Joke). But then there are the things you leave behind, snowy mountains, baby dolphins, and truly amazing and awesome people.

Mandy I'm looking at you :)

Wisdom before Beauty: Frans Josef Glacier

by Tasha in New Zealand, Wisdom before Beauty

A man who keeps company with glaciers comes to feel tolerably insignificant by and by. The Alps and the glaciers together are able to take every bit of conceit out of a man and reduce his self-importance to zero if he will only remain within the influence of their sublime presence long enough to give it a fair and reasonable chance to do its work.

                                                                     - Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad 
 

photo by: zealus

Top Ten Photos of New Zealand

by Tasha in New Zealand, Photos

With only two weeks left in New Zealand before we leave for our short stopover week in Oz, I have been taking a quiet moment to try and upload the many many many photos we took. For those following on flickr and facebook, it may not seem that many. But trust me when I say - for every half decent photo I've taken, there have been five to ten of my fumbling, finger in the lens, Alex with eyes closed, lopsided photos. And before you ask - no I am not uploading them. They will remain my secret to the grave - or at least til my hard drive dies a quick and painful death (although being superstitious I will now run outside, turns 3 times and spit - you don't mess with a jinx!).

Where were we...oh yeah! So we took a whole bunch of awesome photos but managed to wheedle down to our top ten photos of New Zealand. Feel free to link to your own faves in the comments and/or on facebook :)

New Zealand Snapshots - The North Island

by Tasha and Alex in New Zealand, In Transit

On Saturday we left the North Island and the first stretch of our New Zealand leg. Unfortunately, we've been having so much fun that we've been neglecting to keep our humble blog updated - well, that and the patchy internet connections we've found so far. Yeah, that sounds better - because of the dodgy internet, we now have to cram three weeks of travel into one post. So here's a quick round up of the places we went and the things that we did on the North Island. 

Note: You can view our entire New Zealand trip photos here. Or for more kiwi awesomeness check out our other New Zealand articles.

The Adventures of Bessie

by Tasha in New Zealand, In Transit

Kia Ora! With this week rapping up our ramblings though the North Island I realise we have been extremely slack in updating for you guys at home. Its true for most of our time here getting a decent WiFi signal has proven quite difficult. Turns out trying to get a WiFi signal from a small camper-van is frustrating, non reliable and ultimately expensive. However we had a lot of fun in our little van, which I am so glad we decided to rent for a week because it meant we could change our plans rapidly, and check out little shops and landmarks we wouldn't have seen otherwise. So let me introduce you to our (very-temporarily) new member of the family....Bessie!

How to: Jump off Buildings

by Alex in New Zealand

The concrete is speeding toward me. The wind rushes disconcertingly past my head.

They told me 92 metres ago that everything would be fine, but now, 100 metres from the ground, those reassurances seem less believable.

95 metres till impact... 90... 80...

Maybe I should back up a bit.

Wisdom before Beauty: Skytower

by Tasha in New Zealand, Wisdom before Beauty

"You’ve got to jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.”

                                                                                     -Ray Bradbury

photo by: mad1how

Budget Roundup - AKA How Much Did We Really Save?

by Tasha in Pre-trip, Budget

 

The Goal:

We set out with the goal of saving a base of $35000 total approx. At the time we started saving we had a personal debt (credit cards/uni/wedding) of approx $13000 which we intended to pay off in full (eliminating any necessary future payments) before we started putting aside money for actual travelling. So from that base goal of $35000, we planned to leave ourselves with approx. $22000 to travel with.

photo by: 401(K) 2013

For an average daily spend of between $50-100 (depending on country) - this could keep us going for anywhere from 8 to 14 months before we would need to stop and work again.

So...how much did we save?:

The End of the World

by Alex in Pre-trip, Epigrams and Interludes

We're living in the End Times.

The end of the world. After months of planning, years of saving and lifetimes of dreaming, Tash and I have reached the endzone of our plans. In less than 2 short weeks, our lives as we know them will change permanently. Our world is ending, about to be replaced by a whole new world of airports and hostels and backpacks and bus tickets. This change has been a long (long!) time on the horizon, but now it's finally here. And it's exhilerating - and terrifying - and awesome.

The change from a plan into a reality isn't a smooth one. Not by a long shot. It doesn't flow like a river, swift and sure and inevitable. It moves more like a zombie - in slow, shuffling lurches punctuated with long pauses and occasional missteps. But sooner or later, it will catch up to you, and your once-far-off dreams of travel become an immediate, shambling reality - a reality that you have to face before it knocks you down and eats your brains.

That similie may have gotten away from me a bit. 

photo by: aeviin

Holes, Hills and Hamster Balls: The Great Ocean Roadtrip Part 3!

photo by: rkimpeljr

by Alex in Australia, In Transit

Have you ever been pushed down a hill in a giant hamster ball? No?

Have you ever wanted to? Don't lie, yes you have.

Then I would like you introduce you to the most childishly awesome extreme sport in the world: Zorbing.

Zorbing is what you get when you ask a room full of 8 year old boys to design a sport for you. You get driven up to the top of a steep hill with a bumpy 'track' carved into it, strapped into a giant inflatable ball, and given a rather sturdy kick by the operator. While there are a handful of companies in Australia who do this, there's only one who operate in Victoria - and wouldn't you know, they just so happened to be on our way back home!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Wisdom before Beauty: Thoughts from a Zoo

by Tasha in Wisdom before Beauty

“Because the history of evolution is that life escapes all barriers. Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way.” 

                                                                           - Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park 

Changes

by Tasha in Pre-trip

So, we had an apartment...

The Great Ocean Roadtrip! Part Deux

Still not 12 of them!

by Alex in Australia, In Transit

As much as I love setting out on a road trip at the crack of dawn, sooner or later the early start catches up with you. And if, like Tash, you only managed to get about 3 hours of sleep the night before, "sooner" can come pretty quickly. We walked back into the carpark of the 12 Apostles, Tash's eyelids started drooping, her words slowly transforming into low mumbles, and suddenly standing upright seemed a lot more optional than most of us would consider it. This posed a bit of a problem, because it was supposed to be Tash's turn to drive. Of course, being the loving, caring, dedicated husband that I am, I offered to take over driving duties for a few hours so she could nap in the passenger's seat. Tash was completely okay with that. At least I assume she was. When a question is answered with a quiet snore and an inaudible mumble, you sort of have to read between the lines.

At first, everything was great. The sun was shining, I was wide awake, and there's nothing more adorable than hearing a sleeping person try to sing along with music they can only half-consciously hear. We made great time heading away from the Apostles, passing through small, dot-on-the-map towns without any kind of trouble. I was appreciating the chance to spend some time thinking, even with the music turned down so Tash could sleep. Everything was brilliant...awesome even. Unfortunately, it couldn't last.

The Great Ocean Roadtrip!

by Tasha in Australia, In Transit

Here's the thing about Tash and I - we love to road trip. Adore it. Absolutely and without qualification. There's no better freedom than to load up on snacks, blast some classic rock and cruise off into the sunrise at 100km/hour.

Unfortunately (with a relatively last-minute exception), we're not likely to have the opportunity to road trip, once we leave for Asia. We're aiming to do as little flying as possible as it is both environmentally unsustainable and expensive as hell.

Define Irony

by Tasha in Pre-trip, Epigrams and Interludes

Irony... it's a funny thing

You find yourself in a comfortable, stable life. After years of struggle you are ahead of the game, you have some debt, but also a little savings, full time jobs, a stable marriage and finally a decent apartment. Life is...or at least should be...good!

The days wear on, life becomes a merry-go-round of work, home, work, home. Your fun job becomes a chore, your cosy apartment - suffocating. Everything you once loved about your life now feels like it's holding you back.

Yeah, irony's a real hoot.

Street Art: 10 Months Later...

by Tasha in Retake the City, Melbourne

A long long time ago, almost 10 months to the day, Lex and I ran around the city - camera in tow, snapping up the latest and greatest of the street art scene.

As a testament to the changeable nature of Melbourne - as Marlene, Sebastian (our awesome new french friends and surfers) and I checked out the new offerings - I offer an 'then and now' comparison. A sneak peak at the ever-changing streets. (click for larger pics)

Wisdom before Beauty: Melbourne

by Tasha in Wisdom before Beauty

There will be a time when it will end.
Be it parting

Be it death
So each passing minute with you
                       Pendulummed with sadness.
So many times
I looked long into your face.
                      I could hear the clock ticking.

                                               - Spike Milligan

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. If you liked the article and want to see more like it – let us know down in the comments. If you want to follow along with us - you can subscribe to our email feed down below, and be sure to check us out on facebook or follow us on twitter.

If the pretty pictures caught your eye and you would like to see more travel photography hop on over to flickr or for our daily oddities check out our instagram feed.

As always – Don’t Forget To Be Awesome!

Put your Africa Face on!

by Tasha in Pre-trip, Melbourne

Hi, my name's Tasha and I have an addiction. It's not a dangerous addiction, it's not debilitating, it doesn't cost me anything and I don't get a nasty hangover at the end of it. You see, I am addicted to travel brochures.

Okay, now you're giggling at me, but it's true. In my house are stacks of brochures, they're in bookcases, shelves and since Sunday, literally all over the living room. This is because last weekend I was in a stuperific wonderland as the 2nd annual Travel Expo came to Melbourne!

Thoughts from Middle Earth

by Tasha in New Zealand, Nerd

I consider myself a movie buff, and there are few movie universes I adore as much as Middle Earth. I love everything about these films and they are as close to true immersion as you can come in today's society. One does not simply stroll in and watch 30 minutes of a Lord of the Rings film - these films require time, effort and anticipation, all which are richly rewarded in a 13 and a half hour experience that will stay with you for days after.

Wisdom before Beauty: Two Roads

by Tasha in Wisdom before Beauty

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood...
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

                                               - Robert Frost

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. If you liked the article and want to see more like it – let us know down in the comments. If you want to follow along with us - you can subscribe to our email feed down below, and be sure to check us out on facebook or follow us on twitter.

If the pretty pictures caught your eye and you would like to see more travel photography hop on over to flickr or for our daily oddities check out our instagram feed.

As always – Don’t Forget To Be Awesome!

The Cult of Duolingo - An Expose

by Alex in Pre-trip, Language

For the past week or so, some very mysterious emails have been appearing in Tasha's inbox. Sent by an anonymous mister "Duolingo", these daily messages would pop up reminding her to "keep up with Spanish practice", and "make the owl happy." Naturally, the only conclusion I could think of was that my wife has joined a cult, and these were orders being sent out in some kind of brainwash-y code. So of course, I did what any loving, loyal husband would do when an evil cult has a hold of his wife's brain: ignored them. I probably shouldn't have been looking at her emails anyway.