New Zealand

After arriving from a very long flight to Auckland, Justin popped up early in the morning after little sleep to collect our Jucy rental van, our home for two weeks.  This "van" had a kitchen of sorts, a dining table which turned into the main bed, and a lofted area that converted to a second bed. We grabbed groceries and headed down the road to our first stop, Hobbiton, where we would visit the Shire. This movie set was used in the filming of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and we walked through all of the places we saw on screen: the mill, Frodo's/Bilbo's house, Sam's house, the Party Tree, the garden, and we wrapped it all up with a stop in the Green Dragon Inn for a beer.

Onward we traveled to the beautiful Coromandel Pennisula and a stop at Hot Water Beach and the Hot Water Beach Resort Holiday Park. We spent the next three days hanging in our camper van here by the beach. While the ocean was far too cold to swim in, the beach was known for the chance to dig a hole in the sand at low tide and sit in the steamy waters.  Other side trips included a trip to the breweries in the area (Hot Water Brewing Company, The Pour House).  We headed up to the coast and decided to make the walk along the beach trail to Cathedral Cove. The name was misleading. After the first 100m was in the sand on the beach, we sent our sandals back to the car. Soon the path led up into the hills and sand turned to rooted trail and then rocky terrain.  We were still doing fine barefoot until the wooded path turned into a paved walkway.  This small, sharp stones making up the pavement were torture on our softened feet, and the sun coming down superheated the stone. We ended up running from shady spot to spot on the trail or jumping off and onto the grass or sand alongside when we could stand it no more. The walk was supposed to take 1.5 hours but we did it in about 45 min. We were rewarded with wonderful waves and views at Cathedra Cove and the kids were tempted to swim. After getting slammed by ice-cold giant waves, they stepped out. We had the long walk back and suffered the pain, but beer at the finish line made it all a memory.  We also celebrated Christmas in the van and made up a delicious dinner of steak, lobster, and shrimp on the grill.

Before heading to the next town, we made a stop in the national park to do a little hike. It was pouring rain and cloudy when were arrived, not ideal conditions for the next morning's trek. However, when we arose at 4:30am, the sky was clear.  We drove to the bus and took a bus to the park.  Our objective was the Tongariro Crossing, a 12.5-mile traverse of the mountains southwest of Taupo. It is hailed as the best one-day hike in the world, but is known for having brutal weather swings. Most people on the bus were dressed for what looked like a ski outing and we felt a little underprepared.  Once on the trail we steadily stamped out a pace on the well-formed boardwalks, staying ahead of most groups.  Others caught and passed us early but we overtook nearly all of them by the end. A long, steady climb greeted us from the gates and we hiked for quite a while as the sun rose over Mt. Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe).  Stopping only for snacks and water, we pushed up the slopes and headed for the ridge where we were greeted with an apocalyptic flat of sand surrounded by cliffs. Mad Max could have been filmed here. The wind was wicked across this vast opening.  At the end we started a steep climb up the ridge, often going hand over hand to avoid getting blown off the peak. Our hands froze as we battled the wind. It was 15 minutes of insanity.  The view from the top, however, was worth it. Huge peaks and deep valleys were all around, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  We descended down a steep scree slope, hoping not to fall. We all met up around Emerald Lakes, a series of small, green ponds colored by minerals. From there we dropped down again to a flat before a steep but brief climb to Blue Lake, a wonderful sight. From there the intensity rose again as we climbed high on the ridge, working our way around the mountain. Eventually, we started a long series of switchbacks down the mountain, hot springs all around.  We eventually entered the forest and kept to trails along rushing rivers for the remainder of the hike. After about 4.5 hours we reached the road, well ahead of nearly everyone that started with us. Most people take 7-8 hours. Exhausted, we snacked and rested while we waited several hours for our bus to pick us up. It was one of the prettiest but most difficult hikes we have done.

Our next stop took us to Taupo, the outdoor capital of the north island. We stayed in another holiday park (Lake Taupo Holiday Resort). The plus of this place was a giant pool with a cave, swim-up bar, and movies on the big screen twice a day!

Taelyn and Justin had been eyeing a skydive outing for over a year and set out to do it here. When they arrived, the winds were high and after waiting several hours, they were told they could not jump (with Taelyn being light, they didn't feel safe in these conditions). Undeterred, they came back a day later and waited out the weather. Dressed in gear, they climbed aboard the plane and headed up, oxygen masks on, still unsure if they could jump.  At 15,000 ft. they scooted to the door, looked down, and with a thumbs up, rolled out into the blue.  The 1 min free fall was intense but the setback was fingers and faces instantly froze.  The dive was captured on video making for a great memory.

After the dive, the fam headed to the Rock N Ropes.  Each person faced their fears by climbing high and traversing obstacles. One of our favorites was the telephone pole climb and the leap of faith to the trapeze.  The final test was a giant swing off a platform, freaking everyone out. Sarah had enough, and the girls could only jump from low, but Justin was able to climb to the top and do a jump 30ft into a giant pillow. It was terrifying and painful but a rush. Another thing we did was go to the Craters of the Moon, a geothermal park in Taupo. Lined with boardwalks, we went from place to place watching the steam come out of the earth.

After renting some bikes, we headed out for a 2-hour ride in the Craters Mountain Bike Park.  The girls were shaky at first but after a while found their groove and started doing some fun jumps, logs, and rails. Justin returned a couple of days later on his own and ended up doing some very technical trails. Routes did not hook up as planned, and with no phone service, things got sketchy. There were a few crashes and some close calls. He was on some trails where if he went over the edge, he wouldn't be found. After several hours and 20 miles, he made it back to the holiday park.

Another amazing adventure of Taupo is the Huka Falls Jet Boat experience. These vehicles hover on the top of the water and rip down the river at speeds of 80kmh. Every so often, the operator will whip the boat into a 360-degree turn, seeing who can keep down their lunch.  We also saw Huka Falls up close.  In this area, we started several hikes from Spa Park and hiked along the river to Huka Falls and back. In Spa Park you can also sit in the hot springs coming off the trails and find your comfort zone between the searing heat of the springs and the chill of the river. This is how we spent Sarah's birthday (New Year's Day) before having a dinner of steak, shrimp, lobster, and wine all before a movie in the pool.

Our drive north took us to the Glow Worm caves in Waitomo where an underground boat tour in the dark was met with amazing sparkling lights above us. Millions and millions of worms glow in the dark. It was quite a view, but cameras were not allowed so we didn't get to capture it. And then our trip to the North was finished as we returned to Auckland for the night. We played mini golf to kill the time.

The next morning we flew to the South Island. Our original plan was all the way to Queenstown but the time did not permit the distance. Instead, we landed in Nelson in the upper part of the South Island. Our first stop was Cable Bay Adventure Park, and while we were there for the skywire ride, we had more fun playing with the eels that were in the river by the start and taking on some archery. A ride to the top of the peak set us up for a ride back down on the world's longest flying fox. Unfortunately, the speed of the ride just didn't live up to the hype. While the views were cool and the ride down (forward) and the ride back (backward) was interesting, it lacked the real excitement for the price. Our base was Tahuna Beach Kiwi Holiday Park along the water, complete with putt-putt and walks on the beach. 

We drove to Able Tasman National Park for a day. Our first trip was a boat ride out to Seal Island and Apple Rock before we stepped off the boat for a long hike back through the woods. We crossed rivers and fields as well as a lake at low tide. Temps were warm and humidity high so it proved to be a fairly decent challenge. 

In town we rented bicycles to take on the Cycling Great Taste Trail, a non-descript route stopping at breweries along the way. Heavy winds posed a bit of a challenge for the kids but with frequent stops, we made it and got to try many new places. Cider was the big hit. Not to be outdone, the wine got it's turn on the weekend. We rented a cruiser which was essentially a 4-seater bike in the shape of a car. It looked amazing but it would prove to be a major mistake by the end of the day. The kids just could not pedal it well, and Justin ended up doing a bulk of the work, pushing the heavy vehicle down the road. At one point, it was so hot, the shirt had to come off. We bounced from winery to winery, having sips and samples at each along with the occasional meat and cheese platter. A nap and some television helped us recover enough for a drink at Dodson Street Beer Garden.

Totally beat, we flew back to Auckland for a final night but stuck with putt-putt and another night in the Ibis Hotel by the airport, content to rest before the flight back the next afternoon. New Zealand is probably on everyone's bucket list and while I hope our 2nd trip was not our last to this beautiful place. But we did it right, that's for sure. 

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Barcelona

Not many trips have been as hyped up as Barcelona for us. Every time someone asked where we were headed, they said said. "Ohhh, you are gonna love it!" And we did.

Opting to stay in El Born, the cultural neighborhood of small alleyways, bars, museums, and just steps from the Picasso Museum, we were in a great location.  The beach was a short stroll away, and while the water was too cold for a swim, the beach was full of sea glass and the girls wadded in anyway.  This beach would be amazing in the summer months, full of eccentric people and lots of sun.  We also were next to a great park and the Barcelona Zoo, which made for great walks.

Perhaps the pinnacle of the trip (or the underlying purpose) was to hit up the absolutely phenomenal brew pubs in the city.  Brewdog (the UK brewery) has a home here and served up many exciting brews for mom and dad and provided fun games for the kids to stay busy.  Best of all, the bartender will pour you a shot of Tactical Nuclear Penguin, a brew clocking in at 32% ABV. For the price of a bottle, you will be glad to just try this in small doses.  Another fine establishment is the all-vegetarian food-serving place called Ale & Hop. With a nice combo of Spanish products and imports, the friendly staff was always ready to find the next gem.  But the star was BierCab which we frequented multiple times. Delicious tapas backed up 30 beers on tap from some diverse and unique places.  But the real plus was the bottle shop tied to the pub. For takeaway, one can purchase a wide-range of beers from some of the world's best breweries, including The Lost Abbey, Mikkeller, Stone, Rouge, Ale Smith, and The Bruery.  The catch was Westvleteren 12, often rated the world's best beer, and to my knowledge, sold only at the Belgian monastery where it is brewed in small packs with an advanced reservation.  They also had Samuel Adams Utopias, but at 300 Euros a bottle I just couldn't pull the trigger. The staff was amazing, took great care of us, gave our girls shirts and key chains, and me a bottle opener. It is the best beer place we have been to.

With the beer done, we move on to the rest. Of course, there is sangria a plenty here, and this interesting drink called tinto verano which is red wine with a mix of soda, like orange pop. It that doesn't tickle your fancy, have a Gin Tonic, which the city is passionate about. Forget about that garbage you pull out from the dusty cabinet once a summer, blow off, splash with something you bought at Wal-Mart, and add lime to. No, this is an art form. You must select your gin and your tonic, and the varieties of each are overwhelming, and the two are mixed delicately and deliberately. It is quite refreshing, and had it been warmer out, we may have had them all of the time.  But what we did frequent many a time was Ma Mai Ne in the Passeig del Born. With 40 kinds of hand-made mojitos on site, you cannot go wrong, Certainly have the traditional lime and mint, or roll with a Kiwi to try something new. But if you want some fun, try the Spicy Mango or, the absolute best of all time, the Cookie. Ya, that's right. Cookie mojito. Amazing.

By now you are seriously lubed up but don't forget, this place is passionate about food.  With some top-end restaurants, you can't go wrong, unless a budget is in your vocabulary. Tapas are everywhere and I must say that most places are reasonably priced.  The menu del dia will greet you with a main, beer, and desert for about 7 Euros, a steal.  Recommended to us was Tlaxcal in El Born which served up beef tongue tacos that were the bomb. Then we caught wind of a Mexican place named El Pachuco, a hole in the wall place with epic drinks and the best food outside of Mexico, though you wouldn't know it by looking.  The nachos are extreme and should win some kind of award.

We didn't just eat and drink the whole time. There were some sites spliced in. The free-to-visit 13th century Cathedral of Barcelona is a splendid site but everyone knows nothing holds a candle to La Sagrada Familia. 120+ years in the making, this shrine to the heavens continues to climb higher in the image of Gaudí. Like the Taj and Angkor Wat, you can see as many pics as you want, but this site cannot be felt until you stand in its shadows.  And while the outside is unarguably spectacular, the inside is amazing as well. The colors of stained glass reflecting off the walls cannot be duplicated.

Speaking of Gaudí, we headed to Park Güell, though we opted not to pay to walk among the artistic benches. Rather, we hiked up the mountain for a gorgeous view of the city from on high. Great trails lead up the peak and it was amazing to be free in nature in the middle of a modern city. This was, perhaps, our most enjoyable day, though we walked more than we probably ever have there.

Justin headed to the famous Camp Nou to see FC Barcelona, probably the world's best soccer team, win a game. But to complete the tour, the family all came back to visit the stadium during a non-match day as part of the Camp Nou Experience. With everything from Champion's League trophies to fake pictures with Messi, this place has it all. You can spend as long as you like admiring all of the awards this club has garnished or you can move on to see the visiting locker room, press areas, and the field. For fans and non-fans alike, it is a really well-done production worth spending an hour or two of your city trip. 

While the nightly Magic Fountain show did not appear to be a thing when we visited, we did spend some time on Montjuic to see the 1992 Olympic venue. A trip into the stadium and around the grounds offered some unique architecture and views of the city. It is amazing that the Olympics took place on this hillside. 

Barcelona did not disappoint. We hope to be back, perhaps in the warmth of summer. 

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India and Sri Lanka 2015

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"Your flight is full. We have bumped you to a later flight. It leaves at 1:30am but you will go direct to Delhi rather than to Sri Lanka, layover 8 hours, and then arrive at 6pm." is what we were told on arrival at the airport. Looks like hours of sitting in the airport. 20 min later a man says, "Sorry, that flight is full. We will put you on the original flight." So it goes in Doha.  So after many pre-flight cocktails, we boarded the plane for the 5 hour journey to Colombo. Arriving in Sri Lanka, we had 8 hours to kill, so we found a hotel in the airport allowing us to sleep, shower, and hangout instead of spending a day in the airport.  It made the flight to Delhi manageable. We arrived in New Delhi to a twinge of humidity we had long since forgotten coming from our mild, Middle Eastern winter.  Making our way to our private driver, we sped in and out of traffic while people flashed headlights at each other in both directions.  While lines painted on the road only seemed to serve as a general guideline for the direction of traffic, we did not experience the chaos and gridlock that we had come to expect from Indian traffic. That is, until the side streets.  Much like the later-mentioned Taj, one can only comprehend traffic when in it.  Bumper to bumper is an understatement but when 3 lanes become 7 and people creep forward inches apart on either side, it is a whole new definition of packed.

Our trip to Delhi was short, keyed in on just a few events.  First, we saw our friend, Faze and toured her school.  She took us to Old Delhi and we boarded bicycle rickshaws for a tour.  Poverty met productivity at every turn.  The city was not completely awake though many people hustled up and down the often one-lane road.  Cows ruled street corners, bicycles, scooters, and tuk-tuks were everywhere, dogs and goats roamed without restraint, and people sat in mud and on the street. One of our most memorable stops was the chili market.  We sensed it 100m before we got there.  Climbing the narrow stone staircases, we began to exert short, rough guttural coughs.  Our eyes began to itch and our noses ran like faucets. Our climb ended with a view of the central courtyard of the market.  All around people (all males) went about their daily business, cleaning their garments and washing themselves with water from jugs.  Some were naked and took no notice of us white folk touring through their homes.  Stall after stall held not more than a tone slab with a blanket on it and various amounts of chillies packed in burlap sacks.  It was a taste of local living I have not seen rivaled in any other country.  We ended our tour with a trip to a dress shop where the girls each picked out their own special Indian outfits.

Sarah and Faze having margaritas in India

Delhi briefly visited, we woke early the next morning for a long car ride to Agra.  After inching through the local traffic we opened up into the outskirts of the city and saw green countryside which expanded our perception of India.  Hours later we inched again into Agra and leapt out to buy our tickets.  I negotiated with a guide and we had a wonderful tour of the Taj Mahal.  Each place we stopped our guide pointed out the amazing symmetry of the building and surrounding structures. Quite impressive was the attention to detail in symmetry, the inlaid stone colors, and sheer size of the building built so long ago.  One of those buildings you see photographed so many times, the Taj is one that you would think would just be so-so when you step up to it.  However, it is anything but. The Taj exceeded our expectations in every way.

Our girls opted to wear their Indian dresses to the venue.  Our guide asked us early on if we minded if people took pictures of the girls.  We asked them and they shook their heads. The guide said something and about 5 guys walked away.  We hadn't realized they were all standing around us to take their picture. Throughout the tour, we were asked many times to let the girls have their picture taken.  We would take a shot of the girls in front of the Taj, and then the next 5 minutes would be other people shooting the girls in the same pose.  They were mobbed but enjoyed the attention.

Fast forward to our flight from Chennai to Sri Lanka.  We had just spent the day visiting a school in Chennai and headed to the island.  Sarah sat on the isle while I say one seat over on the other isle, the two girls inside on my row.  I heard a women coughing being Sarah. Annoyed by the sound and potential germs being spread, I glanced back to watch her violently convulse and vomit all over herself. As she spewed forth I lunged to push Sarah forward as she had her headphones on and couldn't hear the build up.  Puke sprayed her armrest and coated the isle.  Then, for some unknown reason, she started wiping it off.  Flecks were flung on my cheek and shirt.  I yelled for her to stop but not before the man next to her was coated.  I scrapped it off my shoe and counted the seconds until I could get to the washroom to clean.  Rather than apologize or ask for help, the moment the plane touched down she stood in the isle.  Not wanting to get coated, we squeezed in further until she de-boarded. To add insult to injury, we had to buy a second visa for Sarah once arriving. It was not a pleasant couple of hours. Add that to a 3-hour drive to the resort.

Our beach resort in Sri Lanka was very nice.  Palagama Beach Resort on the west coast of the island proved to be a rustic beach cabana with a flare of niceties.  Each room had an outdoor shower and palm leaves for walls. There was no AC and occasionally the power would go out for a few hours making it fairly warm at times.  There was an infinity pool and a beautiful beach, full of shells, sand, and crabs. Our daily breakfasts were buffets of eggs, waffles, and a mixture of local fare that was both plentiful and tasty.  Lunch and dinner were joined with local beers and cocktails while the children swam and played with the dogs and cats on the property. Joined by another family we worked with, this was a great few days of beach time.

One evening Sarah and I joined our friends for Salsa dancing lessons.  A movie was on every afternoon for the children.  The kids got down on the ground with some locals and learned how to weave palm leaves (which pretty much made up every wall and ceiling to the place).  But the highlight had to be the dolphin watching tour.  We saw hundreds of dolphins. They would come up along the boat, come at us, and go away from us.  There were flips and dives.  It was an amazing encounter.

While we didn't to Sri Lanka justice on this trip, we know we will be back.