The new year finds me
beginning a new chapter of my journey in two new hemispheres (Southern and
Eastern) with – I cannot resist the pun – new zeal.
Now halfway through my RTW
trip, both geographically and temporally, I am relieved to report that I’m not
the least bit weary of either the travel or the company. Yes, I agree that everything around airports
is a hassle, but I still get a thrill from takeoffs and landings and find the experience
of flying especially exhilarating. Even
better is the opportunity to delve deep into new places and discover them at my
pace without the standard strictures of guidebooks. And I am having a ball with my party of one.
In fact, I’m so digging this
gig that I wonder if I could somehow create a career as a professional nomad….
City of Sails |
After almost 6 months in
rainforests and jungles, on ranches and islands, I am really ready for a city
fix – but not too overwhelming a one.
(Do need to gradually get my urban groove on as there are
several serious metropolises to experience ahead: Sydney, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh,
Singapore, Istanbul, Paris). With its
1.4 million laidback Kiwis, Auckland is very manageable, and ranks number 3 on
the most recent Mercer Quality of Living survey (right behind Zurich).
Auckland skyline |
I made a
very fortunate Airbnb selection, and am delighted with my funky Ponsonby neighborhood –
chockablock with hip cafés, ethnic eateries, eclectic boutiques, vintage
clothing stores, and Bikram yoga studios.
Home for this month |
Just my style! |
However, I must admit I’m
feeling a bit discombobulated here on the underside of the planet; could this
be because I crossed both the
International Date Line and the Equator in one go?
January 6th didn’t happen for me this year. Departed Los Angeles at 9pm Monday (5th) when it was already tomorrow in NZ; somewhere over the Pacific, Tuesday disappeared, and I landed here on Wednesday morning (7th). Good thing is that with a time difference of 21 hours, I feel virtually no jet lag – just lost a day.
Its proximity to the IDL means
that Auckland is the first major city in the world to experience a new day and
a new year – how cool is that? And here’s another fun fact: New Zealand is antipodal to Western
Europe. In geography,
the antipode of any location is
the point on the Earth's surface which is diametrically opposite to it; a straight
line drawn from one to the other passes smack through the core.
This means I’m on the exact other side of the world from my kiddos, and sensing the distance pretty acutely. Part of me very much wanted to crawl into my son’s suitcase in Tortola and return to Switzerland with them, and the departure board at LAX seemed to be provoking me with temptation:
Should I stay (on course) or should I go (home)? |
I hope I’ll adjust quickly to being on my own again after two emotional, fun-filled weeks with
family and friends. My commitment was made long
ago and so I will embrace the continuation of my circumnavigation as the itinerant
zealot / zealous itinerant I have become.
Oh Stacy, thinking of you and loving this adventure of yours! Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCezanne