The Travelling Miles Incredibility Awards - South America

While I've got some down-time here in Melbourne now I'm jobhunting and sorting my life out, I thought a bit of a reflection of my three months in South America was in order.

I loved my time there, and I can't put my finger on the best bit, so let's try for best bits. 

I can only comment on where I've been, so the following delightfully TMI Awards will be allocated to Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, and cities/places within. 

Best cities: 

1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

The sun, the sand, the parties. I miss it already. 

2. Valparaíso, Chile. 

A vivid graffiti-infused seaside culture bomb. 

3. Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Sexy tango dens mixed with European-style glamour. 

Worst cities: 

1. Uyuni, Bolivia. 

The only reason to go is the salt flats. 

2. Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. 

The only reason to go is to get the passport stamp. 

3. Lima, Peru. 

The only reason to go is to leave. 

Most impressive natural wonders: 

1. Iguassu Falls, Argentina-Brazil border. 

Unforgettable sights at every turn. The Devil's Throat is unmissable. 

2. The Amazon Rainforest, Peru (for me). 

A wonderland of natural beauty, calm waters and life as you've never seen it. 

3. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia. 

A pure, surreal landscape dotted with glowing mirages. 

Most impressive manmade wonders: 

1. Machu Picchu, Peru. 

Not original, but nothing else beats it for me. 

2. Rio Carnival Samba Parade, Sambodromo, Brazil. 

The most colourful, insane night of my life. Stay til sunrise to get the most out of it. 

3. Humberstone, Iquique, Chile. 

A deserted mining town now half-reclaimed by the world's driest desert. 

Best beach: 

Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Hands down the best. Watch sunset from the rocks - absolutely gorgeous. 

Best mountain scenery: 

Bolivia. 

The volcanic colours were fantastic, against a backdrop of pure blue sky. 

Best landscape: 

Valle de la Luna, San Pedro, Chile. 

Watch sunset over the smoking volcanoes and watch the yellows turn to reds and purples over the pockmarked desert valley. 

Best sunrise: 

Machu Picchu, Peru. 

It's an unconventional sunrise, but the shafts of golden light illuminating the city on the mountaintop was a sight to behold. 

Best sunset: 

Middle of freakin' nowhere, Bolivia. 

I don't need to add anything to this photo. 

Easiest Spanish to understand: 

Peru. And everyone loves the Colombian accent. That's where I'm going to study it, in my dreams. 

Hardest Spanish to understand: 

Chile. Like, seriously. 

Most welcoming people: 

Chile. Like, seriously. 

Least welcoming people: 

It's a toss-up between Peru and Bolivia, which I think is linked to the poverty levels. 

Safest country: 

Chile. But still watch your stuff. 

Least safe country: 

Peru. I felt unsafe in Peru more than any other place. Just exercise caution. 

Easiest country to get around: 

Peru. Extensive bus network, and you can book online with ease if necessary. 

Hardest country to get around: 

Brazil. Foreigners can't book buses online, and also the country is massive, but that's not Brazil's fault. 

Places that most deserve a re-visit: 

1. Argentina. I want to explore so much more of that beautiful country, especially Patagonia in the south. 

2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. What can I say? I fell in love with that place. 

And 3. The whole damn continent.

#TMIawards #TMI

Wildlife #1

Today my family and I drove up to the Yarra Valley to see the vineyards. We went up to some forested hills which were blanketed in cloud. It was like I was still in New Zealand. The temperature dropped from around 13C in the city to 8C in the hills.

I saw my first kangaroo and wombat on the way to the valley. Unfortunately they were both roadkill. Great start, guys.

And then we drove to a nearby park area and saw live kangaroos! Some were still very young and were hopping around like mad. They were cuter than I was expecting, because I hadn't seen one close up before. 

So now I just need to see koalas, wallabies, wombats (preferably alive) and the tiny Phillip Island penguins, and then I've ticked off my must-see wildlife for Australia. I'm okay with just seeing the safe animals it has to offer. 

I haven't even been to the centre of Melbourne yet. I've been busy sorting out bank accounts and an Australian phone number etc. And jobhunting ferociously. But I'll take a trip in in the next couple of days. I need to see what all the fuss is about! 

Bureaucraversary

Four months ago today I left the UK, and today I spent my first full day here in Australia. A double milestone.

Last night my uncle picked me up from Melbourne International, and took me straight to meet my aunt and cousin at a wine bar, followed by fish and chips. I was a very happy boy. They live in a beautiful beachfront house in a suburb of the city and they are extremely kind and are letting me live with them. I'm here to find work and get some funds back together before I continue exploring Australia and head up to Asia. I have enough money left to do one or the other, but not both. 

So today was a day of bureaucracy and sorting. I applied for a TFN (tax file number) and opened Australian bank accounts. Tomorrow I'm going to join Medicare. Then I can get down to some proper jobhunting. And maybe some exploration of Melbourne too. And according to Monocle's Most Liveable Cities Index, Melbourne stands at number three, after Copenhagen and Tokyo. So after living here for a while, I'll have hit two out of three! Watch out, Denmark. 

Over the Pond

Tomorrow I leave Auckland for Melbourne, and have to sort my life out and find a job for a few months. I'm going to miss the freedom of travelling, but it'll be nice to be in one place for a while, and I'll be staying with family there. 

But I am going to miss New Zealand a lot. Its snowy mountains, misty forest-covered hills, sparkling clear lakes, spectacular glaciers, golden beaches, vivid colours, volcanic rock formations straight out of Lord of the Rings, the charming Maori accent, activities galore, parties and relaxed atmosphere. 

People say you're either a New Zealand or Australia person, and I've loved NZ. Come on Australia, top this and I'll love you forever. 

The Kiwi Experience Bus

The Kiwi Experience, along with Stray, is one of the most popular ways to get around New Zealand, with a comprehensive network of hop-on hop-off buses around both islands.

The Kiwi bus is very popular with British teens on their gap yahs, and I had pretty much nothing in common with 60% of people on the buses I hopped onto. But, I made some incredible friends and had one of the best times of my life. 

It's a very slick operation, and all the drivers know exactly how it works, and can recommend places that are best to hop off if you have spare time to explore more. As I did it in autumn/ winter, there were four buses a week, so hopping off usually meant three nights in one place, but in summer there are buses every day. However, it's much busier in summer, and there might be some difficulty getting the bus you want unless you call or email the office and book a few days in advance. Most buses I was on, except the first one with the newbies all starting in Auckland, were quiet. Once you're on one bus they assume you're staying on it and following the set itinerary until you book a different bus with the main office. The timetables are available online. 

Most people, including me, hop off for a while in Queenstown, mainly because it's a fantastic place with loads to do. And the most popular route seemed to be Auckland to Christchurch, which works really well. That way you don't have the dull activity-less ride north to Auckland, but having said that I made my own fun on that section of the trip in Taupo and Auckland. The only thing that is a shame to miss out on if you finish in Christchurch is the whale-watching or dolphin swimming in Kaikoura, but you can pay the Kiwi Experience driver NZ$20 extra to take you there, and then arrange a local bus back to Christchurch. 

Before every stop you make, the driver will pass round sign-up sheets for activities on offer. These are normally at a good discount, often as good as 30% off. And there are often a variety of options. Or you can do nothing if you want to save money or feel like having an afternoon/morning off. I was in need of a break after five days straight of at least one big activity per day. I loved the madness, but it's nice to sit back from the fast pace once in a while. 

The drivers do the same with accommodation sheets. Most people stay together, but if you've booked ahead somewhere else they can normally drop you there. The accommodation can be cheaper if you book ahead online, so if you can find out what hostel everyone is staying at, you can save money that way. 

When it comes to choosing what pass you want to buy (basically what you want to see in New Zealand), I would definitely recommend going for one that includes both islands if your time limit/ budget allows. Both islands are packed full of things to do, with the south being more rugged and beautifully wild, and the north full of culture, beaches and activities. 

The Deep South (Dunedin, the Catlins, Invercargill and Milford Sound) is very scenic. But if you're pressed for time I would recommend just doing the Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown. 

I can't comment on the Bay of Islands section because it wasn't included in my pass, but the people who went there, even in autumn, said that it was beautiful. I'd be more inclined to go and see its beaches if it was summer though. 

Either of those sections can be bought from your driver if you want to do them and they're not included in your pass. 

Absolutely look at what passes they have on offer at the time you book. This is just one of their pages on their website. I got my Auckland-Auckland Chilly Bin pass for 46% off, bringing it to less than NZ$900. And that includes the cruise at Milford Sound as part of the Deep South. 

I didn't meet anyone who said they had paid full price for their ticket. So have a look and see what's on offer. They rotate the passes on offer every so often. 

To be honest, I thought that the price I paid was a good deal, and made it worth it. I wouldn't have been happy to pay upwards of NZ$1000 for it. But it all depends on your budget. 

Alternatives include the Naked Bus system, and Stray. 

And when it comes to deciding how much time to allow, have a look at the 'minimum days' they suggest for each pass, and go from there. Try to leave yourself some days to play with, so you can hop off if you want to. You might meet people you want to stay with. Most people stay extra nights in Wellington, Kaiteriteri and Queenstown. I heartily recommend QT out of those though, if you only have time to hop off in one place. But for the most part I found people didn't hop off in many places, if at all. 

Overall, I think the Kiwi Experience is a fantastic way to meet people, have a nice easy time, and see this amazing country. But it's definitely not the only way to do it.

Full Circle

And I'm back in Auckland! Where I started my New Zealand adventure a month ago. I've finished the Kiwi Experience now, and I've got three days left until I fly to Melbourne on Thursday. It was nice because I was the first person on the Kiwi bus when I started, and I was the last person off when I got back here.

Auckland is a good place to spend a few days. It's New Zealand's biggest city, with a third of the country's entire population living here. But it still doesn't feel busy or crowded in the centre. I think it's quite spread out. There's plenty to see and do, but so far I've been content just to wander round the centre and enjoy being in a city again. Even Wellington feels like a town. But I have been used to sprawling Latin American metropolises. 

It's properly winter now, being mid-June, and yet Auckland is 18 degrees and sunny. This is British summer! If this was my winter I'd have nothing to complain about. But it is weird that there are ice rinks up and winter lights, but it's not Christmas. It feels very incongruous. Southern hemisphere problems. 

Parts of Auckland remind me a lot of my hometown of Birmingham, so it's nice to have some familiarity around me. 

It's also very multi-cultural, with a large population of Pacific islanders and Asian people. There are so many Korean and Japanese restaurants around, I'm in heaven! If only my budget would stretch to eating out for every meal. 

I was worried that my last week here would be dull, but I met a great group of people in Taupo a few days ago and most of them are in Auckland for a few days like me. So it's been a lot of fun. Tomorrow I think I'll do the Sky Tower, the southern hemisphere's tallest building, and possibly take a ferry to New Zealand's answer to the Hamptons, Waiheke Island, on Wednesday. 

I've got to enjoy my last few days of freedom before I land in Melbourne and have to find me one of those job things people keep talking about. 

Retracing my Steps

The last few days I've been heading north, following the same path I took a month ago. I stopped for a few days in Wellington and stayed with my family friends again. They were so welcoming and made me feel right at home. So I left feeling nice and refreshed.

Right now I'm in Taupo again. I hopped off the Kiwi Experience bus here because I've got a week left before I leave for Australia and I didn't want to spend the whole week mooching around Auckland. And I did want to explore Lake Taupo more when I was here the first time. 

This afternoon I did the Barbary boat tour out to see the Maori carvings on the cliffside, and that was really cool to see. And there were skydivers jumping above us, which took me right back to when I did my skydive a few weeks ago. It still gives me tingles to remember it. 

Tomorrow I'm planning to do a walk around the lake for a bit, and then I might go to the hot pools, depending on price. 

Although I'm still having a good time and there are some cool people at my hostel, the majority of the New Zealand fun is over now, and I kind of just want to go to Australia. I actually changed my flight a few months ago to give myself extra time here, in case I wanted to hop off and explore somewhere more, and I kind of regret that. But it's better to still be in nice places for a few days than have to cut short plans, and I wanted to have enough time to be flexible. 

I absolutely love New Zealand though. I have to say, a working holiday visa here is an extremely tempting thought. 

Whale Watching in Kaikoura

After all the excitement of Queenstown, I was a bit worried that my trip back up to Auckland with the Kiwi Experience would be boring, especially as the best friends I made all finished their trips in Queenstown. And yesterday at cloudy Lake Tekapo started to confirm those fears. Today in Kaikoura changed them.

I went whale watching just off the Pacific coast, with big hopes of seeing a whale at least once. And it was much better than that! We saw two separate sperm whales, a pair of humpback whales, common dolphins, dusky dolphins, seals and albatrosses. It was so worth the money to do it. 

The dolphins playfully leapt up around the boat, exactly how I'd imagined them to. 

And the whales. They were so impressive! When they were floating on the surface it was difficult to get an idea of how big they are, but when they dive and give you the opportunity for the classic tail shot it's pretty overwhelming. One girl in our group actually started crying. And I was moved. They're just quite majestic creatures. 

Tomorrow morning we're heading north to the ferry over to Wellington, and on the way stopping at a seal colony just north of Kaikoura, which is home to dozens of baby seals. A girl I met in Dunedin showed me a video clip of them all playing around a small waterfall, and it looks like the cutest thing in the world. So that should wake me up in the morning! 

Ten days left in New Zealand now, and then it's over the pond to Australia. And then I need to start job hunting. Time to settle somewhere for a bit, a feeling I'm not exactly used to right now. 

Queenstown!

Queenstown deserves that exclamation mark. In fact, I think it deserves several. What a place!

I'd heard Queenstown was New Zealand's adventure and nightlife capital, so I was imagining a bustling city filled with neon lights and dodgy back alleys. I should have expected a surprise from this country. Queenstown is the most happening village in the world. It's made up of maybe five main streets, and is nestled in a narrow strip of flat land by a pristine blue lake under fantastic mountain scenery. 

And it did not fail to disappoint. I went out on four of the six nights I was there, and three of them were in a row. That's a first for me, but Queenstown is the place to do it. There are bars for every taste. As part of a bar crawl I did we went to one of the two Ice Bars there, where everything down to the floor, chairs, tables and glasses were made of ice. We went to Cowboys, a Western-themed bar with a bull. I'm still nursing a spectacular bruise on my leg from giving that a go. But my favourite place to end the night was Winnie's. There was a good dancefloor, which is basically all I need for a night out. Every Thursday they do a competition night for prizes provided by Peter Pan's. I forced my friend Laura into the dancing contest, and we won! We got a two for one paraglide from the top of Queenstown gondola. (Which for various reasons, mainly the incompetency of the company, we weren't able to do). And our friend Michelle won a two for one skydive as well. All in all it was a successful night. 

Queenstown is also home to Fergburger, where they'll make you a burger as big as your head. And they taste so good. We went there four times. (I just ate a vegetable stir fry before writing this post, cooked with no oil. That's how hard Queenstown hit me). 

Aside from all the bungy jumping, skydiving, luging, jet boating, hiking, canyon swings, and whatever else you could ever want to do, the gondola ride up to the top of a mountain overlooking the town and the lake is well worth doing. We used it to break up the cycle of drunk-hungover-repeat we found ourselves in. And we did some luging while we were there, just for good measure. 

Just as an aside, you'll find some amazing deals for activities on bookme.co.nz, which beat pretty much everything you'll find on the high street. 

After a few days in Queenstown, Laura and I embarked on the Deep South section of the Kiwi Experience. We took in Dunedin, and saw the world's steepest street and Cadbury World NZ. We went to the Catlins and saw sealions and the world's rarest type of penguin on a beach made of petrified Jurassic forest. We spent the night in Invercargill, the world's southernmost city, and then on the third day - Milford Sound. 

Milford Sound is a fjord on the Tasman Sea, and has been unofficially named the Eighth Wonder of the World. You can do it in a long day trip from Queenstown, or stay closer to it, in places like Te Anau.

Now... I don't want to put a downer on it, because it is beautiful. But honestly I didn't think it deserved all the hype. It was a cloudy day when I was there, so it might be different when the water reflects a clear blue sky, but I've seen photos of Scandinavian fjords that were more impressive. However, I would still recommend going. The boat cruise we did onto the fjord was beautiful, and even the drive there through the Fiordland National Park was full of stunning scenery. It's got to the point where your average perfect reflections in crystal clear lakes of snowy mountains rising above rich pine forests is nothing special. I have to keep reminding myself what I'm surrounded by. 

I already miss Queenstown, and I've only been away for two nights. I had great friends there, who have now left New Zealand, so I'm back to travelling north solo. And every day was full of new things, activities, and great sights. It was just the best time. I was on top of the world, at the bottom of the world. 

If you come to New Zealand, you have to include Queenstown in your itinerary. It may be tiny, but it packs a punch.