Hitchhiker's Guide

First of all, I was waiting for the day that I reached 25 followers. I was going to have a celebratory post where I got really excited about having a quarter of a hundred people reading my blog, but then I missed it. Sure enough, there are now 27. I try to make a habit of not judging myself on what other people do, but seeing the number of followers rise is the only measurable quantity to how many people are interested in what I'm up to. Here's a big shout out to all 27 of you. Thanks a million for following my travels and keeping me company along the way!

Hitchhiking outside Christchurch

Transportation. What does the word make you immediately think of? Does it bring up images of driving in a car? Fond memories of plane rides? Perhaps a lovely trip in a boat? If you think long enough about the concept of transportation, the idea of cost might cross your mind. With gas prices soaring, there is really only one cheap way to get form one place to another. I'm sure this form of transport is equally as old as any other: hitchhiking. Can't you imagine the very moment Karl Benz started up his first automobile for the first time how his buddies must have been running after him for a free ride? I'm sorry if your imagination doesn't have as much fun as mine seems to but the bottom line is that hitchhiking is still a great way to get around today.

I am going out on a limb and assuming that most of you have never tried it before as a means to travel across a country. Based on this assumption, I will describe a few things I've discovered as a result of my experiences.

Who:
From what I've seen, it's very difficult for more than one hiker to get picked up at a time. People often have space for only one more person, so if you're trying to hitch with someone else, good luck. If there is competition, it's best to walk in the direction you want to go. Separation from the competition is the only way to get picked up.

Where:
Places where cars need to slow down are ideal such as construction zones, turns, or bridges. However, there needs to be a place for them to pull off so forget mountain roads. Getting picked up in town is very unlikely, so starting from the far end of traffic areas is ideal.

When:
It's always best to start early. Sometimes there's hardly a wait but on off days, it may take over twice the time that it would driving there directly.

Why:
It is way cheaper than any other mode of transportation. Moreover, it can be far more interesting and much more beneficial. For instance, I had my first ride on a jet ski as a direct result of hitchhiking.

How:
As seen on tv. It's nothing special. Hold the arm out and confidently stick that thumb toward the sky. There are a few tricks that are handy: facing the cars allows for eye contact, a smile goes a long way, a limp arm or thumb will only hinder, a sign with a not-so-distant location (even if it takes 3 different signs) increases chances, and continuing to walk is an indication of liveliness and determination.

Off-roading in the second ride I got

As you should expect, I have come away with some great stories. For instance, the first car that picked me up literally went up in smoke. I was taken off-roading through bush and rocky river beds (pictured). As I said above, one of the people to pick me up later took me out for an absolutely thrilling ride on his jet ski. I've been picked up by many different nationalities, a wide variety of ages, and people with quite different stories. The experience that stands out slightly above the rest however would have to be the ride I got after finishing my tramp in Arthur's Pass.

Full picnic offered to me, a hitchhiker

Two long days of hiking several kilometers through rugged terrain with a 20kg pack brought me out to state highway 73. Some 200km to my right was Christchurch, and about 25km to my left was Arthur's Pass Department of Conservation (DOC). Unfortunately although my destination was Christchurch, I needed to swing by the DOC first. About 20 minutes of standing exhausted on the side of the road, a green car that had already passed me comes up behind and asks me if I need a lift. My initial thought was “duh,” but I politely said something to the extent of “if it wouldn't be any trouble, I would certainly appreciate it.” I hopped into the back of the '78 Rolls Royce and introduced myself to the other three. Steven, a 50+ year old New Zealander was on his way through Arthur's Pass with his mother and cousin to see the mountains covered in Rata, a native flowering tree that blooms red for about 2 weeks out of the year. We started talking and it turned out that Steven is actually going back to Christchurch after a picnic lunch with the family and offered to take me all the way there. After completing my errands at the DOC, it was insisted that I join them for the picnic lunch set beneath the mountains bursting out with red blossoms. The two and a half hour ride back to Christchurch (which included a shameless 20 minute nap) was probably the smoothest and most comfortable ride of my life. Who knew that my first ever ride in a Rolls Royce would be as a sweaty tired hitchhiker?

Onward and Upward

A chorus of crickets echoed across the vacant brown fields on either side of the road as if to announce the absence of all other life. Occasionally a goat would cry out in search of its mother or a rooster might call out to demand his respect, but the main players were the crickets. My bald flat tires led the way across the familiar loose dirt path that cuts through farms standing between my place and the ocean.

Favorite road through the island

I was on my way to the island's center, the location of the only hill. I spent my morning lounging on my bed under the mildly refreshing breeze of the fan until the power went out and I was forced to flee the oven I was in to seek refuge in an air conditioned internet cafe. While there, I bought a plane ticket to Singapore for the 28th of this month. My visa expires on the 1st of December and the only options of renewal are to travel back to Denpasar and bribe the guy from customs who gave me his phone number upon arrival or flee the country. Seeing as how it's only slightly more expensive to flee, it was my choice for renewal. I will obtain a legal 60 day visa so I will be set for the remainder of my time here in Indonesia, plus I get to see Singapore.

After the spending spree, the decision to climb the hill again was made so I lathered up the sun-screen, threw on a lightweight (and sufficiently dirty) shirt, and grabbed my bike. The ride takes me across my favorite stretch of road on the island, due in part to the carefree farmscapes, but also because the dirt is packed enough that I am not required to dismount and walk the bike every 200 feet. Five minutes later, I dropped the kickstand and started my ascent on foot leaving my bike safely unlocked at the hill's base.

Dry ground everywhere

It is quite clear that Gili Trawangan is going through a dry season at the moment. The bare parched earth and scraggly brush are enough to give it away. On the summit, the only respite from the relentless sun could be found under the uninviting coarse naked brush and frail trees which sufficed only for the nomadic goats. After a while of looking for a shady spot, I was met with success in the form of a small tin-roof shelter next to the cell phone tower. Across the desolate hill goats gathered in the shade of small trees conserving their energy. It is a mystery to me where they possibly find any food for survival. Sitting on the hill alone, I felt as if I had ownership. I have made three trips to the top, and not a single time have I seen a soul. It was this feeling that made me suddenly want to have an instrument, perhaps a ukulele to sit under a tree and play, play for the goats, play for the brush, the birds, the dirt, the sky, to play for the sake of playing music.

In town when I began asking around I somehow picked up a guy with a personality like velcro and he has been helping me find a guitar since then. His kindness and willingness to help is admirable, but I can't help but wonder if he really is that eager to help a stranger or is he trying to get something out of me. Is this what society has done to me? Anytime someone offers an extraordinary amount of help, I automatically become wary? What sort of a world is this where kindness is met with suspicion? I will continue to keep my guard up since it is what I have been trained to do, but the experience has not passed without being noted in memory.

Part Two Approaches

This is a photo of the Makapu'u Lighthouse on one of my sunrise hikes. Very very cool. To get this picture, I hiked WAY off the trail over a ton of sharp pumice. I would do it the same way all over again.

Anyway, I've had even more fun than I anticipated, but part one of my adventures must come to a close. On the 5th of August I'm moving to the Philippines: I bought the plane ticket today. The flight dparts in the early afternoon on the 5th and arrives in Manila the evening of the 6th, even though the flight is about 10 or 11 hours. I am filling out the paperwork for the visa and sending it FedEx first thing tomorrow morning. Over the next two weeks, I'm going to be figuring out my housing situation for the first few days, packing, contacting dive shops, and exchanging money. I will be on Mindoro Island in and around the Puerto Galera area. The reason I'm only going to work out the first few days is that the cheap backpackers lodges don't have websites. What I'm going to do is stay in the cheapest (though safe) place the first 2-3 days then find a place for a few bucks a night. I don't need any luxury whatsoever - all I want is safety. The first two weeks I plan to be unemployed. I'll be walking (or biking, motoring, scootering, whatever) around to all the dive shops scoping them out and seeing which ones I like before I start talking about work.

Speaking of work, I passed the Instructor Exam and I am now a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor. As soon as the paperwork is processed I will be in teaching status. That news is huge, but honestly it's sort of outweighed by the upcoming move to the Philippines.

Other exciting news is that Meg comes back from the mainland tonight. I would get her a lei like she did for me, but I have no idea where to get them. Sorry Meg. I'll at least pick you up with a big smile.

Weather or Not

I've gotten into this whole sunrise thing. Monday morning I went out toward the north shore, stopped at this park, and spent about 30-45 minutes taking pictures of the sunrise. The next day (yesterday) I drove out to Lanikai before 5, hiked up the pillbox trail (there's a picture of the hike on one of my first few posts). I hiked up in the dark, saw the sun rise over the Mokes, and made it back home by about 6:30. With my jaw injury I took this morning off and I'll probably do the same tomorrow morning then go somewhere else on Friday.

The weather here has been weird. I don't know if I'm just now noticing or if it has been unusual the past few days. It rains for no more than 5 minutes at a time, no less than 5 times a day. Plus it's constantly changing depending on where I drive. Like today going out to Haleiwa to dive with Jeremy, I swear it rained 4 times and was sunny and hot in between each one. A couple other noteworthy things about that drive: I passed the Dole plantation and then while we were out on the boat I looked back toward shore and there was a brilliant rainbow. It was there when we surfaced, and it was there as I drove back home. Very cool. (I started writing this paragraph because it started suddenly raining, and now it stopped. Point made.)

The last piece of news is the biggest of all. Ready? I'm thinking of moving to the Philippines. Palau was proving to be very difficult to find housing and transportation. When I looked into the Philippines, there were tons of links to backpackers that I could stay in (as little as $10 per night), they have an abundance of dive shops, and at least two airlines fly there direct for about $700. I'm going to continue researching it, then talk about it, think about it, and pray about it over the next week. I hope to have some sort of decision by this time next week. Don't worry, making a decision means there's still another couple weeks to wait for the visa and to make sure I secure housing and transportation arrangements, so it's looking like I'll be leaving no sooner than the 5th of August. But then again, I can never be too sure. Stay tuned because there's going to be an Instructor Exam update soon, then a follow-up about the Philippines very soon after that.

Where Clouds Are Made

4:25 is certainly an early time to wake up, but when you want to run up a mountain before the sun comes up, you have no other option. This is precisely what Meg and I did along with a friend named Polly yesterday. Equipped with camera, water, headlamp, and my Vibram shoes I love so much, we parked at the base of the trail then proceeded to the Old Pali Road and jogged up the half paved/half jungle route. Lights from the city were blocked by the trees so our meager head lamps were the only things allowing us to have a peek at how steep and how slick the ascent really was.

Upon reaching the summit around 5:45, the sky was beginning to lighten up but the Sun itself was not yet visible. Looking at the peak to my left, clouds were being created right before my eyes. It was a truly magical sight: small faint white splotches appearing from crisp clear air and growing as the wind whipped up from the base of the mountain and carried them higher.
Turning back to my right, the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds in the distance. This is what you see in the photograph. It didn't waste any time as it quickly crawled past the clouds and into the open, warming the mountain as well as the valley below. It may be difficult to wake up before 4:30, but after seeing a sunrise like that, there's no question that it was worth it. What a way to start out the day.

The Hiking Continues

There's a guy in a white t-shirt on the nearest peak.

Most of yesterday was spent in the company of sunshine and scuba books by the pool. My skin is becoming considerably darker with every hour outdoors. Last night consisted of a tiring game of ultimate frisbee in an ill-lit park. It was nice to run after a disk for the first time in a month and a half (though the mark on my leg from that time has not gone).

I planned to go for a hike today but got a call from Mark Butin saying that he'd love to go for a hike later in the day. We did Mariner's Ridge which is gorgeous (surprise surprise) and beautiful in its own way. It had very varied terrain with much more cover than the first Pillbox hike but less jungle terrain than the more recent hike to Maunawili Falls. Despite the clouds, the view was stunning. I kept telling Mark at each lookout how exasperated I was that a picture in no way could do the view any justice to which he reminded me that if pictures captured everything, there would be little reason to travel.

Scuba bookwork tomorrow morning and sailing in the evening. Let's see if we can beat our 3rd place finish from a couple weeks ago! Goodnight and God bless.

Welcome to the Jungle

I went for another couple dives on Saturday and saw a few more sea turtles. I am beginning to love and respect turtles for their tame underwater behavior. Unlike fish, they can't shoot away in the blink of an eye so instead they sort of linger and lazily flap around, unconcerned by anything that we are doing.

Yesterday Meg and I went for a hike through a jungle. It's not like the amazon, but it is more of a jungle than the forests that I'm used to. The hike was beautiful and ended at a waterfall with a swimming hole.

Afterward, we picked up some groceries and went to visit Waikiki - tourist central. It wasn't quite as crowded as I was expecting but there were still plenty of people.

Today I've been working my scuba bookwork and ukulele skills. My scuba gear is scheduled to arrive today so I will go to the shop before they close and pick it up. Meg and I don't have anything planned for tonight but that doesn't mean we won't find something fun to do.

School visits all over again

I'm going to try to visit the University of Hawaii today and see if I can talk to some faculty. I went to dinner and a movie with Meg, a friend of hers, and her friend's husband and half brother. It turns out that this half brother, Danny, studies physics at Columbia, is working with engineers without borders in Ghana at the end of the summer, and in the meantime is doing a summer internship in the oceanography department at U Hawaii. What a coincidence! So I got his number and I'm hoping to make a visit to the school today.

I did really well on the dive theory exams yesterday (way better than I expected), picked out the gear that I want to buy, and went for an awesome hike with Meg, finishing up with a short sunset swim at Lanikai Beach. Absolutely gorgeous. I have to figure out how to get to Honolulu now to visit the university.