I’M HEADING TO NEW ZEALAND, A PERSONAL UPDATE

That’s right!  In six days I will head to New Zealand, without a return ticket.  But I’ll get back to that in a minute, I promise.

Last year, I spent six months traveling with a backpack through Latin America.  I began in Guatemala (a country I fell in love with the year before) and got as far as Machu Pichu in Peru.  The longer I traveled, the slower I traveled and the more I enjoyed it.

The longer I traveled, the slower I traveled and the more I enjoyed it.  

Some of you know that I injured my right sciatic nerve during a 26 hour bus trip from Cali, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador.  Despite some local medical and chiropractic therapy, the pain persisted for the next two months while I continued to travel, hike, explore, meet wonderful people and blog about it all.

I would have doubtlessly continued southward, sans pain.  Instead, I decided to return to California for what I projected to be two to three months.  That was 7 months ago.  During that time I have:

• Couchsurfed with a friend (2+ months-I think we’re still friends, ha ha)
• Stayed in a nice hotel  (16 days)
• Taken the Great American Road Trip (3 weeks)
• House sat at the Santa Cruz Harbor (1 month)
• Got a great deal on an off season vacation rental by the SC Harbor (2 months currently)

And that’s not all!  I treated with a chiropractor, a Chinese doctor, an acupuncturist and a physical therapist.  Finally I found an osteopath with which I have made rapid progress the last two months.

And that’s not all!  I reconnected with old friends, upgraded my camera kit, made some improvements to the back end of this website and did a huge mileage run with promotional offers I found on Flyertalk.

Well, I have been itching to get back on the road for awhile now, even if just for a couple months, something I would personally consider to be short-term travel.  I have wanted to visit New Zealand since the 1970s when I first heard tales of this backpackers’ paradise.  With some of my accumulated miles I have received a free business class ticket on Air Tahiti to New Zealand.  I have not yet acquired a return ticket, just the way I like it!

I have been itching to get back on the road for awhile now…

So off I go again.  I will fly to Auckland where I will couchsurf for three days.  Then I will meet up in Dunedin on the South Island with new old friends with whom I traveled in Panama and Colombia.  Following a short stay with their family, we plan to tour the country with a couple of camper vans for six weeks (or more?).

I am excited and you, dear reader, can follow all the fun right here.

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