Thursday, April 26, 2012
Red rock country
To break up our six hour drive from Flagstaff to Joshua Tree we decided to make a stop in Sedona. It is a small desert town surrounded by large red rock formations and several magnetic fields. Whether the magnetic fields have the healing effect that some people claim is up for discussion but it was a beautiful place for a short desert hike.
Grand Canyon
When it comes to the Grand Canyon they have found the perfect name. Grand describes both the size and beauty better than any other word. It is really hard to take in the overwhelming impressions that strike you when you first approach the canyon.
After a few city days in Los Angeles and Las Vegas it felt good to put on our hiking boots again and start the descend into the canyon. With only one day for our hike we did not make it all the way down to the Colorado river this time. Next time we'll be sure to bring a tent (or book a bunk bed at the ranch down the bottom) so that we can extend our experience.
After a few city days in Los Angeles and Las Vegas it felt good to put on our hiking boots again and start the descend into the canyon. With only one day for our hike we did not make it all the way down to the Colorado river this time. Next time we'll be sure to bring a tent (or book a bunk bed at the ranch down the bottom) so that we can extend our experience.
Driving through the desert
On a road trip around the south west of the USA it is impossible not to encounter lots and lots of desert. The roads are sometimes so straight that you can follow them all the way to the horizon.
What fascinated us the most was that different parts of the desert look completely different from each other. It is an impressive and often very beautiful landscape to travel through.
You know your in Vegas when...
- You can play slot machines at gas stations
- You can do drive through weddings
- You loose track of time because none of the shopping malls and casinos have windows
- Your eyes start twitching from all the flashing bright lights
- You have a five minute walk from Paris to the Egyptian pyramids and you pass New York on the way
- Everyone says good luck at the end of a conversation
- Billboards advertise breast implants with monthly payment plans
- You can't find a single supermarket on the main street because no one actually lives in downtown Vegas
- Parking is free everywhere, just to get more people into the casinos
- You can buy a 2L margarita
- At night you have to close your curtains in your hotel room to block out the neon lights, to tell you body its actually night time
- The hotel buffet is open 24 hours
- You can go on a roller coaster ride inside the lobby of your hotel
We might not have won big enough to keep traveling for another year, but at least we did not blow the entire travel budget on cards and slot machines. Thankfully we can continue traveling as planned for another three months.
Welcome to Hollywood
What's your dream...? Everyone goes to Hollywood with a dream. The movies might not be shot in Hollywood today and most of the stars have moved away but Hollywood is still Hollywood.
Disneyland
Since we only plan our trip day by day we walked into Disneyland without knowing that it was both Easter and spring break. Luckily we arrived when the gates just opened and we managed to cover a lot of the park before the midday madness began.
The child within us came out while we explored the magic kingdom. We had lots of fun going on roller coaster rides, getting pictures taken with Disney characters and watching the stunning fire works display at night.
The child within us came out while we explored the magic kingdom. We had lots of fun going on roller coaster rides, getting pictures taken with Disney characters and watching the stunning fire works display at night.
SoCo
Southern California, SoCo, makes most people think of sun, beaches, palm trees, surfers and people living their life in the fast lane. We arrived early April and it was still only spring temperatures but we were definitely greeted with lots of sunshine. The beaches are as long and wide as on Baywatch, the streets are lined with palm trees and our friend Andreas goes surfing with his colleagues over his lunch break everyday.
Let's try it again...
A hundred meters along the beach from our backpackers we stumbled upon the Pacific Resort. With nothing to loose we walked in and asked if they were interested in hosting our wedding in two or three days.
Everything felt right, the location was beautiful, the staff were friendly and organized and we decided that this would be the place we would love to get married.
The emotional roller coaster with canceling, postponing and then still going through with the wedding came to a perfect ending. We got married on a picture perfect uninhabited island with a bright blue sky and turquoise waters around us.
Everything felt right, the location was beautiful, the staff were friendly and organized and we decided that this would be the place we would love to get married.
The emotional roller coaster with canceling, postponing and then still going through with the wedding came to a perfect ending. We got married on a picture perfect uninhabited island with a bright blue sky and turquoise waters around us.
Backpacking in the Pacific
After leaving our bags in our room we went out onto the hostel terrace overlooking the beautiful Muri beach and the sheltered lagoon. When people said hi and asked how we were doing it felt kind of strange to answer "good, we just cancelled our wedding".
We have stayed at quite a few hostels by now, but never have we seen a hostel with a location as good as Vera's backpackers. It is situated right on Rarotonga's best beach between a number of luxury resorts.
Our old resort was ten times the price of our hostel, but the atmosphere in the hostel was ten times better than at the resort. Backpacking sometimes means that you have to live quite rough. This is not the case when you find a gem like this.
We have stayed at quite a few hostels by now, but never have we seen a hostel with a location as good as Vera's backpackers. It is situated right on Rarotonga's best beach between a number of luxury resorts.
Our old resort was ten times the price of our hostel, but the atmosphere in the hostel was ten times better than at the resort. Backpacking sometimes means that you have to live quite rough. This is not the case when you find a gem like this.
First attempt
The decision to get married in the Cook Islands was made before we left Switzerland. Our idea was to have a simple beach wedding in a tropical paradise.
With many resorts in the Cook Islands offering weddings it was hard to find the one best suited for us. During our travels in Australia we made our decision. We set the date, the venue, the package and everything was ready once we arrived in Rarotonga. Or, at least we thought that everything was ready.
We don't think we are very picky or difficult customers but from the minute we arrived at the resort things went wrong. We felt we were completely forgotten about after we were brought to our room. We had to find the wedding planner ourselves and a day before our big day the details were still not discussed. Once we finally sat down with the wedding planner, she started out by welcoming us as Stacey and John. On top of the non-existing organization, half the beach was blocked off with big yellow caution tape. At first sight, it looked like a crime scene. To cut a long story short, everything was wrong and we needed to to get out of there.
We cancelled our wedding, managed to get our money back, left the fancy resort, jumped on the local bus with suit and dress in hand and checked in to the closest hostel. We were backpackers again. Even though we felt more at home at the hostel, we did not see ourselves spending our first night as a married couple in a dorm room. Our wedding would have to wait until a later date.
We don't think we are very picky or difficult customers but from the minute we arrived at the resort things went wrong. We felt we were completely forgotten about after we were brought to our room. We had to find the wedding planner ourselves and a day before our big day the details were still not discussed. Once we finally sat down with the wedding planner, she started out by welcoming us as Stacey and John. On top of the non-existing organization, half the beach was blocked off with big yellow caution tape. At first sight, it looked like a crime scene. To cut a long story short, everything was wrong and we needed to to get out of there.
We cancelled our wedding, managed to get our money back, left the fancy resort, jumped on the local bus with suit and dress in hand and checked in to the closest hostel. We were backpackers again. Even though we felt more at home at the hostel, we did not see ourselves spending our first night as a married couple in a dorm room. Our wedding would have to wait until a later date.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Drivers license
The best way to get around Rarotonga is on a moped. There is one main road that follows the shore all around the island and it takes about 45 minutes to complete the loop.
To drive any form of motorized vehicle in Rarotonga it is required that you have a Cook Island drivers license. The test is taken at the rental depot. The examiner is supposed to test a list of skills including balance, use of indicators, sharp turns, stopping and starting as well as a few theoretical rules.
After a 20 second loop in the parking lot the examiner had seen Pär pass all the skills required. Mind you he must have had eyes on the back of his head. Before the helmet was even buckled up his phone rang and he turned around in the other direction. His phone conversation ended just as Pär finished the test.
With this official drivers license (that had to be picked up from the police station) Pär is now allowed to drive any form of motor bike and car anywhere in the Cook Islands. We are looking forward to trying to convert it into a Canadian motor bike license this summer:)
To drive any form of motorized vehicle in Rarotonga it is required that you have a Cook Island drivers license. The test is taken at the rental depot. The examiner is supposed to test a list of skills including balance, use of indicators, sharp turns, stopping and starting as well as a few theoretical rules.
After a 20 second loop in the parking lot the examiner had seen Pär pass all the skills required. Mind you he must have had eyes on the back of his head. Before the helmet was even buckled up his phone rang and he turned around in the other direction. His phone conversation ended just as Pär finished the test.
With this official drivers license (that had to be picked up from the police station) Pär is now allowed to drive any form of motor bike and car anywhere in the Cook Islands. We are looking forward to trying to convert it into a Canadian motor bike license this summer:)
Food in Rarotonga
We had heard rumors before we left Australia that visitors to the Cook Islands usually bring lots of food with them. In the end we decided that bringing our own food would be too much extra work. After all, the Cook Island has a very strong link to New Zealand, there should be food in the stores.
After our first visit to a grocery store we realized that we had made the wrong decision. Unless you like corned beef and spam in a can or are prepared to pay 16 dollars per kilo for an imported pepper it is practically impossible to find anything enjoyable to eat.
Arriving on a Saturday did not make things easier. The super markets were closed for the weekend and we could only find a small convenience store. When eggs was the only thing that did not come in a tin can we decided to give up and go out for dinner at a restaurant.
We couldn't help but ask the locals where they got fresh fruit and vegetables from. The secret is that you need your own vegetable garden to be able to afford fresh produce.
Rarotonga has a warm tropical climate with plenty of rain due to the mountain peaks on the island. Ninety percent of the vegetables we saw in the grocery store were imported from New Zealand. It is unfortunate because the Cook Islands is the perfect place to grow fruit and vegetables and still you don't see a single fruit or vegetable stand along the roadside.
After our first visit to a grocery store we realized that we had made the wrong decision. Unless you like corned beef and spam in a can or are prepared to pay 16 dollars per kilo for an imported pepper it is practically impossible to find anything enjoyable to eat.
Arriving on a Saturday did not make things easier. The super markets were closed for the weekend and we could only find a small convenience store. When eggs was the only thing that did not come in a tin can we decided to give up and go out for dinner at a restaurant.
We couldn't help but ask the locals where they got fresh fruit and vegetables from. The secret is that you need your own vegetable garden to be able to afford fresh produce.
Rarotonga has a warm tropical climate with plenty of rain due to the mountain peaks on the island. Ninety percent of the vegetables we saw in the grocery store were imported from New Zealand. It is unfortunate because the Cook Islands is the perfect place to grow fruit and vegetables and still you don't see a single fruit or vegetable stand along the roadside.
Rarotonga
After six weeks in a country that is large enough to take up an entire continent it was time to head to yet another little island. This time the destination was Rarotonga in the south pacific. Rarotonga is the capital island of the Cook Islands.
Most of the Cook Islands are small atolls that barely make it above sea level. Rarotonga has mountain peaks that reach more than 600 meters even though the island is only 32 kilometers around. The Cook Islands has a population of 15'000 people and 12'000 out of these live on Rarotonga. An interesting fact is that 58' 000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand.
Our main reason for going to the Cook Island was to get married on a beautiful white sand beach on our own. (the wedding story will follow in separate post) :)
Most of the Cook Islands are small atolls that barely make it above sea level. Rarotonga has mountain peaks that reach more than 600 meters even though the island is only 32 kilometers around. The Cook Islands has a population of 15'000 people and 12'000 out of these live on Rarotonga. An interesting fact is that 58' 000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand.
Our main reason for going to the Cook Island was to get married on a beautiful white sand beach on our own. (the wedding story will follow in separate post) :)
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