Off to the hospital

So, for the second time on the trip I am forced to explore the medical system in a foreign country...Australia. Turn out we have 2 people in the group with NASTY bites (we thought spiders, but now I have no idea). I spoke to a nurse on the tele who is talking about staff infection. You gotta love the tropics. So, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Now this is what I call ADVENTURE !!

New Zealand morning campsite

New Zealand was so often visually stunning I don't know what pictures to post. I'm not much of a photographer, I took pictures to remind myself where we had been. These are a few shots in the morning out side our camper van. As I recall we were moving pretty quickly, traveling from hike to hike, never knowing where we were going to end up. I must say the kids were troopers.
Yes that is snow in the background. No I did not have many warm clothes. I didn't even have a jacket!

Ants...greenbutts

Now these are real ants...have I written about them yet? Well I'm gonna again cause they are important! Green butts. They say you can eat them, citrus flavor. I haven't tried them yet. They also say you can make tea out of them. They also say they bite and sting.....nice.
"You might not want to put your tent there"....ha ha ha.

Damned exciting day today no matter how you slice it...speaking of slice....more fruit salad today. I stopped at the fruit market on my way back from the Mackay Library and picked up a cantelope, a watermelon quarter, and a pineapple. I cleaned and chopped them outside on the lawn and put it all in a bowl. Now that's good eats! The camera battery is dead otherwise I would shoot a pic.
Instead how about a couple pics from New Zealand.

 This is the first camper van we transferred. I think it was from Auckland to Christchurch. Benz, 5 spd gearbox, drove very nicely.......we named it "El Grande Schnitzel." Tell me that's not a food/ethnic train wreck.

This is a shot out the window of above Grande Schnitzel. We thought New Zealand was going to be going to the tropics. Not exactly. Leave the beach gear in the suitcase, and break out the hoody.
I tell you what though, it was really really beautiful.

Linky out.

Here I am negotiating a rock in the wild...not the most agile beast in the forest.

 Monkey man eating and contemplating live in the woods...Leon Russel would be proud.

 The family that eats apples in the wild next to a creek together stays together.

All these photos were shot in New Zealand on the same day trek.

What is a "typical" day of driving in New Zealand like? It varies.
We were in "the wild blue yonder 2" on a road near an off season ski town, and we got mobbed by a herd of sheep. Big ones, little ones, stinky ones!

Big News !!!!!

I got an Australian library card!

I checked out 2 books about music and the music business for starters. 
As I'm typing I just heard a Kookaburra outside the open sliding door.....
how cool is that !!??

Look at me I'm a BLOGGER !!

I have been lax on my website and on keeping track of my travels. Today I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm in Mackay Australia, and after 3 months of hectic travel I am staying put for the month. My plan is to put up posts whenever I feel the urge.

 

 This is a photo of Miles and I on the beach at Ali's "bach" on  

The Keri Keri Peninsula, North Island New Zealand.

dl