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Singapore Budget Breakdown
Singapore was somewhere between the cheapness of Southeast Asia and the expense of Australia/New Zealand. It is certainly possible to stay in Singapore very cheaply just as it is possible to break the bank there, but we tried to take a middle road. We stayed just 4 nights, and found a double room for about…
New Zealand Budget Breakdown
Our blog continues getting further behind as we keep traveling and struggle to find time to write blog entries, but I will be diligent in keeping our budget posts coming as we complete the blog entries for each country. New Zealand, although not nearly as expensive as Australia, is still not quite a budget traveler’s…
Singapore: Not as sterile as you might expect
- Aperture: f/4
- ISO: 800
- Shutter Speed: 1/2.5 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
I expected Singapore to be much cleaner. After years of reading about how clean and modern Singapore is, I had expected a city-state that resembled more of a hospital ward than the bubble and pop of a 5-million person melting pot. To be fair, our initial interaction with the city-state was the Changi International Airport,…
“One Hobbit Stamp”
This post is a heartfelt shout-out to Sgt. Sarah Wilson and Ms. Trina Tauvela of the Auckland Airport, my dear Uncle Alan and Aunt Daphne and the honest person who found my wallet: Him and I were standing in the security checkpoint line at the Auckland Airport, chatting about potential occupations (Kitten Wrangler, Professional Sumo…
Rotorua stinks…literally!
- Aperture: f/20
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/250 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
After the wedding, we had a few days at our disposal before catching our exit flight to Singapore. We chose to spend it touring the geothermal wonders of Rotorua. When we explained our plans to Her’s English family members, several of whom had visited Rotorua en route to Auckland, they bristled at the mention of…
The missing link between homo sapiens and fowl?
- Aperture: f/10
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/1000 s
- Focal Length: 300mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
So our new year didn’t exactly start off on a high note, but we spent the next two days — before taking the ferry to Waiheke for the wedding — making up for it by cramming in a colorful garden and exploring a few volcanoes. In the Domain near the Auckland Museum is the splendid…
A room with a view
- Aperture: f/2.4
- ISO: 400
- Shutter Speed: 1/16 s
- Focal Length: 4.28mm
- Camera: iPhone 4S
I felt the bed shake as Him suddenly jerked upright beside me. “The window!” Fully awake now, I watched as he flung off the covers and walked briskly to our hostel room’s window. And then I too remembered and grew alarmed. I joined him at the window and peered down to the single story below….
A 12-hour, nearly odor-free bus ride
- Aperture: f/4
- ISO: 1000
- Shutter Speed: 1/3 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We had stocked our bags with trail mix and fruit before boarding our 12-hour bus ride from Wellington to Auckland, but we soon learned our provisions had to be consumed in utter secrecy. John, our bleary-eyed, semi-retired bus driver, does not like food on his bus. And, as he warned us before each pit stop,…
Middle-earth (Or at least the middle of New Zealand)
- Aperture: f/18
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/200 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
I’m not sure if this is always the case, but when one tours Wellington just before, during or after a Tolkien-related theatrical premiere, there are signs. Everywhere. Times Square-grade Bilbo Baggins posters cloak entire sides of buildings. Gandalf banners flutter from light posts. Elephant-sized fiberglass trolls glare at passersby. While it seems the entire Kiwi…
Winding roads and rough seas
- Aperture: f/22
- ISO: 200
- Shutter Speed: 1/125 s
- Focal Length: 10mm
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
We spent the morning before we had to head out toward Picton doing some kayaking around Abel Tasman park. The Kaiteriteri Kayak company was our operator of choice, and we decided on a two-hour self tour around the bay. We arranged the excursion through our lodge, but it is possible to just show up at…
