Reflections Post Manila

January 15, 2016

It is difficult to believe we have been in Maggie Valley, North Carolina for two months.  We were in Gulf Shores, Alabama for Thanksgiving and in Dacula, Georgia for Christmas but we have finally begun to settle in here in the mountains.

Our cross country trip took us from Manila to Los, Angeles where we were able to spend some quality time with Tiffany, JM, Ruby, and Keaton.  We got to walk Ruby and Keaton to school and help Ruby one of her school projects – which was great by the way. J

From Los Angeles we drove to Chandler, Arizona where we spent time with Gina, Jay, Zane, and Grey.  We had fun just hanging out and enjoying the beautiful Arizona weather.  We even set up a television out on their patio and watched a big football game while eating a delicious meal by the fire pit. 

From Chandler our travels took us to Albuquerque, New Mexico; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Canyon, Texas; and Memphis, Tennessee where we met up with one of my Chamblee favorites Aurora Blumberg.  She attends Rhodes, so she was able to recommend a great barbecue joint.  It was fun just catching up over a delicious barbecue meal – we actually shut the place down!

We arrived in Maggie Valley on November 14.  It has been so much fun setting up house here in the valley.  We have begun some renovations on our house (The Mountain Landing) and have loved being out in the fresh, crisp air.  We are still waiting on the first big snow!

I am really thrilled to be back in the USA; I really am…but oddly enough I feel that I have left part of my heart in the Philippines.  I can tell people about living there, but there is no way to let them know just how rich our experiences were and how deeply felt our friendships were.  I am a changed person – more sympathetic, more compassionate, hopefully more tolerant, more grateful, more appreciative.  I guess I also have a bit of wanderlust.  I am glad to be back, but I am glad I was there.

Sydney, Australia Extension

Tuesday, August 4 - Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Sydney Extension

We left Queenstown on a beautiful, snowy morning; that made it so difficult to leave!  Because of the weather, our flight was delayed, so our connection in Aukland was held as several of us were connecting. We had no time to explore the Aukland airport as we had to really move it in order to get on the plane.  Air New Zealand was accommodating and very friendly.

Because of our delayed flight, our arrival in Sydney was much later than we had expected.  Regardless, we checked in to the Radisson and headed out on our adventure.  We took the ferry to Manly.  It was dark when we got there, but being on an Australian beach is a must even in the dark.  We stood for a few moments on the sand, and then proceeded to a cute, little Italian restaurant for dinner.  After sitting and receiving no service and looking around to see others not being served, we quietly got up and made our get away.  We ended up at another Italian restaurant and had a delicious dinner.  Another ferry ride back to the hotel, being quite tired, we retired knowing we had to get up early the next morning to catch our flight back to Manila.

Arriving at the airport, we were told that I could not go back to Manila.  Since my purse had been stolen earlier in Manila, I had gotten an emergency passport good for one year.  I had planned to get it replaced when I got back to the States in October.  I didn’t know that I had to have six months on my passport in order to return to Manila, and I had missed the six month mark by one day! The Philippine Air attendant was very nice and rebooked us on the Wednesday flight as they do not fly to Manila on Tuesdays.  We had to go to the U.S. Embassy which was quite easy to get to, and I was able to get my emergency replacement, good for another year, at 2:00 that afternoon.  Compared to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, this was incredibly easy and very pleasant.

With that behind us, we had an extra day and a half to enjoy in Sydney!  We checked into the Ibis Hotel and then just enjoyed walking around Darling Harbor.  We did some shopping and rode the ferry over to the wharf area and enjoyed a beautiful sunset sitting by the harbor with a refreshing beverage.  That evening we had a great dinner and a pleasant walk back to our hotel.

The next morning, we rode the ferry to Watson’s Bay.  What a quaint little town!  We walked the scenic trail and met a really nice gentleman who gave us some history of the area.  We had a delicious lunch of fish and chips at Doyles and then decided that we wanted to see Manly during the day, so we hopped on a ferry and headed to Manly.  We took a nice walk on the beach and just enjoyed the evening.  To knock the chill out of our systems we got hot chocolate to accompany our ferry ride back to Darling Harbor.  The ride was spectacular as the sun was going down.

Wednesday morning, we headed to the airport once again and were able to board as planned.  All in all the entire trip was great, and if we had to be detained somewhere, Sydney was the place to be!

Queenstown, New Zealand Part 2

Tuesday, August 4 - Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Queenstown, New Zealand is filled with so much to do!  One day we rode the Queenstown Gondola to the top of the mountain for an incredible view. The gondola was like a sky lift as we had our own car going up and coming down the mountain.  There are a couple of shops and a restaurant up top and a luge ride, but by far the best thing was the view.  We could see for miles as it was a really clear day.

Another fun thing we did was tour the little town of Arrowtown.  We toured the Chinese goldmining settlement and went in several cute little shops.  We actually went in the Arrowtown Museum; it was well done and quite informative.  We opted for lunch at The Postmaster.  It was snowing, so the mulled wine really hit the spot, and the food was yummy.

After Arrowtown we went by the first bridge bungee jump in New Zealand.  The set up is great with a gift shop and observation deck for those who would rather watch than jump (that was us).  We did see three jumpers.  It was fun watching them dive off towards the rushing water below.  Their brains had to be telling them – this is not right!

We also toured Gibbston Valley Winery.  We took the wine cave tour (we were the only two on the tour!), and got to taste four different wines including a barrel taste.  Our guide was really nice and knowledgeable about the actual winery and different types of wine.  Once the tour was over, we tasted three more wines and bought a delectable bottle of pinot noir to take with us.

We absolutely loved our time in Queenstown!

Queenstown, New Zealand Part 1

Tuesday, August 4 - Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Queenstown, New Zealand is absolutely breathtaking.  On Tuesday, August, 4 we flew from Sydney to Queenstown.  We arrived on a cool, rainy day, but Hertz had our rental car parked right outside the door of the airport.  We had to get a bit acclimated to the car as the steering wheel is on the right and you drive on the left.  On our way to the lodge, Edi and I were awestruck.  No matter the direction, the view was incredible, almost unreal.

We arrived at The Remarkables Lodge and Boutique Hotel and got a warm welcome from the hosts and staff. The Alpine Premier Suite was so nice; it was quite comfortable with a nice claw foot tub.  It had a coffee/tea service and wonderful views.  The lodge itself is very homey with two different sitting areas, one with a cozy fireplace that is lit each night and one with a pool table and media area.  We enjoyed the hot tub and the sauna - the perfect way to relax after an adventurous day out in the snow!  The night of the big New Zealand/Australian rugby match, Alan and Amanda set up the big screen and projector for us and other guests to enjoy.  Amanda brought in chips and popcorn – it was a fun evening.  The backyard area not only has an incredible view of the Remarkable Mountain range, but it has goats and chickens that we got to feed!

Queenstown is such a cute town.  It has great shops and lots of restaurants from which to choose.  We spent some time shopping and just enjoying the town.  We had hot chocolate at Koko Black – the best hot chocolate I have ever had!

New Zealand is quite the adventure land.  We drove to the Snow Farm one day.  It was cold and snow was in the forecast.  As we got closer and closer to the top, the road conditions got worse.  We had to stop to put snow chains on the car; the only problem…one of them was broken.  We made it to the top with only the one, and luckily Edi was able to get someone to help him fix it before driving back down.  Once there we were ready for our dog sledding adventure.

I’m not going to lie…I was a bit nervous, but once we were introduced to our dog team and were taught how to lead the pack, it was an absolute blast!

Next was cross country skiing.  I have always wanted to give it a go thinking it would be easier than down hill skiing.  It was quite difficult as you really have to maintain your balance.  We had a really good instructor and after our lesson got to ski the trails.  I would love to do it again. 

By the time we had finished the trail for the third time the snow was really coming down, so we had to get that other chain on the tire and head down the mountain.  Edi was a great driver!  We made it down the mountain safely, and stopped to take the snow chains off.  Our dog sled instructor and our cross country ski instructor both stopped and asked if we were OK -  it was really nice that they took the time to inquire.  We stopped at the Cardrona Hotel for a break.  They had a roaring fire going, so we had a beverage (I opted for wine since I was not driving) and cheese scones.  They were like giant cheese biscuits from Red Lobster – yum!  Just what we needed.  After our refreshment, we were on our way.

Back at the lodge, we had dinner at the lodge with some of the other guests.  Amanda and Alan had prepared a delicious Indian meal – it was scrumptious!  After dinner, we did a little reading by the fire.  What an incredible day!