We woke up to sulfur and clouds, and sought comfort in WiFi and french crepes.  It worked; our mood and the clouds lifted! We set out for the Redwood forest by town to get some fresh air and re-acclimate  for our imminent return to the US.  Dwarfed by these impressive trees, we enjoyed looking for the birds which now had countless more hiding spots.  By lunchtime, it was cool to see how many people were using this park for a run, mountain bike or stroll. We set back on the road, landing in a smaller town just south of Auckland, our final stop.  We took in a local museum, but found no one out and about here.  The cricket semifinal of NZ versus South Africa was on, and locals weren’t budging.  With T’s help we found a video that made a bit more sense of the game for us, and were impressed by the eventual victory for NZ.  

We’d slept in Christchurch upon arrival in NZ, arriving at midnight and leaving with the campervan the next morning.  Now back and saying goodbye to the van, we were happy pedestrians.  We both recalled hearing about the Christchurch earthquakes, but seeing the city changed that memory.  Construction cranes marked corners, sidewalks were being remade, and a centerpiece downtown was a container with video displays of rebuilding plans.  The first earthquake hit in 2010 and then a second round came in 2011.  185 died, nearly 2000 were injured and in the downtown and surrounding area many of the buildings that did not fall had to be brought down due to structural issues.  Slowly, methodically, urban planners seem to be making lemonade by building a new city of dreams.  Stadium plans, convention center, green spaces all look promising, but perhaps tough on the impatient. We saw a famous debated Anglican cathedral which is a central point in the debate.  Some say it is too damaged, and must be torn down.  Some disagree, saying large parts of the …

A cool blast of air hit us on arrival at Adelaide, Australia.  The temperature was perfect, our skin tone blended in and our room was ready for an early check in. G’day indeed! In a bizarre shift, we were now 3.5 hours ahead. How they came up with the extra half will provide you with some good google searching! We’ve eh been too busy to figure that one out. With a nap and shower, we were off to the brewery tour. Coopers is apparently a home town treasure with a broad reach, as reflected in the 10 other Aussies, 1 Kiwi, and 2 Brits on the tour. I had ample opportunity to study the accents, but if only I could come up with the quick quips our guide had! “The beer is best after – that’s normally 10 days because it needs to be conditioned. So today’s February 24, it’s best after February 34.” In discussion of medicinal stout and pregnancy, one commented that maybe drinking stout lead to pregnancy. Our guide, “I prefer to …

The end of our Asia time arrived, and one could say it was perfectly times as we were ready to say goodbye to the heat.  I only spent a few dozen hours second guessing the Malaysia over Vietnam choice, and then it was time to move on.  An engineer turned cab driver made our departure more interesting, educating us on the previous mandatory retirement at 55, the growth of electronics business in Penang and now competition from cheaper neighbors, and the country’s various quota systems. But the sweetest part of the exit was the upgrade.  Malaysia Airlines lets you bid on an upgrade, and my savvy partner in crime secured it with the lowest bid!  The legroom and extra wine may have spoiled is for future travels!  Yes, a success with Malaysian Airlines- fear not.

Our first day in Kuala Lumpur was marked by looking for food we couldn’t find. Malaysia is known as a melting pot of sorts of Malay, Indian, Chinese, Indonesians among others, resulting in longstanding fusion cuisine and must try dishes we haven’t encountered before. When we couldn’t find one place, we went to the mall near the Petronas towers. The humidity and heat – 95 degrees and maybe 95% humidity – sent us in to the AC. In contrast to Dubai, the malls were full. They also were home to Chinese drumming, dragon dances and many decorations heralding the year of the goat! We’d been enjoying Manglish, the way some words are transformed here. Teksi=taxi, (others?) and T’s favorite: ice cream cone. After breaks at the hotel pool and gym (one of the things we have been missing a lot, second to a laundry machine?), we did find some noodle dishes and local foods. And for desert- finally durian! This notorious stinky fruit lived up to its reputation and must be an acquired taste. Likely …

My last meal in Thailand was a Dairy Queen blizzard in solidarity with Boston peeps digging out. And because foolishly I thought we’d have more food options at the airport! But alas..our last Thai meal will likely be in Cambodia or New Zealand instead. We wished we’d arrived in Chiang Dao earlier or been able to stay longer. It was a sleepy town with beautiful town with many trails to explore, yummy places to eat and breathing was easy. I can understand how a wandering monk ceased wandering and planter roots here. A hop, skip and a jump and we were in Laos. The prospect excited and scared me as it meant time had tricked me again, and rather then moving slowly as it felt, weeks had flown by. Luang Prabang in Laos is a UNESCO world heritage site. This moniker comes with the recognition of being significant (here to architecture and religious history) and also getting some preservation funds. It also means there is finally no Starbucks. Laos is also one of five communist …