When Staring at the End of the World, You Pray it Dosn't Stare Back.
“Go north young man!” is what I wanted to tell you an old Kiwi said to me as we left Auckland. That is what we did, but I would be lying if I told you an old man said that to me. Anissa is the young vibrant beauty who said that to me. If I were even to allude to her as an old woman I would spend the coming months as celibate as a priest, as celibate as a priest is supposed to be, modern examples excluded. Our drive took us along the scenic west coast of New Zealand, by scenic I meal pastoral, by pastoral I mean — white man chop down all the trees to feed sheep. If you press aside the thoughts that the beautiful rolling hills are the product of a destructive colonization by the same folks that gave us the American Colonies: I have never seen more beautiful rolling green farmland hills anywhere else in the world.
As Anissa and I drove north we would pass pastures filled with cows, bulls, calves, sheep, more sheep, deer, then sheep, then sheep, and… Wait, yes I did say deer. New Zealand is the largest exporter of deer in the world. In addition to the meat, New Zealand exports over 450 tones of deer velvet antler for use in the world vitamin supplement market. Deer velvet has long been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine and is beginning to have a large impact in the US markets as an alternative treatment for arthritis and nearly any disease related to inflammation of joint or blood vessels. The jury is still out as to the effectiveness of the treatment, but you can have faith that no wild happy deer were harmed in the process of making the supplement.
Our northward destination was the furthest tip of Nez Zealand, Cape Reinga, only ninety kilometers from our accommodations the previous night; sixty-eight of them were spectacular. The remaining twenty-two were on an unsealed road, which appears to be a Kiwi euphemism for: dirt-road with pot-holes that swallow small cars. Traveling an unsealed, hard-traveling road for over an hour did provid the perfect preamble to the spectacle we were about to witness
We were at the end of the world! Here is the reinga, or the leaping place, the ultimate entrance to the Maori underworld. This is the sacred place where the spirits of the dead leap off the cliff and descend into the underworld. It is easy to see why this site has been venerated and held sacred. Cape Reinga is where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide. This joining would usually pass without notice were you to be in a boat at sea, but here, at this scared point at the end of the world there is a reef that allows these great bodies of water to express their displeasure at the meeting. Like freight trains full of powdered sugar colliding side-long into each other, these powerful waters surge up into waves as tall as a house then crash, face to face, into each other sending white whirling wisps of spray into the air.
Anissa and I held each other tight, with my jacket wrapped around us both to stay the whipping wind, as the final rays of sun dipped into the western horizon.
Cheers from the end of the world.
Rion and Anissa
The Long and Winding Road...
So where are we going and when will we be there. For those who are intrested here is our itenary for the next year or so.
March 4, 2006 to March 13 2006 -- Hawaii, USA
March 15 2006 to May 2, 2006 -- New Zealand
May 2, 2006 to June 29, 2006 -- Australia
June 30, 2006 to July 3, 2005 -- Singapore
July 3, 2006 to July 24, 2006 -- Cambodia
July 24, 2006 to August 15 2006 -- Thailand
August 16, 2006 to September 27, 2006 -- India
September 28, 2006 to October 1, 2006 --Nepal
October 2, 2006 to October 16, 2006 --Bhutan
October 17, 2006 to November 27, 2006 -- Nepal / Tibet
November 28, 2006 to December 15, 2006 -- Turkey
December 15, 2006 to December 30, 2006 -- Israel
December 30, 2006 to January 15, 2007 -- Jordan
January 16, 2007 to February 7, 2007 -- Egypt
February 8, 2007 to ?????????????????? 20XX -- Europe (infinity and beyond!)
Google the countries and please post comments if there are any pictures your would like to see.
Cheers
Rion and Anissa
Nomad (no-Mad): A person who is not angry about not having a home.
I was recently asked by a friend,
“How are you feeling after a month and a half of being on the road?”
Well, honestly, has it been that long already? One of the most amazing things about a life is that you just keep on living it until you stop. It really seems obvious when you look at it from this side of the fence. Before we left for the trip there was a flurry of activity keeping us engaged, and for me part of that was trying to keep from thinking about the unknown ahead. The first real post I did discussed how I had had a very hard time being excited about the trip because of all the trepidation concerning the unknown ahead.
Having been into this endeavor for just under eight weeks, I can happily report that both Anissa and I have become truly excited about our current and coming travels. It seems that for us, New Zealand was the perfect place to start this journey, a very good place to blow the cobwebs out of our heads and start thinking clearly about what we are doing. Things are just different enough here in NZ to help us realize we are not in Kansas anymore, but not so different that we want to run home crying to our mommies (sorry Moms). The most surprising thing that I have taken to heart so far is that, no matter where I go, there I am.
I have looked through tinted glasses at myself in the mirror for most of my adult life; the tints have changed, often depending on whom you ask, from Volleyball Guy to Café Guy then onto Computer Guy with a lot of Husband Guy thrown in at the correct time. Now for the first time I can remember, I am attempting to look at myself as just a guy. In the last two months I can count on one hand the number of times I have put any type of styling “product” in my hair. The clothes that have helped me define my Guyness through the years are now in storage somewhere in the LA metro and I am traveling around without a costume to define me. Have no fear dear reader; I am not doing this naked, this is not a horror story.
I had to come to grips with the fact that I don’t look like a Calvin Kline underwear model, that the hairs in my head are gray and not just really white blonde, and hardest of all to cope with, even Anissa gets tired of my rye wit after a while. Everyday I look at a (mostly) unfiltered view of who I am. The first few weeks were really tough. Think of this: catching a look at a naked, fat guy in the mirror on your way to an early morning bladder relief, then realizing that it is you. Normally, you have the opportunity to go back to sleep and forget that it happened, waking with tinted lenses to view the world, but what if you were wide awake staring in disbelief at the person in the mirror. That is a very good approximation of the feelings that called me to action. Now, I no longer startle at seeing the fat and graying man in the mirror; I get up in the morning and do 50 pushups and 100 sit-ups (40 of each really, but I am working on more). I have more time than money these days so it is easier to make a physical change than it is to go buy a $160.00 pair of jeans and a $75.00 tee-shirt and just feel stylish — and happily round.
So, what is the hardest part of extended travel for me? To call upon that old cliché again (would you expect any less from me): Wherever you go, there you are! The second hardest part is a little harder to explain: Anissa and I don’t miss being back home, neither of us has really missed having a home to go home to. Both of us have had tears in our eyes wanting you here with us. Your presence is dearly missed. We want you here with us.
We are having an amazing time!
I hope the stories and pictures are sharing with you a fraction of the joy and marvelous things we are experiencing. Anissa and I are living proof that “home is where the heart is”. Our hearts are with each other, and each night in a new place has not diminished that. We both miss being with you and look forward to sharing time again soon. Until then, thank God for Email and The Web.
Cheers till then.
Rion and Anissa
We were at the end of the world! Here is the reinga, or the leaping place, the ultimate entrance to the Maori underworld. This is the sacred place where the spirits of the dead leap off the cliff and descend into the underworld. It is easy to see why this site has been venerated and held sacred. Cape Reinga is where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean collide. This joining would usually pass without notice were you to be in a boat at sea, but here, at this scared point at the end of the world there is a reef that allows these great bodies of water to express their displeasure at the meeting. Like freight trains full of powdered sugar colliding side-long into each other, these powerful waters surge up into waves as tall as a house then crash, face to face, into each other sending white whirling wisps of spray into the air.
Anissa and I held each other tight, with my jacket wrapped around us both to stay the whipping wind, as the final rays of sun dipped into the western horizon. 
