Wednesday, November 29, 2006

(Not quite) The Final Countdown!

A simple check of the calendar shows 37 days between now and when our plucky adventurers Andrew and Becky begin their week-long trek to New Zealand. Only 37 days until NZ day - it's hard to believe. It seems far away now but is likely to pass with lightening speed. So many questions will be answered in the next month: What will Andrew get for Christmas? Will Andrew sell his car ? (And if not, how does his dad feel about buying it from him, selling it at some near point in the future, and splitting some of the profit?) Will the current political situation in Fiji result in a full military coup before our visit? How bad will our ulcers be that result from the previously mentioned military coup? Is there a Guinness record for eating potato filling on consecutive days for which Andrew is eligible? I'm exhausted just thinking about these exciting possibilities!

As far as our trip goes (Kassy, hopefully you recognized that as a transition), it doesn't actually take a week to get from PA to NZ these days; we just thought we'd stretch out the trip and stop a couple of places along the way. When we started looking at booking the trip to NZ, the cheapest flights have you making stops in California and Fiji, so we decided to stop for a few days at each place. By taking extra time, we actually saved a couple hundred bucks per ticket, which should pay for our expenses at each stop.

First, we're headed for Los Angeles, La-la Land, home of the Clippers and the Chipper. Josh, if you're reading this, I know no one in LA calls you that. Unfortunately, college nicknames last a lifetime; condolences bud! Anyway, Becky's never been to LA, so we thought it'd be a good chance for her to get her picture at the Peach Pit and try to see some kids from the Real World at the bars in Hollywood. Also, there will be stops at In-N-Out Burger.

After a couple days in LA, off to sunny Fiji ... I've already mentioned the impending political chaos in Fiji. For more info, ask your buddy Google. For now, Becky and I will be thinking happy thoughts, especially about Fijian military chief Commodore Bainimarama. If you're reading this, we'd ask that you mentally send him your thoughts of "Don't overthrow the government." Power of positive thinking, people! Actually, we probably shouldn't take any stand in this argument, as who knows what will happen, and I have a suspicion that we'd make terrible political prisoners. Officially, we only support whoever lets us on and off the island peacefully, especially if poi is involved. My other goals are to try some Fiji Bitter and perhaps score a t-shirt, and to take pictures so that I can add Fiji to my Flickr map. After a couple days in hopefully sunny (and peaceful) Fiji, we're off to New Zealand. But I don't want to ruin all of the surprises already, so I'll save that for later, toodles!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Howdy!

Welcome to our (Andrew & Becky's) travel log. Dear Reader, you probably know at least one of us already, although I (Andrew) have to say that I hope some of you reading this don't actually know us personally. Don't take that as a slight - not knowing us probably means that you aren't related to us, which, as far as the readership of our blog goes, is a positive thing. Our families just aren't that big thus limiting the number of our potential readers.

I'm currently working under the assumption, however, that we're getting lots of web traffic from our families. If that is not the case, our chance of becoming the next Internet sensation (like the dancing hamsters) aren't looking good. Family and friends, I hope this isn't too much pressure, but I have to put this on your shoulders. Those hamsters are hilarious! It's a tough act to compete with... so spread the word about Green with NZ to boost our readership and watch that site meter grow!

All of which is to say "thanks" for clicking on the link that we sent you (or for stumbling here through the Internet some other way). Now, since you're apparently so easily influenced (*ahem* you are reading this post...), we suggest you visit often, spread the good word about us, and leave comments letting us know you're jealous (I recommend 'You suck'). Are you wondering why we thought it was a bright idea to quit our jobs and live like wandering hobos? Ask! Like the local newscasters say, "the answer may surprise you."*

And why should you do any of the things on that aforementioned list, dear Hypothetical Reader? I'll tell you why. In coming months, we promise to regale you with interesting stories, display pictures of our adventures in the South Seas (as soon as I learn rudimentary HTML), teach you the secrets of Driving On The Left Side Of The Road, and enlighten you on New Zealand trivia (Fact: Sheep from New Zealand can speak and can be occasionally heard to say "Four legs good, two legs baaaad"). Now I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me - and it's free!

And I guarantee that we won't stop posting sometime in the middle of our journey just because we've lost interest. I don't even have to worry about that because you've already promised to leave comments, which are the blog equivalent of Ms. Pac-Man pellets. Regarding other short-lived interests I may have had, I have used the Spell of Silence on Becky, and she has no comment.

All joking and ironic posturing aside (which for me is a pretty big aside), hopefully you dig our site. If you like it, leave comments, and if not, please send the email to Becky.

* Actually, it probably won't.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Kia ora!

Welcome to the inaugural post of "Green with NZ" - a blog whose singular purpose is to inspire jealousy in our family, friends, and former co-workers as Andrew and I shirk the adult responsibility of the "real world" to become wayward wanderers of the southern hemisphere. Not seriously - but we do intend to keep you well informed of all the fabulous details of our globe-trotting experiences.

Christened "unemployed hobos" by my nine-year-old niece, Andrew and I intend to shed new light on the hobo experience of two twenty-something college educated individuals. Hobophobes, please consider - we didn't choose this lifestyle, we believe that it chose us.

Many people have asked what inspired the idea of going to New Zealand. In fact, the answer is quite simple - a desk job. While many people occupy their abundant freetime at work with personal email, spider solitaire, or Internet shopping, Andrew and I both filled the hours of downtime with reading Internet news sites. A personal favorite were the travel logs frequently featured by Slate Magazine. One such "Well-Traveled" article was Girls Go Wild, Adventures in New Zealand. The title is admittedly lame, but the content was very interesting. This paragraph in particular piqued our curiousity:

New Zealand is just too small and far away for a radical to bother with. It's such a pain to get to, in fact, that 10 years ago, when I lived and worked in Auckland for six months, there were no apparent restrictions on immigration. To get a job, all I needed was a bank account, and to get a bank account, all I needed was a passport. Apparently, there's more paperwork now, but still, in 2006, I had the feeling I was in a refuge.

We thought, "Really? Is it that easy for a foreigner to live and work in New Zealand? Huh..." And after about ten minutes of online research, we confirmed that, yes, it really is that easy. There really isn't even that much additional paperwork.

Fun fact: New Zealand's per capita ice cream consumption is second only to the U.S. Having recently lived in the state of Vermont (Ben & Jerry's, anyone? Phish Food... yum...), we feel as if this should contribute to a smooth transition overseas.