first day in new zealand

i don't know how, but eventually i did get out of bed this morning. well, let's say lunchtime. staying awake in the night is no problem but getting up has to be trained still. but one day i will get used to the time difference...
this afternoon i made some shopping, like a sim card for my cell phone, new shoe laces and an adapter for my electric equipment. and after that i tested the new zealand beer. and, well, its good and much, much, much of it! you buy it in jugs containing 0.75 liters, and after i had two of these there were some more glasses (they fortunatelly only have something like 300ml each). but still, afterwards i was glad to have a driver (although he was as pissed as me). and lucky at home there was this good old johnny walker waiting for us. welcome to new zealand from pams nice husband greg (no, not me, the other greg...)
and now, hick, i go to bed. perhaps i see another pub tomorrow? or will there be more than pubs to be discovered here in auckland? let's find out
greg
p.s.: and, i promise, tomorrow i will post some pictures.

hong kong

so ecki brings me (via a great farewell spagetti menu at elias') to frankfurt airport. flight via heathrow a bit turbulent (passanger next to me found his red wine all over his trousers, his wife got her scrambled eggs into her face), landing in hong kong.
here lives my first hospitality club host: simon chung, student of cultural studies (film) and prize-winning director of shortfilms and movies. traveller. very intesresting person and very nice host in an extremely small flat.
hong kong deliveres some impression of asia: people, scent/smell, markets, hot (sticky) weather, hot food, brown tab water...
but the hospitality and the great city are worth to be experienced anyway!
today (friday, 27 july) flight to new zealand. unfortunatelly we had an (unscheduled) stop in darwin (austaralia), since on passanger needed some security medical treatment. that made us all sleep very few, if at all.
but in auckland a reception as friendly as can be: being picked up by my new host pamela from the airport by car. and here i am: tired, happy and eager to explore the city tomorrow...
to be continued

mayen (germany)

hi there,

the rucksack is stuffed and i start getting excited: after this welfare bbq ecki will bring me to wiesbaden and after a brunch at elias' there is a plane waiting fo me at frankfurt airport. first destination (via london) is hong kong where i am staying with simon for two days.

from there (via sydney) the goal is auckland/new zealand. two and a half months of travelling new zealand should provide some stories for this blog...

the cities of sydney and bankok want to be explored during the flight home (end of october).

but before that there will (probably) be some additional entries to this blog. feel free to add comments,

take care,

greg

p.s.: siehst du den horizont? direkt über'm boden fängt der himmel an. und wär ich dort, dann würd ich wetten, dass ich ihn erreichen kann. doch hier hat es den anschein, bin ich dafür zu klein. also hau ich ab mit sack und pack... (thomas d)