Sophie and Harry - Devonport, Auckland
Kim and Lor at the Bedford St Paradise!!

Rach and Anna, Portobello pizza gathering
Mitch above, and Em, Anna and Jana below at Tomahawk

Pete and Matt - You guys are awesome!


The Royal Terrace Crew making Pizza!

3 March 2007 - Good bye Dunedin

Day 1. I’m exhausted! It’s been several weeks of overdrive (not so much in productivity, but certainly emotionally). Fitting everything into an ever decreasing time frame. But it seems all is done. I haven’t thought of anything major I have left behind (except my copy of my VSA contract). And Fi rang me today to say our passports have arrived today with 3months of visa stamped into them. Yay!

I still don’t feel sad at leaving. It’s been an awesome summer - long, warm and full of so many lovely people. I feel as if there is a huge wall of sadness I will strike at any moment - perhaps it will be on the plane from Auckland to Bangkok? Maybe this time it’s different - because I know I’m coming back (and so soon!). All the other times have been on one way tickets, with the vague possibility that I might end up taking random opportunities which keep me away for a while. I guess that possibility is always there.

But for now I am nothing but excited. This is also a new feeling. Apprehension is the only other feeling I have had regarding leaving - but since two days ago I have really felt excited about going.

It has been good not having a place of my own for the last wee while. Now I am really looking forward to getting a base and being able to lay out my things, see what is there and start working out how to do the best I can with what I have. I’m much better at having a challenge, minimal resources, making do and improvising than I am at having too much stuff and having to decide which of it to select. I’m glad the packing is over! It must be the worst part of this process! Still - I think I’ve done reasonably well. As always mum is right, and I have much too much stuff, and wont need half of the two warm things I brought with me. It’s been really weird for me travelling with out my usual essentials (such as a sleeping bag and a rain jacket - I couldn’t bring myself to travel without thermals and snuck a pair into my bag at the last minute. Maybe I‘ll end up in Tibet or somewhere and need them).

I don’t think its registered yet. I am leaving the country for 9 months in a few days. It sill seems a while off.

I have landed in Auckland, and was pleased to do my first solo gear lug across an unfamiliar city, navigating bus and ferry routes (yes, this is my first time out and about in Auckland!). Now I am snuggled up with Sophie and Harry in their little Buddhist Centre munching on fantastic vegan delights and turning the compost. Making plans for eco communities, community centres and paper recycling plants! These two are inspirational and I love them so much! Harry’s garden is superb (Mum can you email me the chocolate zucchini cake recipe for them?), they have tomatoes growing everywhere, and even self seeding in the compost pile! Things just seem to grow here, and not surprisingly given the heat. I’m told its hot because of the humidity - yet this is at least a bit of a slow acclimatisation to Cambodia. By the time we’ve hit Bangkok too, Phnom Penh wont be such a shock for my little Dunedin acclimatised body. I’m a bit worried about the heat actually. I can do well, but I need my body to be working to be able to do it. Headaches and exhaustion from heat and lack of sleep (because of heat) sound like they could really put a dampener on the best of plans. Energy - it’s so vital. But we never notice or thank it until we don’t have it. Then we really miss it.

Anyway, an effort for an early night to try and strengthen the body mind and resolve for tomorrow and the weeks to come. Really happy to be on the road again (surprisingly), feels good to be carrying my belongings in a backpack around with me, to be washing my undies daily by hand, and exploring new places. I guess the travel bug hasn’t left after all - it was just dormant.

Love you all

Xx

Anna