Sam (to Frodo): “This is it. If I take one more step, it will be the farthest from home I’ve ever been.”

Some of you might remember this scene from the first of the Lord of the Rings movies, as Frodo and Sam venture away from the Shire on their epic quest.

Well, ME TOO, SAM, ME TOO….. In the last week, I’ve traveled as far away from home as I had ever before. To New Zealand and Australia. To Middle-earth. To the Down Unda.

…. Okay no I’m lying. I’ve been to Bangalore, India on work travel and I think that’s actually further distance-wise. BUT STILL, IT FELT FAR, OKAY? Longest and most painful flights EVERRRR.

Btw, side note, I actually did visit that exact grassy field where the above-mentioned scene was filmed. But more on that later. Now onto actual content.

I’ve been racking my brain on how I wanted to organize this blog post. Given I was living FOR THE FIRST TIME out of a single backpack (usually I carry on a suitcase), I didn’t have room to bring my laptop. So I couldn’t blog in real-time. Nor did I have the time to on the trip. But now that means I have the liberty of creatively organizing how I recount my epic saga!!! Yes, this will likely be a long one, since I’m lumping 8 days worth of content into 1 blog post.

Today, I would like to stray away from the typical “chronological order” format and provide structure that’s a little more interesting for the reader to digest.

For those of you who know me: I have opinions. Strong ones. And I will be the first to admit – they’re not always right. But alas, I am stubborn, AND MY OPINIONS SHALL BE HEARD.

So what I will do today is group all the activities I partook in while traveling New Zealand and Australia… and then RANK THEM from worst to best. So while the beginning of this post might be mundane and dry (and probably a bit whiny)… I promise you, it will get better.

Let me first caveat, though, before any of the inevitable haters pipe up: THIS IS PURELY MY EXPERIENCE AND ARE PURELY MY OPINIONS. I welcome any and all feedback/dialogue/outside opinions and would love to discuss. Just please (oh please) don’t attack me on my personal experiences, for they are just that – personal.

And don’t think that in the following list “worst” means I hated it in any way. This list is relative, and trust me, I loved most of what I did on this trip.

WHEW, bookkeeping out of the way, let us begin.

#12. WALKING AIMLESSLY AROUND SYDNEY (DAYS 5-7 OF TRIP)

Like I said, I didn’t HATE anything on my trip (except maybe the flights to and fro)… but this was absolutely, positively the most dull activity of the entire trip. But that’s cuz the rest of the trip was pretty unbeatable in excitement and splendor (stay tuned).

Some people say walking around aimlessly is the best way to explore a city and stumble upon interesting things. Well I tried that. To no avail. YES, Sydney is home to so many crazy cool attractions, like the Sydney Opera House & the Harbour Bridge & the Taronga Zoo, and some will come later in this list, I promise! I’m only speaking on walking with no destination in mind, trying to discover or stumble upon something FANTASTIC.

YeeeaEEaahhh. It didn’t happen. But regardless, here are some pictures.

Visited Luna Park (Sydney’s small amusement park – think Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California) cuz nothing else to do. The iconic entrance gate: Creepy in photos, even creepier in person:

The park itself was pretty dead. It was no Disneyland. Cool view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge though:

Here are some random statues of bunnies doing tai chi, for no other reason but HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR, Y’ALLLLLLLLL

Went to Pylon Point, where you can get a vantage point of Sydney.

 

Enough with the pretties, here are the uglies:

And of course, it didn’t take wandering around for long for me to realize that… all the roads in Sydney lead to……… the Sydney Opera House.

Like I said, I didn’t discover anything revelatory in my aimless walks around the city. But that might be just because I wasn’t looking in the right places. The Airbnb that I stayed at was in a really nice area, though. It was located in Redfern, right near Sydney’s Chinatown & Darling Harbour. The walks around that neighborhood were quite interesting. LIKE THAT TIME SOMEONE ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM!!!!!!! ❤

There was also this awesome building that is covered in garden:

….. I ended up hitting a new low after exhausting all my options walking around (including overeating). Like I’m talking… even lower than watching 50 Shades of Grey on an airplane surrounded by minors (I’ve never done that, no). I went to the movie theaters and paid a whopping 21 dollars to watch………. Dirty Grandpa. Guys, it really is as bad as it looks. Probably worse than the trailer makes it out to be. Top 3 worst movie I’ve ever seen, for sure. I wish I could unsee. Makes 50 Shades seem like a masterpiece.

Oh yeah, I also stumbled upon this gem (EVEN THE AUSTRALIANS THINK WE’RE BONKERS):

#11. SYDNEY’S BEACHES AND THE COASTAL WALK (DAY 7 OF TRIP)

Mendi, your inner-spoiled-Cali-girl is showing. Why yes, Sydney’s beaches are indeed beautiful. And no, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. But the sad truth is… I live in California. I’m a 2.5-hour drive from Big Sur, and a 5-hour drive from the beaches of SoCal. I’m spoiled as hell.

So as beautiful as these beaches were in Sydney, they didn’t stimulate my senses/excitement as much as… the rest of the list to follow. Like I said. Relative.

First up: Manly Beach. This was definitely my favorite of the beaches because it didn’t feel like everyone and their mothers fathers daughters sisters step-cousins-twice-removed were tanning on the beach.

Next: Bondi Beach. so. many. bodies.

Here’s me on the Coastal Walk. Sadly, in my opinion, it pales in comparison to the view we get at, say, Point Lobos in California.

#10. EATING FISH ‘N’ CHIPS (ALL DAY, ERRRRRDAY)

Actually, I’m just gonna dedicate this section to eating in general throughout New Zealand and Australia. Luckily, I was blessed with a lot of fabulous food on this trip. Mostly the fish ‘n’ chips. I ate that a lot. Which I ate excessively, to the point where my skin was definitely breaking out from the grease. I’m not gonna narrate this section, simply because I’m famished at the moment, it’s 11PM at night, and talking about food is more than likely going to result in a pantry raid. SO HERE’S A SMORGASBORD OF FOOD PHOTOS. ENJOY (while I scroll past quickly).

MmMmmMMMmmmm. Fish ‘n’ chips.

#9. CLIMBING THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE (DAY 6 OF TRIP)

The only reason why this activity is so low on the list is because I LITERALLY PAID AN ARM AND A LEG to do this. Was it worth it? Yeah, I think so. But still. Almost $300 to exert your OWN energy to climb the bridge. AND ZERO PICTURES. For $300 I expected a helipad landing and a bottle of chilled Moët waiting for me at the summit. But nope. None of that.

They suited us up really well, though. That part of the experience was kinda cool. I felt like an astronaut going on a space mission.

…. And yup, I had to pay (half of my other arm) for these photos -______-

Our climb leader David didn’t think I had the ugly face in me. Oh how I proved him wrong. Pretty sure I frightened him to the core in the process.

At the summit with the group, JAZZ HANDSSSS:

HEY, AT LEAST I FOLLOWED IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JON SNOW AND LITTLE HARRY POTTA!!!

#8. LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS GALORE

I must say, my living accommodations on this trip were wide-ranging and diverse. I would actually say that chronologically it went from left-to-right on the “slumming-it-to-living-in-luxury” scale.

The first night in Rotorua (North Island of New Zealand) I stayed FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER in a hostel. I know, I know. I’m the greatest travel wimp there ever was. As an individual, I have some personal space issues (hugs are not the most comfortable thing for me) and can be situationally germaphobic. Living accommodations have always been one of those “situations” where I do not compromise on hygiene.

Ergo, I held off on living in any hostels (shared bathroom, etc.) until this very trip. I must say, though, I was pleasantly surprised. The hostel I stayed at (Crash Palace in Rotorua) was SUPER clean/cute, the people were friendly, and I cheated a little – I had a private room. (But shared bathroom!) Being a light sleeper means the slightest bit of snoring will keep me up at night, and I wasn’t going to sacrifice my first night in New Zealand by sleeping in a communal room. I will do better next time – I am a converted hostel-believer now.

Second night was in a random town on South Island called Twizel (the “i” pronounced like twine – not like Twizzlers, which someone pointed out to me, to my embarrassment). BUT HOW COOL IS THIS CHALET MOTEL. Each patron got their own cabin to themselves!!!!!

When I checked in, the owner at the front desk was like “Oh, you’re traveling alone? Well oops, I only have a 5-person cabin available. Have fun with that.”

Yup, lo and behold, in addition to 3 twin beds UPSTAIRS in the cabin (pictured below), there was a queen-sized bed in a separate room, a kitchen, and full living room on the ground floor! I picked the big bed cuz I’m a big girl, duh.

But okay, real talk. Traveling alone, obviously you have to be comfortable sleeping alone (unless you go the hostel route). And 99% of the time I’m totally okay with it.

This was not one of those times. While the cabin itself was adorable, I actually didn’t find much comfort in having so much space, and being ISOLATED from other hotel guests. My overactive imagination kept picturing that terrifying guy in the meme:

Not to mention – WHAT IF SOMEONE WAS HIDING UPSTAIRS?!?!?! Therefore, I left ALL the lights on throughout the night and slept literally with one eye open. I even got up at 5AM the next “morning” (it was dark and foggy as hell) to jet out of there to my next destination. Couldn’t stand the scary.

Next hotel came after a LOOOOONG morning hike. It was a iconic historical hotel in a cute little town called Cardrona. Super adorbz, once again. And the hotel and restaurant staff were all so charming.

But do you know what the best part of my room was?????? THIS GODSEND OF A BATHTUB. Especially after I could barely walk (from the hike). When I limped into the bathroom, I saw the tub, immediately wailed, and almost shed a joyful tear. NO DROUGHT, NO PROBLEM.

The next night’s accommodation was in Christchurch, but because I arrived at 10PM, I was tired from a 6-hour drive, I just plopped down in bed and slept. So no pictures of the place, sorry! It was a Bed & Breakfast, quite literally located in the suburbs of Christchurch. Think of just a random family house… turned into a B&B. It was quite strange, but the room and house were very comfortable.

Lastly, for Sydney, I booked an Airbnb. Let me just tell you – this apartment was the darnedest! The building was an old converted boot factory, so you could still see some of the imprints from the factory  work on the wooden beams around the apartment. Super cool. Also, high ceilings and lots of sunlight.

As a young professional currently on an apartment search, this place is exactly what I would want in a home.

Look at how the main bedroom is elevated above the living room!

Last up, my FAVORITE accommodation of the trip: THIS HOBBIT HOLE!!!!!

Kidding. Yeah, I wish.

To wrap up this section: all in all, with the exception of my creepy cabin experience, I would say I was very fortunate with all my living accommodations. Muy bueno, New Zealand & Australia!

#7. DRIVING FOR FOREVER ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD (DAYS 2-5 OF TRIP)

Let me just begin this section with a short anecdote. I talked about how I left my cabin in Twizel at 5AM to escape my fears of some creepy dude hiding in room upstairs…

Yes, well my intent was to get an early morning start on a hike the next day. And obviously since I couldn’t sleep given how intensely fearful I was all night, doing that seemed like quite the great idea.

Except it wasn’t.

First up, packing up my stuff and putting them in the car at 5AM was already terrifying, given that the immediate surroundings of the cabins were CLOUDED in dense fog. I’m talking the you-can’t-see-20-feet-around-you kind of fog. Then, once I got in my car, started the engine, and connected my phone to the bluetooth of the car, the stereo started making these TERRIFYING ALIEN NOISES. Totally couldn’t explain it – I tried powering off the car, disconnecting bluetooth, reconnecting bluetooth. Nothing worked. Same alien calls to the mothership over and over again. I then just drove without the bluetooth connection. In complete, terrifying silence. (Later on I found out it was my phone, just had to power off-on again. Ugh technology.)

But WHILE I WAS DRIVING… THE FOG WOULD NOT END. Most of the roads in rural New Zealand are 2-lane roads, and barely any cars to be seen, even during day time. IMAGINE WHEN IT’S DARK. And these roads had zero streetlamps. I was high-beaming, fog lights on, palm sweating, crazy paranoid the entire time.

Felt like zombies were going to appear out of the fog *shudder*

Anyways, after driving for 2 hours… the sun started peaking out of the mountains and the fog started to dissipate – THANK THE HEAVENS I’m alive.

Okay, so BESIDES THE ABOVE STORY… I surprised to say I actually quite enjoyed driving in New Zealand!

For those who know me, you know that I perpetuate EVERY SINGLE ASIAN FEMALE DRIVER STEREOTYPE THERE IS IN THE WORLD. I can’t drive. I have slow reaction time. I brake really suddenly. I make fast turns. I can’t navigate/remember directions to save my life.

… And this is in the United States! To add insult to injury, in New Zealand they drive on the OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. Before getting there, I was thinking to myself… how am I going to survive driving over 1,000 km in New Zealand ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RODE…. By myself?!?!?!

Well, turns out, it wasn’t that bad. Every single morning as I climbed into the driver’s seat, I definitely said a not-so-silent prayer to the higher beings for protection, and basically willed myself to forget everything I knew about driving on the right (read: correct) side of the road.

My whip was this cute little number: a small Toyota Corolla hatchback! Super fun to drive – great acceleration.

My first time stepping into this vehicle. Holy shiz – I’m sitting in the passenger’s seat. Even by the end of my time at New Zealand, I was still mixing up the turn signals with the windshield wipers. So basically every time I turned left or right, you’d see my car do a fast windshield wipe first -_- oops.

They put this sticker here, as if knowing how bad of a driver I am -_-

My reaction the first time getting in:

Okay, jokes aside, driving was a breeze and absolutely a pleasure. Like I said, roads in New Zealand are usually 2-lanes (1 going forward, 1 going back). There’s very little chance to “get it wrong” there.

Also, the fact that 75% of the roads are winding amongst the hills, with baby-butt smooth paved roads, I really enjoyed the entire time I was behind the wheel.

The landscapes/view didn’t hurt, either.

This is Lake Tekapo, my first stop driving. I have done zero editing to these photos. THE WATER HERE IS ALL THAAAAT BLUE.

The famous chapel at Lake Tekapo – Chinese tourists galore:

Then caught a glimpse of Mount Cook. Oh. My. Word.

Stumbled upon a totally random lavender field at the side of the road!

I want to say 95% of my drive was scenic. I tried to capture video from my GoPro attached to the windshield of my car while driving… but after looking at the footage, none of it is done justice by camera. Sad.

This is mother-daughter naptime at a beach in Queenstown.

One fun fact I learned from a tour guide early on is that there is absolutely NOTHING in New Zealand that can hurt/kill you. No mountain lions, no bears, no snakes, no poisonous frogs that could kill you.

Except for just ONE single spider. The male spider is not poisonous. The female spider is not poisonous – except for only a SIX WEEK PERIOD when the female has eggs. So… basically never.

The takeaway here is that as a parent, you can rest assured as your kids frolic in the wilderness (“bush” as the Kiwis like to call it)… that they won’t die.

Excellent.

#6. WAITOMO GLOWWORM CAVES (DAY 1 of TRIP)

I landed in Auckland, New Zealand at 5:30AM on Sunday morning after a 13-hour flight from San Francisco. Upon landing I had to rush to get a local SIM card, and then jet to a bus station where my tour was going to leave from central Auckland.

I figured I would book a tour for my first day in New Zealand because it meant I had to do little to no work figuring out where to go, I didn’t have to drive… I just had to mindlessly listen to the tour guide and fall fast asleep (slash drool a little bit) on 70% of the bus ride.

The second stop of the tour (I’ll talk about the first one later) was the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

These caves were FASCINATING. Basically you walk down into a cave with stalagmites/stalactites everywhere, then after a short tour, you enter glowworm territory. What are glowworms, you ask? They’re bioluminescent worms that attract their prey (flies/mosquitoes) through glowing and catch them in sticky substance from the ceiling. Grody…. but COOL.

I’m trypophobic (afraid of clustered dots or holes) so getting passed all the glowing dots on the ceiling was a bit difficult. But after I got used to it, it was pretty magical. Kinda like a starry night. Except worms. Slimy, slimy worm butts. Glowing.

We couldn’t take photos in there since any light causes their glowing to cease (me and my constant struggle with not being able to take photos on this trip UGH)…

But here are some completely green-screen/doctored photos I paid the other half of my arm to acquire!!!!!

Like… really???? Did you HAVE TO PUT A CHINESE NEW YEAR FILTER ON? IS THAT NECESSARY?

Oh I did furtively snap this photo of the cave as we boated out. I did not envy those first explorers of these caves. Can you imagine? “Yes, let us descend into this dark abyss with no knowledge of what’s in there.” Why.

There is one thing I regret not doing in Waitomo, though! The tour guide mentioned something called “Black Water Rafting”. You basically go “White Water Rafting” but in pitch black darkness in the cave. You have a choice to wear a headlamp, but you could go totally dark… and fall down the rapids in pitch black. HOW CRAZY!!!!!! Ugh, next time, next time.

#5. FLIGHT OVER MILFORD SOUND (DAY 4 OF TRIP)

Guys, this trip was 8 days. And in those 8 days, I went on SIX (YES, I REPEAT: SIX) TOTAL FLIGHTS.

IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER: Flight from SFO to Auckland. Flight from Rotorua to Christchurch. Flight over Milford Sound. Flight from Christchurch to Auckland. Flight from Auckland to Sydney. Flight from Sydney to SFO.

So bored at all the airports. Here’s me with a statue in Rotorua:

I would like to focus on the flight which was for zero purpose at all but to sight-see. I landed in the same airport that I started out at.

I actually hadn’t planned on doing this activity in my initial planning of this trip, but as I spoke more and more to those who had traveled to New Zealand, they definitely recommended stopping over in Milford Sound.

If I were to make the drive from Queenstown to Milford, it would be 8 hours, round trip – AND THAT’S WITH ZERO TIME TO SIGHT-SEE.

So I decided the efficient route: I was gonna pay EVEN MORE BODY PARTS to fly in a small plane over Milford Sound, make a short 20-minute landing there, and fly directly back. Altogether a 2-hour trip. Even the people on my plane thought I was crazy (they were all doing boat tours while at Milford Sound…). Nope, not me. IN AND OUT. THAT WAS MY MISSION.

Milford Sound is one of the main filming locations for the Lord of the Rings, with its cascading mountain ranges, beautiful rivers and gorges.

And the plane ride, while bumpy (I legitimately thought I was gonna die about, oh, 8 or 9 times) was extraordinary, with the vast landscapes and amazing views. We flew SO CLOSE to the mountains!!! Ahhhhhh

It was so crazy how there were so many lakes wayyyyyyyy above see level, caught between mountains!

As we approached landing at the Milford Sound:

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS VIEW?!?!?!!?!?!?!? Like a fairytale dream, if you ask me.

Can I live and die here?

On the flight back, yes, I took many photos of the view. But I also had to take obligatory selfies as horrified passengers looked on.

WOW WHAT AN AWESOME MINI-EXCURSION GUYZ!

Let’s not talk about the 6-hour straight drive I had to embark on immediately after this flight. ‘Twas fun. And I’m not even being sarcastic here (See #7).

#4. BLANC DE BLANC CABARET SHOW AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE (DAY 6 OF TRIP)

LOL <– My sole and complete reaction to the whole thing. This show was ridiculous. In the best way possible.

As I was planning my trip to Sydney, I was super disappointed that my schedule didn’t work out for me to go see an actual OPERA in the Sydney Opera House. I knew I had to watch something there, so I opted for this random show called “Blanc de Blanc” (referring to the Champagne).

…. This was the best “disappointing” decision I’ve ever made.

I’m not even sure I would’ve enjoyed an Opera. A friend told me she didn’t understand a single word when she went to an Opera. She was just watching and listening to sounds the entire time.

But this…. THIS SHOW… Blanc de Blanc was the most dirty, graphic, but astoundingly hilarious show I’ve ever attended. It probably helped that I completely DOWNED (on empty stomach) a glass of champagne right before the show, because I saw many things my virgin eyes probably shouldn’t have seen: among the MOST TAME was exposed male and female genitalia. Use your imagination on what could possibly be worse. Whatever you can think of – I probably saw it.

I’m not one to enjoy raunchy, dirty performances. But this show was out-of-this-world funny and well-done. With amazing acting, dancing, acrobatics – LITERALLY THE WORKS.

Sadly, no pictures during the show (for obvious reasons), but they allowed us a period of time to snap a few photos. Yes, that is a hot tub in the middle of the ground floor.

I wish I could elaborate on this post, but I wouldn’t want to corrupt any individuals that don’t wish to be. Happy to discuss, though. HEHE.

#3: CHANNELING MY INNER HOBBIT (DAY 1 OF TRIP)

I mentioned on the first day of my entire trip, I joined a tour – one activity being the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

Well the other activity (we actually did this first)… WAS TO VISIT HOBBITON!!!!!

This is the set where they filmed LOTR & The Hobbit! Well, okay, not quite. They actually rebuilt the set using SUSTAINABLE materials after its first appearance in LOTR.

I’m not going to be a poser here – I’m not in the least bit a mega-fan of the LOTR books/movie-trilogy. I’ve seen all the movies (but haven’t seen one in the last decade). I own all the books (but haven’t gotten past page 30 of the first book). So die-hard fans: don’t kill me.

That said, I’m a HUGE fan of looking at movie sets. A couple of years ago, a friend and I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour in the U.K. Now Harry Potter? I’M A HUGE FAN. And I loved that experience. But more so because I love getting a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes of filming.

Hobbiton was just as much exciting for me. Just looking at the vast landscapes of the sheep farm in New Zealand, and how they’ve built this beautiful village INTO the mountains – I was absolutely awe-inspired.

You will now notice my obsession with Hobbit Holes:

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Not to mention, our tour guide from Ireland was pretty hunky 😉 BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I LOVED THIS PLACE, I SWEAR.

We also got a free beer after the entire tour (read: after being in the hot, beaming sun). Also likely part of the mind-game of making me love this place. BEEEEEEEEEER ❤ BEER BEER BEER BEEEEER

#2: STRUGGLING UP A MOUNTAIN ONLY TO FIND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VIEW I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE (DAY 3 OF TRIP)

This is not a hyperbole. This hike up Roy’s Peak actually changed my life forever.

A picture is worth a thousand words:

But let me start from the beginning. After my 5AM death-drive to the parking lot of the hiking trail of Roy’s Peak, I’m all prepped, sunscreened, and knee-padded up for my hike up the mountain! 7AM sun!

I’m not going to go into the details of my struggle up this mountain. But IT WAS RELENTLESSLY UPHILL. NO REST FOR THE WEARY. I consider myself a pretty good hiker, but this…THIS WAS SOMETHIN’ ELSE. When you want/need a break, the mountain’s like “NOPE.”

This is my on-the-verge-of-death face:

At least the views were nice. Of sheep butts 😉

It was actually quite frustrating seeing those sheep chillin’ on the mountain like it’s no big thang while the rest of us hikers were absolutely dying.

One of the best views was not quite at the summit (it was about 80% there)… but the panoramic views were incredible.

And then… AND THEN!!!!!! I summited. The glory.

Was still dying on the inside, though. THAT HIKE.

The hike down was pretty much just as painful as the ascent, giving my terrible knees and lack of hiking shoes (my New Balance shoes actually did great, given the circumstances). I had company the whole time, though, chatting with Rebecca (pictured below), a girl right out of school in Germany who was living in New Zealand for 9 months before she starts at the Police Academy. She was awesome, inspiring me to (one day) try hitchhiking!

AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST….

#1. JUMPING OFF A BRIDGE INTO A RIVER (DAY 4 OF TRIP)

No, I didn’t pick this activity to be number one for the sheer fact that it was the coolest, most “daredevil”-esque thing I did on this trip.

It’s #1 simply because I learned the most about myself doing this.

This entire solo trip was a whirlwind of AMAZING… there’s no doubt about that. It was a trip of many “firsts” – First time traveling with a backpack, first time living in a hostel, first time driving internationally (on the left side), first time flying in a small plane… the list goes on and on. But all of that was stuff I knew I could do. Yes, I’m bad at driving, but it’s not that I CAN’T do it. It just took a little more concentration.

On the other hand, Bungy jumping was something I came into this trip not knowing if I’d actually be able to do. It was the only variable that was simultaneously in my control…And out of my control.

But the morning of February 10th, I discovered something about myself: Not that I’m fearless and brave (because God knows I’m SO ABSOLUTELY NOT)… but that I can pretty easily will myself to do anything. Literally anything. Like jump off a bridge. Without second thought.

I was the second jumper of the day, so I actually didn’t have any precedent on how jumpers usually act on the ledge. I literally got up there, laughed with the bungy guys a bit, told them I wanted them to make the cord long enough for me to touch the water, and took the leap.

As simple as that.

I just… jumped.

It was only later watching other jumpers that I discovered so many people struggle on that ledge.

“SMILE, YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA.”

Life-motto: Never miss a chance to make the signature ugly-face. Even if it’s right before jumping off a bridge.

JUMP!!!!!!

A thousand kudos to the Bungy guys (who were hilarious and awesome) – they measured the cord EXACTLY right – I skimmed the water (and the tip of my hair got wet!)

That bounce-back and second fall is the scariest:

I SURVIVED YAAAAAYYYY

A little exasperated after-the-fact that THIS. JUST. HAPPENED.

Holy moly, I just jumped off this bridge.

It was an incredible experience. I’ve skydived in Hawaii before, but this experience was vastly different. Instead of getting pushed out of the plane with little-to-no chance of rebuttal, bungy jumping is definitely an introspective activity.

Can you do it? Can you take the leap of faith?

On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, at 9:15AM, I discovered I could.

With love,

Mendi

 

 

17 Feb This entry was published on February 17, 2016 at 8:08 am. It’s filed under Australia, Exercise and tagged Australia, bungy jumping, hiking, milford sound, new zealand, queenstown, solo travel, solotravel, sydney. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.