Arrived in NZ

I arrived in NZ safe and sound. Bus system here sucks so I rented a car. Damn hard first few hours trying to figure out how to drive on the other side of the street! Drove from Auckland to Rotorua in the first day and I'm in Taupo now. I'll blog more details when it doesn't cost $0.20/min to use internet!

Ciao

The gear

Just how does one pack for 4.5 months of travel in temperate and tropical climates? I'm going from winter in OZ, to Everest base camp, to monsoon season in Vietnam, to fire and ice in Reykjavik, Iceland. I figure I shouldn't pack too much clothing, and rely more on layering. I also shouldn't pack too many consumables that I could buy locally. I really hope I didn't forget anything major! I ended up packing the following major items (no I won't list everything):

85L backpack w/ detachable day pack (for everything to fit!)
Good leather boots (avoid sprained ankles)
Techamphibians (sandle/shoe hybrid - for jungle trekking)
Flipflops
Quick-dry long sleeve dress shirt, short sleeve dress shirt, khakis, shorts, and socks (cotton is cheap, and can buy it locally)
Rain/wind-shell
Gym/swim shorts, goggles
Sleeping t-shirt
Dry-fit shirt (for exercising/long sweaty hikes..)
Thin long-sleeve shirt (for cold nights)
Medication for malaria, altitude sickness and bacteria
Travel guides for Japan, China and South-East Asia
Language dictionaries + audio courses
GSM World-phone/PDA (HTC TyTN) + another backup phone (Szu-Bei's old Nokia)
Trucker's alarm clock (120 dB! It will wake the dead!!)
5 MP point-and-shoot camera
10 GB of micro-SD cards for phone and camera
Compass + thermometer
Duct tape
Insect repellent
First Aid Kit (sutures, bandages, pain killers, disinfectant)
Water-purification tablets
Toilet paper!!
Anti-theft high-tensile steel netting
Gifts for friends and random Canadian souvenirs for new people

Leaving...

Well, now that I’ve finished my Ph. D., it’s time to move on. No, not a post-doc just yet! Things are still looking positive for UC Davis, but no 100% concrete offer, yet. In any case, 8.5 years at U of T has left me longing for some soul searching and self-discovery after what has been a quite long schooling experience. Research has drained me and I need to rediscover my love for doing science. So I will unplug for 4.5 months. Now, sitting on my ass is no way to unplug. Instead, I will travel the world (or at least 4 continents). Here is my itinerary (subject to change!!) if you are curious, or if you feel like joining me somewhere along the way. I will leave Toronto 4/28/2007 and will only check my gmail account. If you don't know my gmail account - oh well :D.

Date In Duration City
4/30/2007 5 Auckland
5/5/2007 6 Melbourne to Sydney
5/11/2007 10 Taipei + Kaohsiung
5/21/2007 9 Seoul (+Pusan, Jeju Island, DMZ)
5/30/2007 7 Tokyo to Sapporo
6/6/2007 3 Hong Kong
6/9/2007 3 Guilin
6/12/2007 2 Yichang
6/14/2007 3 Xi'an
6/17/2007 3 Suzhou
6/20/2007 3 Shanghai
6/23/2007 1 Beijing
6/24/2007 15 Tibet Tour (Beijing, Lhasa, Gynatse, Shigatse, Shegar, Everest, Nyalam)
7/8/2007 1 Kathmandu
7/9/2007 9 Thailand
7/18/2007 3 Cambodia
7/21/2007 7 Vietnam
7/28/2007 4 Thailand or Singapore
8/1/2007 6 Bucharest (Piatra Neamt)
8/7/2007 6 Istanbul + Cappadocia
8/13/2007 3 Athens
8/16/2007 3 Prague
8/19/2007 3 Krakow
8/22/2007 3 Copenhagen
8/25/2007 3 Amsterdam
8/28/2007 1 London
8/29/2007 3 Glasgow
9/1/2007 3 Dublin
9/4/2007 4 Reykjavik
9/8/2007 1 London
9/9/2007 Toronto