From the big city to a small town

Welcome back, are you ready for the best place EVER?

Basically, I called Martín; do you remember him, the guy that I met in the airport?  Well he told me to move to this small town, because he already got some job for me. So I just went for it.

From Wellington I took a ferry to Picton, after that I took a bus to Nelson, I had to spend a night there (Where I found out that this place that I was going was fully booked, I couldn't even find a place in the 5 star hotel, so that freaked me up a bit). The next morning a jumped on a bus for a 11 hours drive to, wait for it…. Franz Josef.

Franz Josef is a small town on the West Coast, with not more than 400 inhabitants. This number rises during the summer season when it reaches around 1000 people, that's because seasonal workers that come to work when it’s busy, I was one of them.

The reason why this place has constant tourism and is so famous for is the glacier, with the same name, that is just 5 km away. It’s spectacular, you have a lot of activities that you can do, hiking, helicopter flight and much more.

I arrived around 5 PM, got off the bus with a massive backpack and a massive suitcase after 2 days of travelling. I went into the restaurant where I was supposed to meet a man that was going to help me get a job.

So I met him, we started talking, he asked me if I had any experience as a waitress, I said no (I wasn't going to lie they will realise straight away). He said that I've got the job, I was super excited. But then we had a problem, he asked if I had a place to stay and I didn't have one. This made me so nervous, where was I going to sleep???

In this town because most of the people work during the season and then leave,so the businesses provide accommodation, that could be for free or you have to pay a cheap rent. The  staff accommodation for the restaurant was full.

Then he started making some phone calls. He told me to leave my stuff and to walk just around the corner, about 200 meters (2 blocks but it’s just a very long one). I reached the motel, 58 on Cron, it looked really nice, I definitely couldn't afford it, so I had no idea what I was doing there.

I walked into the reception and this lovely couple welcome me. Once again, they started asking questions, so we chatted for a while and then the scary question was asked; do you have a place to stay? I said no, again, and the phone calls started, again. They called everywhere, everybody keep saying Fully booked, No Vacancy. First they asked for a place for 3 weeks and then just for the weekend.

When they run out of options they told me, we have a small room, a storage room in our house would you mind staying there? By then I didn't care if I had to sleep with the dog, so I said yes.

They opened the door at the back of the reception and it was connected to their house, a beautiful house with a big living room. They took me to this “storage room”, OMG I couldn't believe it. It was a perfectly fine room, with a double bed (remember that I lived in hostels for 3 months by then), with just a couple of boxes. I was extremely happy.

They then asked me if I could start working the next morning and I said yes, of course. In less than 2 hours I had 2 jobs and a great house, this couldn't go any better. I was going to live with them for 3 weeks until the staff house was available again.

Then Richard, my new boss, took me back to the restaurant to pick up my luggage. While I was picking my things the restaurant manager asked me if I could do a shift that same night and I accepted. So went back home, love the sound of that, took a shower and went to work. Finally things were going great.

I lived with Anne and Richard for 3 weeks, they are the kindest people I've met, they treated me like if I was one their children, they spoil me with ice cream and took care of me even when I wasn't working for them anymore. I would always be grateful for that; I could never thank them enough.

I spent 9 months in this town, after my fail attempted of finding work in Christchurch I came back. After my return I worked in the supermarket, where another couple took me under their wing, Cushla and Chris, there are not words for this people. Working extra hours checking all the prices around the shop after the VAT went up, my last shift when they took me out for lunch and the goodbye that almost made me cry.

Both of these couples are amazing and even though I haven’t been back since November 2010, I remember them all the time. And I know I have to go pick up my suitcase Anne, I promise I will. I was suppose to go back and work for them, they were going to be my sponsors but the earthquake happened and that changed everything. But I'm going to go see them soon hopefully; there is still a lot of New Zealand that I want to see and a lot of people that I miss.

I spent time with so many people, this was my home, and I knew almost everybody. But there are 2 girls that need to be named. Chon, my roomie, this little Thai girl that I share so much time with, still waiting for her to come to Europe; and Kama this kickass Maori girl that taught me so much, my twin as they used to call use (just because we wear glasses, are about the same height and the same kind of hair), I'm also waiting for her.

There is a lot more to say about this place, and I'm going to tell you about that next time. So don’t miss it I swear you are going to love it as much as I did.

And remember if you like it, like my Facebook page and share it with your friends =).

Welcome to Aotearoa

After we landed Lucia went with her boyfriend and I made a new friend, Martín, a guy from Buenos Aires, that was also by himself.

We stuck together for the first 4 days, it was nice having someone in the same situation. I was not alone. We opened bank accounts, applied for the National Insurance number and bought cellphones. Like that we were ready, we only needed to get a job.

I ended up staying in New Zealand, or Aotearoa in Maori, for a year and it was an amazing time, I loved it. For the first 3 months I lived in Auckland, which is not the capital but it is the biggest city.

One of the things you can do while you are here is visit Mount Eden, less than an hour walk from Auckland Business Centre. This is an inactive volcano with a summit at 196 meters. From here you get an amazing view of the city, I definitely recommend it. Around this mountain you have the Mount Eden Domain, they call Domain to the parks, a massive park where you can go an enjoy a sunny day. I went there with my friends Carlos, a translator from Catamarca, Argentina; and Guillaume, a French guy that lived in Chile for a bit and was living in the same hostel as me.

Far away from home

If you want to go to the beach you have to go visit Mission Bay, only 7 kilometres away from the city. You can take a bus or you can go walking. We use to do that and just enjoy the view off the coast.

On the way to Mission Bay

In New Zealand you can find walks to do almost everywhere, it's an outdoor country with a lot to see. So with my friend Sol, an accountant from Mar del plata, Argentina, we did the Coast to Coast Walk.It's a 16km hike across Auckland from one coast to the other, from the Waitemata to the Manukau. We walked pass a lot of amazing landscapes.

We took a bus and we started from Onehunga, the other coast.

After that we arrived to One Tree Hill Domain, the landscape here is unbelievable. It has a 183 meters volcano with 3 craters. Going up there was long but it was definitely worth it.

We then reached Mount Eden, but we didn't go up the summit because we've been there already. Soon after we had the Auckland Domain, but I'll talk about it a later. We finished in Albert's Park, located really close to the hostel where we were staying, a great park to chill in the middle of the city.

As you have probably realised by now, New Zealand has a lot of volcanoes. On my first weekend I went with Martín and 2 other guys to Rangitoto Island. We took a ferry and we, once again, started the walk up to the summit. But this one is 260 meters, on a hot day, it wasn't easy but we made it.

View from the summit

A place that should be in your list is the Auckland Domain, a 75 hectares park, where you can find the Auckland War Memorial Museum. I used t love going to this park, doing the different walks to reach the museum, it's very nice.

The museum is definitely worth visiting, I've been there at least twice. It has a lot of Maori history, from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. It also has exhibitions of how the old classrooms looked like, how some towns looked like, you can see a lot of animals and they have, of course, a big war section.

Lovely kiwi

There was one thing that called my attention. On one of the section, on the walls they had panels full with names of people that died during the war, to commemorate them. But then I found a blank panel, at the bottom it read "Let these panel never be filled". Something so simple but so true, such a strong phrase.

As I said before, I lived in Auckland for 3 months. So I had a little family here, some people I keep in contact with, some I don't anymore but for that time, at the beginning of this trip, they helped me stay strong and not get home sick, I'm always going to be thankful for that.

Carlos, Clarisa, Me, Sol and Nacho

Aotearoa, is a country with a lot to offer. Everything is so green, bright green, it's amazing. But even though Auckland is the biggest city you can't feel the stress, it's not noisy, is chilled. You can find amazing parks all around the city, just to relax and forget about the world. I was definitely right, my dream came true and it wasn't what I expected, it was much more.

Oh and don't forget guys, if you like the blog then follow me on Facebook Let's walk this world and share it with your friends =). Thank you.

Dreams do come true...

The people that know me or the people that met me while travelling know what happened next. But for you guys that don’t, let’s continue the story.

The day after I paid my spot for the visa I had to go to the embassy and hand over my xray. But when I got there what I saw wasn't what I was expecting.

Hundreds of people where outside the building, it seems that I wasn't the only one that had some trouble. A lot of the people were saying that they couldn't paid but they wanted to pay there. Some where demanding their place because they already had the ticket. As I said last time, if you didn't pay you didn't have a spot confirm and the 1000 visas were gone in 14 hours (remember I told you I got mine after 10 hours).

So after 3 hours of waiting I gave them my xray and now it was time to wait AGAIN. By Monday some of the people I met were getting replies already, but nothing for me. Once again I was freaking out, checking and refreshing the page ALL THE TIME.

It was Wednesday, I logged in like I've doing for the past couple of days and I saw it, finally, my confirmation. I was going to New Zealand =).

So the count down began, just 20 days left. I had to make sure I had everything, plane ticket CHECKED; medical insurance CHECKED; visa CHECKED; money CHECKED. I packed EVERYTHING that I owned, I was leaving for a year but I had a feeling I wasn't coming back (but shhh don’t tell my mum that). I had one massive suitcase and my 60L backpack, plus my smaller backpack with my laptop, super important to keep in touch.

My mum planned an amazing surprise party for me, she invited all of my friends and, OH MY GOD, I even had a bouncing castle (I love bouncing castle but lets be honest, who doesn't?).

The time went by and the date arrived. I was so nervous and excited. My first solo trip to a place that I've been wanting to go for almost a decade. I knew this was going to change everything.

I said goodbye to my parents and my sisters, they were already arguing who was going to get my room. It was a direct flight, Buenos Aires – Auckland,  just 11 hours away from starting my new life =).

I've got on the plane and on the sit next to me there was a girl, Lucia, a solo traveller that during her trip through South America met a kiwi guy that became her boyfriend and now she was going to New Zealand to be with him.

We took off and soon after that my dream flight would become a nightmare. It was raining outside and that gave me a weird feeling in my belly. We were up in the sky for a little bit when the turbulence started. I never being scared when it happens, I usually scared my sister when it does. But this time it was difference.

The plane was shacking badly, me and Lucia starting to get scared so we started talking and talking non stop. I remember graving the side of my seat with all my strength. And suddenly we saw something that freaked us out, it looked like a lighting hit the wing.

I kept checking the interactive map that shows you where you are. I remember thinking” I can’t believe I'm so close to my dream, this place I've been waiting since I'm 12 and I'm going to die on Argentinian ground”. So close yet so far away.

Luckily after the longest 2 first hours of trip, the turbulence stopped and I stopped  being dramatic and enjoyed the rest of the flight.

With this plane, we took the Polar Route, basically the plane goes down to Antarctica and then back up again to Auckland. What was cool about that is that when we reached the southest point on one side I could see pitch black and on the other one I could see a beautiful sunrise.

The rest of the flight went smoothly  and after 11 hours of sitting down we finally arrived to our destination.

That’s when it hit me, I was alone, on the other side of the world and whatever happened next, it was on me.

The beginning of a new chapter was about to start. So wish me luck.

Once in a life time ;)

A few years ago I reached a point in my life when I just needed a break.  I finished university and I was working really hard but I didn't feel like I was going anywhere. I was tired of everything and everyone and I made a decision, I decision that was going to change my whole life.

I decided to leave everything and go pursuit my dream, travelling. Back at home saving  money was hard, the currency exchange wasn't helping so I thought that the best thing to do was to move somewhere else, work there for a while and like that, I would be able to save money and go travel the world.

First, I had to check my options. I couldn't go to do one of those work and travel deals to the USA that they offer in the travel agencies because you need to be a student. Australia was another possibility but I was never really interested in going there (now things are different).

Until I found the best place for me, NEW ZEALAND.  When I was 12 I watched a documentary about the fauna in this country and I promised myself I’ll go to this far far land one day. So this was my chance, the opportunity to kill two birds with the one stone.

New Zealand has a working holiday visa programme with Argentina and over 30 other countries. This visa allows you to work and travel the country for up to a year, you shouldn't take a permanent job, you can even study for 3 months and it has different requirements depending where you are from.

The difference with this visa is that is not like the ones you apply to to go to the USA, for example. Basically you just apply for a visa, you don’t have a job offer or anything. So that means that it depends on you when you arrive to find work. You go there with a chance and nothing else.

During a whole year I saved every penny for this.  I studied and asked as many questions about it as possible so I was prepared. They didn't ask for much, at the begging you just need to fill up a form and just pay the fee. Oh and because I'm from Argentina I also needed to present and X-ray to show that I didn't have TB.

After you've done all that and you get your place, you should buy your plane ticket, travel insurance and you need a certain amount of money. They specifically say so because you may not get a spot in the scheme or you could be rejected because of not fulfilling the requirements.

But I was young and stupid and thought that “OF COURSE I'M GOING TO GET IT”. So I bought everything in advance, I even quitted my job. I just needed to wait for the date and get what I thought it was, already, mine.

The day was getting closer, but  first it was Chile’s turn. Everybody applied for it, everyone was online and they made the website crash.  Because of this, the date for the Argentinian visa got postponed a couple of weeks. I was extremely excited and nervous.

The day finally arrived. The places opened on the 29^th October 2009 at 8 in the morning, Argentina’s time. I was sitting in my computer ready to do it. I logged in, went to the application link, filled up the first page, saved it and BOOM.  The page crashed, it said that it had too much traffic. So I tried again, filled up the first page of the application and when I tried to save it, same thing happened.

After my tenth attempted I started to panic. I realised I had a ticket out of the country in 20 days and, what if I didn't get the visa. What was I going to do? I couldn't not go, I didn't want people to think I failed. I decided that even if I didn't get it I was going to go and travelled around there until I run out of money, yes yes that sounded like a plan.

Time kept passing by and I couldn't get pass the first page. The worst thing was that I had the Embassy website opened and I could see the numbers going down. Argentina has 1000 places a year for this visa, and they were, at least, a hundred places per hour given.

My parents were with me, my dad took I day off to be there (Yes they are amazing). I was crying and didn't know what to do, I was hysterical, I didn't want to wait another year to apply for it. I was sitting on my bed with my laptop on one side and my sister’s laptop on the other, trying to see if any worked. Four hours had passed and I had made no progress.

My mum kept insisting that I should use my dad’s computer. I was certain that it wasn't going to work, mine was all new it should be better than a windows 98 one.

After over 6 hours I decided to give it a try, I had nothing else to loose. So I sat in my dad’s office logged in, filled up the first page, saved it and OH MY GOD, I was on the second page. I couldn't believe it, that entire time that old computer was the solution.

I filled page by page with my mum on my side double checking if I was miss spelling something. I always ask someone to check when I'm filling up important papers.

Almost 8 hours later, I finished completing my form. The last and most important step was in between me and my dream, paying the visa. You needed to pay it and to get the confirmation for your place to be saved.

So I put all my credit card details, pressed confirm and… Oh no, not again. It didn't let me pay. I tried a few times but nothing. I started crying, AGAIN, I was so close but yet I had nothing. But while I was crying my eyes out, hating the universe, my mum called the credit card company. They said that they rejected the payment because it was made from a foreign website. As soon as we confirm it was us they authorize it and told us that in five minutes we could try again and everything should be ok.

Those were the longest 5 minutes of my life. I put all my details once more and pressed confirm. Then I read the phrase that was going to change everything. YOUR CARD HAS BEEN ACCEPTED.

After 8 hours of torture, I finally got my place and I couldn't be happier.

The visa wasn't mine yet. But I’ll tell you what happened in the next post , this one got long.

I think every traveller should live abroad, or may be another city, once in his life time. Doesn't need to be for a year it could be for a month or less. But experiences like these are the once that make you appreciate what you have and realise how much you care about your family and friends. It opens your mind. It makes you see the world in a different way.

Thank you for following and see you soon ;)