The Longest Journey

The trip round the world took me across the massive Eurasian continent, all the way from London to Singapore.

Looking out the plane window as we flew across Iran (local time 04.00), I spied a vehicle (perhaps a car?) cruising it's way along a seemingly endless desert road. Irrigated fields and rocky barren folds of upturned geological strata stretched for miles in every direction. I wondered where this lonely driver was heading so early in the morning?

A brief and delicious few hours in Singapore Airport (where my cash card magically produced fifty Singapore Dollars from the ATM which I spent on Laksa Soup) led me to another flight to Sydney.

After 36 hours of travel I arrived in Wellington - the bitesized capital of New Zealand - delirious and sketchy. I mislaid all my return tickets the moment I entered New Zealand territory. Am ominous welcome?

Wellington is well known for it's tempetuous climate - rain comes in horizontal damp blankets which get under the most well tucked clothing. Which luckily for me was not an issue as I spent three days in bed in the wonderful and hospitable home of Chris, Kris and Andy who welcome travelers into their polyamorous home Koromiko.

Jetlag hits me hard as I pass out like a puppy dog in the middle of the day and flop in bewildered confusion from bedroom to kitchen to bathroom to bedroom. Peter Jackson, the resident WWOOFER, lets me take pictures of him as he paints the architecturally designed porthole windows.

New Zealand Bound

It's been a long time plan of mine to travel to New Zealand, buy a cheap car and tour round both islands. Such a long way away from my original home: I can't quite imagine it no matter how hard I try. Green mountains and sheep I expect.

I am hoping to spend some time WWOOFING at Autumn Farm in Takaka - at the top of the south island.

Autumn Farm is a gay retreat business on what looks like beautiful grounds. WWOOFING is exchanging four hours farm work a day for board and keep - which strikes me as a marvelous arrangement. Enough physical work to learn skills and buld physical strength; not too much to bore me. Also, enough human traffic to introduce me to a queer Kiwi network.

Tying up loose ends in England is taking much longer than I expected but I hope to be on a plane by the end of October.