Oki Doki

So we are in Warsaw, Poland. We've been staying at a wacky hostel called Oki Doki. Listed in the Lonely Planet, this sexy little hostel boasts free internet, colourfully kitsch rooms, a funky bar, cheap washing services and lots more for the weary backpacker. If you want a fun place to stay, it's a great hostel with heaps of perks. Finallly encountered some fellow foreigners too - lots of Americans and Aussies. The first night we shared our room with a lovely Polish lady. We spoke in smiles owing to the language barrier. When she left, she put a chocolate treat on my bed and also kindly returned my journal to the desk. Absent-minded Erin had left it a PC. A wonderful lady indeed.

Warsaw is amazing. Trekking from place to place I'm wonderfully excited but I truly wish I could have innumerable days to explore and absorb these wonderful cities. On our second day we wandered the old town of Warsaw. For a city so ravaged by war, the monuments and stunning facades of buildings which survived show its extensive beauty.

Many have been rebuilt again. Whilst eating our lunch in the old town square, we listened to local music and chuckled with amusement as a lively Polish lady approached all the young men around for a dance and dalliance. Here is her first approach, off to the left side. We plan to head back to the Old Town today to check out a castle.

Cute polish tyke - I have a feeling he was part of an old-style military display that was going on. Every 15 minutes or so, loud gun-shots would go off causing mum and and I to jump on our park benches.

Cute kids abound in Poland. When I was in primary school, year seven, my teacher Mr Martin read Ian Serailler's The Silver Sword to us. I totally adored it and begged him to read it again and again. Indeed, it caused that much consternation I decided I wanted to give my kids the Polish names of the characters - Ruth, Edek and Bronia. Still adore them, but other names are in the mix now. Being in Poland, it's not just Polish names that appeal - the children are deliciously cute. This gorgeous little boy was part of a mock military exhibition. We caught him gallivanting around with his mates and grabbed him for this shot. Reading more of Cloud Atlas I found an awesome quote about the sexualisation of kids - "A trio of teenettes, dressed like Prostitute Barbie approached, draft-netting the width of the pavement." Can I rave any more about Mitchell's wit?

Forgive me as I take a tangent into the world of bookstores. Wandering into the American Bookstore in Warsaw, I came out with Kirino's Out. Published cheaply by Vintage, I'd never purchased it but the quote on the inside has always intrigued me. Flannery O'Connor: 'The way to despair is to refuse to have any kind of experience.' Pardon, I must take a typing break as I contemplate and daydream. Anyway, I figure it shall be a good introduction into the fictional world of mystery.

We got to Warsaw on the Berlin - Warsaw express after making our way from Leipzig to Berlin. Illogical seating arrangements on the train made for constant kafuffle over whose seat was whose. A priest and nun on the train appeared ruffled as people were constantly shifting them. One cumudgeonly old man sat in the wrong seat the whole time. As each person boarded to claim their rightful seat he ignored their wrath with protestations of entitlement.

Onto beer and randomness - had an awesome Polish pint with some pizza - chicken, asparagus etc on Novy Swait/street our first day out on the town. It was our first more decadent meal. Forgot to mention it, but in Frankfurt, Germany, Pizza Hut offers a bier spider - icecream and beer together in a delectable (?) mix. Kebabs are of course everywhere - had an awesome chicken doner in Germany wrapped in flatbread.

Wandering Leipzig

Berlin was booked out - so we decided to spend more time absorbing the unexpected charm of Leipzig. Lonely Planet, the bible of backpackerdom, cautions against rapid sight-seeing. Indeed, wandering the streets of Leipzig is a joy itself. We managed to get on the right tram to an area called Schunefeld where we were staying. From the perspective of the tram the streets looked scrappy - dilapidated apartment buildings and decayed charm. But once the defamiliarisation stage set in, we soon discovered its beauty.

Cute cat - we took the half hour walk from hostel to Leipzig centre one day and discovered some gorgeous streets and creatures!
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The hostel was secluded - we were perhaps the only non-Germans there. Breakfast was included so we enjoyed the full spread of cold meats, breads and cereals they had prepared. At breakfast, people constantly came up to us, asking questions in German pertaining to the kitchen facilities. I looked at them bewildered, deprived of any kind of voice. Survival is easy though - most people will gesture with their hands their little knowledge of English. It's always a great help. Met an aspiring actress called Nadine - she rocked up at midnight on our first night so we had a brief exchange before bed. She had come to Leipzig in preparation for a second stage exam determining entrance into a performing arts college. I ate one of her props - some chocolate coated gingerbread foodstuff wrapped in a paper funnel. She was lovely, but got a private room the next day so she could practice for her examination. Defining words is hard - I struggled to explain to her what the word 'pretending' meant. It was in the last line of her English song performance - a tune from Les Miserables.

BLUE HOUR, MAX KLINGER

We went to the Museum Der Bildenden Kunste in Leipzig which has special exhbitions on Max Klinger and also hosts the works of many other artists. The modern museum is wonderful in itself - many levels with carefully thought-out displays. In a net cafe, I left Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs (right subject order?) on a bookcrossing table. When we returned just a few hours later to collect a pen we'd left behind - it was gone! Snapped up already.

Book-wise, on the Berlin - Warsaw express I began Cloud Atlas and it's sumptuosly erudite. The second story is particularly scandalous. All the stories are linked my the most gripping interconnections.

Language blunders are frequent owing to my devoid knowledge of German. After our coat-buying spree we decided to get lunch. Pointing to a vegetable curry concoction, I ordered two of the dish - what I thought was called curry bratwurst. We were alarmed to see the lady hack up a sausage, douse it in a rich sauce and sprinkle it with curry powder. We ate it like curried hotdogs - inside of bread and it was a delicous suprise nonetheless.

We are now in Warsaw for three days, arriving just yesterday. We are staying at the wackiest hostel, called Oki Doki. It is reknown for its bright rooms. Enough said for now, because the train journey to Warsaw is a story in itself.

Is Germany too cool for me?

Fashion, beer and sex are the focus of this frivolous post. First up - the fashion. Eccentricity is tested and explored on the streets by German youths. Some highlights were the couple who sported matching his and hers pink punk hairstyles. Shaved, spiked designs were streaked with flossy pink. They walked the shopping complex with their black doggy, heads held defiantly high. The punks in Germany put the wanna-be emo and goth lurkers in Forrest Chase to shame. They have shops devoted to 'emily the strange' aswell as shops full of the freakiest gothic fashions around.

Leaving my jumper behind in Auckland was silly because summer has yet to settle in Germany. In Leipzig today, mum and I headed out to covet coats. We fruitlessly searched the train shopping complex with tacky shops like 'Forever 18' for suitable winter wear. Everywhere we went the Germans were decked out in nice warm attire. But on the racks, the dearth of classy clothes was evident. After visiting a museum, we found more shops in the city centre. In one shop I found a gorgeous fitted black jacket with buttons and a small hood. I lost mum however. Approaching a store lady with 'Sprechen Die English?' I was assisted by her colleague who was able to speak English. I explained that I wanted her to hold the coat while I found my mum. They dragged me to the cash desk, pulled out a microphone and told me to call mum over the PA in English. Super embarrassed, I assured them that it was unecessary and set off to find mum on foot. I collected her and we both bought our jackets there. Here's a pic of me at the hostel in my hot new jacket.

Now, let's talk about sex baby. You all know I love a good bookstore, but today that love was sorely challenged. I wandered into a bookstore only to be dismayed by the great books which were only available in German. Moving on to the next room, I discovered it was really a porn shop masquerading as a bookhhandlung. Boooo! German condoms are really funny. They have stupid names like 'Billy Boy' and line the impulse buys shelves in supermarkets. Speaking of markets, we passed a peepshow shop today aptly named 'erotic markt.' Talk about sexual commodification.

As many of you know, I've never been a beer drinker. The wine/spirit core in me was destablised recently when I visited the Belgian Beer cafe in Perth with some sexy peeps. This introduction prepared me, hopefully, for bucketfuls of Bier in Germany. Yesterday, keen to try beer I entered a strange bottleshop in search of a beer. It was occupied by a salesman and about five of his sloshed mates who had fun practising their English with their Australian visitors. The only cold stuff they had was called a Mixery -a combination of bier and cola. I drank it - totally weird but cool. Not as great as beer on its own though.

After a hard day of sight-seeing and shopping, mum and I went to a Bier Bar (Gleis 8) at the station. I pre-mastered enough German to ask the bar lady what she recommends. So we both enjoyed a fantastic Radeberger Pilsner. Want to go back for another! Anyway, I have oodles to share - stories about a cool actress I met, some silly language blunders and more. We are off to Warsaw tomorrow - Berlin was all booked out but hopefully I'll share my Frankfurt and Leipzig experiences soon. Yay for the International Arts Festival in Warsaw!

Lucking out in LA

Technically, the LA adventure was confined to the airport. It was a disappointment. Getting from Auckland to Germany involved two huge flights - thirteen hours to LA and then ten more onto Frankfurt. The first flight was wild owing to the in-flight entertainment. I amused myself with CSI, Simpsons and watched Notes on a Scandal. The guy sitting next to me fell asleep on my shoulder at one point, much to the discontent of my mum.

The stopover at LA was long, protracted and unenjoyable. Going through customs to collect baggage was an involved procedure. It took them about an hour to bring out the luggage! To unwind and fill up we headed to the airport food court. They had nothing remotely healthy. I ordered mexican and got a pile of sludge - refried beans, enchiladas, tacos and rice also served up in a mish-mash. Quantity over quality was the aim of the establishment.

Exorbitant internet costs came at 25 cents a minute - so a 20 min session was $5 US. Most scandalous were the public toilets. I was positioned on the facility and looked up to catch my mum's eye. She launched into eructations of laughter. In a design oversight they had left huge gaps in the toilet doors. Don't know why she was looking, but with such conditions you can't help it.

Exasperation was scintillating high. This partly accounts for mum's inability to work out what country or continent we were in - as I mentioned she turned to me and argued that we were already in Germany! I'm behind on blogging but will patch up the German gap soon!

Awesomeness of Auckland: some faves

Freakin' chilly is how I'd describe my Auckland adventure. As mum pronounced, dripping with sarcasm, Auckland was a 'real culture shock'. With the exception of a few extra spiffy retail outlets and some culturally specific attractions, Auckland wasn't too different from Perth. It would've been fun to venture beyond the city though - but alas time was limited and the weather windy.

NZ got a whole lot colder when we ventured out to Kelly Tarlton's underwater world. Essentially it's similar to AQWA in Perth but it has a cool transportation device called the Snow Cat.

We jumped inside the Snow Cat on a tour through the penguin tank. Boy were they cute critters. On the way out of the penguin tank they take you through a mock antartic sea world - with fake penguins, killer whales and seals. A resplendent fake seal was pressed up against the glass and mum kept yelling at me "Look at the seal! Look at the seal!" She got all annoyed with me 'missing the experience' and then I clued on that she seriously believed it real. She clicked when a killer whale swallowed a whole seal in front of her. Priceless was her realisation of her stupidity. Second to me, I've realised mum is the most inattentive person sometimes. This was brought to light at the LA airport when she seriously thought we were in Frankfurt, Germany already! All the crazy flights had temporarily scrambled her brain.

The most awesome coffee was found at Revels in NZ - a funky alternative cafe with cool tunes, coffee bowls and vegan tastes. The coffee was served up in huge bowls, which we figured you were supposed to gulp down. Mum took this literally with her hot chocolate. When the guy walked past a moment later he exclaimed 'my lord!' at her the empty bowl which mum had rapidly downed. As an Aussie, the servers took the piss out of me. First up, I ordered a skinny latte which was met with derision. Apparently, only 'annoying aussies' call it that. Then the dude delivered our drinks to the table with cries of 'Crikey' which would have done Steve Irwin proud. But anyway, it provided a few laughs and was all in jest.

The best bathroom award goes to the self-flushing and super-sensitive toilets in the departure area of the Auckland airport. The only thing is, they're a little too sensitive. With a huge ACHOO I released a sneeze only to set off the gurgling action. But nevertheless, they were kinda cool. Since I've been rambling on about toilets and struggling with silly German keyboards I´ll finish up for now and post the next leg soon.

Intrepid Origins

Arawa Chieftaness by Charles Goldie

"Tell me a story" is a constant refrain I hear from my best mate Io. Naturally, the narrative quality of 'Adventures with Erin' appealed as the name for my travel blog. 'Grandmother-friendly' is how another friend described it. Unfortunately, my grandparents are technologically inept. I'll try to keep it tame though ;-)


Indulge me as I gallivant around the world, tracking my adventures on crazy foreign keyboards. Updates will be sporadic - depending on when inspiration hits and time permits. Hopefully, it will provide just a little cerebral exercise. Most importantly, I hope to post lots of pretty pics! May I add, I'm much aided in this blogging endeavour by the HOT parker pen and multiple journals/notebooks I received. Thanks guys!


So, the itinerary for the interested: few days in NZ (here now!), three months in Europe and then one month in Morocco. Then onto Asia - six weeks in India, and six weeks in Thailand and Vietnam. The duration is flexible with the round-the-world ticket - depends on my sanity levels as I travel with the crazy woman who gave birth to me.


Today, after heading to the hostel at 8am we offloaded my already cumbersome backpack. Sarah Brown, I don't care how great the shipping magnate I'm supposedly meeting in Greece is, I think I must concede that I don't need the halterneck. Must weed out stuff to save my back!


In search of coffee to take the lag out of the jet, we wandered into Starbucks. It was my first Starbucks experience, and an exciting one! Their awesomely frothy latte rocks my world.

My knowledge of Maori culture, ever limited, has been stimulated by the museum in Auckland. We spent the day perusing the weaponry, ornaments and cultural artefacts! Then onto the art gallery where I found the pic featured at the top. We caught a free bus in the city and I laughed with amusement as this burly Maori man tried to encircle mum's shoulder with his arm. Many homeless people sleep on the circular public transport route to avoid the cold.

Anyway, I should probably go eat, sleep and sight-see. First, I must find the hostel. It's so dark outside!