Between Whale Riders and a bunch of Australian Queens....

I'm at the Bay of Plenty, staying in a beach house (yep, I said BEACH HOUSE) with this adorable couchsurfing couple and having a blast! They love food, I love cooking... you get the idea! It all started on sunday, when they picked me up from the bus station in Tauranga and we went down to the beach to meet another couchsurfing couple (she's from Mosambique, he's from Brazil...or something like that) and have a picnic on the beach. As usual, when a bunch of couchsurfers meet, conversation was not hard to find and we found ourselves in a three hour long chat about different experiences and all kinds of places in Africa and South America (I have to do so much more traveling now...) We then drove "home" to Omokorora Beach and started my short stay with some Italian dinner and more cs-stories, which eventually led to Warwick and Chris suggesting we'd watch Priscilla, Queen of the desert! Oh---my---god--- what a HILAROUS (but also kind of serious) movie! *hihihi* and, all the while, I had to think about Julian, who had told me months ago that I should watch this... you were right, honey :) Awesome film, loads of fun!

Omokorora beach!

I decided to take it a little easier on monday and only went for a short walk around the peninsula - that already gave me some great views though :)

View of Mount Maunganui

The path kinda led through people's back yard, but it was so beautiful! And then I found this little picnic spot... absolutely gorgeous!

Picnic in Paradise

....did I mention that I love this country?!? ;) That night, we had Bakony (now also available in NZ ) and watched a local film called Whale rider. It's about this little Maori girl who was the only daughter of the chief's son and since the son refused, she would have been chief only that she was a girl. It is absolutely heartwrenching and really really beautiful... The total contrast to Priscilla, but perfect for a film night in New Zealand. The Maori really are an interesting people... Absolutely recommend watching it!

Today, we drove over to Tauranga to climb Mount Maunganui. Not the biggest mountain, but a nice steep little walk nevertheless... Oh, but the views! The views!!!!

...it's just a few steps to the top...

....there are no words for this....

After that climb, we were all a bit tired, so we had some ice cream, and a meat pie (yep, in that order) and then a nice and relaxed afternoon back at the beach house. For dinner tonight, I had the honor of creating my own Pavlova for dessert. I know it doesn't sound like it, but it's a Kiwi specialty. And, I have to admit, it's actually quite good...

apparently, I felt very geometrical today...

My next couch is already "booked" and Chris and Warwick kindly offered to take me to Rotorua tomorrow. All in all, it's been another fantastic couchsurfing experience and I hope I can show them around my little town someday! This trip has been as chaotic as it has been amazing - can't wait to see what the weekend brings :)

Craigslist Joe

This might seem a little random (yet again) but it's not, actually. See, Craigslist Joe is a documentary about this guy named Joe (shocker, right?) and his crazy idea of living with nothing more than what he can find on craigslist postings and the clothes on his back (and his laptop and smartphone to keep up with craigslist...) He traveled all through the States just by responding to posts on Craigslist and had a cameraman follow him to put it all on tape. Man, that guy had some serious stories to tell!

Oh, yeah, I should probably mention how I stumbled over the documentary. Alex suggested it. Back when I was staying in Walnut Creek with Melinda. So we all decided to watch it together on Sunday. And we were all equally blown away. Like I said, Joe had some fun stories to tell (and rode with some very questionable vehicles :) ) He did get stranded once or twice, but, overall, he had an amazing trip and found friendship and hospitality in all kinds of places. It was funny to watch this while I myself was surfing on Melinda's couch (which wasn't a couch but an unbelievably comfortable bed...) Not that I am anywhere near as crazy as Joe, but I definitely get where he's coming from and I agree. There are a lot of amazing people out there.

The main reason why I bring up this documentary now is my recent experience with my hosts in Hawai'i. They are not from couchsurfing. I've contacted what felt like a gazillion couchsurfers and nobody had a couch for me. Then I came to Walnut Creek and Paolo tells me, he lived in Hawai'i for a while and has lots of friends over there. (Again, with the coincidences...) So he contacted some people and by the time I left on Monday, I had two cell phone numbers and the matching names. That was it...

So, before I flew to Hawai'i, I messaged Darellyn and asked her if it was really ok for me to stay with them. She said yes and gave me their adress. But I was in Honolulu and they live in Malilani and I had no idea how to get there. So she told me to contact Steve who might be able to pick me up. Sure enough, half an hour later, I was sitting in a pick-up truck with yet another stranger on my way to their home... (Don't try this one at home kids ;) )

Sure, you can say, that's crazy and god knows what could have happened, yada yada. So, here's what happened. I'm in Hawai'i, I'm staying with a beautiful, generous and very friendly family and their dog in their cozy house in Mililani, Steve gave me a ride to Waikiki on Thursday and Darellyn took me back home with her and today, we spent the entire day exploring the island together. We had some local food, they cook for me, tonight I will cook for them and they even offered to drive me back to the airport on Sunday morning.

There are some amazing people out there! Maybe it's time to get to know them....

Here's more about that documentary

WestEd Mall and Hobbiton

...in that order! The last part of my christmas present was a ticket for The Hobbit in Imax 3D, although the real present was actually watching it with the entire family :D So on sunday, we drove into Edmonton to have lunche at the food court (or rather one of the food courts...) in the Mall and then see the movie in the Scotiabank theater. Now, here's the thing about WestEd Mall: that thing is GIGANTIC. I mean, not just "yeah, it's North America so it's bigger than in Germany" kind of big but actually even for American standards still really big! Wanna know how big? Well, here are a couple of things you can find INSIDE WestEd Mall:

More or less underneath the movie theater (complete with IMAX theater and a number of "normal" theaters) is a pirate ship :) A full size pirate ship that can be used for events and such.....

this time with christmas decoration!

On the other side of the ship in the same pool is a submarine that you can actually go into as well as a seal show. That's right, a live seal show... twice a day!

that picture is from 2011, actually

There's an amusement park for little children called Galaxyland.

And then a second amusementpark for older children - complete with rollercoasters (yep, plural) and a free fall tower....

also from 2011

Also, there is an entire hotel inside the Mall. And the hotel (and thus the mall) has a water park... with a bunch of different slides and a wave-pool thingy....

And then there's the movie theater itself with its fire-spitting dragon. Yep, real fire, a couple of times a day, just for fun....

it's a "she" by the way :)

Don't believe me? Go ahead, google it, check it out yourself :) I wouldn't believe me either if I hadn't seen it... Oh yeah, there are a couple of shops in the mall too..... ;)

So, yeah, WestEd, always fun :) Especially if the actual reason for the visit is watching The Hobbit - in 3D - and IMAX - and including a prolongued preview of the new Star Trek Movie *yay* :D It was awesome! A little loud but awesome :) Needless to say, we were very happy! Who's we? The family of course! 

*Excitement!* 

.... and maybe a little confusion... :)

I had so much fun! I couldn't have asked for a better present! 

And it goes to show they really are my family :) Because they were just as excited as I was! *nerds, everywhere!* :D Barbie was like "wish it was May already" and I couldn't agree more. But what really got me was realizing that I will soon be there, in Hobbiton. At least for a day ;) *yay* can't wait!

Why I love Midnight in Paris

Ok, this might seem like a weird post and it might very well be, but it's actually very current :) I just woke up and went downstairs where the TV was running (as usual) and since it's sunday, a movie was on. Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris to be exact. 

Now, I don't know how many of you know this film but I think it's absolutely lovely. Why? Because it's ultimately about art and an inexplainable love for the written word, the painters of the past and Paris in all its glory.

Many of you know that I am not particulary fond of the French, and yet, this film makes even me want to jump on the next train to the French capital (yes I live close enough to board a train to Paris - well, not right now, but when I'm back home...) And that alone already says a lot. 

But it's Owen Wilson's performance of a struggling and maybe slightly over-illusional writer that really grabs my attention every time I watch this all-time-favorite. He struggles, he dreams and his dreams come true - as unlikely as they may seem. It is hard to talk about the film without giving away too much, you just gonna have to watch it yourself. All I can say is as a writer and an art-lover, this film speaks to me. It lets me dream and it touches something in my own imagination that makes me want to write or paint or sometimes both. It's a revelation wrapped in a fairy tale and I never tire of watching Wilson walking through the nightly streets of Paris. It makes me want to go to France :) 

So, if you have the time, go check it out! It's worth it :) And it's the perfect start for a lazy sunday filled with writing! 

Midnight in Paris on IMDB.com