Phoenix isn't much of a travel destination, and most of the travellers there are just passing through. I did my best to see the few sights around, going to the main art gallery for a couple hours before switching to my second hostel. Since I was going to be coming back to the first one the next day I left most of my things there and just took a few clothes to the other one. Downtown Phoenix isn't very big, and it only took a couple of hours to look around and stop by the different sports' stadiums. My favourite part of Phoenix was the Art District around Roosevelt Row, which was full of neat little galleries, cafes and alleyways of street art.
On my 3rd day, when I was back at the original hostel, I spent the evening hanging out with the hostel owners and some of the other guests. We played some board games and ended up going to the nearby park to play ultimate frisbee. When I played ultimate frisbee on the beach in New Zealand I was probably the worst player there, but the difference between playing with a group of very fit people who play 3 times a week and a group of fairly out of shape people who haven't played in years is pretty dramatic, and this time I got to be one of the stars. We spent the evening hanging out and drinking, and overall it was a really fun group of people to end my time in the US with.
My plane the last day didn't leave until late at night. I was taking a really budget airline (the only 2-star airline in North America), and they charged a lot extra for extra bags. By this point I have a backpack, my disintegrating messenger bag and another tote, and I really wanted to get that down to 2 items to save about $30 on the flight. I solved the problem by finding a duffel bag at a goodwill store for $4 and using that to combine two of my other bags. The airport I was flying out of wasn't actually in Phoenix, but in nearby Mesa, and I said my goodbyes in the evening and began the streetcar + 2 bus route trip of about 2.5 hours to get to the airport.
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sports. Show all posts
Monday, April 8, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Day 343: Feats of Endurance
We got up around 4:30am to get read for an early morning shuttle from Taupo out to the start of the climb in Tongariro National Park. We shared the shuttle with two other people staying in Taupo, bringing our little group to 7. Tongariro is recently famous for being used for filming of Mordor and Mt. Doom in The Lord of the Rings movies, and it's something of a wasteland of dust and volcanic rock. The walk began pretty easily with winding paths through rocky fields with lots groundcovers and lichens. The mountains themselves began pretty obscured by cloud, but things cleared up quite a bit as we approached.
Once we got to the edge of the mountains things got steeper and quite a bit harder. The steepness wasn't really the problem, but in many places the ground was loose volcanic sand and gravel that slipped with every step, and through the hike we all slipped and fell down more than once. After the first climb up there's a long flat section that goes by the red crater, and a nice view down at the rocky plain on the other side of the mountains.
There was another steep climb up the next ridge before the path carried on down the other side to the emerald lakes. This steep descent wasn't too bad to go down, and normally going down is all you have to do since it's a one-way path. Unfortunately the end section of the crossing has been closed for some time do to dangerous volcanic activity, so we had to slowly climb back up the steep, shifting slope of sand.
Once climbing back up to the highest part of the walk we stopped for lunch, then retraced our path back over and out of the mountains. Once we got back to our starting point we got the shuttle back to Taupo and after returning to our hostel for showers we went down to the main area to get some dinner and drinks. As I mentioned before, this was the day of the Taupo Iron Man race, so we got a table along the course to watch and cheer people on. For those that don't know, Iron Man competitions are insane. It's like a triathalon, but they lengthen all the sections since apparently triathalons aren't hardcore enough already. The Iron Man consists of a 4km swim followed by a 180km bicycle ride. If you're not exhausted after all that, then you only have to run a full marathon of 42km afterwards to finish. I'm a little in awe of anybody that can finish one of these, even if I question their sanity a little for wanting to put themselves through it. Deserving special mention is a guy staying in our hostel that we had a bit of a chat with who was probably about 50, and only had one arm. I don't know what time he got, but we saw him well into the marathon run.
Once we got to the edge of the mountains things got steeper and quite a bit harder. The steepness wasn't really the problem, but in many places the ground was loose volcanic sand and gravel that slipped with every step, and through the hike we all slipped and fell down more than once. After the first climb up there's a long flat section that goes by the red crater, and a nice view down at the rocky plain on the other side of the mountains.
There was another steep climb up the next ridge before the path carried on down the other side to the emerald lakes. This steep descent wasn't too bad to go down, and normally going down is all you have to do since it's a one-way path. Unfortunately the end section of the crossing has been closed for some time do to dangerous volcanic activity, so we had to slowly climb back up the steep, shifting slope of sand.
Once climbing back up to the highest part of the walk we stopped for lunch, then retraced our path back over and out of the mountains. Once we got back to our starting point we got the shuttle back to Taupo and after returning to our hostel for showers we went down to the main area to get some dinner and drinks. As I mentioned before, this was the day of the Taupo Iron Man race, so we got a table along the course to watch and cheer people on. For those that don't know, Iron Man competitions are insane. It's like a triathalon, but they lengthen all the sections since apparently triathalons aren't hardcore enough already. The Iron Man consists of a 4km swim followed by a 180km bicycle ride. If you're not exhausted after all that, then you only have to run a full marathon of 42km afterwards to finish. I'm a little in awe of anybody that can finish one of these, even if I question their sanity a little for wanting to put themselves through it. Deserving special mention is a guy staying in our hostel that we had a bit of a chat with who was probably about 50, and only had one arm. I don't know what time he got, but we saw him well into the marathon run.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Days 330-331: Extended Stay
My original plan had been to spend 3 nights in Nelson before heading down the west coast of the south island, but the bus service I'm using only has one bus a day going in the direction I wanted, and it was already full on the day I wanted to leave. Like just about everywhere in New Zealand, Nelson is a nice, relaxed town and staying a 4th night wasn't much of an issue.
On Sunday I walked along the coast for a couple hours to the beach. After spending a couple hours relaxing on the beach I met up with a group I had been told about by one of the hostel staff to play ultimate frisbee in the sand. I haven't played ultimate frisbee since university, and while my cardio is immensly better for some activities now, sprinting back and forth in the sand for 3 hours isn't one of them. My throwing was a little rough but my catching was still very sharp and it was a lot of fun. After the frisbee we went out to a local pub to hang out and have a few drinks and then I got a ride back to the hostel from one of the other players.
I was a little sore the next day, but wasn't too bad. I didn't really have much planned at this point but a few of the hostel newcomers were looking for things to do so I showed them around town and did a bit more hiking on the trails just outside of town.
On Sunday I walked along the coast for a couple hours to the beach. After spending a couple hours relaxing on the beach I met up with a group I had been told about by one of the hostel staff to play ultimate frisbee in the sand. I haven't played ultimate frisbee since university, and while my cardio is immensly better for some activities now, sprinting back and forth in the sand for 3 hours isn't one of them. My throwing was a little rough but my catching was still very sharp and it was a lot of fun. After the frisbee we went out to a local pub to hang out and have a few drinks and then I got a ride back to the hostel from one of the other players.
I was a little sore the next day, but wasn't too bad. I didn't really have much planned at this point but a few of the hostel newcomers were looking for things to do so I showed them around town and did a bit more hiking on the trails just outside of town.
Day 329: The Center of New Zealand
There's a pretty popular farmer's market in Nelson each week on Saturday, and it being Saturday I decided to begin my day checking it out. It was a nice mixture of fresh produce, food stands, clothing, arts and crafts and other bits and pieces. I was tempted by some of the wool clothes, but talked myself out of it and settled on a delicious food stand burrito and an ice cream cone instead.
Next I visited a large park past the hostel because it had been recommended to me as the starting point of a few good hikes in the area. There was a game of cricket going on in the park that I sat and watched for awhile in an attempt to flesh out my slowly improving understand of the sport. I then found the Center of New Zealand trail, which takes you up one of the adjacent hills to what has been established as the centermost point of the country, I guess. Somebody in the hostel had told me it was a short but challenging hike, but in reality it was more just a stroll up a wooded hill. I walked up, enjoyed the view for a bit then came back down in under an hour, but it was still nice to stretch my legs after all the time on ferries and buses, and it did provide a nice view of the surroundings.
Next I visited a large park past the hostel because it had been recommended to me as the starting point of a few good hikes in the area. There was a game of cricket going on in the park that I sat and watched for awhile in an attempt to flesh out my slowly improving understand of the sport. I then found the Center of New Zealand trail, which takes you up one of the adjacent hills to what has been established as the centermost point of the country, I guess. Somebody in the hostel had told me it was a short but challenging hike, but in reality it was more just a stroll up a wooded hill. I walked up, enjoyed the view for a bit then came back down in under an hour, but it was still nice to stretch my legs after all the time on ferries and buses, and it did provide a nice view of the surroundings.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Days 309-311: Return of the Rain
While the rain wasn't constant, it was definitely regular, especially the first day. I spent a lot of the day in the hostel reading and using the internet. I had one trip out to China Town for lunch that ended up with me getting soaked, but by the evening the rain had died down enough that I ventured out with one of the girls in my room to try to find a place to each and watch the Australian Open men's final. Everywhere we went they either weren't playing it, or were playing it without volume. We found one place that had it in, but didn't serve food. We had a couple of beer there, then decided to hop over to McDonalds to grab food quickly between sets. Coincidentally they were actually playing the game in McDonalds, and we got talking to a few other people watching the game and ended up spending the next 2 hours watching tennis in McDonalds while eating 30 cent ice cream cones.
The next day I ventured out into a few of the Sydney districts further from the harbor. There was a small art gallery/shop in Surrey Hills that was my main focus for going to that area, but there were lots of the out of the way independent shops, restaurants and little bits of art that I enjoy so much.
From Surrey Hills I walked over to Newtown, which is another area that had been recommended to me. I didn't really know where to go though, and the main street of the area wasn't as interesting for me as Surrey Hills had been. I did find a burrito shop which had the best burritos I've had since leaving Canada, so it was still worth the trip over. In the evening the hostel had an activity out to a bar where you got a free drink and fries if you went. I have a hard time turning down free things, so I braved another period of pouring rain to go out. The free fries was actually massive plates of both fries and potato wedges. I didn't really stay out much beyond the food and drink, but Australia is so expensive that anything free helps.
I spent a lot of the next day in the hostel planning things and talking to the new round of people going through. One was having a birthday, and we decided to prepare a dinner of vegetables, rice and kangaroo steaks from the grocery store. We went out for drinks afterwards, but I didn't stay out too late since I had a train to catch in the morning.
The next day I ventured out into a few of the Sydney districts further from the harbor. There was a small art gallery/shop in Surrey Hills that was my main focus for going to that area, but there were lots of the out of the way independent shops, restaurants and little bits of art that I enjoy so much.
From Surrey Hills I walked over to Newtown, which is another area that had been recommended to me. I didn't really know where to go though, and the main street of the area wasn't as interesting for me as Surrey Hills had been. I did find a burrito shop which had the best burritos I've had since leaving Canada, so it was still worth the trip over. In the evening the hostel had an activity out to a bar where you got a free drink and fries if you went. I have a hard time turning down free things, so I braved another period of pouring rain to go out. The free fries was actually massive plates of both fries and potato wedges. I didn't really stay out much beyond the food and drink, but Australia is so expensive that anything free helps.
I spent a lot of the next day in the hostel planning things and talking to the new round of people going through. One was having a birthday, and we decided to prepare a dinner of vegetables, rice and kangaroo steaks from the grocery store. We went out for drinks afterwards, but I didn't stay out too late since I had a train to catch in the morning.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Day 297: Opening Round
Prior to going to Healesville the day before I had stopped by Federation Square and waited in line for awhile to get a day pass ticket for the Australian Open for the following day. The day pass ticket lets you hop between any of the matches going on other than the ones in the two big stadiums, and since all 3 of the Canadian matches going on during the day were on the outer courts, it was a pretty inexpensive (especially by Australian standards) way of getting to watch some tennis and have a fun day out.
It was one of the hottest days since I'd gotten to Melbourne, but still quite comfortable. The Open is only a short walk from the city center, so I joined the flow of people walking down.
The first match I went to, at 11am was between Rebecca Marino and Shuai Peng. It was one of the smallest courts with maybe only 60 people watching, and not surprisingly the bulk of the crowd was Chinese, cheering for Peng. The loudest and most amusing of all the fans were two Australian guys dressed up and painted in Chinese flags who had loud and often elaborate cheers in mandarin almost every stop in play. In the end, Peng was just a lot better than Marino and the match was a bit of a blowout.
The next match was Milos Raonic vs. Jan Hajek. It was on the larger Show Court 2, and while it's nothing compared to the stadiums it was still a large crowd. My take on the game is that Milos, as expected, has a devastating serve and had a huge physical edge, but he still made a lot of unforced errors when it got to rallys, and he seems to give up on plays a lot. It's hard to tell much from watching a single match, but Milos could bail himself out when he fell behind a bit on his serve by just acing his opponent over and over. In the end Milos won in 4 sets.
The last full game I watched was Jesse Lavine and Tommy Robredo. This was the most entertaining game of the day for me, as it was pretty evenly matched and there were lots of rallying and net play. Neither player was terribly physically dominating, but they both worked hard and were always running. Lavine ultimately won it in 4 sets, but two of the sets ended in tie-breaks and the other two only had one servìce break in them. Overall the Canadians went 2-1, which isn't bad, even if it was only the opening round.
I watched bits and pieces of a few other matches going on throughout the day, but only watched the Canadian matches all the way through. Afterwards I walked back to Federation Square where they were playing the tennis on a giant screen and watched a few of the main court games from there.
It was one of the hottest days since I'd gotten to Melbourne, but still quite comfortable. The Open is only a short walk from the city center, so I joined the flow of people walking down.
The first match I went to, at 11am was between Rebecca Marino and Shuai Peng. It was one of the smallest courts with maybe only 60 people watching, and not surprisingly the bulk of the crowd was Chinese, cheering for Peng. The loudest and most amusing of all the fans were two Australian guys dressed up and painted in Chinese flags who had loud and often elaborate cheers in mandarin almost every stop in play. In the end, Peng was just a lot better than Marino and the match was a bit of a blowout.
The next match was Milos Raonic vs. Jan Hajek. It was on the larger Show Court 2, and while it's nothing compared to the stadiums it was still a large crowd. My take on the game is that Milos, as expected, has a devastating serve and had a huge physical edge, but he still made a lot of unforced errors when it got to rallys, and he seems to give up on plays a lot. It's hard to tell much from watching a single match, but Milos could bail himself out when he fell behind a bit on his serve by just acing his opponent over and over. In the end Milos won in 4 sets.
The last full game I watched was Jesse Lavine and Tommy Robredo. This was the most entertaining game of the day for me, as it was pretty evenly matched and there were lots of rallying and net play. Neither player was terribly physically dominating, but they both worked hard and were always running. Lavine ultimately won it in 4 sets, but two of the sets ended in tie-breaks and the other two only had one servìce break in them. Overall the Canadians went 2-1, which isn't bad, even if it was only the opening round.
I watched bits and pieces of a few other matches going on throughout the day, but only watched the Canadian matches all the way through. Afterwards I walked back to Federation Square where they were playing the tennis on a giant screen and watched a few of the main court games from there.
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