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[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: The End

The flight back to Germany was fine. While I had a great view with my window seat, I had to share the row with two middle-aged white women. No clue why, but I was uncomfortable around them. Either way, I spent most of my time watching shows on my iPad to make the hours pass faster. I believe I dozed off occasionally, but didn’t get any proper sleep during any of the flights.

I also was served food again, and it was decent too. But I did not take any notes during the flight, so there will be no food ranking of it.

It felt a bit surreal to arrive back in Germany. I don’t know why, but I feel as if I’ve already gotten very much used to living in New Zealand. At least I didn’t have any problems with switching the language though. And another great thing to happen, my luggage arrived with me as planned.

I had texted my dad about my return, and was called by him shortly after just as I got on the sky train to the main train station. I bought myself a ticket back to Bremen, which included a ticket for the ICE. It was a surreal experience to be back on a train. I still was under the impression that I was on an airplane.

I thought I couldn’t stretch my legs, because my luggage would be in the way under the seat in front of me.

Every bit of shaking to the train made me think I was going through some turbulences.

The sounds of chip bags and other human made noises made me snap out of my sleep attempts, thinking the steward was coming through with our warm meal for the flight.

I believed it would be a hassle to get up and get something out of my backpack. I thought I’d have to unbuckle myself, wait for the passengers next to me to let me out, open the overhead lockers, pull out my bag amongst many other pieces of luggage, and then shuffle back into my seat. I did, in fact, not have a passenger next to me for most of the train ride.

Once my train stopped in Bremen, I was greeted by my dad near the stairs of my platform. We talked a lot about my adventures on our way to the car, at our stop at McDonald’s, and on our way home.

I was greeted by very irritated looking cats who seemed to not recognize my smell anymore (it was probably the dozens of smells I was subjected to that made me smell different), and of course my family welcoming me back.

As of writing this, it’s the 22nd of February. My room is a mess from unpacking half my luggage, and I am still tired despite nearly 12 hours of sleep in my own bed. I still feel a bit nauseous from all the meals I had during my flights, but my appetite for normal food is slowly returning.

It will probably take me a while to get back into my normal life, especially because I feel out of place (in my own room). But I’ll manage.

We’ll see when I next get to post on this blog again, when my next adventure will set me on an airplane far away from home, for how long I’ll be living in hotels, and what chaos I will encounter during my time there.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: The longest Flight of my Life

I’m so glad to say it’s over. 14 hours of flying finally done. And despite having bought a neck pillow, I still wasn’t able to sleep in my seat the intended way, let alone without interruptions. At most, it can be described as a student napping in class, because that’s how it probably looked from the outside, too.

Not much more can be said about the flight honestly, except the food review and the fact that the air conditioning dried me up so bad, both my hands hurt when I put creme on them. And yes, I have been drinking throughout the whole flight.

I am writing this while waiting at my gate, surrounded only by Germans because obviously. This is a flight to Düsseldorf after all. One last notable thing, my lanyard once again has proven itself a good choice to bring with me. On my way to TSA through the queue line, a security guard saw me and let me skip the line to get to the machines quicker. I’m not gonna say my disability is giving me an advantage, but it sure is great to get off a plane after 14 hours and be treated this way.

***

Food Review:

Dinner

Green beans: 2/5, could have been way worse, but were still far from my favourite beans I’ve had so far

Roasted potatoes: 3/5, a bit better than the beans but still had a weird texture to the skin

Lamb Ragout: 5/5, it may have been the lack of sleep and the hunger kicking in at the same time, but this was absolutely delicious and exactly what I needed

Bread Bun: 4/5, totally edible without any butter etc, intentionally this time, is it was something brioche-esque

Mystery Salad: 5/5, I am yet to figure out what this dish was, because it looked as if it was a salad, based on the fact it contained lettuce and peas, but the yellow tear shaped things had the texture and a similar taste to that of noodles. And seriously, what kind of noodles would that be?

Chocolate: 3/5, not special, not absolutely horrendous. Just an average piece of chocolate

Chocolate Cake: 1/5, absolutely horrible texture, no idea what it was supposed to be, but I’m not a fan

Midflight Snack

Chicken Calzone: 4/5, pretty okay, just not a real banger in my books

Breakfast

Fruit: 4/5, it’s fruit, nothing spectacular. There was just one piece that really confused me with its flavour, thus I didn’t finish it

Muesli Bar: 3/5, very tough to chew (it was more ripped apart than chewed tbh), but decent taste

Frittata: 2/5, the potatoes pretty good, main course was edible but not my top cuz of the corn, mushrooms are far from my favourite food or ingredient, yet I still think I liked them more than the frittata

Yoghurt: 4/5, a bit more fruit for flavour would’ve been nice. But overall a very welcome dessert surprise (and an interesting way to find out I like blueberries.)

Croissant with margarine spread: 5/5, can’t be improved upon. I was honestly surprised how the (comparatively) sweet croissant tasted so great along with the slightly salted spread. And that’s coming from a person who absolutely distastes sweet-n-salty foods.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Saying Goodbye, Wellington Airport and sitting behind Business Class

I already knew Wellington had grown on me for the short time I had been there. I knew leaving the city and Bee would be hard for me. I expected to cry when we said our goodbyes a few metres away from his bus.

I didn’t expect to be crying a second time during takeoff. I guess I have no choice but to return to New Zealand someday, but for a much longer time.

Putting the emotional part aside now though, things are going well so far. Our extremely early arrival at the airport had me waiting at the gate for quite a while. Which gave me some time to try something new, Bluebird Chips in chicken flavour (review at the bottom).

My ticket said my gate would be 48. But due to technical difficulties with the plane headed for Melbourne, my gate was switched literally last minute to the gate right next to it. And although boarding went by pretty smoothly, we had to wait for a handful more passengers (pilots and stewardesses from the Melbourne flight), which led to a total delay of 45 minutes until we finally rolled off onto the runway. Takeoff was 5:09pm, so almost exactly an hour later than originally planned. If I didn’t have such a long layover in Sydney, this would’ve stressed me. And again, I was served a warm meal during the flight.

It was also an interesting experience to sit right behind the business class section. I got to see the extravagant meals and drinks they were served, and also for the first time, a steward in their own seat during takeoff. It wasn’t much, but interesting nonetheless.

Sydney airport seems like a very pleasant place so far. The vast emptiness I was subjected to at first confused me, but I found the TSA zone very quickly. Also a very pleasant thing I noted was the presence of a gender neutral bathroom. It was not hidden, in fact it’s the first bathroom you see when going down the hallway. And it wasn’t a single room either, such as with the disabled bathrooms. No, it was a proper washroom with several stalls and sinks. Never did I think I’d find encounter something like this myself. It made me feel safe and seen, despite literally nobody even giving a single shit (pun not intended).

(Picture below for proof as well as a very happy Alex because why not.)

Food Ranking:

Bluebird chicken chips: 5/5, it’s exactly the flavour I’ve been craving as a kid when I ate the chicken broth powder

Bolognese: 4/5, not overly spiced, but also not as boring as the horrible white people chicken from those TikTok memes. Generally just a decent warm meal for a (comparatively) short flight

Crackers and Cheese: 4/5, at first I thought the cheese slices would be too thick for the size of the crackers. But oh was I wrong. I felt as if the balance of the (deliciously salted) cracker and cheese worked almost perfectly. The cheese does trump in flavour by the end though, therefore not a perfect score for me

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Picture Additions

Status Update: Day Ten

Today was not a very big day. But although it can’t be compared to the first days of this adventure, it was fun nonetheless.

First thing Bee and I went out for some drinks and snacks. They got themself some pineapple juice, and I got raspberry licorice. Never thought I’d ever like anything containing even the word licorice, but here we are.

With no actual plans on our agenda, we headed for a few last rounds of Taiko no Tatsujin at Timezone. It was once again really fun, but did quite a number on my right wrist (no idea why this one in particular and not both).

We took another break, which included food again, because of course it did. This was the first time of me trying anything from KFC ever. And while it was tasty, it was not really something I’d see myself craving someday in the future.

Our ideas on what to do for the day ran thin, so we decided to just head back to the hostel. The walk back was quite funny though, as it was really windy at times.

I used the time I had to already pack up some of my luggage to make it easier for tomorrow. I also finally finished my halo book (hooray me!), technically. I read all main chapters and the epilogue. The adjunct files were just a bit.. too boring. I’ll just get back to that some other time.

Additionally, I took some more time to get back into traditional drawing. The pictures will be posted someday (hopefully) to the respective blogs they belong on (90% are CJ and Darnell related, because what else would they be honestly).

Nothing much happened since then. I spent time in my room watching YouTube and downloaded more videos on Netflix for the long flights. I thought the night would end with a ‘short’ viewing of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, but that didn’t end up happening due to technical difficulties.

My alarm is already set. My shower towels are dry and in the suitcase. All left unpacked are toiletries (because I was too tired to do it now), some valuables in the locker, and my bluey plushie of course.

Tomorrow will be quite a day, and I don’t know if I’ll like that. But just like the day when I began this journey, I’ll get through this.

Sponsorships of the day: KFC lunch, several rounds of Taiko

***

Note: I refuse to fight with the wifi again, so same as with my previous post, I will not share any pictures here and simply add them in a reblog at a later point in time, when better wifi is available to me.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Picture Additions

Status Update: Day Nine

Today was yet another fun day together with Bee. Early(-ish) in the day, I went to get myself some food for the last days of my stay to have something proper for breakfast and, if necessary, dinner. Not too long after that, we headed out for the lunar new year event. Yes, a second one. But it was not as much centred around shows and performances, but rather small shops and goodies to buy revolving around the festivity. In front of the arena was a street performance which we watched. It was very humorous and impressive at the same time. Inside the actual building were many shops. I was at first tempted to get myself something, but nothing really caught my eye enough to really want it *that* much. I suppose becoming an adult really did something to my impulse control, in a good way. We also checked out the food stalls of course. Bee got us tteokbokki and a Korean hotdog, then later on cookies-and-cream ice cream for me and gelato for himself.

With our main event done, we spontaneously decided to go down to a small beach area. It was a nice place to stay and relax at, and to let my feet dangle in the water for a bit. I didn’t know it at that time, but that was where my last Polaroid picture was taken.

Nearby was a small boat restaurant which Bee wanted to eat at with me, so we ordered some fries, small hotdogs, chicken nuggets and drinks (peach ice tea for me and apple cider for Bee).

We returned to our rooms for a brief break before going out to a restaurant which Bee also wanted me to try, Sweet Mother’s Kitchen. They had ordered curly fries, chicken tenders and a coke, while I had a sirloin steak, also with curly fries and two drinks, L&P and a Malonso cocktail.

Compared to our first few days, it was rather ‘uneventful’, but still just as fun to me.

Long story short, it was a very good filled day.

Sponsorships of the day: every single meal mentioned

Food Ranking:

Tteokbokki: 2/5, it has potential to be something I like. Just as of now, I don’t have a very high tolerance for Korean levels of spiciness, and it was overall a bit too chewy for my liking.

Korean hotdog: 3/5, in itself very tasty, but I would’ve preferred a different sausage

Cookies-and-Cream ice cream: 5/5, absolute banger, no notes

Peach iced tea: 4/5, delicious and refreshing, but it could’ve used a bit more flavour to it to be perfect

Mini hotdogs, chicken nuggets, fries: 3/5, average experience, nothing much to write home about. But the sauces were pretty good

Malonso cocktail: 4/5, very interesting taste, alcohol was barely noticeable if at all. But the ice cubes did water the entire drink down very quickly.

Steak, curly fries: 4/5, very tasty and well done (except the steak was medium, haha). But the steak was a bit chewier than expected and harder to cut (perhaps because of the knife I got), and the salad was not my thing (though honestly, when has it ever been my thing?) and the dressing did soak into some of my fries, giving it a bit of a weird taste.

***

Note: I will not be adding any pictures to this post as the internet is really giving me a hard time lately. I’ll reblog this to add the pictures once I’m back home in a couple of days, or during layover at an airport

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Ten

Today was not a very big day. But although it can’t be compared to the first days of this adventure, it was fun nonetheless.

First thing Bee and I went out for some drinks and snacks. They got themself some pineapple juice, and I got raspberry licorice. Never thought I’d ever like anything containing even the word licorice, but here we are.

With no actual plans on our agenda, we headed for a few last rounds of Taiko no Tatsujin at Timezone. It was once again really fun, but did quite a number on my right wrist (no idea why this one in particular and not both).

We took another break, which included food again, because of course it did. This was the first time of me trying anything from KFC ever. And while it was tasty, it was not really something I’d see myself craving someday in the future.

Our ideas on what to do for the day ran thin, so we decided to just head back to the hostel. The walk back was quite funny though, as it was really windy at times.

I used the time I had to already pack up some of my luggage to make it easier for tomorrow. I also finally finished my halo book (hooray me!), technically. I read all main chapters and the epilogue. The adjunct files were just a bit.. too boring. I’ll just get back to that some other time.

Additionally, I took some more time to get back into traditional drawing. The pictures will be posted someday (hopefully) to the respective blogs they belong on (90% are CJ and Darnell related, because what else would they be honestly).

Nothing much happened since then. I spent time in my room watching YouTube and downloaded more videos on Netflix for the long flights. I thought the night would end with a ‘short’ viewing of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, but that didn’t end up happening due to technical difficulties.

My alarm is already set. My shower towels are dry and in the suitcase. All left unpacked are toiletries (because I was too tired to do it now), some valuables in the locker, and my bluey plushie of course.

Tomorrow will be quite a day, and I don’t know if I’ll like that. But just like the day when I began this journey, I’ll get through this.

Sponsorships of the day: KFC lunch, several rounds of Taiko

***

Note: I refuse to fight with the wifi again, so same as with my previous post, I will not share any pictures here and simply add them in a reblog at a later point in time, when better wifi is available to me.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Nine

Today was yet another fun day together with Bee. Early(-ish) in the day, I went to get myself some food for the last days of my stay to have something proper for breakfast and, if necessary, dinner. Not too long after that, we headed out for the lunar new year event. Yes, a second one. But it was not as much centred around shows and performances, but rather small shops and goodies to buy revolving around the festivity. In front of the arena was a street performance which we watched. It was very humorous and impressive at the same time. Inside the actual building were many shops. I was at first tempted to get myself something, but nothing really caught my eye enough to really want it *that* much. I suppose becoming an adult really did something to my impulse control, in a good way. We also checked out the food stalls of course. Bee got us tteokbokki and a Korean hotdog, then later on cookies-and-cream ice cream for me and gelato for himself.

With our main event done, we spontaneously decided to go down to a small beach area. It was a nice place to stay and relax at, and to let my feet dangle in the water for a bit. I didn’t know it at that time, but that was where my last Polaroid picture was taken.

Nearby was a small boat restaurant which Bee wanted to eat at with me, so we ordered some fries, small hotdogs, chicken nuggets and drinks (peach ice tea for me and apple cider for Bee).

We returned to our rooms for a brief break before going out to a restaurant which Bee also wanted me to try, Sweet Mother’s Kitchen. They had ordered curly fries, chicken tenders and a coke, while I had a sirloin steak, also with curly fries and two drinks, L&P and a Malonso cocktail.

Compared to our first few days, it was rather ‘uneventful’, but still just as fun to me.

Long story short, it was a very good filled day.

Sponsorships of the day: every single meal mentioned

Food Ranking:

Tteokbokki: 2/5, it has potential to be something I like. Just as of now, I don’t have a very high tolerance for Korean levels of spiciness, and it was overall a bit too chewy for my liking.

Korean hotdog: 3/5, in itself very tasty, but I would’ve preferred a different sausage

Cookies-and-Cream ice cream: 5/5, absolute banger, no notes

Peach iced tea: 4/5, delicious and refreshing, but it could’ve used a bit more flavour to it to be perfect

Mini hotdogs, chicken nuggets, fries: 3/5, average experience, nothing much to write home about. But the sauces were pretty good

Malonso cocktail: 4/5, very interesting taste, alcohol was barely noticeable if at all. But the ice cubes did water the entire drink down very quickly.

Steak, curly fries: 4/5, very tasty and well done (except the steak was medium, haha). But the steak was a bit chewier than expected and harder to cut (perhaps because of the knife I got), and the salad was not my thing (though honestly, when has it ever been my thing?) and the dressing did soak into some of my fries, giving it a bit of a weird taste.

***

Note: I will not be adding any pictures to this post as the internet is really giving me a hard time lately. I’ll reblog this to add the pictures once I’m back home in a couple of days, or during layover at an airport

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Seven and Eight

Due to health reasons, Bee and I did not go out and do anything grandiose on day seven. Only around evening did we go out for a small walk to the shops. That was pretty much all we were up to that day.

Today, however, was way more eventful. We started off getting ourselves some breakfast (though technically lunch) at McDonald’s, as they had a limited time offer for ‘adult happy meals’, which included toys. But at the time, the maccas near us only offered a happy meal with a Big Mac and fries, not chicken nuggets, so we decided to just share this one.

After a quick break, Bee and I continued the day by heading along the docks towards the museum again to check out whether anything had been set up for the event we’d attend later that day. Spoiler, the answer was no. But we still enjoyed our time as we sat down to listen to a group of taiko players performing in public.

Our next stop was Cuba Street, as I wanted to still get a souvenir for someone. We just left the docks and were about to cross the street when to my left, I saw a person I vaguely seemed to recognize. I looked up on my phone and asked Bee to confirm the similarity of the person to a YouTuber I watch, and only then did I see in their Twitter bio the location marker clearly say ‘New Zealand’. Until this moment, I thought she was from the USA, thus I did not believe my eyes at first when I saw her in passing. We quickly made our way back and through sheer luck actually got to run in with her once more, giving me the chance to confirm it was indeed Lily Simpson, and of course asking for a picture.

After that exciting encounter and finally getting the souvenir from Cuba Street, Bee and I made one more stop at the Lego store. The word of the passport just wouldn’t stop spreading, so we wanted to surprise two roommates of Bee with a passport, which the two were very happy about.

Another break took place, then it was time for the main event we had planned, a small lunar new year festival. We got to enjoy a (different) taiko group performing, and not too long after a dragon dance. I even had the opportunity to touch it, which apparently is supposed to bring you good luck. And the finale of that festival was, of course, a lot of firework. I can’t compare it to other lunar festivals, but as someone born on New Year’s Eve, I can confidently this firework was an absolute banger (pun not intended).

We headed back, wanting to get some dinner before retreating to our rooms for some sleep. On our way back, a very nice guy gifted Bee one of the lightsabers people could buy at the festival. And funnily enough, we ate at McDonald’s again, but this time they only had the adult happy meal with chicken nuggets. A definite win for me.

Sponsorship of the day: two happy meals (though technically only half of them)

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Six

Yet another slow day, this time even without a set alarm. It was very uneventful until around early afternoon. All I had been doing was reading a couple of chapters in my book and trying to get back into drawing.

But that does not mean that we did absolutely nothing the entire day. After changing into proper clothes, Bee and I went out to Timezone, an arcade not too far from our hostel. There, we spent some time playing Taiko (a rhythm game) together, and we also tried a machine that was similar to Dance Dance Revolution, but the controls had us both confused. We put in a quick break after that to recharge with some food and a drink, and after a nice chat outside, we went back in for another set of Taiko sessions.

Afterwards, we headed down to the gaming cafe Respawn again. I was initially planning on staying with Bee there to play some Halo Infinite again. But during the long wait, I somehow lost interest and decided we’d split up for the time to meet again later.

I decided to go out for a quick walk to the shops to get myself something more to eat, had a (much needed) shower and was unwinding until Bee’s return.

We ended the day with a dinner at McDonald’s again (though I didn’t eat much since I already had dinner just a short while beforehand.)

Sponsorships of the day: ca. ten rounds of Taiko and other games, Chicken kebab and Fanta

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Five

The day started for me rather early to make sure I ate enough breakfast. I was up earlier than necessary, so I spent some time reading (only have 6 chapters left in my halo book, hooray!) and browsing some tv channels. Then at 12:30pm, it was time for me to head out by myself for an appointment (which I will not disclose the purpose of here for the element of surprise). All I’ll say for now is that the people working were amazing and made the whole experience so much better than expected.

I made my way back to the hostel and was greeted by Bee right at the entrance. To celebrate my victory at the appointment, I got myself a cheeseburger before we got ready for yet another quick trip to get some things Bee needed.

After our small recharge and an outfit change for me, it was time for the main event of the day, a valentines tour of the zoo. Just a few days prior had we found out about it, a R18 event at the zoo in the evening. We already had planned on going to the zoo, so this was perfect for us.

The event was great, we had enough time to see every enclosure at least once, and we attended one of the short presentations they had scheduled. I also got myself a pulled pork burger for $18 (ca. 10€), which I personally found to be pretty much worth the price.

After that, we made our way back to the hostel, as it was getting late and we both were starting to get tired.

Sponsorship of the day: tall hot chocolate from Starbucks

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Four

The day was rather uneventful, compared to the amount of things Bee and I have been up to the days before.

I woke up around 7:40am, meaning I was ready by 8am while taking it slow. Bee took a bit longer than me, so I went over to the McDonald’s down the road to get us both a hash brown to start the day with. We both went down our usual route, making a stop at the Lego store to get them a passport with stamps, and going to a supermarket for some food. Other than that, we had no real plans. So we went down to the docks near the museum and just hung out. I took another Polaroid picture before we went back in the rough direction of our hostel. We got to meet up with Josh and another friend, and we strolled around the city some more for some casual shopping and chatting. While waiting outside, Bee and I watched a really cool street performer, had a chat with him and gave a small tip.

And of course, we made another stop at the Lego store, just so the two guys could also get themselves a passport. All together, we hung out by the docks again, where I took a group picture of the three of them (and Josh’s Garfield plushie, of course) before going separate ways. I just really needed a full break (it was about 1 or 2pm at that point).

Around 5pm, I got up and ready to head to the shops by myself. It wasn’t a big tour, just hitting up a supermarket for ingredients to prepare the mac and cheese I had bought earlier, as well as two other items.

The food was fine. I probably could’ve eaten more if I hadn’t been drinking all the leftover milk while cooking the whole time. But that’s alright, as I put my leftover food in the fridge (with a label of course so it doesn’t get thrown out).

As of writing this, I am in my room, completely by myself, again, and reading this crime book worthy level of drama Bee tells me about happening in his dorm room.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Three

The day started early, but intentionally this time. Bee and I went to the train station across the road to pick up their boyfriend Josh and friend Ayah. The wait took much longer than expected. We decided to let them get to Ayah’s apartment first while Bee and I went back to our dorms and get ready for a shopping tour as a group of five (me, Bee, Josh, Ayah and her boyfriend Anthony).

After a while of disorientation in search of the apartment, we all decided to get something to eat. We all got ourselves some sushi, and Josh and Bee also bought chicken katsu. There were leftovers, so we headed back to the apartment to refrigerate everything. But Bee wasn’t doing really great, and Ayah also wanted to get a bit of rest, so Josh, Anthony and I went on a small shopping tour ourselves. I was shown some very cool second hand shops (if I lived in Welly, I’d frequent them for sure), we checked out EB Games, Dangerfield (a clothes store), and of course the local Lego store. It was there that I remembered the fact that one can get a Lego passport and can get unique stamps from different stores around the world. I of course had to get one, and right away got three stamps with it.

Our small group split up after that, as I wanted to briefly stop at the hostel again and then buy myself insoles for my poor feet my shoes. It was a bit of an adventure to find the stores I needed, because Google maps doesn’t work as well in New Zealand apparently, unless you use it for driving (according to Bee). Anthony had sent me the address to find my way back to the apartment where everyone would be waiting. And while I managed to get there just fine (with a few breaks for my feet), it felt so much longer to walk 25 minutes than when I walk together with Bee.

After figuring out how to enter the premises without a key, Bee and I gathered our stuff and headed back to the hostel to finally get a proper round of rest.

The remainder of the day was not very adventurous, as we spent that time taking a shower and hanging out in the common room a bunch. It was nice to just do nothing for a while, which gave me the chance to finally read more of my Halo book. Maybe I’ll be able to finish it before the end of the trip.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day Two

Once again, the morning started earlier than planned (8am). We chose to get ready and go to the shops to buy some drinks and snacks for our lunch boxes we wanted to make for today’s adventure. Bee cooked sushi rice as well for us to pack.

With our backpacks full, we made our way down to the cable car station.

Up the hills, we took a quick look around the museum/shop and enjoyed the view right next to the station.

Our next stop was the Space Place, an observatory and sort of small space museum. We got tickets for both the museum and the show which was scheduled to begin just a couple of minutes after our arrival. The museum itself was fun to explore, and the show was a 20 minute kids animation about the tilt of the earth, and a roughly 25 minute presentation of the night sky, constellations, and the insane size of space, all projected on the dome ceiling.

Afterwards, we went on to explore the park and gardens. About halfway through and after buying some souvenirs (which I won’t reveal here, because they’re gifts for family), we sat down to eat our lunches.

(Video for listening to the amount of noise the cicadas made the entire time)

Food Ranking:

Sushi Rice with Tuna and Garlic powder: 4/5, a really neat idea for an easy but tasty lunch, maybe could need a bit more spices or other ingredients to get a bit more flavour in (or just more tuna)

Apple Juice: 4/5, very similar to the apple juice I know but a bit sweeter. Not overly sweet, but sweeter than I’m used to

Apple-Mango Puree: 5/5, very neat flavour, really just a better version of apple sauce and really great for a small snack on the go

Strawberry jello with Mango: 3/5, the jello is fine and not very sugary (probably because it’s intended for kids to eat), but I found the fruit bits in there to not really fit the flavour profile of the jello

***

The trip continued, and our aimless walking and reluctance to reading the map had us ending up lost somewhere in the complete opposite direction of where we wanted to go. While trying to make our way back on track, we met a very nice woman who let us pet her dog and even take a picture of it.

The walk to the start was treacherous and very uphill. Turns out, we took it backwards, just like the walk around the space museum. We took a break in the grass to recharge and then went back the same path to the souvenir shop, determined to make it to the rose garden as intended. Near the succulent garden, I took the first Polaroid picture.

The rose garden was a very nice place, and right next to was a small market set up, but it was about to close down just as we arrived. Our destination was just around the corner though, a small waterfall with a bunch of ducks living their best lives.

Once again, we recharged for a while and agreed to head back to the hostel for a break. It was 2:15pm that moment, meaning we’ve been up and going for almost five hours already. And we noticed how our tours so far never took us further away from the hostel than a 20 minute walk, which is very convenient when your feet are getting tired.

The walk back was even more treacherous than getting lost on the bush trail in the park, requiring two short breaks before finally making it to the pedestrian bridge crossing the highway. We passed the Beehive, the parliament building, and I took another picture of it and Bee with my camera before reaching our hostel.

We took a couple of hours to unwind and to let our feet rest, then it was time for a small surprise idea Bee had for us, a horror maze.

I’ve never really done a lot of horror related attractions aside from the occasional ride at some fair, but I was willing to try it out.

We had to walk in a single file line, so of course, the coward that I am, immediately called out Bee to walk in front. The maze was pitch black with just very rare bits of light and red dots above our heads to lead the way. The scare actors did a fantastical job, they scared us so well all the time. In the maze, I genuinely was really scared and swore to myself I’d never do this stuff ever again, but it was so much fun after getting out. (Probably because it was finally over.)

(Below is my favorite picture taken of us in the maze)

Before leaving, Bee bought the pictures and video for us to cherish the stupid faces we made, and I got myself a Freddy pin for my collection. After that, we made our way over to a gaming cafe.

We each paid $8 for two hours of time. Bee played League of Legends the whole time with friends, I tried getting back into Halo Infinite and Among Us.

The day came to an end around 11pm, sitting together in the common room while I ate ramen noodles (again) and writing the rest of this report while Bee bullies me for the stupid faces I always pull (love you pookie lol).

Sponsorships of the day: One-way cable car tickets, tickets for the Space Place, Fear Factory tickets, chicken kebab, L&P lemonade

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Day One

The night was rough, waking up every few hours because of some form of noise or the fact that it was real warm. But that aside, I slept better than initially expected.

Bee and I were up earlier than planned (awake at 6:30am, alarm set for 10am), so we decided to just go out and look around already. We got myself a SIM card for the duration of the vacation to have mobile data, and a pair of sweatpants to cope with the fact that I have no clothes to swap into and just be comfy in. (They are very comfy.)

I also tried hash browns for the first time. They are basically just Kartoffelpuffer, but deep fried instead of fried in a pan.

(Picture below is a funny statue I found during our shopping trip)

Afterwards, we decided to go to the Te Papa National Museum to look around. It was really interesting and fun to explore. There was even an earthquake simulation we tried out.

I of course also got myself a souvenir (a plush bird that makes sounds) before we left to get lunch at a sushi place.

We returned to the hostel for some rest before going to the main event of the day, a fundraiser for Palestine. The venue was a small club building called Meow. Before fully entering, we were asked by the security guard outside whether we were watching or there to perform. And once inside, Bee ordered us both a rum and coke to drink together during the show.

We got to watch many talented musicians, poets, comedians, a drag queen/king, and a sword swallower. All in all, it was an amazing evening.

Back at the hostel, we made ourselves some ramen noodles, so at least we were a bit closer to actually making ourselves dinner compared to the day before. Also, I was very happy to see my lost suitcase waiting for my return. I was once more reminded how horrible my handwriting is, as the tag from the agency had printed on the name “Foerter Franzisha”, and I doubt it was a typo on their side.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Melbourne, Delays, and Wellington

The longest ride is done. It felt horribly long, yet I was surprised how quickly it was over. Probably because of the naps I took. If I remember correctly, we were served three meals during the whole 12h flight, as well as the occasional drink offer of course. But I was too tired to write anything down about them, nor did I take pictures. So no food review for this flight.

In itself, the flight was fine. But the hefty delay under which it started had stressed me. My ticket to Wellington stated the gate opens at 7:15am, leaving 45 minute to board, and another run through TSA, because of course. By the time of landing, I was losing all calm I had. I was close to crying because the disembarking took forever and I was becoming more overstimulated. But as it later turned out, the plane was waiting for us. I rushed through TSA (minus the confusion of the staff when I asked to hand search my Polaroid film), and nice employees directed us to the gate at every corner.

We waited for all passengers, and again, I had an empty seat next to me, aisle this time. But I didn’t find it necessary to switch over to that seat. And due to technical difficulties, we ended up with a total delay of roughly 40 minutes until takeoff.

As of the time I was writing this, I was watching the Five Nights at Freddy’s movie with shitty (but somehow better) headphones, and eating a Werther’s Original thanks to the lovely old man I sat next to.

The flight was nice and short (compared to the two previous ones), and surprisingly, we were served breakfast. I had the choice between omelette, baked beans and sausage, or a fruit platter. And although I’m not a big omelette fan, I chose that because I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on the fruit platter.

Food Ranking:

Omelette: 5/5, absolutely tasty on its own already, I think it contained a bit of cheese. But sprinkling a tiny bit of salt on top made it taste even better

Potatoes: 3/5, a bit weird to handle (they were a bit firm, but brittle), and the taste was just fine

Baked Beans: 5/5, never had baked beans before, and these just killed it. Great flavour, no weird texture, and the sauce was great as well

Bacon: 4/5, decent bacon, meaning fine flavour and not completely burned or soggy with oil, it just had lost some of its original feel due to the reheat I think

Muffin: 3/5, fine dessert, not really sweet, but I was just too stuffed to really enjoy it, and the flavour was fine, but just not good enough to stuff myself full with

***

The plane landed a bit chaotically on the runway right by the beach, but all went fine. We [the passengers] disembarked and headed for the luggage carousel to pick up our suitcases. Except mine didn’t show up, as well as several others. The first thing I got to do in New Zealand wasn’t going through border control, it was filing a missing luggage form along with about ten other people.

With that out of the way, the border control went by super fast. I handed them the form and keys to my luggage, and since my declaration file was made online as well as my NZeTA, the woman only needed my passport to check. I was actually a bit disappointed that she didn’t ask for my return ticket as proof, since I had made sure to print it out. After that, I was told to follow the line past the biosecurity checkpoint and a small beagle dog who was working there.

I was now officially in Wellington.

Bee was already waiting for me, and after a quick hello, we headed into town with the bus, ticket sponsored by him. We found our hostel and checked in. Unfortunately, not the same room, or the same floor. But we manage.

We did some shopping for foods I should try, took another break in the common room, and then got small bit of dinner at the McDonald’s next door because we were both too exhausted to bother cooking.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: DXB to MEL

I have not even finished a quarter of the longest flight yet (estimated 12h total), yet I am already making an update.

Nothing spectacular has happened to me really. The gate check in was no problem (for once). I was just surprised to hear so many announcements when previously, it had been made very clear that DXB is a ‘silent airport’, meaning no announcements whatsoever.

But the plane was delayed rather heavily out of nowhere. I think we took off 1h 30min later than planned. And it only now began to really affect me that I have been up and kicking for pretty much 24h straight.

I was so tired in fact, I nearly dozed of several times before taking off. And once we were in the air, I laid my head on the table on slept for about an hour before food was served again.

This time, I did actually get lucky though. For some reason, the passenger who was supposed to take the seat to my left didn’t show up. Now I’m sharing the row with just one other guy. He’s sleeping the whole time in his aisle seat, and I scooted over to the window seat.

I’ll make a food ranking in another post, as I am still too tired and really need to catch up on some sleep before I board my last flight to Wellington.

[alexiusgoesrogue]

Status Update: Emirates and Dubai (DXB)

The check-in at the gate was a mess and easy at the same time. The announcer voice did not make it very easy to hear whether Group B or Group E would be boarding next. But with that sorted out quickly, with delay thanks to the Lufthansa strike, I was on my way down into my first ever shuttle ride. Meanwhile dad watched from the rooftop of the car park since the viewing platform was closed off for construction.

And of course, I got “lucky”. Two crying infants/toddlers just a row ahead of me. I at first tried to sleep through the flight, like the girl sat to my left did, but even noise cancelling headphones have their limits, and I can’t sleep upright. I am yet to figure out how to kick back my seat.

Curious thing I noticed, the monitors in the seats occasionally show when the next prayer time would be for muslims according to the local timezone, with a graphic showing the direction of Mecca. Also, there’s three cameras on the plane which I could switch between freely to look around outside. I just barely used the feature, it was mostly pitch black for my night flight.

Before flying over Bucharest, food was served. I was asked whether I’d like beef or chicken. But the constant language switching today made me not realize that I asked “nochmal?” in response. The curious look the steward gave me made me realize my mistake.

I chose beef, and was handed a full tray just a minute or two later

Food Ranking

Noodles: 4/5, a weird taste for noodles, but tasty nonetheless, and the bell pepper (?) was a good touch

Main Course: 5/5, first time eating what I assume to be spinach. In itself, not my thing. But with the side dish (no idea what it was, tasted like a tasty, decently spiced, coarse version of mashed potatoes), it was absolutely tolerable. The meatballs and sauce were great, too.

Cheddar: 3/5, a bit unusual texture and taste compared to non-airplane-food cheese, but fine.

Bread roll: 4/5, totally fine to eat on its own when failing to realize there is also a piece of butter on the tray

Crackers: 3/5, basically just a softer version of tuc

Belgian Cookie: 2/5, very soft baked, yet a gooey (?) texture, and a strange, at most tolerable taste

Cheese Cake: n/a, I was too stuffed to try it

***

Another interesting discovery, when the canon is dark, the ceiling has small lights to look like the night sky.

Additionally, I watched a few available episodes of Bluey before takeoff. The headphones provided would make a fine video on Dankpods for sure, and not to be praised.

What I take away from this first leg of the tour done:

-don’t store your bag under a seat, or you will have no legroom. And six hours suck with my busted knees.

-figure out the seat position feature before everyone has boarded

-avoid switching between English and German, only do it if necessary

-never again settle for a middle seat. Go window or aisle, either is far better than the awkward middle.

The flight has been survived though. As of writing, I am currently waiting at the gate for my next flight, twice the length. Send help

The Dubai airport (DXB) is big, yet it doesn’t feel that way. Genuinely, you only feel the size when you see how far up the elevators go, or when you have to take a small train to get to your gate. London Stansted is several times smaller, yet feels endlessly long.

Next achievement I unlocked was finally paying with credit card in person. Only took five tries, but I got my food after all. And I am still unsure whether I like the different taste of McDonald’s food in Dubai.