Tintin and the City

Trust me, I came to Wellington prepared for hilly walks and hikes.  J kindly bought me hiking boots last Christmas and although I really love them, I think it's quite early for me to be wearing them. I am saving them for longer and more challenging hikes. And so when we went up Mt Victoria, I was wearing my flip-flops. I know I have the stupid tendency to dress up inappropriately at times, choosing fashion over comfort so forgive me if you come across photos of me like the one below. But don't worry, I have bought a new pair of trainers since and I have been wearing them regularly especially if I know that we will be walking uphill or long distance. Going back to Mt Victoria, we are fortunate enough to live in this suburb because it is a walking distance to a lot of beautiful places in Wellington including the most talked about Mt Victoria lookout. Although we could have driven or taken the bus (20) to the summit, we chose to go on foot so we could take some photos and

Last weekend, J and I hit the road and enjoyed the most scenic views to Cape Palliser - the southernmost part of the North island. The whole experience left me in awe as we passed by beautiful landscapes and drove over the picturesque Rimutaka mountain range .  Although I thoroughly enjoyed the whole adventure, there was just this 15 minute part of the journey that made me really uneasy and that was the drive over Rimutaka Hill Road. The road although structurally good, was steep and winding.  I was so scared that I couldn't even drop my left arm from the grab handle (or others call it the "Oh, sh*t" bar).  I  never liked traveling over mountains to be honest. I used to force myself to sleep whenever I went up to Baguio in my university days so that I wouldn't feel the bus going up Marcos Highway. Unfortunately,  I don't sleep in a moving vehicle (that much) anymore. Instead, I have turned into this annoying old lady who constantly tells the driver to be care

Between conquering my phobias (agoraphobia and aquaphobia) and my poor sense of direction was my desire to walk around the beautiful bays and beaches of Wellington. At first I was unsure because from what I noticed, the roads are winding and can be very quiet at times. I really couldn't imagine myself alone on the road next to the water, not knowing which way to go. Just the thought of it made me cringe. But I knew that somehow it's got to be done because otherwise I will be missing out on a very good experience. Everyday when I took J to work, I saw quite a few people running or walking around the bay. Although I was very jealous then,  I knew that I couldn't do it just yet. Until one day I woke up hyper and wanted to challenge myself. So I took Jamie to work as usual and instead of taking the bus, I ran back home. At first I was nervous but eventually I calmed down. I didn't realise how calming the sound of the water and the smell of the sea can be. Pardon my i

Where did the time go? I can't believe we have been in Wellington for a month now. It feels like only yesterday when I was at the airport worrying about whether I could even go past immigration or not.  Ha, a lot of good things have happened since. Life remains imperfect of course, but it's good enough for me to enjoy what I have here. The truth is, I already love Wellington (although my hair and my skin don't) and I am very blessed to have been given the chance to live here. It's a ridiculously beautiful city and so laid-back. I have a lot more to say about this amazing place, but it's hard for me to put them into words right now. Maybe next time . For the meantime, let me tell you what J and I have been up to in the last four weeks. The first two weeks were all about finding our way around the city. Sure it can be so daunting to be (or live in that matter) in a new city and not know anything about it. To be honest before coming here, I didn't do any rese