Wanderlust n Free ☮

HI! I'm Allie ~ Hooray for everything!

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A few photos from the last days in Wanaka and skiing/snowboarding at Cardrona!

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Dubai stop over - eating breakfast in the bathroom, riding camels in the desert, tradition dance show, Coco the camel, and the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world at 2,717ft high)

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Dune bashing in the Arabian Desert - Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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Getting out of the airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates!

One of the very few countries where the gas is cheaper than water.

After passing thru Dubai on a number of layovers with Emirates we decided to finally go check out the city.  Our flight arrived at 5am and we had until 8am the following day, but low n behold we were too stubborn to book a hotel – even there are hostels for $30pp a night.  We rechecked in our bags and set out for the town.  We were soon informed it was Ramada.  A Muslim holiday running fron June 8 to July XXXX? Celebrating the XXXX. What this holiday means for non-Muslims is that you are not allowed to eat or drink in public from sun up to sun down. Funny that, the grumpiness was already starting to set in from the 22-hour journey it took to get from Christchurch, New Zealand to Dubai.  I went snowboarding 2 days before the flight and bruised my bum, which made for an INCREDIBLY painful journey.  The fact that some angel on our shoulders gave us the absolute best seat I have EVER had in my entire life was useless because of the large bruise right next to my tailbone.

 Not only were we not allowed to eat in public during these times the restaurants were more or less closed until 12pm.  At this time each of the malls (which is what most of Dubai is) opened up sections of their food courts for non-Muslims to consume their food & drink behind the block barriers.  It was 8 and had been a few hours since a meal and going 4 more hours without was out of the question.  A few of them offered take-away but you were not allowed to eat in public.  Our solution, buy take-away and eat it in the bathroom.  While it worked for a one-time deal I hope I will never have to again and I thank my lucky stars no one came in the entire time I was in there leisurely drinking my exceptionally necessary coffee.

 We should have brought our bathing suits and went straight for The Palm (a man made beach more or less made for resorts in the shape of a palm tree when see from the sky.  A few places allow you to pay to use the pool (and waterslides and luxurious lounge areas) for the day.  But we didn’t and we ended up roaming around the enormous malls, which are of absolutely zero interest as I have better things to spend my money on than expensive clothes.  We did get to see a few of the ridiculous things inside the malls like the inside snow ski area, a massive aquarium, indoor ice rink, cinema, atrium…

 Not interested in paying $30 for a hotel but obviously more than happy to pay $45 for a desert safari! SERIOUS FUN, you absolutely HAVE to do this if you ever stop in Dubai for a day. www.sesertsafaridubai.com They collected us from wherever we wanted in town and took us out in an air conditioned 4x4 ride out to the desert.  We sped around the desert dune-bashing and it was so thrilling! We were on two wheels taking turns, we charged hills we couldn’t see the other side of, we hung from sand cliffs that were rapidly disappearing.  Watch the video.  We then got to take some photos and ride a camel, dress in tradition clothing, get henna tattoos and were given a full on BBQ meal with unlimited amounts of hummus – what more could you actually want in life.

 Top Tips – it was 39 (105) degrees and rather suffocating but I was happy with pants, long sleeve and a sweater because they thankfully crank the AC indoors.  A 24 hour metro card is roughly $7 and takes you to anywhere you want to go leaving directly from the airport.  You will never wait more than 3 minutes for a train. Keep an eye on which car you get on, there is a specific one for women & children painted pink that men can get a fine for.  We got around the city not having to withdraw cash for anything BUT cabs! Our cabbie didn’t take cards ;)

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A quick stop in Dubai to defrost in 39/102 degree heat on our way back to Sweden! Decided to be the most touristy of folk and go on a dune-bashing Arabian desert safari. They collected us from the air-conditioned mall and took us in an air-conditioned 4x4 to the desert and went wild! We went up on two wheels, screeched down the side of disappearing sand cliffs and all but launched off the top of ridges we couldn’t see to the bottom of. We also happened to be there during Ramadan - an Islamic holiday that is observed by fasting from sun up to sun down during the 9th month of the Islamic calendar which is June 6 to July 5 this year. No food or drink is to be consumed in public. Restaurants only sell things for take away for non-Muslims and it must be consumed in private. After 12 noon each mall has a food court dedicated to non-Muslims for eating behind the barriers they put up. We got to town at 8am and it had already been 4 hours since anything to eat and another 4 was out of the question. So to solve the problem we bought take away and ate it in the BATHROOM! 🐪 (at Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

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Copland Track, Westlands - South Island, New Zealand

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Managed to squeeze in one last New Zealand adventure (for now;). Overnight hike to Welcome Flat Hut on the Copland track to soak in these fabulous natural hot pools! The trek took just under 6 hours each way. Passing thru rainforest and swamp along the Copland River. It had been raining recently which made for a dirty & slippery walk along the mossy rocks and over countless creeks and little waterfalls. The hut itself was brand new and had a resident mouse who was very curious of our gear🐭. The pools were amazing! Super hot and they didn't smell funky. They were surrounded by high mountains with snow covered peaks. Oh and don't stop at Architect Hut on the way - it's creepy as and smells like a dead person. 😳 • • • • • • #nzmustdo #westlands #westcoast #hikenz #treknz #newzealand #southisland #southislandnz #coplandtrack #welcomeflathut #welcomeflathotpools #hotsprings #rei1440project #getoutside #freshair #ilovenz #coplandriver #adventureisoutthere #mybackpackismyhome #backpacker #backpackingnz (at Copland Track, South Westland)

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Tunnel Beach, Dunedin - South Island, New Zealand

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Tunnel Beach is only 7.5 km away from Dunedin. This little gem is like a miniature Great Ocean Road. There are sandstone cliffs & rock formations with arches and caves along the rocky coastline and even a little tunnel that leads you to a secret beach. 🌊🐬 (at Tunnel Beach, Dunedin, New Zealand)

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RouteburnTrack,NewZealandGreatWalkconnectingFiordlandNationalPark&MountAspiringNationalPark

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RouteburnTrack

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RouteburnTrack(meetingFiordlandNationalPark&MountAspiringNationalPark

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RouteburnTrack

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MY ABSOLUTE MOST FAVORITE PART OF NEW ZEALAND! The ridiculously famous and well-trodden Routeburn track is hands down the most beautiful part I have explored of the country so far! The 32km long Routeburn connects Mount Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park. During the high season (roughly end October - end April) this route sees far too many people. It's been labeled top 11 hikes in the world by National Geographic! My recommendation is to go in winter to see all of the mountains covered in snow! I still cannot believe it. We went end of May and got lucky with amazing weather! It snowed up at the saddle and we tramped thru low snow for a solid 4 hours but waterproof boots and warm gloves are all you need! The Department of Conservation recommends 3-4 days but we did it in 2 (and could have even made it in 1). It's a one way track meaning you have to hitchhike back to your car but even with 5 of us we managed to make it back no problems. We started just past Glenorchy in Mount Aspiring National Park. For the first 3 hours we walked thru mountain beech forest until we reached Routeburn Falls Hut (an actual palace compared to the other huts in NZ) with stunning views of the valley below. We then climbed for an easy hour or so up to Harris Saddle (1255m), the trek's highest point. The clouds started rolling in up at the saddle and it was snowing lightly for a little while so the views weren't really all there but when we were given small glimpses of the ridges we were tickled with excitement. We then walked down to Mackenzie Lake to stay at the hut there, this day took us 8 hours in total. The following morning we walked out thru more alluring waterfalls and enchanting forest for 3.5 hours before reaching The Divide (the carpark located right on the Te Anau-Milford Highway). My #1 NZ recommendation (in winter)!! (at Routeburn Track)

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Have I mentioned Wanaka is quite perfect? Car photoed: Tina - a vehicle we hitchhiked in and ended up buying for $400, amazingly we sold it for the same price to our lovely housemates who are now taking her on wonderful adventures!

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Skyline Track to Rob Roy Peak - Wanaka, New Zealand

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Skyline Track -- the Stack Conservation to Roy's Peak car park on Mt Aspiring Road. It took us 7 hours at a rather leisurely pace. The track began off Cardrona Valley Road and passes farms and a few fords for an hour first before the 2 hour ascend up to the top of Mount Alpha (1630 meters). Crossing the saddle to reach Roy's Peak you're rewarded with this! It's pretty straight forward for a while and then things get a little hairy, a skinny trail leads along the edges of cliffs I ended up on all fours to go up and down the haystack in one section. We reached Roy's Peak (1578 meters) for sunset and were guided down the path by the nearly full moon. The following morning both peaks were covered in snow! If you're going to do the ridiculously popular Roy's Peak trek, do yourself a favor and do the Skyline. This hike is also doable in reverse but to max out the views do it they way we did;). Hitchhike back to your car or leaving another car at the other end 🏔 (at Roys Peak)