A moment of gratitude.

As sparks fly a youthfulness is casted over every person. The transforming colors and patterns take the midnight sky, and for the 7 minutes all eyes stare up in hopes That the Next moment will surpass the last. Nothing short of amazing,the defusing sparks fall slowly decapitating before reaching the earth. It's as if God paused time, the once glimmering fireworks has become frozen and placed into the night sky forever. Stars cast over us daily, yet the recognition of a phenomenon above is merely simplified to a glance up in hopes to see the occasional full moon. magnificent beauty seen by few outside this globe is taken for granted by all. For seeing things is amazing, but sharing them produces the perfect moment. A bond formed with the uncomprehendable  sites, and connection with those you care about create a warmth inside the soul that leaves you  satisfied, like  that of a young child sipping on hot chocolate after a day in the snow. Whipping up dinner, following it with dessert, and toping it off with star gazing on a twin size mattress, the six of us joined together sharing moments, and laughs through a freedom of travel and special bond formed in every traveler. The worries of the world is left at home with mom along with emergency contact info. and bonding with fellow travelers create stronger friendships faster then any connections. Similarities are already aligned for ambition has driven us both to the same place. The road of traveling.

As mountains abruptly halt, and water aimlessly falls to the rivers an stream beneath, The unique creation of a waterfall is quickly spotted everywhere down the west coast of the south island. I see your lakes Spokane, and raise you a cornucopia of waterfalls. Like stars in the sky, waterfalls can slowly become less appealing because in the last four days it's been a common site. As life comes full steam ahead it's important to not become continent on the road of traveling, nor at home. For in the moment of seeing another waterfall, large or small, soak in that moment for what it is...amazing. 

As our travels continue we eventually come to a fork, two signs pointing in two different directions. One says Dunedin and the other Christchurch. Goodbyes are heavy, but if it's only temporary, which I have to believe it is, then the hellos to come will be even heavier.  these three girls allowed me to accompany them for a week, and o the joy that has come from this period of traveling. A small family was created in a tiny four door corolla. And as I come back home and share this part of the journey with friends, only the ones in that corolla will be able to Phaethon what was experienced. And to you three I say this, you are women of strength and beauty, love and kindness, humor and sarcasm, but what I will not remember you by is where your from, nor your ethnicity, or features , but by your hearts and souls. Enjoy the rest of your travels, and I hope your travels allow me to stumble across you again. 

As for me, I saw glaciers, lakes, mountains, sounds, and sheep. Slept on a hippies bus, to a bus in a families backyard. Held parrots, hung out with baby cows, and stood under waterfalls. There was even a
moment where I descended into the clouds( We were so high up at one point in our drive that we sat above the clouds). Pictures have been captured and memory's made, but the only thing I can say about this part of the trip is mystical.

Now off to Dunedin I go. Excitement roars within like a lion, yet composed with calmness like a cheetah spying on its prey. The reason behind my travels is about to be achieved. Seeing my uncle and his family in dunedein is something I longed for. The journey leading up to this point is nothing less then riveting. A reverence for the road at hand. A tip for the man playing on the corner. A silent applause orchestrated by the wind. Followed by a bow from the trees. I'll drop my comments off in the clouds, and listen to what the rain has to say. And when she's done talking Ill thank he who created this place. And continue on with my journey. 

Thumbs pointing south

As my journey continues the perception of traveling is demolished by exceeding standard of adventures. Each day hatches a new expedition full of interesting task. The trailer I formed for this adventure is put to rest by the unprecedented circumstances. I realize what I thought of, and what is to be, are on two sides of the spectrum. Like watching a movie trailer, then watching a movie, standards can be shattered because the expectation is surpassed by the quality of fulfillment in the theater. This journey has surpassed anything I could of thought of.  No true grasp can be secured unless you are there to cling onto what it is you desire to hold. My travels have been a life changing experience. Reflection is promising when traveling. Nevertheless, appreciation for the things that have been falling second to useless priorities are coming to the forefront of my mind. Friendships I've always had are now even more valued when away, Family is being cherished, and a closet with a plethora of options sounds golden. I'm currently traveling south yet I know each step taken is one closer to home. Time is ticking an d I'm nearing on a month left. I can only assume the enjoyment of home will last for a bit then the craving for more will flare up. So im enjoying this spontaneous lifestyle, and going with the wind. 

I met a guy from czech republic names Martin. He took me to Napier where I stayed with a family friend names mike. I arrived in Napier the same time the city was having their 1930s festival. The entire city is morphed into the 1930s, everyone dresses up, old cars line the streets, a live band plays on the beach, and old machinery is put in display. Also, mike took me fishing on Sunday. Although We didn't catch anything we did capture everlasting memories.  Napier is a nice little town, and I can't thank mike and his family enough for the hospitality, and warm gestures.

From there I was dropped off on the out skirts of town. I hitched a ride from Napier to Wellington with a man named hue. At first I was a little skeptical with riding with a stranger, but after a brief convo I knew this ride would be smooth riding. Hue is a 65 yr old retired scientist. He use to travel when he was younger. We exchanged stories and stopped at some place along the way. He even took me to the train station in his city so I could get to my final destination. Nice chap he is. Altogether I hitched the distance between Vancouver washington and Seattle. 

In Wellington, which is located at the  bottom of the north island. I found a hostel, got situated and then went to
Meet some girls. I met some girls I had been talking to from a website called couch surfing. This website allows you to see what other travelers are doing, and possible stay on a locals couch for the night. Shortly after we met, I bought a ticket for the ferry and am now traveling with them on the south island. We did wine tasting, and am currently undergoing my first couch surfing experience. They are sleeping inside the house and I am In a bus, one that reminds me of the one in "into the wild." it's pretty sweet!!! 

More so, I was introduced casually to a guy named Juan. He is an animator for a company called wedda. If you don't know what level of Editing he's on through this company then you'll realize through the movies he did...which are: rise of the planet of the apes, the hobbit, adventures of tin tin, avatar, etc. I was able to pick his brain about media. Super cool guy, so chill and welcoming. I'm looking forward to going back to Wellington and connecting with him. 

This journey has been a long one and my beard will prove it when I return. I lost my razor so I have no intention of shaving. Can't hold one anyways because my thumbs are out and they are pointing south.


"Let the wind blow and I shall tumble along with it like a leaf, Careless and free."
               

          

homeless to homeland

If you are my relatives you probably wont want to read this, if you're my friends you'll probably find this pretty insane, and if you like adventure, enjoy.


So my flight to New Zealand arrived into Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, at 12:30 a.m. I didn't get out of customs until 2 am. I stepped foot in a new country. With no plans, no one to pick me up, and no friends, I had no clue what to do. I was far out from the city and didnt even know how to get there. The night was clear and dry. the city was silent and asleep. And and two thirtyt am i found myself skating down the street in new zealand. My arrival into a country I always dreamed of coming to, wasn't one I imagined. As I continued to skate in hopes of someone invitiing me in for the night I realized I was about to do something  never done...spend the night on the streets. At about three am i started looking for places to sleep, checked buidlings, parks, fields, anything that would keep me out of harms way through the night and into the morning. I didnt want to be seen by anyone. I even walked througha cemetery. I figured no one was going to be there except the dead of course. And I was willing to sleep next to them if that meant protection. As I walked through the cemetery I found some prime locations to sleep. The only reason why I didnt sleep there was because I didnt know when matienence would arrive the next morning. the last thing i watned was being greeted by some kiwi cops on my first morning. I kept moving on until i came across a church. Theres not a better place to crash for a rookie on the streets. So i went behind this church, set up camp at about four, and fell asleep between the church a field and a house. I was greeted by a church member the next morning, she asked what i was doing. Simply said I thought all was welcomed to the house og God regardless the hour. Ok i didnt say that, but i just answered honestly packed up at seven and continued to skate toward the city.

Getting to the city took forever. what should have been an hour trip took me four. its a lot like seattle, hills, rain, and cloudy. I couldnt see the skyline and all the hills covered up and signs of downtown. after the long trek i finally made it to downtown auckland. checked in  a hostel at about one and slept to six pm.

O my gosh, i swear to you this hostel was the most janky, sketchy, random, ran-down hostel ever. My roommates were three guys from india and a dude named cody who was local. two of the indian guys were pretty cool, used "bro" way to much. the other guy was sketchy. When I entered at noon he was submerged under his blankets, i figured he had a late night of partying and was sleeping in. When I woke up at six pm he was still under the covers, i then thought he was dead until i saw him move. Then I went out for dinner came back at like 8, still under the covers. Left for a movie at nine came back and he was still under his covers. and entire day he didnt leave his bed...creepy. I went to bed at 12:30 am, when i was falling asleep the guy gets up and starts pacing from one side of the room to another. like face pacing to the end of the room would stop, spin and walk to the otherside. he did this for a straight hr, he would periodically stop and look out the window for thirty seconds then conitue pacing. I asked if he was ok but his accent was to strong for me to understand his response. he stayed up the entire night. I woke up randomly at four am and he was facing the wall looking at his computer. The next day same thing, spent all day in bed, i didnt see him, move, didnt see his face, nothing. Until i came back once and he was gone, he walked in the room, I told him my name and he just stared at me then walked to his bed. I left the room and came back later and he was eating subway iin the dark, not a single light on. then that night he stayed up all night pacing and what not. He didnt change his clothes the whole time I was there, even though he had extra clothes, and the room smelled like a decomposing body, swear. the guy was insane. i literally slept with my knife under my pillow both nights.

But the local mate in the room was real cool. His name is cody and he has traveled to the states, he knows a lot about american sports, which is nice. After talking for a little bit we had much incommon. It was one of those encounters where you feel like you knew the person your entire life even though you just met. So the next day , last day at the hostel, him and I hungout in the city. He was my first friend in New Zealand, He couldn"t come at a better time because the sketchy hostel and boring city made me want to leave auckland, which i was going to do on monday, the day i checked out of the hostel. As we hungout we realized we were checking out the same day. He randomly invited me to his moms house for her birthday party, now that has turned into me staying at their house. Their mali ( the natives of the island) so they have much pride for their land and history. One thing led to another and Ive been stayinng with his family ever since. THey even let their kids skip school to come hangout with the new american family member. I was embraced like I was their own. Literally already call Mrs. Randell mom and Mr. Randell dad. Its funny because I feel like an exchange student, have my own bed, they dont let me make my food, they did my laundry, super nice and  loving. whanau means family in mali (the native language) and thas how ive been embraced...

Tim is not an essence

The rain beats on my tent, the consistent thud of the drops makes the experience of camping so beautiful. Im lying in the middle of a thunderstorm on the top of the blue mountains, serenity feels the air, it's the perfect last day...until I woke up the next morning soaked, backpack wet, sleeping bag drenched, I'm cold. 

It's the last day of two weeks, I've been away from my home for about three weeks now. There have been more moments where the time feels like its standing still, yet I find myself looking at time like a pair of lost keys, I've kept a grasp on it for so long, but today I can't find it.  It has seem to slip through my fingers, and I'm mentally reflecting on where i last left  it. For so long i held onto it counting down my return. I must of set it down on the counter the day I left all my worries to chase after something I didn't know I was running for.

As We walk down life's path it's abrupt edges leaves people struck with fear. So naturally we glance back, we want to see who will be there incase we can't do it, incase we fail. Yet, as I looked back i saw no one, not a single soul I knew. And that's when self-realization hits as a traveler, when you come to except that in the physical state you are alone. the backbone to most travelers is left at home.feeling paralyzed you don't want to move. You have all the time in the world and your agenda has been set on fire like a Forrest. So when your friends are gone, when the family is absent, when your job means nothing, and your most valuable possession collect dust, the real challenge begins. The things that I thought made me, don't. The things I now realize I invest in way to much have been kicked from beneath me. You get to know yourself in a whole new way, and the process is beautiful. At first adapting to traveling was hard because i was trying to discover something that has already been discovered. until i realized backpacking isn't about discovering new land, or seeing new things, but its ultimately about  discovering yourself through the must bizarre circumstances. Circumstance that are a rarity when at home. 

Now that I've understood and taken in the processes of backpacking i really started understanding how I function. backpacking has evolved into one of my favorite things. What you learn is unbelievable, and  The stories are endless. 

Here's one...

Her name is Mrs. Victoria, she owns a piano shop. Luckily I was able to get there before she closed, but surprisingly I stayed for an hour after she closed talking with her about life and her adventures when she was younger. As I went back to mrs. Victoria's piano shop to play the next day, a man entered briefly after i started playing. He  was talking to the owner, mrs. Victoria  when he heard me playing one of the pianos in the corner. He approached me and introduces himself, he then ask to take a seat. I said yes of course, he tells me to continue playing what I was playing, so I do. Then he just freely starts playing along on the top half of the piano as I played the bottom. We performed a duet together, even drew a small crowd. I'm suppose to meet him tomorrow morning before I leave to play some more, maybe get some lessons. He said i play from the heart and have a gentle spirit when i play. I guess you can say I did find time and it wasn't on the counter,  Ive been holding it altogether. I just  don't look for it anymore...

The hardest thing about traveling.

The day you wake up and realize your temporary friends are now your best friends. The only people you know are the ones that sleep in the same room and for that a friendship is formed. Either out of pure goodness and the instant connection of personalities, or the fact of avoiding a fear that sets in every persons mind...loneliness. having someone there to exchange a few words is such a beautiful thing, one taken for granted, more so overlooked. It's our nature to connect with others, so becoming a lone wolf on a journey outside of a comfort zone has some obstacles along the way. The day-to-day living (literally) is hard enough. Not having a home, and everywhere you stay is only temporary. Nothing like getting off work and knowing your going to the comforts of your home, or going on a nice jog and coming home to a hot shower. But out here, on this journey, home could be a park one night and a couch the next. the physical sleeping condition isn't the battle, it's the mindset. Just as fast as I made friends they could be gone, nothin last forever, so the moments I do have with people here are cherished. For a week straight my temporary friends became my best friends and on sunday I find myself roaming the streets alone again, just like on day one. The comforts of home became extremely intriguing and the adventure side is now lifted in the air like a kid on the opposite side of a teeter totter. What weighs more heavily in this moment is the friendships, the comfort of my home, the clean sheets of my bed. For that kid in the air he can now turn into a ballon and float away like a dream escaping into the vast sky. And I can return to what matters most. But what does matter most? Do pursuing dream not call for sacrifice? For motivation and persistence? And with that said I jump in efforts of grabbing my ballon before it escapes, and my dream are now placed back into
My soul. My soul that craves adventures such as this. So I continue on, holding conversations with random Strangers to fill the void of loneliness. The battle is hard for sure. And the road is unstable but the beauty of faith is in play, my uncommon denominator to the world. And for that I meet new friends, and they become my best friends...until
Tomorrow....then who knows.

red cups

My time in sydney has come to an end. After a week of staying in the heart of sydney, tomorrow will be my last day. The experience here will be one Ill never forget.  What has been created here will not become just a memory, but a project set on the shelf until I return to it. I leave to go traveling with people I just met a couple hours ago. I saw a post with the caption "road trip" on a website called couchsurfing. I contacted the source and sure enough they let me be apart of their trip. we leave tomorrow in a campervan, heading south. We are going to stop at the blue mountains and what not. If i can postpone my flight to new zealand I might be able to stay on the road with them longer, if not, i will jump off wherever i am on thursday and hop on a bus back to sydney. ill be on the road for the next five days, then i fly out to new zealand on the tenth. the people i will be traveling with are three french peeps, one male two females, and a girl from Iran.This journey i look forward too because a week in one place is enough for me. ive seen just about everything i wanted to see and learned a lot as well.

o yes, i recieved my first sunburn the other day, it wasnt anything insane. nothing you see on white people that make you gritt your teeth because its so bad. but, nontheless it was a burn and it hurt greatly. australia has a thinner ozone layer above it so the sun rays are stronger. since i am allergic to sunscreen, i dont have a fully efficient way of protecting myself from the exposure of the sun here.

my roommates birthday was yesterday so we went celebrating, which was a blast. the group of friends ive been hanging out with from this hostel consist of people from all over europe. this hostel reminds me a lot like the movement, the only thing is everyone is from a different country. we have four beds in a room and even the pleasure of having nightime visitors...bed bugs. i guess thats a sacrifice that has to be made when traveling like this. as long as they dont get in my bag ill be ok. and i assure you my paranoid self has taken multiple steps to making sure those things dont bite me. anyways, my friends birthday, he turned 20 and we went to this sweet bar and had dinner and played ping-pong. i introduce them to tech n9ne, they freaking love his music haha. they always ask me about american parties and if they function a lot like the movie superbad. yes just like that was my response. then i told them a story about how i ran down a street carrying a container of laundry soap filled with beer to a party once, while avoiding cops. honestly though, the smallest cultural difference becomes greatly highlighted, for example, looking to the left and starting to cross the street when im suppose to be looking right. almost been hit by some vechiles doing that. or using another travels computer and all the letters are located in a different place. another funny question they ask me whats up with american party´s and red cups? i simply said it´s a law...