Tramping in New Zealand and Getting a Taste of China

My traveling companions, "The Flying Yanks," and I headed to the Southern Hemisphere for an adventure in the wilds of New Zealand in early 2003 -- smack-dab at the height of the "Lord of the Rings" fever. New Zealand certainly didn't disappoint as the real-life version of Tolkien's Middle Earth.

After a couple wonderful weeks exploring the land of the kiwi, I headed off alone to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China -- smack-dab at the beginning of the SARS fever epidemic. Without any idea of what SARS wa, I explored Hong Kong for a couple days and then met up with my long-time Chinese penpal in Guangzhou. I'm still here to tell the story, so I guess I made it out OK.

Enjoy the photos!