day seven in egypt

I MISS EXPOSING MY LEGS.

thirty hours with myself

long haul flights are like being forced to eat mashed potatoes and watery soup for two weeks. it either drives you batshit crazy or you eventually acquire a sense of profound enlightenment. in my case, my thirty plus hours was most definitely both (and more). it took me from auckland to bangkok to zurich to cairo, with three hour stopovers.the feeling of sitting in transit, waiting for a connecting flight with only a backpack and a bag filled with a unicorn suit and a DSLR is freeing to an extent i cannot express. it's just you and the road, never looking back: just forward.here it is, personified into pixels.

thai air and their amazing food / service / entertainment / comfort / everything.

ka kete, aotearoa.

bustling gate D4 of bangkok international airport.

long lines, black and charcoal architecture, unique lights and the quiet richness of zurich.

looking out into the runway, dotted with red and white crosses.

travel diary.

expensive luxury watches.

expensive swiss handmade chocolates.

flying over the majestic snow-topped alps of europe, southern bound. soon these lush green lands turned into the dry orange deserts of northern africa.

i've now been in cairo for four days. i start working tomorrow and every day is an adventure unlike the last. i barely have time to photograph or write because i am so busy taking it in without any mediation, but blog again soon!

taming the packing monster

preparing for over two months overseas is like walking around a corner and getting roundhouse kicked to the face. you scramble up with the aid of your assaulter, and then you get kicked again. the slow build-up of injections, medicine hoarding, list-writing, insurance-buying, advice-seeking began two weeks ago. there were firsts: my first ever doctor's appointment, my first ever cash passport, having to say (temporarily) goodbye to my first proper job after filling out my first tax slip. and then tomorrow, my first time overseas truly all on my lonesome.

packing. it's an arduous process unless you make it fun, says mary poppins' distint relative. if you're going overseas and you want to make your life easier, this universal packing list is a total gem. use it!

60% of my things organized neatly and in sections. you can tell the separations between toiletries, souvenirs and the different clothes. disclaimer: i am not nearly as pedantic about this sort of thing normally, but this really helps you visualize how much will fit into your suitcase and what else you need to bring along. another tip: write down exactly what you brought so you know exactly what to bring back!

i received some helpers in the mid-afternoon.

the following are snapshots of the past few days, from getting an ISIC card to suburban walks to beautiful new zealand sunsets. it's bittersweet even though i'm so, so, so excited. egypt will be the complete opposite of what i've grown up in. but with that said! bring on the change.

see you on the other side.