New house!

Yippee!

I have a house to live in this winter! While I have had no issue finding a place to live in all sorts of countries, my home one seems to be the most challenging.

View from the top Curvey Basin. The Remarkables, Queenstown.

NZSki (the company I work for) doesn't provide staff accommodation and it is extremely difficult to find semi-decent, not-extortionately-priced housing in Queenstown.

The Remarkables. Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown. 

Last year I lived in an ex-motel unit with 3 other girls. This place was tiny. I was sharing a room with another person as well as another room... Let me explain that. My bedroom was the front room that you walked into so it was a lounge-dining-bedroom. The kitchen was probably about the same size as a ship's galley but worse. We had, between 4 of us; a microwave from 1992 (a guess but probably not far off), two electric elements, a bar fridge, 3 cupboards and a sink. Maybe that sounds generous... It wasn't.

Lake Wakatipu. Weather station, The Remarkables, Queenstown.

Queenstown is the most popular tourist town in New Zealand. With that comes a huge turn-over of international travellers on working holiday visas each season. At the start of each summer and winter there is a demand for housing that is insatiable - many people end up leaving.

From the sky. Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown. 

Luckily! We have found a house to live in with only semi-extortionate rent! With proper bedrooms, an actual kitchen (what! an oven!), a dining room (now we're getting fancy) and a lounge, I'm willing to pay the price.

A short but comprehensive tour of San Francisco

Weeeeee!

Recently I went to San Francisco. I've now been to San Francisco twice, the first time in 2009/10 with my family and the more recent time was the middle of April.

I spent 3 full days and stayed 2 nights at a hostel a couple of blocks from Union Square and managed to walk until my feet hurt every day and then more.

Travelling by myself was no novelty so I happily meandered about with my own tourist checklist.

Holla at my girl working that pole... Union Square, San Francisco.

California did not disappoint! It was so sunny and 27°C on the first day meant I was one sweaty betty.

Lanterns, Chinatown, San Francisco.

5 years ago on our very first night in the States, my parents and I walked through Chinatown, got corralled into restaurant by street hawkers (100% because we needed the bathroom) and found an incredibly well-stocked Chinese herb shop.

North Beach, San Francisco. 

Lombard St, San Francisco.

Something new! We didn't manage to see this last time.

Top of Lombard and a cheeky selfie. Lombard St, San Francisco. 

A collaborative art space. San Francisco.

Free ride... Fisherman's Wharf Cable Car, San Francisco. 

I am very adverse to taking money out of ATM's while travelling. I hate giving my bank extra money just because I'm overseas. It's one of the things that absolutely winds me up. This was my last day and I was short on cash. Fortunately, while I was hanging out next to this cable car a very nice gentleman came up and gave me his ticket.

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.

I mean...would it be a trip to SF without this picture? I ate clam chowder and dodged slow-walking Texan tourists (and saw a naked bicycle parade!).

Can you find the odd one out?! MAC pop-up show, San Francisco. 

Guuuurl. Werk it. Found this MAC Cosmetics pop-up show at the bottom of Powell St. It was fantastic. Absolutely everything was pink and each afternoon (they were there Fri, Sat, Sun.) they ran a hair and make-up show on the models pictured above as well as having free make-up tutorials and demos to promote their spring collection (which is actually fantastic).

I passed by a couple times before I got the courage to get this photo. The next day I went back and actually got some make-up done. It was like Make-Up 101 for me... Hello rookie! Also, the guy on the end was unbelievably charismatic, definitely stole the show.

Embarcadero, San Francisco. 

Bay Bridge market! On my last day in SF I made a trip to the Embarcadero building to pay homage to the trip my mum and I made on our last day in the States half a decade ago. Also, the farmers market is insanely good.

Not so famous but still good to look at. Bay Bridge, San Francisco. 

Pier 39, San Francisco.

Carousel. Pier 39, San Francisco. 

Lazy Sea Lions. Pier 39, San Francisco.

Pier 39 was heaps of fun. I didn't plan to go there but saw it out of the street car window and jumped out impulsively (not while it was moving). I'm so glad I did.

That red bridge. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. 

Yeahhhhh, squinty face for the win! I made a friend with a fellow solo traveller over mutual non-verbal photo requests of ourselves. (Actually, he looked like a major douchebag and scowled at my inferior iPhone 4). 

Painted ladies, San Francisco.

Getting out to the infamous terrace houses, the Painted Ladies, was a bit of a mission. When I finally got to Alamo Square I did have a moment of, "Is that all?". In hindsight, I'm so glad I made the effort, they're pretty cool.