Archive for the 'Travel' Category
June 30 2010: Auckland: 22-25 June 2010
Filed under Travel with 4 Comments
So, last week I went to Auckland for a trade show/convention/conference/exhibition. I was all geared up on the weekend to write a lengthy entry about how awesome everything was, but just to spite me, my website failed on me. So instead of an erudite entry on my first overseas trip as a working professional, you’re going to get a handful of dot points (and photos if you’re my Facebook friend):
- I was staying at The Langham Hotel in Auckland. It’s a five star property, and they put me in a Langham Club room, which meant I had exclusive club privileges like:
- 24 hour access to the club lounge
- Free continental breakfast every morning
- Free canapes and drinks between 5pm and 7pm each evening
- Icecream, fruit, yoghurt, and coffee and tea available 24 hours
- Upon my arrival on Tuesday evening, they had a chilled bottle of Moët & Chandon waiting for me in my room, along with a triple chocolate mudcake measuring 10cm x 10cm x 5cm. Mmm yum. They also had other freebies like a bottle of perfume, candy, etc.
- On both days of the trade show, I was spoilt with a limitless supply of hot chocolate (perfect for the cold Auckland winter), and an incredible variety and selection of food for morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea.
- I gained a Rolodex full of useful contacts in the New Zealand events industry, and a million useful tips and advice that I can apply to my work here in Australia.
- I spent Wednesday night dining with Darnielle, Amanda and eemusings, and continued on to drink alcohol out of teapots with Amanda. By the way, did you know I am a wingwoman extraordinaire? Amanda will vouch for me. I was also initiated into the wonders of pterodactyl sex. Don’t ask.
- I went to an incredibly impressive gala dinner on Thursday night with music and dancing.
- I went sailing on an America’s Cup yacht on Friday morning. Despite the horrendous wet and windy winter weather, it was incredibly fun.
And the best thing about it all, is that aside from a cursory $100AUD for flight taxes and the $100AUD I spent out eating and drinking on Wednesday night, it was all essentially free. I AM A CHEAPSKATE AND THIS APPEALS TO ME.
June 1 2010: Heading To Auckland
Filed under Travel & Uni/Work with 5 Comments
So, in the course of not-really-work-but-sort-of-related-to-work, I’ll be heading to New Zealand in June. The whole trip is totally gratis, which is a plus. I’ll be there from the evening of Tuesday 22nd June to the afternoon of Friday 25th June. Due to sort-of-work-commitments, I will only have time to myself on Tuesday night and Wednesday night, but would like to take the opportunity to see a few people!
If you’re an Aucklander (or surrounding areas), are you free for dinner on either of those nights? I’ve already arranged to catch up with Darnielle for dinner on the Wednesday, so you’re welcome to tag along to our dinner, or we could catch up on the Tuesday. I realise that it’s probably a bad time for most people as it’ll be in university exam time, but if you’re free, I’d love to catch up. Feel free to email me at acchamanda at gmail dot com, and we can arrange something via email!
May 3 2010: QOTW: What Kind of Guest Are you?
Filed under Q.O.T.W. & Relationships/Men & Travel with 9 Comments
Dylan and I spent the past weekend down on the coast near Torquay. I could go on and on about the wine, about the log fire, about the sitting on our private balcony looking at the stars, about the long walks on the beach, about the smooching and bedtime…but that might make you all envious and slightly turned on. Instead, let me ask you a question – what kind of guest are you?
When we were leaving our holiday villa, I made the effort to wash all the dishes, make the bed, wipe down the benches, etc. I didn’t go as far as to vaccuum and mop the floor, but I made the effort to make the villa look a little more presentable and a little less “rampant sex happened here”. Dylan was more inclined to do the basics – hastily make the bed, make sure there wasn’t any trash lying around, and leave it at that. His reasoning was that the owners would be cleaning the whole place any way – so why do the job twice?
I personally think it’s just a matter of courtesy – if you’re staying with a friend as a house guest for example, you don’t leave trash lying everywhere. You do your part to make sure that things stay clean and tidy. I don’t see the difference between that and staying in a hotel or other holiday accommodation. You might be paying a tariff, but you are still technically a guest of that particular establishment. You needn’t go overboard with cleaning, but there should be some bare minimum of effort. As for rock stars who trash hotel rooms…that’s just absolutely disgusting behaviour.
Question of the Week: What kind of guest are you?