Q & A

I'm taking a moment while enjoying a flat white coffee in the Mazagran Coffee Bar in Dunedin, New Zealand (and some free wi-fi to boot) to procrastinate on a post on Nepal, to write a few words in response to a few emails and comments received verbally about the blog posts. So without further ado...

Q: Why don't you write more about this... you didn't comment about that...

A: I struggled with this challenge, but the answer is this: what you're getting out of these blog posts from me seems to be more of a stream-of-consciousness ramble, lightly edited, than a well-contemplated and technically constructed missive. I would like to get to the point where I can just churn out the latter rather than the former, but for the time being - owing mostly to the lack of time I can devote to writing about the things we've done - it's just gonna be this way.

As well, don't take what I write as the whole story for a place; what I write is what occurs to me at the time, and as stated, I sometimes don't have a lot of time to do serious introspection about the place. Usually, there are about three times as many things that don't get written about, as those that do. This is also so we'll have something to talk about when we return!

Q: Where are the pictures of you two?

A: I guess we're shy. As well, we're both pretty critical of pictures of ourselves, so it'll have to be a pretty good one for it to get posted. Since it was usually me (Andrew) taking the pictures, because I had the camera, it was usually just pictures of Amy anyway. But since we picked up a tiny little thing in Portugal that Amy has been happily clicking away with, there are more pictures of yours truly.

Q: I've seen your bags. That's not carry-on luggage.

A: Yep; there's a realization that came only after we reached a stage where we were finally packed. For those who haven't seen what we're carting around: it's a largish backpack and a smaller daypack in front. It's around thirty to forty pounds of gear for each of us. Technically, it's true; Air Canada allows two pieces of carry-on luggage, and our bags fit the measurements. But everyone else only allows one, so our big bag gets regularly checked into the cargo boot of the plane, contrary to our initial plans. I'd love to do a carry-on baggage trip, but that would require a lot of sacrifices I guess we weren't able to make prior to this trip.

Q: That's a lot of camera gear to be carrying around for this trip.

A: Specifically: a digital SLR body, battery grip, three lenses, and flash speedlight. Yes, it's a lot, and it weighs: but, I know myself, and I'd be very disappointed essentially taking the trip of a lifetime and not having the tools to take photos I'd be proud of later on. I'm really glad we have Amy's camera now, as there are just some times I can't be bothered to drag out my gear for snapshots.

Q: Does the water truly go down the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere?

A: I can't tell. I've been looking. The problem is we haven't had a drain big enough, filled with enough water, to drain undisturbed. What I have run into on more than one occasion is a basin with two taps, one on each side, so it tends to drain in the direction the water is directed. Not very scientific. When I get ample evidence, I will have my camera ready.

Q: Where is the best coffee in your trip so far?

A: In retrospect I have not been very scientific about finding an answer to the question I would ask myself. What makes the best coffee? Is it value for the money? The taste? The speed of its delivery? These are all very important factors. I would say that France was okay, but markedly surpassed by Italy and Spain for taste quality; value for money was unquestionably Portugal; India and Nepal were pretty poor coffee experiences; and New Zealand, so far, has been very very good. What I have noted is that the flavour of the coffee is very much influenced by the atmosphere of the cafe it's served from, so I think it's not just the coffee, but the whole coffee experience. Complicated stuff.