mamash lo bakivun*

hi kulam
4 days of rain! it's not rain that you can say - OK, I'll stay here for 15 min it will be over, no! 4 days without sun, not even a little bit above the clouds. so, we thought that it won't be so smart go up the mountains, as we planed and as we told you the last time... and - from oumaru we drove on the east cost to Dunedin (that we also told you) and hoped for better weather which didn't really come.
but apparently it helped us see much more.
the otago peninsula and the Catiline's (on the east coast) are not only beautiful beach line with amazing cliffs and bays, it's also the place to see wild life. and the bad weather for us is a very good one for them. so, we had two days of traveling on great beaches in a crazy weather and we saw many seals and some penguins, but the most amazing were the sea lions which are so big and fat, you can't believe 'till you see that.
as we found out that it is gonna be good weather, we decided to skip steward island and head up to the famous fiordland.so we moved to the west coast, and the sun came out, when we almost forgot that its exist...
on the next day, after a good night in an amazing backpacker, we started the Kepler Tiyul Gadol*. It were four beautiful days, included steep climbs, outstanding view of mountains, lakes, rivers, skies etc, while spending the night in these cosy, crowded and expensive huts. we were glad to hear that this is a pretty hard tramp for beginners, for us it wasn't that bad, and we enjoyed it very much.
now, back in the same backpackers, relaxing and preparing ourselves for the next days, in fiordland, hoping for good weather, that will give us a purpose to climb up some more mountains.
but, one of the main adventures, happened in Dunedin. we went to visit the Cudbery chocolate factory, which was terribly tasty, and we earned some extra snacks, by answering the guide questions, and for volunteering to hold the door!

that all for now,
until the next free-internet-library,
shabat-shalom from lake te-anau
davar vegozal

new photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shachafby/NZSouthIsland1?feat=directlink

we've found them

hi everybody

we are very very happy to say we've found two very very nice Israelis who didn''t have a "track competition" with us (which we always loose at...) and gave us the feeling that we are doing the right thing by not going with a "track list" and a "kotzim batachat" as it seems that all the others do...
we know we promised to start tracking but the weather here thought exactly the apposite and it was to dangerous to go to the mountains now so we've found ourselves in a beautiful town call oamaru. it used to be a gold mining town but when they didn't have any gold to fined they just left and everything is now as it used to be than. the buildings here are amazing, like Europe in the other end of the world. it's defiantly the perfect place to stay at when the rain just doesn't stop...
so we're in a great backpacker* which is in an old hotel and it is very worm and cosy and the Internet is free so what do we need more? yesterday we had a "yom shishi dinner" with the two nice Israelis (we think the lonely planet should write about them so other people can see them too) and one of them was (a very big surprise) udi, the one who travelled with davar in ozi. we met him when we went to see penguins last evening. well... we saw 3, one from really close, but we found one udi so it was worth it, and immediately we took him with us to dinner (did you know that from rice, eggplant, wine and meet you can make the best meal?).
so from here we're going south do Dunedin (all the Israelis here call it - dani din... i thought i started with that but then everybody say that, it's just the way the map says...) and hoping to see more sea animals because there are a lot of them in the otago peninsula (google that...) and when the rain will stop we can compit the other crazy Israelis.
shabat shalom lekulam. we're going to eat a shabat breakfast in an old bakery we've found yesterday (near the whiski and the wool factory...).
oh, and we were in the most beautiful botanic gardens, promise the pictures soon!
yalla by!
davar and gozal and the rain...

just keeping you informed, you polish mothers!!!

The following information is relevant only for our parents, and for those how like details, so if you aren't in one of these categories - you can skip this...

since we arrive NZ we have been staying at Suky's place in the Banks Peninsula, at Robinson Bay, Tizzard rd, and spent a lot of time in the nearest beautiful town Akaroa. you are more than welcome to 'google' these places.

Right now, we are in the big city - Christchurch, and hopefully, gonna leave on Friday to MT Cook, for our first self-trek, unless the weather will think different.

Today, in our first day in the city, and without suky's help, we managed to buy a station-wagon, and the needed gear for our trip!

So, after a long sub-way and a big Starbucks coffee, we found ourselves in a big library, trying to plan our trip here and shachaf's studding in Tlv...

in the mean, we are trying to avoid the huge amont of israelies that insist to tell us how great thier trip is, and how many treks they've already done. and believe us, this is not a very simple mision, when most of the car cellers called oded, netanel, eran and so on... and moreove, the car market is located in Asaf St!!!

so, form the farest israeli settlement, we wish you all the rain that gonna fall here on our new rain-pants!

saionara

davar aher ve uf gozal

As time goes by in the Kiwi* land

hi everybody,
i really like that thing that you all answer us the moment you got the mail. such good friends, really, this great love off yours gives us the energy to write more and especially reminds us what great friends waiting for us at home. and please - don't give us these bullshit about "we're busy and not all the world is around you guys and when we we're there you didn't write so now you know how it feels" because when you where here (or there...) we read everything so... let's not go under for the little ones, sababa? sababa!
any way - we know the Autumn is one month from us now (here, not there...) and that we suppose to be really nervous and start our big trip before we'll froze in the south, but we're having so much fun in Suky's* home that we just don't really care about the near future. this house is like a new-Zealand tzimmer, but a really good one, and we also get guiding about the native plants, history and Kiwi's* slang which are all in the same priority... we even understand now almost everything they say...
so yesterday we walked around the property and marked the territory with the dog (you know, a small little 100 acres...) and today we had a Little trip to a sleeping volcano right up the house and had an amazing look of the pacific ocean ('till now we saw only the Tasman sea which is in the other side of the island). now we're looking for a car that will make our life much easier but in the mean while we don't care to spend more time in our tzimer... pancakes in the morning and burgers at night and trips around the farm to the bay nearby.
we have nothing else to say, and we are pretty tired, so goodnight.
PS who is our prime minister...?
chao
shoosh and muki*

When two become one

Hi everybody, it's ofer...
now i know how it works - you pack your bag, you give a lot of thought to what you're going to take, how many pants and t-shirts, "should i take another one from this? and what if I'll get cold? isn't it summer there? i think i need to by more like this... but i don't have enough place for everything! fuck! and it's too heavy! fuck fuck fuck!". and then you come to hong kong and they solve it all by throwing half of you're stuff away. such good people in hong kong, you should go there too, send them my love... and if you see some hand lotion, tooth paste and a sunscreen - please bring them to me! they're mine! not the hong kong goverment's property, even if they tell you so!!! antishemim kulam ani omeret lachem, ma yesh? az yarinu al kama aravim, big dil (i know its 'deal'...) im hayu yorim til ehad al hong kong hem kvar hayu lokhim lekol haolam et hakrem yadaim , zonot! veod shel dr fisher leor ragish!
lucky me, i had a "havaya metakenet" with the new zealands which decided to go further, and open my big bag just to see i didn't bring any bacterias with me...
you can tell in Israel that the Hezbollah did his revenge - he sent the costume workers around the world against us!
but now I'm here, in this amazing 'hand-made' house, which every view from the window here is like a picture. so i don't have Dr fisher, but i have my Davar and that's what counts.
In the meantime, shachaf, so called davar, or shakof, had spent his last day in Aussie by himself in the big city. He found himself sitting in the Texas Hold'Em Poker's table in the Brisbane casino. and in two hours, while he was showing these amateurs some trick's from the EGPCA, his 100$ turned into 300$! Lucky Shachaf is back in business! tired and happy, he went home, for his bed, and in few hours, he was on the way to the airport, for the big event. and the rest has been said...
So now, we are in our relative's beatiful place, some of us is trying to plan the trip, and the others are trying to fix their jetleg..

hope to update you with some good news and amazing photos ASAP.
until then
may the shwartz be with you
goz&dav

!Always was, always will be - Aboriginal lands!

Hi there!
first some new photos, which i think you should look at after you read, or while.., on the following link, enjoy:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shachafby/AustraliaEastCoast3?feat=directlink

since the last time i wrote, a lot had happened.. well, ya... as time is passing by, that what usually happens...
Brisbane, the big city, third after Sydney and Melbourne, which i had to figure what am i gonna do form Jan 18Th, the day we arrived there, till Feb13Th, my flight to NZ - about three weeks.
the first few days we, me, matan and udi, spent together, relaxing in the hostel, drinking beers in the brewery, saying goodbye to our van and exploring the city.
Then i moved t Juliana's place, which she is Eli's friend. she treated me excellent, while joining her lifestyle, an activist, organic, environmental - was very special for me. that included: organic food, few chocks on the garden, documentary film about the west bank + discussion, with humus at her friends. protesting with the Aborigines during Australia day, bicycle as the mine transportation device, and so on...
after joining the wwoof organization, i started looking for a farm for the next wo weeks. after two days I've found myself in a cattle farm, just me and Ian, his dog and a hundred cows herd. we had really good time together, gardening, axing, slashing grass and blackberries with the John Deer tractor that i missed so much from the ostrich farm in ein-gev. having mutual meals with some beer and wine.
on the weekend the family had joined us, and spent together the time ping0pong, horses riding, composting and relaxing.
after one week there, i had to move on, so i went to Ian's friends farm, for the rest of my time. an American/Australian couple with a Swedish guy, that used to sail together for may years, that decided to build up a farm. so that what we are doing! it is very interesting to be in a farm while its been built up, with no farmers. and more over when they don't really know how it is gonna look like. so me and three other Swedish wwoofers helping them. the place works only on solar energy, rain water and human effort!
after making them some eggplant with tehini (=thina)and making good coffee with their espresso machine, i got my spot here, and I'm having good time, thou, we are working pretty hard, but getting some benefits...

so here i am, until Thursday, enjoying my coffee...
can't wait to see Ofer and NZ..
miss you all.
really,
only here i can actually understand how lucky i am.
hope to hear from you soon

next mail will be from the southern island of NZ, so hold on!
shachaf (or shakof, or jakof, or jakob - the way my name been pronounce here..)