out of the inner and into the outer

this is the Stupa at the Buddhist Centre, above the main building of the center

the sign speaks the truth

a fern tree unfurling

the waterfalls in Whangarei, presented by yours truly

hello out there, over there, etc. Well, i best bring y'all up to date. I spent 7 days at a Tibetan Buddhist Centre, listening to teachings and getting battered by the south winds, that come most uninvited up from Antarctica. the week was mostly spent reading and being alone or sharing meals with the one other peron there, richard. the main thing i learned while i was there is that buddhism is WAY more complex than i ever thought, and the second half of this statement: "not only can we be our own enemy, but we are also our own protector". you know when things just hit you even if you've heard them many times before? yea.
it was a time of inner exploring, and when it was over, i was damn ready to go out into the world and explore the outer reaches and hang out with some birds. So i took the bus to auckland, (I decided life is too important to risk hitching, and even though interesting people are met, it just aint worth it, babe) went to see my shaman lady again, and spent the night at another buddhist centre in the city. I got up at 5:30 am (oh my) and went to the train station and got on a cheap train to Wellington. Finally, something cheap! It is a 12 hour train ride, but it was nicely adorned with a foursome of 20 year old boys who were sitting behind me. They were highly entertaining and interesting folks. Very bright. Also a bit crazy. Now I am in Wellington, staying with friends of friends, Matu and Michelle and thier son. Matu works at the bird sanctuary I am going to volunteer at; he hooked me up with work there. I start tomorrow, and am probably going to work there and stay here for 2 months, till Christmas. I am quite excited. This is me livin the dream, man. Today I wandered around Wellington, its really easy to walk everywhere, and I found an awesome vegan cafe, got some art supplies, and admired art in local galleries. Good arts scene here. I also found a bicycle that someone supposudly ditched on the sidewalk; it was pretty bent in places, flat tire, etc., and no lock. Well, the street offers up things when you least expect it. So i half-carried the cripple back to the house, up many stairs, mind you, and it is now in the process of surgery and rehab. Pretty easy fixes, and now I have a bike for while I'm here! Yay.

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the very south-most tip of the north island. Its known for its wind, it is very hilly, and there are old lovely houses hanging on the edge of hills, one of which I am in at this very moment.

Further news as events warrent.