Tanner Slayden
Hello, Gidday, Ni Hao, Hola, Cao cu, Sat siri akal, Nyob zoo, Sabaai-dii, Tena koe ...!tannerslayden
I'm taking a year off to travel around the world. The trip will involve working (real jobs), hiking, camping, touristing and living the good life. So far, I’m stopping by these places: Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, China (Hong Kong), Southeast Asia (Laos, Thailand and Vietnam), India, Jordan and Egypt. Some other African and Middle Eastern countries are still on my wish list, but I’ll just have to see how far my money takes me. The trip starts in a couple of days (August 29, 2007) and ends around July 2008 and it will truly be a Fergalicious experience.
Oh yeah! The picture! That’s me with the afro and Rachel, my official travel compadre. World, watch out We’re leavin’ America like when Shaq left the Lakers just to Heat it up.
Acknowledgements -- The last line was borrowed from Kanye West. Fergalicious was borrowed from Shakespeare. And the greetings were found on this Web site (http://www.ipl.org/div/hello/others.html).
Travel Blog Posts
And so it begins again...
Published: March 4th 2008Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Invercargill
March 4th 2008
....And we're back! After quite the absence from traveling and blogging, Tanner and I are once again taking to the road and spending the next 4 months slowly making our way back home. Our trip started on Feb. 24 when we left Wellington and headed to New Zealand's South Island. Here are some places we went/highlights along the way: - Hiking at Abel Tasman National Park: We walked more than 15 km (which is 9ish miles -- whoa) along beautiful beaches and up (very steep!) forest mountains. - Glacier Hiking: That's right, we hiked on a glacier. When I told my dad we were doing this, he said, "That's nice -- so now you'll be able to tell your grandkids what a glacier looks like." It was awesome. - Tanner went bungy jumping: And not just ... read more
Travels through Fiji's Nadi, Yasawa Islands and Mamanuca Islands
Published: January 14th 2008Oceania » Fiji
January 14th 2008
We are back in Wellington for the next couple of weeks earning some more dollar dollar bills and planning the Middle Eastern part of our trip. But we just had an eventful time backpacking through Fiji (with no shoes ... it is a very shoe-less culture there). We did some island hopping, and I did some jumping out of planes. All around a good time. My favorite chill spot was Botaira Beach Resort. We had a really awesome looking bure, and all the meals were communal, which led to some good conversation and fun happy hours. Even though it is advertised as a place for honeymoons, I enjoyed it way more than the resort we stayed in Tahiti. Fiji is also more backpacker-friendly in general, and all the prices at the resort were much more in ... read more
We are home ...
Published: December 19th 2007North America » United States » North Carolina » Winston SalemDecember 19th 2007
Merry Christmas! We return to travels on January 1st ... when we will be starting our travels in Fiji.... read more
Michelle Rodriguez in Wellington?!?!
Published: November 28th 2007Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington
November 17th 2007
And so are we! Although we aren't getting paid millions of dollars to star in a James Cameron movie. But we do frequent some of the same bars as the cast. Tanner served MRod and company with countless Jaeger bombs last week. Also, some movie trivia ... Tanner had a long chat with Owen from Dodgeball. If you love Dodgeball, you will know who I am talking about. It's been a little while since our last entry, which is indicative of us being busy and all settled in to Wellington. But we have much news to share! Just a quick overview, we're still working at our jobs, living in our fab apartment, and generally having a nice time in Wellington. In big news, we've decided to come home for 2 weeks over Christmas! And as icing ... read more
October 18th 2007
Posts are probably going to be a bit more random for the next couple of months since we are finally settled in Wellington. Between the jobs, the bars and our stuntastic apartment, time is something that we don’t have much of anymore. So stop crying, and don’t worry. Just to wet your appetites, here are some posts that will be showing up soon: 1) Details/pictures of our apartment … seriously the nicest place I have ever lived, ever … will be posted this weekend. 2) Details/Pictures from the rugby league game between Australia and New Zealand. 3) Details/Pictures from Toast Martinborough. We just spent $240 on two tickets. The event sold out in 10 minutes. ... read more
October 11th 2007
I'm just going through an odyssey. This whole travelling around the world thing is a phase in one’s life, like adolescence. All the kids are doing it. Take a look for yourself: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/opinion/09brooks.html?em&ex=1192161600&en=47285f104a429c8f&ei=5087%0A Actually, Brooks’ article was pretty cool. And it made my trekking year off seem more typical than I would have liked. ... read more
We work hard for the money
Published: October 9th 2007Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington
October 9th 2007
Just fyi: this is Rachel writing this blog. Tanner is currently tending bar, which is the subject of this entry: OUR NEW JOBS!!!!! So caps lock aside, working does pretty much suck in any country, but at least both Tanner and I have once again become contributing members of society. I'll go first. I work as an executive/personal assistant to the CEO of the New Zealand Post Office. It's a small country; don't be too impressed. Anywho, it's my job to make sure that he knows about all of his appointments and travel plans. I organize his "diary" (calendar) and also do other random tasks that he sees fit. It's very bureaucratic, and I'm coming into contact with all kinds of jargon I haven't seen since the business school at UNC -- and that I'd hoped ... read more
The shit hit the fan ...
Published: October 7th 2007Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » WellingtonOctober 7th 2007
and the walls, and the ceiling, and the carpet, and the bathrooms, and the doors, and the showers, and the memories of Tanner and Rachel. If you have any poo, fling it now. -- Mason the Chimpanzee, Madagascar What I'm about to tell you is probably the most disturbing/fantastic/epic travelin' story ever told. It's Lord of the Rings meets Lord of the Flies meets poop. Like all tales, my story has a beginning ... On a typical morning at Base hostel in Wellington (groggy and obnoxious ... never stay at this hostel if you can help it), I woke from a post-Friday-night slumber. Our weird roommate (we are in a four-bed dorm) was missing ... which isn't surprising considering the fact he wakes up promptly at 6 a.m. to watch TV all day in the common ... read more
October 3rd 2007
It fucks you up, looking for a job. It may not mean to, but it does … Well, the travels have stopped and the fun-o-meter has dropped to a considerable low … because finding a job sucks in every country, which is why this entry doesn’t really have any pictures. But I have learned a little something along the way, so here are my three personal guidelines for surviving with a work visa: Be a bartender: The hospitality industry is probably the easiest job market to tap, and bartending is by far the most fun. Waiting tables sucks a little more here because people don’t tip, no matter where one is stationed (Rachel worked as a waitress at a pricey restaurant called Dockside and made about 16 dollars in tips over the course of a week). ... read more
Ferdinand Magellan seriously has nothing on us ...
Published: September 24th 2007Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Wellington
September 21st 2007
because we survived the first major phase of our travels ... the North Island extravaganza road trip! (To Rachel’s request, I will stop saying “I” as if I’m the only one on this adventure. So “us,” “we” and “our” will be making more appearances.) Now, since "we" just finished the journey … here are the stats: - Number of places visited: ~17 (Highlights: Paihia, Whangarei, Opononi, Kaipara Harbour, Dargaville, Hahei, Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach, Central Auckland, Ponsonby, Waiheke Island, Napier, Taupo, Waitomo, Rotorua, Whitianga) - Number of trip days: 14 - Number of extreme sports: 4 (zorbing, sand boarding, driving in New Zealand and caving) - Number of scraps between Rachel and Tanner: 3 (which were over a duvet-less bed, an interrupted monopoly game and a misunderstood man in a Tui jacket) - Number of ... read more
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