Everything Is As It Should Be

March 20, 2020

My latest trip taught me various things like, ‘Do not travel with stuff you don’t want lost’, and ‘Don’t leave your jacket in reach of wild boars that people keep as pets,’ and ‘If you travel with a container full of active sourdough, expect it to ooze out and onto your belongings.’ Then there’ve been other observations, like ‘Don’t hitchhike on religious holidays – cars are full, and no one stops.’ I learned that the day I left for my journey on All Saint’s Day, and I had to walk hours into the night hoping there’d be a motel at…

Narrative, Update

Things Don’t Go To Plan – So Don’t Plan, Just Come Visit Me!

January 31, 2019 2 Comments

If there’s one thing I learned two years ago after getting robbed and starting over again by getting a job, is that life never goes to plan. Getting robbed didn’t teach me that, but showing up at work one day to learn our startup’s getting chopped up and sold for spare parts, and suddenly ending up jobless did. Life doesn’t go according to plan, so you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. You might be better off planning for it to go off plan. Despite „planning“ to work at this company longer, I’m suddenly jobless again, as of…

Miscellaneoes, Narrative

Maruf Hops Maps On Hold

December 23, 2018

It’s getting close to year since I wrote my last real article on Maruf Hops Maps and it’s made me realize I don’t know what I want out of this blog anymore. What started as place to write about exotic fruit, travel destinations, and stories buying weed has turned into a website with an unclear purpose. I’m putting this blog on indefinite hold until I find a purpose for it. To find out where I am right now, check out my /now page, which I will continue to update, and to learn who I am, check out my about page….

Miscellaneoes, Narrative

My Advice to HelpX Volunteers

September 20, 2018

I arrived on a sunny Tuesday I didn’t know what to expect other than it was a permaculture home. It was my first time volunteering on a family’s permaculture home. You don’t get to choose your brother’s and sisters unless the profile that led you here mentions you’ll be ‘one of the family’. It was time to found out how this family volunteer works and if we click. Families have their habits and rules and my stay with Hemon and Katie in New Zealand was no exception. Some habits are hard to get used to, like limiting m internet to…

Travel

The Myth of Pure New Zealand

April 23, 2018 24 Comments

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of New Zealand? Millions of sheep on rolling hills, stunning mountains, or pristine rivers maybe? Before I came here, all I’d seen of New Zealand came from Lord of the Rings and Instagram photos, shown from stunning angles. New Zealand’s PR gave me the impression that NZ is a green, sustainable, and clean country. Their website’s tagline is ‘100% Pure New Zealand’. If only that were honest… After four months of traveling, tramping, and camping all over the two islands, I’ve seen a lot of the nature. Out of…

Travel

Is A Van The Best Way To Travel New Zealand?

April 8, 2018

Congratulations! You made it to New Zealand. Are you already thinking about getting a van to live out of? The van is by far is the most popular way to travel the two islands, offering the mobility of going where you want, when you want, and you can sleep out of it. Just because it’s popular, is it really the best way to experience New Zealand? Whether the upkeep, the fuel costs, the limitedness of where you could park, depending on your situation, traveling by van may not be the best choice for you. TL;DR; if you’re willing to…

Miscellaneoes

Free Time, Drawing, and Gratitude

March 22, 2018

Though we often forget to, it’s good to practice grateful. Doesn’t matter whether it’s for your cat, the fact that you have a roof over your head, or that you’re not a peasant in the Dark Ages. I was told enough times I don’t write about what’s good with my life, and that I only write about what’s fucked up with the world today, or my adventures. I thought about it, and reasoned so because no one’s interested in my contentment, they’re interested in intrigue and surprise. I thought I’d change it up. This here’s a short post about something…

Miscellaneoes

Travel Is Expensive Myth: January 2018 Expense Report

February 7, 2018

There’s a silly myth that traveling is expensive. Travel is free, it’s the luxuries you expect accompanied by travel that make it expensive. I’ve never done one before, but it’s the end of my first full month traveling around New Zealand and I’d like to break down my expenses this month. My entire costs for food, pleasure, and survival for January were $362.57 USD. January 2018 Spendings – $362.57 Food – $142.27 – 39.2% Weed – $84.12 – 23.2% Ice Cream & Cafes – $55.49 – 15.3% Miscellaneous – $60.69 – 22.3% (shopping, server fee, membership fees, accommodation, etc.) January…

Narrative, Travel

The Myth of Freedom Camping in New Zealand

January 23, 2018 9 Comments

In the future, I predict silence will be stupidly expensive commodity, and unadulterated nature even rarer. Right now lying in my tent beside a tree-encircled pond, near a flowing river under pounding rain in New Zealand. It feels like nature, except for the droning bass in the distance, which shatters any notion that I’m alone. Once I embraced the fact that I’m a loner, being alone is what I desire most in this hectic system called life. With three quarters of New Zealand’s population on the north island, I thought I’d find peace and nature on the untamed South Island….

Narrative, Travel

Stuck in a Rainstorm

January 16, 2018

I am writing here because I am stuck in a rainstorm. It’s been four days since last sun, four amazing days. Now I want to leave, but the rain won’t relent… It rained non-stop last night and thank god my tent is mostly waterproof. Otherwise, I’d be wet right now, trying to write this. Then again, had yesterday shown sun, I would’ve continued my travels towards New Zealand’s famed west coast. Instead, I’m resting cozily against my backpack, in a soggy tent, between an almost flooding river and the highway somewhere near Motueka. I’m here because Ben & Annie, a…