Some sort of horrid sinus infection has captured me in it’s phlegmy tentacles. I have discovered it is certainly not more, potentially even less, fun to be sick in a foreign country. Hostels are loud and the people are substantially less friendly in a big-city downtown hostel than at any of our previous ones – poor Rhys has tried to strike up conversations and been countered at every turn, either by a quick insincere smile, then walking away, or by the ever-present “Go to hell” look. For the most part, I have just let my fellow backpackers be – especially in my current condition, I don’t exactly want anyone talking to me either.
Auckland is pretty fun though, when you’re not ill. Lots to see and do, and while I wouldn’t call it a 24/7 city, it is a 24-hour city on the weekends. Weeknights, it looks a little like downtown Tulsa, except way more built up – but closed. Thursday through Sunday, though, it hops every hour, throughout the night. Bars and clubs don’t really appear to close – their closing hours are listed as either craziness like 4am or 6am, or simply left as “til LATE.”
Rhys Martin was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1981. In 2009, he sold everything he owned and left the country, living out of a backpack for ten months. He discovered a passion for photography while traveling throughout Southeast Asia and Europe.
After returning home, he looked at his home town and Oklahoma heritage with fresh eyes. When he began to explore his home state, Rhys turned his attention to historic Route 66. As he became familiar with the iconic highway, he began to truly appreciate Oklahoma’s place along the Mother Road. He has traveled all 2,400 miles of Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles. He has also driven many miles on rural Oklahoma highways to explore the fading Main Streets of our small towns. Rhys has a desire to find and share the unique qualities of the Sooner State with the rest of the world.
Cloudless Lens Photography has been featured in several publications including This Land, Route 66 Magazine, Nimrod Journal, Inbound Asia Magazine, The Oklahoman, and the Tulsa World. In 2018 he published his first book, Lost Restaurants of Tulsa.
Rhys loves to connect with people and share his experiences; ask him about enjoyable day trips from Tulsa, locations along Route 66, and good diners or burger joints along the way.
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Auckland is pretty fun though, when you’re not ill. Lots to see and do, and while I wouldn’t call it a 24/7 city, it is a 24-hour city on the weekends. Weeknights, it looks a little like downtown Tulsa, except way more built up – but closed. Thursday through Sunday, though, it hops every hour, throughout the night. Bars and clubs don’t really appear to close – their closing hours are listed as either craziness like 4am or 6am, or simply left as “til LATE.”
Rhys' Pieces 