Well, I've just spent 10 days bimbling around the South Island of New Zealand and wow .... but before that a few things that happened before I arrived here.
My last few days in Rio were great, met up again with my friends Radka and Petr from the Czech Republic ... we seem to be stalking each other ! Petr had proposed to Radka up at Christ the Redeemer on their first day in Rio so that needed a few caipirinhas to celebrate ... the next day was a write off !
Had a good couple of days on the beach with a couple of Irish girls and a Mexican from my dorm, we met an American couple who were heading back to the states the next day so the guy was trying to get rid of his Monte Cristo Cuban cigars before they left so we all lit one up and had photos taken with the semi-illegal cigars and the Brazilian flag !
Then the day came when I had to leave ... said goodbye to everyone at the hostel, I had become a bit of a fixture and had seen so many people come and go ! Got a bus to Sao Paulo and from there a 4 hour flight to Santiago in Chile.
I then had a 3 hour hang around the airport, trying to get some sleep on chairs that seem to be designed to be impossibly uncomfortable and pondered my last few minutes in Latin America. I heard my name being called out to go to the info desk at the departure gate so I ambled across, bootlaces untied, hair a horror and got myself issued with another boarding pass without really giving it a 2nd thought. However, I did notice my new seat was numbered row 7 ... er, that's quite near the front ... oooh, I wonder if I've been upgraded ... no, impossible, I couldn't look more haggard if I tried and everyone knows that the trick of getting upgrades is to look smart and respectable.
Or maybe not .... ha !! On the plane I found my rather large seat in BUSINESS CLASS, sat down a bit bemused (champagne glass in hand) and just grinned to myself !! Well, that certainly made the 13 hour flight to Auckland a tad more comfortable ! I did, however, shed a tear when we lifted off from Santiago ... a new adventure awaited though.
A quick flight from Auckland to Christchurch saw the end of my mammoth journey and the culture shock hit .... people speak english, everywhere is so clean and tidy, everywhere is so, well, er, rich. When I saw a Fish and Chip shop that was it for me ... bloody hell. I felt lost without the sort of chaos that is Latin America, music and people and the sheer vibrancy (is that a word ??) of the place.
Anyway, I've had a great 10 days. I hired a BMW from South Pacific Motorbikes here in Christchurch and they are brilliant. I am currently sitting in their house using their laptop having been fed wonderful home cooking, will be sleeping in a fantastic room tonight and tomorrow they are taking me to the airport.
So, in the last 10 days I have become a creek spotter (some brilliant names - Dancing Creek, Dizzy Creek, Doughboy Creek, Random Creek and my personal favourite - Dismal Creek).
I can understand how people can want to live here, my friend Sarah has been on my mind a lot as I know she loves this place and I can see why. It is stunning, the one thing that really stood out for my was the colours... the colour of the sea, the colours of the rivers are such a pure, clean, sapphire type blue and of course even the green of the valleys is greener than green should be !
Everyone is just so friendly too, not in a phony sort of "have a nice day" US way but just pure genuine welcome. Yesterday I had stopped off for a coffee and this guy came in from driving one of the logging trucks and started talking to me about the bike, mentioned he had a Harley, I made some sort of dismissive gesture about Harleys and we ended up having a right good natter !
I have been up close and personal with seals and Keas (some sort of native bird), seen Glaciers, wonderful landscapes, sheltered from a hail storm and then basked in the sun ... and best of all it was on 2 wheels on wonderful roads with hardly any traffic.
Oh, yeah, and I got a bloody $80 speeding fine in Dunedin on my first day .... I'd heard stories about the over zealous police here and yep, it's true !! Oh well, life has to have it's down points to help you appreciate the good stuff !!
So ... off to Sydney tomorrow !
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