hello again my crazypantses.

im here finally in christchurch, new zealand after a fucking trial of a 48hours.  i tok a bus from byron bay to sydney (16hours) and then stayed with a friend that i met only one time back in the states.  he was incredibly gracious and allowed me to stay last minute in his spare room because he is a scholar and a gentleman.  youre the best, sid.  he even made me coffee in the morning and brought over his friend who hadnt been to sleep yet for my entertainment.  at least, thats how i like to think of it.

then the next day i had to re-acquire all the shit i sent off, so i met my aunt dodie's niece from the states who lives in sydney and she was able to help me with all that.  in exchange i bought beers.  and i actually ate a real meal with her for the first time in a very, very long time.  she was so nice.

then it was off to the airport.  i waited in line to check in and they told me that i actually needed a printout of my flight NZ from another airline before i could check into a flight there.  fine.  so i did that.  then i went back to the check in station and they said oh no!  you need your exit itinerary from NZ because youre such a threat to the environment or some shit.  so i did that.  i rushed and ran and even cried a little in the bathroom bc i thought i was gonna miss the plane again, but it turns out the plane was 2 hours late.  there was no need for the theatrics.  ah well i needed the practice.

so i arrived in this lovely country at 2am i id be damned if i actually paid for a room and only stayed in it for 6 hours, so i proceeded to sleep in the airport like about 40 other people and relax until the comupers turned on and i could get directions to my hostel.

the bus was actually amazing because i met this english guy who was willing to pay my bus fare because the bus driver couldnt break a fifty.  he and i chatted for about an hour and then stopped as soon as we got into town.  christchurch looks like bosnia.  it experienced an earchquake in april 2010 of 7.1 which rocked the city to its core and demolished much of the town and its surrounds.  then in february of this year, they had another huge earthquake that made the grad total percentage of damage to about 70%.  im not kidding when i say that this town looks like it had been bombed.  there are even tours beign given of the destroyed churches that used to be on the "church tour".  its really sad.

so anyway, yesterday i finally arrived at the hostel and it seemed like a gift from the universe.  i was so tired that i couldnt get warm, and i thought i was getting a fever because it was so cold outside that my face had windburn (i thought this was supposed to be summer?!?).  oh well, i decided that i was going to absolutely nothing all day except sleep, eat good meals, and read my book.  and it was perfect. 

today, after almost 9 hours of sleep (hold cannoli) i finally got up and felt amazeballs.  i had light breakfast and proceeded to go for a 6 hour hike with a 40 year old aussie man who kept saying, "EASY!!"  every time he wanted to accentuate something he said.  cant hold that against him though bc he was super nice and generous.  we walked up and down hills, went shopping for supplies, and generally had a pleasant time.

after a little hiking, trespassing, and a few beers, here i am: in a hostel lounge again, dreaming of all of you.  i love you.

tomorrow i will either go window shopping downtown or hiking with a young german boy who needs the money and has a car, while i need the car and have money.  (we may meander down south together to queensland and do some camping if it works out in both our favors.)

thats the super brief version of my last few days, and if you want more stories ill have to be chargin ya.

TF