The other end of the world (my world that is)
Trip Start
Oct 08, 2007
1
39
110
Trip End
Dec 16, 2008
Christchurch,
New Zealand
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Oh, I don't know, maybe the X Fat once are not so large. It's just that coming from India, where most people are very skinny (not because of anorexia problems), it definitely seems like everyone around here has 10 kg too much.
I arrived here four days ago after a torturous, two day long air transfer affair. From Singapore, I made a stop in Melbourne and Auckland, before finally landing in Christchurch, one of the larger towns on the Southern Island. Christchurch is clean, neat, strikingly British looking and overrun by street performers, stand up comedians and magicians that are all here for the week long fringe festival
Downtown Christchurch
. It is nice to be back in civilization! Here's what I did upon arrival: CRASHED for 5 hours. Then, I headed straight for the grocery store and loaded up on salad and gossip magazines. Prince Williams had dated Doddy al Fayet's sister?! How huge that is! Clearly, I've been disconnected from the developed world.
Since I feel like I'm part of the X Fat crowd, I wend down to the sports store, bought running gear and went for a run in the botanical gardens. I was a bit uneasy spending a two week Indian budget on sneakers and shorts, but I figured it's a win-win situation. Even if I'm not running a lot, I still have to carry the extra weight in my backpack, therefore working out a bit harder.
I went for a hike at the nearby hills yesterday and felt like a complete dork. Me, my day pack, a bottle of water, sunglasses and baseball cap, struggling downhill with a muscle pain, while people were jogging... running uphill. I did get to enjoy the sights though. Some of the sight were way too cute to be healthy for my cardio-vascular systems. Did I say already how fit the guys in New Zealand are?
If I wasn't coming from India, I was going to say that guys over here stare
The cathedral sq
. New Zealanders are a strange combination between British reserve and American friendliness. The staring types are particularly friendly. Alright, enough with the local fauna. I'm off to a 4 day hike around Nelson Lakes. I teamed up with Nomi, an Israeli gall from Jerusalem. We rented a car today, so tomorrow is a big day for me. First time driving on the WRONG side of the road if we don't count biking in India, where which side of the road you take is mostly discretional. Fingers crossed + insurance.
I will be roughing it for the next week, so don't expect any emails. I might call you though, and ask you to send some cash. It's AUCH expensive here.
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Hugs & Kisses, Vik
