My unplanned return to Christchurch yielded the YMCA as the only sub-$140 option for that particular night. Can't be that bad, it's right across from the bus station, might even have a basketball court. Wrong. The place vaguely resembled the Jackson County Jail and even gleefully advertised a prison-food-looking supper. And my roommates, oh my roommates. Two young Frenchmen, again smelling of chives and dead possums, one dorky kid from "When keeping it real goes wrong" strutting in with a fur coat, straight billed Blue Jays cap and half empty bottle of Absinthe, and one man who I only knew his existence in the morning when I hear ungodly hacking. I could tell no mouth was being covered in this process and sat up ready to be like, "dude!". Lo and behold, there hunched a 90 year old man with an inhaler about to die in front of me. You definitely reevaluate your life a little to a lot in a YMCA. Never again.
- Speaking of hostel mates, the Germans are everywhere in New Zealand. Feels a bit like my own personal Battle of the Bulge sometimes, just surrounded. Majority of them are great, but what a language! Wish I could find a clip of when Homer has to turn the Simpson house into a hostel to pay the bills. Feels a bit like that sometimes.
- I successfully made it through New Zealand without buying a $300 Kathmandu winter coat. My winter coat at home was the last on the pile that didn't make the cut for packing, since 90% of this trip is tropical/sub-tropical. Might need Lambert to leave behind his famous Arkansas-tested "we're not dying here Delaney" jacket if I decide to go to Nepal. Edit: Spoke too soon. Seem to have left behind or had stolen my Adidas jacket and another shitty old black fleece. Put another way, 2 of my 3 warmish layers. D'oh.
- My hiking boots have been through a lot and will also not be returning. They nobly knew it was a one way trip. Will try to give them a proper burial in the Himalayas or at least ask permission to toss them in the Ganges.
- Tom Haverford's advice to "treat yo self" still rings true. But after unexpectedly having to buy a new camera, jacket, and several Australia flights/trains, I may have to scale that back a bit.
- I figured out the rules to Rugby. Moderately fascinating to watch and indeed you're forced to here. The All Blacks are gods in New Zealand. But at the end of the day, isn't rugby basically the game we played in the front yard, "kill the man with the ball" (aka "smear the queer", guess my neighborhood was progressive on gay rights)? Have these people not seen a perfectly executed 20-yard slant and thought, maybe that's more beautiful and entertaining? The American sports bias is strong in this one.
- I've watched maybe 5 hours of TV since I left the states. And I'm surprisingly okay with that. The time I have spent has not been well used either, usually with someone else in charge of the remote. Watched fucking Doom, starring The Rock, with some crazy Irish Guys, and way too many episodes of the overrated Modern Family (oh boo yourself). Some British girls were watching Grey's Anatomy and Rachael Ray the other night. I said if we're gonna watch filth, let's do it right, and introduced them to American Horror Story.
- Deer farms are abundant in New Zealand. Fine by me, venison is delicious. But I see these fences and think, "Go now. You can be free." Maybe if they're born in captivity, they don't know better than to escape. Mold that into some profound thought.
- I realize many of these are complainy, as Nick would say. Well who wants to read about sunshine and lollipops? Let's just say Larry David is a minor hero of mine.
- Since I sometimes have to stretch it for my secondary post, I thought a Sports Guy style mailbag might be interesting/disastrous. I'm sure some of you have questions/requests. Send them to mdelaney9@gmail.com subject: blog mailbag. Or don't. I'm good either way. Just an idea to mix it up.
- All in all New Zealand was amazing for the stunning scenery and outdoor options. Not to take anything away from here, but it also really makes you appreciate America too. As awesome as Taupo was, it's Tahoe junior. The trout which make the lake a world destination for fishing.....are imported from the states. Wai-o-tapu is little league compared to Yellowstone. Milford Sound can be recreated in Alaska, Queenstown has sister cities in Colorado, etc. But per capita, this country sets the bar quite high for nature lovers (other than there being no real animals, haha).
- 3 weeks, as always, is simply too fast. Will have to return and tackle things I missed. Abel Tasman sea kayaking, Marlborough wine country, Wellington, Waiotomo black water rafting and caving, Lord of the Rings tours, and I never got to see a Maori cultural performance. Really wanted to see a proper tribal Haka, where dudes with face tattoos screamed in my grill. Next time. And if you're thinking about it, the way to go in hindsight is definitely to rent a camper van. They even have ones with lots of character, like the one I saw with Arnold's Terminator face painted on it. Hasta la vista for now New Zealand.
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| Deep in thought....about who to pick first in the Fanhood draft. |
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| People need to learn how to frame a good picture. Everyone is all straight down the middle. Asymmetry can be your friend folks! |
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| For Joey Joe Joe. |
That jacket also saved all of us in Montana...I can bring it if need be!
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