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Published: August 9th 2007
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Right, it won't come as much of a surprise to anyone when I say that New Zealand is gorgeous! It's also a big difference in terms of the temperature from where I was before - it's freezing cold!!! Especially when you go sailing - wind, snow and water are not the most attractive things put together...
One thing I have to say is that it doesn't really matter which season you'll come to New Zealand in: it's going to be stunning anyway! In the summer, you can enjoy all the water sports and beaches and in the winter, you can ski and hike in the very many snow capped mountains - can you ask for more? If so, you can skydive and jump off numerous high buildings and constructions that they have come up with just for that occasion. They are seriously crazy about heights and throwing yourself off them!
Anyway, I don't ever seem to be able to start from the beginning...
So, when I got to the airport in Auckland, I was picked up by my lovely friend Louise and her beau Simon in his tractor, well a car that looks like a tractor. And can
I just say here: it was so nice to have someone waiting for you at the airport after that flight. Awww...
We headed to their new flat that's a few minutes from a beach. It was no beach time at all but it was still nice to know we are close to the waterfront. Since I was staying in a cosy flat close to trendy Ponsonby, I must say, I liked Auckland. It's really small and slow-paced, which is a novelty, but it served me well for a couple of days. And Lou and Simon were so welcoming too - it made all the difference!
After a couple of days, I hopped on a Stray Bus - a bus full of random travellers who hop on and off at their whim. Since I was used to travelling with the people I wanted to travel with, I was slightly nervous about who I would have to be stuck with. However, it all turned out to be just fine. Our bunch was from all over the shop and we almost became a family during the time we spent together. Our driver also added to the whole experience - what a
top bloke he was! So hilarious and witty! And a good driver too - although, sometimes you did want to shout out "James, can you turn around and watch the road when you are driving, mate?" Still, a top bloke!
I seemed to have gained two little sisters during that trip (subconscious substitutes for the two left in Poland I guess): one Scottish lass and one Japanese. The Scottish one is clued-on and can be left alone unattended. The Japanese one is a separate story. Well, let me tell you about her as it's definitely worth the typing, believe me!
So, her name is Saori and she's 24. She is a primary school teacher (which was her dream) and is normally based near Kyoto. She's au-pairing in Auckland for a year and learning English at the same time. And she's totally sweet and innocent - well, you'd think that anyway :o) She also always makes these funny noises as if everything was surprising her or as if she had something in her throat - never know which one. You always try to suss out whether she's going to be angry or whether she's just clearing her throat. But
that's ok, after a while, you get used to that, kinda...
One evening, we were all messing around in our dorm and somehow, we ended up talking about who we fancy. Darren, a Welsh gay guy, said which bloke he fancied, to which Saori looked at him in a state of shock and asked: "a man??? but you are a man too!" Darren, a VERY open gay, was slightly taken aback, as he thought he'd made it quite clear to everyone about his preferences. At that point we had to tell little Saori that yes, Darren is gay and that everything's going to be OK. Saori literally was staring at him with open mouth for at least 15 min before we all realised she'd never met a gay before! That first time is always a bit of a shock, hey? Anyway, we all started giggling as Darren went under proper scrutiny - the girl would not stop staring at him (the mouth still open). She then said she had a few questions for him and that's when it all started: the sexy chat. I guess it will be simply impossible to write down the whole conversation as it'll never
be as hilarious as in real life (it made me cry of laughter for good 5 min). One example though:
Saori (the intonation always goes up at the end of a sentence): So, you have one hole......and he has one hole......So, how do you get heaven?
That was the night Saori learned a few handy expressions such as "orgasm" or "have sex" (instead of "work" but that's probably a Japanese thing - they are overworked buggers).
We also learned a few things about Saori: she doesn't like sex, she prefers kissing. She's been with her present boyfriend for 5 years but hasn't "worked" with him for a year now. One of her Japanese friends is going out with a Chile guy and apparently, it's very difficult for the Japanese as he "works" for 3 hours while Japanese men "work" for 5 min. Mental note: never go out with a Japanese guy and possibly, go travelling to South America when single ;o)
You know how sometimes you think silly things but wouldn't tell anyone about them because they are just so silly? Well, Saori doesn't do that - she just says them out loud... So, after all the
fact-finding about Darren's preferences, she announced she must tell her friends about it as they are not going to believe it (as if she saw a yeti in the mountains or something like that!) Poor Darren must have felt a bit queer...
Planet Japan must be a funny place and I'm pretty sure I'd be the one making all the surprise noises if I went there myself. I'd be interested to know what these kids learn at school when it comes to sexual education as it doesn't seem they know what's going on out there. Or maybe we are just way too ahead with all of that? Hmm.....
Anyways, all of these chats with the bus family made us realise one thing: that all the stereotypes that are going around are actually true, no matter how hard you try to avoid them. For example, English people are always polite ("I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you!" kinda thing) and all Americans carry duct tape in their rucksacks - not sure where that came from but it's true! The Irish are all drunk and rowdy (and a lot of fun) and ze Germans are always efficient (and
hungry, it seems). As for Poles, not many people have met Polish travelers, so they don't know much about us except for the Brits of course as we are currently taking over their little island.
In terms of the stuff I have seen so far: I have been to the North Island and seen quite a few places in a relatively short time. Those buses simply know when and how to get to most wanted spots and so everything is really well organised and easy. As a result, I have visited most of the North Island pearls: the Cathedral Cove, the hot water beach, Waitomo Caves, a mud lake, lake Taupo, the National Park (where I did skiing, woohoo!), etc. All good fun and absolutely amazing. However, we all know the South Island is going to be even more stunning, so I just couldn't wait to be there! That's also where you get to do all the crazy stuff - well, that's where I wanted to do it anyway. So, soon, you'll get to see some pics from the helicopter/glacier experience and all other mad things such as skydiving and a canyon swing. It all sounds really crazy but
what the hell, you live only once, right?
Catch you guys soon then!
love, Mon xx
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