Jish Gets a Girlfriend

---

Our final full day in the campervan couldn't have turned out better. The campsite at Amberley Beach was so nice that we couldn't be bothered to pack up again and for once decided to stay put. In the morning, we attempted to go for a walk along the beach but the coarse sand and stones were too loose and it was difficult to get a foothold without sinking right into the beach. It also didn't help that we were both in our sandals but well, the sun was still shining and we were going to milk it for all it was worth! Just as we made our way back off the beach, we bumped into a lady with 3 big dogs that came bounding over to greet us. She was a local rather than a holidayer and we chatted about dogs, life in New zealand and generally chewed the fat for about half an hour, which was nice.

On our return to the campsite, a young German couple pulled up in the only other small campervan we had seen on the site. We were surprised when they came straight over to us and asked if they could charge their mobile phone in our van as they didn't have any electrical hook-up equipment. Naturally we obliged and you know me - we soon got chatting. They were a fun couple who even came to our defence when a massive converted coach pulled up next to our little van and the driver told us to move over. We couldn't believe how rude this guy was being especially when we pointed out a number of other more sensible pitches he could use but he seemed intent on bullying us out of the way. When he stopped the engine, his bus was parked so close to the van that we couldn't fully open the boot and couldn't access our food, water and cooking stuff. We resolutely refused to budge (first come, first served, surely?) and thankfully the bus moved elsewhere before a full scale argument kicked off.

The German couple, Florian and Veronika, weren't hanging around for long so we exchanged contact info and agreed to meet up for a beer in Christchurch over the next few days. No sooner had they left than we made another new friend, this time a young Korean guy who seemed to be sleeping in his car. I gave him a wave when he looked over our way and beckoned for him to come and join us. Somehow the conversation quickly turned towards bears and I pulled Jish out of his hidey hole to say hello. Wan, the Korean guy, didn't say anything and I was worried I might somehow have offended him when he ran over to his car - that was until he came back carrying his very own bear! How cool is that?She's called Crystal and although she's slightly larger than our Jish, I could tell that Jish took an instant fancy to her. From that moment on, we all knew we had found a kindred spirit and duly spent the next 7 or 8 hours together, getting to know each other and having a brilliant time. Wan is totally on our wavelength and has a cracking sense of humour. I can already imagine that we'll be meeting up with him again if the opportunity presents itself. We love making new friends and of course Jish does too. I wonder how long it takes to make baby bears? :-))

---

Photos

Jish's New Girlfriend
Jish and Crystal prepare to put on a puppet show...as all bears do when they first meet!