Whale Rider

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Dear lovlies,

So this is what I get for being lazy and not putting in entries as often as I should. There's too much to talk about! Just the highlights, please...
After I left warm, humid Sydney (which is a beautiful city and I intend to spend a few more days there when I come back)I landed in Christchurch, the capital of New Zealand's South Island, around midnight. Unfortunately, I found a nasty surprise waiting for me at the small airport. Dozens of sleeping bodies scattered on the floor of the lounge area. Sleeping bags, backpacks, shoeless feet all over the place. It turns out ROD STEWART was in town so all the hotels and hostels were booked. My god! I spent the night in a tiny space between the bathrooms and payphones, feeling all gross and ghetto.
As for Christchurch itself, it's very British in origin and flavor. Since there was absolutely nothing to do after staring at the neo-Gothic cathedral in the town center, I passed the time with an Israeli guy named Itay who was on a frantic mission to get vaccinated before going to Bangkok in two weeks. He was kinda weird and had very long, alien-like hands. He also had absolutely no tolerance for booze. Ha ha!!!
Yesterday morning I left Christchurch (it was sooo boring) and hopped on the Magic bus to head north to Kaikora, home of ecotourism. A skinheaded Brit sat next to me and talked about his money troubles the whole time. Lovely.
But Kaikora -- WOW!!!
I never knew what a blue ocean was until I saw Kaikora, which is a small town on a peninsula. These mountains towering over the town were just spectacular. New Zealand, it seems, really is as beautiful as it's rumored to be. The whole town's economy rests on taking people out to swim with dolphins and watch for sperm whales. Not being a water-lover, I opted for the second option.
Kaikora's one of the few places in the world where you can see sperm whales so close to shore. They really were magnificent, and we also saw wandering albatrosses, dolphins, and seals on a rock. They looked like washed up slugs covered in seaweed. And though I normally don't get seasick, the Danish lady next to me lost it in her barf bag, which in turn left me feeling nauseas (spelling?) for the rest of the boat ride.
As for myself traveling alone as a female, I've only suffered a few short bouts of lonliness. Good thing New Zealanders are so damn friendly and safe. Ladies -- if you ever want to travel, this is the place to be!!

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Photos

Sydney opera house
Yup, there it is.

Me and dead bat.
The trees in Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens were absolutely dripping with these "Flying foxes." Ew.

Whale tale in Kaikora
Sperm whale diving under to find food and stuff his multi-tonned face.

Cow farm
Idyllic setting on the Kaikora Peninsula. I trespassed through the ranch, hee hee.

Trees n stuff
What I was saying about a blue ocean...

Being cheesy
Hey, what can I say. It was warm, sunny, dreamy.

Comments

[anonymous]

Ijao!
Fascinating! Sympathy puking is always the worst. - Ameriski