Single Serving Friendships

On the road, you rarely get a second helping of anyone. Most backapckers are so wrapped up in doing their own thing that the time you spend together is brief - planes to catch, buses are leaving, you're going this way and i'm going that way. I can't tell you how much time I have spent trying to get to know someone, only to find out they are hopping off at the next bus stop. One of the reasons I decided to plan this adventure was to be a little more interesting and to get away from the small talk of life. When friends and family asked me "so what are you up to these days? Got a boyfriend yet? Bought a home? How's the job?", I could shock everyone with my ingenious plan to travel the world, and cut through all the small talk. Little did I know that I would be wrapped up in the same chit-chat thousands of miles away; "where are you from? how long have you been travelling? where will you go next? how old are you?" After a single serving of each person, you both go on your merry way, and even if you want a second helping (lets say from a very hot guy) you can't have it because backpackers are made to be on the road.

I'm here in Christchurch New Zealand, staying with my friend Torry who I have spent lots of time with over the last 10 years. The best part is that we don't have to small talk and I get my own room which has put Christchurch on the top of my list of places I've visisted. It's actually 11:00am on Thursday and I am still in bed - why not!? After smores and bonfires at Gunns Camp last week we headed to Invercargal. Since Metro, the bus driver, has become my oldest friend on this trip I took it upon myself to be his self-appointed co-pilot, which includes front seat driving privaledges, access to insider information and of course the rights to change the music. Although the rest of the bus wasn't into it, I instituted a "POWER BALLAD MORNING" and belted out such classics as Phil Collins Take a look at me now, and Starship's We Built this City on Rock and Roll. In the words of Metro, "I have never been so happy."


Invegargal is the New Jersey of New Zealand, so after a quick walk around and a couple freak-show sightings I decided to sit in the Hostel's TV room and watch the Lord of the Rings (One and Two.) That night we all headed to a comedy show at the local pub, which turned out to be pretty hysterical -anyone who puts rubber bands on their face and tries to talk should get their own show.


Catlin's way is the southern most coastal road that runs along New Zealand (and no, shockingly it wasn't named after yours truly.) We stopped and looked at petrified forrests, lighthouses, and beautiful beaches on our trek from Invecargal to Dunedin, and arrived in the city around 5:00pm. While some people went on a brewery tour (Timmy), I walked around the city and explored. After a bunch of us went out for the MOST amazing Indian food I have ever had we headed to a weird 70's disco club called Fever (which had 3 people in it, one of which had a full suit on and loved to disco dance), and then to a college bar called the Stock Exchange. The next morning I went on a 9:30am tour of the Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Factory, which I would have slept through had I known that the factory was in fact closed on Sundays, but the tour guides outfit pretty much made up for the dissapointment. With a bright purple pair of overalls, he didn't appreciate my parting question of "does the purple teletubbie know you raided his wardrobe?"

Another two nights in Queenstown, which has been by far my favorite city along the way, meant another bungee jump (off The Nevis which is over 400ft!), another ferberger (collasal sized beef patty this time with pinneapple and tomatoe relish, soooo good) and more adrenaline pumping activites (I also went up to the top of the look out on a gondala and then lugeing down the mountain on these little go-karts passing people at high rates of speed.) I arrived in Christschurch after a 7 hour bus ride two days ago and Torry and I spent some time walking around the city yesterday. There is a beautiful cathedral in the center of town that we walked through, which prompted me to wonder why this town is called Christchurch, but then I bought some caramel chococlates and stopped caring. Today we are headed to the beaches although the weather is overcast and rainy. Tomorrow I fly to Auckland for a Valentines day flight to Sydney, Austraillia!