The road abroad smells like...Feet

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND- adventure capital of the world

                I took a flight from Auckland to Queenstown on Saturday morning with JetStar and sat next to the flight attendant business director for the whole damn airline! All the flight attendants were kissing his butt before we took off and I eventually asked him, "Are you important??"  Turns out he was.  They catered toward him the whole flight and he shared his drinks with me and gave me some vanilla hard candy. It really doesn't take much to please me.  His wife and he were sooo nice and told me everywhere I should and shouldn’t go on my trip. They made me think I should stay longer in NZ and that I should skip Dunedin altogether.
              I caught the shuttle bus from the airport into town and checked into the Base hostel and was appauled to find that every place charged me for internet.  The hostels in Brazil, Argentina and Europe that I stayed at in the past had free internet to use.  I asked around and found that the only place with free wifi was good old McDonalds! 
             One happy meal later, I was in rockin' and rollin' in cyberspace.  I then took the gondola up the mountain side where the views were just SPECTACULAR. I stayed up there for a couple hours at least just to be surrounded by the landscape. I literally was tearing up just by the sight of it all…and overall feeling that if I died right now I had to say that I had an awesome life. My roommate and forever friend Sri would have made fun of me for the tears (but she cries during You’ve Got Mail so what does she really know?) I took a lot of pictures at the top and met an Asian named Andrea from NYC and a Dutch guy named Whim from Vancouver. We stayed up there until after sunset just to take it all in. I came back to the hospital and passed by three guys who looked like they weren’t enjoying the $5 spaghetti Bolognese special at the hostel. It turned out they were from Lynnfield, Wakefield and Everett! I had a great time talking to them before going to my room. I met some people in my smelly 8 man hostel room- Raquel from California and Matt from Nova Scotia. I found out that Matt's sister and I played hockey against each other when she was a senior at Harvard and I probably met her on my recruiting visit.  Raquel's brother, Alex, was also super cool.  They had found Matt along the way and they made a great travel team.  Everyone was so nice and helpful even if they make a room smell like feet! I can see how I may get sick of telling everyone my story though. You have to do it because it’s the best way to learn more about traveling and the amazing people along the way. I learned of a website that may help me connect with RVers- gumtree.co.nz and get across the country. I signed up for a YHA membership card and the savings are already huge.  We went out that night and the scene was pretty young an immature.  I know Queenstown is a party spot for backpackers but I won't stay at Base hostel ever again.  The music was thumpin' well after 2 am and the drunk boys and girls occupied the hallways trying to convince each other it was a good idea to hook up.
            The next morning I went hiking with the Masshole boys’ roommate, Melissa who is from Germany. We climbed Queenstown Hill (probably 3.5 miles but who really knows when everything is measured in km) and had a great view of the town. We scarfed down the Queenstown favorite 'Fergbergers' by the water before learning how to get free internet. I already want to change my flight to stay longer. If anyone has Qantas connections, let me know! I went jetboating over the Shotover River which was sick!! Our driver, Glenn (shoutout to my red headed brother), was so skilled in that he could come within inches of hitting HUGE rocks as we weaved through the cliffs. It was a thrill!
           Afterwards I had a little trouble taking a shower. After soaping up in the timed shower that only
sprays water for 5 seconds before shutting off, I realized I forgot my shampoo. My greasy hair desperately needed shampoo. I then realized I locked myself out of my room and had to go down to the lobby. I got back in the shower and realized I forgot the shamps again! It was the worst shower experience of my life but I learned my lesson.
           I met up with Melissa for a walk by the lakeside beach and got a soup dinner at a café that had a moustache wall of fame. I took a picture for Ray Delgado and realized that his 'stache would be in high demand here. We went to the Pig and Whistle for a very sophisticated hot chocolate and called it an early night. I could tell that I would be sore from the hike.

          The next morning I woke up at 5:45 to talk to my parents, Peg and Wayne on gchat before heading out of town. They are getting so savy with their tech skills.  They've mastered gmail, gchat, texting over email and facebook just in the past 2 weeks.  I'm so proud of them!  They were cool before and now they've ascended to a whole new level of cool. I departed from them to have a quick breakfast with Melissa and then ‘popped’ on a bus to Te Anua with my favorite song right now 'And the Beat Goes On' by Fara's brother Matt White playing on my ipod.  It's so catchy- check it out.