and we are still being hit with bad weather. i know i sound like a broken record, but seriously. from picton, headed towards kaikoura, and though the day started off nice enough, it got cloudier, windier and cooler. please, gods of new zealand, one nice day! stopped at dusky lodge to pick up the stuff we had left there so we wouldn't have to cart it all over the north island.unfortunately, it was not meant to be my day.
my canvas kiwi bag was there, and the paintings we had purchased. however, my wine was gone. WTF. i was so irritated, mainly because i had such a pit in my stomach that something would happen to it. i hate when you don't listen to your gut and go with your instincts. i knew i should have taken the wine with me, even said so when we first went to the north island. leah and meg (two other lodge workers that steph knew) felt really badly, and leah especially had remembered seeing them very recently. it seems that mikey - the little irish fellow - was the likely culprit, however he was too cowardly to admit it, and snuck out the back door on a supposed "errand". yeah, right. the worst part was that they were special wines, and you couldn't buy them in the liquor stores, only from the vineyards. well, thanks mikey. wherever you are - you owe me 2 bottles of wine!!
anyway, steaming, got back in the car and continued our drive south towards christchurch. and what a surprise, it began to rain. we made it to the rental car place in time, and they were very friendly (as the locals have been the entire trip) and even gave us a ride to our final hostel, coachman backpacker. it was really a beautiful building, the wood paneling was exquisite. walked around the town center again, managed to pick up a few more souvenirs i had been looking for (including that kiwi shirt for jeff i had wanted). got our final meal, mine of course was lamb. was not about to leave the country of a gazillion sheep without that.
parted ways with steph, as she was meeting up with friends for her last hurrah. theresa & i walked around the botanical gardens and art center. and wouldn't you know my camera stopped working properly. friggin' day. thankfully, theresa took the close up shot of the charles dickens rose that i really wanted. so pretty. one last night of ice cream despite the now cold temps (we got our hokey pokey bars), and back to the hostel to pack. which is always a pain, but since i didn't have to worry about where to put the wine..
next AM began leisurely enough. we were able to store our luggage and walk around christchurch a while before needing to leave for the airport. the open air markets were setting up and there was plenty to browse and window shop. found our way to a cafe steph had recommended, and got the black currant hot juice. very different, but very good. the funniest moment of the morning, however, was when we read the paper - every single city in NZ had a sun over it in the weather forecast. EVERY ONE. except christchurch. which had a big ol' raincloud. hmpf.
finally it was time to say goodbye. theresa & i were on different flights, so i left her in christchurch. she had a night layover in aukland, so at least she was able to see some of that city. in the airport terminal i managed to spend my final 5 NZD, i was very proud of my purchases. eventually time to board, and oddly enough steph and i were on the same flight to LAX. the plane was booked solid, so there really wasn't much of a chance of us switching seats around to sit by each other.and here's where i wish i wasn't a nice person. because we are usually the ones that get screwed over.
i had noticed that there was an empty seat next to me (i ALWAYS fly in the aisle seat, especially on long distance flights). and i noticed that there was an empty seat in the middle of the center aisle, one row behind me. and i had another sinking feeling in my gut that this was too good to be true. sure enough, an announcement was made that the flight was indeed fully booked and they were just trying to figure out some last minute seating arrangements. immediately afterwards, a couple boarded the plane and started walking our way. closer and closer they came, until they were standing next to me. and with a pleading look in their eyes, they asked me if i would be willing to sit in the middle of the 4 person row so that they could sit together.what could i do?
i actually tried to stick up for myself, however meekly. i explained that i booked this seat months ago, so that i would have an aisle. that i don't sleep on planes, no matter how long or time of the flight, and that i need access to the aisle to walk around because of this. but they kept asking, and kept saying please. at one point they actually started begging me. and everyone was watching. i could not be a jackass, no matter how much i wanted to be. so, i got stuck in the middle of the 4 person row. the worst part was that the lady on the aisle in my new row blatantly said to me that she takes pills so she can sleep the whole time. so when i asked if she would mind switching with me, i was shocked when she flat out said 'no', because she 'might' need to use the toilet at some point, so she wanted to make sure she had that option. might?! WTF again - i told you i don't sleep so you can just ask me to move! so here i was, stuck in the middle, in seats so narrow you can barely stand up and do ankle pumps. i couldn't get out because the large woman next to me did indeed sleep the whole time, plus the kid in front of her had reclined his seat all the way that it was nearly on her lap, and there was no way to get out unless i wanted to literally climb on the armrests. AND the couple that took my seat also slept the entire time. i was so exhausted that i was close to tears by the end of the flight.
i then completely forgot that steph was on the flight, because after we got off the plane i had to literally run to catch my flight to newark. so i felt badly that i didn't get to say goodbye to her. plus, stupid continental charged me another $15 to check my luggage. even though i was coming from an international flight, because the flights were booked separately, they didn't really care. fortunately, i got my aisle back to NJ, and and empty middle seat next to me.ah, NJ. my home sweet home. traveling can be exhausting, and it is indeed good to be back. for now..
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