I know some of you may be shocked but yes I am writing another blog already! I’m sorry that I have not been writing them so often but it is hard when internet access is scarce and I am moving around all the time. Te Anau (town I am living in now) is really tiny (you can walk from end to end in 10 minutes!) and they have a library with free internet so it makes it a lot easier. It also makes it a lot easier to skype so I would love to set up skype “dates” with you! Usually around 3-4 pm would be the best time for me to start a chat. that is 6-7 pm CA time and 7-8 pm CO time…so let me know if you want to chat! After 5 months away I am really starting to feel a little homesick and miss all of you so some friendly faces would be nice!
So, since I last wrote, I have just been trying to get settled in to my new town…it is cool living in such a small town. everyone knows everyone! It is really funny… there are no secrets and no gossip that doesn’t get around! The girls I work with are pretty cool, most of them are travelers like me just trying to earn some money for more travels! One of the friends I made in nelson also lives here, so it is nice to have some people to hang around with when I am not working.
I just got back from doing the Milford Track, which is probably the most famous hike in NZ. It is four days, 3 nights long. Because it is so famous and popular, you have to book it in advance (usually at least 6 months). I got lucky that there was a cancellation and I was able to go. I have been looking forward to doing this hike since I arrived in NZ. Unfortunately, I HUGE storm hit on the second day of the hike and we got over 10 inches of rain! I have never really been in rain that is THAT hard. All of my raingear just got completely soaked through, even the really expensive stuff. So basically I was walking in the rain for 3 days, 6 hours a day! Haha, I felt like I was in the army! Haha, actually the rain gave the hike some unexpected beauty…there were hundreds of little waterfalls running down the sides of the mountains because there was so much rain. It was really incredible, I’ve never seen anything like it! I ruined my camera trying to take pictures of it L At night I stayed in little huts what are out there in the mountains ( I was glad I was not sleeping in a tent in the rain!) so was able to make some friends, and our little group got nicknamed the “blackjack crew” because we played cards every night. It was good having people to hike with just to have someone to talk to and because the track was quite dangerous with all the rain (lots of river and waterfall crossings). The “hut wardens,” who live at and look after the huts we stayed in, even talked about having to airlift us out by helicopter because the storm was so bad! I was a little disappointed there was no helicopter (that would have been so cool!) but it was good to be able to walk the whole way. When I got home, a nice dinner, a hot shower and nap in my warm bed felt like heaven!
Now I am just back to work, trying to decide what my next move is going to be! I was offered a management position at my current job if I agree to stay here though winter, so that is one option…but I think I am going to want to move on! We will see!
Love and miss you all J LETS SKYPE!
