Viva Mexico!!

So I just got done eating Mexican and was pretty impressed with the quality! And there's someone speaking Spanish in my hostel, so I got excited.

Today I returned to Christchurch and will be hanging out here the rest of today and tomorrow and then Saturday will begin my trek back home. I can't believe it! Traveling on my own has ended up being so much fun and I've met some incredible people!

I hopped on the bus to Milford Sound around 7 in the morning. I tried to get a good seat up front and ended up sitting by 3 other people that were traveling on their own. The bus ride wasn't TOO bad, but it was foggy the whole way which made me really nervous. I didn't want it to be foggy in the fjords! BUT, around 10:30 it all cleared up and by the time we got there (12:30), it was a perfectly clear and gorgeous (but cold) day.

The boat ride was pretty and for the whole first half I stood at the bow and just let the wind hit my face. We saw some awesome waterfalls and it was so calm and scenic. Then the captain of the boat announced that there were some dolphins. It was a mad rush of pushing and yelling for people to get out and get a video of them. It kind of ruined it for me :( It took all of the "peace" out of it and although I got a pretty good video, there were people pushing and elbowing and talking loud the whole time. So for the way home I just sat inside where it was quieter and enjoyed the scenery. While in line for the boat, I started talking to a girl that is here on her own from South Africa and we've pretty much been inseperable since. It's so nice to find someone that you're compatible with that is fun to travel around with! I'm finding more and more that I can distinguish between different English accents, so yay for me!

Whilst on this beautiful trip to Milford Sound, I spent half the trip there calling different places that I thought I might have left my flash drive. No one had heard about it or seen it and I was just gutted. Then, about halfway there, I realized that maybe I just left it in the computer that I was using to scan in my passport. BUT, I couldn't call to ask or anything because 1. no reception (like 98% of this country) and 2. I didn't have the number. SOOOO... I had to wait in anxious anticipation until we got back at 7 in the evening to verify that it was there. So Corinna and I were going to go have a Fergburger (huge as) together, but I asked if she would come with me to see if it was there. AND IT WAS! In a box with probably 10-12 other flash drives. NIIIICCCEEEEE. Then I decided that we got to devour our burger in celebration of recovering it. Now I just have to get all of the files backed up and I'll be a happy camper. So immediately when I got home, I emailed my passport to the place I had to email it to, which was such a relief.

I went back to the hostel and watched me some "Music and Lyrics" and decided that I'm probably going to have to buy the soundtrack because it's sweet as. I settled into bed to get ready for a bus trip to Dunedin (to see Phillipa!!!!)

I hopped off the bus and Pip was there to pick me up. We went to her house and I got to meet her mom and her little nephews. We had some yummy soup for lunch and then got in the car with her nephew Andre to go see some albatrosses (huge as seagulls with a 3 meter wingspan). They're only in the wild and the only place where they nest in New Zealand is at this nature preserve in Dunedin, so I got to see four baby albatross chicks (with a wingspan of 2.5 meters... yeah... not so "baby-like" if you ask me). Andre was super cute and on the way there he kept asking "Are we there yet?" and so Pip told him to count to 500 and then we'd be there. He's only 3. 1, 2, 3...16, 19, 20, 30, 50, 16, 19, 20, 19, 20, 19, 20 for a good 4 minutes. It was sooo cute. And then he sang "Mamma Mia" and Batman mashup for me. That was pretty sweet... I think we're going to try to market it.

After we saw the birds, we went back to the house and had some delish curry for dinner. Then Pip took me on a "tiki tour" where she showed me the town. She took me to the world's steepest street and we drove up it (I was feeling lazy). Then she showed me around the campus that she studied at, but also the first and most prestigious campus in NZ. That was really cool. It was incredibly beautiful. We headed back to the house and watched some Grey's Anatomy and then headed to bed. I slept in Andre's bed (he told me I could share with him... and that I could wear his gumboots. What a ladies' man!)

In the morning, Pip drove me so that I could hop on the long bus ride from Dunedin to Lake Tekapo, the coldest place in the South Island (I don't know if that's true, but it sure felt like it!) It was sad saying goodbye, but reassuring because I know I'll see her in Mexico in December!!

The bus ride was great. I spent most of it chatting with Andy and Carinna. It was her birthday, so I decided we just HAD to do something to make it special. She had been telling me that she was nervous that she'd end up alone all day long on her birthday... how sad! We chatted with the bus driver as well and the trip seemed to fly by. Once we got there, I got all settled and then the three of us went ice skating... in JULY.... outside!! It was Andy's first time ice skating (he's from Indonesia, so he hasn't even really seen snow before), so we taught him good. We only skated for probably 45 minutes but my feet were killing me by the end of it! I fell down trying to show off. Big surprise there!

On our way back to the hostels, Corinna asked if we could have a snowball fight. I decided to videotape (I've had my share of snowball fights). So her and Andy eat grabbed and chunk of snow and went "One, Two, Three, THROW!" COME ON.... that is NOT how you snowball fight! They just kept catching each other's snowballs! haha. It was really entertaining to see someone enjoy something that I think of as such a common occurrence (and often a nuisance).

We headed to dinner at a pizza place in town. On the way, I asked if we could stop by the supermarket (a little teeny tiny one). Andy distracted Corinna and I bought some candles and a little Sara Lee cheesecake. I hid it in my bag and we headed off for pizza. We ended up waiting an hour for a table and then played Jenga for a good 10 minutes while waiting for our pizza. After we were done eating, I snuck away, saying I had to use the restroom, got a lighter from the waitstaff, put the candles in, lit them, and came around the corner singing. Corinna was totally surprised (I honestly thought she HAD to know that SOMETHING was going on...) and then made us sing it again when she could videotape it. It was sweet and I was happy to do something for her birthday when she's so far away from home, friends, and family. We played some more Jenga after dinner and finally left so other people could eat.

I got back and Troy was just starting, so I watched that (ads included... it ended at midnight) and then headed to bed. I had some really trippy dreams that I did not like at all and then woke up, ready to go. I slept most of the way to Christchurch (it was raining anyway) and when we got here, Corinna and I got rooms in the "Sanctuary" (girls only and we get heated blankets and all kinds of nice stuff). We went for Mexican and had some stimulating conversation about past relationships and about financial stuff (she's an accountant, so she was giving me advice as to how to spend/save my money). Right now we're relaxing for a bit and then we're going to head to go see Boy. That's the same movie I saw the first week I was here (yes, 3 months later it's still in select theaters) and Corinna has never seen it. I think it's so fitting to go and see it again on my last leg of my trip here. I LOVED it, so it'll be worth every penny to go again.

Tomorrow I'm just going to chill around Christchurch. I think I'm going to try to finish the book I'm reading so that Margaret can have it when I get home. I might take a stop by the art gallery and do some gondola riding, but we'll see what the weather's like. And then Saturday, I'm closing up shop and heading back to Welly for lunch with the host 'rents. :) EXCITED!