hmmm, what did I last write? as you travel, the days all blend together, b/c you see & do so much!
currently, we're in Christchurch, after driving 4 hrs through the gorgeous, mountain-filled Arthur's Pass yesterday, from Greymouth/Pukaiki. we're staying w/ 1 of Cat's sisters, Brianna, who lives w/ a family of 13! they're so hospitable & nice, it's wonderful, & we've finally taken a shower for the 1st time in ages. otherwise, we've just been bathing in rivers & in freezing cold pools in front of waterfalls, or taking numerous dips in the ocean. we've spent a lot of nights on beaches, esp beautiful b/c of the full moon of late. the night before last was spent underneath the Ballroom Overhang, after a 2-hr hike through a river by gorgeous rock faces that reminded me of the San Juans.
we had an absolutely hilarious time being entertained by stereotypical rednecks the other day, whom we met b/c he was taking his dog for a walk by driving down the beach & saw our fire & stopped to chat. how else did they fulfill their redneck requirements? by:
wearing a singlet (tank top)
being proud of having never cleaned his vehicle, & owning another vehicle just like it in order to have spare parts for when it broke down
having a 1-year-old walk around naked w/ a beer
having a spare bedroom made out of an old watertank in their front yard
having a house made of curving sheet metal
meeting a 16-year-old girl named Georgia, after hte Ray Charles song, who believed me when I said i was 54
a dog mad about sticks who breathed by snorting like a pig & didn't like men
starting the fire w/ petrol
having our redneck friend yell out to a less-than-beautiful middle-aged couple, "Don't breed, folks!" and admitting that he'd gone up to large (300 lbs) ladies & said, "You don't sweat much for a fat chick, do you?"
being told we should be glad to be partying w/ them, as there were real rednecks on the other side of town, who weren't living there for the "right reasons"
having a broken-down, smashed-up car in the front yard
owning a house that had more paint peeling than was actually on the house, w/ a general air of disrepair & neglect
having a backyard filled w/ old vehicles
having our friend Jen standing in front of said house & vehicles wearing a white tank top w/ a broken strap & red bra peeking through!
am tired & out of time to write, so that's all you get!
