Rained Out - Night 96

The weather this morning was dour, perfectly

matching my mood. Despite the early night and plenty of sleep I felt incredibly sluggish and ornery. Travel seems to amplify my moods, both up and down. I took a long walk along the lake to set my mind at ease. The destination was the old (though still used) Kawarau Bridge. Steel frame with wooden planks covering it, the one lane bridge is the main crossing of the river and lies on one of the main highways on the South Island. Standing on the pedestrian strip as large trucks cross you feel as if it could fall apart at any moment.

Queenstown from Across the Water

After I returned to town, I spent some time picking up supplies for my upcoming Kepler trip. A cooking pan, some freeze dried meals, and a waterproof bag liner for starters. Post-lunch an absolute downpour began and washed out my plans to go back to the Kawarua Bungy site. Twice now I’ve been denied my jump. It looks like the forces of fate are trying to tell me something. The rain did not abate until nearly 7pm. I holed up in an internet café for the better part of the afternoon laboriously updating my journal and booking hostels for the remainder of my New Zealand trip. In the evening our small common room was very busy amidst a flurry of multiculturalism. At one point the room held 4 Jewish girls (speaking Hebrew), two poles, two Aussies, a Japanese, Swede, Brit and me, the lone American.

What I Learned Today: Hebrew sounds like nothing else. I can usually guess what language is being spoken, or at least the family of language, by the look of the speaker and the tone of the speech, but when the four American looking girls where jabbering away in Hebrew I was completely lost.

written by

exumenius on January 14, 2008 from Te Anau, New Zealand

from the travel blog: Kiwis and Kangaroos

Send a Compliment

comment on this...