Details, I'm not so good at taking care of those. I'm also the last minute queen. She'll be okay, it'll work out. I do sometimes wonder if I'm enough of a grown up to be out organizing stuff. Take this trip. A last minute booking cost more than it should have. I really didn't arrange much for the time I was places, mostly making the best use of time when with my family and friends. Details for my Dubai leg eluded me, details like school holidays, Ramadan, a sim card for internet, when and where I'd catch up with folks - see point one school holidays! I did manage to successfully visit 3 countries, take 8 flights plus my 4 long haul legs, see all my family and many of my lovely friends.
And it worked like clockwork, well except for the long delay at Nelson airport where the bar and only source of crisps shut early in the piece. The crew at the airport were not helpful, no we couldn't get something to eat from Koru Club and they didn't have anything else sorry. Except for the couple of cookies they threw to us like we were monkeys in a zoo. Suffice to say that was not the best experience except for the two fellow travelers, one the most interesting tour guide the other a regular work traveler. I was hangry when I got there finally and Jane had to wait for a few extra hours to pick me up.
Nelson was lovely. So great to see Sue and Neil and be welcomed as I always am in their lives. Megan, who I haven't seen for years, came for dinner and we had some lovely food and wine with many laughs and meaningful conversations - not so sure how much sense we made towards the end! Nelson is such a gorgeous part of New Zealand with a warmer micro climate making it a place where fruit, hops and other goodies thrive. Being by the sea meant fresh seafood too. Being in Nelson again made me realise I could enjoy living there, maybe one day.
Back in Christchurch Jane and I got some time together before I flew back to Brisbane. As always we picked up where we left off and had a fab time. A highlight was enjoying the best Italian meal and cocktails taking a tiramasu home to have for breakfast, the very best of breakfast food. It was delicious with a coffee. Back in Brisbane it was boiling hot again - I've gone soft I suspect! I spent some very sweaty hours in my storage unit unpacking, sorting, repacking and rationalising the small amount I have left there. My bike has gone to a good home and the rest is packed to ship where ever I end up next. I packed as much as I could in my suitcase, adding to the few clothes and many NZ sweets to share. It was a relief to see it on the scales at only 29kgs!
Here are some pics from some of the spots I enjoyed. Dubai requires a post of its own.
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| Going off grid on the family land |
