In Christchurch after 34 hours of travel.

I woke up at 4:30am local time after about 7 or 8 hours of sleep. I fell asleep really early as a result of the combination of jetlag and just plain ordinary exhaustion. I slept maybe 15 or 20 minutes in total the previous 44 hours, so it was probably mostly exhaustion.

We arrived in Christchurch without any problems or lost luggage, although the equipment that we labelled as being fragile took forever to get off the aircraft. We then got a shuttle from the airport to our hotel, loaded all of our gear into a small luggage trailer that is towed behind the van, and got into the shuttle with two older women on vacation. I sparked up a conversation with them after about 5 minutes of silence (because I get uncomfortable in situations like that), and learned that they were on vacation from North Carolina after spending time in Australia at a "meeting". They talked about several other "meetings" they had recently attended, and I started to get the hint that they were likely associated with a church or religious group and were waiting for me to ask them what line of work they were in. I never did, not because I wasn't interested or intrigued, but because I'd rather talk about the beauty of New Zealand and the humor in driving on the wrong side of the road after being awake for 38 hours than to engage in deep spiritual or metaphysical discussions. I think they were a bit disappointed when they got out of the shuttle at their hotel. I was relieved.

We had dinner at a restraunt that I had eaten at twice last year. I remembered their delicious kangaroo steak that they served raw on a hot stone that you would cook yourself, and so I was excited to have it again. Unfortunately, it was not on the menu, and I had to do a bit of explaining to the rest of the gang as a result. The dinners were delicious, nonetheless - I had a raw slab of beef about the size of a large avacado that I grilled myself, and I managed to drop about 5 pieces on my pants, despite having a napkin on my lap. I guess I'm just practicing for the field.

After waking up at 4:30 this morning, I wandered downstairs with my laptop and my book to hang out in the common area on the first floor of the hotel. We're staying at a bed and breakfast that was originally a large, old mansion. As a result, there are very few electric outlets, even fewer heaters (it's fairly cold in Christchurch at night), and communal bathrooms. Anyway (I digress), there were already about 6 or 7 people in the common area with all of their luggage, obviously waiting for a shuttle to pick them up. Having been in their shoes a year before, I realized that they were about to head to the airport to head down to Antarctica. They were a group of flight technicians who will be working to support the planes between the time they land in Antarctica with gear, supplies, and people, and the time they take off again.

So here I am, about to get some breakfast and already a bit tired. Will write again soon!


Mark