Christchurch Denied!!
Ok, ok, I am in Christchurch. We made it in relatively easily with only a few hiccups: one girl decided to get completely wasted in Denver and continue the party in Los Angeles to the point where a) no one could find her and b) once found, she was so wasted the airline folks (wisely) wouldn’t allow her on the plane. I guess they were going to put her in the drunk tank, and then she’s got to find her own way back home. What a stupid way to throw away the chance of a lifetime, eh?
The other hiccup was that apparently New Zealand hadn’t given me a proper nine-month visa last year, so they had my passport flagged as someone who had overstayed her visa last season! This meant I had to sit in the immigration office for a while. Everything worked out in the end, though, and the people were very nice, which I am sure wouldn’t be the case in the US if the same thing had happened.
So to the denial of Christchurch: looks like we’re leaving for the Ice a day early. We got in and were able to check in to the hotel right away, so I changed clothes and got some Dmitri’s lamb souvlaki and an L&P and walked down to the Canterbury Museum, which I had missed on my previous visits. They have a great Antarctic exhibit and it was nice to walk around for a bit. Afterward I went back to the hotel and made the mistake of turning on the 24-hour horseracing channel, which immediately put me to sleep.
After snoozing for three hours, I decided to get up and take a shower and get ready for bed, only to find a piece of paper shoved under my door. Looks like we need to get up early with all our stuff and go to the Clothing Distribution Center, get our gear, and leave right after. I am unhappy because I had some shopping I wanted to do here and now it’s pretty late to be doing that. Oh well, guess it’s not to be. Still, I really wanted some cheese. Not sure if there’s a weather thing, or if the program has just decided to cut costs by rushing us through CHC. Anyway, it’ll make CHC all the more enjoyable at the other end, I suppose.
So wish me luck and no boomerangs on the next flight!
Hiya Laura!
Glad to see the blog is up and running and that you made it Christchurch. No fun with the immigration hic-cup but glad it worked out. That’s awesome the sonic screwdriver is making the journey.
It was a beautiful wedding and the reception was mind-blowing! Wow, I’ve never been to such a fancy reception before and it was really fun. The live band and singers were awesome!
Looking forward to your next post from the ice!
Ciao,
Lisa