Sometimes when you ask the Universe for something…you will receive it. Yesterday I ran out of body wash and pulled the old, throw some more water in the little bit I had to make it last longer. I’m not in hotels (free toiletries) until South America which is in 5 days. However, I have refused to buy anymore because it’s expensive in this country and all I can find is full-size bottles. And I don’t want to carry around full-size bottles. I’m kind of cheap in some respects in that I won’t waste money on $6 NZD soap but I will spend $180 NZD on a wine tour. It’s about priorities I suppose.
Today started off with one of the those free walking tours which is almost always good for the spend conscious. And that’s totally me these days as I don’t have income until at least December and still living off savings. Oh, I suppose I should tell you where I am because my last posts were from Rotorua. I am currently in Auckland! And it’s so cool. There are a lot of food options and I’m having trouble deciding what I want to eat. It seemed like the majority of food options down south were always Asian cuisine. On my first day in Auckland, I had Cajun food. I’m definitely in food heaven here.
The tour was good and included a lot of things I didn’t know about. Including underground tunnels the city of Auckland built during WW2 to “hide” from the Japanese when they entered the war. Kiwis realized Japan was really close to them and needed an escape plan. Here are some street photos of Auckland because today was near 70 degrees and I got to wear shorts for the first time in 3 weeks!
There’s some really cool street art in Auckland (like this mirror thing and the “heart of the city” hearts all around the CBD – central business district for those not in the know).
Fun fact: Women have been voting since 1893! New Zealand is definitely a country that believes in equality for all people.
Some more photos from the tour (including my tour guide Julie who was showing us silver fern).
After the tour, I stopped at a pub/eatery for some lunch but was not impressed with what I got. So when on vacation, you can have a second lunch. I walk enough. It’s OK. Boy am I happy I went for lunch #2. I ate at Kimchi Project and had the spiciest kimchi rice which cleared out my sinuses. On the way back, I found a famous dessert restaurant so even with a full belly, I still bought some things for taking back to the hostel to enjoy later on. When I got back to the hostel, I checked in on the election results because even though I could not participate this year, I feel it’s important to know what’s going on in your country. ESPECIALLY since a girl from Germany asked me about the midterms before the tour started.
What’s it like to be an American traveling when important things are happening well, in America. It’s odd. You’re having to explain your election system to strangers (even though you learned it back in elementary school). You’re also having to explain why we still use this system and “what’s with all the guns” they ask. Luckily, I found an article on CNN that explained midterms to non-Americans which I’m not ashamed to admit helped me understand all the significance. While streaming CNN, I hard core fell asleep from food coma (2 lunches are a major feat).
So I napped. And then I continued to nap. I reckon I had a 4 hour nap today. I also just realized I’ve adopted the familiar “I reckon” statement that everyone around here says. Maybe I can move here after all. I’m starting to sound like a Kiwi.
I don’t have very many plans the rest of the time in Auckland except to go on the above mentioned wine tour (Friday), meet up on Saturday with a girl I met in Thailand (Esky) and do proper laundry (with machines) before heading to South America. Tomorrow, the plan is to sleep in and just wander. The best kind of non-plan plan.
There She Goes... 