Now we're talkin'

Hi all,

Okay, now we're talkin'--we're in a real internet place in the city of Dunedin and using our own laptop--sipping on "sassy red" NZ beer (mediocre, again!). I can chatter on all I want! Just reviewed what I wrote last and embarrassed with all the misspellings, etc., but I was typing as fast as I could before they cut me off. So . ..in more detail: Shag Point. We drove narrow roads along the coast and through a small village to get to this place where shags obviously hang out, along with penguins, dolphins, seals and the occasional stupid American who stands in gale force winds. It became quite obvious that we were the only fools to venture out when our red coach was alone on the gravel road. The wind was so fierce that the seagulls could barely land--they just hung in the air. We decided then and there that we were not going to go one more day without purchasing "knitted"caps ( I made the error of calling them knit caps). We did, in fact, buy them in Dunedin from a funky handcrafts store rather than the slick Kathmandu store. A little old white haired lady that I could barely understand let us try every cap in the shop. We ended up with ones that we would not have bought under any other circumstances, but oh well--we feel good about supporting the little knitting club.

Dunedin is a bustling city of under 125k population--a university town. The weather and setting is similar to SF--low 60s with sun and wind, steep (and I mean flippin' steep) hills. We're staying in a very old 3 story Victorian/Tudor (former hospital) hostel that just plain stinks--and I mean that literally. Inadequate toilet facilities for so many and larger groups than we have encountered in our smaller farmstays. We arrived on the same day that I think every meat lover in the world arrived. They were in a frying meat frenzy in this one kitchen and it really made us sick (and we are meat eaters). Stunk up the whole 3 floors. Anyway, we decided to cut our stay short (nothing personal YHA) and have made arrangements to stay at a farmstay on the Otago Peninsula for the next two nights (not counting tonight--one more night in the freak house).

Dunedin seems like a more European city with its aged architecture. There are a number of Gothic style churches and more limestone buildings (like in Oamaru). A fantastic rail station. However, we're ready to be out of the city again. (At this very moment I am ready to tonk Joel on the head with my beer bottle because he is reading over my shoulder and commenting on everything--editing every little detail! You all can tell him to stop that right now.) We met an artist whose work (oil painting) we loved and so did something we have never done before: commissioned a piece that he will be working on while we travel and then will photograph the piece for final review before posting it to the US. How weird is that! We went on to yet another botanical garden. Beautiful--but once you've seen Pareee (ie Christchurch Botanic Gardens) nothing compares. However, they had the most amazing aviary with heaps of birds--particularly parrots, toucans, finches, keas (NZ parrots) and cockatoos. One of the cockatoos actually said: Hello, would you like a cup of tea. (I kid you not!) We had an Indian meal and then on to the Otago Museum. I will not bore you with those details--but truly enlightening place. We then went to the bookstore to find a book for Joel (he was looking to read one of NZ's most famous novelists--Janet Frame). Two books later and $65 (shit, I have to look at the prices before I take them to the register--that was a night's stay in a hostel with a beer thrown in!) Then a flat white to wake up and shop and make our way here. New word of the day: trundler (I want you to guess--------------a grocery cart.) We are going to attempt to upload photos to the flickr site right now. We leave tomorrow morning for the peninsula and hopefully away from cities for a while. We send much love, Linny and Joel