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Other entries in Nelson

federal warning, this is a long one

its new years day!  i landed in lima peru exactly 176 days ago and look where thats gotten me!  from the mud brick homes of bolivia to the corrugated metal roofs of new zealand, its been a strange trip, but certainly not long.  for my time traveling being nearly halfway over, its very much becoming a reality of what will become of me on my return. all i know is what will besome of me in the next month (more south island, sydney and then thailand!)

i have learned some interesting things in my last month here in nelson, some i thought i would share with you:

1/ the milkman (or should i say milklady) still exists in this area of the globe.  she drives a truck around filling your glass bottle up 'kerbside'.  there's even a jingle played to let you know she is in the neighborhood.  i thought it was the ice cream man orginally!  there is a plan to nix the deliviery of milk but many locals are fighting it.

2/aotearoa is maori for 'land of the long white cloud'

3/prostitution is legal.  if one were to look up 'massage parlors' in the yellow pages, one would find 'see brothels'

4/every kid in school is required to wear a brimmed hat when outside eating lunch or at recess.  and i thought the florida sun was bad.  they are also required to learn the maori language in school.  the maoris recently formed a political party and working on obtaining their rights to the land back.

5/human population = 3.95 (1 mil in auckland alone), sheep population = 39.2 million

!!

6/its not just about lord of the rings, there is also whalerider, once were warriors, worlds fastest indian, the piano and even narnia, king kong and last of the samurai (of course some of these are just filmed here, no kiwi tie in the story)

7/they're nuclear free, full of chinese and japanese minorities and in the summer the sun doesn't set until after 9pm!

8/for you fashion buffs its all about zambesi and world or even nelson's own, madcat, with lcoally inspired and screened graphics by fashion major students

9/perhaps you know split enz?  i remember listening to their previously banned 'six months in a leaky boat'.  then there is bic runga, fat freddy's drop and scribe.  all kiwis.

10/the tui bird with its two tufts of white at its throat, sings rather crazily at my window or the wood pigeon with its big green body, red beak and extremely loud flight.  i have yet to see a live kiwi but i figure since they are endangered they are better off not meeting me.

11/i wear jandals everyday in the summer, do you? they are also known as flipflops

12/eggs come in numbered sizes and are never white.  my personal size favorite is 7.

13/postal employees ride bikes on their route, no newman laziness here kids, and nearly every mailbox states 'no circulars'.  hint hint

14/at the movies you get to choose your seats so no stepping over folks or making parties move so you and your ten peeps can sit together.  also the one seat between groups rule is never practiced.

15/checks do not get dropped.  if you are being waited on you normally would go to one spot at the end of your meal to pay. (thank you waiter from colorado in wellington) but most of the time you don't get waited on, merely order, take a number, and your food will be brought to you.  i think they do this so you aren't up there waiting for the food/coffee to be made and not actually noticing how long it is taking, because time is not a critical factor in nz

16/there are no canoes, there are kayaks.  if in fact it is really a "canoe" it is still called a "kayak".  its all very confusing

17/the most amazing spider population lives in my flat.  thank goodness none of them are poisonous.  come to think of it, there's nothing really dangerous in new zealand, animal-wise.  no cobras, black bears or mountain lions, but there are THE ALL BLACKS.

18/convenience stores sell pies (steak or mince usually) not hotdogs and nachos.  if you are looking for a genetically engineered food product, good on ya, you won't find it here.  the soda selection is the size of a banana fitting room (which includes the national soda L&P) and their chips are el natural but they do carry the patented bag of microwave buttery popcorn, helmann's mayo (called bestfoods but still 'bring out the best') and even the el paso mexican line.  thank goodness for we could all use a little mexican in our lives.

19/sandflies are indeed dumb but that doesn't mean they'll leave you alone.  if you'd like to merely watch the love of a sandfly unfold, close all your windows, turn on the nearest light, and watch them pinging up against the single glazed glass.  or if you'd actually like the physical proof of their love, open up those windows and sit still to enjoy the great red welts they leave for weeks to come!  new zealand's answer to don't be lazy!

20/ will the genius engineer who designed the one handled faucet that produces both hot and cold water, and WARM, please come forward.  i will personally buy you a ticket to nz to have you change nearly all their faucets that are of the all hot and all cold, two handled variety.

thank you for your time, and happy new year!