sandflies in my eyes!

Finally made it to Able Tasman---thank god. I wanted to KILL stray.

so i'm here and its GREAT! I'm staying at this place called "The Barn" and it has roosters (which are annoying in the morning). There are people camping here and staying in the "hostel." It has one GIANT room that everyone has to walk through to go to the bathroom. I heard about this before I came so I booked a smaller room with 4 other people. It's pretty nice---can be loud in the mornings though.....on to bigger and better things..

So I got here 2 days ago (thursssday) and met this Czech girl/london girl. She is 28 and has been living in London for 9 years. she was really fun and we went on a 5 mile hike the day I got here---GORGEOUS geography! That night we just hung out with some other folks---a german guy, and an aussie couple. Just drank and talked, etc etc.

THe next day I woke up at 8 and went kayaking all day---LOVED IT! I love kayaking. so fun. There were 6 other people, so 7 with me, so I ended up being in the sea kayak with the guide---SAAAWWWWWEEEET! He was GREAT! We got along really well. he is a kiwi and his name was brad---i think he was like 28 or somethin. has traveled all over the world and writes for a bunch of outdoor magz. We might meet up tonight at this bar called Hot Mama's in Motueka--which is a town sorta close to here. who knows. We ended up just telling eachother disgusting jokes the whole time. when we were making our way back the water got sorta rough so he freaking PLOWED me through a massive wave and I got SOAKED! not cool. but he was laughing. jerk. there was another guy named Rohan, "Rowi," that was also pretty nice. he worked for them and it turns out he has been to Indy! His sister lives there. STranngeeee.....whenever I say i'm from indiana people either have no idea where it is so I say "the middle" or they say "Ohhh, REggie Miller!!" HOw strange is that? I forgot about reggie yearsssss ago. call me a bad hoosier, but who gives. there were two other girls on the trip and both of them were from Ohio--but not traveling together. There was also a UK couple on it and they thought I was "Brave" they said, to be traveling solo. i guess. an american/canadian I just met thought I was "ballsy." but there are SO many solo travelers I never feel alone. baoahabahl.

so anyways, on the kayak trip we went around this small island that has a seal colony on it. SOO COOL! There were hundreds swimming all around us. Under us, coming up to the kayaks,playing with eachother. One of them followed brad and I for a bit and was jumping almost in the boat. Its also pup season so the babies were pretty cute trying to swim.....

Kayaked to some lagoon and around to some beaches. Stopped at Anchorage bay and got a water taxi back. Freeeeezing on the water taxi back!! so damn cold. Rowi kept trying to give me his jacket but I think it smelled like ass.

what else what else....last night i was SO tired. got into my bed around 8:30. This hostel is also infested with germans. the girls in my room, who were gone, had on makeup to go kayaking. what the fuck? Then last night, im in the room and one of them comes in and starts pounding makeup on her face and I was like "ohh are you guys going on??" and she said " oh nu, ima gonnah met my boyfriend en da internetz" are you kidding me? Putting makeup on for the internet? I look like I just got runover by a semi every time i've talked to joe or my parents. oh well, to each his own.....but not really, cuz that is just stupid.

today I got up around 9 and then left for a hike at 10. I did about 8 miles all by myself!! lovely day. great views. the water is a piercing tourquoise here---but has TONS of different shades. Depends on how the sun hits it. in the water taxi for kayaking the water looked like glass or how jello looks when its done---clear and glassy. you could see straight to the bottom. OH and we saw penguins! Apparently they are stupid penguins and drown pretty often. sad. I heard able tasman was so bad for sandflies but I havent thought it was THAT bad. I mean i have gotten bitten, but the bees are what scare me. You can constantly hear humming on the coastal treck that I was on. they are EVERYWHERE. all over. but I dont think they bother people?? Who knows. Also, I have realized the worst part about hiking is when you stop for a break. BECAUSE, when you do this, your feet realize they are on a rest and all your blisters come alive and it HURTS SO BAD. atleast thats what happened to me.

So i have made a lot of different countries and how the people travel in them:

USA: Usually they are solo. More women are solo then men. The men that travel with friends are giant meatheads and work out all the time. SICK.

UK: travel solo. eager to meet people. nice. but can't cook for shit.

French: Travel as couples, always look clean and like they have an outfit on. smoke a lot. and wear purfume/cologne.

Germans: travel in herds. Are loud. disrespectful. have nice clothes, most of the time. good jeans.

Scottish: Drunk! Drunk drunk drunk and very nice.

Irish: also drunk but completely insane.

Swiss: very attractive.

Anyways, its almost 6. i'm gonna hop in the shower--which is nice and clean, and then drink some tea, akjhaksjd. who knows.

will write more later when I gather my thoughts. I"m so dirty right now and I smell. hopefully my shit is still up in my room, as I haven't checked it since the morning. leaving tomorrow morning at 9 for westport---it is supposed to suck. not excited. but i dont really care. it keeps me moving. then I go to karamea a few days after that to house sit! YAHOO!

ok, byeeeeeeeeeee! xo