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Apr. 30th, 2009 06:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
clo_againSo I reached my hostel in Auckland, where I'm now sitting on the squishy sofas in the lounge and feeling suddenly too tired to actually move, which is bad considering I haven't had dinner yet but... eh. I literally don't want to get up off the couch, though I'll have to in about ten minutes to find a plug socket for my laptop. I shouldn't even be this tired because it's two hours later here than Australia time! Hmpf.
Okay, I just discovered that the Good News Week website does actually play the episodes for me even in New Zealand. Plus this is the first hostel I've been in that actually serves coffee. And tea.
I'm probably going to skip dinner and just sit here. Assuming I can find a plug socket.
...Found a socket. Have unlimited internet for twenty-four hours. Yeah, I'll be here for a while. Even though the GNW site is being odd and totally happy to play certain episodes but not others. DISAPPROVAL.
ANYWAY. Despite Aussie trains doing their best to drive me crazy in Brisbane, leaving early meant I got to the airport with plenty of time anyway. Clearly leaving early is A Good Plan; must take note for the future. Watched Iron Man on the flight which was awesome (the film, not the flight although that was pretty good too) and I managed to watch the last two minutes while we waited for some other planes to get out of the way at the terminal. Hilarious ending. <3 Have to get it on DVD when I get back to the UK.
There was a public health announcement about cases of swine flu in the country as we landed and could anyone who'd been to Mexico or the US in the last fortnightdeclare themselves a biohazard report to the staff at the airport. You know, I totally laughed at this pandemic thing (partly because swine flu sounds like something from a b-grade scifi movie) but people seem to be getting crazier about it. Not that I'm worried (my Not Swine Flu Cold seems to have almost gone, hurrah!) but the whole thing is bizarre, especially since I wasn't watching the news so all of a sudden everyone's going "Swine flu!! END OF THE WORLD; LOOT WHAT YOU CAN!" and I'm going "...Bzuh?"
Swine flu asided, Customs and 'Biosecurity' took insane amounts of time. I'm glad my backpack has a second zip at the bottom because they had to get my hiking boots out to examine them and I would've been unamused in the extreme if I had to empty my entire bag to get them out (they've remained firmly at the bottom since I packed them there a month ago. I better damn well use them over here). Finally they let me go, without confiscating my teabags which made me happy (although if they'd been fruit tea with seeds? I would be teabagless right now. Customs over here are obsessive) and I found the shuttle after only forgetting to pick my small backpack up from the x-ray machine and being laughed at by the attendants when I flailed my way back thirty seconds later, then walking right past the shuttle sign and having to turn round. I think I was zoning out from tiredness. Found shuttle, checked he went where I wanted to go and was all :DDD when we set off. Fifteen minutes later I remembered I had no idea how much the shuttle actually cost, just that it was the cheapest way into the city, but all that was relative; I mean, $100 would be cheap compared to say $180 for a taxi right? So I kind of went from :DDD to :-. and then twenty minutes later when we were still driving and nothing looked like city, to :-o
Forty minutes later we pulled up right outside my hostel and I got out, fully expecting to empty my wallet... $30. Which is like, £11. I've paid more than that for a taxi to go three miles home after midnight. Excellent welcome to NZ! :D
Dorm looks like a hurricane hit it but it's all girls and only six of us, plus I'm only here until Saturday morning so... *shrugs* But there's a fridge. I didn't even consider missing an in-room fridge in my other hostels because I wrote it off as a ridiculous luxury. A fridge. Not that I really need to buy milk here because a. here for two nights only and b. they serve tea and coffee!!! (I forsee too much of my limited money going on hot beverages in the next twenty-four hours but it's less than £1.20 a coffee! I could have like, eleven before I hit my daily food budget) .
So I'm pretty much relieved that I made it here okay, happy with the hostel (although part of me wishes I could afford expensive hotels so I could have my own room and a big shiny bathroom. I don't miss home yet but I do miss personal space and rooms I don't have to share with anyone. Part of me hates Bill Bryson right now for being able to travel Australia just skipping from hotel to nice restaurant to nice hotel and then writing about it so I know what I'm missing. Grr) but I do love the wireless internet.
Tomorrow I have to go fine my bus company office (apparently it's just around the corner but I've had Issues with Googlemaps on these things before) to check my bus ticket, then see if I can find my way to the museum in the middle of the park. Mmmm. I'm glad I'm not in Auckland too long, because I don't think I've heard anything good about it yet. As far as I can see it is just another big city.
Going to go watch Good News Week now. What a surprise! :)
Okay, I just discovered that the Good News Week website does actually play the episodes for me even in New Zealand. Plus this is the first hostel I've been in that actually serves coffee. And tea.
I'm probably going to skip dinner and just sit here. Assuming I can find a plug socket.
...Found a socket. Have unlimited internet for twenty-four hours. Yeah, I'll be here for a while. Even though the GNW site is being odd and totally happy to play certain episodes but not others. DISAPPROVAL.
ANYWAY. Despite Aussie trains doing their best to drive me crazy in Brisbane, leaving early meant I got to the airport with plenty of time anyway. Clearly leaving early is A Good Plan; must take note for the future. Watched Iron Man on the flight which was awesome (the film, not the flight although that was pretty good too) and I managed to watch the last two minutes while we waited for some other planes to get out of the way at the terminal. Hilarious ending. <3 Have to get it on DVD when I get back to the UK.
There was a public health announcement about cases of swine flu in the country as we landed and could anyone who'd been to Mexico or the US in the last fortnight
Swine flu asided, Customs and 'Biosecurity' took insane amounts of time. I'm glad my backpack has a second zip at the bottom because they had to get my hiking boots out to examine them and I would've been unamused in the extreme if I had to empty my entire bag to get them out (they've remained firmly at the bottom since I packed them there a month ago. I better damn well use them over here). Finally they let me go, without confiscating my teabags which made me happy (although if they'd been fruit tea with seeds? I would be teabagless right now. Customs over here are obsessive) and I found the shuttle after only forgetting to pick my small backpack up from the x-ray machine and being laughed at by the attendants when I flailed my way back thirty seconds later, then walking right past the shuttle sign and having to turn round. I think I was zoning out from tiredness. Found shuttle, checked he went where I wanted to go and was all :DDD when we set off. Fifteen minutes later I remembered I had no idea how much the shuttle actually cost, just that it was the cheapest way into the city, but all that was relative; I mean, $100 would be cheap compared to say $180 for a taxi right? So I kind of went from :DDD to :-. and then twenty minutes later when we were still driving and nothing looked like city, to :-o
Forty minutes later we pulled up right outside my hostel and I got out, fully expecting to empty my wallet... $30. Which is like, £11. I've paid more than that for a taxi to go three miles home after midnight. Excellent welcome to NZ! :D
Dorm looks like a hurricane hit it but it's all girls and only six of us, plus I'm only here until Saturday morning so... *shrugs* But there's a fridge. I didn't even consider missing an in-room fridge in my other hostels because I wrote it off as a ridiculous luxury. A fridge. Not that I really need to buy milk here because a. here for two nights only and b. they serve tea and coffee!!! (I forsee too much of my limited money going on hot beverages in the next twenty-four hours but it's less than £1.20 a coffee! I could have like, eleven before I hit my daily food budget) .
So I'm pretty much relieved that I made it here okay, happy with the hostel (although part of me wishes I could afford expensive hotels so I could have my own room and a big shiny bathroom. I don't miss home yet but I do miss personal space and rooms I don't have to share with anyone. Part of me hates Bill Bryson right now for being able to travel Australia just skipping from hotel to nice restaurant to nice hotel and then writing about it so I know what I'm missing. Grr) but I do love the wireless internet.
Tomorrow I have to go fine my bus company office (apparently it's just around the corner but I've had Issues with Googlemaps on these things before) to check my bus ticket, then see if I can find my way to the museum in the middle of the park. Mmmm. I'm glad I'm not in Auckland too long, because I don't think I've heard anything good about it yet. As far as I can see it is just another big city.
Going to go watch Good News Week now. What a surprise! :)
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Date: 2009-04-30 09:59 am (UTC)Bought Bloodhound today... whee!
*tells self must finish at leats ROTK first*