Day 88 - Houston, TX

We arrived back home in Houston, for a bit, (or bite to be more accurate), to the heat, humidity and the little blood suckers that are everywhere...

 

We plan to head out to Europe next, after catching up on things at home.

 

 

 

Day 86 - Auckland

After the storm cleared, we had a brief stop in Auckland before heading back to Houston.  It is a pretty cool city that sits on top of over 50 "extinct" volcanoes.  Kind of a sailing enamored cooler and younger brother of Sydney.   Lots of good cafes, shops, restaurants, hikes, beaches and boats... 

We did the one day "ask the Taxi driver to show you the city" tour. 

 

Cultural Detail

Just two of the many psychological and anthropological questions that leave us puzzled:

• Why do the people of Oklahoma and Texas build their homes out of wood when there are hurricanes and tornadoes?

• Why do Kiwis use toasters for heaters when it is actually cold there during winter....  During the Antarctic storm, our room was almost warm enough with all the covers the hotel had.

There are so many mysteries in life....

 

Random

 

Kiwis have a great sense of humor that they are more comfortable than most using in public...  as an example, check out the current Air New Zealand flight safety video

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJheoLUtX_Q

 

Even the public restrooms join the fun. At one restaurant, men was on the right, women was on the left, and in the middle was a door called unisex?

 

closed                            open

 

at another restaurant...

 

 

and inside... 

 

 

 

and one more of many examples

 

and finally...just some random pics

 

Day 84 & 85 - Kaikoura

As an Antarctic front approached, we had to rush to Kaikoura to beat the snow. We were not completely successful, as we crossed Lewis Pass under the biggest snowflakes we had seen so far - but at least, we crossed before the road closed a few hours later.   Once across, we decided to stop in Hanmer Springs - it was NECESSARY.  I mean - how could we skip hot springs on a cold winter day? (You probably already noticed the high correlation between our destinations and the presence of hot springs/onsen and/or French bakeries.)

Following a good hot soak, we drove well into the night under the rain and along the very windy roads to Kaikoura. Finally, we arrived at a nice little 100 year old hotel where we were the only guests and had the whole floor to ourselves.

By the next morning the storm was in full force. We stayed in the hotel for a good part of the day and at some point ventured into wind and rain to see a bit of the town. By evening, the city had lost power and our first thought was: "We really hope our hotel cooks with gas so we can have lobster for dinner".  They did, and we had a fantastic dinner, sampling beer and ciders from the local breweries. 

New Zealand is nice!

 

 

The next morning, the storm broke, and we had a brief glimpse of just how pretty the town and surrounding area must be on a clear day. 

 

Lost and Found

 

No idea where this was.... Let's just say, it was somewhere along the way.

"Not all those who wander are lost."
:-)

 

 

 

Day 83 - Réflections

 

 

 

 

 

 Dans toutes réflexions, j’y verrai tes yeux,
Mais à bien penser, toutes tes réflexions
Ne troubleront pas, l’onde de mes vœux
Après réflexions, sans génuflexions,
C’était illusion, de toujours rêver,
Ceux que les eaux montrent en coins ombragés.
En rétrospection, tu étais de ceux
Qui, en infraction à la réfraction,
Oublient un peu que, ce n’était qu’un jeu.