On the road - ODDS and ends

Most of our traveling has been by bus. We have a deal, like a phone card, whereby we've purchased a certain number of hours on the bus. We can spend down those hours and top off at a discounted rate if we decide that we want to do more bus travel. There was one part of the trip where we took a train over the Alps of the south island. And, of course, a 3 hour ferry ride is required to get between the islands.



Although it is not technically a 'tour' bus, the drivers make a point of introducing themselves and announcing points of interest. Some are chattier than others. There was one who wouldn't shut up, and went on at great lengths about irrigation systems, invading bio-pests, and power schemes along the river. All very interesting. Some busses will make drop offs and pick ups at the hostel doorstep, although sometimes it's hard to figure out the rules.


Many will make comfort stops along the way so that you can stretch, get a snack or a meal, hit the public loos, and the like. Sometimes, they'll make their stop at a scenic overlook. And, in most cases, it's be great to be able to relax and enjoy scenery like this.



We went on a fun winery tour around Nelson on the north coast of the south island. I wanted to get this photo in to show how manicured the vines are. And, at this place they also raised some greenhouse sorts of varieties that required more warmth than the NZ climate could provide naturally. The netting is to keep birds away, which is a huge problem for fruit growers in general. We see whole orchards netted off, not just grapes.



We've seen a few of these labels. Seems like someone could suggest a more generic term.



On the other hand, have you ever seen a playground that has a swing capable of handling wheelchairs?





This was a fun playground teeter-totter combo sort of ride. It went round and round and the riders could alter the direction or speed by kicking the center post. This family was having a fun time. Well, 3 of them were having a fun time and the fourth, a little girl of about 4, was screaming bloody murder.





OK, a few more examples of hostel life. Making a good cup of coffee can be a challenge.



Sometimes, we just give up and drink, ohmygawd!, instant coffee. We certainly will stay away from the fiesta blend in the future. We had our hopes up, but this brand was not as good as we might have hoped.



On the other hand, there was no trouble getting a good piece of toast...



and lots of free seasonings to choose from.



The worms eat good, though!



Here's a unique approach to preventing the cork screw from walking out the door.



Finally, here's the scene of my worst hostel experience so far. I was in the top bunk, snoring to beat the band. A young German girl, not once but twice, turned on the light, shook my bed, demanded that I 'stop making that noise'. She woke up Liz, and I'd guess that she woke up our very nice roomie, Laura. (It was a 4 share dorm.) I told her she should use ear plugs and the second time, I told her that she had to stop waking me up, that I couldn't control it. In the morning, Liz bawled her out for being childish and ineffective. I was in a terrible snit and banged everything I could while she pretended to be asleep. Of course I turned on the light and opened the shades at 7:30 while we were getting ready to leave for the bus.



But, then I got to thinking... I went and reported her to the reception desk and asked to buy a pair of ear plugs for her. The manager gave me a set, and wouldn't take my $1.00. By then, the tender fraulein was up and packing, so I gave her the ear plugs and a little talking to. I said, 'maybe you haven't thought about this, but we might end up in the same dorm room again down the road, so I want to make things right before the next time.' She did a little double take. I don't think she had considered that.

An hour later as we were handing our bags to the bus driver to stash under the bus, she happened to be in the line in front of me. "Picton", she told the driver. "Picton", I told the driver next, and got on the bus while she was saying goodbye to some people. Well, she never got on the bus. Best I can figure is that she had the driver get her bag out and she took another bus. I was sure hoping the fat person in the seat next to her snored up a storm, or maybe even had a little gastric distress.

I've since googled 'snore hostel' and if you really have time on your hands, it might be interesting to see what's out there in the blog-o-sphere about the topic. We met a guy who had a similar experience (of being the snorer) and he said he just got up and went to sleep in the lounge. Makes me look bad, but darnit, that's what you get for the cheap room rate. She was lucky it wasn't the night that everyone ate beans for supper.

Liz says I should take a survey. So, what do you think? Who should move out: the snorer or the person without earplugs?