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Hi all,
Gem here takeing advantage of my insomnia (due to jet lag I hope) and free internet to update you all on our recent activites!
So Ashlee left us at the sky dive, it was the most amazeing thing I have ever done and all three of us were pretty high afterwards! Due to the amount of time we had been waiting around we were running very late for are Maori evening. As soon as Tom touched down we all rushed round got him undressed and paid and then one of the sky divers kindly speed us off. Nath was already there waiting for us and we managed to sneek in with seconds to spare just as the ceremony was beginning to start! This did nothing to halt the adrenaline we had pumping though us and watching a traditional maori welcome maybe wasnt the best idea, I for one found it hilarious and really struggeled to maintain a straight face, especially as they stick there tongues out in a supposedly threatening manor.
After the danceing we had a traditionally cooked maori feast, includeing pavlova, this was all MEANT to be cooked in a big whole in the ground, notice the emphasise on meant, feeding nearly 300 people a night would need a stonking great big hole! It was all yummy and we made the most of the all you can eat, as a travelor you can never be to sure where your next full meal is coming from. After dinner it was time for that traditional maori song ýou are my sunshine´ this time it wasnt the maori warriors that entertained us but the bus drivers, waiters and a huge guy in boardies! When we got on the bus to go home, we were coaxed into a rendition of ´she will be coming round the mountains´, as soon as we hit the chorus the bus driver spun the wheel and we kept going round and round this roundabout until we had finished the song and annoyed all the cars that decided it would be a good idea to follow us.
Next day we were up early and headed over to the Waitomo Caves for some black water rafting, this basicly involved us dressing up like ideots jumping into freezeing cold water and floating through the cave systems on rubber rings. It was great fun but exshausting. We got to see all the glow worms that inhabit the caves and it looked like the stars at night, there were a couple of scarey bits especially when we had to jump off a waterfall backwards in the pitch black!
The next day saw us tackeling white water rafting which was amazeing! First challange was leaping into the river and climbing in the raft - not easy! Next was tackeling the small waterfall only 2 meters i think. Again do able but daunting. Then the big one came, 7 metres of grade 5 waterfall, sitting waiting at the top you couldnt see the bottom, we were told there was a very high chance we would flip and to be prepared!!! Amazeingly we didnt holding on for dear life we all stayed in, Tom goodness knows how as the photos show him literally out of the boat. The photos also show us diapearing not to be seen under the waterfall! Nath also got the chance to meet his long lost brothers, 8 guys with nearly identical hair to him, all from Mexico, it was very strange!
Our adrenaline junkie days werent over yet, next day we headed to the agrodome so Nath and tom could go zorbeing, just think a boy in a giant inflatable ball and a bucket of water, zig zagging down a hill! They loved it me and Ash much more enjoyed watching!
Then we lost track of our senses and thought it would be a good idea to do the Swoop! It looked cool, till we got up there. Nath, Ash and I strapped into a glorified sleeping bag being winched up 43metres into the air! I foolishly nominated to pull the cord and with my eyes tightly shut I plunged us into a severe freefall before the actual enjoyable part of swinging! That was the end of our adrenaline hunting!
So we get back on the Kiwi bus after a welcome break and head up to the Bay of Islands where we get some much needed rest on the beach in the sun. Well at least we pretended to rest, most of the time was spent playing volleyball, football or frisbee.
Our last night in New Zealand was spent back in Auckland, where Nath and Tom destroyed an all you can eat dominoes pizza at the bar. Tom and I then represented us in a speed pool competition. Tom was very good coming second when he should have been first, I lost in the 1st round but im told at times it was a close race! For my efforts I got 2 free drinks so wasnt complaining!
Travelling to Chile was to be the longest day of our lives, we left Nz at 5p.m and arrived Chile at 11am the morning of the same day, confused? We were and determined to beat the jet lag we forced oursleves to stay awake and make the most of the sun by loungeing around the pool in our very cool hostel! The plane flight was by no means enjoyable, very liitle sleep was had by anyone apart from Nath and as everyone knows as sson as I get in a moving vechile I can sleep so I arrived Chile slightly worse for wear, but haveing watched 4 films! Ash faired no better and managed to take in 4 films plus the whole tv offering!
Chile at first seemed very daunting but we quickly found our feet and set about exploreing, Nath and I headed in one direction, Ash and Tom in the other, Nath and I took in all the architecture, The Santa Lucia (a huge rocky out crop bang smack in the middle of the city) and some craft markets, we also sampled the loacl delicay a hot dog with tomatoes, mayonaise and green stuff which I cant remenber the name of. Ash and Tom explored the city centre and got a bit lost! That night we took advantage of the 1.50bp bottles of wine and made friends with other hostelors round the poolside bar.
Next morning it was rise and shine so Nath and I could go horse rideing up the mountains, it was very cool, they ride American style which means with only one hand, we were doing really well and got to gallop which was incredibly scarey and the both of us ended up just hanging on for dear life, which worked until I lost my hat and then my stirrups and my horse veered off all on a path of its own! Amazeingly I stayed on and sat back and enjoyed the rest of the ride. The mountains were very baron but you could see the whole of Santiago and its pollution, we also saw eagles and how the city is rapidly encroaching into the mountains, thanks muchly to the amount of foreigners and Vrits who are flocking to take advantage of the moeny to be made!
Ash and Tom had spent the day at the museums, looking at giant squid and mummies, apparantly the Chileans mummified before the eygptians!
The next day we went up the funicular, a verticle railway to look at the views and visit the statue of emaculate concpetion. Sat at the top of an open air church that surely boasts one of the best views of a church in the world. We wandered round got very hot, rode on the cable car and took the long walk back to the hostel.
That was our short time in Chile, a beautiful country that 4 days does not do justice, I will be back! We said our good byes and jumped on the plane to Argentina and Buenos Aires where we know find oursleves! Again the daunting and exciting prospect of another city to explor and a little bit longer to get to better grips with Spanish!
Muchos love Gem
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