Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Day #13. Greymouth.

Happy Valentine's Day to me.  I paid $60 last night for my own room so I could sleep.  That was not meant to be.  Apparently, the Paradiso Hostel knows how to party.  The squeaky doors in the hallway outside my room opened and banged shut constantly, people were shouting and dancing in the next room, and loud drunk kids ran through the halls, tripping and hitting the walls.  The party raged on, I tossed and turned in my bed, then fell into a fitful sleep.  Just when I finally found peace, some boys parked themselves right underneath my window at 4 am and loudly slurred how one of them swung at someone and the other "would have done the same thing bro."  Maybe I should have suspected something like this would happen when they gave me room #13 on 2/13…

In frustration and near tears, and on maybe 2 hours of sleep, I left my room around 5 am to go see if the manager was in.  She was sitting in the lobby looking haggard.  A policeman was talking to a girl in the hallway.  I told the manager that I had barely gotten any sleep last night.  She said I would be compensated.  As I was walking back to my room, the policeman approached me and asked if I had a minute to talk.  He then questioned me as to what I saw last night, what time I went into my room, when did I fall asleep, and the details of all the events surrounding the conversation I overheard outside my window.  I'm not sure what happened last night but I think it had to do with a fight or something.  The cop seemed very interested in that conversation I overheard.  I was so tired and just wanted to sleep… at least I got my $60 back.

Luckily there were only about 12 of us on the bus to Greymouth, so I got the entire back row to myself and I passed out all morning.  We made a few stops, one to a very windy but beautiful beach, and another to "Pancake Rocks" which were really neat.  The huge rock formations that jutted out of the sea were layered like pancakes (bet you didn't guess that!).  I ordered a veggie burger at a cafe there, and boy was it a dandy.  Came with a fried egg, hashbrowns, grilled onions and mushrooms, cheese, lettuce, tomato, relish, mayo, and BBQ sauce.  Excellent.

The bus ride today was extra long.  We were on the road from 8 am to 4:30 pm with approximately 1 1/2 hours worth of stops.  We've had the same bus driver for a few days now, an elderly gentlemen named Alan.  He was in an extra talkative mood today and droned on over the intercom non-stop.  About everything.  Especially 'possums.  He is an expert on the creatures.  They were introduced into New Zealand from Tasmania for the purpose of harvesting them to make the then-wildly popular fur coats.  But by the time the animals began to thrive, the depression had started and no one could afford food let alone a fur coat.  The 'possums took over NZ, eating 3 times their bodyweight of plants and bird eggs in 24 hours.  See, now I'm an expert too.  Alan said several times in a row that the only good 'possum is a dead one.  He seemed to know his stuff, but the entire bus was trying to nap and it was just really bad timing.  His microphone started having problems and we thought for sure he'd stop then.  But he just kept talking right over it! :)

Greymouth is a super cute little town… well, actually it's not little.  It's the biggest city on the west coast of the South Island.  But it seems small.  It's completely dead.  I saw maybe 5 people out on the streets all evening.  The hostel I am staying at is called Neptunes.  The walls are painted blue and the bedspreads have waves and seashells on them.  Very homey.  Since there wasn't a whole lot to do, I went on a tour of the Montieth Brewery.  Learned how they make beer here in NZ (and everywhere in the world, I suppose).  Did you know that they take all leftover yeast from the finished product and make that horrid substance called "Vegemite" out of it?!  At the end of the tour, our group got to sample 7 of their most popular brews and the crowd-pleasing Crushed Apple Cider.  They were all exceptional and I quite enjoyed them… except for their "Black Beer" which tasted like a mixture of espresso and Guinness.  But several were quite unique, like the nutty golden lager, the ginger scented summer ale, and the one I call "Sprite".  They put lemons and limes in that one.  It's really called "Radler Bier".  After the tour was over our group went over to the Railroad Hotel for dinner.  Most everyone ordered the minted lamb chops, beef patty, caramelized onions, potato salad, and dressed greens.  But I tried the vegetarian version of this dish which substituted the lamb and beef for a "spicy" fritter and some corn patties.  NZ's version of "spicy" is about as hot as a fortune cookie.

Stopped by the Countdown to grab a few essentials: apples, oranges, Meal In One bars, pickles, tomatoes, a lemon, an onion, an avocado, cheese, yogurt, eggs, and a cucumber.   These items will be joining the bread and PB&J that are already in my backpack.  Someone at the hostel saw inside my grocery bag and said, "Did you buy nothing but vegetables?!!"

We board tomorrow at 0800 for a 4-hour drive to Franz Joseph.  Even though I slept all morning on the bus, I am still exhausted… can barley keep my eyes open.  Oh!  Guess what room they gave me at this new hostel?? 13!!!!


Plan:  Head to Franz Joseph tomorrow to do the Fox Glacier 1/2 day hike

Budget:  +$60 (got my money back from last night!), $21 hostel, $20 produce, $30 brewery tour & dinner

2 comments:

  1. Oh no! Room 13 again! I hope you sleep better this time:)

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  2. You betta guard that new cucumber with your life!!! ;)

    ReplyDelete