Over the rainbow…
Well, 13hrs of quality seat time later we’re in New Zealand. Unlike SF which was raining and overcast when I left it’s rainy, humid and overcast here. Plus they drive on the “wrong” side which, compounded by the rain and jetlag, has turned me into exactly the sort of driver I love to make fun of in the states? Well, isn’t that why we travel anyway, to give other cultures the opportunity to feel superior?
Seriously, from the point we left the ground in LAX everyone has been really (perhaps even suspiciously?) nice (a bit difficult to parse at times, but still nice). The customs agent in Auckland actually said “Good on ya’ mate” to me (after telling me which line to get into) which made my morning.
We grabbed showers in the hotel room of the couple we’re meeting here and went out for the requisite “American abroad” experience in the 21st century. That’s right, Starbucks! It tasted just like home… We then ate Kebabs (pronounced Kee-baabs, no ka or bob in the word over here) and saw Johnny English (the new Bond movie spoof) which was just the right speed for today. As an aside: it is my deeply held belief that the first day in a _totally wrong_ timezone should be taken as easily as possible, if at all.
Not a bad start the jet-lag is unnoticable (perhaps this can be attributed to my unusually low/normal when I left the states after a week+ of working WAY too many hours) and I haven’t wrecked the rental car yet. Oh well, there’s plenty of time left in the trip.