QUAKE CITY TO QUEENSTOWN (CHRISTCHURCH TO LAKE TEKAPO, PART 1)

Описание: SO, I TOOK THE GIGGLING FILIPINA TO VISIT CHRISTCHURCH! (I SHOULD SAY UPFRONT THAT THIS WAS NOT A SIGHTSEEING TOUR SO MUCH AS A LONG SLOW EXPERIMENT IN ACOUSTIC DAMPENING)

FOR REASONS STILL UNKNOWN EVERYTHING WAS FUNNY. TO HER.
SHE FOUND THE ROAD SIGNS WERE FUNNY.
SHE FOUND THE WEATHER FUNNY. PROBABLY BECAUSE IT ONLY RAINS 1/10 AS MUCH AS LEYTE. EVEN THE WIND HAD COMIC TIMING, SAID TGF IN A PECULAR TONE, HER FACE AT AN ANGLE THAT MADE HER LOOK LIKE A BLINKING OWL.

CHRISTCHURCH IS A CITY IN THE SOUTH ISLAND OF NEW ZEALAND, FORCED TO REBUILT AFTER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF EARTHQUAKES OVER THE PERIOD OF 5 YEARS, MOST WITH A RICHTER MAGNITUDE AROUND THE SAME FIGURE.

WITH RESTRAINED SERIOUSNESS AND A VERY SPECIFIC EMOTIONAL REGISTER (NONE OF IT WAS FUNNY, VERY DISAPPOINTING, TGF) WE WALKED THROUGH THE CENTRE. HER GIGGLING CONTINUED. WE CROSSED BRIDGES.

MORE GIGGLING. WE PASSED MEMORIALS. STILL GIGGLING. AT SOME POINT THE CITY APPLIED JUST ENOUGH PRESSURE TO SHUT HER UP. THE TONE OF THE PLACE IS CALM DELIBERATE AND QUIETLY FIRM LIKE IT HAS ALREADY SEEN ENOUGH. AND THEN SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE AVON RIVER AND A PERFECTLY ORDINARY STREET CORNER SHE FINALLY STOPPED.

CHRISTCHURCH HAD WON.
SHE SAID NOTHING. MEANING, SHE LOST.