QUENSTOWN, HAAST, CHRISTCHURCH, CLOCK WATCHING, AND PORK ADOBO

Описание: CHRISTCHURCH, CLOCK WATCHING, AND PORK ADOBO : ONE OF THOSE CLASSIC PLANS WHERE YOU THINK, YES, THIS IS IT, THIS IS HOW CIVILIZED PEOPLE LIVE. LITTLE TRIP, NICE VIEWS, GOOD COMPANY, BIT OF A WALK, BIT OF A LOOK AROUND, MAYBE A COFFEE, MAYBE TWO, AND EVERYONE COMES HOME FEELING LIKE THEY HAVE BECOME BETTER HUMANS.

SO I TOOK TGF TO CHRISTCHURCH AGAIN AS PROMISED, AND, TO BE FAIR, IT STARTS EXACTLY LIKE THAT... NICE. VERY NICE. THE CITY IS DOING ITS THING, WE ARE DOING OURS, AND FOR A WHILE.... IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE IN ONE OF THOSE TRAVEL VIDEOS WHERE EVERYTHING IS EFFORTLESS AND NO ONE EVER NEEDS TO SIT DOWN OR CHECK THE TIME OR WONDER HOW FAR THE CAR IS.

THEN, AS ALWAYS, REALITY ARRIVES QUIETLY. NOT ALL AT ONCE. JUST A SLOW DEGENERATION. YOU KNOW THE PHASE. AT FIRST IT IS, THIS IS NICE. THEN IT BECOMES, STILL NICE. THEN, HMM, YES, NICE. THEN YOU HEAR YOURSELF SAYING, OH, IS THAT THE TIME AGAIN? AND THAT IS THE MOMENT. THAT IS THE EXACT MOMENT A SCENIC DAY OUT STOPS BEING A ROMANTIC ADVENTURE AND STARTS BECOMING A LOGISTICS OPERATION. SUDDENLY YOU ARE NOT ADMIRING ANYTHING.

YOU ARE CALCULATING.

HOW FAR BACK. HOW LONG TO THE AIRPORT. WHEN TO EAT. WHO IS GETTING GRUMPY FIRST. WHY IS TIME MOVING FASTER NOW THAN IT WAS THIS MORNING?

SO YES, WE "DID CHRISTCHURCH" AND A WHOLE LOT MORE.

WE DID THE NICE BIT.
WE DID THE SLIGHTLY TIRED BIT.
WE DID THE LOOK AT THE TIME BIT.

AND THEN WE DID THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PART OF ANY TRIP.

WE FLEW HOME.

HONESTLY, THERE IS A SPECIAL KIND OF JOY IN COMING BACK WITH JUST ENOUGH ADVENTURE TO FEEL SATISFIED, BUT NOT SO MUCH THAT YOU NEED A HOLIDAY FROM THE HOLIDAY.

AND NOW WE ARE BACK, WE HAVE IDEAS.

PLENTY OF IDEAS.

NEXT TIME WE COULD DO THIS.
OR THAT.
OR PRETEND TO BE ORGANIZED AGAIN.
WE HAVE CONCEPTS.
WE HAVE PLANS.
WE HAVE THAT CLASSIC POST TRIP CONFIDENCE THAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING TO BECOME THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY DO THINGS.

BUT TONIGHT IS NOT ABOUT GRAND PLANS.

TONIGHT IS PORK ADOBO.

AND THIS IS IMPORTANT.

SHE IS LETTING ME COOK.

WHICH, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS, IS BOTH AN HONOR AND A TEST.

SO I AM VERY PLEASED ABOUT THAT.

VERY PLEASED.

THE DAY MAY HAVE ENDED IN CLOCK WATCHING, AIRPORT TIMING, AND THE QUIET ACCEPTANCE THAT NICE HAS A TIME LIMIT, BUT WE HAVE LANDED IN THE BEST POSSIBLE ENDING.

HOME.
KITCHEN.
PORK ADOBO.
AND ME, ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED, BECAUSE I GET TO COOK DINNER AND PRETEND I HAVE THIS ENTIRE THING UNDER CONTROL. WHICH, TO BE FAIR, IS EXACTLY THE SAME ENERGY I HAD WHEN WE LEFT FOR CHRISTCHURCH. AND LOOK HOW THAT TURNED OUT.

INUTES LATER WE WERE IN A CAR THAT FELT LIKE A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF THERMODYNAMICS, THE SUN WAS PERSONALLY OFFENDED BY US, AND THE WIND HAD THAT SPECIAL NEW ZEALAND TALENT OF BEING HOT AND RUDE AT THE SAME TIME. TGF LOOKED AT ME LIKE I HAD PERSONALLY INVENTED METEOROLOGY JUST TO RUIN HER AFTERNOON.

WE HAD NOT EVEN GONE A MILE AND THE WHOLE GRAND ADVENTURE COLLAPSED INTO BASIC SURVIVAL. SUDDENLY WE WERE NOT CHASING VIEWS, WE WERE CHASING SHADE, WATER, AND A REASONABLE PARKING SPOT. THE SCENERY WAS PROBABLY STUNNING, BUT WE WERE TOO BUSY NEGOTIATING WITH OUR OWN TEMPERAMENTS. THAT IS THE REAL SECRET OF SCENIC TOURS. THEY BEGIN AS A VISION QUEST AND END AS A LOGISTICS MEETING.

HOME TIME.
I HAVE A BOOK TO WRITE.