A Whale's Vagina

I there are more Germans traveling in New Zealand than any other nationality.  It's a fact.  I'm sitting here in Christchurch surrounded by six Deutschlanders right now as I write this post. They're everywhere, but it never causes a problem.  Yes, it does create an interesting atmosphere when you're sitting around watching Raiders of the Lost Ark, but they're good people who speak and understand English just fine.  I just got pulled into their conversation about how to say "cheers" in different languages.  More accurately, I picked up on the girl next to me arguing (in German) with the guy across the table that "na zdrowvie" was the correct way to say it in Polish.  I wanted to make sure he knew she was right.  No, wait, I wanted her to know that I knew she was right.  She's quite cute.  That's another thing.  German girls are pretty.  All I need is a St. Pauli Girl/Heidi Klum type and I'll be set.  

I spent most of today riding in a 15 year old Mitsubishi wagon driven by an affable and incredibly generous German kid who, I later found out, was making the 7 hour trek from Queenstown to Christchurch to trade in some video games and buy weed.  And then return the same day.  Affable and generous, yes.  Rational, possibly not.  This was the guy, Matt, who couldn't resist handing a beer or cocktail or, on Thursday night, a glass of champagne to anyone with an empty hand.  One of the most genuinely benevolent people I've ever met.  So, I was provided transport across the country in exchange for finding his desperately lost car keys the day before (he had offered a reward of $75 to whoever found them) and buying him a handful of chicken nuggets at our lunch stop along the way.  I did get to drive for a few hours and listen to my chorus of internal monologue shouting "LEFT LEFT LEFT."

I've checked into a comfortable backpackers here, along with all the Germans, for the next few days to figure out my next move.  Mostly, I need to figure out if I'm going to buy a car.  It's quite common for travelers to buy cheap used cars from other travelers, drive for a few months and then sell it as they leave.  I'm thinking it could fit into my plans (or lack thereof).  I wouldn't have to deal with buses or trying to bum rides off of people.  I could decide at the spur of the moment to go just about anywhere.  It would especially come in handy when I go back to the North Island and surf again.  But, all this could change depending on what I find tomorrow.  It might be too much money or I could decide that I have enough time here and putting up with public transport isn't that big of a hassle.  

And in the meantime, I'll chat up the cute German girls with my knowledge of how to say "cheers" around the world.  Na zdrowvie!