Sleeping in a meat locker. . . . .

Today was quite possibly the worst day of this trip. Getting up at 6 wasn't bad even though as soon as my alarm went off I was regretting my late night game of Phase 10 with Kaitlyn, Brian, Nathan, and Nathan. I should not have stayed up as late. The bus ride today started at 7:15am and we got to Fran Josef around 5:00 pm. The length of the bus ride wasn't the issue. I was even excited I got to have a seat pairing to myself the whole day. The problem was the route from Nelson to FJ is along the north western coast of New Zealand. Much like Illinois roads following corn field lines this road traced the coastline. Winding and curvy don't even describe it. I feel like a while new word should be invented for how ridiculous the road was today. I need a word that is the antithesis of magnificent. Shit-tastic sounds about right. Worst drive of my life. I don't think enough Dramamine to tranquilize an elegant would have helped. We stopped every once n a while for food, to pick people up, and then we had a really weird stop.

It was a town with a few more shops than the town in the movie Tremors. It's claim to fame is being the jade capital of New Zealand, or greenstone as they call it. Basically they carve a stone that is widely available in the whole freaking country and then charge tourists between $80-400 NZ. $80 will get you a small pendant carved in a Maori design about the size of two corn kernels. $400 gets you one the size of your thumb but it was blessed by a Maori chief. Mm hmmm.....I bought a hematite necklace. Not messing with greenstone for two reasons. Price and bad juju. Some of our students were warned not to buy greenstone pendants for themselves as it is really bad luck. They are all scared and buying each other necklaces just in case it silt just greenstone. Won't lie....I am right there with them.

In this little town full of closed shops on Saturdays you could also pay $18NZ to see three kiwi birds in captivity and some gross eels. No thanks. Emily and I went to the wee baby grocery store and ought some gummy bears. Exceptional purchase.

Once we got to Franz Josef we made dinner, quite tasty and bought stuff for lunches for our glacier hike tomorrow. Mark and I went to pay for the group and they won't let is pay until tomorrow so they can talk to all of the group first. Me thinks they might scare a few of them.basically they want people in shape...not a bunch of chubby smokers. Well this ragtag group hiked a pretty intense Mt.Victoria the hard way for no reason. They're ready. This town has the coolest weather of all the cities so far. My room feels like a legit meat locker...like AJ's office! The heaters in the room only stay on for 2 hours then shut themselves off. Womp womp.

Mo, Hailie and I played Monopoly:New Zealand edition. I won...first time I have EVER won Monopoly. Mo said I cheated. Yet some how I ended up in jail 9 times!!!! Whatever. When we were done my $18.8 million kicked some butt. I only owned 6 properties but I won somehow. Wile playing we noticed a small gathering of people, four hostel residents, and a bottle of Jaeger. An American, two Kiwis and a Brit...withn 7minutes they drank the whole bottle!!!!!! I don't know any 4 people that could do that in 7 minutes. Craziness.

Well I have a lot of hiking tomorrow morning so i better get to bed. They students just started a game of Phase 10 and a side game of Battle of the Sexes. They are so much fun to be around. I'm off to my mini-fridge of a room. Oy.