I have Internet! and free Time! And how!

So, I am at a kickass artistic retreat place. Karamea, New Zealand, a tiny remote town on the northern West Coast, definitely off the beaten track (its 100km plus out of the way from ANY thoroughfare or highway). It's not "on the way" to anything, it's the dead end stop of a long long road. Sweeet.

And here I am. At a little artistic haven. It's a backpackers (so not so much any farm work (although they have a large garden)) the place runs on solar and rainwater, has an art gallery, a radio station (that I am allowed to have a show on (sweet!)) and artistic space for all the guests. They have an artist in residence from California (good on ya) and pretty much really awesome cool down to Earth people. The one snag is, no free food. I have to pay and cook my own meals. Bummmmer. But I've been looking for an opportunity to learn more cooking and I'm not going to lie, I'm getting pretty good.

Chris and Emma head out of the backpackers (they are staying as guests and me as an employee (Chris has threatened to take a dump on his bed, knowing I'll have to clean it up)) tomorrow morning for the Heaphy Track then the Abel Tasman track followed by a quick jaunt to Christchurch before they fly on to Bali. So this is basically the end. I'll be on my own again starting tomorrow morning.

It's pretty humid and hot here and I've got that awful humid-Sean battle raging in my skull whose effects are felt throughout my whole body. I feel awful lethargic, watch the world from the tank of jam my head is currently submerged in. I am not a fan of humidity. It could be because I'm really tired and haven't eaten very much as well. Whatever.

Since I last wrote tons has happened (duh). We took shuttles from the Queenstown area up the West Coast to Punakaiki and the people I very first met in New Zealand. Had a nice quiet New Year's with each other and a bonfire and a bottle of wine. We all had to struggle to stay awake for midnight and went to bed soon thereafter. We did a fantastic day hike (for free) and left Punakaiki for Westport just up the coast. We got picked up by these really fun and awesome people in a van going up to Nelson for a Bachelor party. They dropped us off in Westport and had a beer or two and some pizza with us and then we all went to the beach together and frolicked. It was sad to say goodbye to them even after only a couple hours. They were tons of fun, gave us a lovely little gift and continued on their way. We checked into a holiday park (aka a field in which we could camp right by the beach) and stayed there two nights. Both nights we had fantastic beach bonfires built by yours truly with some help from Chris. The first night we ran around under the full panoply of the heavens, infinite ocean blackness, freed from silly clothing with sticks on fire! It was great. Emma was the one who introduced us to fire dancing. It was pretty high quality and really liberating to say the least. Most people would think we were on drugs. which we weren't. Not even alcohol. Well, Emma might've been on allergy medicine, but she was pretty tame.

I had to sleep wrapped up in their bivouac shelter because their tent is WAY too small for even two people. Which was fine until it rained the second night. It also was quite a hard ground since I have no sleeping pad. So I may have not gotten much sleep the past two nights (hmmm, lethargy....). But I think that pretty much catches you all up.

I was picked up by a pair of Jehovah's Witnesses from Westport to Karamea, which to be fair, I probably would not have found out except that ahhh, that inevitable "What did you study in Uni?" question. Well Religious Studies blasted to pieces the floodgates and I left with several pamphlets with exciting titles like, "What Jehovah Witnesses Believe." and "What hope for dead loved ones?" Prettttty high quality. Again. Chris was disappointed that I did try to incite a riot. That would be dumb. Duh. And plus, they bought me ice cream. hee.

And now, here I am, sitting in this kick ass huge room all to myself, with art work literally dripping from the walls. Funky sofas and chairs, large wooden tables, flowers, and wonderfulness. Sigh. Hippie hippie hippie hippie. Hee. I will have to come up with some project to contribute to the multitude. All the walls of the place are covered in messages from WWOOFers and guests. All over the world. It's fantastic. and the guest rooms are actually quite posh. It's a pretty neato-burrito place.

We made Mexican food the other night and THANK THE LORD. I have been missing quality Mexican food like whoa (in the parlance of our times).

I am hoping that this place will allow me to explore more of my recent urges to really get into writing. Chris has also gotten excited about the idea of me writing, which oddly enough, has actually spurred my interest forward as well. I made several notes in Ireland, and continue to every now and then whilst I'm here. Hopefully, perhaps, something may come of things or begin to take shape into a project while I'm here. I would indeed like to return home and try to put together some body of work. But that'll be tough with a job etc. I'm so darned picky and particular. About my writing that is.

That could be it for now. I don't feel the need to do a big long post considering they'll be pretty regular for the next 2 weeks or so now. Plus, the two Globetrotters are about to set off and that'll provoke more reflection for more interesting posts. What should my radio show be called? Sounds of Shan? that's all I got... Cheers.