Day 79: Christchurch, NZ (March 27, 2011)

I have an ear infection!!  /outrage/  Well, better an ear infection in New Zealand than something nasty in someplace scary.  And since I have antibiotics with me just for this very malady, I can treat it and will feel better in a couple of days.  (If you're wondering, I get ear infections about once every other year, so I can identify them and know how to treat them.)

Mushrooms.  Completely unrelated to anything else in this post.

The forced sedentary day wasn't so bad, though:  I have the rest of my South Island visit planned, and a good idea of what I'll do in the North Island.  So I can relax and start travelling tomorrow.  I'm a little worried that my itinerary (trains and buses, with one tour along the way) will prove to be a bit dull.  If the scenery is beautiful, as it supposedly is, it should be fine.  If it's dull, it's going to be a long week!  Also, I'm a little paranoid that my heavy head led to some mistakes in my bookings.  Probably not, but by now you know how paranoid I get about upcoming plans!

I did make it out later in the day when I was feeling close to normal.  At my host's suggestion, I rode a bus out of town a little to a suburb on a hill that overlooks the city.  It was dreary, which I usually like, but it was bad for photographs of the distant skyline. 

Ah well, I got some fresh air and exercise and got to see more of the city.  It seems like a nice town, a comfortable and pretty place to live.  When it's not recovering from a recent earthquake, that is.

This was a house, down the street in the opposite direction.